[ExI] another fun story, part two of two

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: spike at rainier66.com <spike at rainier66.com> 



 

>>…That seems less MathFi and more about the emotional regulation machine.  Social Science Fi, perhaps… Adrian

 

>Adrian that observation is a great introduction to part 2, which I will post when I return.  spike

 

 

Rudy Rucker’s lavish home, excellent dinner prepared by the professor himself, salmon with all the trimmings, peasant after dinner conversation, the ladies (my bride and Sylvia Rucker) hit it off like high school buddies, in the other room clearly enjoying each other’s company.

 

The three fellers drifted back to Rudy’s library and continued the discussions on SciFi and such.  Rudy Rucker is in the heavyweight division of the Humility Olympics.  He is Anders Sandberg’s class competitor in that: the nicest, kindest, most generous, smartest, most humble person you are likely to meet, unless you also met Anders, at which time you will exclaim in wonder that evolutionary psychology has somehow evolved two such people.  If he isn’t that way always, he was that way that evening in about 1998 when he fixed dinner in his own home for three strangers, and visited with us for hours, regaling us with stories about being a computer science professor of all things (at San Jose State U.)

 

Back in the library, the Australian and the American professor were doing most of the talking, as I listened and learned.  Then I noticed on Rudy’s shelf Mathenauts, and HEY you have that book too!  Rudy with his kindhearted but sly sense of humor, set me up for another time joke, ideally to hit me in the airport once again perhaps.  His comment was the intentionally understated “Yes I do have that book in my collection.”

 

Rudy taught a specialized subfield of math/computer science in the emerging field known as cellular automatons, which was super hot at that time, a discipline kicked off in 1970 by Conway’s Game of Life.  If you do not know what that is, do let me warn you: it is a gateway drug to harder mathematical hallucinogens.  Your life can be sucked into that, and you may never return.

 

Rudy was teaching that discipline, CelAuto at San Jose state.  His computer was in the library and he showed us what he was working on, which was back in the early days when high res color monitors were the hot new thing.  Rudy showed us that.  I commented in my utter naivete:  Professor, I am glad this tech didn’t come along back when drug abuse was invented about 15 years ago.

 

They looked at me in puzzlement.  Me: Ja, I heard about that, rock stars and such, they would eat something they called “acid” I think, and it would make them see things like… that.  

 

They looked at each other in knowing amusement.

 

Me: Well, that went away for some reason, or if not we never hear about it anymore.  If they can accomplish the same ends, but now they can do that without chemical additives, all they need is a computer and your software.  I am glad those two technologies didn’t happen simultaneously.  Hard telling what would happen if they were combined!

 

These two managed to keep a straight face, being the polite types they are, and the discussion drifted back to cellular automata.  I could offer than I too was a Conway’s Game of Life victim, and the stuff I did and was doing with it: writing cool variation on the classic game, making probability-based rules to simulate evolution, trying to create a digital Cambrian explosion, figuring out ways to make Life tournaments, Life armies, that sorta thing, stuff I still did day (and still do to this day if I come up with a new idea (including a new one I thought of yesterday while recalling that evening at Rudy’s home in about 1998.)

 

We went home, Damien and I worked on the next edition of The Spike, that passage where kind soul generously wrote me in there in the 2001 edition of The Spike.  That page and a half about Mersenne primes was a full evening’s hard work for two fellers, combing out unnecessary words, polishing, perfecting.

 

After Damien went home, I found my copy of Mathenauts, an understate book with understated cover art, which de-emphasized the names on there kinda, but they were all literary heroes to me.  I re-read that last story about the guy with the mathematical research company, seeing it as partially a possible allegory to William Shockley’s lab and the “traitorous eight” who grew weary of his overbearing controlling attitude, went off and formed Fairchild Industries, but also to professors in general who find themselves in a position to make a fortune by integrating the research of their own grad students and doctoral students’ research.  This doesn’t happen often, but it happened a lot in the 70s and 80s with software researchers, such as… Dr. Rudy Rucker.

 

I re-read that last story with new understanding of the hidden jokes within jokes, stashed in what appeared to be an escape drama.  The naïve were caught unaware.  

 

As I sat pondering with the book on my lap, I noticed for the first time in that understated cover art… above the names of my own SciFi heroes who contributed stories to Mathenauts, but in a font and color which made it easy to miss, the name of the editor who collected and published those stories… Rudy Rucker.

 

{8^D

 

That humble but sly professor had set me up for yet another time joke.  He and Damien were in on it at the time.  Neither let the cat outta the bag, but in retrospect, I think Damien might have turned and pretended to search the shelves so I couldn’t see he was struggling to contain himself, knowing what his kindhearted and brilliant (but with sense of humor) professor friend was doing.  it worked on me.  I got a second oddly evil-sounding but genuine spasm of uncontrollable mirth outta the deal.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Professor Rucker.  Thanks for the fond memories I carry with me to this day.  Thank you Damien for introducing us and making the way for that to happen.

 

There is a sad part three to this two part fun story.  I hadn’t heard and didn’t find out until this morning: Damien is no longer with us.  He passed away in April, which explains why he never answered my last two posts.  That happened in April of this year, which is about when Anders was here last, but he didn’t mention it so he might not have been aware at the time either.  As far as I know, Professor Rucker is still with us however.  It is my fond hope that man lives a thousand years and fills the world with his descendants.

 

spike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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