Hi Bruce,

This is Artemy. I’m back and I do want to visit you. Tell me when would be a good time. We had a great trip. Most of it was in the fourth layer, but we visited friends on New Trada. We tried to persuade Lem to do something about how screwed up Origin is, but he a totally adamant on non-interference. He points out, correctly I guess, that the Great War between the planets –in your book three,”Deathby Arrogence”– was far worse and he stayed out of that. Speaking of that, you still haven’t answered Maglie about how you think everything would have changed if Lenar had behaved differently.

You didn’t answer questions, but you evolved a theory of the universe. I suppose Sallys would have liked that. Why did you like Lisal so much? The stuff in the box mostly described her when she was a little girl. When I ask were you bothered by what Lem asked Sallys and Maglie, I mean what he told them in the Antarctic. He sort of asked for them to make a promise and they broke it.

I just can’t avoid commenting on your theory, particularly the one in your last letter. You seem to know what drives this thing you called time, but I surely don’t. I think R²-T² is really time. Look at your volume equations for instance. The 4-d volume must be written .5*π²* (R²-T²)², because surely by your own equation (R²-T²) is the squared radius and thus (R²-T²)² is the real radius to the fourth power. Also in your same equation you should be using the less-than-or-equal sign.

W² +X² + Y² +Z² +T² ≤R²      and

W²+X² + Y² +Z² ≤  R² – T², because you want to reference the whole ball, not just the cover. The cover will be without volume if the whole ball is without volume.

So now what is your T? I think it is the resistance to structure or order. It is the opposite of I-waves. I-waves are among other things, as you know, a force for order and structure. It is the force that allows life. The life force is strong and so is the force of ant-life. One wins for a while, but can’t maintain the advantage and then collapses. It is like chaos vs. order or yin and yang; it is balanced like yin and yang. So the unversed we know starts as chaos–non-life–but the force of life is too strong and chaos collapses and order of life bursts forth in a big bang. It uses itself up and it collapses to chaos, but chaos can only withstand the life force so long and then it collapses and everything starts again. According to Lem that is happening in the sixth layer. The Space Angels and the Demon Spawn must have been simply life gone too far.

Let me know when I can appear. I am looking forward to it.

Your pen pal,

Artemy