Friends of Fandom - The Triumphant Continuation of ...
http://www.cam-info.net/archive/
October/November 2003
Greetings From the 3rd year of the 21st Century.
We may not be able to stay on a monthly or bimonthly schedule, but enjoy it while it lasts. As you may have noticed, we now offer the Info-Alert in a PDF version which is ideal for reading or printing, but not as ideal for following links.
The big thing happening here in Houston is con fever. Our email has doubled, and the con discussion email is drowning out the spam. Suddenly there are any number of groups talking about putting on a con. The fear is that suddenly we will have three groups putting on three competing cons, and this being Houston, they will all independently wind up on the same date.
At the same time, it may be impossible for one size to fit all, since ideas range from one extreme to bringing back the mega convention for SF/Horror/Comics/Nostalgia/Media etc with huge dealers rooms, to a narrowly focused literary convention at the other extreme, with a general SF convention for all aspects of SF/Fantasy somewhere in the middle.
I guess we will see what happens (and you will be able to read about it here).
There will be a meeting of those interested in being on the convention committee held 8 PM, Nov 11th at the two-story McDonalds (top floor) on Post Oak between 610 and the Galleria at the curve where it goes from being a north-south street to an east-west street.
And now...
Fasten your seatbelt and bring your browser window to an upright and locked position.
And we are off ....
As always, how far off you have to determine for yourself.
Top 8 Signs of the Coming Apocalypse
Sign Number Eight - The Return of the Doctor
Dr Who is set to make a return to the BBC (but not for another two years).
The BBC1 controller, Lorraine Heggessy, told the British paper, the Telegraph, she had wanted to bring back the much-loved series for two years but had been held up because the rights belonged to commercial arm BBC Worldwide, which was trying to agree a deal with a Hollywood film studio. "Worldwide has now agreed that, as they haven't made the film and I've been waiting for two years, it's only right that BBC1 should have a crack at making a series," she said.
Mal Young, head of drama series at the BBC and co-producer of the new Dr. Who show, said the series is in the early stages of development and details of who will play the Time Lord will not be available for some time. The new series will be written by Russell T Davies, creator of a controversial Channel 4 drama Queer As Folk and the acclaimed ITV dramas Bob and Rose and The Second Coming (the reappearance in Salford of the son of God). Mr. Young said: "Dr Who is a much-loved truly iconic piece of television history. It's time to crank up the Tardis and find out what lies in store for the Doctor. We're thrilled to have a writer of Russell's calibre to take us on this journey".
Mr. Davies said he wanted to "introduce the character to a modern audience". "I grew up watching Doctor Who, hiding behind the sofa like so many others. Dr Who is one of the BBC’s most exciting and original characters. He's had a good rest and now it's time to bring him back," said Mr. Davies. "The new series will be fun, exciting, contemporary and scary," he said. “Although only in the early stages of development I’m aiming to write a full-blooded drama which embraces the Dr Who heritage at the same time as introducing the character to a modern audience.”
Mr. Davies will start writing the six-part series next year, with the results not expected to be seen on screen until 2005.
Early speculation for the role centered on Alan Davies, who worked with Mr. Davies on Bob and Rose and has been linked with the part before, Richard E Grant, who played the character in a BBC internet version of the show and Paul McGann who played the doctor in the ill-fated one-off co-production with US film giant Universal which some felt lacked the humour of the original and relied too much on gimmicky special effects. As bookies began to take bets, Alan Davies became an 8 to 1 odds favorite, but the field expanded to include Sean Pertwee whose dad, Jon, played the Time Lord in the 1970s, Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart and Cold Feet star James Nesbitt. Lenny Henry is 33 to 1 to become the first black Dr Who in the show's 30 year history.
Then Tom Baker got into the act claiming that Eddie Izzard would make the best Dr Who in the BBC revival of the classic sci-fi series. Baker also suggested former Page Three girl Melinda Messenger as the Time Lord's assistant. He said: "Melinda would be good as she can scream and has bosoms. It doesn't really matter if she can act." Baker says fans have asked him to step back into the role that made him famous but that he thinks such a comeback unlikely. He added: "If I'm asked, I would like to play Dr Who's arch enemy The Master. I want to play the villain instead of the goodie. Then the Doctor could say lines to me like: "You look very familiar"."
Eddie Izzard says he's honoured to be linked to Doctor Who but doubts he'll get the role when the BBC brings back the show. "I hadn't considered it, I didn't even know it was happening, and I don't think the BBC would want me. "They'd probably rather spit on me and slap me about with fish".
Finally, the Sunday Times Art Editor (presumably the London Sunday Times), Richard Brook reported that the BBC is to offer Bill Nighy (well known British character (and vampire) actor) the role of the Doctor in the forthcoming TV series.
Dr Who to return to BBC -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3140786.stm
BBC Official Statement -
http://www0.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/drwho/2003/09/26/7012.shtml Tom Baker fancies Eddie Izzard as the new Dr Who -
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_824849.html?menu=
Creek star backed to be new Dr Who -
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_823457.html?menu=
Eddie Izzard doubts he'll be the new Doctor Who -
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_827282.html?menu=
Nighy Favored as Doctor -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/drwho/2003/10/06/7221.shtml
Sign Number Seven- Governor Schwarzenegger
The Infinite Matrix asked a few SF writers, editors, and medical doctors for pithy comments immediately after the election. Responses included:
"Ugh! Is that pithy enough? " from Ellen Datlow and from John Cranshaw in Minnesota, "Just keep in mind that our governor can beat up your governor....". William Gibson pointed out that in the Virtual Light books, Arnold is president of the US or Governor of SoCal, he no longer remembers which. He then continues, "... hey, it looks like I've gone and been prescient again. I hate it when that happens".
Meanwhile the Sci Fi Channel ends its moratorium on Arnold Schwarzenegger movies with an airing of Total Recall.
Sci Fi Wire Article http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-10/07/12.00.sfc
The Infinite Matrix Editorial - The Cyborgs are in Charge
http://www.infinitematrix.net/faq/editorials/index.html Ellen Datlow http://www.datlow.com/ William Gibson http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/
Jonn Cranshaw http://www.sff.net/people/gunn/cranshaw.htm
Sign Number Six - Asimov's Foundation Will be Made into Two Movies.
(See our Science Fiction at the Movies (Splitting Foundations) below).
Sign Number Five – Sci-Fi Channel sues NASA over UFOs.
Ok, technically it is a group containing the Sci-Fi Channel, but of course it is the Channel that gets all the publicity. And it might or might not be “UFO’s” but something strange happened.
On December 1965, residents of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania watched a fireball descend into a heavily-forested area 40 miles from Pittsburgh. That night the area was cordoned off by the military, trucks and helicopters came and went, and the town was briefly placed under martial law. The next day, headlines in the Greensburg, Pennsylvania Tribune-Review read "Unidentified Flying Object Falls Near Kecksburg" and "Army Ropes Off Area," but residents of Kecksburg were never told why the military cordoned off the area and what, if anything, was found.
NASA and the Department of Defense are still maintaining their wall of silence," said SCI FI Channel president Bonnie Hammer. "Whether or not this has anything to do with UFOs the public has the right to know." The group said it expects to file the suit against NASA within a week. Representatives from NASA and the Department of Defense were not immediately available for comment.
(Thanks, Al for bringing this to our attention).
Reuter’s Report - http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031021/media_scifi_1.html
Sign Number Four - Walking Tours From Shire to Mordor
http://www.ooblick.com/text/tomordor/
Sign Number Three - College Credit for Attending 2004 World Con
Really! Would we make this stuff up?
Well not just WorldCon, you have to attend a two-day pre-WorldCon conference, go to academic panels at the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention, and then join the post-WorldCon wrap-up. It counts as a three-credit hour graduate course at Boston's Suffolk University Departments of Education and Communication You can find out about this kind of thing reading the Noreascon WorldCon Blog - http://noreascon4.blogs.com/news/
Sign Number Two - Bubba Ho-Tep
A geriatric Elvis and an African-American JFK save an old folks' home and maybe the world from a soul-sucking mummy ... no, really! Ok, as a Joe Lansdale story you can believe it. Now think an actual movie with actors and special effects and everything.
Elvis is alive (though not all that well) and living in a convalescent home in east Texas. According to his story, The King secretly switched places with an impersonator named Sebastian Haff some time before his death in an effort to escape the pressures of fame. Unfortunately, Haff was just as attracted to the lifestyle of pills, booze and fried foods as Presley himself, and died very publicly in 1977. Having lost the proof of his true identity in a barbecue accident, the real Elvis had to continue making a living impersonating himself until a bad hip forced him to give up the stage altogether. He now languishes in the rest home, lamenting the mistakes of his past and unable to deny his declining health. Also living in the home is Jack (Davis), an African-American who believes he is President John F. Kennedy. Jack maintains that that his skin was dyed black and his head filled with sand after the fateful shooting in Dallas. Elvis thinks he's crazy, but since Jack is the only one who believes his story, he gives his friend the benefit of the doubt.
Then things get weird.
Bubba Ho-Tep - http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/screen.html
And the Number One Sign of the Coming Apocalypse
Houston SF Writer, John Moore, Sells Two Novels to Ace!!!
- See Our Feedback Session below.
Forthcoming SF&Fantasy Books
October 2003 releases from Piers Anthony, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Eddings, Diana Gabaldon, Stephen King, Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon & Terry Pratchett.
Note: The new Bujold is not a Miles Vorkosigan adventure but rather the second book in her Chalion fantasy series. (I thoroughly enjoyed it. Darn it, her fantasy is as good as her hard sf! - Margaret) She will be writing more Vorkosigan books, of course. The new Gabaldon is not a Claire/Jamie Outlander book. It’s a novel about Lord John (Outlander character) who has to solve a bit of a Victorian murder mystery in London. Ms. Gabaldon also has promised more Claire/Jamie books. The new King book is a fantasy, not a horror book. It’s the newest book in his Dark Tower series. Of course, he still will be writing horror novels & short stories. The new McCaffrey work is actually an omnibus meaning that it contains reprints of her earlier novels for new fans who had missed them or old fans who want to replace their worn out copies. There actually is a NEW Pern novel coming out in December (written with her son Todd). The new Moon book is the first in a new space opera series featuring Kylara Vatta. It’s good to see Ms. Moon back in space adventure!! (Although I must say that I really, really enjoyed her book about what if autism could be cured, in the future, called the Speed of Dark, a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award.)
November releases include books from Orson Scott Card, Katherine Kurtz, Anne McCaffrey, and L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Note: Yes, the new Card book is the next Alvin the Maker book! The McCaffrey is another omnibus (see above), as is the Modesitt.
For more sf&f new book listings and more detail (updated monthly),
see http://www.cam-info.net/forthcomingsf.html .
You Heard It Here First.
Show Me the Money
The Australian Science Fiction Bullsheet reports that special Lord of the Rings commemorative coins featuring Gandalf, Frodo, Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas (with Queen Elizabeth on the reverse side) were recently launched by actor John Rhys-Davies. The coins are produced by Pobjoy Mint in Surrey, UK. They will be legal tender in the Isle of Man, and can be exchanged in banks on the Island for their face value, but are not considered legal currency, so cannot be used in shops. Anyone have friends in the Isle of Man?
Australian Science Fiction Bullsheet
http://members.optushome.com.au/aussff/bullsheet.html
Crosstime Saloons Considered as Hard SF
Spider Robinson wants to know why our imaginations are retreating from science and space and into fantasy – http://tinyurl.com/mnhg
Near Miss
According to Eternal Night Science Fiction, Jack Chalker collapsed on 18 September. He was found by his 10 year old son who called 911. He was admitted to Carroll County Hospital where hospital tests found evidence of a heart attack. But perhaps it was not a recent one. He returned home some days later.
Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror - http://www.eternalnight.co.uk/chronicle/c28.html
Jack Chalker Wife's Blog's Archive (See Sunday, September 21, 2003) - http://tinyurl.com/ruce
Scanning - Scanning
The latest issue of 'Notes From the Underground', newsletter of the Houston SF media club, Several Unlimited, reports their purchase of a bar code scanner, the better to handle the jillion zines for their annual zine sale and REVELcon.
Several Unlimited - http://members.aol.com/ErikaF/su/
Fermat’s Last Breakfast
Ritual SF Breakfast Drives Yet Another Restaurant Out of Business
Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. It really hasn’t been all that many restaurants given that the Ritual Breakfast has been around as long as it has. And we were all sorry to see the Buffet Express go away. The Ritual Breakfast goes on at its new location at the Avenue Grill, 1017 Houston Avenue, every Saturday morning at 9 AM, except of course on those rare occasions when it doesn’t.
Ritual Breakfast - http://www.flash.net/~aajiv/
Quark Would Be Proud
Starbase Houston will be setting out on their Fall fundraiser on November 8 (with a registration deadline of October 27 to register) shuttling to Grand Casino Coushatta in Kinder, Louisiana. Your $10 buys you a round trip with refreshments, Star Trek and other SF movies, raffles etc. even before your four-hour stay at the casino.
Details - http://www.starbasehouston.org/pages/AwayTeam.htm
Starbase Houston - http://www.starbasehouston.org/
For Information on Texas Fan Organizations see out list at http://www.cam-info.net/clubslist.html.
Do you belong to other segments of area fandom?
Send us an email occasionally to let us know what you are up to.
SF on the Web
The Most Famous Little Girl in the World, by Nancy Kress, now collected in Year's Best Science Fiction, 20th Annual Collection by editor Gardner Dozois, is available online at http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/kress2/ , archived from its original publication in SciFiction.
What could be more puzzling than to know there was advanced life out there and not be visited? The answer, is to be visited, but only enigmatically. The story is about a woman, who as a little girl was abducted by aliens, and her sister who narrates. And as a series of events illustrate, the vast gulf between us and enigmatic aliens may be as nothing to the vast gulf between sisters.
Gardner also includes other SciFiction stories, Winters are Hard by Steven Popkes about a self made wolf (by way of genetic modification), and A Flock of Birds, by James Van Pelt which is an after the world as we know it ends story where a plague survivor ponders what went wrong and where the future lies. And from Strange Horizons he selects Agent Provocateur by Alexander Irvine. From the Infinite Matrix he picked the short short The Millennium Party, by Walter Jon Williams, which was written at the Rio Hondo writer's workshop for professional writers in response to a challenge by Infinite Matrix.
SciFiction http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/
Strange Horizons http://www.strangehorizons.com
The Infinite Matrix Rio Honda Challenge http://www.infinitematrix.net/stories/shortshorts/riohondo/
The Infinite Matrix http://www.infinitematrix.net/
Year's Best Science Fiction, 20th Annual Collection
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312308604/ref=ase_fantasicfuturesbA/
Winters are Hard http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/popkes/popkes1.html
A Flock of Birds http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/vanpelt/
Agent Provocateur http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020401/agent_provocateur.shtml
New Fiction at SciFiction
Greetings, by Terry Bisson http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/bisson3/
It Walks in Beauty, by Chan Davis http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/davis/
Caught in the Organ Draft, by Robert Silverberg http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/silverberg3/
Ancestor Money, by Maureen F. McHugh http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/mchugh2/
The Transcendent Tigers, by R.A. Lafferty http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/lafferty4/
At the Mouth of the River of Bees, by Kij Johnson http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/johnson/
New Fiction at Strange Horizons includes
The Birdcatcher, by Erika Peterson http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20031006/birdcatcher.shtml
The Cleansing Fire of God, by Jay Lake http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030929/cleansing_fire.shtml
Shopping at the End of the World, by Douglas Lain http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030922/shopping.shtml
See Jack Run: An Intergalactic Primer, by Wade Albert White http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030915/jack.shtml
Brightly Shining, by Jay Lake http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030915/rushes-nine.shtml
Sunfast, Shadowplay, and Saintswalk, by Rudi Dornemann http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030908/sunfast.shtml
Beguiling Mona, by M. Thomas http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030901/beguiling_mona.shtml
The Infinite Matrix has:
The Sleep of Reason, by Michael Swanwick http://www.infinitematrix.net/stories/swanwick/sleep_of_reason.html
The Last Cardinal Bird in Tennessee, by Neal Barrett http://www.infinitematrix.net/stories/shorts/last_cardinal_bird.html
Science Fiction on TV
>From Magrathea's Science Fiction on TV pages http://www.sftv.org/sftv/sftvschd.txt
SFTV News and Info
SFTV New Season start dates / Special Airdates :
Jeremiah (SHO) Oct 10 (Season Two)
24 (FOX) Oct 28 (Season Three)
Tru Calling (FOX) Oct 30 (Debut)
Clone Wars (Cartoon) Nov 7 (Debut)
Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) Dec 7 (Debut)
Monk (USA) Jan 16 (Season Two Resumes)
Stargate SG-1 Jan ? (Season Seven Resumes)
Jeremiah (Sho) Jan ? (Season Two Resumes)
Wonderfalls (FOX) Jan ? (Debut)
Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (ABC) Feb 5 (Debut)
Fearless (The WB) midseason (Debut)
Still Life (FOX) midseason (Debut)
For more information, see our listing at:
http://www.cam-info.net/sftv.html
Let the Games Begin
Half-Life Aborted
The first Half-Life game was a huge international success, winning dozens of awards, earning Valve Software tens of millions of dollars in revenue and becoming many publications Game of the Year back in 1998. Half-Life II was scheduled for a Christmas 2003 release date. Now Cinescape reports that after being in development for five years, hackers have stolen and uploaded at least a significant portion of the game's engine and levels to the Internet. The game's distributor, Vivendi Universal, has indicated that the game's release will be delayed until at least April 2004 now to allow Valve time to rewrite the source code and content that was released. The plunder of HALF-LIFE 2's source code will likely cost Vivendi Universal and Valve untold millions of dollars in lost revenue. So far no one has been arrested in connection with the crime.
Cinescape Report http://tinyurl.com/qchv
Cinescape http://www.cinescape.com
Kill the Rabbit – er Kill the Ewoks
According to a recent Fan poll, the top two fantasy dreams of Star Wars Fans are a lightsaber duel with Darth Maul, and exterminating the Ewoks. (You think we are making this up?) Now there is an online game from the Jitterbug people which delivers both. Of course they can’t call them Ewoks, but we recognize Star Bears just fine.
Star Bears: The Fandom Menace - http://www.jitterbug.com/starbears/game.shtml
Science Fiction at the Movies
Splitting Foundations
Jeff Vintar, who recently wrote the big-screen adaptation of Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, has been brought on to complete the script for another Asimov work, Foundation, according to a report on the Cinescape Web site. Realizing that the Foundation Trilogy was too large for a single movie to cover adequately, in a sudden fit of sanity Twentieth Century Fox is splitting the movie into two separate movies, tentatively proposed as being Foundation and Second Foundation.
Cinescape Story http://tinyurl.com/qcjg
Three Movies to Rule Them All
Now a unique opportunity to rot your eyeballs. The official Lord of the Rings Web site has announced that select theaters will host limited screenings of the extended editions of all three films in their entirety during the month of December. During the week of Dec. 5-11, audiences will be able to see the full-length version of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, previously only available on DVD. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will follow from Dec. 12-15. The screenings will culminate on Dec. 16 with the theatrical release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which will be shown back to back with the extended versions of the first two installments. You can buy tickets for the extended edition showings on the website.
Lord of the Rings http://www.lordoftherings.net/
Blake's 7 Returns – Or Not
Back In July, the BBC ran an article on the return of Blake’s 7 as a series of movies in an article titled “Blake's 7 set for hi-tech return” where they announce the signing of Paul Darrow to repeat the role of Avon, picking up 25 years after the famous last episode where everybody dies. B7 Enterprises Limited now control all rights associated with any future production of Blake's 7. They have development money for a project involving a new four hour mini-series set in the future of the B7 universe.
The Plot Thickens
BBC owns the rights to the original aired series but B7 Enterprises Limited own the rights to the "name" Blake's 7. As rights holder for the name, they now effectively have a veto over the release of the DVDs of the original aired series. They are currently blocking the release, and have stated various reasons for doing so, including quality and "commercial considerations".
And Becomes Murky
And now, with the death of Terry Nation, with whom Paul Darrow discussed at length “a two-part TV Movie that might capture the imagination of a new generation”, Paul Darrow has severed relations with B7 Enterprises Limited citing “artistic differences”.
(Thanks to Steve Dial for bringing this to our attention).
Blake's 7 set for hi-tech return - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3102295.stm
Synopsis of the current situation - http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7/news/DVDflim.html
Statement by Paul Darrow - http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7/news/PaulDar1.html
Awards Awards Awards
Arthur C. Clarke Award - Funding Slashed
Rocket Publishing, the UK representative of Sir Arthur, has provided all funding for the Arthur C. Clarke Award since its inception. But now there have been wide cutbacks at Rocket Publishing and this has included a major reduction in support for the award. Rocket Publishing will now only pay for the prize itself. Paul Kincaid, Administrator of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, said in the Alien Online that "This news has come out of the blue; I had no warning that it was even on the cards".
"The Award was first announced in 1987 and quickly became a prestigious trophy for the winner's mantelpiece. The prize money has always been equal to the current year (£2000 for the year 2000). To run such an award takes administration, judges, marketing and an awards ceremony (for starters) – and it all takes money which is no longer there. I am seeking extra funding for the Award and a number of promising options are open to us," Kincaid said. "These should ensure that the Award continues as before."
The Arthur C. Clark Award - http://www.appomattox.demon.co.uk/acca/
The Alien Online - http://www.thealienonline.net/ao_030.asp?tid=1&scid=7&iid=1929
Forthcoming SF, Fantasy, & Gaming Cons
The 2005 WorldCon in Glasgow has made their Progress Report 0 available over the Web in PDF format. They have a North American version and a Rest of the World version. By eyeball, I (Clif) couldn't see any difference.
WorldCon 2005 UK Publications - http://www.interaction.worldcon.org.uk/prs.htm
Random Rumors
There are Rumors that Calgary (Canada) may be bidding on the 2009 WorldCon.
A Wise Choice
Houston's OwlCon (mostly gaming with a bit of SF, Anime, Movies, and Parties thrown in) at Rice University is recommending a new convention hotel with shuttles to campus and a convention rate a third of the regular rate.
OwlCon General Information - http://hydrant.ruf.rice.edu/~owlcon/WebPages/general_information.htm#hotel
Also, coming up soon are Ushicon 3, an Austin anime con, and Millenniumcon 6, an Austin gaming con.
For more information on Texas (& nearby states) area conventions, see our listing at: http://www.cam-info.net/concalendar.html
Space, The Final Frontier.
Great Leap Skyward
And the big news is that China has joined the Space Race, becoming the third country with the capability of putting a man into space. A quite a few years behind (about 40), but coming up fast. Yang Liwei, the first Chinese Taikonaut, rode his Shenzhou V space capsule into 14 orbits and then landed safely in the grasslands of China's Inner Mongolia province, opened the capsule hatch and pulled himself out. He said the spacecraft had operated well during the fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, bringing him down just five kilometers (three miles) away from the target landing site.
Zhang Qingwei, second in command of China's space program, took advantage of the occasion to reveal plans to put a space lab and then a space station into orbit.
In 1980, Robert Heinlein wrote "'Is space travel dead? No, because the United States is not the only nation on this planet.'
Something to keep in mind. Particularly at a time when we are dependent on the Russians to get astronauts and supplies to and from the ISS.
Mir Veteran Foale To Command Space Station Alpha For Next Six Months
Yes, the medical & environmental people are upset because the air monitors and some other equipment isn’t working right at this time on the international space station. Mike Foale remembers when Mir was struck by an errant Progress capsule. What’s a little stale air compared to that? His comrade for the next six months is a cosmonaut who was onboard Mir during its fire. I would say that the current crew certainly has the “right stuff” for space station duty! --Margaret
Torino Scale Asteroids
The Torino Impact Hazzard Scale for Assessing Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazard Predictions In The 21st Century ranges from 0 (Essentially no possibility of collision and/or damage in the next 100 years) and 1 (Bears watching and acquiring more data for more accurate predictions) to 9 (Predicted collision capable of causing regional devastation) and 10 (Predicted collision capable of causing a global climatic catastrophe).
For those who enjoy worrying, NASA keeps tabs on all potential collisions at http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html. Currently there is only one 1 on the Torino Scale, 1997 XR2, which will make two near earth passes in 2101. Estimated chances for an actual collision at this point are a bit less than 1 in 10,000.
Torino Scale - http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/torino_scale.html
Current Impact Risks - http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/
The Write Stuff (Pen and Ink Optional!)
It's Baack!
ARGOSY magazine has been revived by Coppervale International. Originally intended to be quarterly, initial interest and subscriptions have been large enough that it’s been upgraded to bimonthly. It’s currently open to submissions of SF, Fantasy, mystery, crime, magical realism, slip-stream (Up to 40,000 words) and non-fiction up to 10,000 words (“essays not articles.” i.e., “pieces that are not tied directly to current events.”). Paying 10 cents a word. First world English rights. No fax or e-mail submissions. Post submissions to Lou Anders, Editor. Argosy Magazine. PO Box 43099, Birmingham. AL. 35243 USA. Submission guidelines are at http://www.argosymag.com/ArgosySubmission.html. First Issue will be on sale Halloween.
Argosy - http://www.argosymag.com/
PS Publishing (Connected to The Alien Online people) are planning a new UK digest-sized, quarterly fiction magazine around springtime. The magazine’s working title is 'Postscripts' and it will feature around 60,000 words of fiction (SF, Fantasy, Horror and Crime/Suspense), plus a guest editorial, book reviews and occasional non fiction.
PS Publishing - http://www.pspublishing.co.uk/news.htm
Publisher and editor Bill Rupp has announced publication of new magazine Continuum Science Fiction, scheduled to debut in early 2004, with a schedule of three issues per year. The magazine will be semi-professional, publishing science fiction stories, articles, and reviews. An associated website is planned, at www.continuumsciencefiction.com, which will not be identical to the print version. Genres preferred: science fiction with an emphasis on good story-telling and adventure. Interstellar settings especially welcome, also stories of Earth in the far future. They are also interested in stories of contact with other intelligent species, or even stories that deal exclusively with other species. Humor is always welcome, but must be well-done.
Payment: Science fiction short stories: 1000-2500 words. $20.00
Science fiction short stories: 4000-6000 words. $35.00
Science fiction novelettes: 8,000-12,000 words. $50.00
Articles: 2,000-4,000 words. $25.00.
Book and movie reviews. (A column approach, that is, short reviews of several books or movies in a single manuscript: 1,000-2,000 words. $15.00 Artwork. Query first, payment to be decided individually.
They will be paying for first North American serial rights. Payment will be on acceptance. Response times: three weeks or less Reprints accepted: query. Electronic submissions accepted: yes, but only in .txt or .rtf formats. Regular mail is also fine, with SASE. Surface mail address is: P.O, Box 1390 Bonsall, CA 92003 . Name of publisher and or editor: William L. Rupp Reading period opens: immediately Deadline: none at present; submissions open until there is enough for several issues.
Continuum - http://www.continuumsciencefiction.com/
Submitting Material - http://www.continuumsciencefiction.com/submission.htm
FFFeedback
We heard from Al Jackson:
Checking Amazon today, .... (I keep up with what is said about a book with my only professional story.)
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1930846134.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
They seem to have changed the dust jacket!
And now have the phantom author...... Joe Pumilia!
Joe was due to be in this collection , but alas .... , well... , ....
I usually don't pass on this kind of message , but Ardath is a Texan , up the road from us, and a very nice lady. She has really had a hard time recently, and some health problems that have kept her from coming to conventions.
-Al Jackson
***
From: Ardath Mayhar
To: Friends
Re: New book
My fantasy novel "Riddles and Dreams" has been bought and published by Images SI, at http://www.imagespublishing.net . This was the last fantasy I wrote, before the commercial publishing industry threw me out with the bath water, and it will come out in two volumes as The Exiles of Damaria, this being Vol. I. If you are interested you can find information at the above web site, and the book is available at www.amazon.com, as well.
I would appreciate your passing this information along to anyone you know who has been wondering if I would ever publish another book with a professional market.
Thank you!
Ardath
Thanks for passing that on, Al. Her book is at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0967701740/ref=ase_fantasicfuturesbA/ And Custer’s Last Jump (with tons of ‘Texas’ authors – Waldrop, Martin, Sterling, Utley and of course astrophysicist A.A. Jackson IV) is at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1930846134/ref=ase_fantasicfuturesbA/
- Clif
We heard from Carlotta Barnes:
Thanks for adding me to the mailing list. It's really interesting to read - your work is appreciated. I always think that there are always fan things to do out here in Southern California, but it sounds like y'all are really busy back in Texas!
Carlotta
Thanks for the good words. Well, it ebbs and flows, but yes, it seems like there is always something going on.
- Clif
We heard from James Husum:
Hey! Long time no hear from! Glad to see the alerts are going to run again.
Hey, James! Yep, we are back in business, at least until the unexpected happens. And maybe even then.
- Clif
We heard from John Moore:
Yes! I got back from China this evening. An hour later my agent called. Ace made an offer on two books. So I am now upgraded from failed author back to obscure author. I should have a book out in 2004, a mere 10 years after the first one appeared.
I am happy, happy, happy.
…
Ciao,
John
Now that is good news. Congratulations from us all! - Clif
We heard (indirectly) from Candace Pulleine:
Fortunately I wrote the message earlier. But I'm not feeling well now so I did not send this to as many as I wanted too. Please forward to as many as possible. Thanks.
Hi Everyone:
I retired on June 1, 2003 because my health had gotten far worse. Such things as my vision and my kidneys failing. I spent the whole summer sleeping or in bed with my legs elevated. After staging a party for my parents 60th anniversary, I started a "clean sweep" of my condo. Just like that new TV show on TLC, I’m trying to clear my home.
Anyway, I still have lots of zines and clones. Mostly K/S, Pros, some B&B, some mixed media and odds and ends. Clones go for $1 per3 ring binder, 4 for $3, and 8 for $5. The more the cheaper. What is not sold by January 1, 2004 will go to anyone who will pick it up. But by January 15, 2004 what is left will be trashed or recycled.
I have lots of other things for sell, just too much to list.
Since I’m home during the day (most of the time), all anyone has to do is call and ask if I can be home whenever they want to come by. Barring doctor’s appointments and doing things with family or friends, I’m home an awfully lot. Come by and visit even if you don’t want to shop.
Love, Candace
Pass this message to anyone you think might be interested.
Thanks to Mercury and Sammi for passing the message to us. As Mercury says “Her health seems to be deteriorating. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers”.
And that's about it for another Info Alert.
The Info Alert is edited and mostly written by Clif and Margaret Davis operating under the authority of Friends Of Fandom Vice-President of Publications - Dave Branda.
The Info Alert is archived on the web at http://www.cam-info.net/archive/ and you can always receive the latest issue via email by sending any message to latestinfoalert@cam-info.net AND can subscribe to be notified of new Info Alerts by sending a message to either fof@cam-info.net or latestinfoalert@cam-info.net that contains the subject heading SUBSCRIBE .
And now with a certain comforting inevitability, THE FINE PRINT...
The Friends of Fandom Information Alert is an official publication of Friends of Fandom, distributed in electronic and print form in furtherance of its tax exempt purpose. The information contained therein reflects that believed to be true and accurate by its editors. However, we make no guarantees. All opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and may not necessarily reflect either the official position of Friends of Fandom or the opinions of the editors, nor the officers or board of directors of Friends of Fandom. Friends of Fandom is a nonprofit, literary, scientific, and educational 501(c) (3)corporation committed to encouraging and facilitating interest and activities pertaining to science fiction, fantasy, and science fact in its various forms. Life is like a big Cat Boxe Party. It's already going on when you get there. And it's still going on when you leave.