A Considerable Speck

WWW: Wake is the first book in a new trilogy by Canadian SF author, Robert Sawyer. He wrote such books as Calculating God, Flashforward and Hominids. WWW:Wake, like most of Sawyer’s books, is a thought-provoking and entertaining read.

Before going on here is a brief summary of the book:

Fifteen year old Caitlin has been blind from birth thanks to  a very rare medical condition that affects the link between her eyes and the part of her brain that interprets visual signals. Her condition has been untreatable until now.  A Japanese doctor contacts her with a proposal for an experimental treatment which involves an implant that will restore the connection between her brain and eyes electronically and hopefully give her the gift of sight . It seems like the procedure is a failure but before too long  Caitlin notices some very  interesting side effects. She is able to visualize the World Wide Web – each and every link and connection within the web.

In the mean time some seemingly unrelated events take place around the world. In China an outbreak of the bird flu is handled by the Chinese government by shutting the country off from the outside word completely and taking some very rigorous containment measures. In a research facility in southern California a Bonobo/Chimpanzee hybrid, Hobo, which is taught to communicate with it’s caretakers  using American Sign Language, produces representational art.

All of these events are witnessed at some level, by a newborn, growing intelligence/consciousness on the world wide web and Caitlin becomes its eyes and ears and its teacher.

The central theme of the novel is the development of self-awareness and consciousness and more specifically the World Wide Web developing and gaining self-awareness and consciousness. Since it is the first in a series, it does seem a little disjointed in places. The narrative contains a series of subplots which aren’t necessarily woven together at this early stage of the story. At times, Sawyer does get a little bogged down in detail  he goes into some of the theory behind internet protocols and mathematics and the like.  But that is classic Sawyer and it does help with understanding the plot a little better. As usual, Sawyer begins to raise some interesting questions about whether consciousness is a cultural construct (a la the theories of Julian Jaynes).

Overall, WWW:Wake is well worth the read and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

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“Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence and whereto.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When I arrive at Derek Paravicini‘s home, he is giving a glittering rendition of Cole Porter’s It’s De-Lovely on his shiny, black piano. When I leave three hours later, he is being spoon-fed lunch from a plastic bowl. Derek is 27, blind, has severe learning difficulties, cannot dress or feed himself – but play him a song once, and he will not only memorise it instantly, but be able to reproduce it exactly on the piano. One part of his brain is wrecked; another has a capacity most of us can only dream of. … The piano is his world – and his salvation.”

So begins this article I recently stumbled on from The Guardian about an amazing musician and his gift. continue reading…

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It has been a while since I posted anything of any consequence on “A Considerable Speck”. You can blame that on the busyness of the Advent and Christmas seasons and the fact that I took off home to NZ for a couple of weeks immediately following Christmas. I am now on my way back to Exeter, as I write, and this is being written at LAX where I have to hang around for around 10 hours while waiting for a connection to Boston (that can be blamed on the fact that Qantas seems to make an art out of running behind schedule and the fact that LAX lives up to its name!). I know I have ranted in the past about Montreal Airport being the worst airport in the world, however, I can honestly say that I had forgotten that Los Angeles Airport is much, much worse! It’s chaotic, dirty, understaffed, badly designed, poorly maintained, badly lit and so much more. It is a poor excuse for an airport and I have seen airports in poorer parts of the world which are much, much better. In short, it is a dump! Having said that, for a great example of what an airport could and should look and feel like, take a look at the Auckland International Airport. It looks like they’ve changed it again since I was last there in 2004. The international departures area is especially welcoming, comfortable and well-designed.

I will most likely post more about my trip home in the not-too-distant future.

Anyway, one of the movies I watched on the flight from Auckland to LA was “The Night Listener” with Robin Williams.
continue reading…

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