Francis Burton wrote:
> In article ,
> Jim wrote:
> >> I am thinking it is in either Excession or Look to Windward. I just
> >> cannot remember which.
> >
> >I'm thinking LtW - it might be towards the end when the Mind is
> >recounting its time as the 'Lasting Damage' and what it was forced to
> >do.
>
> You got me intrigued now - I'll have a look in LtW later on.
The bit I'm thinking of contains this portion:
"I have watched people die in exhaustive and penetrative detail," the
avatar continued. "I have felt for them. Did you know that true
subjective time is measured in the minimum duration of demonstrably
separate thoughts? Per second, a human - or a Chelgrian - might have
twenty or thirty, even in the heightened state of extreme distress
associated with the process of dying in pain." The avatar's eyes seemed
to shine. It came forward, closer to his face by the breadth of a hand.
"Whereas I," it whispered, "have billions." It smiled, and some- thing
in its expression made Ziller clench his teeth. "I watched those poor
wretches die in the slowest of slow motion and I knew even as I watched
that it was I who'd killed them, who was at that moment engaged in the
process of killing them. For a thing like me to kill one of them or one
of you is a very, very easy thing to do, and, as I discovered,
absolutely disgusting. Just as I need never wonder what it is like to
die, so I need never wonder what it is like to kill, Ziller, because I
have done it, and it is a wasteful, graceless, worthless and hateful
thing to have to do."
Jim
--
'Cloverfield' in nine words: "What is it?!" "We're gonna die!" BOOM!
Roll credits.
http://www.ursaminorbeta.co.uk http://twitter.com/greyareauk >> Stay informed about: Minds feelings of bitterness towards other sentience 
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