October '99 (a non-ytk compliant date) Newsletter of the Middle Tennessee Science Fiction Society The next meeting is October 10, 1999 (this Wednesday) This month Ray Jones has slides from some recent conventions, including Outside Con. Plus bring a very short Halloween story to read. Green Hills Public Library at 6pm, program starts at 7pm. The library is located at Green Hills Mall but not in the Mall. At Hillsboro Rd & Crestmoor (a Krystal is on the corner) Turn right and go down Crestmoor and look for the library sign Or call the library at: 615 - 862- 5863 The parking situation has really improved. No more dueling in the parking lot with the movie patrons. Can't make the meeting.. come by our after the meeting place at Rotiers on Elliston off of West End down the street from Tower. We usually get to Rotiers by 8:20. Anita Feller president Ray Jones Treasurer Robert Edwards,Pat James programming, and cast of ones.. Bemscribe as the pookha Want to contact the Bemscribe Call 292 - 1306 or e-mail bemscribe_too@hotmail.com Or snail mail D A Hussey at 115 38th Ave N. Nashville, Tn. 37209 Check out my web page at http://www.oocities.org/area51/dimension/4242/ For back issues of the newsletter go to http://www.oocities.org/area51/dimension/4242/clubs.html (Ps as always Bem is a bug-eyed monster and a name of one of the former SF clubs here. --------- Fan news Huntsville fan Mike Ray died in a horrible accident in September at his workplace a pyrotechnics manufacturer near Huntsville. He survived a trip to the hospital after being airlifted by Med. Flight but died five days later. Mike along with his wife Robin were very active in Huntsville SF fandom and the local SCA group. At the time of his death Mike was the programming chair for the North Alabama SF Association ,the SF club for Huntsville and the surrounding area. Most of the time at their SF convention Constellation Mike could be found working in the hospitality suite and making fans feel welcome. Another fan, Michael ' Doc' Brookshire was also injured in the explosion. According to the NASFA Shuttle, which I am using as a major source along with verbal reports,Doc was still alive but the Shuttle described him as being gravely injured. A fund as been set to assist the families of both men (I don't even want to even think about the hospital bills .. insurance does not cover everything )) Ray/Brookshire Support and Assistance Fund C/o Am South Bank, POB 507, Huntsville, Al. 35604 Robin has also requested that fans contribute to either Burn Survivors Group at University Hospital in Birmingham, Al. or to the Med. Flight Hospital Foundation in lieu of flowers . (this is wonderful but really the families are probably going to need it)) Let us just say from everything I have read and heard Mike is going to be greatly missed and the Huntsville fans are still in a case of shock over the suddenness of this. (Want to send money for the families but believe the Angels of Life (how I like to think of them) are a great thing. There is something you can do.. if you community has a Med. flight or whatever it calls itself .. do whatever you can to support it. Write letters to hospital and city administrators' etc… Several years ago Vanderbilt wanted to add a second lifeflight copter and a lot of the naboobs didn't think it was needed. Everyday I see both of those copters almost constantly trotting back and forth across the sky in Nashville. Vanderbilt is now adding a new landing pad for them on the roof complete with crew quarters. This is both to address safety concerns caused by unusual shadows being cast by the new wing of the Children's Hospital and to cut the amount of time by minutes for the coptor to get in the air.))) --------------- More Fan News: Bill Bowers is conducting an email "auction that features fanzines and other fannish items. E-mail Bill@Outworlds.net for more details. ---------------- Local fans (well not as local) Tom and Sherry Norris just moved into their new house just outside Manchester, Tn. One of the most frequent comments.. this would be a wonderful place for a star party. A couple of telescopes will soon be residing there according to reports. ---------------------------- Pat Molloy and Naomi Fisher are the newest members of Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc. -------------------------- A message from Mark Warner dragontdc@hotmail.com owner of a bookstore in Chattanooga called the Arcanaeum, which carries SF , role playing games and other stuff. He reports that he his wife and their partner are on the verge of losing the store. He asks for prayers and well wishes ( maybe some more customers))) The Arcanaeum, 5813 Lee Highway, Suite 11, Chattanooga, TN 37421/ (423) 893-8111 / www.arcanaeum.com ----------------------- Uncle Timmy and Sam Smith were among the area fans that traveled to Australia. So did Frank and Millie Kaliz, plus a rather sizable group from Cincinnati. ------------------------------- Pro news Probably both of you may have heard of the deaths of Marion Zimmer Bradley and of James White a little long ago. Even though he had been battling diabetes for years James Whites death was a far greater shock than that of Marion Zimmer Bradley who had been in very fragile health for the last couple of years. James White was best known for the Sector General books and Bradley for the " Mists of Avalon" and the Darkover books. There should be a final Sector General book, Double Contact, out sometime this month. For more news about Marion Zimmer Bradley :http://www.mzbfm.com/news.htm --------------- Other fannish news… The Taff nominations are now open. From a message to the Timebinders mailing list from Ulrika O'Brien. "Nominations are now open for the year 2000, Westbound (Europe to North America) TAFF Race. The winner will attend Chicon 2000. Prospective candidates should ensure that signed nominations (two from North America and three from Europe) reach the Administrators by midnight on December 1, 1999, along with their 100-word platform and a bond in the amount of 10# Sterling or $20 U.S. made out to the administrator." The European Administrator: Maureen Kincaid Speller, 60 Bournemouth Rd. Folkestone, Kent, CT19 5AZ,, UNITED KINGDOM The North American Administrator: Ulrika O'Brien, 123 Melody Ln., #C , Costa Mesa, CA 92627 uaobrien@earthlink.net --------------------------- Convention news Past ------------- Aussiecon was a small (less than 2,000) but fun Worldcon by reports. Sightseeing for three weeks with the Worldcon including seemed to be the plan. ----- Since I only have had skimpy verbal reports and my poor tired brain remembers even less here are a couple of links to on line trip reports I found: Australia \A travelogue by Mark R. Leeper http://www.oocities.org/markleeper/australia.htm Evelyn Leeper 's Aussiecon Three con report is at: http://www.oocities.org/evelynleeper/a3.htm Evelyn's Australian log below http://www.oocities.org/evelynleeper/austral.htm ----------------------- Some interesting notes: The San Jose WorldCon received 666 votes to beat Roswell for the 2002 WC. At Chicon there will be no amendments coming up for vote from the previous WorldCon. The new amendments were voted down as they came up. A item that would have called for a two year delay from the vote to the Worldcon came fairly close to passing. Let us just say they has been a certain amount of talk that the current three year is hurting more than helping. Than again there are almost an equal number of people who believe going back to two years like before the three year took effect in 1986 would be a disaster. Then again one Worldcon could be skipped for the site selection vote if the item were ever to pass. Some items that had been carried forward did pass and will have a major impact eventually on bidding for a Worldcon. First remember.. the current bids for the 2003, 2004 and 2005 will not be made ineligble by the new 500 mile exclusion rule since they were sort of grandfathered in. The 500 mile rule is that a bid city must be of 500 miles distance from the city were the vote would be held. Also the North American zone rotation system was thrown out. What has changed for the 2003 - 2005 races is that more sites can now bid if they are more than 500 miles away and outside of the old zone. ( or at least as well as I understand it.. if I am wrong I know I will hear about it)) The vote at the 2003 Worldcon (which will either be at Toronto or Cancun) for 2006 will be the first vote affected totally by the new rules. Go to The http://www.cooky.demon.co.uk/1999/ for the minutes of the Business Meeting at Aussiecon Three. ( I am really impressed that they have them on the net so fast..)) -------------------------------------- Future Convention News Important!!!! New date and place for Falcon Falcon is now the weekend after the meeting October 15- 17. The Houston Inn in Glasgow, formerly the Scottish Inn. The Houston is located at the corner of 31-E and 68/80 e-mail Chris.Howard@wku.edu $25 - at the door http://bioweb.wku.edu/students/howard/fallcon/ ---------------------- Consider making your room reservations for Chattacon , Smofcon and ConCat now. The hotel for Chattacon the Clarion always fills up early. $67 per night, flat rate / (423) 756-5150 mention you are with Chattacon -------------------- There is a New Orleans Saints game on the weekend of Smofcon. December 10 - 12 And there has been some problem in the past with making reservations by the 800 number for the New Orleans DoubleTree Hotel but everything seems to straightened out now. 1-800-222-TREE and the hotel reservation number 1-504-581-1300 . The hotel has a 72-hour cancellation policy. Room rates are $139 single/double and $149 triple/quad. New Orleans has an 11% tax rate, plus a $2 city room occupancy surcharge. Reservations must be made by November 15, 1999 to guarantee the room rate. --------------------------------------------------- ConCat is the same weekend as the Vandy vs. UT game. Hyatt Regency Knoxville $ 65 plus tax (1-4 people). Call 423- 637 - 1234 to reserve your room. -------------------------------- Constellation Artist Guest of Honor: Charles Keegan Special Guest: Peter Woodward (TechnoMage Galen on Crusade. Schedule Permitting.) Parking will be validated for all convention members. Park in the Short Term Parking Area, or if you are staying in the hotel, in hotel guest parking ------------------------------ StellarCon is now bidding High Point, NC for DeepSouthCon in 2002. For more info e mail : jkf1965@aol.com ----------------------------- SECFI(South East Convention Fandom, Incorporated which is the organization running the Charlotte WC bid is now a legal entity. The directors are: Irvin M. Koch(Chair/President, Kelly T. Lockhart (Registered Agent and Secretary, Thomas Martin (SC), Harry A. Hopkins , Lance Oszko (VA), and Laura Haywood-Cory (NC) ------------------------------ Other Worldcon Bid News There is now a bid for New York in 2004 featuring room rates of $129 for the Milford Plaza and 175/night single/double; $199/night triple/quad for the Marriott Marquis. Robert Sacks is the head of the bid. ----------- For awhile there was a Dallas bid for 2006. But, it has sorta gone on the back burner as the bid committee explores their options including possibly another year. --------------------- Movie News It is official.. this just came from SCI fi Wire "The Lord of the Rings film trilogy begins principal photography in Wellington New Zealand, on Oct. 11, 1999, under the direction of Peter Jackson" the report said. It went on to say that all tree parts of the trilogy would be filmed cocurrently. "Jackson said in the report: "My team and I have poured our hearts into this project for the past three years, so it's a great thrill to begin actual photography. ..we owe Professor Tolkien and his legion of fans worldwide our very best efforts to make these films with the integrity they deserve." Elijah Wood stars as Frodo, Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee, Sean Bean as Boromir , Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Brad Dourif as Wormtongue, Sir Ian Holm as the hobbit Bilbo, Christopher Lee stars as Saruman, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, John Rhys-Davies stars as Gimli, Stuart Townsend as Aragorn, Liv Tyler as Arwen. ---------------------- SCA and other living history The Kingdom of Meridies web site is temporarily down but you can reach a mirror version at http://www.whhq.net/~meridies.sca/. Congratulations to Gareth and Sabine as the new Crown Prince and Princess. (sigh ... I really cant play to much in the SCA for now. One of the bad things about being allergic to so much including the allergy shots ...bummer) ----=====----- Other Medieval News Info about the new Drachenburg Renaissance Fest (it says Gallatin but it is closer to Bethpage) 544 Nashville Pike, Suite #311 Gallatin, TN 37066 Oktoberfest in 1499. Merchants and entertainers and warriors . Wild Mountain Thyme ~ Celtic traditional music, plays and dancing. Also story time at the children's castle. From Nashville,Tn. Take I 65 N. to Vietnam Veterans Blvd. to 31E follow the signs. $10.00 Adults /$5.00 children, 5-13 /Under 5 are free. 615 841 3498 / http://www.drachenburg.8m.com/ -------------------------- Science News Cumberland Science Museum Now - January 2nd Amazing Science Maze Trains - November 12, 1999 to January 9, 2000 interactive model trains, historic models of Nashville buildings, and how and why trains move. Whistlestop Weekend - November 12 to 14, 1999 Model trains and tracks ( some dating back to the 1920's and 1930's) will fill the museum this weekend. On loan from numerous Tennessee train clubs and individuals. =============================================================== Red Rover goes to Mars (NASA's Mars Surveyor 2001 lander with its robotic arm and the Marie Curie rover.. scheduled arrival January 22, 2002.) The student scientist competition is now open. For more details go to the web site on the Planetary Society site at http://rrgtm.planetary.org/scientists/index.html. Students entering the contest must write an essay according to the site ," of 1,500 words or less defining the mission of the Marie Curie rover and the lander robotic arm on the Mars Surveyor 2001 mission. How will it help us to accomplish the goal of human exploration of Mars one day?" Also it goes on to say.. "Include what you believe should be the scientific goals of the mission and how will all the parts of the lander and rover work toward those goals." Need more details, there is a lot more to the essay only, contact me and I will print out a hard copy of the rules. Kids applying for Student Scientists may also apply as Student Astronaut Candidates. The Student Astronaut competition starts March 2nd , 2000. The competition among other things will test the students proficiency in using a LEGO robotic version of the lander while keeping a journal of the time spent on one of the qualifying LEGO systems . http://rrgtm.planetary.org/Forms/astronaut_rules.html What does it mean to win the contests... "Student Astronauts will live and work in a Mars Base functioning on Mars time at a to-be-determined location in the United States, and will participate in generating commands to the Marie Curie rover and lander robotic arm on Mars as part of the mission operations scheduled for January 22 - March 22, 2002." "Applicants must therefore demonstrate their knowledge of robotic-exploration skills which many LEGO products are designed to teach, including an ability to make exploration scenario decisions, based upon an understanding of mission science objective" ----------------------- Book news Harper Collins bought Morrow/Avon turned around and had a massive firing of their staff including all of their SF editors including Lou Aronica. This is just after the mass firings at Del Rey . --------------------------------- Gaming news: B5: Into the Fire game has been canceled. The game was described by JMS as one where you could "go through all of the major wars of the B5 universe -the Dilgar War, the Earth/Minbari War, the Shadow War and the Earth Civil War-with a chance of affecting the outcomes" was canceled by Havas/ Sierra. --------------------------------------------- Python News: With permission of the surviving Pythons South Park will do a Python tribute sketch called " The Dead Friend Sketch" based on the "Dead Parrot Sketch"..guess who will be the parrot. It is all part of special which for now is called, "It's the Monty Python Story". "We would do anything for the Pythons," Parker and Stone said in a statement. "We would kill ourselves for them. We hope this small piece of animation will suffice." On another South Park note…. Has any one else who saw the South Park considered that it may be a prequel to the series in away? That it explains why the town is the why it is considering what happened at the end. Why the kids talk the way they do and that odd thing about Kenny. Hmmm --------------------------------- Calendar Important new date October 15 - 17 Fal'Con United Gamers Association, POB 767 Bowling Green, Ky. 42102 , $25 - at the door Rick Shelly - Author Guest of Honor Malinda Reynolds - Artist Guest of Honor http://www.angelfire.com/ky/fallcon/ ---------- 13 Middle Tennessee SFS meeting ========== 14th Shuttle Mission to Repair Hubble Telescope (delayed new launch date not set ------------------------------------------------ October 15 - 17 Fal'Con ---------------------------------------- October 15th - 17th TennCon-Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center in downtown Knoxville Holiday Inn Select. For 1-4 people in a room, each room is only $79.99 plus tax per night. Be sure to mention the special code TEN and that you're reserving for TennCon to receive the group discount. Call the Holiday Inn Select at (423) 522-2800for info Gameboard at 1-800-914-2597! (10-6 EDT) Pre-registration costs $25, through October 1, 1999. John Nunn: 3501 Workman Rd.,Suite D,Knoxville, TN 37921 ==== 15th - 17th Sack the Saxons /SCA event sponsored by Easaraigh at Camp Discovery near Gainsboro, TN. in the vincinity of Cookeville. http://burdean.com/easaraigh/news.html Daytrip with Feast $18 Children under 6 get in free Daytrip without Feast $12 Combat Archers: $10 flat fee for the weekend, including feast(with proof of authorization) Weekend with feast $ 24 The event has a Saxon and Norman theme in honor of the Battle of Hastings. Some of the classes include leatherworking, Norse, Norman and Saxon culture. Autocrats: Catriona Caora Dhubh (Susan Childers) ,3145 Jackson Passage, Bloomington Springs, TN. phone 931-526-4530 Gisela the Red (Jacque Wilson), 1810 Summerhaven apt #3 Cookeville TN, 38501 , 931-520-1114 Daytrip with Feast $18 Children under 6 get in free Reservations: Dorian Fremond (Brett Murray) 800 East Spring St., Apt. R-5 Cookeville, TN 38501. Phone: 931-520-3911 /Make checks payable to: SCA, Inc. Shire of Easaraigh ------------------------ 15th pre reg deadline Windycon (November 12 - 14th) memberships are $ 30 through today and $ 40 thereafter and at the door.. Info: Windycon XXVI, PO Box 184, Palatine, IL 60078-0184, windycon@windycon.org. --------------------------------------------- 21st The Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society meeting at Dyer Observatory on Oman Drive off of Granny White Pike in Brentwood ------------------------------------------------------------ 22 - 24th THE SHIRE OF GLYNN RHE : No longer Wine List now SABLE SWAN IX ( due to SCA policies) Greifynja Aelfgifu Haraldsdottir :Aelfgifu@aol.com THL Gwendolyn MacGregor : duffeys@ro.com Circle Y I Camp in LaVergne, TN http://members.aol.com/janessia/sableswan. janessia@mindspring.com ----------------------- October 29 - 31 Constellation in Huntsville, Al. / POB 4857 Huntsville, Al. 35815, Airport Sheraton in the Huntsville Madison County International Jetplex / GoH Allen Steele, Fan Goh's Tom & Anita Feller. constell@traveller.com --------------------------- , October 29-31, Silver Hammer XXV Presented by The Barony of Thor's Mountain Big Ridge State Park, 1015 Big Ridge Park Road, Maynardville, TN 37807 ------------------------------ October 29-31 OHIO VALLEY FILK FEST The Wyndham Hotel, Dublin, OH room reservations 614-764-2200; rooms $79. GoH: Tom Smith; Ohio Valley Filk Fest, PO Box 20125-0125, Columbus, OH 43220 , 614-851-0936; OVFF@aol.com ( the traitor /reverse carpet bagger Dan is going here) (( I wonder if I will get a con report)) .================ October 30 Orc Ageddon /Grey Niche ---------=====================--------------------- November Once again if you don't have your Chattacon reservations by November it may be to late. This is a convention with over 1200 people in a hotel with only 200rooms. (even I the silly pooh can understand that kind of math) Clarion Hotel in downtown Chattanooga/room rates $67 per night, flat rate./ hotel reservations are: (423) 756-5150 mention you are with Chattacon http://www.chattanooga.net/ccon/ ======================= 1st November ConCat prereg deadline Memberships for ConCat are $ 25 through today. Thereafter and at the door $ 35. ConCat POB 1563 Knoxville, Tn. 37901 Also reserve your rooms at the Hyatt Regency Knoxville by today to get the group rate of $ 65 plus tax (1-4 people). Call 423- 637 - 1234 to reserve your room. ================================================= November 4th - 7th World Fantasy Con (http://world.std.com/~sbarsky/mcfi/wfc/) Providence, Rhode Island . Hosted by Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc at the door membership $150. There is a membership cutoff so contact the committee before making a hotel reservation. I wouldn't expect to show up at the door and get in. 25th WFC c/o MCFI, Post Office Box 1010, Framingham, MA 01701 wfc@mcfi.org (for general information) Providence Biltmore and the Westin Hotel ---===------------------------------------------- November 5-7 TROPICON 18. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. GoH: Mike Resnick. Tropicon 18, c/o SFSFS, PO Box 70143, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307-0143 ==================== 10th Middle Tennessee SFS meeting --------------------------- 12th - 14th Windycon Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, IL Guests of Honor: Kristine Kathryn Rusch & Dean Wesley Smith $40 at the door. Info: Windycon XXVI, PO Box 184, Palatine, IL 60078-0184, windycon@windycon.org. ====------------------------------ 12-14, ORYCON 21. Doubletree / Columbia River, Portland, Or Bill Bowers is fan GoH $35 until 10/15/99; $45 at the door; children 6-12 half-price. Info: OryCon 21, PO Box 5703, Portland, OR 97228-5703 503-232-6506. saxon@agora.rdrop.com. ----------------------------------------------- 15th Smofcon 17. Hotel room block deadline /New Orleans at the Doubletree Hotel Reservations must be made by today to guarantee the room rate. Call the hotel at 1-504-581-1300 to make a reservation. Room rates are $139 single/double and $149 triple/quad. New Orleans has an 11% tax rate, plus a $2 city room occupancy surcharge. ------------------------------------------------------ 9th - 21st EARTHGATE 2. / Continental Inn & Convention Center, 801 NE New Circle Rd., Lexington, KY 40505; 606-299-5281 20th Nashville Scholars of the Three Pipe Problem meet - Silver Blaze ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th - 28th Chambanancon Clarion Hotel, Champaign, http://members.xoom.com/chambanacon/ $30 at the door. Info: ChamBanaCon 29, PO Box 2908 Springfield, IL 62708-2908 513-651-0427; ChambanaCn@aol.com. ----------------------------------- 26th - 28th ConCat 11 at the Hyatt Regency Knoxville, TN; Guests of Honor: Neil Gaiman, Lisa Snelling, Webb Clan. Info: ConCat 11, 316 E. Scott Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917; 423-637-6564, chloiea@mailexcite.com .======= 30th GaFilk prereg deadline Memberships for GaFilk 2000 (Jan. 7-9) are $25 through today, $40 thereafter and at the door.at the Ramada Inn Atlanta Airport South /GaFilk, 2175 Lenox Rd., #B-5, Atlanta, GA 30324; 404-321-2112; xwinger@cwix.com. -------------------- 30th Smofcon prereg deadline / Memberships $60 through 11/30/99 SMOFcon 17 o PO Box 61363 o Sunnyvale, CA 94088 Sponsored by San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc., ---------==============---------------------------------- December 8th Middle Tennessee SF Society meeting ---------------------------------------------- 10 - 12 Smofcon 17 / New Orleans Doubletree Hotel $70 at the doorSmofcon 17 ---------------------------------- 15th Chattacon 25 pre reg deadline $30 until December today 1999, $35 until January 1, 2000 and $40 at the door. / checks payable to Chattacon 25. Chattacon 25 PO Box 23908 Chattanooga, TN ---------------------- January 7th - 9th GaFilk 2000 at the Ramada Inn Atlanta Airport South, 1551 Phoenix Blvd., College Park, GA; For room reservations call 770-996-4321,the rooms are $69. GoH :Margaret Middleton $40 thereafter and at the door. GaFilk, 2175 Lenox Rd., #B-5, Atlanta, GA 30324, 404-321-2112, xwinger@cwix.com. --------------------------------------------------- 14-16, Chattacon 25 http://www.chattanooga.net/ccon/ Clarion Hotel. (423) 756-5150 $40 membership at the door. Registrations received after 1/7/2000 willnot be processed. Be warned they require legal identification at the door. For further information, you may contact Mike Dillson or Zanny Leach at (770) 578-8461. No collect calls please! info@chattacon.org or chattacon.info@mindspring.com. ------------------ 21-23, 2000 CONFUSION 19100. Van Dyke Park Suites Hotel, 31800 Van Dyke Ave., Warren, MI 810-939-2860.$30 at the door; $5 supporting. Info: ConFusion, PO Box 8284, Ann Arbor, MI 48107; 313-487-8743; confusion@stilyagi.org. ----------------------------- Notes from mail… From: TomFeller@xxx.xxx Subject: Re: august kronos part 2 I see that Debbie mentioned that Anita and I will be Fan Guests of Honor at Constellation. I hope that won't discourage anyone from attending. Tom --------------- From Robert Edwards via our mail list Robert reports, "Steve Jackson Games, of all people have a new Comics related site: http://www.comicbooklife.com/Check it out if comics interest you." Robert also recommends the "Cassini Division" by Ken MacLeod. Robert says: "Basic bit is that in a Anarcho-Syndicast (sp?) future, a 200-year-old member of the Cassini division Military planning committee is seeking help to fight the Superhumans on Jupiter. She tours the earth gathering her forces, then returns to the moons of Jupiter to get rid of the bastards. A side trip through a space warp, formerly Gamamede, follows, and encounters with well-armed capitalist anarchist's follows. A suitably noisy resolution follows. This is a serious Hoot, and I recommend it highly. ISBN 0-312-87044-2, 240 page hardcover from tor ( WWW.TOR.COM ), $23 US. An interview with the author and his bud Iain Banks is at:http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews/news0999.htm ------------------- A post card from Steve Francis from Melbourne, --------------------------- Fanzines and publications: Poor Richards Almanack 1 the progress report of the Millennium Philcon the 59th WorldCon. Among other things the committee wants to what you want in a WorldCon. They also want you to volunteer. ------------------------------- File 770 September 1999 Lots of fan news as usual,to many obits, a rant from Chris Barkley about his vision of splitting the Dramatic Presentation Hugo into more categories. A couple of good ideas smoothered by a lot of bad ones. Just splitting up the award due to time length ( the vote called for 100 minutes to be the divider) to me has a lot of problems. A lot of classic SF flims clocked under 100 minutes such as the very fine and thoughtful "The Man in the White Suit "(1951) ran for 85 minutes. One movie that shows up on almost everybody's top SF movie list "Forbidden Planet " clocks in at 98 minutes. The more recent " Men in Black " was less than 100 minutes. My preference would be to split apart episodic from single form. Of course would have to carry a lot of nit picking definitions that would cover a limited mini series. I could see a mini series being treated as a a single form because they often have one vision. Well anyway the motion not only didn't pass it was sent back for more study. The rest of File 770 had letters, convention reports and more. Mike Glyer , 705 Valley View Ave . Monrovia, Ca. 91016 File 770 now has a web page at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mglyer/f770/index.html Oh and from time to time you may have seen Kronos mentioned in File 770. ( thanks..) NASFA Shuttle Mike Kennedy, 7907 Charlotte Dr SW. , Huntsville, Al.35802 Sometimes you have a little balance.. on the same fron page that mentioned the death of Mike Ray there was a birth announcement of a baby fan... They also had the worldcon and Hugo voting statistics. ------------------ Twink 15 From Chaffnich Publications E.B. Frohvet ( or so they say..) 4716 Dorsey Hall Dr, #506 Ellicott City Md. 21042 Articles include one continued one on black characters in SF, reviews of books, fanzines and media plus lots of locs. I sat here looking over the loc's thinking I need to respond to this after of course I write to Kapa, Mimosa ect.. (brain and paws hurt) ------------------- On line fanzines: Cheryl Morgan's Emerald City at http://www.emcit.com/emcit049.htm. ----- Special Australian issue of Ansible can be found at : http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/Ansible/a146.html and it only came out via mail and by the web site.. no email version.. snif ..snif ------------ Nashville Scholars of the Three Pipe Problem ( Sherlock Holmes) newsletter: Plugs and Dottles. The latest issue has an article about Dean Richardson's presentation to the group.:http://www.thehawk.net/3pp/PDsept99.html -------- Victor Gonzalez's: Squib: http://www.galaxy-7.net/squib/ And in closing.. may not have noticed but there wasnt a September issue of Kronos. September was one of the worst months I have had in a long time. Between friends getting ready to move.. interesting neighbors.. (hmm this 'interesting' neighbor thinks he has a friend.. the friend called him a menace..) house stuff and my own health being a little funky I just didnt feel up to doing it. Oh yeah.. my work computerd died and the nadir of the month was having the put my older dog to sleep on my birthday. I know, it have been much worse.. all I have to do is read the early part of this to know that. But it just drained me. Things are going better.. havent heard as much from the neighbor.. she isnt a replacement but I do have a dog.. in fact the worlds friendliest dog . The tech people at work after blowing purple healing smoke on the compy took it away and cloned it. Took it away one afternoon had it back the next morning. My computer at home decided to finally communicate with an internet provider. Saturday it acted up but in a day straightened out. My friends got moved but not without a nightmare experience with U Haul. Do not USE A U Haul Truck to move.... The first truck had no brakes. went across town for second truck which had no gas. Got gas.. drove truck across town were it died on side of the road. Oh yeah the truck was ordered two weeks before the move. Actaully the paper work was done twice.. the u haul ( yeah you will haul it cause the truck wont) people..who were doing an imitation of the worst night hotel clerks messed up the paprerwork. One phone call to Budget's 800 number got a truck for the next morning which was gased and ready when they got there. Plus it had a cool lift. so i will miss my frinds but they are happy in their new house and soon they will get a futon so I can come and visit. life is getting a little better. hopefully see you next month... take care Back to the Club page
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