Publisher's Synopsis
Andy Cohan, a computer geek fresh out of college, lands a job as a virtual reality programmer at United States Satellite Television, America's largest HDTV provider. Learning that USS-TV will provide a massive bonus to any employee who comes up with a new blockbuster reality television show and wanting to impress the co-worker who's won his heart, Andy creates the reality series "By the People."
"By the People" is catapulted to success with Andy's Video Ion Refractor (VIR), a device that intercepts video ion radiation from HDTV, uses it to identify the viewer, and sends the information back to USS-TV's master computer. The VIR then identifies whether the viewer is a registered voter. Unlike the Internet, VIR information cannot be hacked, which means people can safely, securely, and conveniently vote in political elections through their TV set.
Beyond the show, the implications for Andy's technology are mind-boggling. VIR could empower ordinary American citizens to take the government away from the politicians and turn it back over to the people who can keep a watchful eye on the state of the nation and vote, right on the spot, about what they want done. What begins as one young man's simple attempt to snag a bonus and get the girl could end in Andy gaining the potentially unenviable power to control the destiny of the entire world.
