Trivial Superpowers
gnohm...@my-deja.com
will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
There is bound to be a temptation to treat it humorously, but this is not a
good idea, I think. If you do, you get Xanth (where if I recall correctly
there is something akin to it).
(I once had a temporary trivial power -- for 5 years it never rained on me,
the rain would wait until I went inside and/or stop as I came out the door. I
offer this as another example of a trivial power.)
Another temptation would be the obvious plot where young H. Protagonist
struggles to find his place in the world and the way to use his triv power.
rop, rop. A power whose use is crucial to the story must be introduced many
chapters before its use, else the author would be able to resolve all
problems with cheap tricks (a random passerby has the power to stop pianos
from falling on peoples' heads).
Perhaps it would be best as a subsidiary element in some other story. Has it
been done?
The power to prevent nearby beverages from being knocked over would save
one's keyboard at times, but the power to cause them to spill would be hard
to use for good -- its possessor would be tempted into malicious pranks and
moral decay. If trivial powers tended to be mixed, then the knowledge of
someone's power and of how they use it would be a sugnificant insight into
their character.
People in movies always find an empty parking spot. Turning water to wine
could cause alcoholism problems, while the ability to digest rocks would lead
to dental problems. Loaves and fishes, obesity. I'll bet water is slippery to
walk on, so every puddle could cause a fall. When a new cash register opens
up at the supermarket, I'm never first in line (somebody else has the power).
My power is so useless -- I wish I had Natasha's power instead. Sam, seduced
by his power to find a penny in his pocket, lives in poverty (a penny doesn't
go very far these days). Sue has a very useful power, makes her living from
it, has no pride of self, no identity other than her Power. And so on...
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Dwight Thieme
: I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
: will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
: trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
: There is bound to be a temptation to treat it humorously, but this is not a
: good idea, I think. If you do, you get Xanth (where if I recall correctly
: there is something akin to it).
ObSf: Bester's '5,026,001 Choices'. Or some number around there.
Ike
Jim Deutch
_everybody_ had one such power. All you had to do was say "abracadabra" and
if the situation allowed for your power to manifest, it would.
So, this guy discovered his power was the two-boxes trick, with a twist: the
subject in box one would appear in box 2 -- minus all clothing. He put this
girl he was hot for in box 1, said the magic word... but it turned out she
already knew her power, too, which was the ability to make hard things soft.
I think I read it in a collection of "SF from Playboy" over 20 years ago.
Make that close to 30 years ago. (I didn't get it at the time.)
Jim Deutch
gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote in message <7ukok1$bhb$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
Brenda
gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>
I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
research for writing.
Sometimes the power is really awesome, like the time when I was riding a bus
home, and confided to the person beside me the tremendous difficulty I was having
finding an expert in X. (I no longer remember what X was, but it had to do with
Bush adminstration economic policy, so this is no surprise.) The guy sitting in
the seat behind me leaned forward and said, "Call me tomorrow." He was the one
and only expert!
I have even applied it to other people -- people who tell me they are working on
a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
Brenda
--
---------
Brenda W. Clough, author of HOW LIKE A GOD, from Tor Books
http://www.sff.net/people/Brenda/
David Navarro
>
> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
_The Lord of the Rings_... Gandalf's funky smoke rings and fireworks.
Any of the Taltos books by Brust, with all manners of trivial spells
for housekeeping...
Hmm... There has to be more.
--
__________________________________________
David Navarro http://www.alcaudon.com
__________________________________________
Ia! Ia! Cthulhu ftaghn!
Cthulhu fhtagn. Cthulhu. R'lyeh. Ph'nglui
mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
Danny Sichel
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
> _The Lord of the Rings_... Gandalf's funky smoke rings and fireworks.
> Any of the Taltos books by Brust, with all manners of trivial spells
> for housekeeping...
_The Man Who Always Knew_, by Damon Knight.
Dwight Thieme
: gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
: >
: > I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
: > will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
: > trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
: _The Lord of the Rings_... Gandalf's funky smoke rings and fireworks.
Nah, that was good old tech nohow. Remember, Gandalf knows all about
guns - "But before you could say 'tinder and flint', there was a
great flash and a terrible roar, and several Goblins fell down dead
at once" :-) Say there, G., how come your staff has this hole at
the end?
Ike
k...@tsoft.net
> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
Well, in the Wild Cards series, such people were known as "deuces" (people
with really useful superpowers were "aces" and people with negative ones
-- usually just deformations -- were "jokers".)
Sadly, my super-memory for trivia is on the blink right now and I can't
think of any specific examples.
--
KarlHiller [] Systems Librarian, INTP
Here are some spammer email addresses for harvesting: in...@colmail.net
al...@ZMAIL.RU an...@ZENON.NET ca...@gmpublishing.com offli...@nfmail.com
bi...@crosswinds.net ad...@success-adc.com bedr...@bedriser.com
Mark Langsdorf
k...@tsoft.net wrote in message ...
>gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab
at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the
idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>
>Well, in the Wild Cards series, such people were known as "deuces"
(people
>with really useful superpowers were "aces" and people with negative ones
>-- usually just deformations -- were "jokers".)
>
>Sadly, my super-memory for trivia is on the blink right now and I can't
>think of any specific examples.
The guy (in the series) who coined the phrase had the
ability to change the color of his skin, but (I believe) only to
bright, primary colors. He made his living by singing songs
like "Yellow Rose of Texas" and changing his color to suit
the song. When brought before the authorities, he said,
"If I'm an ace, I'd hate to see a deuce." Don't remember
the character's name, but it was as lame as his power.
-Mark Langsdorf
Steve Taylor
> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>
In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
Steve
Coyu
Indigestible Man, from the Tick cartoon television show.
One wonders his origin story.
Joe Slater
>Well, in the Wild Cards series, such people were known as "deuces" (people
>with really useful superpowers were "aces" and people with negative ones
>-- usually just deformations -- were "jokers".)
>
>Sadly, my super-memory for trivia is on the blink right now and I can't
>think of any specific examples.
Ace: Can lift trucks one-handed (Golden Boy).
Deuce: Can, with a bit of concentration, turn pink, yellow or green
(can't recall the name).
Joker: Leaves a trail of snot globules (Snotman).
jds
Anne M. Marble
news:7ukok1$bhb$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a
taxicab at
> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but...
the idea of
> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
Comic books like "Justice League" and similar series thrived on
superheroes with trivial powers. The group can depend on Superboy for
only so long. Once in a while, they have to depend on the hero who
turns into Genoa salami instead. (OK, I made that one up.) To me, that
was the fun of those series. Who cares what Superboy was doing? I
wanted to know about the really obscure superheroes.
You could look for books on superheros of the past to find some
terrific candidates. Even if you don't find anything useful, they're
good for a laugh. There were some really desperate publishers out
there! (There's a great trading card set that collects bad comic book
cover art from the 1950s. My favorite was the Western hero who, upon
closer examination, had breasts! Apparently, the cover art originally
had a cowgirl, and the artist had to change it at the last minute. The
resulting cover is a riot.)
Doug Dawson
who were all rejects from the Legion of Superheroes.
The original members all had _marginal_ superpowers: firebreath, but
bad allergies; super strength only at night; change the color of any object;
or my favorite, Stone Boy. He could turn to stone...completely immobile,
unconscious stone, to revert at some later time. They tended to drop him
on a lot of villains.
Later, though, they started to get _really_ bad, probably culminating with
Arm-Fall-Off Lad. Infectious Lass, who was a Typhoid Mary for _every_
known disease was right up there too.
gnohm...@my-deja.com
Brenda <clo...@erols.com> wrote:
> I have a superpower. [...]
Marvelous! Of course, since we're modern, rational, scientific people, of
course we don't really really believe that we have Powers, do we?
When I was favored of the Rain God, I didn't really believe it, but did make
it a point to avoid displeasing the RG.
And thanks for starting a subthread where everybody tells about their own
Powers. This will be enjoyable to read.
Scott Drellishak
Coyu <co...@aol.com> wrote:
)Indigestible Man, from the Tick cartoon television show.
The Indigestible Man RULES! When I try to explain to people how funny
_The Tick_ is, I usually mention him.
"Got anything in that Poodle Gun for me?"
--
/ Scott Drellishak \
| "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced." |
\ "Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness." /
Allyn B, Brodsky
news:380E0BFC...@erols.com...
>
> gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> > I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a
taxicab at
> > will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but...
the idea of
> > trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
> >
>
doesn't always
> work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is
the gift of
> finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always
applied to
> research for writing.
My own closest approximation to this is/was a gift for walking into
bookstores just as new titles for the month had arrived. Doesn't seem
to work as well for libraries though.
An expensive power.
Cheers!
Allyn
--
Allyn B. Brodsky
abbr...@ix.netcom.com
Sion Arrowsmith
>I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>
>good idea, I think. If you do, you get Xanth (where if I recall correctly
>there is something akin to it).
Don't think anyone's mentioned the _Temps_ and _Euro Temps_ collections
yet. Premise: on this side of the Atlantic, most superheroes with any
useful kind of power go to America, where the money's better. The ones
that remain behind are drafted into a department of the civil service.
They have such useful talents as being able to teleport fluids ... but
only directly into your own bloodstream. The stories range from darkly
humourous to plain dark.
--
\S -- si...@chiark.greenend.org.uk -- http://www.chaos.org.uk/~sion/
___ | "Frankly I have no feelings towards penguins one way or the other"
\X/ | -- Arthur C. Clarke
her nu becomeþ se bera eadward ofdun hlæddre heafdes bæce bump bump bump
David Given
s...@nwlink.com (Scott Drellishak) writes:
> In article <19991020224653...@ng-fa1.aol.com>,
> Coyu <co...@aol.com> wrote:
> )Indigestible Man, from the Tick cartoon television show.
>
> The Indigestible Man RULES! When I try to explain to people how funny
> _The Tick_ is, I usually mention him.
>
> "Got anything in that Poodle Gun for me?"
Is this a good time to bring up the Bicycle Repair Man sketch from _Monty
Python_?
--
+- David Given ---------------McQ-+ "Gaping from its single obling socket was
| Work: d...@tao-group.com | scintillating, many fauceted scarlet
| Play: dgi...@iname.com | emerald..." --- Jim Theis, _The Eye of
+- http://wired.st-and.ac.uk/~dg -+ Argon_
Keith
> >In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
> >superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
> >
> >It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
>
> Indigestible Man, from the Tick cartoon television show.
>
> One wonders his origin story.
Jeez, there was a movie with a whole cast of trivial superheroes and
I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet.
And whatever the origin of Indigestible Man, it surely cannot match
the pathos and drama of the origin of The Spleen.
If you didn't see "Mystery Men", The Spleen is a character whose
power is emit noxious farts and aim them with silent but deadly
accuracy. According to him, his power came about when he let one
go and blamed a nearby Gypsy Woman, who cursed him as a result.
And of course, Invisible Boy (invisible only when no one is looking)
and the Blue Rajah, who wields cutlery (but not knives) with deadly
accuracy.
--
Keith
Paul Clarke
>In article <380E0BFC...@erols.com>,
> Brenda <clo...@erols.com> wrote:
>> I have a superpower. [...]
>
>Marvelous! Of course, since we're modern, rational, scientific people, of
>course we don't really really believe that we have Powers, do we?
>
>When I was favored of the Rain God, I didn't really believe it, but did make
>it a point to avoid displeasing the RG.
How did you work out what would be displeasing to the Rain God? Is
there a holy book?
Danny Sichel
>> the idea of trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>> There is bound to be a temptation to treat it humorously
> In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
> superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
> It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
It *is* useful, actually. (As long as no one knows about it.)
He robs the diamond exchange, see?
Runs down a hallway with the guards in hot pursuit, turns a corner,
and...
A moment later, the guards arrive at the corner.
No thief. Just a chair.
Ross TenEyck
>Steve Taylor wrote:
>>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea
>>> of trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>>
>>> There is bound to be a temptation to treat it humorously
>>In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
>>superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
>>
>>It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
>Indigestible Man, from the Tick cartoon television show.
>
>One wonders his origin story.
"Gazebo Boy finds his mutant power useless against the Termite Queen!"
Dunno where that actually came from -- it was a phrase common amongst
the people I hung out with in college -- but I think it was originally
the caption to a cartoon in _Dragon_ magazine, or something similar.
--
================== http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~teneyck ==================
Ross TenEyck Seattle, WA \ Light, kindled in the furnace of hydrogen;
ten...@alumni.caltech.edu \ like smoke, sunlight carries the hot-metal
Are wa yume? Soretomo maboroshi? \ tang of Creation's forge.
Doctor Witch
> gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
[snip]
> > trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
> Well, in the Wild Cards series, such people were known as "deuces"
> (people
> with really useful superpowers were "aces" and people with
> negative ones
> -- usually just deformations -- were "jokers".)
From that old Phil Foglio comic "What's New?" that used to run in
the back of "Dragon" magazine,
"Gazebo man finds his powers are useless against the Termite!"
with a cute picture of a Gazebo with eyes.
I remember DC comics had a few great semi-heroes whose powers related
to masturbation: _Doom Patrol_ had "The Love Glove." _Animal Man_
had some guy whose entire body tended to fly apart into separate little
bits and who could only communicate by quoting William S. Burroughs.
Man, whatever happened to those excessively psychedelic comics, anyway?
Did the market dry up?
Doc W.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Nancy Lebovitz
Nancy Lebovitz <na...@unix3.netaxs.com> wrote:
>In article <7unl6g$r...@gap.cco.caltech.edu>,
>Ross TenEyck <ten...@alumnae.caltech.edu> wrote:
>>co...@aol.com (Coyu) writes:
>>>Steve Taylor wrote:
>>
>>>>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>>>>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea
>>>>> of trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>>>>
>>>>> There is bound to be a temptation to treat it humorously
>>
>>>>In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
>>>>superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
>>>>
>>>>It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
>>
>>>Indigestible Man, from the Tick cartoon television show.
>>>
>>>One wonders his origin story.
>>
>>"Gazebo Boy finds his mutant power useless against the Termite Queen!"
>>
>>Dunno where that actually came from -- it was a phrase common amongst
>>the people I hung out with in college -- but I think it was originally
>>the caption to a cartoon in _Dragon_ magazine, or something similar.
>>
>
>
The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo
by Richard Aronson (aro...@sierratel.com)
>
--
Nancy Lebovitz na...@netaxs.com
October '99 calligraphic button catalogue available by email!
Steve Patterson
>
>Steve Taylor wrote:
>
>> In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
>> superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
>
>> It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
>
>
>He robs the diamond exchange, see?
>
>Runs down a hallway with the guards in hot pursuit, turns a corner,
>and...
>
>A moment later, the guards arrive at the corner.
>
>No thief. Just a chair.
Which is fine until one of the guards steps on a loose diamond on the floor,
I guess. Unless he can turn into a chair with pockets? Or can he subsume
the diamonds into his chair? (And wouldn't that be a surprise for the
surgeon performing an emergency appendectomy? ["Nurse, I thought you'd said
he didn't have health insurance?" Dr. Kuttem held the glittering gemstone
up to the surgical lights...])
--
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Note: My "from:" address has been altered to foil mailbots.
Remove the "no_spam_" to get in touch with me by email.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Steven J. Patterson no_spam_s...@wwdc.com
"Men may move mountains, but ideas move men."
-- M.N. Vorkosigan, per L.M. Bujold
See my refurbished webpage! http://www.wwdc.com/~spatterson
Steve Patterson
says...
>
>My own closest approximation to this is/was a gift for walking into
>bookstores just as new titles for the month had arrived. Doesn't seem
>to work as well for libraries though.
My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing my
resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving a position
with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon thereafter either
closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
Honest, I've done nothing to make this happen. Really.
tomwomack00
Sion Arrowsmith <si...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote in message
news:xng*13...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk...
> In article <7ukok1$bhb$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>, <gnohm...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> >I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
> >will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
> >trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
> >
> >good idea, I think. If you do, you get Xanth (where if I recall correctly
> >there is something akin to it).
>
> Don't think anyone's mentioned the _Temps_ and _Euro Temps_ collections
> yet. Premise: on this side of the Atlantic, most superheroes with any
> useful kind of power go to America, where the money's better. The ones
> that remain behind are drafted into a department of the civil service.
> They have such useful talents as being able to teleport fluids ... but
> only directly into your own bloodstream.
SPOILER
If these are the Langford stories I remember reading one night at Green End, X's
ability was to transport alcoholic liquids into the man's cup: so, when X is
tied up in front of the Evil Villain with whom he'd just had a liquid lunch, he
escapes by teleporting the EV's (alcoholic) blood into his beaker and drinking
from it.
> The stories range from darkly humorous to plain dark.
I'd use the word 'ick'.
Tom
Keith
> I remember DC comics had a few great semi-heroes whose powers related
> to masturbation: _Doom Patrol_ had "The Love Glove." _Animal Man_
> had some guy whose entire body tended to fly apart into separate little
> bits and who could only communicate by quoting William S. Burroughs.
>
> Man, whatever happened to those excessively psychedelic comics, anyway?
> Did the market dry up?
DC dropped _Doom Patrol_. I'm not sure about _Animal Man_ but you
can find the generally weird ones in DC's Vertigo line. To be specific
about superpowers, you might try _Resurrection Man_. His superpower
is that when he gets killed, he comes back to life with another type
of power, different from the one he had before he croaked. Some aren't
entirely useful and he ends up dead sooner rather than later. For a
while he came back to life as a woman.
--
Keith
Jordan S. Bassior
>I remember DC comics had a few great semi-heroes whose powers related
>to masturbation: _Doom Patrol_ had "The Love Glove."
That was actually a Beatles reference. Ever seen "Yellow Submarine"?
Sincerely Yours,
Jordan
"Man, as we know him, is a poor creature; but he is halfway between an ape and
a god and he is travelling in the right direction." (Dean William R. Inge)
Michael Feldhusen
> >Ross TenEyck <ten...@alumnae.caltech.edu> wrote:
> >>co...@aol.com (Coyu) writes:
> >>"Gazebo Boy finds his mutant power useless against the Termite Queen!"
> >>
> >>Dunno where that actually came from -- it was a phrase common amongst
> >>the people I hung out with in college -- but I think it was originally
> >>the caption to a cartoon in _Dragon_ magazine, or something similar.
> >
> Try searching on
> >
> The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo
> by Richard Aronson (aro...@sierratel.com)
Actually, Ross was correct. The origin of the "Gazebo Boy" comment is in
Phil Foglio's "What's New!" that ran in _Dragon_ magazine many years ago.
Unfortunately, my _What's New!_ collection is at home or I'd look up the
exact phrase.
--
Michael Feldhusen (mi...@pharlap.com)
http://excalibur.pharlap.com/homepage.html
Button: Beeblebrox for President - Two heads are better than one
Nancy Lebovitz
Michael Feldhusen <mi...@pharlap.com> wrote:
>In article <7unrdf$g...@netaxs.com>, na...@unix3.netaxs.com says...
>
>> >Ross TenEyck <ten...@alumnae.caltech.edu> wrote:
>> >>co...@aol.com (Coyu) writes:
>
>> >>"Gazebo Boy finds his mutant power useless against the Termite Queen!"
>> >>
>> >>Dunno where that actually came from -- it was a phrase common amongst
>> >>the people I hung out with in college -- but I think it was originally
>> >>the caption to a cartoon in _Dragon_ magazine, or something similar.
>> >
>> Try searching on
>> >
>> The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo
>> by Richard Aronson (aro...@sierratel.com)
>
>Actually, Ross was correct. The origin of the "Gazebo Boy" comment is in
>Phil Foglio's "What's New!" that ran in _Dragon_ magazine many years ago.
>Unfortunately, my _What's New!_ collection is at home or I'd look up the
>exact phrase.
>
"Eric and the Dread Gazebo" was reprinted in _Knights of the Dinner Table_--
and I recommend it highly even if it's the wrong cite. It's one of
the funniest short pieces I've ever read. If you're in the mood for
a delicate souffle of linguistic cluelessness and pointless violence,
check it out.
Lucy Kemnitzer
wrote:
>
>
>gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>
>
> I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
>work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>research for writing.
>
>Sometimes the power is really awesome, like the time when I was riding a bus
>home, and confided to the person beside me the tremendous difficulty I was having
>finding an expert in X. (I no longer remember what X was, but it had to do with
>Bush adminstration economic policy, so this is no surprise.) The guy sitting in
>the seat behind me leaned forward and said, "Call me tomorrow." He was the one
>and only expert!
>
>I have even applied it to other people -- people who tell me they are working on
>a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
>SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
>
>Brenda
>
This is not a trivial superpower. I covet it. I never did find
out the personnel for Uncle Dave Macon's recording of "Nobody's
Business What I Do."
But after handwaving through that part and sending the piece off,
I found at the SF Book Festival, a featured book at the booth of
Marcus Books: a novel, _Nobody's Business_, which I will be
reading as soon as I finish _The Hand_ (oh yes, I found that too).
For a period of six months twenty-eight years ago, I could roll
sixes or ones at will, any dice, so long as I was playing Risk at
the same time as my best friend. One of us always won.
That was so specific that it was trivial. However: I can figure
out the personalities of an entire class of thirteen year olds in
an hour, and have them eating of my hand. That's not trivial.
Lucy Kemnitzer
Jorj Strumolo
SP> My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing
> my resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving
> a position with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon
> thereafter either closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
Elementary school was like that for me. In grades one through
eight, the teacher always resigned or moved away or retired
after teaching my class.
MA Lloyd
>Actually, Ross was correct. The origin of the "Gazebo Boy" comment is in
>Phil Foglio's "What's New!" that ran in _Dragon_ magazine many years ago.
>Unfortunately, my _What's New!_ collection is at home or I'd look up the
>exact phrase.
GAZEBO BOY finds his singular power of metamorphosis
useless against THE EVIL TERMITE!
It's in issue 75 (July 83)
--
-- MA Lloyd (mall...@io.com)
Brenda
Steve Patterson wrote:
> In article <7un0oj$6p1$1...@nntp5.atl.mindspring.net>, abbr...@ix.netcom.com
> says...
> >
> >My own closest approximation to this is/was a gift for walking into
> >bookstores just as new titles for the month had arrived. Doesn't seem
> >to work as well for libraries though.
>
> My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing my
> resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving a position
> with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon thereafter either
> closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
>
> Honest, I've done nothing to make this happen. Really.
>
This could however be a mighty force for good. Suppose you find out if Saddam
Hussein is hiring.
Brenda
--
---------
Brenda W. Clough, author of HOW LIKE A GOD, from Tor Books
http://www.sff.net/people/Brenda/
Mike Schilling
sports event. I was there when:
Phil Smith of the Warriors snapped his Achilles tendon.
A sack shattered the bones in Raider quarterback Dan Pastorini's leg.
(And yes, the crowd of Raider fans did cheer.)
Candy Maldonado of the Giants broke his wrist by catching it in the
outfield wall.
The most recent of these was over 10 years ago, so my power has
evidently waned.
Ian Davis
superpower while in the shower [*].
Ian.
[*] No, it's not what you think. Ooh, you lot. I had the superpower of
being able to make streams of water shoot from the ends of my fingers,
drowning any criminals that happened to be in the shower with me [**].
A spinoff superpower seemed to be the ability to cause everyone else in
the house to have cold showers.
[**] And you can stop that and all.
Lucy Kemnitzer
(Steve Patterson) wrote:
>In article <7un0oj$6p1$1...@nntp5.atl.mindspring.net>, abbr...@ix.netcom.com
>says...
>>
>>My own closest approximation to this is/was a gift for walking into
>>bookstores just as new titles for the month had arrived. Doesn't seem
>>to work as well for libraries though.
>
>My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing my
>resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving a position
>with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon thereafter either
>closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
>
>Honest, I've done nothing to make this happen. Really.
I have had the opposite of that. I have six (if I counted right)
positions where the reason for leaving was "(plant) or (program)
closed."
Lucy Kemnitzer
The Insidious Dr. F.
Wait! That's where I stole the "Obsessed Avenger" from! I knew it was back
there somewhere, but the early Eighties was when I was drinking...
Dr. Fidelius, Charlatan
Associate Curator Anomalous Paleontology, Miskatonic University
"You cannot reason a man out of a position he did not reach through reason."
Lucy Kemnitzer
wrote:
>
>
>gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>
>
> I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
>work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>research for writing.
>
>Sometimes the power is really awesome, like the time when I was riding a bus
>home, and confided to the person beside me the tremendous difficulty I was having
>finding an expert in X. (I no longer remember what X was, but it had to do with
>Bush adminstration economic policy, so this is no surprise.) The guy sitting in
>the seat behind me leaned forward and said, "Call me tomorrow." He was the one
>and only expert!
>
>I have even applied it to other people -- people who tell me they are working on
>a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
>SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
I think you just did it to me. Only hours after reading this post
I got an email from my father so excited he couldn't type straight
because while he was doing a search in the Library of Congress
recordings for "The Red Cross Store Blues" he came upon an entire
trove of recordings of "Nobody's Business," including one by Aunt
Molly Jackson!
Not the personnel of the Uncle Dave Macon recording, but a highly
suggestive and interesting hint about the nature of the beast.
Lucy Kemnitzer
Ross TenEyck
>In article <7unrdf$g...@netaxs.com>, na...@unix3.netaxs.com says...
>> >Ross TenEyck <ten...@alumnae.caltech.edu> wrote:
>> >>"Gazebo Boy finds his mutant power useless against the Termite Queen!"
>> >>
>> >>Dunno where that actually came from -- it was a phrase common amongst
>> >>the people I hung out with in college -- but I think it was originally
>> >>the caption to a cartoon in _Dragon_ magazine, or something similar.
>> Try searching on
>>
>> The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo
>> by Richard Aronson (aro...@sierratel.com)
>Actually, Ross was correct. The origin of the "Gazebo Boy" comment is in
>Phil Foglio's "What's New!" that ran in _Dragon_ magazine many years ago.
>Unfortunately, my _What's New!_ collection is at home or I'd look up the
>exact phrase.
Thank you. I knew someone would know it :)
ObSF: since the tale of Eric and the gazebo was brought up... I was
irresistibly reminded of that story when reading _One for the Morning
Glory,_ in which people were routinely gnawing on haunches of roast
gazebo. Wonder if Barnes ever heard the legend of Eric?
(Note: for those who have *not* heard the tale of Eric and the Dread
Gazebo, and are wondering what the hell we're talking about, a quick
web search should turn it up. It's rather infamous in gaming circles.)
gnohm...@my-deja.com
Ian....@ludwig.edu.au wrote:
> Heavily influenced by the Justice League as a young boy, I cultivated my
> superpower while in the shower [*].
>
> Ian.
>
> [*] No, it's not what you think. Ooh, you lot. I had the superpower of
> being able to make streams of water shoot from the ends of my fingers,
> drowning any criminals that happened to be in the shower with me [**].
A power which is also useful for extinguishing conflagrations and washing the
car. In dry climates, one might use it to water the cucumbers and fill the
reservoir.
Hardly a trivial power, I'd say.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Peter Meilinger
: Heavily influenced by the Justice League as a young boy, I cultivated my
: superpower while in the shower [*].
Hur, hur, hur...
: [*] No, it's not what you think. Ooh, you lot.
Sorry, sorry...
: I had the superpower of
: being able to make streams of water shoot from the ends of my fingers,
: drowning any criminals that happened to be in the shower with me [**].
: A spinoff superpower seemed to be the ability to cause everyone else in
: the house to have cold showers.
So you fantasized about showering with short criminals?
The only superpower I seem to possess is the amazing ability to be
"just friends" with any member of the opposite sex. I tell ya, it's
enough to make me want to join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Pete
Jason Sweeney
>
> On Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:37:48 -0400, Brenda <clo...@erols.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
> >
> >> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
> >> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
> >> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
> >>
> >
> > I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
> >work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
> >finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
> >research for writing.
> >
> >Sometimes the power is really awesome, like the time when I was riding a bus
> >home, and confided to the person beside me the tremendous difficulty I was having
> >finding an expert in X. (I no longer remember what X was, but it had to do with
> >Bush adminstration economic policy, so this is no surprise.) The guy sitting in
> >the seat behind me leaned forward and said, "Call me tomorrow." He was the one
> >and only expert!
> >
> >I have even applied it to other people -- people who tell me they are working on
> >a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
> >SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
> >
> >
>
> This is not a trivial superpower. I covet it. I never did find
> out the personnel for Uncle Dave Macon's recording of "Nobody's
> Business What I Do."
>
> But after handwaving through that part and sending the piece off,
> I found at the SF Book Festival, a featured book at the booth of
> Marcus Books: a novel, _Nobody's Business_, which I will be
> reading as soon as I finish _The Hand_ (oh yes, I found that too).
>
> For a period of six months twenty-eight years ago, I could roll
> sixes or ones at will, any dice, so long as I was playing Risk at
> the same time as my best friend. One of us always won.
>
> That was so specific that it was trivial. However: I can figure
> out the personalities of an entire class of thirteen year olds in
> an hour, and have them eating of my hand. That's not trivial.
>
> Lucy Kemnitzer
Thank you. You have just made me realize what my superpower is.
Anytime I come across an obscure word (usually one with a more standard
synonym) I am guaranteed to hear the word used at least 5 times in the
next week, each time in a completely different circumstance.
I first became aware of this talent/ability/party trick when I read
_Interview With a Vampire_: the word "preternatural". (Why couldn't she
just use the word supernatural? Or use both? Or find more ways to say it
rather than using the same freaking word over and over again! Sorry...
small rant there...) Over the course of the next week, I heard the word
being used EIGHT times, never in reference to the book. Is this a power?
If so, should I use it for good? Remember, with trivial powers come
trivial responsibilities...
Jason Sweeney
Brenda
Lucy Kemnitzer wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:37:48 -0400, Brenda <clo...@erols.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >>
> >
> > I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
> >work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
> >finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
> >research for writing.
> >
> >I have even applied it to other people -- people who tell me they are working on
> >a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
> >SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
>
> I think you just did it to me. Only hours after reading this post
> I got an email from my father so excited he couldn't type straight
> because while he was doing a search in the Library of Congress
> recordings for "The Red Cross Store Blues" he came upon an entire
> trove of recordings of "Nobody's Business," including one by Aunt
> Molly Jackson!
>
> Not the personnel of the Uncle Dave Macon recording, but a highly
> suggestive and interesting hint about the nature of the beast.
>
Well, that would indicate it's a Gift. Gosh only knows I don't do anything to
activate or deactivate the power. Wouldn't it be far more useful to have the gift of
picking winning Lotto numbers?
James Nicoll
The trigger phrase seems to be 'Don't worry, I know what I am doing.
Aaaaaiiiiieeeeee!!!!"
James Nicoll
--
"You know, it's getting more and more like _Blade Runner_ down
here."
A customer commenting on downtown Kitchener
William Clifford
>gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>
>
> I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
>work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>research for writing.
Wow. I want that power.
My own power is to think of hilarious topical jokes exactly a year
after the expiration date for maximum humor. Last week I came up with
a mock interview with the members of Take That and they were bad
mouthing NSync and The Backstreet Boys because they were there first.
I might still go down to the Community Media Center and see if I can't
still rustle up a camera and some actors to shoot that one. By now it
so old it might just be funny anyway.
--
|William Clifford |"Baggins? We don't need no steeking |
|wo...@yahoo.com | Baggins." |
|lame webpage at: | --Thorin Oakenshield |
|http://www.ionline.com/wobh | _Treasure Under the Lonely Mountain_ |
Lucy Kemnitzer
wrote:
>
>
>Lucy Kemnitzer wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:37:48 -0400, Brenda <clo...@erols.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >
>> > I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
>> >work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>> >finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>> >research for writing.
>> >
>> >I have even applied it to other people -- people who tell me they are working on
>> >a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
>> >SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
>>
>> I think you just did it to me. Only hours after reading this post
>> I got an email from my father so excited he couldn't type straight
>> because while he was doing a search in the Library of Congress
>> recordings for "The Red Cross Store Blues" he came upon an entire
>> trove of recordings of "Nobody's Business," including one by Aunt
>> Molly Jackson!
>>
>> Not the personnel of the Uncle Dave Macon recording, but a highly
>> suggestive and interesting hint about the nature of the beast.
>>
>
>Well, that would indicate it's a Gift. Gosh only knows I don't do anything to
>activate or deactivate the power. Wouldn't it be far more useful to have the gift of
>picking winning Lotto numbers?
Not from my perspective.
I mean, a person can work for a living, and get the rent paid, but
when you can't find that precious bit of information, well, where
are you? The round world has only so many paths to each bit of
unrevealed lore, right? And the gift of the path is, well, the
gift of a beautiful journey, without which, um, you aren't going
somewhere, or something.
Be grateful!
Lucy Kemnitzer
Keith
>
> I have the ability to injure myself in new but stupid ways.
> The trigger phrase seems to be 'Don't worry, I know what I am doing.
> Aaaaaiiiiieeeeee!!!!"
Yes, but they're new, stupid and entertaining ways. Well, at least
for those of us.
--
Keith
Justin Bacon
<jo...@fastdial.net> writes:
> Elementary school was like that for me. In grades one through
> eight, the teacher always resigned or moved away or retired
> after teaching my class.
I had the exact opposite thing happen to me up to Grade 5 -- I would always get
the teacher who was new that year.
Justin Bacon
tr...@prairie.lakes.com
Justin Bacon
Dawson) writes:
>change the color of any object
Team that boy up with Hal Jordan.
Justin Bacon
tr...@prairie.lakes.com
Coyu
>Anytime I come across an obscure word (usually one with a more standard
>synonym) I am guaranteed to hear the word used at least 5 times in the
>next week, each time in a completely different circumstance.
Psephological. Poikilothermic. Paraclete.
You're welcome.
Valerie Hammerl
>
>
>gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>
>
>work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>research for writing.
>
>home, and confided to the person beside me the tremendous difficulty I was having
>finding an expert in X. (I no longer remember what X was, but it had to do with
>Bush adminstration economic policy, so this is no surprise.) The guy sitting in
>the seat behind me leaned forward and said, "Call me tomorrow." He was the one
>and only expert!
>
>a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
>SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
>
>
>--
>---------
>Brenda W. Clough, author of HOW LIKE A GOD, from Tor Books
>http://www.sff.net/people/Brenda/
>
>
work (I work at a large University with a parking shortage, and I can find
better things to do with my money than pay for a chance to get one of the few
closer "paid" parking spots), where I have to settle for always finding a
parking place this side of the roadway. I have the worst sense of direction,
but if I am in unfamiliar territory I can find where I need to be by pure luck,
marching directly where I need to go. And people I haven't seen in years will
pop up in the least likely places about a week after I think about them.
--
Valerie Priester
ham...@buffalo.edu
Steve Patterson
>
>Steve Patterson wrote:
>
>> My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing my
>> resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving a position
>> with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon thereafter either
>> closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
>>
>> Honest, I've done nothing to make this happen. Really.
>
Saddam
>Hussein is hiring.
Hm. I do have some leftovers in the fridge I could sell to his biochemistry
division...
The difficulty, of course, is surviving there long enough to get fired.
--
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Note: My "from:" address has been altered to foil mailbots.
Remove the "no_spam_" to get in touch with me by email.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Steven J. Patterson no_spam_s...@wwdc.com
"Men may move mountains, but ideas move men."
-- M.N. Vorkosigan, per L.M. Bujold
See my refurbished webpage! http://www.wwdc.com/~spatterson
Clay Blankenship
Pigeons_ (so I will). She does this in a very neat (I almost want
to say "lovely") way. There are some people in the book, in Seattle,
who have these types of powers. The main character is homeless; I'm
not sure if they all are. He has an endless supply of pigeon feed
in a bag. He also has some ability to meet a total stranger who is
despondent and tell them some fact about themselves to cheer them up.
(My memory of specific examples is sketchy.) He has certain disabilities
too, e.g. he can't carry more than a dollar.
Another character with a minor power is an old man who plays a violin(?)
on the street, but I don't remember what his ability was.
It's a really interesting urban fantasy. I think these little abilities
were my favorite thing about the book. Parts of it were pretty grim.
Not really SF but funny: The skit on "Whose Line is it Anyway" (TV
show, originally British, now in an American version) where the host
says "Look, it's Cliche Boy" (or whoever) and assigns a "superpower" to a
guest who has to act out his ability improvisationally.
Clay
--
--
Clay Blankenship TAMU Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences
cl...@tamu.edu http://http.tamu.edu:8000/~clay
Keith
> Not really SF but funny: The skit on "Whose Line is it Anyway" (TV
> show, originally British, now in an American version) where the host
> says "Look, it's Cliche Boy" (or whoever) and assigns a "superpower" to a
> guest who has to act out his ability improvisationally.
Minor correction: the audience suggests a name for the first guy,
who then makes up a name for the next one. I have the Cliche Boy
sketch on tape somewhere, and it's among the funniest they've done.
"I'm glad you made it, Cliche Boy!"
"Better late then never."
Also appearing in that sketch: Garbage Man, Captain Poultry and I
can never remember the final one.
--
Keith Who still thinks that the American version bites because of
Drew Carey insisting he can do improv and ruining the last
part of the show
Lucy Kemnitzer
I knew you had a cruel streak in you somewhere. What, you lost
all but the P section of your dictionary?
Lucy Kemnitzer
Brenda
Lucy Kemnitzer wrote:
> I mean, a person can work for a living, and get the rent paid, but
> when you can't find that precious bit of information, well, where
> are you? The round world has only so many paths to each bit of
> unrevealed lore, right? And the gift of the path is, well, the
> gift of a beautiful journey, without which, um, you aren't going
> somewhere, or something.
>
> Be grateful!
Well, the relevant bit of data always just turns up, without any particular work on my
part. I found out a vital bit of information about the use of dogtags in WWI, in that
arcane black hole, my desktop. I had xeroxed the article months ago.
Proc
wrote:
> Steve Patterson writes:
>SP> My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing
> > my resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving
> > a position with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon
> > thereafter either closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
>
> Elementary school was like that for me. In grades one through
> eight, the teacher always resigned or moved away or retired
> after teaching my class.
I drove away each of my grade 11 science teachers. My biology teacher
left after the first two weeks because of some medical problem. My
chemistry teacher left to go on some year-long holiday.
And my physics teacher, well, he left after the first week of classes.
Then came back the next year as a she.
Coyu
>>Psephological. Poikilothermic. Paraclete.
>>
>>You're welcome.
>
>I knew you had a cruel streak in you somewhere. What, you lost
>all but the P section of your dictionary?
Just off the top of my head. Honest.
Joe Mason
>Keith Who still thinks that the American version bites because of
> Drew Carey insisting he can do improv and ruining the last
> part of the show
Yeah, it's not as good. The other downside is that they have the same
actors on every show - I preferred it in the early days (which I've seen
only in reruns) where you never knew who you were going to get from week to
week. It used to be you only had 1 person stay the same, now you only have
1 person change.
But on the plus side, the new guy (the one who was never on the old show -
the black guy) is hilarious. I used to dread the parts where they started
singing; now they're the highlight.
Joe
Christopher J. Henrich
>
> That was so specific that it was trivial. However: I can figure
> out the personalities of an entire class of thirteen year olds in
> an hour, and have them eating of my hand. That's not trivial.
>
> Lucy Kemnitzer
That is more than "not trivial." That is awesome.
Chris Henrich
Robert A. Woodward
(Coyu) wrote:
> Jason Sweeney wrote:
>
> >Anytime I come across an obscure word (usually one with a more standard
> >synonym) I am guaranteed to hear the word used at least 5 times in the
> >next week, each time in a completely different circumstance.
>
> Psephological. Poikilothermic. Paraclete.
>
> You're welcome.
Psephological isn't in my dictionary - what does it mean? (it did have
psephite which might be related).
Coyu
>Psephological isn't in my dictionary - what does it mean? (it did have
>psephite which might be related).
Pertaining to the study of elections.
'Psephos' meant both 'pebble' and 'ballot'.
Lucy Kemnitzer
A. Woodward) wrote:
>In article <19991022151138...@ng-fg1.aol.com>, co...@aol.com
>(Coyu) wrote:
>
>> Jason Sweeney wrote:
>>
>> >Anytime I come across an obscure word (usually one with a more standard
>> >synonym) I am guaranteed to hear the word used at least 5 times in the
>> >next week, each time in a completely different circumstance.
>>
>> Psephological. Poikilothermic. Paraclete.
>>
>> You're welcome.
>
>Psephological isn't in my dictionary - what does it mean? (it did have
>psephite which might be related).
When I looked it up, I found psephology, from a root pertaining to
pebbles, meaning the study of elections and things relating to
them.
Lucy Kemnitzer
Keith
I've seen just about all the episodes and to be quite frank, a lot
of the people they had were lousy at improv. Stephen Fry, while a
great comedic actor, isn't designed for that sort of thing. The
shows and games became consistently funny once they started having
people like Greg Proutts, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles on regularly
which is why, I suspect, they gradually changed to that format.
Besides, having people on regularly added new things that they
couldn't do before. The Proutts-Anderson fued/banter became one
of the funniest bits of the show and the expression of disgust
Stiles gets when he is assigned some ridiculous role is beautiful.
--
Keith
draenog
>
> I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
>work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>research for writing.
The Gift of Sight Unasked? (_The Power of Three_, Diana Wynne Jones)
Or is it always stuff that you *know* you need?
draenog
--
to reply by mail, replace nospam with yon dash net
Danny Sichel
>>>In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
>>>superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
> Jeez, there was a movie with a whole cast of trivial superheroes and
> I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet.
Well, they first appeared in _Flaming Carrot_ comics, so...
Joe Mason
>I've seen just about all the episodes and to be quite frank, a lot
>of the people they had were lousy at improv. Stephen Fry, while a
>great comedic actor, isn't designed for that sort of thing. The
>shows and games became consistently funny once they started having
>people like Greg Proutts, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles on regularly
>which is why, I suspect, they gradually changed to that format.
I think the least funny person I've ever seen on Whose Line was actually
Peter Cook.
But around the middle, they had six or seven people who were good at improv
(the three you mentioned, Josie Lawrence, the fat guy whose name I can't
remember, the young guy whose name I can't remember) and swapped them
around. It was less predictable that way.
Joe
Joe Mason
>...the fat guy whose name I can't remember...
Mike McShay. Knew I'd remember it as soon as I posted.
Joe
Brenda
draenog wrote:
> In article <380E0BFC...@erols.com>, Brenda <clo...@erols.com> wrote:
> >
> > I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it doesn't always
> >work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
> >finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
> >research for writing.
>
> The Gift of Sight Unasked? (_The Power of Three_, Diana Wynne Jones)
>
> Or is it always stuff that you *know* you need?
>
Yes, it's always stuff I know I need and have not yet succeeded in finding. And
then, suddenly, there it will be, the cover story on VANITY FAIR or something.
Always a pretty unlikely place.
And -sometimes-, I know I'm -going- to find it although not where, and scud about
like mad looking in all the unlikely places and a couple likely ones too, to force
it to turn up. The last time this happened, I was at a local high school for Back
To School night. I just knew their library would have a magazine that might have
the ad I needed, so I cozened the librarian into letting me raid the stacks. And,
sure enough! there it was.
Danny Sichel
>>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>> Any of the Taltos books by Brust, with all manners of trivial spells
>> for housekeeping...
> _The Man Who Always Knew_, by Damon Knight.
Oh, and _The Revolving Boy_, by... Gertrude somebody, about a boy with
an absolute sense of direction.
Danny Sichel
> In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
> superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
> It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
Yeah, he can.
's actually rather a useful power.
He's just robbed a jewelry store, see?
Fleeing the scene of the crime, police in hot pursuit... he goes around
a corner, and when the police get there just a few seconds later, he's
gone. Nothing there except a chair.
Scott Barrie
Patterson) wrote:
>In article <7un0oj$6p1$1...@nntp5.atl.mindspring.net>, abbr...@ix.netcom.com
>says...
>>
>>My own closest approximation to this is/was a gift for walking into
>>bookstores just as new titles for the month had arrived. Doesn't seem
>>to work as well for libraries though.
>
>My trivial superpower seems suited only for evil, alas. Upon redoing my
>resume a while ago, I discovered a common thread; upon leaving a position
>with a company, the site/office where I worked was soon thereafter either
>closed or taken over and subsumed by a competitor.
Have you applied for a job at Microsoft?
Just hoping.
Scott B. Barrie
University of Western Ontario
Physics Grad Student
ICQ: 31902206
Jeff Mackey
: MA Lloyd wrote:
:>mi...@pharlap.com (Michael Feldhusen) writes:
:>
:>>Actually, Ross was correct. The origin of the "Gazebo Boy" comment is in
:>>Phil Foglio's "What's New!" that ran in _Dragon_ magazine many years ago.
:>>Unfortunately, my _What's New!_ collection is at home or I'd look up the
:>>exact phrase.
:>
:>GAZEBO BOY finds his singular power of metamorphosis
:>useless against THE EVIL TERMITE!
:>
:>It's in issue 75 (July 83)
: Wait! That's where I stole the "Obsessed Avenger" from! I knew it was back
: there somewhere, but the early Eighties was when I was drinking...
--
Wasn't there one where scifi and fantasy worlds were compared, where a
guy got rooked when he bought a watch, so he blew up the planet? The
fantasy analog was a guy saying, well, I can't blow up the planet, but
with this knife I can poke many holes in your body?
What a fun thread! Interested folks might check out the Harlan Ellison
(Hi Harlan!) story IIRC, "The Deciding Vote". No spoilers here, but
this guy has a trivial superpower that might not be at all trivial.
I have my own trivial superpower. I can prevent things from happening
by getting a premonition that they are going to happen. It's a kind
of anti-psi thing. Example: if I get a premonition that two cars are
about to hit each other in a parking lot, a weird wave function collapse
happens and they don't crash. I'm sure that had I not predicted it,
there would have been an accident. It can be a powerful force for
good or ill, but I can't control it.
Jeff Mackey, Ph.D. Candidate
Applied Physics, Rice University
http://pchem1.rice.edu/~jmack/jmack.html
Charlie Stross
>I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
I have a shared universe for you: two volumes, "Temps" and "Temps 2:
Eurotemps" published by Roc in the UK in the early 90's. Edited by
Alex Stewart, IIRC, "Temps" was one of the Midnight Rose shared universe
series.
Basic premise: superpowers exist. But while in the US you have all
these caped crusaders righting wrongs and wearing their underwear on
the outside, in the UK things are, er, different. From 1914 onwards,
all people with superpowers are required to register with the government
and may be drafted by the Ministry of Paranormal Affairs. The really
powerful ones are full-time civil servants working from discreet oak-
lined chambers and frequenting the right clubs, but we don't see much
of them. Instead, both books are about the temps; people with odd talents
who are called up by the Ministry to _do_something_.
Did I mention that most of them have the sort of powers that they'd pay
good money to a doctor to get rid of, if they had the money? (For example,
there's one woman whose talent is such that when she gets angry, strange
bits of rubbish appear all around her; bits of rubbish from parallel
universes, like old fish-and-chip wrappers from Le Temps du Londres, or
(in extreme cases) a broken grand piano.)
Try trawling some of the more obscure UK-based second-hand or SF specialist
bookshops on the net; you might still be able to find a copy.
-- Charlie
Keith
Having just watched an episode from that period yesterday, I find
myself agreeing with you. Mike McShay(sp?) was the big guy, and
there was also Tony Slattery.
--
Keith
David Homerick
It's also really, really dark.
"We eat of the hand."
-- David
Ian Davis
>
> In article <380F92...@ludwig.edu.au>,
> Ian....@ludwig.edu.au wrote:
> > [*] No, it's not what you think. Ooh, you lot. I had the superpower of
> > being able to make streams of water shoot from the ends of my fingers,
> > drowning any criminals that happened to be in the shower with me [**].
>
> A power which is also useful for extinguishing conflagrations and washing the
> car. In dry climates, one might use it to water the cucumbers and fill the
> reservoir.
>
> Hardly a trivial power, I'd say.
I struck fear into their hearts. Fortunately, they were too stupid to
realize that my personal kryptonite was the fact that I lost my powers
when I stepped out of the shower.
Ian.
gnohm...@my-deja.com
co...@aol.com (Coyu) wrote:
> Jason Sweeney wrote:
>
> >Anytime I come across an obscure word (usually one with a more standard
> >synonym) I am guaranteed to hear the word used at least 5 times in the
> >next week, each time in a completely different circumstance.
>
> Psephological. Poikilothermic. Paraclete.
Okay, okay. I know a football player wears a paracletes on his feet, but the
others I'll have to look up.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Allyn B, Brodsky
if anyone knows of any scientific explanation for it:
Staring at a stranger in the middle distance can cause that person to
flinch, or wipe a hand across their back, as if they felt the stare.
Why?
Admittedly, my experience in using this "power" involved sitting on a
sixth floor fire escape in NYC and noticing women across the street --
so perhaps this sensitivity to being stared at is found more
frequently in women than men?
In any case, what is it that alows people seemingly to be aware of
when someone out of their direct sight is paying attention to them?
This enquiring mind would sure like to know!
Cheers!
Allyn
gnohm...@my-deja.com
"Allyn B, Brodsky" <abbr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> There is one apparent "trivial superpower" I'd love to have explained,
> if anyone knows of any scientific explanation for it:
>
> Staring at a stranger in the middle distance can cause that person to
> flinch, or wipe a hand across their back, as if they felt the stare.
> Why?
The survival value of this psi power is obvious. It might be a lion looking
at you.
What gets me is that if you point a pencil (no contact) at the bottom of
someone's forehead (right above the eyebrows, range 2 to 4 inches), they may
feel a mild pain there. (Some people do, some don't.) Even if you are the one
pointing at yourself. Have tried it with blindfolds, but of course perhaps
the blindfolded person might be picking up some subtle clue...
Even if it isn't some strange Power, but has some mundane explanation, what's
the point of this "Power"? What value?
James C. Ellis
>
>
> That was so specific that it was trivial. However: I can figure
> out the personalities of an entire class of thirteen year olds in
> an hour, and have them eating of my hand. That's not trivial.
I've got the reverse of this. Somehow kids I've never met before
figure out on sight that my personality is such that I would love to
join them in their games of cops'n'robbers, hide and seek, or whatever.
I been to too many weddings/family-get-togethers/etc. that ended up with
me running around being pursued by a pack of young children.
(To the usual consternation of their parents, since I am an adult and
male, at least until I got a child of my own old enough to take part
wherein I am now just being "parently".)
ObSF: The Pied Piper.
Biff
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Me? Lady, I'm your worst nightmare - a pumpkin with a gun.
[...] Euminides this! " - Mervyn, the Sandman #66
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Allyn B, Brodsky
<gnohm...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:7v2a6c$iv4$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <7v1u5p$rgg$1...@nntp4.atl.mindspring.net>,
> "Allyn B, Brodsky" <abbr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> > There is one apparent "trivial superpower" I'd love to have
explained,
> > if anyone knows of any scientific explanation for it:
> >
> > Staring at a stranger in the middle distance can cause that person
to
> > flinch, or wipe a hand across their back, as if they felt the
stare.
> > Why?
>
> The survival value of this psi power is obvious. It might be a lion
looking
> at you.
>
that might be a hard swallow for some of the SICOP pursuasion, I
wondered if there were some other explanation that didn't need to
postulate "psi."
> What gets me is that if you point a pencil (no contact) at the
bottom of
> someone's forehead (right above the eyebrows, range 2 to 4 inches),
they may
> feel a mild pain there. (Some people do, some don't.) Even if you
are the one
> pointing at yourself. Have tried it with blindfolds, but of course
perhaps
> the blindfolded person might be picking up some subtle clue...
>
> Even if it isn't some strange Power, but has some mundane
explanation, what's
> the point of this "Power"? What value?
>
What first springs to mind is some form of awareness of possible
damage to the pineal gland, once considered a "third eye," or the seat
of consciousness (by Descartes, I think).
There have also been theories that the Pineal has some vague powers of
sensory reception, perhaps to light despite the absence of an eye-like
mechanism. Perhaps graphite interferes with this? Does the same thing
happen if you point an eraser end at the person? What about a metal
rod?
Cheers!
Allyn
--
Allyn B. Brodsky
abbr...@ix.netcom.com
Daithi O'Cuinn
>> There is one apparent "trivial superpower" I'd love to have explained,
>> if anyone knows of any scientific explanation for it:
>>
>> Staring at a stranger in the middle distance can cause that person to
>> flinch, or wipe a hand across their back, as if they felt the stare.
>> Why?
>
>The survival value of this psi power is obvious. It might be a lion
>looking at you.
Is there any scientific basis for this? I'd always thought the old
"feeling of being watched" device was pure fantasy (or perhaps a reaction
to some subconsciously observed sounds or glimpses of the watcher) or
just the result of a general feeling of unease.
Allyn B, Brodsky
news:8E6B76326docuinnclukedemoncou@news...
That is the question. If one allows for the existence of "psi," then
such a phenomenon may exist and be explained in whatever way "psi
powers" are explained (whatever *that* turns out to be).
I am currently unaware of any scientific basis, explanation, or even
studies of the thing.
But "subconsciously observed sounds or glimpses of the watcher" can
almost be ruled out, I think. In my prototypical example, I was
sitting on a 6th floor fire escape, well out of the typical viewing
range of someone walking up the block across the street from my
building in New York City. Sounds, during the day on a somewhat busy
street, could be eliminated.
One might argue that a person walking past could have some peripheral
awareness from down the block of a figure high above and across the
street that never becomes conscious. Then, when passing the spot, s/he
subconsciously feels some awareness of being watched. But the angles
seem wrong, even for peripheral awareness, being both far above and
far to the left of the pedestrian.
Keith
> But "subconsciously observed sounds or glimpses of the watcher" can
> almost be ruled out, I think. In my prototypical example, I was
> sitting on a 6th floor fire escape, well out of the typical viewing
> range of someone walking up the block across the street from my
> building in New York City. Sounds, during the day on a somewhat busy
> street, could be eliminated.
>
> One might argue that a person walking past could have some peripheral
> awareness from down the block of a figure high above and across the
> street that never becomes conscious. Then, when passing the spot, s/he
> subconsciously feels some awareness of being watched. But the angles
> seem wrong, even for peripheral awareness, being both far above and
> far to the left of the pedestrian.
Selective sample bias. How many people did you stare at who did *not*
react, and what actions did you accept as being a hit? Did you make
sure there wasn't someone at ground level who the person could see
who was staring at them at the same time? Was there something else
that could make them nervous, like someone who looked like a mugger?
Etc, etc.
--
Keith
Allyn B, Brodsky
news:3815CC8D...@polarnet.ca...
Of course.
I was not doing any sort of formal experiment and kept no count of
"hits" and "misses." I had a pretty clear idea of what I took to be a
hit (available, if anyone is interested). I did not insure there were
no other unobserved but contributory causes, but, given this happened
in daylight, and on a fairly safe block, it is unlikely the presence
of a lurking mugger "disrupted my sample."
I know only what I was able to observe, under less than scientific
conditions.
Has anyone else observed the same in an anecdotal -- or even
scientific -- way?
Or let me put things otherwise:
*If* what I observed *were to be based* on some sort of factual,
plausible, and perhaps scientific phenomenon that, using Occam, makes
the least possible change in our currently accepted "Standard Model"
world-view, what might that phenomenon be?
gnohm...@my-deja.com
"Allyn B, Brodsky" <abbr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
> <gnohm...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
> news:7v2a6c$iv4$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
With folks it works on, a bare bony finger will do the trick.
Pointy seems to be felt more strongly, and metal is strongest of all.
I can't really believe it's some kind of psi power, but it's a pretty good
example of something that seems like one, and also I know of no explanation.
Seems to be 100% reliable on people that feel it. I've only tried it with a
few people, so it's unlikely that susceptible subjects are extremely rare.
I can just point ye old index finger at the spot right now with eyes open and
feel tha minor ouch. As I say, I'm not the only, and have tried it with
blindfold on others. Nobody ever gave me a trial with me blindfolded,
though.)
gnohm...@my-deja.com
doc...@cluke.demon.co.uk (Daithi O'Cuinn) wrote:
>
> >> There is one apparent "trivial superpower" I'd love to have explained,
> >> if anyone knows of any scientific explanation for it:
> >>
> >> Staring at a stranger in the middle distance can cause that person to
> >> flinch, or wipe a hand across their back, as if they felt the stare.
> >> Why?
> >
> >The survival value of this psi power is obvious. It might be a lion
> >looking at you.
>
> Is there any scientific basis for this? I'd always thought the old
Of course not. In the context of this thread, it's more fun to discuss it as
if it were a psi power. We don't really believe in such stuff and nonsense.
do we?
Go break a mirror for me.
Peter Cash
Jeff Mackey <jm...@python.rice.edu> wrote:
> I have my own trivial superpower. I can prevent things from happening
> by getting a premonition that they are going to happen. It's a kind
> of anti-psi thing. Example: if I get a premonition that two cars are
> about to hit each other in a parking lot, a weird wave function
collapse
> happens and they don't crash. I'm sure that had I not predicted it,
> there would have been an accident. It can be a powerful force for
> good or ill, but I can't control it.
Hmm. You appear to have the Power of False Premonition. You are
correct, it is completely useless. I, however, have the Power of
Preventive Neurosis. If I worry about something happening, it will not
come to pass. Thus, it is my duty to worry about EVERYTHING bad that
might happen, and thereby prevent it. Why do you think we haven't had a
nuclear holocaust, eh? Why hasn't the killer asteroid struck yet? Why
hasn't the Leaning Tower of Pisa fallen over? Why isn't the entire
country afflicted with scabies? I'll tell you why: it's because _I_
worry about it!
As with any power, there is a price to be paid: nothing good I expect
ever comes to pass either.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Die Welt ist alles, was Zerfall ist.
(apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein)
Any malformatting in the above text is solely the fault of De*a News
Sean Eric Fagan
>Perhaps it would be best as a subsidiary element in some other story. Has it
>been done?
Many of the folks in Spider Robionson's Calahan's Bar stories have "trivial
superpowers" -- Jake and Doc are mentioned, at one point. (Jake as being able
to make a living singing folk music, while Doc could "tell the time and get a
laugh.") And a newly-introduced character in the last story of the series I
ever read was trivially lucky and unlucky: he demonstrated his "luck" by
turning on the cable channel guide, and it came up at *just* the right time,
at the beginning of the list, and everone said, "ooooh." But then some beer
got spilled on him.
Charles Frederick Goodin
>
>
>Lucy Kemnitzer wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:37:48 -0400, Brenda <clo...@erols.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >
>> > I have a superpower. Or maybe it's a Spiritual Gift, since it
>doesn't always
>> >work. Nobody I know has it, so I've named it serendipity. It is the gift of
>> >finding out what you need to know, at that moment, and is always applied to
>> >research for writing.
>> >
>working on
>> >a novel about ancient Egyptian bakers, and when I go to my mailbox there is a
>> >SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN with a cover story on that very subject.
>>
>> I think you just did it to me. Only hours after reading this post
>> I got an email from my father so excited he couldn't type straight
>> because while he was doing a search in the Library of Congress
>> recordings for "The Red Cross Store Blues" he came upon an entire
>> trove of recordings of "Nobody's Business," including one by Aunt
>> Molly Jackson!
>>
>> Not the personnel of the Uncle Dave Macon recording, but a highly
>> suggestive and interesting hint about the nature of the beast.
>>
>
>Well, that would indicate it's a Gift. Gosh only knows I don't do anything to
>activate or deactivate the power. Wouldn't it be far more useful to
>have the gift of
>picking winning Lotto numbers?
>
Hmmm...come to think of it, I'm working on a story for which I need to
know next week's local Lotto numbers right now. Help?
--
chuk
Charles Frederick Goodin
Steve Taylor <st...@afs.net.au> wrote:
>gnohm...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea of
>> trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>
>
>In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
>superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
>
>It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
>
mentions Nova Boy, who had the power to make the sun go nova. Once.
If you're looking for minor powers, comics have probably done it...the
Legion of Substitute Heroes comes to mind. (Including such luminaries as
Infectious Lass and Color Kid...although they often found ways to use
their powers effectively).
--
chuk
Charles Frederick Goodin
Ross TenEyck <ten...@alumnae.caltech.edu> wrote:
>co...@aol.com (Coyu) writes:
>>Steve Taylor wrote:
>
>>>> I recall a book where Merlin in modern times was able to get a taxicab at
>>>> will. Being Merlin, of course he had lots of other powers, but... the idea
>>>> of trivial superpowers (or magical powers) seems intriguing.
>>>>
>>>> There is bound to be a temptation to treat it humorously
>
>>>In one of the _Flaming Carrot_ comics there is a character whose
>>>superpower is the ability to change into a chair.
>>>
>>>It's not stated whether he has the power to change back.
>
>>
>>One wonders his origin story.
>
>"Gazebo Boy finds his mutant power useless against the Termite Queen!"
Okay, this has come up before...the actual quote should be "Gazebo Boy
found his singular power of metamorphosis useless against Termite Man!"
Another good one was Mr. Canoehead, from the Frantics radio show and then
the Four on the Floor TV show. "One day while portaging his canoe through
Algonquin Park, he was suddenly hit by lightning, welding the aluminum
canoe to his head!" One of the funnier things was that Mr. Canoehead was
a master of disguise (he disguised as a car, a toucan, a singing nun and a
beaver that I recall in the TV show).
--
chuk
Joe Slater
>The Wild Cards campaign sourcebook for GURPS (a role-playing game)
>mentions Nova Boy, who had the power to make the sun go nova. Once.
How did he know?
jds
Jens Kilian
> Hmm. You appear to have the Power of False Premonition. You are
> correct, it is completely useless. I, however, have the Power of
> Preventive Neurosis. If I worry about something happening, it will not
> come to pass. Thus, it is my duty to worry about EVERYTHING bad that
> might happen, and thereby prevent it. Why do you think we haven't had a
> nuclear holocaust, eh? Why hasn't the killer asteroid struck yet? Why
> hasn't the Leaning Tower of Pisa fallen over? Why isn't the entire
> country afflicted with scabies? I'll tell you why: it's because _I_
> worry about it!
Please, please, do me a favor and worry five minutes about high sales figures
for Microsoft software!
--
mailto:j...@acm.org phone:+49-7031-14-7698 (HP TELNET 778-7698)
http://www.bawue.de/~jjk/ fax:+49-7031-14-7351
PGP: 06 04 1C 35 7B DC 1F 26 As the air to a bird, or the sea to a fish,
0x555DA8B5 BB A2 F0 66 77 75 E1 08 so is contempt to the contemptible. [Blake]
Susan Stepney
>
> Selective sample bias. How many people did you stare at who did *not*
> react, and what actions did you accept as being a hit? Did you make
> sure there wasn't someone at ground level who the person could see
> who was staring at them at the same time? Was there something else
> that could make them nervous, like someone who looked like a mugger?
> Etc, etc.
>
And, just as importantly, how many people did you *not* stare at who
*did* react? (And how did you measure this? :-)
--
_____________________________________________________________________
Susan Stepney tel +44 1223 366343 step...@logica.com
Logica UK Ltd, Betjeman House, 104 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1LQ, UK
http://public.logica.com/~stepneys/ http://www.logica.com/
Allyn B., Brodsky
<3816FB6B...@logica.com>:
>Keith wrote:
>>
>> Selective sample bias. How many people did you stare at who did *not*
>> react, and what actions did you accept as being a hit? Did you make
>> sure there wasn't someone at ground level who the person could see
>> who was staring at them at the same time? Was there something else
>> that could make them nervous, like someone who looked like a mugger?
>> Etc, etc.
>>
>
>And, just as importantly, how many people did you *not* stare at who
>*did* react? (And how did you measure this? :-)
>
Good question -- if I didn't stare at them, how would I know they reacted?
And if someone else was keeping track, could the person observed be
reacting to *their* stares?
That's why this is a fascinating question to me -- how are we to study the
effects of paying attention to something when we can study it only by
paying attention to it?
Hence my search for even a hypothetical explanation for a phenomenon
presumed to exist.....
Cheers!
Allyn
Allyn B. Brodsky
abbr...@ix.netcom.com