The novel of TRON 1982 is such a weird wealth of lore

today I’m delightedly fixated on how it approaches “pop culture references and the question of whether and how to explain them”

(I love this novel but there are times when it felt like in this respect it was trying to be the “Ready Player One” of 1982 and it’s hilarious)

Anyway. We see that it at least acknowledged Alan’s famous cubicle sign as a reference to something AI-related, although it goes into no more specifics

And (quite helpfully, imo) it also clarifies Lora’s odd comment about purchasing your program 30 days in advance (she was doing a travel agent bit, apparently)

And then it feels the need to explain quite thoroughly just what Flynn was referencing with the “wayback machine” quote

(while also showcasing the different formatting standards of the time! Double quotes nested within single quotes, back then. Nice.)

…and then, it starts referencing things that… neither I, nor the actual final cut of the movie, have any bloody idea about

yep. Love this stupid wonderful book