Calculating what might have been

books:


	• The Difference Engine (Spectra Special Editions) William Gibson Spectra, 1992 - 448 pages view larger image
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Calculating what might have been

Although it's not common knowledge, the first working computer was designed in the mid-nineteenth century by one Charles Babbage. It worked on gears and clockwork rather than vacuum tubes or semi-conductor chips. The computer was never actually built though.

This book is an alternative history exploring what would have been if Babbage's difference engine had been built and attained widespread use. The book lacks a strong plot or sympathetic characters, being primarily an exploration of milieu. The society Sterling & Gibson describe is mildly dystopian. For those of you who are math geeks, G?del's incompleteness theorem makes an appearance towards the end. It was a fascinating trip. The only part that really annoyed me was the extended prostitution scene right in the middle of the book.

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