In a chilling scene from the 1984 novel Neuromancer by William Gibson (who coined the term "cyberspace"), the protagonist, Case, walks by a bank of pay phones when suddenly one rings. It's a call from Wintermute, a strand of artificial-intelligence software. "Case," it says, "it's time we talk" He slams down the handset and walks away-and each time he passes another pay phone, it rings just for him.
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