Vinge, Vernor. "Fast Times at Fairmont High"

'''Vinge, Vernor. "Fast Times at Fairmont High."''' Coll. The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge. New York: Tor, 2001.

Fairmont junior high to be more exact. Significant here for first appearance of VG's near-future world of all-encompassing IT, capable of producing an augmented reality — and for introducing in depth three of the central characters of Rainbows End (q.v. in Clockworks 2). Wikipedia gets the school level wrong but usefully locates Fairmont as a "school in a future where everyone" — or everybody we see — "has access to almost unlimited computation and bandwidth. However, Fairmont High believes that it is important that their students be able to operate both on-line and off-line; thus, one of their exams must be completed while isolated from the network. The story follows two students as they investigate some rumored strange activity as their off-line exam project." The story also follow "William Gu," who becomes Robert in Rainbows End, showing him as he nears recovery from Alzheimer's but not so far along as in the later and later-set novel. Note wearable computing and contact lenses allowing either virtual retinal displays or something close enough to qualify as VRD. Important to the world of the story is the probable power of media/movie companies and the perception of their power by the adolescent protagonists. Note well for a nuanced but mostly positive attitude toward high-tech innovations, including enhancement drugs. (Note that interest in character development or revelation, and revelation of an intriguing world, seem to be more central to the story than tying together the plot.)

3. FICTION, RDE, 06/V/12