When Geeks Go Camping

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of nature metaphors in computing and cyberspace via some examples of the influence of Californian outdoor life on computer culture in Silicon Valley and beyond. It is drawn from research for a book-length study, The Wild Surmise: Nature and Cyberspace (http://www.thewildsurmise.com), which discusses the many ways in which we use our experiences of nature to situate and comprehend our experiences of cyberspace. It examines the hypothesis that cyberspace contains not only the cities and suburbs of cyberpunk but also the great outdoors, from rural landscapes to wildest nature. The project will be extensively developed in relation to California culture and landscapes during a 2009 Visiting Scholarship to the University of California, Santa Barbara, funded by The British Academy.

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