Neurosphere

A world where the Neurosphere is instantiated via a combination of RFID and nanotechnology. Some quotes:

“Orphids are to bar codes as velociraptors were to trilobites.

Orphids will cover the Earth’s surface, yes, but only down to one or two orphids per square millimeter…You’ll see a few million of them on your skin, and maybe ten sexteillion orphids on Earth’s whole surface. From then on, they only reproduce enough to maintain that same density.

Orphids use quantum computing; they propel themselves with electrostatic fields; they understand natural language; and they’re networked via quantum entanglement.

Jeez, you’re picking up my subvocal mutters. This orphidnet link is like telepathy almost.

With orphids blanketing the world, it was like your eyes were everywhere.

The orphids are the interface. Nobody needs hardware anymore. We’re putting people first and building Gaia’s minds.”

At the end of the book, the next phase:

“Not only would an unfurled eighth dimension have provided endless memory for all, it would have brought about telepathy for every object in the world.”

That last quote describes the premise for Rucker’s next book, Hylozoic. I am halfway through it and it’s more about alien visitors who also come from hylozoic worlds, rather than speculation about how hylozoism might look in our world.

Coming to a town near you – wait, this is my town! Thirty years ago, I spent three years trying to sell energy conservation and renewables to a populace of ranchers and farmers.

“The next-generation electricity grid will allow our company to better meet growing demands, address environmental challenges, maximize available resources and optimize the entire energy system. Ultimately, a “smarter” grid helps us serve our customers by creating more options for managing personal energy use, habits and costs.”