Dear Cyndy,

Thank you for your two letters, and forgive me for not answering more
prompty. The reason - and the excuse - is that I have been distracted
a) by a probably misguided attempt at another formulation of epistemology,
with repeated revisions in a vain effort to salvage a lost cause, and
b) by a much belated initiative to scan into the computer some of the
thousands of Kodachrome and Ektachrome transparencies that Klemens and
I have collected over the course of more than half a century. I haven't
taken the time to count, but the very rough estimate of more than 6000
slides is probably too low. It's a pleasant surprise that none of the
approximately 200 slides that I've scanned seem to have deteriorated. 
The scanning process itself is slow and tedious, but my "multi-tasking"
computer permits me to write or edit while the pictures are being encoded
pixel by pixel into the machine. The effect looking at pictures of 
episodes now 40 or 50 years in the past is dramatic. Margaret reports
being so disturbed as to be unable to sleep. I am fascinated by the
resuscitation of long dormant memories of hours spent on the trail, 
of chilly nights spent in the sleeping bag in the familiar blue tent
listening for the sound of approaching bears ...

Addressing your question concerning your computing, my advice is not 
to change your Internet Service Provider, but to accept Hamlet's 
preference to bear the ills we have than fly to others that we know 
not of. So far as your own hardware and software are concerned, I wish 
I could help you more, but I have been on strike against Apple and 
Microsoft for more than thirty years and I'm too old to relent now.

I can, however, offer to help you with the memoirs about which you
propose to write. If you wish, I will read them, edit them, and help
you to publish them yourself. Alternatively, assuming the CreateSpace
policies of Amazon.com remain unchanged, I could even turn myself into 
a publisher to publish your writing. I am, as you know, constitutionally 
unable to promote anything to the public. I have no reason to think that 
even a single copy of your memoirs would be sold. But tell Ned my secret: 
writing for oneself is the most edifying of experiences. I would advise 
everyone to give it a try. Above all, learn not to censor yourself, 
discipline yourself not to ask whether it's any good, until it's all done.

What is essential is: a) that you refrain from writing by hand but enter
your words into the computer keyboard as soon as they present themselves
to your imagination, and b) that you save your text as you write in at
least two computer files, which you save at very regular intervals on
at least two CDs. You want to make sure that none of your work is lost.  
You will use a "text editor". Text files (with the suffix .txt) are most
efficient, easiest to search and to edit, and preferable by far to .doc
or .rtf files. However, I haven't found a format which the editor that I
rely on will reject. If you want my help, forward the pages of your book
to me as e-mail attachments, as you compose them, and we'll go from there.

Now I must stop giving advice/directions, and get to work myself.
Give my best to Ned.
Jochen