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SF-LOVERS Digest V6 #31 [message #5244] Sat, 28 July 2012 00:11
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!sf-lovers
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8209
Posted: Thu Aug  5 06:22:42 1982
Received: Sun Aug  8 01:18:20 1982

>From JPM@MIT-AI Thu Aug  5 06:11:01 1982

SF-LOVERS Digest          Monday, 2 Aug 1982       Volume 6 : Issue 31

Today's Topics:
                     SF Lovers - WorldCon Party,
      SF Magazines - Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction,
    SF Books - Alongside Night & Lensmen Series,  SF TV - HHGttG,
      SF Movies - Destination Moon & ET: The Extra-Terrestrial,
             SF Topics - Brain Use & Holographic Memory,
                   Humor - Genderless Video Games,
                 Spoiler - ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 6 Jul 1982 2150-CDT
From: ZELLICH at OFFICE-3
Subject: SFL WorldCon party

The time has come, boys and girls, to think of the timing and
logistics for an SFL party at the biggie: Chicon IV.

We have a quad at the Hyatt, and are hereby volunteering to host the 
get-together; anybody wanting to attend, please respond directly to me
(ZELLICH@OFFICE-3) and not to the list.  We need to know preferences
for party time (\not/ during the masquerade or GoH speeches/awards
ceremony) and preferably how many plan to attend (gotta provide the
right number of plastic cups, napkins, etc.).  If people want us to
provide food and drink for them, we're willing to do it within
reasonable volumes (very limited car space driving up from St. Louis)
and with reasonable guarantees that those people will remember to
reimburse us for their fair share; mainly, though, it's gotta be a
BYOB & Munchies party.

Anyone having prior experience at putting such a conclave together,
and knowing of other considerations (do we need to bother with who is
bringing what munchies, liquids, etc.?), please speak up.  After a
reasonable amount of time, I'll get back to the subgroup that responds
to this message.

Cheers, 
Rich

------------------------------

Date: 31 Jul 82 20:12-PDT
From: mclure at SRI-UNIX
Subject: Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction

In Nicholls' Science Fiction Encyclopedia in the section describing 
the Foundation magazine published in Britain, he mentions that the 
first eight issues were projected for publication in 1978. Anyone know
if such a compilation exists or how to subscribe to the magazine?

        Stuart

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jul 1982 1748-EDT
From: JoSH 
Subject: new "hard" sf

Is there some law that libertarian science-fiction writers have to 
have the middle name "Neil"?  Believe it or not, that's what first 
caught my eye on the cover of "Alongside Night", by J. Neil Schulman.
I bought it on the recommendation of Jerry Pournelle (to "anyone 
interested in freedom") on the cover, and then realized what it was.  

What it is is a good first novel.  Although I was unable to read it
with an unbiased eye, I believe it stands quite well on its own as an
adventure novel.  Indeed, though one would expect any awkwardnesses to
stem from forced references to his libertarian-inspired background 
scheme, they don't: about the worst writing I can find is where he 
describes the Weaver stance twice, making it somewhat distracting the 
second time around.  Indeed, libertarian references can be marvelously
subtle: at one point the protagonist is given a sample cigarette by 
the proprietor of a cannabis shop--on the cigarette is embossed a 
small gold dollar sign.  And it is entirely believable that the 
proprietor would have done that with full knowledge of his antecedents,
when you do catch the reference.  

So even taken straight at face value, this is better than average
fare.  Though not as spellbinding as Heinlein, it would be enjoyed by
anyone who liked early Heinlein.  But, like J.P., I would especially
recommend this one to "anyone interested in freedom".  Its working out
of the principles of an "anarcho-propertarian" organization which is
still surrounded by a hostile State is more firmly grounded in reality
than some libertarian writing, which seems to assume that the State
has to vanish for any of this stuff to work.  This is the best book
I've read this year.

--JoSH

------------------------------

Date: 2 Aug 1982 1448-EDT
From: DD-B 
Reply-to: "DD-B  c/o" 
Subject: SFL submission


( Subject: SF-LOVERS Digest   V6 #22 )

(Henry W. Miller ) For Lensman sticklers, or people
who only buy parts of series, the chronological order of the books is
\Triplanetary/, \First Lensman/, \Galactic Patrol/, \Gray Lensman/,
\Second Stage Lensmen/, \Children of the Lens/.  \The Vortex Blaster/
takes place sometime after \Galactic Patrol/, and probably before the
end of \Children of the Lens/, but the exact sequence isn't important
since it's a totally unconnected story set in the same universe, with
just enough overlapping background to make some sort of stab at
placing its date.

------------------------------

Date: Wed Aug  4 01:27:04 1982
From: decvax!watmath!bstempleton at Berkeley
Subject: More on the Hitch-Hiker's guide BBC-TV version


Well, I have now seen 4 episodes of the Guide, and I must admit that
the quality of the fourth was a bit above that of the second and
third.  It is still not that great.  I think I would still suggest to
anybody that they hear the radio series first.  The people making this
show are just not making use of the visual medium for comedy.  This is
too bad, because the guide IS comedy.  Essentially we get radio actors
delivering radio lines with some special effects in the background.
We get Mark Wing-Davy, who blatantly cannot act on television, doing
the role of Zephod.  I get the impression that many of his lines
required multiple takes, for his stuff seems to be delivered in
edited-in clips.

Slartibartfarst (sp?) was fairly good in episode 4, and the two
philosophers who come to complain about Deep Thought were quite good.
Deep thought itself was visually pretty boring and actually bothersome
to look at.

I would be interested in comments from people who see the TV version
first, and then hear the radio one or read the book.  I told my
brother to see it, and he watched the second and third episodes.  His
comments were that the material was great, but what was behind it was
useless.  One might as well turn off the video and listen, but even
then the timing was not great.  He has yet to hear the radio series,
so I can't get any comment.  One thing that was interesting:  I took a
copy of the first episode recorded in 6 hour mode on my VTR over for
him to watch.  We played it on his VTR which is old and only has a 4
hour mode.  It was thus played with a speedup of around 25-50%.  (hard
to judge).  Anyway, he thought the timing was much better this way.

------------------------------

Date: 19 Jul 1982 1448-EDT
From: Bob Krovetz 
Subject: HHGttG in Washington D.C.

The program manager for the PBS station in Washington says the
Hitchhikers Guide will be aired sometime in the Fall.

                                                           -bob

------------------------------

Date: 2 Aug 1982 13:39 EDT
From: Birnbaum.HENR at PARC-MAXC
Subject: Destination Moon Sources

In response to Nathaniel Borenstein's query from SFL #26, Destination
Moon was largely due to R.A.Heinlein; the movie was a loosely adapted
takeoff from Rocket Ship Galileo.

DaveB

------------------------------

Date: Wednesday, 28 July 1982 14:08-PDT
From: KDO at SRI-KL
Subject: Brain Use / Holographic Memory

There is a common misconception that making a hologram smaller (by
cutting it) gives you a smaller hologram which is blurry.  No!
Cutting a hologram just reduces the window through which the image can
be seen.  As I understand a hologram has information for the view of
the object from each direction.  If you cut out part of it you lose
information.

Checking how much of the brain is used by seeing which neurons fire is
like seeing how much of your computer memory is used by counting the
set bits!

                                Ken

------------------------------

Date: 22-Jul-82 20:29:48 PDT (Thursday)
From: Newman.es at PARC-MAXC
Subject: Genderless video games

When a city council tries to ban video games, will arcade operators
organize a Pac-Man Political Action Committee (Pac-PAC) ?

/Ron

------------------------------

Date: Thursday, August 5, 1982 12:53AM
From: Jim McGrath (The Moderator) 
Subject: SPOILER WARNING!  SPOILER WARNING!

The last message in this digest discuss some plot details in the movie
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.  Some readers may not wish to read on.

------------------------------

Date: Sun Aug  1 01:43:23 1982
From: decvax!watmath!bstempleton at Berkeley
Subject: ET SPOILER

I was surprised by the scene in ET where the scientists attempt to
revive ET by human methods.  I was not surprised from a standpoint of
disappointment with the movie, however.  I was so involved with the
scene at the time that my reaction was "Oh no, they're not going to
try THAT are they!"  It seemed like something a team in panic might
do.  After all, the ET was known to have DNA and other similarities to
our life forms.  When the heart stopped, they were (mistakenly)
convinced that the ET had had the biscuit, and any further moves could
do no harm although they might do some good.

------------------------------

Date: 08/02/82 0954-EDT
From: KG Heinemann (SORCEROR at LL)
Subject: Medical Sequences in "E.T."; Reply to Michael First


     While agreeing with Michael First's arguments concerning the
futility of applying our medical technology to treat E.T. (SFL Digest
V.6, #25), I wish to present a different interpretation of the role
which those sequences play in the film. To anyone familiar with Carl
Sagan's statements that real extraterrestrial organisms probably will
be stranger than any of our speculations, it should be obvious that
the medical efforts depicted in the film probably will fail. I 
believe that Mr. Speilberg shares this perception of the situation,
and that these scenes are a deliberate vehicle for the film's
attitude, rather than inept plotting. The futile medical procedures
symbolize and demonstrate the arrogance, pomposity, and insensitivity
of the adult culture. Eliot protests so stridently because he knows
that this treatment won't work, and is only causing pain and possibly
making E.T.'s condition worse. The adults are oblivious to the 
pointless suffering which the medics inflict, because they are
concerned only with the importance of the scientific discovery and the
tangible benefits which might result from contact with an alien
civilization. Mr. Speilberg even alludes to the Crucifixion and
Resurrection, through the imagery of E.T.'s revival ("Forgive them,
Father, they know not what they do"). I am reminded of similar 
developments which occur in "The Man Who Fell to Earth". In fact, "The
Man Who Fell to Earth", and "E.T." tell very similar stories, except
that the emotional intimacy between human and alien occurs on an adult
level, in the former.

     Yes, this interpretation takes a pessimistic view of the ethical
abilities of scientists and technicians, when confronted with truly
significant events. It represents my interpretation of Mr. Speilberg's
position, not my own. I would like to believe that we will approach
extrat-terrestrial life with a proper measure of humility in the face
of our possible ignorance, and respect for the individuality and
independence of all sentient organisms.

                              Enjoy,

                                     Karl Heinemann

------------------------------

End of SF-LOVERS Digest
***********************
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