Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"The answer to the problem of information overload on the Net is reputations… engineer a system called a reputation server."
- Neal Stephenson
 |
| Electronic Government | ||
| Using computer terminals to register votes from citizens on specific propositions. |
In the novel, every last bit of commerce, government business and private communication goes over a nation-wide data network. Some individuals obtain special access through the use of government power or great wealth, and use their access to conceal their criminal activities in a way that can never be uncovered.
Nick Haflinger, hacker extraordinaire, writes a super-tapeworm that ends this system, and devises an electronic plebiscite (e-voting) scheme to give every person in North America the opportunity to vote on two guiding principles that the tapeworm will enforce on the datanet.
Although Brunner did not invent the concept, this was a great mass-popularization of the idea. Buckminster Fuller wrote about "electrified voting" in 1971; there was at least on limited implementation for distributed choice-making done on early networked computers in 1970.
| Suzy Dellinger said absently, “You know, I always wondered what democracy might smell like. Finally I detect it in the air.”
“Curious that it should arrive in the form of electronic government,” Sweetwater murmured. Brad Compton glanced at her. “Not really, when you think about the history of liberty. It’s the story of how principle has gradually been elevated above the whim of tyrants. When the law was defined as more powerful than the king, that was one great breakthrough. Now we’ve come to another milestone. We’re giving power to more people than have ever before enjoyed it, and—” From 0700 local until 1900 every veephone on the continent would display, over and over, two propositions, accompanied by a spoken version for the benefit of the illiterate. Most would be in English, but some would be in Spanish, some in Amerind languages, some in Chinese ... the proportions being based on the latest continental census. After each repetition would follow a pause, during which any adult could punch into the phone his or her code, followed by a "yes" or "no." |
| Technovelgy from The Shockwave Rider,
by John Brunner. Published by Harper and Row in 1975 Additional resources -
|
The propositions voted upon related to the laws governing the computer network that ran every aspect of people's lives. The electronic plebiscite ran as part of a super-tapeworm that would carry out the results of the voting immediately.
#1: That this is a rich planet. Therefore poverty and hunger are unworthy of it, and since we can abolish them, we must.
#2: That we are a civilized species. Therefore none shall henceforth gain illicit advantage by reason of the fact that we together know more than one of us can know.
THE OUTCOME OF THE PLEBISCITE
Well—how did you vote?
THE CONTENT OF THE PROPOSITIONS
How did you vote?
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Shockwave Rider
More Ideas
and Technology by John Brunner
Tech news articles related to The Shockwave Rider
Tech news articles related to works by John Brunner
Electronic Government-related
news articles:
- No Online Voting Yet (How long Did You Wait In Line?)
- Electric Voting From Home Via Internet
- Electronic Voting Banned In Netherlands
- Vote Flipping Video Shows Poor Electronic Plebiscite
- E-Voting Simple And Verifiable
- Blockchain Used To Verify Election Results
- US Census Will Be Online In 2020
- California Governor Candidate Calls For Voting By Phone
| ElectionSim: China's 'Ender's Game' Battle Sim, Or Lem's 'Kingdom In A Box'? |
| Muxcard Redditor's DIY Credit Card-Sized Computer |
| Cortex 1 - Today A Warehouse, Tomorrow A Calculator Planet |
| Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness? |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'
'...the spreading beam of the deranging ray struck them, and Then one toppled and fell. Then another.'
'Within seconds the material was spread out over fifty yards, in a matter of hours it might occupy several cubic miles of space...'
'The men are dead, but their acquired wisdom lives on and I am the beneficiary.'
'Young people found the driverless car admirable for petting.'
'After twenty generations of shillyshallying...'
