Colliding with light

[vaneramos]

Obsess about something, and it appears everywhere.

In preparation for rewriting Tendril's virtual adventure, I researched whatever ideas suggested themselves. The path led to cyberpunk novels, particularly Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. But Guelph Public Library didn't carry it, so I signed out others instead.

In the first draft, Tendril encountered a virtual character whose job was processing every instance of every uttered word, revising meanings. Last week I decided this was too important a job for one character; the function should be governed by a central structure, a tower of language in cyberspace.

I looked up the Tower of Babel in Wikipedia. And what should I encounter under the reference to popular culture?

Snow Crash.

Carl Jung called this synchronicity: personal experiences aligning with universal forces. I like Annie Dillard's metaphor better: we never see the ray of light unless we put ourselves in its path. Coincidences only happen when you give them a chance. Our minds don't alter reality, but our choices alter the future. Be careful what you look for.

After searching secondhand stores along Yonge Street (Eliot's Books offers the best sci-fi selection) I finally purchased a new copy on Saturday at Bakka-Phoenix on Queen Street.