Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id UAA11144 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 9 Aug 2001 20:09:03 +0100 Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 19:40:57 +0100 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Fwd: Making (up?) history Message-ID: <20010809194057.A737@ii01.org> References: <20010806131901.AAA21986@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> <3B729003.204986A8@bioinf.man.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.15i In-Reply-To: <3B729003.204986A8@bioinf.man.ac.uk>; from Christopher.Taylor@man.ac.uk on Thu, Aug 09, 2001 at 02:28:35PM +0100 From: Robin Faichney <robin@ii01.org> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Thu, Aug 09, 2001 at 02:28:35PM +0100, Chris Taylor wrote:
> We this side of the pond have been irked some recently by that submarine
> film where the US Navy captured an Enigma machine (it was the Brits) -
> dunno if the film will have enough impact to give that idea lasting life
> though (and frankly I'm not sure anyone could've told you it ever
> happened before the associated minor media rucus occurred). I suppose
> entertainment is just entertainment, but it still irritates...
I knew it happened because I read a book by Neal Stephenson, who had
quite a big hit with an earlier memetics-related book called Snowcrash.
The later novel, entitled Cryptonomicon, is largely based on fact and
is mainstream/realistic, set in the approximate present, rather than
futurist science fiction/fantasy as was Snowcrash. Or at least one of
the timelines is in the present, while the other concerns WWII, which is
where the Enigma story comes in. Stephenson uses this to base an
investigation of the significance of cryptography in society. Not that
he gets to the roots of issues like privacy, but it's a terrific read,
and very highly recommended. Stephenson is a hacker's -- not a cracker's
-- novelist, which for me is a very good thing.
I think I just talked myself into reading it again!
-- "The distinction between mind and matter is in the mind, not in matter." Robin Faichney -- Inside Information -- http://www.ii01.org/=============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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