Information as a comodity

If information is a commodity, I can almost see the world from L. Bob Rife’s point of view; the more the world relies on information and the less on manufacturing the closer we come to Neal Stephenson’s world.

The Cyberpunk mindset is an easy response to this big business worldview. A lowly ex-delivery boy (with Shin Obi aspirations) in the real world wouldn’t really stand a chance, but by goggling into the metaverse (only one letter away from Google) he has complete power to slash you in half with his samurai swords—who cares that he is the one that wrote the sword fighting software.

Information takes many forms throughout the book so far; “Earth” (only a word away from “Google Earth”) and even know it all robot librarians that knows and remembers all. Coupled with the interconnecting networks of cyborg Rat Things for home protection, HyperCards, and even LED readouts on pizza boxes. Information is the future, both the good and the bad of it, one can only hope that it isn't half as bad as cyberpunk suggests--this might be why the authors wrote what they did, to scare us into preventing the bad from happening.