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Pattern Recognition
Pattern Recognition's Cayce Pollard is very much a Gibson protagonist -- a somewhat hapless but sympathetic outsider with a unique sensitivity for a particular class of data. Cayce has what is termed an "allergic" sensitivity to the peculiar cultural ephemera of marketing and branding, and employs the sometimes-debility (she experiences something akin to a panic attack, for example, in the presence of too much Tommy Hilfiger) as a highly paid consultant in the survival-of-the-fittest ecology of the 21st century marketing industry.
She is also a "Footagehead," a member of an internet-based community which obsessively follows and theorizes about a series of enigmatic film clips, apparently components of a larger work, which surface anonymously and without announcement in the various uncharted archives of the internet.
Cayce is led by her current employer (a Millennial marketing savant who's Swiftian name, Hubertus Bigend, is easily the funniest thing in the book) into a search for the creator of the mysterious footage. At the same time, she is plagued by an apparent conspiracy of intimidation, involving the systematic invasion of her privacy and an exploitation of her "brand allergy" gift, and haunted by memories of her father, a security consultant who disappeared in New York in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, and seems almost certainly, but not provably, dead. Her search leads her into the labyrinth depths of post-cold-war politics and economics -- depths it seems she may find increasingly difficult to navigate a path out of.
Comparisons to Gibson's earlier works are easy to find in Pattern Recognition. Its main character, with her savant informational talent, brings earlier characters like Case, Laney, and Silencio to mind. Her wealth-facilitated search for the artist of the Footage is strongly reminiscent of Marley's search for the boxmaker in Count Zero (and in fact Hubertus Bigend seems a more benevolent but still creepy combination of Virek and Cody Harwood). Certainly there seems to be a certain self-conscious recognition of these comparisons in the fact that Gibson gives his female protagonist a name phonetically equivalent to Case. Pattern Recognition is also Gibson's first novel since Neuromancer to follow a single point-of-view throughout the entire book. In this and many other respects it has a simpler and more direct story than any other Gibson novel, though it is driven by the mystery angle and contains no shortage of twists and turns.
I tend to like Gibson books better in multiple readings and I'm curious to see if this effect holds for Pattern Recognition. My first reading impression is that, while a well-written and enjoyable page-turner, this is Gibson's weakest work. The translation of his trademark savant talents, ubiquitous technology, idiosyncratic artists and post-modern robber barons to a recognizable present-day reality is hit-and-miss. Story elements that might pass easily enough in a world of the not-too-distant future ring false in this version of the present, where the comparison to what actually is is constantly invited. Likewise, the introduction of September 11th is forced and suspect. There is something slightly off in Gibson's portrayal here, something revealing that after decades as a Canadian expatriate, Gibson cannot fully align with the American viewpoint any longer. And it is perhaps to soon for this very real human tragedy, whatever its sociopolitical lessons and consequences, to be used as a plot device in a work of speculative fiction. I wasn't fully satisfied by the answer to the mystery of the Footage artist, which seemed contrived, and found the resolution of the story to contain altogether too much deus ex machina.
Gibson's facile prose and knack for telling a fast-paced and compelling story prevent these problems from derailing Pattern Recognition altogether. The book is readable, enjoyable, and not without satisfaction. Gibson is to be admired for risking a chance on a fairly radical direction in his genre and taking on the altogether less malleable present in favor of the endless possibilities of the future. The depths to which he mines his own material speaks, perhaps, to the strain of this effort. Fans will probably accept Pattern Recognition's addition to the Gibson canon, detractors of his latter works will no doubt see it as further evidence of his decline. I hope that it indicates a tentative but promising step into a larger world of narrative possibilities for Gibson, and that this promise will prove itself as our stranger-than-fiction present evolves continuously into the future.
You can purchase Pattern Recognition from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Dear value M$ customers,
h p/ 1575621
Many of you might have noticed the Internet was clogged during the last weekend.
The cause is from the M$ SQL server security hole, allowing your lovely
"easy-to-use" (maybe from the hackers point of view) M$ server to accept and
execute artbitary code. The SQL worm generates massive network packets which
seriously jamming the Internet traffic and blocking Internet access in areas
with serious infection. Innocent people like me who are using Linux based
systems were also affected. Our servers are safe from the worm, but it was
completely blocked from the Internet for almost three days. Cannot receive
emails and people couldn't browse to our web site. This causes me enormous
financial lost and affects my reputation. If you can remember, this is not the
first time. Last time almost the same thing happened, the M$ IIS virus "Red" did
a similar attack which also blocked my Internet access for days. Thanks for M$
fans, who paid big bucks to M$ to make them richer as they could invent
"easy-to-use" software for hackers. I think M$ fans are regarded as Internet
"Friendly", friendly to Internet hackers and "friendly" to innocent Internet
users like me.
Commercial software vendors should have delivered high quality software as they
shipped the software (Especially the richest software company should have a
better QA, but unfortunately not). However, it turns out they even blammed their
customers. See the news about the game of blamming
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/secu/article.p
Obviously, users who paid M$ not just suffered from a high TCA and TCO, they are
also loosing their face and reputation which regards as "lazy" by M$ spokesman.
Saying such thing to their customers are really rude. Well, your pocket is
obviously being ripped but also your FACE! I am wondering how can you continue
with such unfair customer/supplier relationship? However, why the open-source
Linux delivered a high level of security and reliability out of the box, and
were not affected even it already took a majority of the Internet server market?
Please be smart, move away from M$ . I paid absolutely nothing, ran a M$ free
shop with Linux for more than 3 years with zero virus infection history (real
story and no bull).
Please pass this email to your friends and save the Internet!
regards,
The Internet Friendly User
We've had pattern recog. software on Linux (at least @ my Co.) for three yrs now.
.NET and its editors. Linux + Emacs (or VIM, which is great to) can work as pattern recog. specialists for you or your company.
This is something you won't get with
Not sure if this applyes directly but give it some thought? Dont you think Linux deserves a spot @ your Co.
Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate. Ex-O'Reilly/MIT employee, now a full-time Google employee.
Highly recommended.
I don't know about his books, but the guy knows how to handle his mantool.
It's all on the subject line...
Not having a TV has significantly enriched my life. I read books, I take long walks in parks and have intelligent conversations with people in cafes.
Who'd thunk it? Improve your life and throw away your TV. Don't just give it to someone, because in the long run it's going just to hurt him. If you found a gun, would you give it to someone? Thought so.
SURVIVAL PLANNING STARTS AT HOME
How to survive a raghead attack
By Mimi Hall
(Precautions urged, 1A USA TODAY)
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday urged Americans to prepare for a terrorist attack that could involve biological, chemical or radiological weapons. With the nation's terrorism-threat level at code orange -- or ''high'' risk for an attack -- officials said people should take steps to protect themselves and their families. Some key questions raised by the latest alert:
Q: Why was the threat level increased on Friday?
A: Law enforcement officials cited intelligence reports that al-Qaeda might be planning to attack ''lightly secured targets'' such as apartment buildings or hotels. Officials also warned of an attack with a ''dirty bomb,'' which spreads radioactive material, or with a chemical or biological agent. They said an attack could be timed to coincide with the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. The climax of the three- to seven-day hajj was Monday.
Q: What has the government done to respond?
A: The government has stepped up security at airports, bridges, tunnels, dams, ports and border crossings. Homeland Security officials contacted 66 of the nation's top CEOs on Friday and urged them to increase security at their companies' buildings. Hospitals and health officials have been told to have plans in place to respond to a biological attack. State and local officials have put more police on the streets and increased security at utilities and other vulnerable targets, but many say they don't have enough money to add much security.
Q: What should people do to prepare?
A: Families should choose two meeting places, one near home and one outside the neighborhood, in case members can't reach one another during a disaster. They also should choose a contact person who lives out of state who can relay messages if local phone networks are jammed or out of service. And they should prepare disaster kits for their home and cars.
Q: What's the most important item in a disaster kit?
A: A battery-powered radio (with extra batteries) so you can listen to instructions from authorities.
Q: What else should be in a kit?
A: At least three days' worth of water (one gallon per person per day), canned and other non-perishable food, over-the-counter medicine and regular prescription medicines. Flashlights. A non-electric can opener. Diapers and baby food. A wrench, if needed, to shut off utilities. Copies of important documents, such as wills, deeds, bank account numbers, insurance papers and immunization records in a fire- and waterproof container. Duct tape and plastic sheeting.
Q: What are the duct tape and plastic sheeting for?
A: If authorities tell you to stay in your home during a chemical or biological attack, seek shelter in an internal room or basement and turn off all ventilation, including heating and air-conditioning units. Use the plastic and tape to seal off doors and windows. This will help prevent lethal agents from seeping into your home.
Q: If there has been an attack, should I try to leave town or stay home?
A: Follow any evacuation instructions from authorities. In an attack involving biological, chemical or radiological weapons, however, it generally would be safer to stay home. Authorities say trying to flee might only expose you to dangerous agents or leave you caught in traffic.
Q: What if I've been directly exposed?
A: Seek immediate medical help. If none is available, try to decontaminate yourself by removing all clothing (with scissors, if possible, to avoid contact with eyes and mouth), gently washing your face and hands and blotting other contaminated areas. Don't scrape or rub affected skin.
Q: What should I do in a radiological attack?
A: Seek shelter below ground and stay there until told otherwise. If you're caught outside, lie on the ground and cover your head.
Q: Is the government telling only residents in New York City and Washington, D.C., to prepare for attack?
A: New York and Washington are particular targets for al-Qaeda, but officials are telling all citizens to prepare.
Q: What will happen to my children at school?
A: Many schools are locked down during emergencies to keep children inside until it is safe for them to be picked up. Parents should learn about disaster plans at their children's schools.
Q: Why did it take 17 months after Sept. 11, 2001, to urge people to prepare for another attack?
A: Information about disaster preparedness was available on the Internet and in government offices well before the Sept. 11 attacks. But most people haven't read it. Officials decided that the latest terrorism alert warranted asking the news media to pass on the message that people should prepare.
Q: Are U.S. officials worried about causing panic?
A: Yes, and they say that they do not mean to scare people with the warnings. They say they just want people to learn how to survive an attack.
Q: Won't firefighters and police officers help me in an emergency?
A: The USA has only one firefighter for every 280 people and one police officer for every 385 people. That means that in an emergency, most people ''are going to be on their own for possibly 48 to 72 hours,'' says David Paulison of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Q: Where can I get more information?
A: FEMA has a 100-plus-page manual, Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness. It is available at www.fema.gov/areyouready/. The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) and state and county governments also have disaster-preparedness information.