Sunday November 23, 2008
Book 10: The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse — Part IV: Fuller's Soap

Transcript

Narrator: Data mining (Read: "Hacking") from the comfort of the mercenary warship Touch-And-Go.
Ennesby: Thurl, why would humans be trafficking in "fuller's soap?"
Thurl: What is fuller's soap?
Ennesby: It's an alkali used for whitening wool prior to dying it. I don't think it's seen use since the invention of bleach.
Thurl: What does twenty-first century anime have to do with whitening wool?
Ennesby: How long has it been since you did your own laundry?
Ennesby: Thurl, I think "fuller's soap" is a code-word for fullerened antimatter.
Thurl: Could be. Fullerenes were named after some bucky kat fuller guy.
Ennesby: And in some earth religions, fuller's soap was used a metaphor for purification.
Thurl: Are you suggesting that we might have a religious nut referring to antimatter using a code-word that also means "purification?"
Ennesby: Gives you a bit of a chill, doesn't it?
Ennesby: Or perhaps a "hot flash."