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From: Punya Mishra
Subject: Thanks
Dear Mr. Eberhart –
I recently read your piece about 2001 A Space Odyssey and was prompted to write a little blog posting about (and inspired by) it. You can find it by going directly to http://punya.educ.msu.edu/2008/04/13/2001-40-years-after/
This is still somewhat in a draft form (what isn’t) and I would appreciate your comments or thoughts.
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I got a sweet and wonderful response back, quite promptly. This is what it said:

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I just finished reading your amazing, wonderfully pensive post. Sir, if this is just a draft, then you are worthy of the envy of many writers. I can’t say that I would suggest changing anything at all. Thank you very much for referencing my article; I am glad you found it of some use. I’m also pleased to meet, in cyberspace, another person who appreciated “2001.” I use that phrase instead of “fan” for obvious reasons; fandom isn’t very attractive these days.
I find it startling that it has been 40 years since “2001″ was released. Startling, too, that nothing has surpassed it. Filmmakers now have computer software and other visual tools far more sophisticated than those Mr. Kubrick had at his disposal, yet “2001″ remains, in my opinion, the best-looking science fiction movie of them all.
All the best to you. I’ll keep watching for your posts.
John Mark
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This is what I wrote back to him:

Thank you for your prompt and kind response. I am glad you like the piece. It is rare that in my local newspaper I find a piece that connects Kubrick and 2001 and the Dalai Lama with the idea of Shunyata. I am originally from India and the idea of Shunya (rhyming as it does with my own name) is one close to my heart.
As for whether this piece was a draft or a final version – I am not so sure. What I like about writing for the web is the the fact that I can always go back and fix that awkward phrase, subdue that stubborn idea that refuses to be pinned down… so in that sense all my blogging is drafty. Drafty both in the sense of being unfinished and also in the sense that it lets in the wind through the cracks in the logic. But again, it is a great way to exercise my mind, push a few ideas around, and let them go. This is not a privilege offered to me in my more formal academic writing.
Once again thanks for reading and more importantly thanks for writing your piece. take care
~ punya