Question for Mr. Gilder and a long, boring story about my karass:
I read with great interest today the first chapter of your forthcoming book "Telecosm" on your website. (I am a GTR subscriber.) On a personal note, I was surprised and pleased to note the title of the first chapter "Maxwell's Rainbow", named after the Scottish physicist James Maxwell. I do not know if he is an ancestor. (Maxwell is my mother's maiden name and is also my middle name.)
Halfway through the chapter, I came across the curious reference to "Schwartz's karass of superstrings." Now, I admit that many times in the past I have been stumped by your use of a particular word, but could this be an oblique reference to a word Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. invented for his excellent novel "Cat's Cradle"? If I remember correctly, a person's "karass" in "Cat's Cradle" is that network of persons with which one may find oneself inextricably linked, through fate or otherwise, and even includes people one has not and may never meet. Sort of One Degree of Separation. Combine that with the imagery of the cat's cradle --a child's toy made of string -- and I think I caught the reference.
What blows me away, though, is the fact that last weekend I was walking along the beach in East Hampton, New York, and I walked right by Kurt Vonnegut. A few years older than the last picture I remember (he must be in his mid-70s by now), but there he was, cigarette in hand (Pall Mall, I presume). I said to my girlfriend, "that's Kurt Vonnegut" and she said, "who's he?" I told her that he was a truly original and great author who probably has hundreds of millions of his books in print, and who is frequently taught in high school and college English courses. A bit of a nutcase, perhaps, but a tremendous talent. I bet her a quarter that our well-read host had a Vonnegut book on his shelves back at the house. Back at the house, my host (who has published more than a few novels himself) informed me that yes, Kurt lives right down the road. As for the book on the shelf -- right there in our bedroom was a yellowed paperback copy of "Cat's Cradle", which I had not read since I was a teenager. I read the first 20 or 30 pages, including the "karass" reference. I didn't think too much of it, until I read your chapter today.
So, this little story may bore everyone to tears, but it seems to me that a bit of my own "karass" has come together this week, with (1) my chance encounter with one my idols, one of the greatest living American authors, on the beach, (2) the copy of Cat's Cradle at the beach house, the source of the word "karass", (3) the title of the first chapter of the forthcoming book of my present favorite author coincidentally using part of my name,(4) your use of the word "karass" in the chapter (5) the fact that the word "karass" itself is an attempt to define the very type of cosmic curios I am attempting to describe and (6) the fact that I have, as of late, been reading your works as voraciously as I once read those of Mr. Vonnegut many, many years ago.
I don't know what it all means, if anything, but from a more mundane point of view, I'm already invested up to my gills in telecosm (mostly fiber optic) stocks (JDSU, AVNX, CREE, SUNW, NTAP, QCOM), and I don't have much spare cash to plow in. But, I will always remain eternally grateful to you and your article of 3 years ago that first led me to Uniphase and gave me the impetus to really follow the developments in fiber optics, and, most importantly, to invest in these types of stocks.
I have pre-ordered 3 copies of Telecosm from amazon.org (a not-for-profit organization -- ha ha); (I now realize I should have ordered them directly from your group, so you would get more of the royalties. Oh well. sorry!) The 2 copies I don't keep will make excellent gifts to loved ones who have made money hand over fist over the past few years, listening to me butcher your excellent theories and buying selections from the telecosm list.
Apologies for the story, I am sure it's not nearly as interesting to you or anyone else as it is to me. Just curious how "karass" came full circle for me in the last week.
I await with great anticipation reading the rest of your book. Best wishes to you, and good health to you and your family, too. KMR |
