Intellectually, perspective [drawing] is a breakthrough, because here, for the first time, the physical space we live in is being depicted as ifit were an abstract, mathematical space. A less obvious innovation due to perspective is that here, for the first time, people are actually drawing pictures of infinities.

We're part of the unfolding world, surfing the chaotic waves

If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural phenomena that can occur.

All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do things that are much more complex than one might have expected.

In any case, A New Kind of Science is a wonderful book, and I'm still absorbing its teachings.

Selling a book or story has never become absolutely automatic for me.

For me, the best thing about cyberpunk is that it taught me how to enjoy shopping malls, which used to terrify me. Now I just pretend that the whole thing is two miles below the moon’s surface, and that half the people’s right-brains have been eaten by roboticized steel rats. And suddenly it’s interesting again.