New York, August 4, 1999 - "I think the Greenhouse Effect is the central problem our civilization has right now," said techno-guru Bruce Sterling last week, addressing a national conference of industrial designers in Chicago. "We don't face the problem, but we sure as hell have it."

The formidable Mr. Sterling, well-known for terrain-gobbling leaps of imagination and gem-bright insight into technology, will be investigating this and other questions about the future of the outdoors in a three-week online forum at GORP.com (http://www.gorp.com/), the Web's most extensive site for outdoor recreation. From August 9-31, Sterling will turn his attention to the immediate future of the outdoor experience: what will it be like for us, outdoors, in a decade or two? How will the Internet affect travel and outdoor recreation? Will planetary and technological changes open up new realms of exploration and activities? What's Sterling's take on the outdoors and its future?

"'Nature' is over," says Sterling. "The twentieth century did it in. There's not a liter of seawater anywhere without its share of PCB and DDT. An altered climate will reshuffle the ecological deck for every creature that breathes. You can't escape industrialism and hide from the sky. It's over. From now on, "Nature" is under surveillance and on life-support. Face up to it."

Computers are permeating every aspect of our lives, including the outdoors. With GPS units and topo maps on hand held computers, are outdoor recreationists digitizing the wilderness? Says Sterling, "What does a smart flowerpot look like? A smart garden, a smart lawn, a smart city park, a smart national wilderness, a smart continent? Is there a map anywhere that shows how computation has moved, during the last half of the twentieth century, into the textures of reality?"

A self-described optimist (who would have guessed?), Sterling isn't intimidated by the future or the problems it presents. "The human condition is inherently problematic. Problems are good. If there were no problems, human beings would have nothing to do. ...The scary part is that in 2005 we might still be discussing typography and brand management, instead of dealing directly with a dysfunctional technological reality that is rendering our world uninhabitable."

You don't need to be a futurist to figure out that when the planet heats up, your favorite outdoor places will be an early casualty. So what do you plan to do about it? Take up spelunking in nice cool caves? GORP founder William Greer thinks the outdoor community is equal to the challenge. "People passionate about the outdoors have shown an ability to galvanize action. We have protected species, wilderness and waterways. Now we must simply respond on a larger scale, the entire planet."

"The Greenhouse Effect is a design problem," Sterling says. "So it's obvious that's what's needed is a major new design movement. Something huge, ambitious, impassioned, and impressive. And glamorous."

Outdoor recreationists-the folks who like to hike, canoe, climb rocks-are already caught in the glare of glamour's headlights. High-tech outdoor recreation gear that was developed for climatic extremes has crossed over to urban fashion.

Last November, Sterling, who describes himself as a "literary ideologue," founded the Web-based Viridian Movement, a loose-limbed, politically motivated design lab for an era of global warming. The Viridian List (sign up at http://www.bespoke.org/viridian/) shares rants, resources, and remedies several times a week, with ideas for clothes, computers, alternate power sources, and the development of a Viridian Manifesto.

GORP is the leading online community for outdoor recreation and adventure travel. "Our mission is to help people pursue an outdoor lifestyle," says founder Greer. With an encyclopedia of things to do and places to go in the outdoors, enthusiasts can pursue their passions from hiking and biking to paddling and fishing. GORP brings together enthusiasts from around the globe to share their experiences, knowledge and concerns.

Visitors to the Sterling forum can join the discussion immediately-no special software or sign-up procedure is needed. To get to the forum, start at the GORP home page, at http://www.gorp.com/, and look for the GORP Guest feature story, August 9-31, or go directly to http://www.gorp.com/gorp/interact/guests/sterling.htm.

Bruce Sterling is a well-known science fiction writer and journalist. But perhaps first and foremost he is a cultural critic, taking tactical shifts in genres to make his points. Along with William Gibson, with whom he co-wrote The Difference Engine, Sterling is one of the founders of 1980's cyberpunk movement. His many books include Hacker Crackdown, Islands on the Net, Heavy Weather, and most recently, A Good Old Fashioned Future, a collection of short stories, and Distraction, a novel. Sterling has written extensively for Wired magazine, and writes a design column for the online edition of U&lc; (http://www.uandlc.com/). He is a sought-after keynote speaker at high tech conferences, where he tackles subjects such as computer crime, travel, industrial design, and cyberculture.

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