A question

[forsyth]

Man, whatever happened to cyberpunk? Did it just die out when the future didn't turn out its way? Or did it die out because parts of the future turned out too MUCH its way?

Comments

[frustratedpilot]

I think it's the issue of the AI as a literary character. They're tough to write plausibly.

I think we are approaching a cyberpunkish world, in fits and starts. I see far too many people carrying mobile phones (especially those who talk and drive simultaneously--curse them!) and gladly surrendering their lives to the world hypermind.

So far, though, this world is still limited to the "industrialized" nations. Little by little, the tech is going to filter out to the "developing", have-not nations and they will be the ones to watch.

Maybe the Matrix movies drove the greater issue into the ground. I still haven't seen them, but there seemed to be a cultural crunch when they ran their course.

[forsythferret.livejournal.com]

Honestly? I would TOTALLY did wifi smartgoggles that let me overlay things with info about them, or flip over to check the Internet for things, or let me post random thoughts to LJ or elsewhere when I had them, rather than letting them get forgotten.

Maybe our cyberpunk future is going to be creamy white and well-designed, instead of chrome and black leather.

commenting whilst sleepy

[dezro.livejournal.com]

Neal Stephenson just started writing historical fiction and that was that. Then Sterling was like, "ah'll akill yew" and Rucker was like, "I stopped doing drugs apparently" and nobody saw Gibson for weeks and everyone thought he was dead until he came back and said he was on vacation but forgot to tell people about it and then Sterling started shouting and stabbing in all directions. Then Cory Doctorow crashed the place and spiked the punch with cheap Soviet vodka.

That's what they do at author parties I think.

Re: commenting whilst sleepy

[forsythferret.livejournal.com]

Man. That totally reminds me of the /. interview with either Sterling, Gibson, or Stepahnson, where they talked about their ancient kung fu vendetta with one of the other two. I should dig that up, but I'm going to bed.

[kalifla.livejournal.com]

I blame the severe lack of flying cars.

[dirkdada.livejournal.com]

I think it comes down to the fact that the future, once it's become the present, is never quite as sexy/cool as it was billed to be. :)

And cyberpunk, while dystopic, was all about being sexy/cool.

Cyberpunk is alive and well...

[(Anonymous)]

I think so anyway, especially with movies. There are bunches of cool cyberpunk movies made after 2000. Check this list out if interested:

http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/cyberpunk-movies-by-decade/

I would especially recommend One Point O - a TERRIFIC low-budget film from Europe that deals with advertising and Nanotechnology.

sfam"at"cyberpunkreview.com