The Blue Nowhere

AUTHOR'S NOTE

In writing this book, I've taken some significant liberties with the structure and operation of federal and California state law enforcement agencies. I wish I could say the same for my depiction of computer hackers' ability to invade our private lives, but I've got bad news: It happens with alarming frequency. Some of the computer specialists I spoke with felt that a program like Trapdoor probably couldn't be written at this time. But I'm not completely convinced -upon hearing their opinions I couldn't help but think of the senior researcher for one of the world's biggest computer companies who in the 1950s recommended that his company stick with vacuum tubes because there was no future for the microchip, and of the head of another international hardware and software manufacturer who stated -in the 1980s – that there'd never be a market for a personal computer.

For the moment we can assume that a Trapdoor-like program doesn't exist. Probably.

And, oh, yes, the chapter numbers are in binary form. Don't feel bad – I had to look them up too.