The Matrix = "The Net", Ghosts, Brain backhacking, and allegories for existential philosophy.. Options

[Sir_Psycho]

So I started a thread on how you would interpret and recreate Ghost in the Shell's Major Motoko Kusanagi. Not that I'm complaining, but that thread has turned into a vigorous discussion on just HOW powerful Motoko's body is, what it can and can't do, skill vs. raw power, the level of cyberisation in supporting secsec9 characters, differentation betwen the manga, anime, series, etc. etc. and even the nature of anarchical artillery battles. So I figured I'd pose a different discussion topic in this thread.

When I first heard about and read the SR4 matrix rules, it seemed to me more like Ghost In The Shell's "Net" than Shadowrun had ever been before. everyone has a piece of tech on them all the time, that many people directly interface with their brains. These access the widespread wireless matrix, store data, communicate with other persona, run programs, and even hold data and neural command sets for knowledge and even physical skills. With AR overlays, a commlink is constantly feeding you relevant information, maps, and in some cases, tactical data. And everyone had one.

Now I know a commlink is NOT a cyber-brain. Of course not. But the leap from specific people interfacing with the matrix for certain, computer based tasks, and only a handful really being able to slice and blaze their way through, is a far cry from everyone being connected all the time.

And it's not nearly GITS' Net yet. There's many differences. But other than metagame purposes, and possible copyright infringement, why not?

One point I'll bring up is brain-hacking (and this is something Frank touched on in his re-ruling). We have shadowrun's simsense. Simsense can imbue a person with almost any knowledge skill, data, and even protocols that (when combined with wires) make you move differently. Simsense can make you experience reality differently, or even a completely different reality. It can re-write your memories and change your subconscious thinking. And a staggering amount of people plug (or trode link) computers into their brains, which carry the capacity to use this tech. And this piece of tech is connected to a (let's admit it) vulnerable network of millions upon billions of other computer systems and personas.

I'm just off to bed, so I can't really present any conclusions or further points of discussion, but I hope I've provoked some thought and discussion.