William Gibson on Google and Childhood

by Robert Quigley | 10:19 am, September 1st, 2010

“Perhaps the company should issue children with free “training wheels” identities at birth, terminating at the age of majority. One could then either opt to connect one’s adult identity to one’s childhood identity, or not.

Childhoodlessness, being obviously suspect on a résumé, would give birth to an industry providing faux adolescences, expensively retro-inserted, the creation of which would gainfully employ a great many writers of fiction. So there would be a silver lining of sorts.”

–From sci-fi legend William Gibson‘s excellent New York Times op-ed [go read it] on our simultaneous fascination with and repulsion from Google. “Science fiction never imagined Google.”

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10 Terrifying Doors You Don't Want to Open

We're not afraid of doors or anything, we just thought geekdom has some pretty terrifying ones, that also happen to lead to terrifying things. We made up a list of ten of the scariest doors in geekdom, which we were super brave about writing and didn't spook us at all. Honest!

Tweetosystem

Max Got chili oil on my hands and face. It hurts. A lot.
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Eric Limer Suddenly I remember what I hate about PC gaming. Mainly never having a computer that can actually do it.
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James Plafke The halftime show taught me that football-watching men drinking beer who love seeing muscular men beat each other up really like to vogue.
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Max Pestering your friends at 8am is how you show you care, right? #hopeso
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Eric Limer Twitter is like RiffTrax for EVERYTHING.
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James Plafke I know global warming is scary, but not having a winter was pretty cool. I didn't have to spend money on shoes for the snow.
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Eric Limer I hereby apologize to all persons --past, present and future-- who have the misfortune of hearing me "sing" dubstep songs.
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Max Even Facebook's Timeline thinks I could have done more with my life.
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Max I did that thing where Facebook turns your Timeline into a movie. Mine had pictures of ducks and foliage set to really dramatic music.
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Max "But I don't wanna go to the dog show!"
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James Plafke People can't stop talking about Downtown Abbey. Is it actually good, or is the rest of TV so bad that comparatively, it isn't the worst?
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Eric Limer Awful is a funny lookin' word.
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James Plafke Remember when soda cans didn't have the wide-mouth openings standard?
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Max Hopefully backsliding on my resolutions for self improvement will shame me into success!
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Max This guy is wearing a paisley hoodie. He looks like furniture and I love it.
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James Plafke It's so attractive when the GNC girl talks supplements with me.
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Eric Limer I think Twitter is a pretty cool guy, eh limits yuo 2 140 characters and doesn't afraid of forcing you to be effiecent.
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Eric Limer Brainstorming a way to translate Nightmare Before Christmas into a litfic-y short story. #ThingsIAmDoingOnAFridayNight
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Max SUNKEN TREASURE
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Max I am literally made of rabbits.
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