Rainbows End

First edition cover
Author	Vernor Vinge
Cover artist	Stephan Martinière
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	16 May 2006
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	368 pp. (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-312-85684-9 (first edition, hardback)

Rainbows End is a 2006 science fiction novel by Vernor Vinge. It was awarded the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The book is set in San Diego in 2025, in a variation of the fictional world Vinge explored in his 2002 Hugo-winning novella "Fast Times at Fairmont High" and 2004's "Synthetic Serendipity". Vinge has tentative plans for a sequel, picking up some of the loose threads left at the end of the novel. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Vernor Steffen Vinge (IPA: ) (born February 10, 1944) is a mathematician, computer scientist and science fiction author who is best known for his Hugo award-winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, as well as for his 1993 essay The Technological Singularity, in which... Stephan Martinière is a professional artist, cartoonist, concept illustrator, and animation director working primarily in the science fiction and fantasy fields. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Some notable science fiction novels, in alphabetical order by title: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 334 by Thomas M. Disch An Age by Brian Aldiss The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Tor Books is an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC which publishes popular fiction, and is particularly noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. ... is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... “ISBN” redirects here. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Vernor Steffen Vinge (IPA: ) (born February 10, 1944) is a mathematician, computer scientist and science fiction author who is best known for his Hugo award-winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, as well as for his 1993 essay The Technological Singularity, in which... The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works. ... The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge is a collection of science fiction short stories by Vernor Vinge. ...

The many technological advances depicted in the novel suggest that the world is undergoing ever-increasing change, perhaps destined for a technological singularity, a recurring subject in Vinge's writing (both fiction and non-fiction). When plotted on a logarithmic graph, 15 separate lists of paradigm shifts for key events in human history show an exponential trend. ...

"Your hack was noticed. Back when I was young, you could have got a patent off it. Nowadays—"

"Nowadays, it should be worth a decent grade in a high-school class."

Plot summary

The novel introduces us to Robert Gu, a man slowly recovering from Alzheimer's disease thanks to advances in medical technology. As his faculties return, Robert (who always has been slightly technophobic) must adapt to a very different world, where almost every object is networked and mediated-reality technology is commonplace. Robert, formerly a world-renowned poet but with a notoriously mean-spirited personality, must also learn how to change and how to rebuild relationships with his estranged family. At the same time, Robert and his granddaughter Miri are drawn into a complex plot involving a traitorous intelligence officer, an intellect of frightening (and possibly superhuman) competence hiding behind an avatar of an anthropomorphic rabbit, and ominous new mind control technology with profound implications. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The ability to add to, subtract information from, or otherwise manipulate ones perception of reality through the use of a wearable computer. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An avatar (abbreviations include AV, ava, avie, avy, avi, avvie, avis, and avvy) is an Internet users representation of himself or herself, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games,[1] a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities,[2... The White Rabbit, as seen in Lewis Carrolls book Alice in Wonderland The White Rabbit is a fictional character in Lewis Carrolls book Alice in Wonderland. ... Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ...

As in Vinge's other work, the concept of security in such an increasingly digital/virtual world is a major theme of the novel. It examines the implications of rapid technological change that empowers both the disgruntled individuals who would threaten to disrupt society and those that would seek to stop them, and the implications for the age-old "who watches the watchers" issue. Although 9/11 is only mentioned once, having been supplanted in the minds of the characters by more recent history, its overall impact is unmistakable; Vinge mentions offhandedly, "Chicago was more than a decade past. There hadn't been a successful nuclear attack on the U.S. or any of the treaty organization countries in more than five years." Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? is a Latin phrase that translates to Who will guard the guards? or Who shall watch the watchers themselves? The question was first asked by Plato in the Republic, his great work on government and morality. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ...

Belief Circles and Augmented Reality

In the novel augmented reality is dominant, with humans interacting with virtual overlays of reality almost all of the time. This is accomplished by wearing smart clothing and contact lenses that can overlay and replace what the eye would normally see with computer graphics. In addition, haptic feedback is possible by overlaying graphics onto a physical machine such as a robot. Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data. ... Intelligent Clothing are articles of clothing, footwear or accessories that feature micro-electronic sensors which gather, communicate and output usage and performance data. ... This article is about haptic technology. ...

There are many realities to choose from in the novel; however, the largest and more robust of them are built by large user bases in the manner of a wiki or Second Life. The confederation of users that contribute to the virtual world is called a belief circle. Several belief circles are presented in the novel, including worlds based on authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Terry Prachett, and the fictional Jerzy Hacek. Also mentioned are worlds based on the artwork of M.C. Escher, and fictional entertainment companies such as SpielbergRowling (presumably a manager of the merged fictional universes of Steven Spielberg and JK Rowling). Look up Wiki in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about a virtual world. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. ... Hand with Reflecting Sphere (Self-Portrait in Spherical Mirror), 1935. ... Steven Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. ...

Trivia and release details

• Rather than the traditional book dedication to a person or group of people, Vinge dedicates the novel: "To the Internet-based cognitive tools that are changing our lives — Wikipedia, Google, eBay, and the others of their kind, now and in the future"

• In "Fast Times", Miri Gu's father and grandfather were called Bill and William. In Rainbows End, they are changed to Bob and Robert, perhaps so that Miri's parents have the names of the cryptographic personalities, Alice and Bob. Eve is also present.

• Vinge makes a passing reference to his own 1992 novel, A Fire Upon the Deep: "Who heard of Tines anymore, or the Zones of Thought?"

• Vinge also refers to "True Names": "That is science fiction! There was even a movie—"

• Vinge makes several references to works of other science fiction authors, such as Robert watching kids playing virtual "Egan Soccer", similar to Quantum Soccer from Greg Egan's short story "Border Guards".

• Jerzy Hacek, a fictional author, is said to have written novels about a medieval or medieval style order of librarian knights. During a dispute among fans in the novel, Hacek is dismissed as "just counterfeit [Terry] Pratchett!"

• Two songs in the Fair to Midland album Fables from a Mayfly (Dance of the Manatee and April Fools and Eggmen) might reference this novel.

• 2006, USA, Tor Books (ISBN 0-312-85684-9), Pub date 16 May 2006, hardback (First edition).
• 2007 A mass market edition paperback was published in April 2007. (Tor, 0-812-53636-3, $7.99, 381pp, pb) Cover: Stephan Martiniere - [VERIFIED]

Dedication (Lat. ... Wikipedia (IPA: , or ( ) is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. ... This article is about the corporation. ... This article is about the online auction center. ... The German Lorenz cipher machine, used in World War II for encryption of very high-level general staff messages Cryptography (or cryptology; derived from Greek κρυπτός kryptós hidden, and the verb γράφω gráfo write or λεγειν legein to speak) is the study of message secrecy. ... The names Alice and Bob are commonly used placeholders for archetypal characters in fields such as cryptography and physics. ... A Fire Upon the Deep (1992) is a science fiction novel written by Vernor Vinge. ... True Names was the science fiction novella which brought Vernor Vinge to prominence in 1981. ... Greg Egan (August 20, 1961, Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian computer programmer and science fiction author. ... Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948) is a British fantasy and science fiction author, best known for his Discworld series. ... Fair to Midland is an American rock band formed in 1998. ...

See also

• Ubiquitous computing
• Augmented reality

Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp, or sometimes ubiqcomp) integrates computation into the environment, rather than having computers which are distinct objects. ... Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data. ...

External links

• Rainbows End: an online copy of the book
• Rainbows End publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era, 1993 — An essay by Vinge about the possible causes and effects of technological singularity.
• "Synthetic Serendipity" — one of Vinge's two novellas set in the same world as Rainbows End, complete with illustrations (This novella is an extract from Rainbows End, although a few names and details have changed).
• Mike Villas's World — IEEE article discussing the technology of the book.
• Interview with Vinge on Rainbows End — small WORLD Podcast 2006