I love Cyberpunk, and even though we have already surpassed or bypassed many of the hallmarks of traditional cyberpunk, I don't believe that lessens its appeal for the target audience. Consider Steampunk or Dieselpunk, which were created long after the notion of their being unrealistic was a forgone conclusion.
Cyberpunk is about applying real-world paradigms to a future with specifically advanced technology, usually revolving around 'cyberspace', internet connectivity, or the impact of technology on human identity. Usually these paradigms are of the more seedy variety, thus the 'punk'. At least this is what seems to separate it from other forms of science fiction, though I think most speculative fiction includes a dash of cyberpunk when looked at in this light.
I love how Ghost in the Shell really takes this to the limit with philosophical refections on such issues, it's the deepest cyberpunk world I've ever seen or read into. I did like Neuromancer, but I really thought it was a poor book on literary terms, it had good imagery but fell short in most other areas. I thought Snow Crash was better, or at least more fleshed out, and Alistair Reynolds injected a good bit of thoughtful cyberpunk into the Revelation Space universe with this book.
It's a really interesting look into how a city dependent on nano-machines as a cure-all and universal building block is affected when a virus turns those same machines into a destructive force, and how people adjust their everyday lives years later.
Does anyone have any leads on good essays or discussion forums for cyberpunk concepts like the impacts of AI, digitization of the mind, and omni-present connections to the internet even on an internal, mental level (a development you can really see progressing) on humanity?
