It is interesting to see how contemporary Sci-Fi authors embrace the new technologies. Vernor Vinge in his “Rainbow Ends” demonstrates his deep knowledge of current IT technologies. In a not too far future, his heroes are immerged in a world with three technical characteristics:
- Wearables; computers are part of the day to day clothing. Funnily, the French translation uses the sad term “vetinf”.
- Augmented reality; Every body wears eye lenses. Not only do they give additional information but they can also disguise the world with the fantasy desired by the viewer
- Ubiquitous network
Therefore, from the technical point of view, the book is interesting. What about the story itself. It is mixture of Fahrenheit 411, Snow Crash and a jump to the future. Unfortunately, there are some inconsistencies with characters, as some young kids are too “efficient” ‘(at least, according to me). Thus a good book, but not a major opus.
PS: I do not share his vision and definition of DRM