Silicon Valley moguls might not find Zed a particularly amusing read. Joanna Kavenna’s latest mindbender features the CEO of a multinational tech company whose sway has long outstripped that of mere governments. Guy Matthias’s creation, Beetle, has invaded western lives to an unprecedented degree. BeetleBands on wrists advise users when they need to eat, hydrate or calm down. Very Intelligent Personal Assistants or Veeps perform tasks and offer factual information. Monetary systems have long since switched to the cryptocurrency Beetlebits, leaving late adopters penniless. Beetle runs the premier mode of transport, all telecommunications and the ubiquitous surveillance cameras. The information is fed back to individual, constantly adjusted Lifestreams. Snap at your boss, and your Lifestream will reconfigure your chances of being fired. Crack open a lunchtime beer, and your fridge will report on you. It’s reminiscent of China’s good citizenship score, and Guy is vigorously liaising with his Chinese counterparts.
Beetle even pervades the criminal justice system, for Lifestreams can predict when a crime is going to be committed, making it perfectly feasible to be prosecuted for something you haven’t yet done.
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