This is exactly how the World Wide Web works: the HTML files are the pithy description on the paper tape, and your Web browser is Ronald Reagan.
Neal StephensonWe see everything from the narrator's point of view, so exposition about the world is limited to what impinges directly on him and the story he's telling. Considering how old the world is, we learn very little about its history, which I think is a good thing.
Neal StephensonThe hour of noon has passed,' said Judge Fang. 'Let us go and get some Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Neal StephensonThat we occasionally violate our own stated moral code does not imply that we are insincere in espousing that code.
Neal Stephenson