Software (novel)

Software is a 1982 cyberpunk science fiction novel written by Rudy Rucker. It won the first Philip K. Dick Award in 1983. The novel is the first book in Rucker's Ware Tetralogy, and was followed by a sequel, Wetware, in 1988.

Plot summary

Software introduces Cobb Anderson as a retired computer scientist who was once tried for treason for figuring out how to give robots artificial intelligence and free will, creating the race of boppers. By 2020, they have created a complex society on the Moon, where the boppers developed because they depend on super-cooled superconducting circuits. In that year, Anderson is a pheezer — a freaky geezer, Rucker's depiction of elderly Baby Boomers — living in poverty in Florida and terrified because he lacks the money to buy a new artificial heart to replace his failing, secondhand one.

As the story begins, Anderson is approached by a robot duplicate of himself who invites him to the Moon to be given immortality. Meanwhile, the series' other main character, Sta-Hi Mooney the 1st — born Stanley Hilary Mooney Jr. — a 25-year-old cab driver and "brainsurfer", is kidnapped by a gang of serial killers known as the Little Kidders who almost eat his brain. When Anderson and Mooney travel to the Moon together at the boppers' expense, they find that these events are closely related: the "immortality" given to Anderson turns out to be having his mind transferred into software via the same brain-destroying technique used by the Little Kidders.

Software 2.0

Software 2.0 is a term derived from Web 2.0 used to describe a second generation of software development methodologies. Analogous to the term Web 2.0, Software 2.0 refer to hosted services which aim to facilitate users creativity to develop and share their own software applications online.

The term includes open source projects -where many developers collaborate in a software project and make the source code available to the end user- and generative programming and automatic programming - where software tools assist users to build customized software applications.

Following Web 2.0 design patterns, Software 2.0 services allow users to share their software applications on web-based communities such as GitHub.

Related concepts

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Adventure

An adventure is an exciting or unusual experience. It may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. Adventures may be activities with some potential for physical danger such as exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, river rafting or participating in extreme sports. The term also broadly refers to any enterprise that is potentially fraught with physical, financial or psychological risk, such as a business venture, a love affair, or other major life undertakings .

Motivation

Adventurous experiences create psychological arousal, which can be interpreted as negative (e.g. fear) or positive (e.g. flow), and which can be detrimental as stated by the Yerkes-Dodson law. For some people, adventure becomes a major pursuit in and of itself. According to adventurer André Malraux, in his La Condition Humaine (1933), "If a man is not ready to risk his life, where is his dignity?". Similarly, Helen Keller stated that "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

Adventure!

Adventure! is a pulp action role-playing game originally printed by White Wolf Game Studio, the third and last book in the Trinity Universe line of games. The game, printed in black and white on pulp-like sepia paper to resemble a period piece, was conceived as a one-book game line, and was never supported by official supplements. Despite having a vocal fanbase, the Trinity Universe line was discontinued shortly after the game's publication; a d20 system version was released in 2004. In 2002, Adventure! won the Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Game of 2001.Onyx Path Publishing has recently acquired the rights to the Trinity Universe and has announced its intention to release a new edition of Adventure!

Setting

The game is set in the 1920s and therefore at the origin of the Trinity Universe timeline. The release of unknown Telluric energy has led to the appearance of a number of particularly gifted characters, whose actions have the potential for shaping the future history of the world. The Aeon Society for Gentlemen, founded by philanthropist Maxwell Mercer, is trying to bring together as many "Inspired" characters as possible, supporting and coordinating them in their effort for the betterment of all of humanity. But darkness lurks, and Mercer's champions will have to face it in the most unlikely locales. There are three archetypes ("character classes") for players to choose from:

Adventure (disambiguation)

An adventure is an undertaking into the unknown, often having a connotation of danger and excitement.

Adventure or The Adventure may also refer to:

Arts and entertainment

Titled works

Games

Music