Talk:Rudy Rucker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Rudy Rucker article.
Article policies
Wikipedian An individual covered by or significantly related to this article, Rudy Rucker, has edited Wikipedia as
Rudyrucker (talk · contribs)
This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:

No mention of Mister Frosty?

Contents

[edit] Tetration

There is no mention of "tetration" in this page, even though someone said somewhere else at Wikipedia that he uses the word "tetration" and there is no tetration page at Wikipedia.

[edit] Novels linkage

I don't see the point of linking all the novels since by convention, most novels do not get Wikipedia articles. RedWolf 07:21, Sep 11, 2004 (UTC)

I agree, I removed most of the links in my edit. I think some may need to be added in again in the future, maybe Saucer Wisdom. A large part of the problem is that beyond the Ware Tetralogy, there's no agreement what his most signifigant works are. (Setting aside some fannishness, we may have to recognize that perhaps the Ware Teralogy is his only signifigant work).Whitejay251 06:17, 16 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Ware Tetrology continuity

I was somewhat surprised to find no mention of the fact that Rucker seems to have undergone a religious conversion between the third and fourth "ware" book, and that the fourth book doesn't fit together very well with the other three as a result ... 24.22.58.51 11:36, 15 October 2005 (UTC)

I agree that Realware feels more disjointed when compared to the first three novels. However, I don't believe he went through a "religious conversion" per se (unless you have a source which says he did, ie an interview). He did quit drinking and doing drugs between the third and fourth novel. Since drug use is such a big part of the ware tetralogy, the change in his attitude towards drugs is likely the source of that disjointed feel. If you're referring to the greater reliance on theistic themes in Realware as evidence of a religious conversion, I'd refer you to his non-Ware novels. Rucker is an author whose ouevre is reliant on a search for transcendance from consensual reality (see Transrealism). In Realware he imported some themes he had explored in previous novels but not the previous Ware novels.
This discussion belongs more at the Ware Tetralogy article in any case. I'll work it in there. There should be mention of his substance dependence in this article, but I'm not sure how I want to work that in exactly. Whitejay251 15:48, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
Based on essays in Seek!, I'd say that Rucker did not so much have a religious conversion as a reevaluation of his previous religious conversion--deciding that his quest for mystic union with the universe (to put it crudely) ought to involve being nice to other people, and that meant not being a drunk. Which is good for him, but not necessarily so good for his fiction--Realware definitely has a preachy feel to it.

Insofar as his significant novels are concerned, I think White Light would have to be included--I believe the edition I read was published as part of a series of "significant novels in science fiction" or some such.

What I'm surprised about is that there's no discussion of his mathematical work here, which underlies a lot of his science fiction. My understanding is that it's considered significant. I don't really feel competent to write about it here, though; hopefully someone who knows the field will take a crack at it. Nareek 04:39, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Scientific background for sci-fi authors

A scientific background for popular sci-fi authors while certainly not predominate, is not unusual. The most obvious example is Isaac Asimov (biochemistry), but there are many others such as Fred Hoyle (astronomy), Carl Sagan (astronomy), Arthur C. Clarke (math & physics), Larry Niven (mathematics), Jerry Pournelle (statistics), and Michael Crichton (medicine). We could do a Wiki-list as an exercise. --Blainster 20:49, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] why is his photo a negative?

Very distracting - it looks like a mistake. If it's done on purpose for artistic or whatever reasons, the cutline should say so. - DavidWBrooks 15:35, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

You can use a picture taken by my daughter Georgia Rucker if you like, we'll license it under GFDL. The picture is at [[1]] Rudyrucker 05:25, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 04:04, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Gödel

Because Rudy Rucker is a fiction writer, I wonder if his interview with Gödel was fabricated. Did he really meet and talk to the noted recluse?Lestrade (talk) 18:40, 11 February 2008 (UTC)Lestrade

Rudy is pretty good about differentiating between what he's making up and what's real. --Pleasantville (talk) 00:19, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

I want to believe you, but I can't understand how you could be so certain. Only Rudy Rucker, in his own mind, would know the truth. Lestrade (talk) 13:15, 13 February 2008 (UTC)Lestrade

He's a friend and I edited one of his books as a freelancer for the publisher. How does this relate to the existing article? Pleasantville (talk) 15:11, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
The existing article describes some of Rucker's work as Transrealism which is science fiction based on the author's own life and immediate perceptions, mixed with fantastic elements. When this statement is combined with the fact that Gödel was extremely private and disliked publicity, as well as being averse to meeting people, then it naturally follows that there was a possibility that the interview may have been fictitious. No harm intended. Just asking a question.Lestrade (talk) 00:22, 14 February 2008 (UTC)Lestrade


[edit] Contradiction?

Is saucer wisdom fiction, or non-fiction? the article seems to contain opposing points of view. having skimmed through the book (very briefly) it doens't seem obvious to me. G30ffr3y (talk) 21:34, 12 April 2008 (UTC)