William Gibson Interviewed | Page 5

now is about virtual celebrities. It's
the story of a guy who becomes obsessed with the virtual replica of a
star, and falls in love with her.
You're not fascinated by technology, and yet you come up with ideas
on the edge...
When I write my books, my favorite part is always "art direction", not
the plot. I admit I like giving people a visual impression of the world
I'm creating. Then, I have to remind myself that I have to tell a story,
foremost.
Another issue you focus on are Information Superhighways. What
actions have you taken ?
Bruce Sterling and I went to the National Academy in Washington to
address the Al Gore people. We told them that this is the last chance to
give the poorest schools equal chances than the richest. In a few years it
will be too late and we won't be able to fill up the gap.
To me, Information Highways are best described by the most
interesting image I've seen on TV during the Los Angeles riot. A Radio
Shack shop (ED. a chain of shops selling consumer electronics gear)
was being looted. Next to that there was an Apple shop, and it was
untouched. People wanted to steal portable TVs and CD players, not
computers. I think this clearly indicated the gaps of culture, or simply
the gaps of chances, in our society. Besides, the Information Highway
issue gives the public a false perception. They don't wanna offer you
exhaustive accesses to information; they wanna offer you a new
shopping mall.
What do you think of the Clipper issue ?
The NSA wants to legislate that every computer manifactured in the
U.S. will have a chip built inside that will allow the Government to
decrypt the information. The worst thing is that people are not informed
of what is at stake here. Who would buy a computer with a spy inside?
The Clipper chip is an admission of incompetence. They say they
wanna be able to decrypt the information that would jeopardize
National Security. But to can prevent the Medellin cartel to buy - say -
into a Swiss corporation which comes up with a new encryption system
which totally cuts out the Clipper ?
Encryption programs are stronger and stronger. There is a new one

called Stego, which is free on Internet. It takes written material and
hides it in visual elements. I send a digitized e-postcard from Cannes
and there is half a novel hidden in its data. I've seen it work. I haven't
understood the half of it yet.
Man, the Clipper chip is fucked anyway. Most of the new edge guys are
into computers, and they're coming up with new gear nobody had the
slightest clue about five years ago. I saw recently a prototype which
looked like a beeper, but it was a virtual telephone. Unfortunately, we
have to deal with more paper than before. We are submerged by tons of
paper!
Wait a second. A few minutes you said you're not into hi-tech, and now
you're raving about it...
I'm not a techie. I don't know how these things work. But I like what
they do, and the new human processes that they generate.
What is in your opinion the most important technological breakthrough
of our society in recent years ?
My favorite piece of technology is the Walkman. It forever changed the
way we perceive music. The Walkman has given us the opportunity to
listen to whatever kind of music we wanted wherever we wanted.
The Fax machine is also an amazing thing. We live in a very different
world because of that: instantaneous written communication
everywhere. It is also a very political technology, as the Tien An Men
Square events told us.
What about e-mail ?
E-mail is very glamorous. Way too glamorous.
Copyright Giuseppe Salza, 1994. [email protected]
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William Gibson Intervewed

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