[Written by Tharrys Ridenow] Cyberpunk: The Rules -------------------- Organizational 1. Communication is the foundation of Empire. 2. Don't just sit there--Do it! 3. KIS/KIE -- Keep It Simple/Keep It Elegant 4. Experiment, Experiment, Experiment. 5. Quality never goes begging. 6. Decentralize and make it worthwhile. 7. Nobody went broke by making a profit. 8. Listen and satisfy. General 9. Crossbreeding produces mutation. 10. Be different. If you can't be different, be strange. 11. Style is a weapon. 12. The individual is smarter than the mob. 13. Reality is what you make it. 14. The Idea is an immortal virus. 15. Superior technology is superior choice. 16. Action's on the Edge. 17. Enjoy it-- all else follows. What is Cyberpunk? ------------------ Individualism Cyberpunk is the triumph of the individual through the power of technology. Modern and post-modern technology has given the individual the power to express and realize the creative diversity of his own ideas, a power unprecedented in history. Personal Technology Cyberpunk is closely linked with personal technology, which can be defined as technology which is ''close to the skin.'' Examples are the personal computer, the Walkman, the color-changing contact lens, and so on. This is the kind of technology which gives power to the individual. The Edge Cyberpunk is existence on the Edge. The Edge refers to the frontiers, be they social, technological, or mental. It is an attitude which embraces the new, is willing to try the untried, is willing to experiment. It is a fascination with the fringes, and the boundary conditions, and in general, with the Edge of current reality. Style Cyberpunk is Style. Style is used to make a point, to entertain, and to make an individual stand out in a crowd. In Cyberpunk, Style applies to everything from fashion, to software, to hardware, to behavior, to everything under the Sun. Whatever it is, it should look good, feel slick, and be done with elegance. In Cyberpunk, Style is the ultimate weapon, and it is used to wage war on the mundane. Innovation Cyberpunk is innovation at all levels. It is the attitude that there is always a better way of doing something and that there is glory in discovering it. Diagonal Thinking Cyberpunk is diagonal thinking, which can be defined as creative rule breaking, nonconformal cerebration and, in general, using virgin neural pathways on a regular basis. It is very closely linked with innovation, si of Cyberpunk and is expressed all over the place. It's an irreverent attitude towards the world that characterizes Cyberpunk. Communication Cyberpunk is, above all, communication. The transfer and manipulation of information (which is what communication is, in this context) is, more than anything else, what Cyberpunk is all about. Cyberpunk rides the seas of information along the links, whether they are video, or telephone, or computer networks, or printed media, and it is the interaction of myriads of individuals along those links which makes Cyberpunk possible. Cyberpunk is about the mastery of information flow and about the skill in shaping, processing, and manipulating data.