Daniel Keys Moran

Daniel Keys Moran (born November 30, 1962), also known by his initials DKM, is an American computer programmer and science fiction writer.

Moran was born in Los Angeles to Richard Joseph Moran and Marilynn Joyce Moran.He has three sisters, Kari Lynn Moran, Jodi Anne Moran and Kathleen Moran.

A native of Southern California, he formerly lived (with his former wife Holly Thomas Moran) in North Hollywood.DKM, his third wife Amy Stout-Moran, and their sons Richard Moran and Connor Moran, along with Amy's two daughters and one son later lived in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.

In early 2005 Keys Moran lost vision in one eye due to wet macular degeneration.

Moran currently maintains an active blog, and has in the past maintained two web sites. Queen Of Angels (1999–2004) was his official web site, and Lakers Talk (2002–2006) was a fansite for the Los Angeles Lakers. Much of his work is available for sanctioned free download at the Daniel Keys Moran Mirror.

Daniel Keys Moran’s Continuing Time stories cover an abnormally large number of standard SF/F themes and story devices.There are multiple universes, time travel, cyberpunk, alien invasions, martial arts, dance, paganism, the politics of world government, an interesting twist on non-violent protest, and any number of everyday technologies that were unheard of in 1985 but are surprisingly common today.

The Crystal Wind

This fanciful name for the virtual space created by a global network of interconnected computers is Moran’s extrapolation of what the Internet would become.Aside from its everyday uses in his stories it also provides another environment in which good and evil can do battle.Surprisingly, the most significant battle in the series is a fight against excessive governmental control of this fundamental quasi-public space.

As part of Moran’s description of how a ubiquitously available Internet would affect society (The Long Run, 1989), he introduced the concept of Internet addiction disorder, which he called “data-starve”.

Images

Characters who have a significant presence in the Crystal Wind are called Players, one such is ‘Trent the Uncatchable’ in The Long Run.But when Players ‘Dance’ in the Crystal Wind they can easily incur the wrath of the authorities, corporate entities, or other denizens of the Crystal Wind.All competent Players carefully craft an Image that they use to interact with the virtual world.This Image is a set of customized code that the Player slowly builds and improves over time.Its primary tasks are to filter the overwhelming amount of available data into understandable information, and to put into effect (through complex technical means) the wishes of the Player.In this way, the Player automates as much of the slow human search, analysis, actions and reactions that are much faster using suitably advanced Image algorithms and hardware, while concealing his true identity from the authorities.In effect, the Player creates a computer version of themselves that requires only occasional input from the slower but more complex human.

Prior to the beginning of the stories, the aforementioned Trent character spent some years developing an Image called ‘Ralf the Wise and Powerful’.The juvenile nature of the name reflects Trent's youth as he was not yet a teenager at the time.As the events in the stories unfold, it is a seemingly minor point when an eleven-year-old Trent is forced by circumstance to abandon his Image code in the net.Trent's impressive capabilities are confirmed by the fact that his Image was sophisticated enough to make the leap (with some assistance) to becoming a full sentient AI.As Trent’s Image it was an online representation of his skills, outlook, ethics and morals.As an independent being Ralf closely adheres to his origins, and acts to support Trent in his efforts to serve the greater good according to his pacifistic moral code.The Trent character is portrayed as an exceptional Player, perhaps the best ever. After leaving 'Ralf the Wise and Powerful', Trent created (and later semi-merged with) 'Johnny Johnny'.

The Living Flame

A force of life which can be "brought down" into the mundane world by gifted individuals, mostly through dancing. As of the most recent stories it is unknown what effects the flame has apart from giving the witnesses a deep feeling of spirituality. Denice Castanaveras is, as of the end of "The Last Dancer" the only person alive who knows how to invoke the flame.

The Great Wheel of Existence

The foundation of reality, it holds the different timelines together. In the middle of the wheel, there is an entity known as "the chained one" which works as the wheel's source of power.

Neither of Moran’s co-authors has published independently, and there is little public information about them. The information below was posted by Moran on his website.

Jodi Anne Moran 

DKM's younger sister, born March 9, 1964. She is the author of an unpublished novel, Devlin’s Razor.

Gladys Prebehalla 

A woman approximately the same age as DKM's mother whom he met in a writing class when he was about 20 years old. They collaborated on a story, “Maggie Archer”, about an older woman forced to have a computer in her house