What's a Cybertopian?

If you do a web search on the term, you may find definitions that are less than flattering. That was certainly not my intention when naming this blog. I got the term from an interesting book I read a while back titled "Electric Dreams" (by Ted Friedman). If you like thinking about how computers fit into society, this book is a great read. You can find it here, and the author's website/blog here.

Cybertopian is not a word you'll find in the English dictionary, and there doesn't seem to be consensus about it on the web. I think a Cybertopian is someone who believes that computers and the free flow of information can change the world for the better. There are certainly negative consequences to the free flow of information and technology, and we probably cannot measure whether or not there is a net gain to society. Given what I do for a living, I choose to believe that there is a net gain. My definition is the one I choose to accept in regards to this blog.

Working closely to the technology (WCF) that enables information to flow more freely is certainly inline with these beliefs. It's definitely an interesting time to work with web services...

Comments

• Anonymous
  August 30, 2007
  PingBack from http://msdnrss.thecoderblogs.com/2007/08/30/whats-a-cybertopian/

• Anonymous
  February 28, 2009
  Hey, stumbled across this, i 'invented' this word a year or so back as a mismash of cyberpunk and dystopian. Just thought you might like to know.. Thanks for the info on that buck!

• Anonymous
  March 03, 2009
  The comment has been removed