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Daemon
One sentence summary: Daemon is what Tom Clancy might write if he read Slashdot.org every day.
Phenomenally rich freakin' genius Matthew Sobol dies, but before he does, he infects the world's computers with a daemon processes.
"Daemon" does not (just in case you're wondering) refer to supernatural agents; it's a name for a hidden computer process that waits to be activated by some external stimulus, then, when activated, it does the job it's programmed to do, then goes back to sleep. Standard stuff among Unix geeks. No big deal, except …
Except that as computers come to more and more pervade our society, and as more and more control of our lives is turned over to these tools, hidden processes (daemons) residing in our devices have, and given the level of coordination presupposed in the book's premise, government as we know ceases to be relevant. That is the path on which Suarez's world is on.
As a Christian, I believe this vision of decentralized human governance is blindly utopian. While Suarez does not harbor any illusion about the goodness of individuals - indeed, some of the people facilitating the new world are ruthless and, to be generous, amoral - the notion that societal interaction regulated by computer processes created by those same humans could somehow be preferable, or even inevitable, is hopelessly optimistic. The great masses of people are, and always will be, vulnerable to any sufficiently talented demagogue. The only defense is via a moral, ethical and philosophical system that stands outside humanity, presenting a fixed point of reference. (Note that I have not at this point specified Christianity. Actual Christianity is a strict superset of these societal imperatives; indeed, they are only a a corner of personal trust in Christ.)
Once again, as a writer, I wonder at the inclusion of some sexual material that will limit the audience needlessly.
Overall, 3.5 out of five stars.
One sentence summary: Daemon is what Tom Clancy might write if he read Slashdot.org every day.
Phenomenally rich freakin' genius Matthew Sobol dies, but before he does, he infects the world's computers with a daemon processes.
"Daemon" does not (just in case you're wondering) refer to supernatural agents; it's a name for a hidden computer process that waits to be activated by some external stimulus, then, when activated, it does the job it's programmed to do, then goes back to sleep. Standard stuff among Unix geeks. No big deal, except …
Except that as computers come to more and more pervade our society, and as more and more control of our lives is turned over to these tools, hidden processes (daemons) residing in our devices have, and given the level of coordination presupposed in the book's premise, government as we know ceases to be relevant. That is the path on which Suarez's world is on.
As a Christian, I believe this vision of decentralized human governance is blindly utopian. While Suarez does not harbor any illusion about the goodness of individuals - indeed, some of the people facilitating the new world are ruthless and, to be generous, amoral - the notion that societal interaction regulated by computer processes created by those same humans could somehow be preferable, or even inevitable, is hopelessly optimistic. The great masses of people are, and always will be, vulnerable to any sufficiently talented demagogue. The only defense is via a moral, ethical and philosophical system that stands outside humanity, presenting a fixed point of reference. (Note that I have not at this point specified Christianity. Actual Christianity is a strict superset of these societal imperatives; indeed, they are only a a corner of personal trust in Christ.)
Once again, as a writer, I wonder at the inclusion of some sexual material that will limit the audience needlessly.
Overall, 3.5 out of five stars.
