You're a hacker. That means you have deep structures to worry about, too.""Deep...

You're a hacker. That means you have deep structures to worry about, too."
"Deep structures?"
"Neurolinguistic pathways in your brain. Remember the first time you learned
binary code?"
"Sure."
"You were forming pathways in your brain. Deep structures. Your nerves grow
new connections as you use them -- the axons split and push their way between
the dividing glial cells -- your bioware selfmodifies -- the software becomes
part of the hardware. So now you're vulnerable -- all hackers are vulnerable --
to a nam-shub. We have to look out for each other."
"What's a nam-shub? Why am I vulnerable to it?"
"Just don't stare into any bitmaps. Anyone try to show you a raw bitmap lately?
Like, in the Metaverse?"
Interesting. "Not to me personally, but now that you mention it, this Brandy
came up to my friend --"
"A cult prostitute of Asherah. Trying to spread the disease. Which is
synonymous with evil. Sound melodramatic? Not really. You know, to the
Mesopotamians, there was no independent concept of evil. Just disease and ill
health. Evil was a synonym for disease. So what does that tell you?