So your comment was very interesting in that it kicked off a 30 minute wiki investigation into that book and other sci-fi novels. I'm currently finishing 2312 from Kim Stanley Robinson and he uses the term Accelerando, so that piqued my interest for searching [0]. Haven't read any Stross, but it looks interesting!
His blog also contains regular fascinating commentary on world events, future economics, runaway AI, sci fi world-building, and the various difficulties associated with predicting the future. Charlie is an under-appreciated polymath, honestly.
I politely disagree - they are funny, in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge sort of way (if you've read your Lovecraft), but pale compared to his 'harder' SF (like Accelrando, Singularity Sky, Glasshouse). That said, I do much prefer the Laundry Files stories to The Merchant Princes, but I have a low tolerance for Urban Fantasy...
