cyberspace

/si:brspays`/ , n. 1. Notional information-space loaded with visual cues and
navigable with brain-computer interfaces called cyberspace decks ; a
characteristic prop of cyberpunk SF. Serious efforts to construct virtual
reality interfaces modeled explicitly on Gibsonian cyberspace are under way,
using more conventional devices such as glove sensors and binocular TV
headsets. Few hackers are prepared to deny outright the possibility of a
cyberspace someday evolving out of the network (see the network ). 2. The
Internet or Matrix (sense #2) as a whole, considered as a crude cyberspace
(sense 1). Although this usage became widely popular in the mainstream press
during 1994 when the Internet exploded into public awareness, it is strongly
deprecated among hackers because the Internet does not meet the high,
SF-inspired standards they have for true cyberspace technology. Thus, this
use of the term usually tags a wannabee or outsider. Oppose meatspace. 3.
Occasionally, the metaphoric location of the mind of a person in hack mode.
Some hackers report experiencing strong synesthetic imagery when in hack
mode; interestingly, independent reports from multiple sources suggest that
there are common features to the experience. In particular, the dominant
colors of this subjective cyberspace are often gray and silver, and the
imagery often involves constellations of marching dots, elaborate shifting
patterns of lines and angles, or moire patterns.

