▁prototype ▁for ▁Gib son ' s ▁Sp raw l ▁tr il ogy ▁of ▁nov els . ▁ ▁Bobby ▁Qu ine ▁is ▁mentioned ▁in ▁Ne ur oman cer ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁ment ors ▁of ▁the ▁protagon ist . ▁The ▁Finn , ▁a ▁rec urr ing ▁character ▁in ▁Gib son ' s ▁Sp raw l ▁tr il ogy , ▁makes ▁his ▁first ▁appearance ▁in ▁this ▁story ▁as ▁a ▁minor ▁figure . ▁The ▁events ▁of ▁the ▁story ▁are ▁referenced ▁in ▁Count ▁Zero , ▁the ▁second ▁entry ▁of ▁the ▁Sp raw l ▁tr il ogy . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁▁ ▁The ▁word ▁" cy bers pace ", ▁co ined ▁by ▁Gib son , ▁was ▁first ▁used ▁in ▁this ▁story , ▁in ▁reference ▁to ▁the ▁" mass ▁cons ens ual ▁hall uc ination " ▁in ▁computer ▁networks . ▁ ▁One ▁line ▁from ▁the ▁story — " ... the ▁street ▁finds ▁its ▁own ▁uses ▁for ▁things " — has ▁become ▁a ▁widely ▁quoted ▁a ph or ism ▁for ▁describing ▁the ▁sometimes ▁unexpected ▁uses ▁to ▁which ▁users ▁can ▁put ▁techn ologies ▁( for ▁example , ▁hip - h op ▁DJ s ' ▁rein vention ▁of ▁the ▁tur nt able , ▁which ▁transformed ▁tur nt ables ▁from ▁a ▁medium ▁of ▁play back ▁into ▁one ▁of ▁production ). ▁▁ ▁Gib son ▁wrote ▁a ▁screen play ▁for ▁a ▁film ▁adaptation ▁to ▁be ▁directed ▁by ▁Kath ry n ▁Big el ow , ▁but ▁the ▁project ▁did ▁not ▁come ▁to ▁f ru ition . ▁ ▁The ▁BBC ▁did ▁an ▁hour - long ▁version ▁of