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Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's


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AN EMBUGGERANCE

 

Folks,

 

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".

 

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)

 

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

 

:(

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Anyone who feels sad about the death or illness of someone they don't know and never will know. It's ridiculous. You don't have to have a psychology degree to know that the sort of grief surrounding mortality is entirely selfish, even the death of a close family member. It's 100 times worse when it's someone you don't even know.

Civillisation will not attain perfection until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.

- Emil Zola

 

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Don't see why being concerned at the illness counts as 'selfish'. Him being ill has no bad reprecussions for me, I'm just concerned about him losing his mind to dementia, which is a fate worse than Death really. If Dementia had turned up in any of his discworld novels it would have been a far less compassionate character. :) No I don't 'know' him, but talked to him for long enough to know that he's a genuinely nice guy, and that's enough for me to feel some empathy.

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Feeling sad because somebody has been diagnosed with a serious illness (and they will have to suffer the consequences) is not quite the same as grief that somebody has died (and is not suffering in any way -- it is only you that is suffering the loss). The former is simple empathy.

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No I don't 'know' him, but talked to him for long enough to know that he's a genuinely nice guy, and that's enough for me to feel some empathy.

Same here. I met him briefly at a book signing. (We skipped school to attend it, on the basis that it had to be more interesting than whatever class we had at the time. My friend actually got Terry Pratchett to sign his absence note. :laugh: ) He was really nice and friendly, even though he'd only just stepped off a plane and was signing hundreds of books.

My games | Public Service Announcement: TDM is not set in the Thief universe. The city in which it takes place is not the City from Thief. The player character is not called Garrett. Any person who contradicts these facts will be subjected to disapproving stares.
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Feeling sad because somebody has been diagnosed with a serious illness (and they will have to suffer the consequences) is not quite the same as grief that somebody has died (and is not suffering in any way -- it is only you that is suffering the loss). The former is simple empathy.

 

Yep. And it seems as if some people are incapable to have empathy. It is probably okay as people are really different from each other.

 

I don't know Pratchett in any way (except his marevellous books) but still, it is sad to hear he's got a serious illness I wouldn't like even my worst enemies to have.

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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I would be more inclined to say that he was one of fantasy's truly great authors :) ... but it's true he did write a few science fiction books. Like, four. As opposed to however many fantasy books he's up to now... must be around 40 by now.

My games | Public Service Announcement: TDM is not set in the Thief universe. The city in which it takes place is not the City from Thief. The player character is not called Garrett. Any person who contradicts these facts will be subjected to disapproving stares.
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Anyone who feels sad about the death or illness of someone they don't know and never will know.

 

Of course this is a slightly different case in that Pratchett is a well known fan of Thief fan missions and regularly posts (or posted) on the Thief newsgroup on FMs that he was playing, from at least 2001-2004 looking at the dates (not sure if he's posted on TTLG, if he did, it'd be under an altnick) ... you could count the number of FMs he was obviously playing and posting about and it was a lot. And more than a few TTLG, etc, people got to "know" him as well as anyone else you could know on a forum. So I think he deserves a little more regard around here, as a Thief FM fan, than other authors.

 

Even independently of that the news is a downer if it means his output will be cut short.

 

 

What have been your favourite games of the past few years?

Far Cry, Call Of Duty, Half-Life 2 and a great many fan missions for Thief! A good fan mission is a joy, because the author reads your mind.

 

cf: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13377

http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?...599#post1149599

Edited by demagogue

What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you but I know that it's mine.

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Don't mind what Oddity says. He's just a grumpy old man, and it will get worse before he gets older. I guess he is the type of guy whol will sit in his chair when he is old and ramble on about how bad the world is in general and how everything goes down the drain and every now and then he will strike out with his crutch and randomly hit somebody blaming it on his old age.

He probably is a lone child craving for attention.

Gerhard

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I would be more inclined to say that he was one of fantasy's truly great authors :) ...

I would rather say he is one of fantasy's greatest authors. I think that's what he was trying to convey in his letter, that he doesn't want people to immediately start thinking of him as a dead man.

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Don't mind what Oddity says. He's just a grumpy old man, and it will get worse before he gets older. I guess he is the type of guy whol will sit in his chair when he is old and ramble on about how bad the world is in general and how everything goes down the drain and every now and then he will strike out with his crutch and randomly hit somebody blaming it on his old age.

He probably is a lone child craving for attention.

 

No, I genuinely hate this shit.

So, are we going to make posts about the other 500,000 people who have Alzheimer's in the UK alone, or is it just this guy, because he happens to be famous?

Pathetic.

'Oh noes, he won't be able to write any more books for me to read or posts on Thief newsgroups'

Selfish bastards. It's all about how it relates to and affects YOU, it's not about him at all. He has real friends to do this sort of thing for him, he doesn't need, or know, about you.

I dislike the way everyone reacts and behaves in the same socially hypnotised way, like performing monkeys, and of course, you assume you are right because there are many of you, so anyone else who doesn't is a weirdo, even if they are logically correct.

I recommend you guys actually have a serious think about your feelings rather than just letting them run riot.

Civillisation will not attain perfection until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.

- Emil Zola

 

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Feeling sad because somebody has been diagnosed with a serious illness (and they will have to suffer the consequences) is not quite the same as grief that somebody has died (and is not suffering in any way -- it is only you that is suffering the loss). The former is simple empathy.

 

What fucking use is empathy to someone with Alzheimer's. Some new cure I haven't heard of?

IF you really cared, you'd volunteer to actually help people who have it, rather than making posts on forums saying how terrible it is. There isn't a town in the country where you couldn't go and volunteer right now to help someone.

The truth is, you don't give a shit, at least not in any way that might impinge on your life or cause you the slightest inconvenience. SO don't give me this crap about how caring and empathetic you are.

Selfish AND hypocrites, and you wonder why it irritates me so much.

Civillisation will not attain perfection until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.

- Emil Zola

 

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There is a difference about all the "regular" patients, and if somebody is hit who you actually have a realtion with, even if it is such a remote one like with an author and his readers. Of course I can't say that I'm emotionally affected in a strong way. I don't know Pratchet personally, only have seen his photos on his books and don't know much more about the person. I have read quite a lot of his books (if not all), definitely much more then from any other single author, and I really enjoyed them. So reading that he has a severe illness, that will affect his writing in the end, makes me kind of sad. Well, of course it's selfish, because If feel a pang of regret if I couldn't read any new books from him. But his books are all I know from him, and unless I can travel to a convention where he might show up, I doubt that this will change.

 

Maybe Pratchet frequents this forum as well, seeing that he is a fan of Thief FMs, I wouldn't be surprised if he might be aware of this mod as well. :) I for one would feel honoured if he would show up here and post some encouragement. :) Well, maybe not, because I always would have doubts if it was the real one. ;)

 

Butt Oddity, you really come across like the pure role model for a misanthrop, a lot of times. ;)

Gerhard

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I would rather say he is one of fantasy's greatest authors. I think that's what he was trying to convey in his letter, that he doesn't want people to immediately start thinking of him as a dead man.

You're right. I was just echoing SplaTtzZ's phrasing, but in retrospect I should have modified it a bit more.

My games | Public Service Announcement: TDM is not set in the Thief universe. The city in which it takes place is not the City from Thief. The player character is not called Garrett. Any person who contradicts these facts will be subjected to disapproving stares.
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Butt Oddity, you really come across like the pure role model for a misanthrop(e), a lot of times. ;)

 

That's partly true actually. I don't hate (some) people, but I certainly don't like to waste time on them or have any interest in them. I'd be quite happy living ion a desert island by myself.

You guys used to love hanging around IRC for hours talking shit to each other and enjoying the company, but it's not something I could ever do or enjoy.

This is a common trait of people who are strongly individual. I generally do not behave in the same way, or even think in the same way as others. I despise the very idea of behaving in the same socially programmed way as the masses.

You may see this as a bad thing, but to me, being one of the sheep is a much worse fate.

Most people get to the point where they not only cease to question what they're thinking and doing, but WHY they're thinking and doing it.

Civillisation will not attain perfection until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.

- Emil Zola

 

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I think you are confusing social activities with becoming a sheep. One doesn't necessarily imply the other.

Actually I never liked IRC myself, because I feel that the forum is a much better place to discuss things. Depening on what you need. Also for a nwe team it's better to get along good. After all we have to work for a long time together, if we ever want to succeed, and so far it worked not so bad. :)

Gerhard

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That's partly true actually. I don't hate (some) people, but I certainly don't like to waste time on them or have any interest in them. I'd be quite happy living ion a desert island by myself.

You guys used to love hanging around IRC for hours talking shit to each other and enjoying the company, but it's not something I could ever do or enjoy.

This is a common trait of people who are strongly individual. I generally do not behave in the same way, or even think in the same way as others. I despise the very idea of behaving in the same socially programmed way as the masses.

You may see this as a bad thing, but to me, being one of the sheep is a much worse fate.

Most people get to the point where they not only cease to question what they're thinking and doing, but WHY they're thinking and doing it.

 

I agree. I myself would prefer a castle or something rather than a desert island, but I could function quite happily for the rest of my life without ever meeting another person.

 

There are a few people I enjoy spending occasional time with, but they fall into the category of either blokes who make me laugh, or girls I find attractive. It's more an self-interested entertainment resource than anything else.

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But oDDity, every forum has a grumpy guy who claims to be individual while everyone else is a mindless sheep. I know at least four other oDDities, operating under different names in different communities. There's only ever one every forum, otherwise their proud induviduality* might be encroached upon. See what happens when oDDity and Zylon Bane meet, for example. Instant friction as two sides of a coin try to turn to face the other.

 

*Manifested as rudeness and pretending not to want friends because they can't make any.

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I on the other hand like socialising and interacting with other people (the friendly ones at least) and have resolved to do it more often. I'm curious, does that make me a sheep by your definition, oDDity?

My games | Public Service Announcement: TDM is not set in the Thief universe. The city in which it takes place is not the City from Thief. The player character is not called Garrett. Any person who contradicts these facts will be subjected to disapproving stares.
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Depends. You'd have to give me a summary of your entire outlook on life, what your views are on 100 different subjects, to see if they are the average socially programmed ones. I'm talking about your thought processing at a fundamental level here of course, not which brand of jeans or software OS you choose, these thigns are trivial and irrelevant and are the sorts of things the puerile and rebellious fret over.

Of course, you are quite young I think, and we all do more socialising at your age. You don't tend to develop really deep thoughts about these things until you are older (most people never develop them, or just ignore them in favour of social norms)

Civillisation will not attain perfection until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.

- Emil Zola

 

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But oDDity, every forum has a grumpy guy who claims to be individual while everyone else is a mindless sheep. I know at least four other oDDities, operating under different names in different communities. There's only ever one every forum, otherwise their proud induviduality* might be encroached upon. See what happens when oDDity and Zylon Bane meet, for example. Instant friction as two sides of a coin try to turn to face the other.

 

*Manifested as rudeness and pretending not to want friends because they can't make any.

 

That's ignorant flamethrowing, and you know it. I had many friends in my teens and early twenties when I was a 'lad' and never really thought about anything, but I have deliberately distanced myself from them, because I simply have nothing in common with them these days, and their company irritates me, as does the company of my family members.

The irony is that the sort of people I do have things in common with tend to be people who aren't bothered about being socially 'normal' or friendly, so they're not the sort of people who hang around together.

What you mean by 'grumpy', is that I actually question things, things which have become so normal to you that you don't question them, you just do them. I don't just accept social norms and traditional responses and actions as being correct for that reason alone. I don't go through life on autopilot.

The fact is that ignorant, thoughtless people are the happiest in the world, and 'grumpy' people tend to be people who think about things, because when you actually think about things, and see things for real, and don't just float though life ignoring everything you don't want to see, you realise it's all a big heap of shit.

And don't talk to me about ZylonBane, he's just someone who pretends to be grumpy and sarcastic in front of noobs. Whenever a mod warns him, he rolls over and bleats like a sheep. I've been banned from many forums because I don't give a shit, and do not hide my views to become more acceptable to people.

Civillisation will not attain perfection until the last stone, from the last church, falls on the last priest.

- Emil Zola

 

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