my worlds collide

My day job is (computer) science; for recreation I read science fiction.  These two worlds have now conjoined.  Just over a year ago now, I blogged about an event we ran at the ECAL conference in Taormina.  A bunch of scientists and writers paired off to discuss the future of unconventional computing and artificial life: the scientists providing inspiration to the authors for a variety of short stories.  These stories were to be published, each accompanied by an afterword from the scientist partner explaining the actual science.

A few months after the event, I got to comment on the completed story from “my” author, Adam Marek.  It’s a nifty tale of future bio-engineered skyscrapers gone feral.  Then a month or so ago I got the request for my own afterword, on “growing” and “gardening” artefacts.  That was fun to write.

And now the book itself, Beta-Life, has been published!  I can’t wait to read all the other stories and afterwords, too.