[IP] Gibson on Orwell

Dave Farber posted a very interesting piece on his IP list. It's William Gibson thinking about George Orwell, and comparing the modern day to the fictional 1984. UPDATE: This piece originally appeared on the New York Times OP-ED Page Here is a quote from the article:

"Walking along Henrietta Street recently, by London's Covent Garden, looking for a restaurant, I found myself thinking of George Orwell. Victor Gollancz Ltd., publisher of Orwell's early work, had its offices there in 1984, when the company published my first novel, a novel of an imagined future. At the time, I felt I had lived most of my life under the looming shadow of that mythic year ? Orwell having found his title by inverting the final digits of the year of his book's completion. It seemed very strange to actually be alive in 1984. In retrospect, I think it has seemed stranger even than living in the 21st century. "