Bruce Sterling is conducting his annual "state of the world" interview on the WELL's public "Inkwell" conference — you can read along and send questions to Jon Lebkowsky, the moderator, for Bruce to answer.
Well, for two years I've been trying to write a science fiction novel
about "ubiquitous computation." However, I'm now so close to
my material that, when I went to lecture about it, I got asked
to join the faculty of a design school.It's not like I get tenure, mind you. I'm merely guest-artist
for a year, or, as they like to put it at my new alma mater,
Art Center College of Design, I'm "Provocateur-in-Residence."
But I get a salary, and, more to the point, I get to play
in the prototype lab.I could have said, "No, I've got to finish sci-fi novel
number umpteen here," but, gee whiz, if they're asking,
why not go? ACCD is one of the world's most-famed
design schools, and justly so. I was flattered.I was in residence for a couple of weeks at Cranbrook
School of Design back in the early 90s, and I wrote
the outline and proposal for my novel HOLY FIRE there.
That turned out to be one of my better books.
So, y'know, I'll do it. What the hey.
