Depressing News of the Day

[bill]

http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html

[DarkAudit]

Oh bugger. 

[superluser]

Crap.

First Wheel of Time, and now this.

Actually, I wonder if this has anything to do with the changes in his writing style as his work progressed.

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001686.html

Some studies published over the past decade suggest an even more intriguing connection between writing style and Alzheimer's. It's claimed that a simple index of stylistic complexity, measured in short texts written at about age 20, is correlated with low cognitive test scores and neuropathologically-confirmed Alzheimer's disease, 50 to 70 years later.

It may not, however, be true of early-onset Alzheimer's.

(though I side with the people who say, ``Now I don't have to read Wheel of Time.'')

[bill]

well at least Dan Brown is in perfect health

[superluser]

well at least Dan Brown is in perfect health

DIE.

...good.  Carry on.

[Dannysaysnoo]

Well that sucks a big one.

[Alondro]

I would suggest searching Pubmed for recent clinical trial data on preventing/treating Alzheimers.  I have heard that several drugs on the market can greatly slow its progression and they've started a couple of drug trials on chemicals that may prevent or stop an already existing Alzheimers in its tracks by blocking the production of beta-amyloid.

[superluser]

I have heard that several drugs on the market can greatly slow its progression and they've started a couple of drug trials on chemicals that may prevent or stop an already existing Alzheimers in its tracks by blocking the production of beta-amyloid.

I was thinking this, as well.

Unfortunately, the drugs are probably years (though not decades) away from the state in which they could help Pratchett.  At that point, unless you can recover the lost function, he's probably not going to be writing any more.

[Alondro]

I have heard that several drugs on the market can greatly slow its progression and they've started a couple of drug trials on chemicals that may prevent or stop an already existing Alzheimers in its tracks by blocking the production of beta-amyloid.

I was thinking this, as well.

Unfortunately, the drugs are probably years (though not decades) away from the state in which they could help Pratchett.  At that point, unless you can recover the lost function, he's probably not going to be writing any more.

Actually, the drugs are entering human trials now.  Given the debilitating state and irreparable damage caused by Alzheimer's, if these drugs show considerable benefit vs risk, they'll be put on a fast-track status, which could mean approval in only 2-3 years.  And there are drugs already that can slow progress enough to keep his mind pretty intact until then. 

The fact that he's been diagnosed now, before his cognitive functions have been heavily impaired, is a good start.  He can start treatments right away, instead of years from now when he's already lost too much function for the therapy to mak much difference.

[Eibborn]

D:

[superluser]

He can start treatments right away, instead of years from now when he's already lost too much function for the therapy to mak much difference.

I hope you're right.

Anyways, as long as you're here, do you know if the writing style thing is true for early-onset Alzheimer's, or just for the normal onset?

[Angel]

........Oh my God.

I feel so ashamed for not reading more of his books. So far, I've only read The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. But that rocked, and I know he's a good author, so I'm allowed to be as dejected as his hardcore readers.

What did he mean by putting quote marks around "stroke"? How can that be anything else?

[superluser]

What did he mean by putting quote marks around "stroke"? How can that be anything else?

There are many different types of stroke.  Perhaps he didn't feel that his own deserved being called a stroke?

Or maybe he just exhibited signs of having a stroke, but it turned out to be something else.

[Alondro]

He can start treatments right away, instead of years from now when he's already lost too much function for the therapy to mak much difference.

I hope you're right.

Anyways, as long as you're here, do you know if the writing style thing is true for early-onset Alzheimer's, or just for the normal onset?

I don't know.  I'm more into the physiological pathology and pharmaceutical end of it instead of the symptoms and diagnosis.

[Feroluce]

That... that really sucks. Hes one of my favorite authors.


Inject some stem cells into his brain!!

[Brunhidden]

if we ever do find a longevity drug, we should start a foundation to forcibly inject it into good authors

[Alkarii]

if we ever do find a longevity drug, we should start a foundation to forcibly inject it into good authors

Why am I not suprised that you said that?  Is it because I know you from somewhere that I've not been in nearly a year?

Anyway, I know have an image in my head of some author sitting down at home in front of a fire, wearing a robe and smoking a pipe when suddenly the SWAT team crashes through the window and hold him down while one of them injects him with the drug.

[Cogidubnus]

Every time I get into an author, he dies. 

Even so. If Pratchett were to die or go insane before he finished the final novel of his multi-book, decade-spanning epic, that would somehow make a very twisted, discworld-esque sense...

[superluser]

Even so. If Pratchett were to die or go insane before he finished the final novel of his multi-book, decade-spanning epic, that would somehow make a very twisted, discworld-esque sense...

Not really.  It would be appropriate if the penultimate book ended with a cliffhanger, though.

[Jim Halisstrad]

Well crap

[Brunhidden]

Every time I get into an author, he dies. 

Even so. If Pratchett were to die or go insane before he finished the final novel of his multi-book, decade-spanning epic, that would somehow make a very twisted, discworld-esque sense...

Please take up a policy of only reading dead authors, like douglas adams, sun tzu, and that english dude who wore the ruffled collar. i don't care if they get any deader.

the same thing kind of happened with douglas adams himself, he was partway through writing another book, which he restarted several times and had a ream of random notes. the notes were sorted, preened, and kind of assembled into what appears to be a book named 'the salmon of doubt'.. otherwise hope he has a potage, like how when JRR died his son christopher tolkien assembled his notes and finished the stories how he knew his father intended.

[Toric]

This is very interesting, as I put some Discworld books on my X-mas list for the first time. I just think the series' end can't get much worse than The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy series: The author was angry when he wrote the last book, so essentially everybody died. Infinitely. The author got over his funk later and was ready to start rewriting the last book when he kicked the bucket.

I still plan on reading the series, and really it's a very good thing to see that he and his loved ones are taking the development pretty well.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

.. The Discworld "series" doesn't really have a "start" or an "end" as such. It has beginnings and endings, often in the same book, but that's about as close as it gets.

If he decided tomorrow he would never write another Discworld book, they'd still stand as they are, perfectly well.

[Cogidubnus]

.. The Discworld "series" doesn't really have a "start" or an "end" as such. It has beginnings and endings, often in the same book, but that's about as close as it gets.

If he decided tomorrow he would never write another Discworld book, they'd still stand as they are, perfectly well.

Well, yes. It wouldn't be a blow to Pratchett's series as much as Jordan's was to his - and although perhaps I'm mixing my series, a Jordan-esque departure would be somehow discworldish, is what I mean.
Excepting, of course, if he were to make his writing desk out of sapient pearwood. Not much to worry about then. 

[thegayhare]

.. The Discworld "series" doesn't really have a "start" or an "end" as such. It has beginnings and endings, often in the same book, but that's about as close as it gets.

If he decided tomorrow he would never write another Discworld book, they'd still stand as they are, perfectly well.

Well, yes. It wouldn't be a blow to Pratchett's series as much as Jordan's was to his - and although perhaps I'm mixing my series, a Jordan-esque departure would be somehow discworldish, is what I mean.
Excepting, of course, if he were to make his writing desk out of sapient pearwood. Not much to worry about then. 

hell yes there would be something to worry about Sapient pearwood is notoriously ill tempered.  A desk like that would have broken it's owners fingers or the like ages ago

I'm glad to see his spirits have kept up but yes this is sad news.  I look forward to every book he puts out and will savor each one as if it might be his last 

[TheAuldGrump]

Every time I get into an author, he dies. 

Even so. If Pratchett were to die or go insane before he finished the final novel of his multi-book, decade-spanning epic, that would somehow make a very twisted, discworld-esque sense...

Please take up a policy of only reading dead authors, like douglas adams, sun tzu, and that english dude who wore the ruffled collar. i don't care if they get any deader.

the same thing kind of happened with douglas adams himself, he was partway through writing another book, which he restarted several times and had a ream of random notes. the notes were sorted, preened, and kind of assembled into what appears to be a book named 'the salmon of doubt'.. otherwise hope he has a potage, like how when JRR died his son christopher tolkien assembled his notes and finished the stories how he knew his father intended.

Dear Mr. Grisham,
Please pay 1,000,000 into the following Swiss bank account, or I will send copies of your books to my associate Mr. Cogidubnus. You wouldn't want that to happen, now would you?
Sincerely,
A Friend.
The New Company, Ahnk-Morpork.

Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors, and my favorite, bar none, for comedy. Finding out about his condition saddened me a great deal. I had wondered why Thud and Making Money seemed a bit off. I never dreamed that it was Alzheimer's.

All I can do is pray for a miracle, medical or misdiagnosis, I hope he recovers, he has one of the sharpest wits I have ever read.

The Auld Grump

[Omega]

Alzheimer!! You took my grampa and now you're after my favourite witers!!

First Wheel of Time, and now this.

Wha, what happened to the Wheel of Time? 

[superluser]

Wha, what happened to the Wheel of Time? 

Nothing.

The author died, but with the Wheel of Time series, it's not like that will have much effect on the series.