A couple of people have said they can see various metaphors in my book “Nanopunk“. Collectively these are: (i) the ‘Big Freeze’ is a metaphor for the current global economic crisis;
(ii) that Janus, the super-computer observing and analysing global communications and data traffic is SOPA/ACTA and all the other government security data surveillance activity rolled into one.
(iii) the People’s Infantry Cyber-activist group are none other than Anonymous.
(iv) China supplying machinery and engineers to help the west rebuild, is a re-representation of China’s growing economic influence across the world
I’m not surpised there are similarities, but they have occurred because reality always filters through into fiction in one way or another. I’m the same guy that is interested in what’s going on in the world around us; the forces shaping society, our communities; the struggles we have to endure and the sacrifices we have to make just so that the politicians, bankers and millionaires who got us into this mess can, at our expense, continue to live the life of luxury they are accustomed to.
So come to think of it, yes. maybe unconsciously I did translate the cold, parasitic treatment of the majority of people at the hands of the rich and powerful, into a tangible, climatic devastation. But it was not a conscious activity.
As for Janus, there is a significant difference. Janus only observes and analyses ALL communications and data activity, looking for patterns and relationships; not just in human activity but academic and research activity too. Janus is not a threat to internet freedom and is providing any data whatsoever on individuals or specific groups according to government security classifications.
The only similarity Janus has is in expressing the fact it is now within governments and corporations means to not only monitor but to undertake complex analyses of the specific communications between individuals and groups, their location, information content, frequency and duration, textual analysis and build a rich picture of group and individuals behaviour patterns, relationships. Complex algorithms are being used to forecast and project behaviour whilst collecting data to modify and improve forecasts in real-time. So they can know, with a high degree of probability what we are going to do before we do it and can plan accordingly. This should come as no surprise to anyone who regularly shops on-line or uses a credit card. The Gov’t and private data security corporations just have bigger machines with more powerful and smarter A.I Get used to it or go random.
Yes, the Cyber-activist wing of People’s Infantry are Anonymous.
As for the China coming to the rescue of the West with technology and engineers being a metaphor for the growing strength of the Chinese Economy and global influence. I can see why people might think that, it’s a neat fit but it is not what I intended. I wanted to focus attention on the fact the vast majority of Chinese people are good, decent, hardworking, honest folk in caring families and communities who I believe would not hesitate to come to the assistance of people who needed help. I was getting a bit sick and tired of the West’s constant portrayal of China as a nation infested with corruption and poor civil rights.
It is rather ironic that the very source or the criticisms are media and governments who themselves are far from being good examples of humanitarian, democratic rule. In both East and West, the corrupt are those who have the wealth, power and greed to be abusive and corrupt, race and politics do not are not the determinants – Much as they would like us to believe it is.