
The second PKD Day was yet another excellent amalgam of intriguing, in-depth academic knowledge, real-life experience and ever-present enthusiasm. I would like to think that gatherings such as this keep alive the importance of PKD the writer and thinker, as opposed to PKD the Hollywood 'idea spigot'. But before I start ranting about films again... One thing I noticed this year was how rapidly the time passed - although this may have been due to my own performance! Prof. John Goodridge launched proceedings with a brief reminder of Dick the humanist, emphasising scenes such as Buckman's breakdown at the petrol station in Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said. I still don't know what 'emotionalism' is, though, but then my brain is very small.
My own contribution was one half history of this very blog and one half attempt to explain what it means. Not sure I managed it but at least my scrolling background projection of apposite PKD quotes kept people interested. Thanks must go to MC Dr. Dan Cordle for keeping me to time! Dr. Barry Atkins' presentation on Dickian aspects in modern video games was fascinating - he refuted the notion that people could prefer gaming to reality and even become confused as to which was which (despite the odd nutter who makes the news, such as the chap who, on discovering a friend had sold his online avatar's sword, went round to said friend's house and murdered him with an actual sword) and gave an insight into the mechanics and philosophy of game construction and where the industry is heading in the near future.
Self-confessed 'biblio-maniac' Alberto Paulino kicked off the afternoon session. We had the great pleasure of seeing part of his superb PKD collection (along with that of Prof. Goodridge - not to be sneezed at itself, let me tell you - those collected letters books are really magnificent). This included unpublished letters and several signed and dedicated first editions. The copy of Ganymede Takeover (I think) which PKD had signed to a certain lady with the request 'Can I take you out to dinner?' was priceless (in Dick-head terms). Alberto also gave us an insight into the perils and pleasures of the serious collector; prices, deals, where to go and what to do.
Andrew M. Butler (he of the ever-useful PKD Pocket Essentials) closed the formal presentations with an excellent discussion of PKD's 'versions' of the nineteen-fifties, using Voices From The Street, In Milton Lumky Territory and Time Out of Joint to spring some very Dickian questions about the intentions and implications of those mostly overlooked gems. Basically he made Lumky out to be an early Ubik through an analysis of its flow of events. Must read it again!
The whole day's audio was recorded and certainly some of the afternoon was videoed, so watch this space and, indeed, this space for sights and sounds from the day at some point in the (hopefully near) future. A collective virtual petrol-station hug and thumbs-up drawn on a piece of paper from me to everyone involved and here's to the next one. I suggest somewhere in California as the venue...













I know that I'm not supposed to think when I read things published in the meeja. I can't help it. I just don't have the millisecond attention span / short term memory of journos' perceived punters. In time-homoured fashion, here are a few current 'stories' doing the rounds regarding the current state of things in the UK (note that I do not include anything about our 'surveillance society' or ID cards);
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