Eugen, Comments below.
Thanks, jrs On Jul 20, 2012, at 5:01 AM, Eugen Leitl wrote: > On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 10:30:11AM -0400, John Sundman wrote: > >> For any as may care, this story is right out of my novella The Pains. >> >> http://www.amazon.com/Pains-John-Damien-Sundman/dp/1929752008 >> >> Apologies for horn-tooting, but it really is apropos, I think. >> >> jrs-- > > The book is excellently written and hilarious; I really recommend it. > > Did you consult with somebody on cryobiology/cryonics part, > or did you do your own research? > First sorry I haven't sent you the PDF yet. I have one here on my local machine from when I restored / upgraded my mac after a catastrophic failure, but damned if I can find it. I just don't understand the Mac "restore" model. Figuring this out is a weekend project that I've been putting off for a while, but you've given me added incentive. I need to do it anyway. Second, thanks for the kind words. I didn't consult with anybody on the cryobiology part (or anything else); I considered trying to make some connections at the MIT brain institute, but then I decided that this book was going to be more fantasy than straight SF, so I allowed myself more license. I read the book Rapture (I think that's what it's called, will double check later) about the whole Transhuman/life extension movement. There are some people doing interesting research, but there are also plenty of kooks and people who are on an essentially religious quest that has trappings of science, like a cargo cult. That's what I was lampooning, in a way. I read a dozen or so cryobiology papers on the Net. I also read as much as I could understand (which is not a lot, actually) of Karl Sundman's solution to the three body problem. And of course, I read everything I could find by the late Chris McKinstry of the Mindpixel project. Although I do lampoon some of the more extreme practitioners of (what Pulman calls in the His Dark Materials trilogy) "experimental theology", I also am sympathetic to people on sincere quests to figure out "what it's all about" -- which is why I tried to make Mr. Lux a sympathetic character. I'm glad you liked the book and thank you for your kind words. If you get a moment and are so inclined, might you post a review on Amazon/Goodreads? Regards, jrs
