FoxSquall

This is the line that comes to mind every time I am reminded of Rocko. The delivery was just so perfect.

I would like to thank you for doing this AMA, Mr. Brin. I'm sorry it didn't work out as well as you planned, but I certainly appreciated it. At the very least, it made me aware that you have a lot more stuff I need to read.

A few questions:

1. What was up with the Synthian spy in Startide Rising? Reading about the Wazoons was fun and all, but it always seemed odd that you would spend so much time on a plot thread that wasn't going to go anywhere.

2. Has anyone ever suggested adapting the uplift novels as an animated TV/Web series? Is it something you would be open to? I'm sure a lot of people wish for movies, but there were times while reading the stories when I thought, "this would make a really awesome anime!"

3. What are your thoughts on the current state of sci-fi as a whole? There always seem to be really good novels coming out, but I haven't seen a decent spaceship show in ages. Are these good times or bad for sci-fi fans, in your opinion? Where do you see the genre going in the future?

I can confirm the possibility of cuddliness. I went with my family to a wolf sanctuary in Vermont several years ago and we were able to interact with a giant wolf/husky/collie mix named Mara. Mara absolutely loved people, and generally behaved like the biggest, friendliest, most excited dog you will ever meet. It was just non-stop wolf hugs and face licks during each of our turns in her enclosure.

My brother got the worst of it because he was less than half Mara's size, and it seems that whatever he put in his hair that morning smelled delicious. He needed a towel and an entire bottle of hand sanitizer afterwards but was otherwise quite happy with the experience.

Unfortunately, it appears that they shut down a few years after our visit. (Which was longer ago than I thought.) Their website no longer exists and the last snapshot was in 2009.

I remember the owner saying they were struggling financially and that he was probably just going to retire when the few remaining wolves eventually passed away. Most of them were already quite old at the time of our visit.

Sounds a lot like the station trading I did while playing Eve Online, except there you were profiting on impatience. Buy low from people who want to dump it quick, sell high to those who want to get it right now, get paid for doing the waiting in between. Just need to find the right items and have some capital to invest.

And stop being afraid of screwing it all up like everything else so far. That last part is really hard.