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Comment by roomey | Hacker News Reader

Neil Stephenson predicting the future yet again with reamde (sic).

The plot is a world of warcraft style MMORPG is linked to real world settings (such as airport security) to allow people playing the game to preform real life actions (in the book, the example was sound an alarm when they spotted a character travelling the wrong direction). The idea being, if it is a game (or simulator as you say) you can make it waaayyyy more interesting than the real life work.

Between him and Daniel Suarez these "near future" sci fi writers are getting scary good at predicting some things.

Any other authors are books would be much appreciated!

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Although part of the point was that this was a stupid idea, more geared to getting press coverage and investment funds than actually providing any kind of valuable way of making gameplay productive.

I found it a pretty good prediction of NFT hype.

You and I may be the only REAMDE fans on the planet. Thanks bruv.

Thanks for the Daniel Suarez tip too. Looking forward to some good near future books.

Daemon And FreedomTM might be one of the best near future sci-fi pairings. I read them back in 2011ish timeframe and within a couple of years multiple things had some true from those books.

If you liked REAMDE you'll definitely like Daemon and Freedom, they also have that near-future feel that connects well to the tech we're seeing today.

I'd have assumed that everyone here has read REAMDE

Nobody ever reads the REAMDE.

Started but didn’t continue unlike just about all other Stephenson. Maybe I should give it another chance.

It’s ok. You’re not missing something the way you would be if you bailed on Snow Crash.

I like Stephenson but there’s always this smug vibe; I picture him writing a chapter and then high-giving himself while shouting “I so so fucking smart!”. REAMDE is high on that and lower on genuine smarts than his other works.

That may have been it. There is an early scene in some master of the internet billionaire office and I couldn't wait to put it down. Send me to the monastery on Orth.

Only one that I started but didn't finish is "Cryptonomicon". I do wish to finish but doing so hasn't bubbled up to the top.

Yeah, there are parts like Shaftoe AWOL in Scandanavia that when I reread I can scarely remember reading before, like I slept through parts of reading it.

oh no, while making sure I spelled his name right, I just got sucked into Shaftoe encountering Goto Dengo and the General on a baseball field.

  must . . . . stop . . . . reading . . .

That's a valid way to read him, considering he's known for good books with lame sudden endings.

Nah. It's his weakest solo work by some way (ignoring The Big U which I haven't read).

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