Tersigni, Dean. “Snow Crash.” Photo. Themightyguru.com. 22 June November Fleisig, Morgen. “Upheavals.” Morgen Fleisig's Blog. mfleisig.wordpress.com. 22 October November 2010.

By Christian Ruhl, Kennisha Williams, and Danfei Xu

What is Snow Crash (novel)? Novel written in 1992 by Neal Stephenson Book explores the concept of neuro-linguistic programming (presents the Sumerian language as the language for the brainstem) Retells the biblical story of the Tower Of Babel

Neal Stevenson’s Vision of the Future Begins in Los Angeles where the federal government of the United States has ceded its power to private organizations and entrepreneurs Hyperinflation has devalued the dollar to the extent that trillion dollar bills are nearly disregarded and the quadrillion dollar note is the standard 'small' bill. Only a few people in the country live out of squalor Most human interactions are centered around the Metaverse

Plot Summary (Hayles ) Centered around Hiro Protagonist as he tries to discover the secrets behind a new pseudo- narcotic (Snow Crash). Hiro meets and teams up with a girl named Y.T. and together they gather information that shows what Snow Crash is capable of. Using this information they set out to destroy Snow Crash and those trying to use its evil power.

Some Key Moments In the Novel

Our Vision of the Future We agree with Neal Stephenson’s vision, but do not believe that society will be changed to the extent that he suggests. It is our opinion that the role the Metaverse will play in this society is the most important aspect of his suggested future. Our prediction is that in 75 to 100 years technology will advance enough to make the Metaverse a reality. Presently there are efforts to lay the groundwork of this technology but they are about 10 to 15 years off of completing this large task (Spence 2-3).

What is the Metaverse? A successor to the Internet (Hof 1). Stephenson's vision of how a virtual reality-based Internet will evolve in the future (2). Resembles an MMO and is populated by user controlled avatars as well as system daemons (Lowry 3-5). Users access this system through private or public-access terminals (6) Status in the Metaverse is a function of two things: access to restricted environments and the sophistication of one's avatar (6).

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Reasons we believe the Metaverse will be created Economically: – Bring together a global community for business and commerce (Hof 1) – Transactions could take place in “real” time (2) – Meetings between people’s avatars could be made as realistic as meeting face-to-face (Rousch 39-40). – Metaverse could provide people with the opportunity to make deal (Hof 3)

Reasons we believe the Metaverse will be created Culturally – Programs already online such as World of Warcraft or Second Life allow people to craft an entirely new version of themselves and “play” this character in a virtual world (Spence 3-4) – This form of freedom will allow problems within society to be resolved – People would interact with those from other countries and backgrounds who all would come together to make up the online population (Ondrejka 19).

Reasons we believe the Metaverse will be created Medium for learning: The Metaverse will increase the availability of useful information (Hof 1-2) Will provide an environment that allows people to collaborate on ideas for educational purposes (Hof 3 and Lowry )

Final Thoughts The question is not whether the Metaverse will be created but when the Metaverse will be completed. The technology needed to create this virtual world will need to develop. Whether one will use the Metaverse for financial gain, education, or simple pleasure the lure of creating oneself over again in any image they choose will cause this element of Stephenson’s future to become a reality.

Works Cited (Information Presented) Hayes, N Katherine. “The Posthuman Body: Inscription and Incorporation in Galatea 2.2 and Snow Crash.” Configurations 5.2 (1997): Print. Hof, Robert. “The Coming Virtual Web.” BusinessWeek 16 April 2007: 1-3. Web. Lowry, Elizabeth. “Virginia Tech and the Metaverse.” Virginia University of Technology, 8 August Web. 22 November Ondrejka, Cory. “Escaping the Gilded Cage: User Created Content and Building the Metaverse.” New York Law School Law Review, Forthcoming (18 May 2004): Web. Roush, Wade. “Second Earth.” Technology Review July/August 2007: Print. Spence, Jeremiah. “Demographic of Virtual Worlds.” Virtual Worlds Research: Consumer Behavior in Virtual Worlds 1.2 (November 2008): Web. Stephenson, Neal. Snow Crash. New York: Bantam Dell, Print.

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