Greg Bear's novel Moving Mars, now out in paperback, has a cute reference to Vernor Vinge's ideas from True Names. p.208: "'Don't stick on the names,' Orianna said, shaping the living room into more Regency. 'All my friends are into Vernoring. They work and play with fake names. I don't know their true ones. Not even their parents know.' "'Why?' "'It's a game. Two rules - nobody knows what you're doing, and you do nothing illegal.' "'Doesn't that take the fun out of doin crypto?' I asked. "'Wow - crypto! Hide in the tomb. Sorry. I shy from two-edged words. We call it Vernoring.' "'Doesn't it?' I persisted. "'No,' Oriana said thoughtfully. 'Illegal is harm. Harm is stupid. Stupid is its own game, and none of my friends play it. Here's Kite.'" The book is pretty good, lots of nano and other hot tech, but not much crypto (sorry, Vernoring)... A little slow in places, though. Hal