Tonight I had the dubious honor of being the first to show William Gibson an iPhone. Just after the photo above was taken (with said phone) he asked if he could see the screen because he'd never seen one before. eh? Seems like a lost opportunity Apple PR...
Anyhow, Gibson was in the Haight at a bookreading for his new book Spook Country hosted by Booksmith (a great bookstore that has hosted many enjoyable author-fete's I have attended in the past, including the Bruce Campbell nerdfest extraordinaire, Robert Jordan, J. otto Seibold, and a rousing no-limit hold-em tournament with James McManus in which I eliminated the author with 3 queens :)
The father of cyberpunk discussed his views on time travel (he doesn't believe in it), canada (apparently he's often mortified at the reaction people who look like americans have to america), technology (he thinks of it more as how to grow and store grain to sustain a city than shiny silver objects you bring home from Future Shop).
He also name-dropped, mentioning Cory Doctorow, Bruce Sterling and Douglas Coupland as friends. I guess I assumed they were all friends, but it's weird to actually hear it acknowledged.
The most interesting quote of the evening? When asked if he found inspiration for his books in current events he said no. That his inspiration wasn't that linear. That he "sits down and invites the zeitgeist in for tea" and then sees what happens.
I think I'll try inviting in the zeitgeist myself. You never know what might happen.
1 comment:
I've been haunted by a zeitghost. Does that count?
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