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
 |
Orwell's '1984' Hits Bestseller Lists Thanks To PRISM
The NSA's PRISM surveillance scandal has vaulted George Orwell's classic work 1984 into the exalted ranks of Amazon's "Movers and Shakers" list, surging in popularity from a sales rank of 12,507 to 213 in just a few days.
On Friday, President Obama referenced the novel when he defended the program, saying, "In the abstract, you can complain about Big Brother and how this is a potential program run amok, but when you actually look at the details, then I think we've struck the right balance."
I'll always remember this passage from the description of the Telescreen:
I've made many references to 1984 over the years; take a look at these stories, and decide for yourself whether this latest scandal is the worst.
Via LA Times.
Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's massive collection of data from the phone and Internet records of Americans have given rise to concerns over loss of privacy, making Orwell's novel of a totalitarian surveillance state seem almost prophetic to some. "Throwing out such a broad net of surveillance is exactly the kind of threat Orwell feared," Orwell biographer Michael Shelden told NPR. In "1984," Orwell portrayed a society in which the state is constantly tracking the thoughts and movements of its citizens.
There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.
Accenture Gets US VISIT Biometric Security Contract
A group led by Accenture has won the five year US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US VISIT) biometric security contract.
Apple Apparently Working On Orwell's Telescreen
Now, Apple would never create a tool suitable for totalitarian governments - but here's what we could use it for.
Big Brother Would Like A Word With You
In a dubious zero-tolerance policy toward unwanted behavior, Britain lets Big Brother do the talking.
Onboard Threat Detection System For Big Brother Airlines
This system seems a bit too intrusive, and probably would not make me feel more secure while flying.
UK's Orwellian 'Baby' Brother Cams
The British are really going overboard with their surveillance society.
Big Brother Now Watching George Orwell's House
Here's an added incentive to visit the house in which George Orwell wrote 1984 - something not mentioned in the guidebooks.
Web Photos Now Have Zero Credibility
Now anyone can rewrite history, taking only seconds for each precious photo.
Big Brother Test Hall At Penn State
Since old-fashioned honor codes don't seem to be working, Penn State turns to newfangled security gadgets - which, it turns out, are an old story too.
Gesture Recognition TV Watches You
Would you want a set top box with a camera in it watching you watch television?
LCD Panel Fingerprint Scanner
Interesting LCD display has a hidden function - it can also take your fingerprint.
Kindle Orwellian Nightmare
An edition of the Times which might have been rewritten a dozen times still stood on the files bearing its original date, and no other copy existed to contradict it.
Orwell's Telescreen Now Available
Initially, this device could be used to create wearable displays that also offered eye tracking. However, it's basically a display that both presents an image and takes pictures at the same time.
Kindle Orwellian Nightmare Comes True!
Literary irony was substituted for e-book versions of 1984 and Animal Farm on Kindles all over America today.
Emotion Tracking Big Comedy Brother
Finally, Big Brother will have a software option for making sure that you are really participating in the Two Minutes' Hate.
Chinese Netizens Demand Info To Achieve Doublethink
It should be obvious that you can't be expected to censor yourself unless you have access to information to which you shouldn't have access.
CCTV Camera Watches, Attached LCD Tells You How To Behave
'It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time.'
Computerized Surveillance Devices Open Their Eyes
'How often... the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork.'- George Orwell, 1948.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/12/2013)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Surveillance ")
Chameleon Personalized Privacy Protection Mask
'...the Virtual Epiphantic Identity Lustre.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
Spherical Police Robot Rolls In China
'Rand could effectively be in several places at once...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Vietnam To Have Full Biometric Transparency
'inscriptions too small to be seen with the naked eye; microscopic data...' - Eric Frank Russell, 1939.
Simple Way To Defeat AI Face Recognition
'... designed to foil facial recognition systems.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
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 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
Current News
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
