Insanity #02 08 сентября 1999

Cyberpunk - What has become of cyberpunk.

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| What has become of Cyberpunk?? |
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■ Dr.Dismal ^ lfg
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                    Young came to life

                    aggressive, pragmatic,

                    contempt power and the world

                    adults and wanted only

                    one: Kaif ...


    Cyberpunk. How much of this sound ... A
Do you know what he like? After all,
if you think about it, then all the people
using the computer for tvorchestva, in one way or
varying degrees are cyberpunk. Again,
cyberpunk related not only to computers but also
with music, literature, cinema and many other
spheres of life. Style of the new generation - that's what
is cyberpunk.

    Hopefully, that text will appear for you
without interest.
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     Someone from the Great once said: "All
disputes in the world will be made only for two reasons.
Or the same thing called by different names;
or different things - one and the same. "

     Many fans are confident: Cyberpunk - a phenomenon
purely musical. (Founder
cyberpunk music is Billy Idle
has released the 1993 album, and
said: "Cyberpunk")

     Just as many Americans sincerely
believe that the pizza was invented in New York. Continuing
analogy, we can say that the CD-ROM
tabs Cyberpunk to cyberpunk revolution
have approximately the same ratio as
McDonald's - to the American Revolution,
to the adoption of the Declaration
Independence. So, then it will go on
revolution in the world literature. And more specifically - in
the world of American science fiction. Like all
Revolution, it was wild, gambling, noisy - and
as a result of brilliantly led not
wherever in the Leninist outstretched hand
guided revolutionaries of their leaders. Because
It was conceived as a subversion of
encrusted (as it seemed to cyberpunk)
literary genre. And then it was planned
construction on its ruins a new literature -
consonant with the age of the Internet and virtual
reality. And it is understandable to youth, which immediately
from the cradle falls into the world wide web, and if
and can izyasnyatsya, the only gibberish - in
representation of people uninitiated - the language of
all these "sites", "browsers" and "chat". So
conceived, but it turned out ... And that's what happened. As
literary movement, cyberpunk buried
soon as they christen, and "otherworldly" his
Life goes on in an environment completely different - from
Literature is just "on the other side." Cyberpunk
now exists in a kind of virtual "astral"
created by interlocking computer networks,
world youth slang and music, media,
special effects of movie clips, in subculture
hackers and other adult children of the century, playing in the
expensive toys. In short, today cyberpunk - is
more hi-fi, rather than sci-fi. Although started
Revolution is definitely in the literary world, and
started it is not some computer genius or
musician and writer.

     The world of American science fiction was
blown up in 1984, first novel, 36-year
bad intellectual with glasses, kind of not
rebellious, let alone punk. His name was
William Gibson, a novel called "Neuromancer".
To fully understand what this new
Gibson has created a need to recall what was
American fiction until the coming of the messiah. K
Top 80's almost forgotten ones
romantic times when this liteatura
fired the imagination and boldly looked into the
the future, opens up new worlds and star - in
his best works - gave a sharp,
paradoxical view of our world, the only -
Earth meters today. American science
fiction has become a "literature of well-fed." She
is not carried away, but honestly
entertained. Novels came out thicker and thicker, and
Paperback - all gold (color
gold-plated headers - the first sign
bestseller: money on clearance is not spared,
"Make us BEAUTIFUL !!!"). Spaceships flying all
further. Robots all umneli. A new quality is not
was. Meanwhile, the world - was not included even
rapidly breaking into new information
civilization in which one has not been able to
subject to space exploration as a whole
a set of illusory universe was there, near by
and literally nothing. Just wear a helmet, cut in
computer - and no need deeds, not
self-restraint, no mental effort. Catch the buzz
and build himself a world that wish
visit. Moreover, that the world around to
utopian dreams somehow did not have:
crime, terrorism, ethnic wars, speed,
transnational corporations, manipulation
public opinion with an all-pervading
Dictator - "box", the final transformation
planet into a global garbage, the omnipotence of advertising.
Many of the generation of 80's "Dad's cinema" with
star wars and rebellions robots seemed
if not ridiculous, then at least the foreign and
little interest. Young came to life
aggressive, pragmatic, contempt power
and the adult world and wanted only one thing: the buzz.
Demand creates supply - the emergence of new
fiction, mixed with the images and
sentiments of this generation X, it was not for
mountains. In such an atmosphere here, and appeared
"Neuromancer." Nervous, "klipovy, brash,
shocking (hence the punk), imbued with new
ideas and images of "information
civilization (and it is already from cyber!). Finally,
written in the new generation, for
which is the first - if not only -
meaning of the word "mother" was the motherboard from
computer and human interaction, love, even
Sex is more than replaced by similar studies, but in
area exclusively virtual. For those who do not
read the novel, a rough idea of
cyberpunk iozhet give the film "Johnny Mnemonic"
posed by the short story by Gibson.
Uncomfortable, to say the least, a world in which he lives
hero of the picture - this is the world of cyberpunk.
Gibson's debut novel, the author has turned into a figure
cult. He has written since then several more
Book: continuation of the first - "Countdown to Zero"
"Overloaded Mona Lisa - as well as standing
alone "Virtual Light", but the best, what
agree to the readers and most critics,
remained "Neuromancer." At least to that effect,
which he did for sci-fi - and not only on
her.

     At a time when the world's literary
Fiction passions subsided, and Gibson took a
its rightful place in another world -
electronic network - the author's name turned into a
icon.

     With regard to literature, then it certainly
Gibson is not opened "cyberspace", or
"Virtual reality". Compared to, say,
with fantomatikoy Stanislaw Lem, invented yet
in the 60's, all this childish pranks. Gibson himself
strongly denies from the persistent
he role of the Messiah and did not produce
strong impression of "advanced" in the computer
business man. A legend, extending
sacrilege, and that his first novel -
"Old Testament" of cyberpunk - the prophet tapped on
old portable typewriter. Main
Opening Gibson - not ideological, and literary.
He showed talent feeling man
nyrnuvshego spilled into the ocean in cyberspace
invormatsii. Gibson's hero live in the world
hysterical, aggressive, no crap
only environmentally, but also the "ether." In a world
divided between multinational
corporations through information
technologies, controlling personality, so as not
dreamed of dictators past. In a world
be like a hopeless addict, no longer
capable to fly off the needle of information. AND
Gibson did not just show it all, but could
do this in a language understood modern
teenagers.

     Another question is that, as in any
Revolution meant one thing, but in
result ... It seems the only thing that made
mass of young reader novels Gibson -
it's another batch of buzz, but now
information.

     Cyberpunk was in opposition to
serious science fiction - as literature,
ask questions, and not only deploys
a fan of the worlds. As noted by the critic, "with one
hand, Gibson managed to convey the excitement
Information from human studies surfing, with
other - in his books is always present
bitter awareness of how little in common has
glide over the surface waves with possession of all
ocean. "But few people pay for it
attention. Revolutions require leaders and opinion
the latter about their own role in history is possible and
neglected. In addition, the revolution needed
agitators and propagandists. The role of chief of
them to a new motion to voluntarily and without calling
hoisted on their shoulders, Bruce Sterling, who called
themselves neither more nor less, as "zav.agitpropom"
cyberpunk. It turns out that a word is known and
overseas. As a writer he concedes Gibson.
Stirling's novels - "Shizmatritsa" (1995), "Islands
network "(1988) - and numerous short stories
attracted attention, but only just. But the real
manifesto of the movement, was collected anthology
"Points SLR (1986), as well as his polemical
e plate, the normal velocity

articles written by witty, passionate and
offensively.

     With regard to the world outside of science fiction,
then there is a cyberpunk was a bright and
Scandalous herald the prophet. His name is on the
Over the past decades, indissolubly
associated with all that is spiritual world
Western youth. This is Timothy Leary. Movement
hippies, environment, drug revolution, and in
recent years, and one more - the computer - all
it is not passed by the professor, who had replaced
academic career at the crown of thorns
unconventional thinker and a youth guru. He
and died as he lived. Paradoxically, the facetiously, on the
the world faded away from cancer in the mode of On-Line at
Internet, and to bury his ashes in the bequeathed
space, which was done.

     Timothy Leary belongs, perhaps, the most
original philosophical understanding
cyberpunk.

     He saw in cyberpunk is not a private
literary phenomenon, but neither more nor less
the hope of mankind, the generation of corresponding
the new millennium! And stretched out the logical thread
from the ancient Greek kybernetes - pilots,
looking forward to the board (of them has gone and the word
"Cybernetics - the science of management) to
modern programmers, the creators of the virtual
universes, cocky hackers, magicians special effects
Unconventional thinkers. And just for those who
connected to the network, and the World Wide Web sees
ideal long-awaited anarchic freedom.

     "At all stages of human history, wrote Leary, - for them 
to come up with some sort of name - for the strong and stubborn 
and creative individuals, exploring new horizons for the 
future, collecting information and issuing a new one. For those 
who are its intellectual activity takes the gene pool

mankind to a new level. Usually such
independent single combine courage with
extreme curiosity and super self-esteem. These
three talents are absolutely necessary for those who
chose a career "gene Guide" (genetic
guide), in other words - a philosopher. "

     "Arrogant representatives kiberplemeni
over the centuries were called in different ways:
a lone wolf, ronin, freelancers,
independent thinkers, nuggets,
nonconformists, eccentrics, buzotery, Geeks
visionaries, iconoclasts, insurgents, "voobrazhaly"
"Painfully clever." Religious organizations have always
called them heretics. Bureaucrats - disloyal
dissedentami, traitors, etc. Every
sane person is usually called them
crazy.

     Though they account getting any other labels
grade: smart, creative, enterprising
creative, resourceful, inventive,
talented, eccentric. Cyberpunk - a
inventors, writers, innovators, artists
tehnofrontira, scientists lone organizers
show business, the creators of everything that has the prefix
Techno, computer visionaries, elegant
Hackers, masters of special effects, "videomagi, and
etc. In short, all those who bravely, boldly, and even
brazenly collects ideas and pave their course there,
where else did not fly the human mind ...

     Code of cyberpunk: Think Sam, doubted
Superiors (Think For Yourself, Question
Authority).

     But back to where it all went: in
American science fiction. There's something, as already
said, "ustakanilos" are all pretty fast,
Why now become a good habit to talk about
cyberpunk as a movement, who had crap
noise, but the overall buzz forgetting ... born.
Works by George Alec Effindzhera, Rudy
Rucker, Peter Kedigan, Jack Vomaka, John and Shirley
others - it's all cyberpunk. So they say.
Others think differently: different, not
always indisputable examples sience fiction,
which takes place in the above
near future, as a significant place in the plot
is referred to quasi - hardly
can be considered 100 percent cyberpunk.
Many authors, starting out as a cyberpunk, a
later went their separate ways. And some
finally went to the electronic astral, it is logical
concluding that no cyberpunk thing - run
on paper. That the motion as soon as expressing a
five years, it turned out pretty razedeno spirit
revisionism, confirmed a curious affair
"Differential Machine" (1990), written in
co-authored two captains - Gibson
Sterling. From the junction of
polukriticheskih masses should be expected as
minimum chain reaction followed by atomic
explosion. A stylish left Mighty novel
"Just" literature - not usual for
cyberpunk slang, aggressiveness, neurasthenia, and
klipovogo style. This book describes
Alternative twentieth century, became so in
result of construction of the steam in the computer
middle of the XIX century ...

     Critics immediately dubbed the novel
"Paropankovym" (steampunk) and ... it does
another story.