This work is dedicated to my dear friend Teddy Antolin (1949-2016) and his dear friend David Bowie (1947-2016), who both encouraged me to write this. Sorry it took so long.
Teddy was my long-time hair stylist and a personal friend for many years. He was a practicing Buddhist and we often talked about philosophy, though not generally while he was cutting my hair. I enjoyed many cups of tea at Teddy’s home, and he dropped in on me occasionally. Teddy also styled David Bowie’s famously ever-changing hair, and was always on call. When Bowie would go on tour, Teddy went with him and my hair would grow out for a couple months. Teddy was very close to David and his wife Iman. In fact, Teddy introduced them to each other. I don’t think it was coincidence that Teddy passed away one morning less than a month after David, as a result of a heart attack. His death came as another shock to their many friends.
As I started writing down my thoughts about Virtual Immortality I gave Teddy a copy of my rough draft. He loved it and shared it with Bowie, who said he wanted to provide illustrations, assuming it would be published as a book. David Bowie was a masterful painter. Sadly, he died before I could finish, and I put my notes and drafts aside. Until now.