The Net

''That plunge like you got pushed off a roof into the ocean. For the first microsecond you can't get your bearings, your meatbrain rebels against what's being forced into it.''

Then you get it together and realize you can breathe underwater.

The Net is an interconnected network of computers in the world of BLOCKOUT. There are two versions of the Net - the global Net that Jack makes extensive use of in his daily life, and the secure in-house Nets maintained by corporations like ReGene.

The Net can be accessed either by a conventional computer terminal or by physically connecting a cable to an implant in the brain and routing the signal through a rig (a process called "diving"). The latter offers much more powerful access but also runs the risk of flatlining due to hazards like Rem.