Me and Neal Stephenson

Tonight Bates and Gulkis and I went to see Stephenson talk, and sign our books. He signed Cryptonomicon for me, and he was very funny and dry and entertaining.

I especially liked when he was asked what his favorite technologies are, he said "I like buttons. They're simple, and do their job without making any noise. I also like scissors, because they're a lot better at cutting floppy things than a knife."

The answer may sound tongue in cheek, but the point he was making was that we haven't made a simple, ubiquitous modern technology as simple and universal and friendly as a button yet. We still have all this finicky, unreliable shit that we make do with, but we've got a ways to go with it.

I asked him why he wrote two books under a pen name, and he said that was because he wrote the Stephen Bury books with his uncle, and they figured it would be easier to remember than putting two big long names on it. Those books are really good, by the way, if any of you guys are interested in more Stephenson.

And here's my requisite shot. I've got Gibson and Stephenson now, my two favorite authors. There's not much else for me to live for. Heh.

Well, I'd still like to meet Umberto Eco. Also, is Vernor Vinge still alive? Or did he die? Greg Egan is cool too. I guess I'll stay alive a while longer.