cyberspace
<jargon> /si:'ber-spays/ 1. (Coined by William Gibson) Notional
"information-space" loaded with visual cues and navigable with brain-computer
interfaces called "cyberspace decks"; a characteristic prop of cyberpunk SF. In
1991 serious efforts to construct virtual reality interfaces modelled explicitly
on Gibsonian cyberspace were already under way, using more conventional devices
such as glove sensors and binocular TV headsets. Few hackers are prepared to
deny outright the possibility of a cyberspace someday evolving out of the
network (see network, the).
2. Occasionally, the metaphoric location of the mind of a person in hack mode.
Some hackers report experiencing strong eidetic imagery when in hack mode;
interestingly, independent reports from multiple sources suggest that there are
common features to the experience. In particular, the dominant colours of this
subjective "cyberspace" are often grey and silver, and the imagery often
involves constellations of marching dots, elaborate shifting patterns of lines
and angles, or moire patterns.
[Jargon File]
(1999-02-01)
Nearby terms:
cyberpunk « cyberrhea « cybersex « cyberspace
» cyberspastic » cyber-squatting » CyberWand
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