Ansible 185 [long]
David Langford
ANSIBLE 185
DECEMBER 2002
From DAVE LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AU. ISSN
0265-9816. E-mail ans...@cix.co.uk. Website at www.ansible.co.uk.
Available for SAE, or a reliable map of the poikilochronism.
[NET NOTE. Please see the last section for subscribe/unsubscribe
information: such requests should NOT be sent to my personal e-mail
address. DRL]
CORRIDORS OF POWER. Hordes of children's writers attended a 10
Downing Street reception on 2 December. Various Blair offspring were
glimpsed, and Tony B. himself assured the massed literati that they did
valuable work and that this was a great responsibility, at which a voice
behind Diana Wynne Jones growled `Yes, we know.' Diana's sightings
included Peter Dickinson, Philippa Pearce and the inescapable Terry
Pratchett. Her usual attendant disasters were the failure of No.10's
electronic door-opener (`The polite policeman said, "I think you'll have
to knock at the door, madam."'), a canape accident (`I took a rice thing
from one of the small ladies and it came open and rice went all up my
sleeve, like gummy little beetles.') and momentary panic when the knob
fell off the bolt in the ladies' loo. Only _Ansible_ brings you the
facts.
### THE CALTRAPS OF TIME ###
PAUL BARNETT/JOHN GRANT, man of many pseudonyms, extends his range: `A
little kids' book (both senses of "little kids'", in fact) on robots that
I did a quick rewrite job on in the Spring is now to be published,
according to the publisher, under my name rather than that of the guy who
"wrote" the original. Aaargh, no, was my response; you can do it as an
Eve Devereux if you want, though. Not so keen on that, they said: for a
subject like robots we'd sexistly prefer a man's name (this from a female
editor, no less).' After much wrangling, the terrifying outcome is that
`the principal narrator of my novel _The Truth About the Flaming
Ghoulies_ is to publish his very first book: yup, they went for Dirk
Somers Knight, completely failing to notice any pun at all....'
JOHN CLEESE is reportedly writing a new 96-page Superman comic, to be
called _True Brit_. One hotly unrumoured possibility is that thanks to
the impish spells of Mr Mxyzptlk, Superman will find himself resistlessly
compelled -- even while fighting crime -- to do the silly walk.
DIANA WYNNE JONES discovers her roots: `I recently got sent a set of
academic essays on my books, published as a slim volume and full of the
most extraordinary statements. My favourite is the assertion that I am
"rooted in fluidity". Obviously hydroponic, probably a lettuce, possibly
a cabbage. A new light is cast.'
MIKE MOORCOCK plugs Poul Anderson at the expense of some other guy: `Just
reviewed _The Broken Sword_ for the _Guardian_, partly to answer
H[umphrey] Carpenter's assertion that before Tolky there was nothing like
it. My argument is that after _Broken Sword_, Tolky seemed tame.'
TERRY PRATCHETT has had many unexpected literary accolades in his time,
but I think Michael Dirda's rave review of _Night Watch_ in the
_Washington Post_ is the first that compares him with Chaucer. `Whan that
Discworlde with his shoures sote ...' [CS]
MARGARET WEIS, interviewed by _SF Weekly_, brags about her innovative
fantasy worldbuilding. Apart from lots of dragons, `It is a kind of
atypical fantasy world in that there are just humans. No elves, no
dwarves -- at least not yet.' [CA] Always keep something in reserve, eh?
### CONNIXATION ###
9 Dec [] READING AT BORDERS, Oxford St, CANCELLED Dec and Jan. May then
move from second Monday to second Tuesday of the month.
13 Dec [] BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY XMAS OPEN NIGHT, upstairs, Princess
Louise pub, Holborn, London. 6:30pm onward. All welcome. Ben Jeapes of
Big Engine and _3SF_ editor Liz Holliday are guests.
14 Dec [] J.G.BALLARD & IAIN SINCLAIR in conversation on film, ICA Cinema
1, London. 7:15pm. Pounds8 admission, concessions Pounds7, members
Pounds6. The ICA describes Iain Sinclair as `author of _Crash_, a BFI
Modern Classic ... presumably his book about Cronenberg's film of
Ballard's novel.' [PT]
19 Dec [] LONDON XMAS MEET, Silver Cross, Whitehall. 5pm on.
25 Dec [] BSFA OPEN MEETING is CANCELLED, as usual in December.
25 Dec [] _MAE NAAK_ (opera), Bangkok. If you're at a loose end on this
date -- as who isn't? -- _S.P.Somtow_ has a proposition: `Somtow's horror
opera, _Mae Naak_, opens in Bangkok on December 25 with an stellar cast
headed by Nancy Yuen who drops in to create the title role just before
going off to England for a repeat of her celebrated Albert Hall
_Butterfly_. About 250 performers, a wild _avant-garde_ production design
by Sumet Jumsai (who built the infamous "Robot Building" in Bangkok,
mentioned in the _Guiness Book of Records_) and mucho grand guignol
coupled with a lyrical score that pulls out all the late-Romantic stops.
It runs for five performances. [] So, last time a Somtow opera opened in
Bangkok, _Opera Now_ in London called it "one of the operatic events of
the year". Royalty came to every performance, including the Crown Prince
of Belgium. About 50 friends flew all the way from the US for the
premiere because of a special deal he was able to get, so this was almost
a mini-convention with an operatic twist. This year, the Bangkok Opera
offers a similar package: 4 nights in a deluxe hotel, tickets to the
Royal Command Gala including private reception in the presence of HRH
Princess Galyani Vadhana, and many other perks, for US $350. [...] Just
send email to bangko...@aol.com and someone will email you back with
all the arrangements....'
27-8 Sep 03 [] PHOENIX CONVENTION (P-CON), Ashling Hotel, Parkgate St,
Dublin 8. Another alternative to the cancelled Octocon 03. Euro20 reg
to 7 Jan, Euro25 to 21 Apr, Euro30 thereafter, Euro35 at door; Euro10
supp. Contact: Yellow Brick Road, 8 Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1, Ireland.
21-23 Feb 03 [] REDEMPTION (_B5/B7_), Ashford International Hotel,
Ashford, Kent. Additional guests Tanith Lee, Mike Collins. Pounds50 reg;
Pounds55 at door. Day: Pounds30, Pounds35 at door. Children Pounds15 or
Pounds10/day. Contact 26 King's Meadow View, Wetherby, LS22 7FX.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS OTHERS SEE US. `There are more nutters on the road than at a Star Trek
Convention.' (Quentin Wilson, _Britain's Worst Driver_, C5) [SG]
STILL MORE AWARDS. _Whitbread Prize:_ yet again this literary award lists
genre material in its children's category. Shortlist: Julie Bertagna,
_Exodus_; Hilary McKay, _Saffy's Angel_; Celia Rees, _Sorceress_; Philip
Reeve, _Mortal Engines_. Both _Exodus_ and _Mortal Engines_ are sf. [FM]
[] NATIONAL BOOK AWARD (US): Nancy Farmer won the Young People's
Literature category with her sf novel _The House of the Scorpion_.
PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
R.I.P. _Mal Ashworth_, UK fan since the 1950s, died in an Otley pub on
27 November; he was 69 and for years had suffered heart problems which
kept him from conventions. [IS/DW] Mal's chief fanzines were _Bem_ (1954-
59) and _Rot_ (1955-63), the latter briefly revived in 1984. He continued
to write exuberant articles and letters for other fanzines (and sent
_Ansible_ a cheery postcard in mid-October). All sympathy to Mal's wife
Hazel, herself a major 1980s fanzine publisher with _Lip_. Dave Wood
writes: `Mal was a lifelong friend and will be sorely missed. For fifty
years we have bounced in and out of each others lives, sometimes months
or years passing without contact but when we did it was as if we were
continuing a conversation from the previous day.... There are many more
things that could be said about Mal, including his wonderful fan
writings, his quirky sense of humour, his encyclopaedic knowledge of
beers. Then of course there was his secret life as a filthy pro -- back
in the 50s he had a story accepted by _Red Star Weekly_ (or was it
_Silver Star Weekly_?) a wimmin's pulp magazine....' [] _Hilary Bader_,
Emmy-winning US comics and TV scriptwriter who wrote for _Star Trek:
TNG_, _ST: Voyager_, _Xena_ and other genre series, died from cancer on
7 November; she was 50. [PB] [] _James Coburn_ (1928-2002), Oscar-winning
US actor whose sf films were _The President's Analyst_ (1967) and
_Looker_ (1981), died at age 74 on 19 November, following a heart attack.
[SG] [] _Bert Granet_, the US TV producer responsible for _The Twilight
Zone_, died on 15 November aged 92. [L] [] _Jerry Sohl_ (1913-2002), US
sf author and TV scriptwriter, died on 4 November aged 88. His first sf
story (in _Galaxy_) and his debut sf novel _The Haploids_ both appeared
in 1952; he later wrote for _The Twilight Zone_ and _Star Trek_. []
_Lionel Trippett_ (1935-2002), CND campaigner who in the 1970s was a
London sf editor, died on 31 July; he was 66. David Garnett remembers him
as `one of the first book editors to go to a convention. I first met him
in Worcester at Eastercon in 1971, by which time he'd read and liked the
script of my third novel (_Time in Eclipse_) but he couldn't publish it
because Arrow didn't do paperback originals. (Back in olden times, few
publishers did.) But if I could find a hardback publisher, Lionel would
take the paperback rights for Pounds250. This was why I started selling
to Robert Hale -- and they beat Arrow down to Pounds200. Half to me, half
to them. (Chris Foss was paid Pounds250 for the cover when, in 1976,
Arrow did the paperback edition.) By then, Lionel had moved on to
Mayflower. The only other things I persuaded him to publish were a couple
of Avram Davidsons. (_The Island Under the Earth_ and _The Phoenix and
the Mirror_, both 1975, Mayflower.)'
UTOPIALES, FRANCE. _Andy Sawyer_ braved the apocalypse: `According to the
December _Fortean Times_ the "Neo-Phare" sect, based in Nantes and headed
by someone called Arnaud Mussy, predicted that "Nantes will be consumed
by the apocalypse on 24 October. All life will cease and the Earth will
be invaded by flying saucers carrying `beings of light'." I can confirm
that this didn't actually happen. The only invasion I noticed while there
for the 2002 Utopiales sf festival included the customary disreputable
crew of usual suspects, some of whom may have been beings of light in the
guise of Samuel R.Delany, Brian Aldiss, James Morrow, K.W.Jeter, David
Brin, Rob Holdstock, Chris Priest, Terry Bisson, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Liz
Williams, Alasdair Gray _[who we hear was removed unconscious from the
bar each night]_, and Norman Spinrad. Robert Silverberg won the Prix
Utopia. Jamil Nasir won Best Foreign Novel for _Tower of Dreams_. Graham
Joyce won Best Foreign Short Story for "Leningrad Nights". Rob Holdstock
won a special award for the new French edition of _Mythago Wood_, and
another Brit success was Andrew Parkinson's "Mike Leigh zombie film"
_Dead Creatures_, which won an award whose name I can't translate but
which I think is sponsored by cinema chains. [] Shame about the missed
apocalypse. Perhaps we were having such a good time that we never
noticed!'
RANDOM FANDOM. _Justin Ackroyd's_ Slow Glass sf bookshop in Melbourne
closed for the last time on 26 October; sales continue by mail order and
on line at http://www.slowglass.com.au/. [] _Andrew A.Adams_ `has just
stepped down from the Interaction committee due to the pressure of his
personal and professional commitments.' [PT] [] _Paul Cornell_'s 42nd and
final _SFX_ column appeared in the Dec 2002 issue: `Having an epiphany
every four weeks was starting to break my concentration too much.' Hey,
I'll have you know that I just had my 101st and ... er, what was I
saying? [] _Peter Darby_ was momentarily excited by e-mail from the Sci-
Fi Channel, `offering me the opportunity to "get Taken on your desktop."
Sadly, they're probably just referring to the new Spielberg mini-series.'
[] _Kurt Erichsen_ won the 2002 Rotsler Award for fanzine artwork. The
award was established in 1998 as a memorial to the late great Bill
Rotsler. [MG] [] _Michelle `Cuddles' Drayton-Harrold_, `gave birth today
[1 December]. Xavier Tarot & Xanthe Tegan were born 7 weeks early.
Although in incubators they are doing fine and breathing without any
assistance.' [] _Linda Krawecke_ is doing sponsored walks for Cancer
Research `in utter gratitude for just being alive and well' following her
recent breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy: `All post-op checks have
given me the all clear.' [] _Damien Warman_ also had bad news:
`Continuing in my effort to emulate John Foyster in all things, I have
arranged to be diagnosed with cancer. However, my aim being less than
accurate, I have ended up (ho ho) with cancer of the bum rather than
cancer of the head.' Surgery on 15 November successfully removed a rectal
adenocarcinoma, and after highly encouraging biopsy reports Damien was
allowed home on the 21st. Get well soon.
COPYRIGHTS AND WRONGS. Emily Somma, a Canadian author, has published a
distant sequel to _Peter Pan_ using some of the original Sir James Barrie
characters. This is fine in Canada, where Barrie's work entered the
public domain 50 years after his death in 1937. The same should apply in
the USA, but Great Ormond Street Hospital -- granted the _Peter Pan_
copyright in perpetuity by Parliament -- is unhappy. Its New York lawyers
have demanded that Somma cease and desist, which cuts little ice in
Canada, and are attempting to block distribution of her _After The Rain:
A New Adventure for Peter Pan_ in the United States, where certain
Hollywood interests are on the hospital's side.... [LP]
FANFUNDERY. _TransAtlantic Fan Fund._ The 2003 eastbound TAFF race is on,
with a healthy slate of four candidates: Randy Byers, Colin Hinz,
`Orange' Mike Lowrey, and Curt Phillips. The winner travels to Seacon
'03, the UK Eastercon. Ballots available by request from _Ansible_, or
on line at http://home.attbi.com/~vmgonzalez/taff.html. This race allows
on-line voting too -- a TAFF first. Voting closes 10 February.
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Paul Barnett_ has been banging his head against the
wall since the Associated Press report of a new movie (rated PG-13
despite an already-famous view of George Clooney's bare bottom):
`_Solaris_, based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem, stars Clooney as a
widowed astronaut forced to deal with his grief in space. It's a remake
of a 1972 Russian film.' Paul grumbles: `Yes, and _West Side Story_ is
a rewrite of a 16th-century play.' [] _Matthew Davis_ warmed the cockles
of my heart: `I was working in a public library earlier this year.... One
day I was trying to find a paperback that had a request on it in the
children's section, which is organized supposedly by age ranges. Guess
what I found in the paperback carousel "G-M" for ages 8-12? Yes, that
classic of children's literature _The Leaky Establishment_. I changed the
details on the catalogue, but it had been out at least twice, if I
remember, so at that rate it shouldn't take long for the cheque in
author's rights to pay for the stamp to send the cheque that pays for the
stamp.' [] _Simo_ will not let us forget: `I got the first proofs of
_Hitchhiker_ through last week and was rather disturbed to find that,
according to the title page, it's the autobiography of Douglas Adams.
Perhaps I'm channelling his spirit. [] Nobody seems to have noticed that
the 1985 movie _Troll_ (script by novelist and _Fangoria_ editor Ed Naha)
recounts how the forces of darkness are repelled by the magical powers
wielded by an ordinary young boy named ... Harry Potter. I'm surprised
no enterprising video label has thought to retitle and reissue that one.'
NOVA AWARDS. Administrator Steve Green announces that Britain's long-
established fanzine awards have now been dragged kicking and screaming
into the 1990s: `New rules being instituted for the Nova Awards extend
eligibility to electronic fanzines. In order to be eligible, an e-zine
must be: (a) a complete publication in itself (unlike, say, an online
journal); (b) available in printed form for those who specifically
request it, for "the usual" (a reference hardcopy should be also lodged
with the Nova Awards administrator at 33 Scott Road, Olton, Solihull, B92
7LQ); (c) released between 1/10 of the preceding year and 30/9 of the
current year. In addition, editors from Eire are now eligible.'
SMALL PRESS. _Jonathan Coleclough_ sighted the elusive maestro of Hooting
Yard: `I met Frank Key on Sunday, and he asked after you (as a Londoner,
he probably assumes that everyone in the hamlet of Reading knows each
other.) He did a short and bewildering recitation on stage between acts
by an amusing American singer and a dapper saxophone trio. I chatted to
him a bit afterwards. He has returned to writing after a long hiatus, and
remains reassuringly Key-esque. I came away with Issue One of his new
periodical _Crunlop!_ which contains many ornithological references
(including a paean to the bufflehead), and also rashly promises that
Hooting Yard is to publish _The Ignorant Ornithologist_, the journals of
a fanatical bird spotter who knows absolutely nothing about birds.'
Pounds20 for 10 issues of _Crunlop!_ -- plus Arcane Extras -- to
P.J.Byrne, 5 Crusoe Ct, Woodhouse Rd, Leytonstone, London, E11 3NY. []
_3SF_ magazine, edited by Liz Holliday for Ben Jeapes of Big Engine, was
launched at Novacon in November. Contact 31 Shottsford, Wessex Gdns,
London, W2 5LG (editorial); PO Box 185, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1GR (subs).
[] _Spectrum SF_ reached its ninth quarterly issue, in which
publisher/editor Paul Fraser notes that the future schedule will be
`occasional', say twice a year. No unsolicited submissions. Contact 53
Waverley Pk, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow, G66 2BL.
GROUP GROPES. _London First Thursdays._ After exploratory pub crawls,
voting favours a 2003 return to the City area (of One Tun fame) with The
Barley Mow, 50 Long Lane, not far from the Barbican and the BSFA meeting
venue. [PNN] The usual fannish dithering continues.
THE DEAD PAST. _Ten Years Ago:_ J.G.Ballard, 62 on 15 November 1992, was
rewarded with a _Sunday Times_ birthday notice as `science fiction writer
and novelist'. What, _both_? (_Ansible 65_, December 1992)
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Sensitive Mainstream Dept._ `[They] walked off in
separate directions through the chaparral to stand spraddlelegged
clutching their knees and vomiting. The browsing horses jerked their
heads up. It was no sound they'd ever heard before. In the gray twilight
those retchings seemed to echo like the calls of some rude provisional
species loosed upon that waste. Something imperfect and malformed lodged
in the heart of being. A thing smirking deep in the eyes of grace itself
like a gorgon in an autumn pool.' (Cormac McCarthy, _All the Pretty
Horses_, 1992) [PB] [] _Neat Tricks Dept._ `He started pushing her
buttocks up until they had almost disconnected.' (Nancy Taylor Rosenberg,
_Interest of Justice_, 1993) [PB] [] `His nose wrinkled at the smell of
blood and sought permission to cover the body with a sheet.' (Peter
Tremayne, `Methought You Saw A Serpent', in _Shakespearean Detectives_
ed. Mike Ashley, 1998) [EO]
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E-ADDRESSES
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CONVENTION E-MAIL
[] 2003
21-23 Feb, Redemption (_B5/B7_), Ashford, redempt...@smof.com
22 Feb, Picocon 20, London, pic...@icsf.org.uk
18-21 Apr, Seacon '03 (Eastercon), Hinckley, Leics,
in...@seacon03.org.uk
1-3 Aug, Finncon X -- Eurocon 2003, Turku, Finland, eek...@utu.fi
28 Aug - 1 Sep, Torcon 3 (Worldcon), Toronto, in...@torcon3.on.ca
27-8 Sep, P-Con, Dublin, phoenixc...@yahoo.co.uk
7-9 Nov, Novacon 33 (Walsall), x...@zoom.co.uk
[] 2004
9-12 Apr, Concourse (Eastercon), Blackpool, conc...@ntlworld.com
20-23 Aug, Discworld Convention IV, Hinckley, Leics, in...@dwcon.org
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[] 2005
4-8 Aug, Interaction (Worldcon), Glasgow,
in...@interaction.worldcon.org.uk
CONVENTION BID E-MAIL
[] 2006
Kansas City Worldcon, MidAm...@kc.rr.com
Los Angeles Worldcon, in...@scifiinc.org
[] 2007
Columbus OH Worldcon, ConCo...@yahoo.com
Japan Worldcon, in...@nippon2007.org
### ENDNOTES ###
INTERACTION (Worldcon 2005, Glasgow) is publishing a newsletter
reporting on `behind the scenes' activity, _Sailing the Clyde_:
http://www.interaction.worldcon.org.uk/backroom.htm
DUFF STOP PRESS. US co-administrator Naomi Fisher writes `The
2003 Down Under Fan Fund (DUFF) race is underway! We have fine
candidates in the teams of Guy & Rosy Lillian and Mike & Linda
McInerney. [] The winners will travel from North America to attend
the 42nd Australian National Science Fiction Convention (Swancon
2003), April 17-21, 2003, in Perth, West Australia.' Ballot and
information at:
http://home.pacbell.net/jgelb/duff2k.html
Or from Naomi Fisher & Patrick Molloy, PO Box 9135, Huntsville, AL
35812-0135, USA; or Julian Warner, 13 Frederick St, Brunswick,
Victoria 3056, Australia.
Ansible 185 Copyright (c) Dave Langford, 2002. Thanks to Celyn
Armstrong, Paul Barnett, Mike Glyer, Steve Green, Locus, Farah
Mendlesohn, Emmet O'Brien, Lloyd Penney, Plokta News Network, Colin
Smythe, Ian Sorensen, Paul Treadaway, D.West, and Hero Distributors:
Rog Peyton (Brum Group), Janice Murray (NA), SCIS, and Alan Stewart
(Thyme/Australia).
5 Dec 02
--
David Langford
ans...@cix.co.uk | http://www.ansible.co.uk/
Kip Williams
> ANSIBLE 185
> DECEMBER 2002
Something similar to an idea flickers briefly: skimming through this
to see who's doing stuff might be facilitated by having proper
names in all caps. Just an uffish thought, and I don't expect it to
go anywhere, but ever since I incurred that gypsy's curse, I can't
think of stuff without immediately telling the entire newsgroup.
Well, gotta go to the bathroom now.
--
--Kip (Williams) ...at members.cox.net/kipw
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!" --Kodos
Ulrika O'Brien
> David Langford wrote:
> > ANSIBLE 185
> > DECEMBER 2002
>
> Something similar to an idea flickers briefly: skimming through this
> to see who's doing stuff might be facilitated by having proper
> names in all caps. Just an uffish thought, and I don't expect it to
> go anywhere, but ever since I incurred that gypsy's curse, I can't
> think of stuff without immediately telling the entire newsgroup.
> Well, gotta go to the bathroom now.
All I can say is, I can hardly wait to see what comes up,...er, out..er,
along...when it' time for National Michael Weholt Never Does That Month
to roll around again.
Try not thinking of the left front knee of a Bactrian camel. Perhaps
that will help.
Marilee J. Layman
wrote:
>TERRY PRATCHETT has had many unexpected literary accolades in his time,
>but I think Michael Dirda's rave review of _Night Watch_ in the
>_Washington Post_ is the first that compares him with Chaucer. `Whan that
>Discworlde with his shoures sote ...' [CS]
Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
--
Marilee J. Layman
Bali Sterling Beads at Wholesale
http://www.basicbali.com
Andrew Maizels
> Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
Ageist bastards! Their little popup survey won't accept birth dates
before 1900.
Admittedly, the first one I tried was 1392, but still...
Andrew.
--
Google fthagn! Google fthagn! Ia Google! Ia! Ia!
Kip Williams
> Marilee J. Layman wrote:
>
>> Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
>>
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
>
> Ageist bastards! Their little popup survey won't accept birth dates
> before 1900.
>
> Admittedly, the first one I tried was 1392, but still...
I wonder how many people respond "1965" (their example) and whatever
the zip code is they give as an example.
"Our main demographic -- 64% -- is 37 years old and lives in an
apparently non-existent suburb of Boston..."
Jordin Kare
> [] _Peter Darby_ was momentarily excited by e-mail from the Sci-
> Fi Channel, `offering me the opportunity to "get Taken on your desktop."
Hah, that's nothing. At the end of my most recent flight on United
Airlines, the (female) flight attendant got on the PA system, thanked us
for flying United and added "We look forward to servicing you again the
next time you fly."
Jordin Kare
Ross Smith
"...and please return your stewardess to her original upright position."
-- Terry Knight
--
Ross Smith ......... r-s...@ihug.co.nz ......... Auckland, New Zealand
"Oh dear. This calls for a very special blend of
psychology and extreme violence." -- Vyvyan
Arthur D. Hlavaty
wrote:
Years ago, I took a flight where the stewardess did a comedy routine
each time she took the mike, concluding, "We've enjoyed having you,
and we hope you've enjoyed being had."
--
Arthur D.Hlavaty hla...@panix.com
Church of the SuperGenius in Wile E. we trust
E-zine available on request
Vicki Rosenzweig
>Andrew Maizels wrote:
>> Marilee J. Layman wrote:
>>
>>> Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
>>>
>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
>>
>> Ageist bastards! Their little popup survey won't accept birth dates
>> before 1900.
>>
>> Admittedly, the first one I tried was 1392, but still...
>
>I wonder how many people respond "1965" (their example) and whatever
>the zip code is they give as an example.
>
>"Our main demographic -- 64% -- is 37 years old and lives in an
>apparently non-existent suburb of Boston..."
It doesn't matter *what* I fill in, they just keep taking me back to that
page. And yes, I have tried turning on Javascript and accepting cookies.
Fortunately for me, if not for them, there are a lot of other news
sources on the Internet.
--
Vicki Rosenzweig | v...@redbird.org
r.a.sf.f faq at http://www.redbird.org/rassef-faq.html
Kate Nepveu
>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
Gosh. Err. Umm.
Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
this?
--
Kate Nepveu
E-mail: kne...@steelypips.org
Home: http://www.steelypips.org/
Book log: http://www.steelypips.org/weblog/
Kate Nepveu
>I wonder how many people respond "1965" (their example) and whatever
>the zip code is they give as an example.
*raises hand*
David Bilek
>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
>
>Gosh. Err. Umm.
>
>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
>this?
To mix a metaphor, I can almost feel the Tor Lawyer Sharks licking
their chops in anticipation of this one.
IN OTHER NEWS: Tiny Computers launches their new computer brand...
Dell Computers UK.
-David
Kip Williams
> Kip Williams <ki...@cox.net> wrote:
>
> [washingtonpost.com]
>
>>I wonder how many people respond "1965" (their example) and whatever
>>the zip code is they give as an example.
>
> *raises hand*
I SAID... (no, I'm just kidding. I know what you really mean, and
yes, you may leave the room.)
Keith F. Lynch
> Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
Andrew Maizels <am...@pixymisa.com> wrote:
> Ageist bastards! Their little popup survey won't accept birth dates
> before 1900.
> Admittedly, the first one I tried was 1392, but still...
Try the Lynx browser. I got no popup survey, just the article.
--
Keith F. Lynch - k...@keithlynch.net - http://keithlynch.net/
I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but
unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable. Please do not send me
HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread.
P Nielsen Hayden
David Bilek <dbi...@attbi.com> wrote:
> Kate Nepveu <kne...@steelypips.org> wrote:
>>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
>>
>>Gosh. Err. Umm.
>>
>>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
>>this?
>
> To mix a metaphor, I can almost feel the Tor Lawyer Sharks licking
> their chops in anticipation of this one.
What a remarkably dumb pair of comments from two normally smart people.
Does it really seem likely to you that the Tor UK launch is happening
without the assent, consent, and cooperation of Tor Books/Tom Doherty
Associates? Are you unaware that Pan Macmillan are our corporate cousins,
owned -- like us -- by Holtzbrinck?
Further, I wait in anticipation for David Bilek to explain his basis for
slandering our perfectly pleasant legal staff as "sharks". Perhaps he has
personal experience with them of which I'm unaware. Alternately, perhaps
he's just being a jerk.
--
Patrick Nielsen Hayden : p...@panix.com : http://nielsenhayden.com/electrolite
P Nielsen Hayden
> Marilee J. Layman wrote:
>> Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
>
> Andrew Maizels <am...@pixymisa.com> wrote:
>> Ageist bastards! Their little popup survey won't accept birth dates
>> before 1900.
>
>> Admittedly, the first one I tried was 1392, but still...
>
> Try the Lynx browser. I got no popup survey, just the article.
Better yet, "links", which lays the pages out more legibly.
Even in This Day And Age, "links" is one of the best reasons to maintain a
shell account. (Or, alternately, have a computer with a real OS.)
Marilee J. Layman
wrote:
>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
>
>Gosh. Err. Umm.
>
>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
>this?
It won't matter, Tor US is owned by Macmillan (Tom sold it to St.
Martin's Press in 1986, St. Martin's is owned by Macmillan).
P Nielsen Hayden
Marilee J Layman <mjla...@erols.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 02:06:23 GMT, Kate Nepveu <kne...@steelypips.org>
> wrote:
>
>>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
>>
>>Gosh. Err. Umm.
>>
>>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
>>this?
>
> It won't matter, Tor US is owned by Macmillan (Tom sold it to St.
> Martin's Press in 1986, St. Martin's is owned by Macmillan).
You're several years out of date.
Ulrika O'Brien
> On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 00:20:53 -0500,
> Marilee J Layman <mjla...@erols.com> wrote:
> > On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 02:06:23 GMT, Kate Nepveu <kne...@steelypips.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> >>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
> >>
> >>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
> >>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
> >>
> >>Gosh. Err. Umm.
> >>
> >>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
> >>this?
> >
> > It won't matter, Tor US is owned by Macmillan (Tom sold it to St.
> > Martin's Press in 1986, St. Martin's is owned by Macmillan).
>
>
> You're several years out of date.
"Which is just part of what's wrong with publishing in America."
I'm sure Goldman's list is out of date now, too.
Andrew Maizels
> Better yet, "links", which lays the pages out more legibly.
>
> Even in This Day And Age, "links" is one of the best reasons to maintain a
> shell account. (Or, alternately, have a computer with a real OS.)
I use "links" to test web pages I design - make sure all the alt tags
are set to something useful, and so on. It's impressive how well it works.
I only have one computer which doesn't have a real OS. I tend to use it
to read news and the web, though, because it's fast and has very nice
anti-aliased fonts. And also, I tend to play games like Cililisation
and Star Control 2, which I leave running in the background while I read
news. 15 minutes of news, 15 minutes of blowing up spaceships...
On the other hand, it does fall over far too often, and Mozilla tends to
get confused when that happens. (It lost my killfile after one crash,
which wasn't much fun.)
Joel Rosenberg
Each to his own. I have links and lynx installed, and every once in
a while, having heard, again, how useful some folks find them, I give
one or the other a try, and find them less than wonderful for my use.
On the other hand, I'm very impressed with the latest mozilla.
--
------------------------------------------------------------
http://islamthereligionofpeace.blogspot.com
Timothy McDaniel
P Nielsen Hayden <p...@panix.com> wrote:
>Further, I wait in anticipation for David Bilek to explain his basis
>for slandering our perfectly pleasant legal staff as "sharks".
But I wait in anticipation for Mr. Nielsen Hayden to explain his basis
for libelling perfectly fine sharks by implying (or going along with
the assumption) that a comparison with them is slander. When the
Shark Anti-Defamation League gets thru with you, you'll have lots of
sorrow, man -- you'll come to a sharky end.
Tim "orc orc orc" McDaniel
--
Tim McDaniel, tm...@panix.com; tm...@us.ibm.com is my work address
Chris Croughton
<p...@panix.com> wrote:
>On 9 Dec 2002 22:54:35 -0500,
> Keith F. Lynch <k...@KeithLynch.net> wrote:
>> Marilee J. Layman wrote:
>>> Oh yeah, I meant to post the URL last week:
>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20884-2002Nov21.html
>>
>> Andrew Maizels <am...@pixymisa.com> wrote:
>>> Ageist bastards! Their little popup survey won't accept birth dates
>>> before 1900.
>>
>>> Admittedly, the first one I tried was 1392, but still...
>>
>> Try the Lynx browser. I got no popup survey, just the article.
>
>Better yet, "links", which lays the pages out more legibly.
>
>Even in This Day And Age, "links" is one of the best reasons to maintain a
>shell account. (Or, alternately, have a computer with a real OS.)
Note that recent versions of 'links' even support JavaScript (to an
extent; not well enough for some sites but better than I'd expect from a
text-only browser) and there is a semi-graphic version of it. Although
I still use lynx as my browser for non-frame sites.
Using lynx/links is a great way to avoid popups, redirects you don't
expect, JS creating millions of windows, cluttered graphics -- and of
course M$ bugs...
Chris C
Vlatko Juric-Kokic
wrote:
>I only have one computer which doesn't have a real OS.
(...)
>On the other hand, it does fall over far too often,
There's something wrong with the setup, not with the OS.
vlatko
--
_Neither Fish Nor Fowl_
http://www.webart.hr/nrnm/eng/
http://www.michaelswanwick.com/
vlatko.ju...@zg.hinet.hr
Kate Nepveu
> David Bilek <dbi...@attbi.com> wrote:
>> Kate Nepveu <kne...@steelypips.org> wrote:
>>>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>>>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
>>>Gosh. Err. Umm.
>>>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
>>>this?
>What a remarkably dumb pair of comments from two normally smart people.
>Does it really seem likely to you that the Tor UK launch is happening
>without the assent, consent, and cooperation of Tor Books/Tom Doherty
>Associates? Are you unaware that Pan Macmillan are our corporate cousins,
>owned -- like us -- by Holtzbrinck?
Actually, I was so unaware. Hence the inquiry (not accusation, note).
I also don't see how I could have been aware of that from Ansible's
report. If you think I should have looked up it, well, fine.
Kate Nepveu
> Keith F. Lynch <k...@KeithLynch.net> wrote:
>> Try the Lynx browser. I got no popup survey, just the article.
>Better yet, "links", which lays the pages out more legibly.
>Even in This Day And Age, "links" is one of the best reasons to maintain a
>shell account. (Or, alternately, have a computer with a real OS.)
Apparently it has unsupported Win32 binaries, which I am in the
process of downloading to try out. Thanks for the rec.
Marilee J. Layman
<p...@panix.com> wrote:
>On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 00:20:53 -0500,
> Marilee J Layman <mjla...@erols.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 02:06:23 GMT, Kate Nepveu <kne...@steelypips.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>>PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Just to confuse us all, Tor Books UK is launching
>>>>in March 2003 as an sf/fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan.
>>>
>>>Gosh. Err. Umm.
>>>
>>>Not to live down to stereotype, but has Tor's lawyers been informed of
>>>this?
>>
>> It won't matter, Tor US is owned by Macmillan (Tom sold it to St.
>> Martin's Press in 1986, St. Martin's is owned by Macmillan).
>
>
>You're several years out of date.
Macmillan was gobbled up by someone else? Just how many real
publishing companies are there anymore?