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"Quick question: regarding what Byron said about the amount of effort
it takes to block out the thoughts of mundanes, I was wondering--have
any non-teep humans given thought, time, or effort to creating any sort
of artificial 'shielding' device to keep their thoughts to themselves?
Is it impossible, or just not something they would bother with,
figuring it's up to the teeps to deal with it?"

Some of them have trained at it a bit, and learned little tricks
that can help...one such tries it later this season.

"As for Lyta, I felt like she was sort of an abused child, always
looking for that benevolent authority figure."

Yep, that's what she's doing, looking for someone to believe in.

"I don't know if I buy the idea of death of the soul, but if it
explains Bester, I guess I can swallow it.<g>"

Bear in mind, though, that Lyta also said that that's the mind's
only way of interpreting what it's seeing, not that it *is* what she's
seeing, so it doesn't necessarily validate or invalidate the notion of
a soul.

jms