I've been asked to explain why I don't worry much about the topics of privacy threat...One reason is that these scenarios seem to assume that there will be large, monolithic bureaucracies...that are capable of harnessing computers for one-way surveillance of an unsuspecting populace. I've come to feel that computation just doesn't work that way. Being afraid of monolithic organizations especially when they have computers, is like being afraid of really big gorillas especially when they are on fire.
Bruce SterlingOne of the points about distractions is that everything that they do is destabilizing.
Bruce SterlingMy dream appliance circa 2050 has one big dial on it, and when I twist it to the right, my IQ goes up to 450.
Bruce Sterling