Jon Bing

Jon Bing (born 30 April, 1944 in Tønsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian writer and law professor at the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL), and The Juridical faculty at the University of Oslo. Bing is considered to be a pioneer in international legal information. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Stockholm and the University of Copenhagen, and is Visiting Professor at Kings College, University of London. Bing is leader of The Protection of Privacy Committee. He has been head of Norsk Filmråd 1979–81, head of Europarådet's Committee on Legal Data Processing 1981–82, head of Norsk kassettavgiftsfond 1983–85 and leader of Norsk kulturråd 1993–2000.

Together with Tor Åge Bringsværd and some other students at the University in Oslo, Jon Bing started the society Aniara, a club for those interested in science fiction, and was often profiled in the media with statements about science fiction. He has brought out several books, both fiction and specialist literature. He debuted with Bringsværd in 1967 the short story collection "Around the sun in a circle". Bing has written much fiction, often with good help from his friend Bringsværd.

In recent years Bing has been engaged with many subjects. You can see him on TV when it's the anniversary for the first personal computer in Norway, read his answers on questions on copyright regarding digital media, and you can also meet him at the annual science fiction festival ShadowCon in Oslo. He is very outspoken in media about cases concerning ethics in technology, copyright, and the future in general. Bing is considered to be one of the nerds in the older generation.

His style of writing is calm, and at times dreamy. He writes about people who stand outside ordinary society, but who manages to attempt the impossible. In the short story "Riestopher Josef" from "Around the sun in a circle" he writes about a boy who can't leave his house due to illness. The short story is about Riestopher who builds himself a spaceship and goes to the sun to capture a sunbeam.

Bibliography

Fiction

* 1967 – "Around the sun in a circle" (short stories, with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1969 – "Komplex" (short stories)
* 1969 – "To loose a spaceship: a game of chance" (play)(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1969 – "Lunarium: the book of the moon" (with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1970 – "The soft landscape" (novel)
* 1970 – "Red planet" (science fiction anthology)(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1972 – "Sesam 71" (short stories) (with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1972 – "East of the sun" and "West of the moon" (science fiction anthologies) (with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1972 – "Scenario" (novel)
* 1972 – "Electrical Fairytales" (editor, short stories for children)(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1973 – "Me - a machine: cybernetic fables" (short stories) (with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1974 – "Knotted Writing" (short stories)
* 1975 – "Azur - Planet of the Captains" (children's book, first volume in The Chronicles of the Starship Alexandria)
* 1976 – "Zalt - Planet of the Steamlords" (children's book, second volume in The Chronicles of the Starship Alexandria)
* 1976 – "The Mad Professor" (short stories)(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1977 – "Backwash: a science fiction anthology"(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1980 – "The new adventures of Marco Polo" (plays, with Tor Åge Bringsværd, later adapted to a three-part television series on NRK)
* 1980 – "Shooting Stars" (science fiction anthology)(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1982 – "Mizt - Planet of the Ghosts" (children's book, third volume in The Chronicles of the Starship Alexandria)
* 1984 – "Flood" (children's book)
* 1984 – "Doppelgangers" (novel)
* 1984 – "The book is dead! Long live the book!" (essays)
* 1985 – "Tanz - Planet of Riddles" (children's book, fourth and final volume The Chronicles of the Starship Alexandria)
* 1986 – "Hvadata? Pieces of literature for the information society" (short story)
* 1988 – "As sure as data" (short stories)
* 1988 – "Shadows of the moon" (children's book)
* 1988 – "Dust to dust" (play)(with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1991 – "Cases of Doubt" (short stories) (with Tor Åge Bringsværd)
* 1992 – "The accounts of an old astronaut" (novel)
* 1992 – "Rosenvy and the corporation who knew too much" (crime)
* 1995 – "The girl that went missing" (children's book)
* 2004 – "Oslo 2084: four fables of future crimes" (short stories) (with Tor Åge Bringsværd)