Dain75
13th Aug 2003, 08:49 PM
I read this book a few years ago, and unfortunately I don't remember the title of it nor the author’s name. I was hoping that if I described it someone might recognize it and be able to tell me what book it was. So here goes.
The book takes place in the United States, sometime in the future. It starts out with a man and a young man (around 18 I would guess) wandering the countryside. There are hardly any people left in the outside world because most people have downloaded (or uploaded I suppose) themselves into this massive hard-drive where they live as they did in the "outside" but they won't grow old or die. They can look however they want, they don't need to eat or drink, because they are now data. The world can be manipulated to how they want.
People on the outside consist of religious fanatics and people who just don't want to give up their physical bodies. Food is scarce and resources are limited because there is no one to keep everything running. Robots take care of the huge database and the lines of transportation towards it, as well as disposal of bodies that have entered the computer.
The book also talks about legalities related to the uploading of yourself. You have to be a certain age to be able to decide you want to go in (because there is no leaving, unless you just "visit" for a couple hours). The book centers around the young man and his decision to stay outside or not. His parents abandoned him at a young age so they could go in; he was left in the care of a nanny. He "visits" them in a computer and eventually meets a girl on the inside.
I hope this is enough about it. I really enjoyed the book and the possibilities it created for humanity. If you recognize this book I would really appreciate it if you left the title and the author who wrote it.
The book takes place in the United States, sometime in the future. It starts out with a man and a young man (around 18 I would guess) wandering the countryside. There are hardly any people left in the outside world because most people have downloaded (or uploaded I suppose) themselves into this massive hard-drive where they live as they did in the "outside" but they won't grow old or die. They can look however they want, they don't need to eat or drink, because they are now data. The world can be manipulated to how they want.
People on the outside consist of religious fanatics and people who just don't want to give up their physical bodies. Food is scarce and resources are limited because there is no one to keep everything running. Robots take care of the huge database and the lines of transportation towards it, as well as disposal of bodies that have entered the computer.
The book also talks about legalities related to the uploading of yourself. You have to be a certain age to be able to decide you want to go in (because there is no leaving, unless you just "visit" for a couple hours). The book centers around the young man and his decision to stay outside or not. His parents abandoned him at a young age so they could go in; he was left in the care of a nanny. He "visits" them in a computer and eventually meets a girl on the inside.
I hope this is enough about it. I really enjoyed the book and the possibilities it created for humanity. If you recognize this book I would really appreciate it if you left the title and the author who wrote it.