9.29.2009
September 29
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Hooray.
It's National Coffee day in the U.S. Drink Up. It's also Michaelmas, or the feast of Michael the Archangel in some religious traditions, and on this day in ancient Greece, the Battle of Salamis occurred.
The Novel (1977) Michaelmas by Lithuanian-American author Algis Budrys builds on a hacker theme, from Wikipedia:
'The eponymous protagonist, Laurent Michaelmas, is an ex-hacker who had early in the computer era left "back doors" in many key pieces of software which run vital government and commercial computers. As a result, by the turn of the millennium, he has become one of the most powerful men on earth, because of his ability to spy and influence through the world wide computer network.
By the time of the novel, Laurent Michaelmas has successfully used his power to create and sustain a powerful version of the United Nations to ensure world peace. He stays in the background, however, as a journalist, albeit a highly influential and respected one whose words and opinions can still influence public opinion. However, as the novel progresses, Michaelmas slowly learns that a possible third party-presence may be interfering with the new world he has worked so hard to create.
The novel is remarkable for its prescience, because it appeared less than a decade into the Internet era, long before its current prominence and ubiquity. Its description of journalism and its professional culture are likewise highly developed, mainly due to the late Budrys' residence near Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which appears several times in the book....'
It's National Coffee day in the U.S. Drink Up. It's also Michaelmas, or the feast of Michael the Archangel in some religious traditions, and on this day in ancient Greece, the Battle of Salamis occurred.
The Novel (1977) Michaelmas by Lithuanian-American author Algis Budrys builds on a hacker theme, from Wikipedia:
'The eponymous protagonist, Laurent Michaelmas, is an ex-hacker who had early in the computer era left "back doors" in many key pieces of software which run vital government and commercial computers. As a result, by the turn of the millennium, he has become one of the most powerful men on earth, because of his ability to spy and influence through the world wide computer network.
By the time of the novel, Laurent Michaelmas has successfully used his power to create and sustain a powerful version of the United Nations to ensure world peace. He stays in the background, however, as a journalist, albeit a highly influential and respected one whose words and opinions can still influence public opinion. However, as the novel progresses, Michaelmas slowly learns that a possible third party-presence may be interfering with the new world he has worked so hard to create.
The novel is remarkable for its prescience, because it appeared less than a decade into the Internet era, long before its current prominence and ubiquity. Its description of journalism and its professional culture are likewise highly developed, mainly due to the late Budrys' residence near Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which appears several times in the book....'
Labels: michaelmas
