Plowing the dark

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What Hacker News says

• tsally · Mar 12, 2010 · Recommends

  …day society. Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World are both fairly close to society today, as far as Science Fiction goes. Richard Powers has had great success writing about things like virtual reality (Plowing the Dark) and artificial intelligence (Galatea 2.2), but his works are even closer to present day than Bradbury or Huxley. The Foundation Series, while not quite on Powers's level, are still incredible books…

  on “Philip K. Dick on Blade Runner” ↗
• omouse · Aug 22, 2007 · Recommends

  Snow Crash, Cryptonmicon. Both are by Neal Stephenson. Another pair of good fiction novels are Plowing the Dark and Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers. Sometimes you need good fiction to inspire you.

  on “News.YC Library” ↗
• tsally · Mar 29, 2010 · Recommends

  …I make a coffee shop recommendation and an airport recommendation. Both books are excellent, but the coffee shop book requires slower reader and more mental effort to get the benefit. Coffee shop: Plowing the Dark by Richard Powers. The book follows to parallel stories: one of a company that invents virtual reality and another of a teacher that gets taken hostage by terrorists. It's an incredible book and the…

  on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗
• timsally · Mar 13, 2021 · Recommends

  …of HN in 2021 and read a comment about someone who had read The Overstory. Richard Powers is the preeminent American novelist of our time. With respect to all his works, HN types will especially enjoy Plowing the Dark and Galatea 2.2. There is no better way to dig deep into the effects of modern technology on society than to read Richard Powers. It is no exaggeration to say that reading Powers fundamentally changed…

  on “The demise and potential revival of the American chestnut” ↗
• johnny_utah · Jul 30, 2014 · Mentions

  Plowing the Dark-Richard Powers I have tried to finish this book three times, but I have had to start at the beginning each time. The plot is dense and I can't jump back in after ~150 pages and a month of not reading…

  on “Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?” ↗
• vessenes · Jun 20, 2026 · Mentions

  In Plowing the Dark (2000), Richard Powers suggests that a globe-based visualization would give you a lot more if you could put your head inside it. Nice topological idea -- can I suggest you add it?