Dave Barry in Cyberspace
Encyclopedia
Dave Barry in Cyberspace is a best-selling humor book that was published by Ballantine Books in 1996. Written by Dave Barry
, this book takes the view point of a computer geek
who enjoys using Windows 95
. The book covers (in a comical way) such topics as The History of Computing, How Computers Work, Software, and even mundane topics such as internet shorthand
.
The book starts out with what it calls "A Brief History of Computing from Cave Walls to Windows 95" where it describes how certain aspects of computing (such as emoticons (hieroglyphics)) have existed for thousands of years. As the book progresses, it drifts off to some more sexual
topics (in a more humorous than sexual manner). It talks about everything from Quicken
to chat room
s and everything in between. It also has some fictitious excerpts from chat room conversations.
The book ends with a fictional story from the second-person viewpoint of a married, stay-at-home mom and her gradual acceptance of and proficiency at using the family PC
, especially surfing the internet through the AOL
online service. Eventually, she meets an English teacher online, and the two develop feelings for one another. The story ends with them deciding they should meet in person, even though this potentially will change their lives forever. There has been speculation that this is a fictionalized retelling of Dave Barry's relationship with his current wife Michelle; the male character's online name in the AOL chat rooms is RayAdverb, an anagram of Dave Barry. This theory has not been confirmed by Barry.
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
, this book takes the view point of a computer geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
who enjoys using Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
. The book covers (in a comical way) such topics as The History of Computing, How Computers Work, Software, and even mundane topics such as internet shorthand
Internet slang
Internet slang is a type of slang that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving keystrokes. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites...
.
The book starts out with what it calls "A Brief History of Computing from Cave Walls to Windows 95" where it describes how certain aspects of computing (such as emoticons (hieroglyphics)) have existed for thousands of years. As the book progresses, it drifts off to some more sexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
topics (in a more humorous than sexual manner). It talks about everything from Quicken
Quicken
Quicken is a personal finance management tool developed by Intuit, Inc.Quicken runs on Windows and Macintosh systems. Previous versions ran on DOS. An online version is also available. The last version of Quicken for Macintosh computers was Quicken Essentials for Mac released in February 2010...
to chat room
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
s and everything in between. It also has some fictitious excerpts from chat room conversations.
The book ends with a fictional story from the second-person viewpoint of a married, stay-at-home mom and her gradual acceptance of and proficiency at using the family PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, especially surfing the internet through the AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
online service. Eventually, she meets an English teacher online, and the two develop feelings for one another. The story ends with them deciding they should meet in person, even though this potentially will change their lives forever. There has been speculation that this is a fictionalized retelling of Dave Barry's relationship with his current wife Michelle; the male character's online name in the AOL chat rooms is RayAdverb, an anagram of Dave Barry. This theory has not been confirmed by Barry.