Computers and Virtual Reality

     The idea of uploaded consciousness has been with us since ancient times. From Plato's theory of forms to Descartes' dualism, the desire to leave the body behind and become an entirely incorporeal entity has been the dream of every learned man and woman since the gift of sentience was endowed upon mankind. With the revelation brought forth by the internet some very intelligent people have begun to consider the very real possibility of leaving our bodies behind and living entirely in cyberspace. One of the champions of this dream is Ray Kurzweil whose predictions, though seen as radical by some, may come to pass in the short amount of time that he has proposed. The idea of cyberspace consciousness has been pioneered by men like Philip K. Dick and William Gibson. The stories "Burning Chrome" by Gibson and "Computer Friendly" by Eileen Gunn, though very different, explore the same themes relating to uploaded consciousness.

     "Burning Chrome" is about the illegal aspects that will take form when uploading consciousness becomes a reality. Gibson is known for his dark and gritty take on the future. Much of his fiction is cyberpunk which is a dark and gritty world with very high standard of technology while simultaneously maintaining a very low standard of living. Though Gibson didn't have the foresight to imagine a world where humans lived out their entire lives in a computer he did have the foresight to predict that most of human activities would take place in cyberspace, In this world their will be criminals just like at any other time but the criminals in this time are hackers who steal money online. Chrome is the target for the theft that our two hackers Bobby and Jack are trying to commit. The only issue is that a love interest is thrown into the mix and a third wheel always tends to disrupt the harmony in any operation,

     "Computer Friendly" is a different take on the singularity. The view put forth in Computer friendly is that the future of every human being is going to be decided by machines. The humans that don't fit the particular mold are exterminated in order to make room for humans that do fit the mold. This story is obviously a critic on much of the public school system with its overemphasis on standardized testing and rules that encourage uniformity. The Chickenheart at the end represents the need for diversity in opposition to unification.