Includes bibliographical references.

African thumb piano -- Rocket radio -- Since 1948 -- Any 'mount of world -- The baddest dude on Earth -- Talk for Book Expo, New York -- Dead man sings -- Up the line -- Disneyland with the death penalty -- Mr. Buk's window -- Shiny balls of mud : Hikaru Dorodango and Tokyu hands -- An invitation -- Metrophagy : the art and science of digesting great cities -- Modern boys and mobile girls -- My obsession -- My own private Tokyo -- The road to Oceania -- Skip Spence's jeans -- Terminal city -- Introduction : "The body" -- The Net is a waste of time -- Time machine Cuba -- Will we have computer chips in our heads? -- William Gibson's filmless festival -- Johnny : notes on a process -- Googling the cyborg.

Known primarily as a novelist, Gibson has, over thirty years, been approached by different publication to share his insights into contemporary culture. The resulting essays are collected here for the first time.