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Iain Banks Dies of Cancer At 59
An anonymous reader writes "BBC News is reporting that Iain Banks, best known for his Culture series novels and The Wasp Factory, has died of cancer aged 59. It had been announced several months ago that he was suffering from bladder cancer, and he had stated his intentions to spend his remaining time visiting places which meant a lot to him after marrying his partner."
Thank you for giving me a universe that will live in my mind long after your death. You have uploaded your mindstate to me and many others.
In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
They were my thoughts exactly.
I only discovered him about 5 years ago, and I was looking forward for many more years of Culture novels. I thought there was a lot more he could still explore in that universe.
One thing I would have like to have seen is something that was more focused on things happening inside the Culture and their society. Most of the times he spends some setup time in the Culture, then whips off to the edge of their space to deal with some other civilization. I wanted to learn more about the workings of the Culture.
I guess now I'll never know....
"The best part? I became an ordained minister while not wearing pants." -- CleverNickName
Gall bladder cancer, not urinary bladder.
A sad form of cancer as it's almost never detected in time(due to no symptoms and few tests that finds it by incident), find it early, and it have a excellent prognosis, find it late, and it's game over.
Colorectal cancer is somewhat similar in that it grows slowly for a long time before turning lethal, but colonoscopies are much more frequently performed, and symptoms can show earlier.
If you ever had cancer yourself you would not make unfunny, insensitive comments..
Why is it insensitive? Because it makes YOU uncomfortable or because you think that's what you're supposed to say? Get a grip. EVERYONE gets sick and dies so grow up and accept it.
And that is one of the WORST attitude to have around folks who are terminal.
Here's a complaint I hear all too often from the folks who are actually suffering from cancer: when someone is dieing, folks are solemn, sad, and afraid to "offend" - which brings down the mood of the cancer sufferer. Regardless if there's any truth to having a "positive" attitude helping one's recovery, joking about it DOES at least make life a little more bearable for the cancer patient.
I have a father striken and he needs a laugh every Goddamn time he can get it! And when folks are so serious around him; it makes HIM feel bad - the LAST thing he needs.
There are of course limts and depends on the person - obviously. I have also been around folks who joked about their prosthetic and sometimes had fun freaking kids out.
Cancer makes people very depressed. Actually the thought of dieing makes most people on our culture depressed and uneasy. We are a death phobic society and it's actually irrational. We WILL die - all of us.
tl;dr - Laughing at Death is the best revenge.
I've had cancer twice now, and the only way I could deal with it was through humour. Lighten up.