Ansible 215 [long]
David Langford
ANSIBLE 215
JUNE 2005
From DAVE LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AU.
http://ansible.co.uk. Fax 0705 080 1534. ISSN 0265-9816 (print) 1740-942X
(online). Available for SAE or charms against lesnerization.
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CLARKE AWARD. Once again the presentation (London, 11 May) was surrounded
with controversy, since money was desperately tight this year and sf
notables who'd been expecting free drinks were confronted with the stark
horror of a cash bar. Otherwise the mood was sunny as China Mieville
accepted his second Clarke award, and Sir Arthur's Pounds2005 cheque, for
_Iron Council_. This at last equals the achievement of Pat `Two-Clarkes'
Cadigan and entitles Mr Mieville to exclaim `Langford, you dog!' Even the
delighted author was surprised by this result, the general sense having
been that if one of the `mainstream' contenders (_Cloud Atlas_ and _The
Time Traveller's Wife_) didn't win, the award must surely go to Ian
McDonald -- also present -- for _River of Gods_. But those Clarke judging
panels are famously unpredictable. Administrator Paul Kincaid closed the
ceremony by saying: `Let the arguments begin.'
### SLAVES OF TIME ###
JOHN BETANCOURT's Wildside Press, formerly a minority owner of _Weird
Tales_, is buying the magazine outright from Warren Lapine's DNA
Publications and takes full control from issue 337 (at the printers when
the takeover was announced on 27 May; now expected in late June).
Betancourt himself is joining George Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer as
co-editor of _WT_, restoring what he calls the `classic editorial lineup'
of 1987. Meanwhile, DNA can now devote more time to its mysterious
fascination with a magazine about the rock group Kiss.
ALLAN BRYCE, his horror magazine _The Dark Side_, and his publishing
company Stray Cat Ltd attracted much recent attention after accusations
of plagiarism on a web discussion board led to the identification of very
many reviews, most from horror film websites, allegedly recycled without
permission, payment or credit in _The Dark Side_ (typically under Bryce's
byline) and in _DVD World_ (edited by `Richard Marshall', a known Bryce
pseudonym). Evidence is almost surreally plentiful; victims include not
just genre reviewers but the _New York Times_ and the BBC; the _UK Press
Gazette_ is now investigating. Steve Green takes up the tale: `Stray Cat
has contacted at least one "contributor" with an offer of payment, but
it may be too little, too late, given the scale of the alleged plagiarism
(more than 100 individual reviews, each often more than 1,000 words long)
and the number of years the trail stretches back (refuting reported
claims by Bryce that any breaches of copyright were the fault of a new
member of staff, "Gordon Booker").' [SN/SG]
DAVE GOLDER is leaving his long-time position as overall editor of _SFX_
magazine, explains his successor David Bradley.
JO FLETCHER of Gollancz/Orion married Ian Drury on 20 May. Steve Green
was distantly implicated: `my brother-in-law John Mayo designed the tiny
silver bats for Jo Fletcher's wedding tiara ...'
WARREN NORWOOD, US author who published more than a dozen sf novels in
the 1980s, has entered hospital with liver and kidney failure; terminal
hospice care is expected to follow, alas. [SFS]
FREDERIK POHL made a surprise appearance at the Clarke event.
ROBERT SHECKLEY was under intensive care in a Kiev clinic for several
weeks from 27 April, after catching a cold that led to respiratory
failure and required artificial respiration. He had travelled to Odessa
as a guest of Portal-2005, the sf stream of April's Ukrainian computer/sf
expo, and fell ill while touring the country afterwards. Since he'd lost
his medical insurance card, the mounting bills ($1,000 daily) caused
great alarm to the local con committee which guaranteed the cost of
treatment. Boris Sidyuk reported regularly on progress and fundraising
activities, and Sheckley at last returned to the USA _via_ chartered
plane (with medics in attendance) on 27 May, for further treatment in New
York. His overseas costs -- including that $22,000 flight -- were indeed
covered thanks to heroic fan efforts and a huge donation from Viktor
Pynchuk, wealthy son-in-law of the former Ukrainian president. Several
thousand dollars were also raised in the USA, once it was made clear that
the `company' which had guaranteed those medical costs wasn't something
like IBM but merely a group of concerned local fans. Help is still
needed: see www.sheckley.com for PayPal donation options. Let's hope that
Bob Sheckley will make a full recovery for Interaction.
### CONGENIC ###
22 Jun [] BSFA OPEN MEETING, The Star pub, West Halkin Mews, London, SW1.
6pm on; fans present from 5pm. With Steve Cockayne.
9-10 Jul [] FARINGDON ARTS FESTIVAL sf events, Faringdon, Oxon. Most
items free. Contact paulcornell[at]owlservice.freeserve.co.uk.
29-31 Jul [] ACCIO 2005 (H. Potter), U of Reading. Pounds160 reg (room
& meals). Contact 26 Discovery House, Newby Place, London, E14 0HA.
29-31 Jul [] CLARECRAFT DISCWORLD EVENT, Warren Farm, Woolpit, Suffolk.
Camping weekend. Pounds5 reg to Clarecraft, Unit 1, Woolpit Business
Park, Woolpit, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 9UP.
29-31 Jul [] PRECURSOR 2 (relaxacon) -- CANCELLED.
30-31 Jul [] CAPTION (comics), Wolfson College, Oxford. Pounds10 reg;
Pounds5 unwaged. Guests TBC. Contact 149 Campbell Rd, Oxford, OX4 3NX.
4-8 Aug [] INTERACTION (63rd Worldcon), SECC, Glasgow. Pounds110/$195/
Euro165 reg _to 30 Jun_. Contact 379 Myrtle Road, Sheffield, S2 3HQ.
7 Aug [] PM 2005 (_Prisoner_), Portmeirion. 11am-8:30pm. Pounds15 reg,
_advance booking only_, plus Village admission. info[at]theunmutual.co.uk
11-15 Aug [] THE RING GOES EVER ON (Tolkien Soc): Aston U, Birmingham.
Pounds60/$115/Euro103 reg; society members Pounds55/$105/Euro95.
Contact 28 Loverock Crescent, Rugby, CV21 4AR.
13-19 Aug [] MILFORD (UK) SF WRITERS' CONFERENCE, Snowdonia. Contact Top
Flat, 8 Bedford St, Kemp Town, Brighton, BN2 1AN.
12-14 Aug [] CONSTERNATION (RPG), New Hall, Cambridge. Now Pounds27 reg.
Contact 130 South Rd, Erdington, Birmingham, B23 6EL.
14 Aug [] BANOPTICON (_Who_), Marine Ct Hotel, Bangor, Co Down, Ireland.
GoH C. Baker. Pounds20 reg. Info: banopticon2005[at]yahoo.co.uk.
2-4 Sep [] FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS 16, Day's Hotel, Sackville St,
Manchester. Pounds70/$140 reg; Pounds30/$60 day. Contact 95 Meadowgate
Rd, Salford, Manchester, M6 8EN. Fax [+44](0)161 792-0991.
_Rumblings_ [] BORDERS, OXFORD ST. Yes, the 9 May reading event was
cancelled shortly after _Ansible_ listed it. Sorry. John Birchby bewails:
`Top floor is now dense music display -- staff on desk know nothing.'
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS OTHERS SEE US. Neil Ford reports another maker of ingenious
distinctions: `Hal Hartley has made a movie set in the near future, when
the US is run by a totalitarian corporation and is visited by an alien
-- but of course it's not sf.' From an interview: `But, really, I don't
think of "The Girl from Monday" as sci-fi. Not for real. It's more like
a song about life now told AS IF it were sci-fi. Sometime copping the
postures of a genre can allow you to address a broader range of topics
and allow you to be a little more poetic without being too heavy.' No
doubt.
THE SIDEWISE AWARDS for alternate history have two unusual features this
year. The Long Form shortlist consists of one book, Philip Roth's _The
Plot Against America_ (which could still lose to No Award, unlikely
though that seems), while the six Short Form finalists include a graphic-
novel sequence, Warren Ellis's _Ministry of Space_.
R.I.P. _Henry Corden_ (1920-2005), Canadian-born actor who first appeared
in _The Secret Life of Walter Mitty_ (1947), and in 1972 began his long
stint as the voice of Fred Flintstone, died on 19 May aged 85.
_Frank Gorshin_ (1934-2005), US actor, impressionist & comedian who
played the Riddler in the 1960s Batman tv series and 1966 film, died on
17 May aged 71. Other film appearances included _Invasion of the Saucer
Men_ (1957), _The Meteor Man_ (1993) and _Twelve Monkeys_ (1995); other
tv appearances, _Star Trek_, _Wonder Woman_, _Buck Rogers in the 25th
Century_ and _Lois & Clark_. [SG]
_Joe Grant_ (1908-2005), Disney artist, animator and story man who
worked on _Snow White_ and co-wrote _Dumbo_ during a career that began
with a 1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon, died at his drawing table on 6 May. He
was 96.
_Ed Kelleher_ (1943-2005), US screenwriter, playwright and film
critic who scripted the 1972 _Invasion of the Blood Farmers_ and other
`cult classics' (in the Ed Wood sense) of horror cinema, died from
degenerative brain disease on 14 May. He was 61. [PDF]
_Samuel H. Post_ (1924-2005), US editor, publisher and anthologist
responsible for many 1960s MacFadden-Bartell sf titles, died on 20 May
aged 81. His son Jonathan Vos Post co-maintains the `Ultimate SF Web
Guide'.
_Thurl Ravenscroft_ (1914-2005), US actor and singer who featured
in many Disney animations and (most famously) voiced Tony the Tiger in
the Kelloggs Frosties ads, died on 22 May; he was 91. His animated films
included _How the Grinch Stole Christmas!_ (1966) plus other Seuss
adaptations, the infamous 1977 _The Hobbit_, and _The Brave Little
Toaster_ (1987) and its sequels. [PM]
_Margaretta Scott_ (1912-2005), UK stage and cinema actress who
played two parts in the sf classic _Things to Come_ (1936, scripted by
H.G. Wells), died on 15 April aged 93.
_Noreen Shaw_ (_nee_ Kane, 1930-2005), long-time fan who was married
to editor Larry Shaw (1924-1985) and who chaired the 1955 World SF
Convention, died in late May. Her and Larry's fanzine _Axe_ was a 1962
Hugo nominee. Earl Kemp writes: `I have known her since the early 1950s
and, especially during our Midwest USA years together, we were the
closest of fan friends. Another great one passes on.'
_Harold Wooster_ (1919-2005), lifelong sf enthusiast and father of
Martin Morse Wooster, died on 20 May aged 86. Martin writes: `He sold one
"Probability Zero" piece to _Astounding_ in 1943.... He co-wrote a letter
with Robert Heinlein that appeared in _Science_ (21 July 1961) about
whether or not "exobiology" or "xenobiology" was the correct term. In the
1960s, my father was at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research where
he was in charge of strange projects. He funded the Air Force's official
investigation of the Dean Drive.'
_Pat York_, US teacher (recently retired) and author of short sf who
was a Nebula Award finalist in 2000, died on 21 May in Columbus, Ohio,
when a bus collided with the car in which she was a passenger. Pat York
was 57. [CD]
AS WE SEE OTHERS. Terry Pratchett muses in _The Times_: `I think about
the literary world like I think about Tibet. It's quite interesting, it's
a long way away from me and it's sure as hell they're never going to make
me Dalai Lama'. (4 May) [AC]
MYTHOPOEIC AWARDS. Here are the latest fiction shortlists: ADULT Kage
Baker, _The Anvil of the World_; Susanna Clarke, _Jonathan Strange &
Mr Norrell_; Elizabeth Hand, _Mortal Love_; Patricia A. McKillip,
_Alphabet of Thorn_; Gene Wolfe, _The Wizard Knight_ (_The Knight_ and
_The Wizard_).
CHILDREN'S Kevin Crossley-Holland, Arthur Trilogy: _The Seeing
Stone_, _At the Crossing Places_, and _King of the Middle March_; Nancy
Farmer, _Sea of Trolls_; Monica Furlong, trilogy comprising _Wise Child_,
_Juniper_, and _Colman_; Garth Nix, The Abhorsen Trilogy: _Sabriel_,
_Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr_, and _Abhorsen_; Terry Pratchett, _A Hat
Full of Sky_.
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Harry Harrison_ explains the `Howard Harrison'
newspaper quote in _A213_: `That's me all right. The _Sunday Express_,
with their usual record for accuracy, gets it all wrong. I did an hour
interview for Sky One on predictions that didn't come true. They cut me
to 40 seconds. I talked about global food shortages -- and never
mentioned Weetabix.'
_Margaret Hoyt_ postulates a terrifying alternate reality: `Can one
hope that when some mainstream/bestselling/literary author comes out of
the closet and announces "Yes! Yes! My latest work IS science fiction.
I've always loved science fiction but have never been able to admit it,"
we will receive an _Ansible_ special edition?'
_Simo_ renounces his former way of life: `I have given up writing
about _Hitchhiker's Guide_ for ever, on account of (a) I'm bored with it
and (b) the film is crap beyond belief. But I heard this today from a
reliable source inside the production and it's too good not to pass on:
Because Alta Vista has copyrighted the phrase "babel fish" Disney had to
negotiate a special deal in order to be able to use those words in the
Hitchhiker's movie. But the agreement does not extend to the DVD extras
so although a picture of a babel fish can be shown, none of the
documentaries or other features can include the words "babel fish",
either spoken or written.
Ironically, this bizarre situation is actually a good deal closer
to the spirit of Douglas Adams' writing than the film itself ever manages
to be, and it's certainly a lot funnier.'
THOG'S BLURB SPECIAL. Found in _Gossamyr_ by Michelle Hauf: `"This book
kicks butt -- in a lush and lyrical way." Susan Sizemore'. [KM]
FANFUNDERY. _GUFF 2005:_ Winners are Damien Warman & Juliette Woods, who
will travel from Australia to Interaction. Voting: Sue Ann Barber 8,
Alison Barton 7, David Cake 8, DW&JW 37, No Preference etc 7. Total
ballots 67: 36 European, 22 Australasian, 9 other.
AS OTHERS SEE US II. In the 10 May episode of the TV magic and mentalism
show _Derren Brown: Trick of the Mind_, DB invited Iain Banks to choose
a random passage and word from any of his books: `either your classic
fiction _here_, or your science fiction'. (Despite or because of that
subtle emphasis, Banks chose a word from _Feersum Endjinn_, successfully
identified by Brown.) [JB]
Yet more on _Never Let Me Go_: `Given that Ishiguro's new novel is
explicitly about cloning, that it is, in effect, a science fiction set
in the present day, and that the odds against success in this mode are
bullyingly stacked, his success in writing a novel that is at once
speculative, experimental, and humanly moving is almost miraculous.'
(James Wood, _The New Republic_, 16 May) [MG]
RANDOM FANDOM. _Simon Bradshaw_ on Clarke Award funding: `the Science
Fiction Foundation and Serendip came to an agreement by which SFF will
fund up to Pounds1000 of the cost of the Award Ceremony for each of the
next five years. SFF Chair Simon Bradshaw commented "the SFF is pleased
to continue to support the Clarke Award and we look forward to continuing
to work alongside Serendip and the BSFA to raise sponsorship for it."
Simon added that he would be resigning from Serendip's committee to avoid
any perceived conflict of interest, but would continue to support fund-
raising activities on behalf of the Award.'
_Joyce Katz_ had a successful angioplasty on 23 May; ankle surgery
and a cataract operation are to follow.
THE DEAD PAST. _Nebula SF_ editor Peter Hamilton (not to be confused with
author Peter F. Hamilton) crushingly responds to John Brunner's
permissive views about sex in sf: `Novels and films which suggest by
their subject matter that the ideal way to spend a pleasant evening is
in the close proximity of a co-operative female with a plentiful supply
of alcohol to hand are quite unworthy to be classified as science
fiction, regardless of how well-written or produced they are, as they
sully the high ethical and moral ideals inherent in by far the greater
part of this type of literature.' (_Nebula SF_, July 1958)
BLOOMSBURY AUCTIONS sent their latest catalogue of modern first editions,
and I idly wondered which genre titles now command four-figure starting
prices. Not _The Time Machine_ (a mere Pounds600), but: _Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory_, _The House at Pooh Corner_, _1984_, and _Northern
Lights_ (hey, I have that edition), each at Pounds1000. All these pale
before the glory of _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas_ (1st
English, Pounds1500), _Dracula_ at Pounds3000, _Farmer Giles of Ham_
ditto, and a cool Pounds6000 for _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone_. Oh dearie me.
C.O.A. _Steve Davies & Giulia de Cesare_, 3 Sandgate Ave, Reading, RG30
6XD. _Victor Gonzalez_, 3703 1/2 Densmore Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103, USA.
_Kim Huett_, PO Box 1443, Woden, ACT 2606, Australia. _Debbi Kerr_ (from
16 July), 31 Orchard St, Otley, W Yorkshire, LS21 1JU. _Dan & Lynn
Steffan_, 2015 NE 50th Ave, Portland, OR 97213, USA. _Bud Webster_, 405
Aubery Rd, Richmond, VA 23229, USA.
EDITORIAL. It seems that Arthur C. Clarke's novels are to be someone's
specialist subject on _Mastermind_. A BBC researcher picked my brains for
background material, revealing somewhat late in the day that `we don't
give out fees to our experts as they usually do it for free.' Suddenly
there was an awful temptation to provide such inputs as: `Clarke's most
famous story "Nightfall" not only predicted hydrogen bombs and iPods but
also inspired the new science of Dianetics ...' _[Later: a modest payment
arrived after this issue was printed.]_
EVEN MORE AWARDS. _The Fountain Award_, presented by the Speculative
Literature Foundation for short fiction `of exceptional literary
quality', went to Jeffrey Ford for `The Annals of Eelin-Ok' (_The Faery
Reel_, 2004).
_The Hal Clement Award_ for best YA novel of 2004 went to _Balance
of Trade_ by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller.
_Saturn Awards_ for genre film/TV have all too many categories.
Winning films: SF _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_; FANTASY
_Spider-Man 2_; HORROR _Shaun of the Dead_; ACTION/THRILLER: _Kill Bill
2_; ANIMATED _The Incredibles_.
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Revisionist Paleontology Dept._ `The megatherium,
the ichthyosaurus have paced the earth with seven-league steps and hidden
the day with cloud fast wings.' (George Bernard Shaw, _Man and Superman_,
1903) [ECL]
_Genealogy Dept Revisited:_ `I died to keep you alive, and one day
you will die to feed my ancestors.' (Larry Niven and Steve Barnes, _The
Barsoom Project_, 1989) [PM]
_Strangulation Dept._ `Shock throttled a sob half spent in her
throat.' (Jacqueline Lichtenberg, _Farfetch_, 1985)
_Dept of Heavy Lifting._ `He swung his white smile around the room
like a lighthouse.' (Susan Cooper, _Over Sea, Under Stone_, 1965) [MMW]
_Astronomy/Cosmology Dept._ `If his calculations and instruments
were correct, he was now outside the home galaxy of the Milky Way and in
an entirely new universe, the universe known to him as the Crab Nebula.'
_Dept of Preternatural Rigidity._ `He raged and shouted at them from
behind the bars which, as she shook them, held as firm as though a fly's
feet were touching them.' (both from David Whitaker, _The Dr Who Annual_,
1965) [LC]
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
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Dave Langford: http://ansible.co.uk/
CONVENTION LONGLIST
Details at http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/Ansible/ansilink.html#cons
[] 2005
3-5 Jun 05, Construction V, Stevenage
9-10 Jul 05, Faringdon Arts Festival sf events, Oxon
29-31 Jul 05, Accio 2005 (H. Potter), Reading
29 Jul - 1 Aug 05. CANCELLED: Precursor 2, Walsall
4-8 Aug 05, Interaction (Worldcon), Glasgow
7 Aug, PM 2005 (_Prisoner_), Portmeirion
11-15 Aug 05, The Ring Goes Ever On (Tolkien Soc), Aston U
12-14 Aug 05, Consternation (RPG), Cambridge
2-4 Sept 05, Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester
9-11 Sep 05, Reunion3 (media), Leicester
1-2 Oct 05, NewCon3, Northampton
15-16 Oct 05, Octocon 2005, Ireland
28-31 Oct, Cult TV 2005, Birmingham
11-13 Nov 05, Armadacon, Plymouth
11-13 Nov 05, Novacon, Walsall
[] 2006
12-13 Mar 06, P-Con III, Dublin
14-17 Apr 06, Concussion (Eastercon), Glasgow
18-20 Aug 06, Discworld Convention, Hinckley, Leics
23-27 Aug 06, L.A.con IV (Worldcon), Anaheim, California
[] 2007
30 Aug - 3 Sep 07, Nippon 2007 (Worldcon), Yokohama, Japan
### ENDNOTES ###
APPARITIONS. [] 15 Jun: Iain Banks gets his honorary DLitt (amid other
presentations, of course) in the Bute Hall, University of Glasgow.
Entry tickets are free but numbers are limited. Apply to Mike Findlay,
m.findlay[at]admin.gla.ac.uk. [MM]
C.O.A. _Dave Curl_ doesn't want his new postal address to appear on
line, but invites fan friends to ask for it:
davecurl[at]btopenworld.com.
PAYPAL DONATION. Support _Ansible_ and keep the editor happy! Or just
buy his books ...
http://ansible.co.uk/paypal.html
http://ansible.co.uk/biblio.html
RANDOM LINKS. Classic Horror Film Board discussion of _The Dark Side_
allegations:
http://tinyurl.com/cj6ro
[] _Star Wars_ Darwin Award contenders:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/4575291.stm
[] _Dreams: The Terry Gilliam Fanzine_:
http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/
[] Bronze bust of Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future) in Southport:
http://www.dandare.org/dan/bust/bust.htm
Ansible 215 Copyright (c) Dave Langford, 2005. Thanks to Brian
Ameringen, Jerry Brown, Lawrence Conquest, Alex Cowley, Paul Di
Filippo, Cory Doctorow, Mike Godwin, Steve Green, Evelyn C. Leeper,
Kyle McAbee, Petrea Mitchell, Stan Nicholls, SF Site, Martin Morse
Wooster, and our Hero Distributors: Rog Peyton (Brum Group), Janice
Murray (North America), SCIS, and Alan Stewart (Thyme/Australia).
3 Jun 05
--
David Langford | http://ansible.co.uk/
Latest book: =Different Kinds of Darkness= (collection, Cosmos, 2004)
Kip Williams
> ANSIBLE 215
> JUNE 2005
Enjoyed it, as always. Once in a while, it's not entirely inappropriate
to say so. So.
Kip W
so saying
Ulrika O'Brien
ans...@cix.co.uk says...
[snip]
Initially read that as "the infamous 1977 _The Hobbit and the Brave
Little Toaster_, and a gargle of incomprehension and horror was wrung
from me. You made that up, I was all prepared to cry.
Alas, it was just my failing eyesight.
Ulrika, who should possibly put on her glasses before reading rasseff
--
Were it not air, it would not burn. -Graydon Saunders
Ulrika O'Brien*fwa*instigator at large
Andrew Plotkin
>
> _Astronomy/Cosmology Dept._ `If his calculations and instruments
> were correct, he was now outside the home galaxy of the Milky Way and in
> an entirely new universe, the universe known to him as the Crab Nebula.'
I know I've seen "universe" used to mean "galaxy" before. And it was
also in a decades-ago context. Was that common usage for a while?
Maybe not in SF circles, but in pop science?
--Z
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
I'm still thinking about what to put in this space.
Dan Goodman
> In rec.arts.sf.fandom, David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > _Astronomy/Cosmology Dept._ `If his calculations and
> > instruments were correct, he was now outside the home galaxy of the
> > Milky Way and in an entirely new universe, the universe known to
> > him as the Crab Nebula.' [... from David Whitaker, _The Dr Who
> > Annual_, 1965 ]
>
> I know I've seen "universe" used to mean "galaxy" before. And it was
> also in a decades-ago context. Was that common usage for a while?
> Maybe not in SF circles, but in pop science?
If I recall correctly, for a while after it became clear that the
Galaxy wasn't the entire universe, the term "island universe" was used
by astronomers.
However, I'm fairly sure that term had passed out of use by 1965.
--
Dan Goodman
Journal http://www.livejournal.com/users/dsgood/
Clutterers Anonymous unofficial community
http://www.livejournal.com/community/clutterers_anon/
Decluttering http://decluttering.blogspot.com
Predictions and Politics http://dsgood.blogspot.com
All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies.
John Arbuthnot (1667-1735), Scottish writer, physician.
Paul Dormer
Plotkin) wrote:
> *From:* Andrew Plotkin <erky...@eblong.com>
> *Date:* Sat, 4 Jun 2005 17:44:35 +0000 (UTC)
>
> In rec.arts.sf.fandom, David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > _Astronomy/Cosmology Dept._ `If his calculations and instruments
> > were correct, he was now outside the home galaxy of the Milky Way and
> > in
> > an entirely new universe, the universe known to him as the Crab
> > Nebula.'
> > [... from David Whitaker, _The Dr Who Annual_, 1965 ]
>
> I know I've seen "universe" used to mean "galaxy" before. And it was
> also in a decades-ago context. Was that common usage for a while?
> Maybe not in SF circles, but in pop science?
>
However, the Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant inside our galaxy.
Andrew Stephenson
ans...@cix.co.uk "David Langford" writes:
> _Harold Wooster_ (1919-2005), [...] co-wrote a letter with
> Robert Heinlein that appeared in _Science_ (21 July 1961) about
> whether or not "exobiology" or "xenobiology" was the correct
> term. [...]
Must ask: what was their conclusion?
--
Andrew Stephenson
Marilee J. Layman
wrote:
>JO FLETCHER of Gollancz/Orion married Ian Drury on 20 May. Steve Green
>was distantly implicated: `my brother-in-law John Mayo designed the tiny
>silver bats for Jo Fletcher's wedding tiara ...'
Ha! I beaded tiny silver spiders for a matron-of-honor dress for a
friend's wedding. (I'd already made her a necklace with bats on it.)
--
Marilee J. Layman
Del Cotter
Andrew Plotkin <erky...@eblong.com> said:
>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>> _Astronomy/Cosmology Dept._ `If his calculations and instruments
>> were correct, he was now outside the home galaxy of the Milky Way and in
>> an entirely new universe, the universe known to him as the Crab Nebula.'
>I know I've seen "universe" used to mean "galaxy" before. And it was
>also in a decades-ago context. Was that common usage for a while?
>Maybe not in SF circles, but in pop science?
Well, it also suffers from the problem that the Crab Nebula is firmly
placed within the Milky Way galaxy (unlike the Andromeda Nebula, now
usually called the Andromeda galaxy)
If I remember my history of cosmology right, it was only in the
twentieth century that spiral nebulae were confirmed as spiral galaxies,
and the Milky confirmed as a member of the class. But Immanuel Kant, of
all people, speculated that that was the case a few centuries earlier,
calling them "island universes", or whatever the German equivalent was.
I think I once saw a galaxy called a "cosmos", but I'm not sure that's a
real memory.
--
Del Cotter
Thanks to the recent increase in UBE, I will soon be ignoring email
sent to d...@branta.demon.co.uk. Please send your email to del2 instead.
David Langford
Martin Morse Wooster posted this summary elsewhere:
>I will summarize Heinlein's letter since as far as I
>know the Robert A. Heinlein Estate doesn't know about
>it (although it is published).
>
>"You are correct in thinking that I used "xenobiology"
>(and several other words beginning with "xeno-" in THE
>STAR BEAST," Heinlein begins. "But I am not certain
>that I coined the term; it is quite possible that I
>saw it used elsewhere, in fiction or non-fiction, and
>made use of it."
>
>Heinlein then says that "ex-" or "exo-" "has its own
>great shortcomings; it is tired and means too many
>things."
>
> "In my opinion," Heinlein concludes, "'xeno-' is the
>best choice from the standpoint of derivation. But,
>be that as it many, it is the best of these three
>["exbiology," "exobiology," "Xenobiology"} in the
>interest of clarity and exactness."
>
>After reprinting Heinlein's letter, my father
>concludes, "let not xenophobia stand in the way of the
>prompt adoption of these useful elegant, and unique
>prefixes for designating the extraterrestrial
>sciences."
>
>I found the citation in a 2002 article in ISIS by
>Audra J. Wolfe called "Germs in Space: Joshua
>Lederberg, Exobiology, and the Public Imagination,
>1958-1964," which is all about the obsession of this
>era with "space germs" (which I'm sure crept into sf).
Dave
David Langford
>David Langford wrote:
>> ANSIBLE 215
>> JUNE 2005
>
>Enjoyed it, as always. Once in a while, it's not entirely inappropriate
>to say so. So.
Many thanks, Kip! A welcome bit of encouragement amid the exciting feedback
of innumerable Out Of Office Auto-Replies which follow each =Ansible=.
(Occasionally I wonder whether these very important business people turn on
this irritating option whenever they visit the toilet.)
I should mention that I owe the dear old N3F an apology. Somehow, thanks to
weariness, drunkenness or premature dementia, I failed to mention their
relaunched "Neffy" awards even though one of them went to =Ansible=. Oh the
shame! And I'd put the whole list in my =Infinite Matrix= column only
yesterday -- which, presumably, is what made me think I'd comprehensively
dealt with that issue:
http://www.infinitematrix.net/columns/langford/index.html
Dave
[have now updated the =Ansible= website with a little bit at the end of the
current issue]
Andrew Stephenson
ans...@cix.co.uk "David Langford" writes:
> On Sat, 04 Jun 2005 18:45:52 GMT, am...@deltrak.demon.co.uk (Andrew
> Stephenson) wrote:
>
> >In article <jud3a1hge25e0qjag...@4ax.com>
> > ans...@cix.co.uk "David Langford" writes:
> >
> >> _Harold Wooster_ (1919-2005), [...] co-wrote a letter with
> >> Robert Heinlein that appeared in _Science_ (21 July 1961) about
> >> whether or not "exobiology" or "xenobiology" was the correct
> >> term. [...]
> >
> >Must ask: what was their conclusion?
>
> Martin Morse Wooster posted this summary elsewhere:
>
> > [...]
Thanks. Though he dances around the point a bit, I infer RAH was
in favour of "xenobiology". Not bad (especially cf "exo-"). But
may we keep looking? (No, nothing specific in mind, just a hunch
there's a tasty fifty-dollar word waiting to be concocted.)
--
Andrew Stephenson
Doug Wickstrom
<4bv3a19de06f9cifq...@4ax.com>
Marilee J. Layman <mjla...@erols.com> caused electrons to dance
and photons to travel coherently in saying:
"Tiny Silver Spiders" sounds like the title for a Glen Cook
novel.
--
Doug Wickstrom <nims...@comcast.net>
"Work hard, deal honestly, be enterprising, exercise careful judgement,
advertise freely but judiciously." --Sir Thomas Lipton
Now filtering out all cross-posted messages and everything posted
through Google News.
Nick Atty
wrote:
> _Margaret Hoyt_ postulates a terrifying alternate reality: `Can one
>hope that when some mainstream/bestselling/literary author comes out of
>the closet and announces "Yes! Yes! My latest work IS science fiction.
>I've always loved science fiction but have never been able to admit it,"
>we will receive an _Ansible_ special edition?'
I've been playing that game myself recently. Reading Borge's
"Labyrinths" I remark to anyone who asks me about it "well, the ideas
are great, but there isn't a great deal of plot, typical of mid 20th
century science fiction".
>BLOOMSBURY AUCTIONS sent their latest catalogue of modern first editions,
>and I idly wondered which genre titles now command four-figure starting
>prices. [...] _Northern
>Lights_ (hey, I have that edition), each at Pounds1000.
Friends of mine, who run a bookshop, just sold a copy for quite a bit
over that.
They picked it up at a car boot sale for 20p...
--
On-line canal route planner: http://www.canalplan.org.uk
(Waterways World site of the month, April 2001)
Steve Glover
<nims...@comcast.net> writes
>"Tiny Silver Spiders" sounds like the title for a Glen Cook
>novel.
Apparently he's writing more Garrett, PI stuff: now all I want is
someone to re-issue the earlier ones.
Steve
--
Steve Glover, Fell Services Ltd. Available
Weblog at http://weblog.akicif.net/blogger.html
Home: steve at fell.demon.co.uk, 0131 551 3835
Away: steve.glover at ukonline.co.uk, 07961 446 902
Vicki Rosenzweig
+0100:
>THE DEAD PAST. _Nebula SF_ editor Peter Hamilton (not to be confused with
>author Peter F. Hamilton) crushingly responds to John Brunner's
>permissive views about sex in sf: `Novels and films which suggest by
>their subject matter that the ideal way to spend a pleasant evening is
>in the close proximity of a co-operative female with a plentiful supply
>of alcohol to hand are quite unworthy to be classified as science
>fiction, regardless of how well-written or produced they are, as they
>sully the high ethical and moral ideals inherent in by far the greater
>part of this type of literature.' (_Nebula SF_, July 1958)
Arthur Hlavaty linked to this on his LiveJournal, and pointed out that
Hamilton seems to have nothing against a pleasant evening in the
close proximity of a cooperative male. I then observed that maybe the
problem, from the literary or moral viewpoint, is the alcohol, rather
than the cooperative person or people, regardless of gender.
Could it be that Hamilton felt that alcohol was too old-fashioned and
thus not stfnal, and we ought to be reading stories in which one
spends a pleasant evening in the close proximity of a tentacled
hermaphrodite and plenty of synthetic intoxicants imported from
zir homeworld?
--
Vicki Rosenzweig | v...@redbird.org
r.a.sf.f faq at http://www.redbird.org/rassef-faq.html
Petrea Mitchell
Dan Goodman <dsg...@iphouse.com> strode forth and proclaimed:
> If I recall correctly, for a while after it became clear that the
> Galaxy wasn't the entire universe, the term "island universe" was used
> by astronomers.
>
> However, I'm fairly sure that term had passed out of use by 1965.
It's still really popular on PBS science shows, for some reason. Maybe
it's required by the stylebook.
--
/
Petrea Mitchell <|> <|> <pr...@m5p.com> <mit...@osm.com>
"Going Chopin? Don't forget your Liszt!" ---The Master Wrench
"Please remain seated until the movie grinds to a complete halt." ---MST3K
Keith Stokes
wrote:
>WARREN NORWOOD, US author who published more than a dozen sf novels in
>the 1980s, has entered hospital with liver and kidney failure; terminal
>hospice care is expected to follow, alas. [SFS]
He passed away Friday.
Keith