RE: [Listref] Environment
Jeroen wrote: You can do something completely outrageous and offensive and not get kicked, while less offensive behaviour can get you kicked fairly quickly. How is trying to hack Nick's server less offensive behaviour? How is being at the center of every list distruption in the past year and a half since I've been actively involved in this list less offensive behaviour? Reggie Bautista _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Favorites
George A wrote: I know these kinds of questions have undoubtable been asked before, but I'm new and curious. What are your favorite books by the authors on this list? Brin: _The Uplift War_? _Startide Rising_? _Earth_? This is a really tough one, but probably one of those three. Bear: Ah, an easy one :-) Definitely _Blood Music_. But then again, I have a soft spot for biotech and nanotech. Benford: _Artifact_. Probably not his best work, but then again, I'm a sucker for archeological fiction :-) Baxter: I think the only Baxter I've read is _The Light of Other Days_, co-written with Arthur C. Clarke. Vinge: _Marooned in Realtime_. But I haven't read _A Deepness in the Sky_ or _A Fire Upon the Deep_ yet. Oh, and since you mentioned your military background in Korea, a buddy of mine wanted me to ask if they ever got around to giving the 8th Army HQ (the one with the nice golf course) to the South Koreans? Reggie Bautista So Many Books, So Little Time _ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Darwin Radio [was: First real post - Hugo Noms]
Bob said: First FLT is a convention in Sci Fi and it is needed to make any space story viable. This is just not true. There have been plenty of sf stories with interstellar travel and no FTL, even ones with vast amounts of such travel. Here are just a few examples: Baxter's _Space_; Vinge's _A Deepness in the Sky_ (although his Zones universe does have FTL in other stories); Reynolds' _Revelation Space_, _Chasm City_ and _Redemption Ark_; Egan's _Diaspora_ and _Schild's Ladder_; Benford's Galactic Centre novels. Rich GCU All Recommended ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Whoops!!
Gary L. Nunn wrote: Jeroen wrote That would be a very bad idea. Your recent extremely aggressive behaviour, especially towards me and to a slightly lesser extent towards Erik, is exactly why you are the last person on this list who would be qualified (and should be allowed) to host this list or a backup of it. Jeroen Over my dead body van Baardwijk As much as I hate to get sucked into this black hole, I am dying to know, Jeroen, who would YOU consider to be a fair and impartial listowner? I think a backup-list through Yahoo is a good idea. I mean it is impartial and for short whiles bridging periods of Nick's server being down I think we could put up with Yahoos obnoxiousness. I mean they do part of the archiving for us already so why not give it a try. Sonja ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Suuuuuuuuper Bowl
At 09:32 PM 1/27/2003 -0800, you wrote: Ronn! Blankenship wrote: At 06:04 AM 1/27/03 -0500, Kevin Tarr wrote: The after game interviews, [...] was cringe worthy. One word for ABC: Heidi. Not Even The First View Of Jennifer Garner Was Worth The Waste Of Time Maru John Madden is still head and shoulders above anyone else in the booth, IMO. Doug Have to disagree with that one. It took him two and a half quarters to notice that the Bucs offense Which can't run the football, was running the football. At least with the pace of the game he had time to gather himself, he wasn't talking about something that happened three plays ago. They still haven't found a good partner for him, Micheals was making his own cringe worth statements. Paul McGuire is the best announcer. I wouldn't have noticed this on my own, because what he says is correct, and you don't notice non-mistakes. Kevin T. Of course YMMV ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Favorites
snip Oh, and since you mentioned your military background in Korea, a buddy of mine wanted me to ask if they ever got around to giving the 8th Army HQ (the one with the nice golf course) to the South Koreans? Tell your friend yes. The golf course and the land it was on was turned over to Korea in the mid-90s. The are building and enormous museum on it. The military golf course is now at Song Nam, about 15 miles south of Yongsan Garrison. The driving range is still there. George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Whoops!!
I wrote As much as I hate to get sucked into this black hole, I am dying to know, Jeroen, who would YOU consider to be a fair and impartial listowner? By the way, I didn't mean this to have a nasty undertone, I was genuinely curious who Jeroen feels would be a impartial listowner. Sonja wrote I think a backup-list through Yahoo is a good idea. I mean it is impartial and for short whiles bridging periods of Nick's server being down I think we could put up with Yahoos obnoxiousness. I mean they do part of the archiving for us already so why not give it a try. It looks like all of the Brin-L messages are already being echoed to Yahoo Groups. I use Yahoo Groups from work when I get bored and want to keep up with certain threads. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Summary of UNSCOM Report to the UNSC
Here is a list of the findings in table format: http://www.usatoday.com/news/2003-01-28-weapons-chart.htm Quite clearly, Iraq has not completed with the UNSC resolution that was passed unanimously requiring that it demonstrate that it has disarmed. JDG ___ John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] People everywhere want to say what they think; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children -- male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society -- and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages. -US National Security Policy, 2002 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Catholics Could Lose Seal of Confession
Bradford DeLong wrote: Bradford DeLong wrote: But when the Knights Templar were suppressed by Philip the Fair of France and Pope Clement V in 1307, one of the charges was that the Templars confessed only to each other and not to other priests--so that nobody outside the order knew what horrible and foul things were going on within the order. confession is only seven centuries old? The idea that the seal of confession could *never* be broken would seem to be less than seven centuries old. If it was older than that, why bother to accuse the Templars of the crime of refusing to confess to priests outside their own order? Seems to be considerably older according to a case in a US court. http://www.law.emory.edu/caselaw/11ca/aug97/93-3291.ma3.html. quote Early in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, confession of sin became an obligation of faith. The Church decided during the third century A.D. that parishioners would be more likely to confess privately to a priest than publicly before the congregation. See Albert W. Alschuler, A Peculiar Privilege in Historical Perspective: The Right to Remain Silent, 94 Mich. L.Rev. 2625, 2639-40 (1996). Parishioners naturally would have expected that a public confession of crime would result in punishment by ecclesiastical or secular authorities, and confidentiality helped to overcome their reluctance to expurgate their sins. Christians were free from the moral duty spontaneously to confess their sins in public. In the eyes of the Church, they had a right to remain silent about their own transgressions. end quote Ray. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Scouted: Rockefeller Christmas tree gets recycled
From CNN Zoo recycles Christmas NEW YORK - The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree belongs to Gus the polar bear now, and some of his buddies at the Central Park Zoo. About half the tree was recycled at a New Jersey sawmill and turned into enrichment toys, as zookeepers call sensory-stimulating toys that keep their animals mentally and physically fit in captivity. Gus nuzzled giant slices of the trunk of the 76-foot Norway spruce, licking peanut butter stuffed into drilled holes. He seemed in bear heaven, gnawing on a pile of branches still rich with spruce needles. Sections of the tree also went to the goats, and to the parrots for their nest boxes. The crown of the tree went to Othello, the zoo steer. The otters foraged for small fish hidden in pieces of hollowed-out trunk, and the Japanese snow monkeys picked at apples and oranges hanging from an arching branch of the tree. ~~~ In Mines of Moria. May have made slight miscalculation, as it seems that cousin Balin has been dead for at least sixty years. Suppose it should have occurred to me that has been a while since last got Christmas card from the Moria folks. Still, cannot be expected to keep track of everything. From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Now I know I am a Netizen!
-Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Deborah Harrell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Verzonden: Geen Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Onderwerp: Re: Now I know I am a Netizen! From one Evil Overperson to another: Join me, oh Evil Overlady! Stand by my side as my Queen, and together we shall rule the world![*] EVIL GRIN [*]Or our solar system, or our galaxy, or even the whole universe, depending on how ambitious your are. :-) taps a long, red-lacquered fingernail thoughtfully against a cheek I should consider your proposition, but for the fact that I know you you already have a Queen...although I do not think that she qualifies as an Evil One. smirk So what? I'll have two Queens then: an Evil One to rule the world / galaxy / universe with me, and a Benign One to fool our subjects into believing they have Benign Rulers. EVIL GRIN Jeroen Evil Overlord van Baardwijk LEGAL NOTICE: By replying to this message, you understand and accept that your replies (both on-list and off-list) may be published on-line and in any other form, and that I cannot and shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences (monetary and otherwise) this may have for you. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Colleges Offer Students Privacy
-Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Julia Thompson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Verzonden: dinsdag 28 januari 2003 5:22 Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Onderwerp: Re: Colleges Offer Students Privacy who doesn't want to go into the more negative roommates right now, because she's not sure which story would qualify as the worst Tell us all those stories then, and then we'll vote on it! :-) Jeroen Simple Solutions van Baardwijk LEGAL NOTICE: By replying to this message, you understand and accept that your replies (both on-list and off-list) may be published on-line and in any other form, and that I cannot and shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences (monetary and otherwise) this may have for you. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: [Listref] Environment
-Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Reggie Bautista [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Verzonden: dinsdag 28 januari 2003 9:38 Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Onderwerp: RE: [Listref] Environment You can do something completely outrageous and offensive and not get kicked, while less offensive behaviour can get you kicked fairly quickly. How is trying to hack Nick's server less offensive behaviour? The phrase less offensive indicates a *comparison*. What I am referring to is that a comparison between my behaviour and that of others will show that their behaviour is far worse than mine. Yet I already got silenced by Arnett once (and since then he has repeatedly threatened to do it again) while those others (such as Giorgis and Crystall) apparently have been granted immunity from administrative action, given the fact that no action was ever taken against their gross misbehaviour. Let's face it: Crystall launched a flame war against me, but no action was taken against him. Last week he launched a personal attack against Erik Reuter, and again no action was taken against him. As for Giorgis, well, we already know that he has a very long track record when it comes to personal attacks, but no action was ever taken against him either. How is being at the center of every list distruption in the past year and a half since I've been actively involved in this list less offensive behaviour? If you analyse those disruptions, you will find that it was never *me* who started them, but that I was fighting back after someone else attacked me. Jeroen History will prove me right van Baardwijk LEGAL NOTICE: By replying to this message, you understand and accept that your replies (both on-list and off-list) may be published on-line and in any other form, and that I cannot and shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences (monetary and otherwise) this may have for you. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Whoops!!
-Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Gary L. Nunn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Verzonden: dinsdag 28 januari 2003 13:38 Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Onderwerp: RE: Whoops!! I think a backup-list through Yahoo is a good idea. I mean it is impartial and for short whiles bridging periods of Nick's server being down I think we could put up with Yahoos obnoxiousness. I mean they do part of the archiving for us already so why not give it a try. It looks like all of the Brin-L messages are already being echoed to Yahoo Groups. That doesn't make it a backup list. IIRC, it is simply subscribed to Brin-L -- so if Arnett's server goes down, no messages will appear at Yahoo!Groups either. Jeroen Former co-listowner, wrongfully removed van Baardwijk LEGAL NOTICE: By replying to this message, you understand and accept that your replies (both on-list and off-list) may be published on-line and in any other form, and that I cannot and shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences (monetary and otherwise) this may have for you. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Fareed Zakaria on Iraq
--- Doug Pensinger [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Who could disagree with most of what he is saying? But why not keep working with our allies and the U.N. and keep the pressure on Hussain while continuing to support internal dissent. Actively seeking a peaceful solution has the potential of reaping all or most of the benefits of an immediate, preemptive attack and avoids the serious problems mentioned along with a few more I can think of including not having to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure after it is destroyed and the good will of the international community. Doug GCU Patience is a Virtue Unfortunately, our so-called Allies could. It should be obvious by now that if President Bush hadn't declared his willingness to attack with or without UN sanction, our allies would have continued to advocate what they advocated in the past - doing absolutely nothing. France has continually pushed to cripple any attempt to weaken Saddam. It opposed the sanctions regime. It crippled the inspections. When the inspectors were thrown out it prevented any attempts to reinstate them. When Bush declared that, with or without them, we would take care of him, they chose a sanctions regime as the least they could get away with - and then picked an incompetent like Blix to make sure that the inspectors wouldn't find anything. If Bush had been actively seeking a peaceful solution like Clinton he would have gotten _nothing_ - just like Clinton. Do you have an alternative explanation why the very countries that have done everything possible to prop up Saddam since 1991 and are still doing everything they can to stop us from getting rid of him now decided to support inspections only _after_ President Bush said that is was the very least thing he would accept? Gautam __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Welcome, Jose
-Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Nick Arnett [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Verzonden: maandag 27 januari 2003 5:47 Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Onderwerp: Welcome, Jose Welcome, Jose! Feel free to tell everyone how we used to hog-tie flame-baiters and tickle them into submission. You *tickled* them? So, what made you throw such a subtle method overboard? I mean, your method of list-control on this list is anything but subtle. Quite frankly, it is about as subtle as a sledge hammer... :-( Jeroen History will prove me right van Baardwijk LEGAL NOTICE: By replying to this message, you understand and accept that your replies (both on-list and off-list) may be published on-line and in any other form, and that I cannot and shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences (monetary and otherwise) this may have for you. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Fareed Zakaria on Iraq
Gautam said: Unfortunately, our so-called Allies could. It should be obvious by now that if President Bush hadn't declared his willingness to attack with or without UN sanction, our allies would have continued to advocate what they advocated in the past - doing absolutely nothing. One of those allies, however, is sending 30,000 troops, several hundred tanks and APCs, an aircraft carrier, a helicopter carrier, a few landing support ships, a task force of other warships, several squadrons of fighters and bombers... Rich, who doesn't quite see how acting without UN sanction to make Iraq obey UN resolutions works. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Fareed Zakaria on Iraq
--- Richard Baker [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: One of those allies, however, is sending 30,000 troops, several hundred tanks and APCs, an aircraft carrier, a helicopter carrier, a few landing support ships, a task force of other warships, several squadrons of fighters and bombers... Rich, who doesn't quite see how acting without UN sanction to make Iraq obey UN resolutions works. Britain, of course, being a real ally. Britain will be with us in this, with or without UN sanction - except that point is meaningless, because we've _got_ UN sanction. A unanimous vote of the security council, in fact. At which point, exactly, do y'all stop genuflecting to the UN? Hussein is in violation of how many UN resolutions, exactly? 10? 15? If the UN doesn't take _itself_ seriously enough to actually bother to enforce those resolutions, then why do you? President Bush, Tony Blair, and John Howard appear to be just about the only three heads of government in the world who actually think the UN is worth preserving, instead of just being a laughingstock debating society. Gautam __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Texas fiction (L3!)
Kevin Tarr wrote: Were you looking for more authors? (okay I see you weren't) How about: http://mostlyfiction.com/west/mcmurtry.htm#bio Larry McMurtry was born in Wichita Falls,Texas in 1936. rest snipped I see McMurtry books for sale at the supermarket. Should I be picking one up next month? Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Suuuuuuuuper Bowl
Doug Pensinger wrote: Ronn! Blankenship wrote: At 06:04 AM 1/27/03 -0500, Kevin Tarr wrote: The after game interviews, [...] was cringe worthy. One word for ABC: Heidi. Not Even The First View Of Jennifer Garner Was Worth The Waste Of Time Maru John Madden is still head and shoulders above anyone else in the booth, IMO. He's pretty good at color commentary. For play-by-play, I really like Al Michaels. Maybe it's that I really like Al Michaels' *voice*. But he is better on the play-by-play than some other announcers. Darryl Johnston hasn't been doing too bad a job on commentary from what I've seen. I imagine that when he's been doing it as long as Madden has, he'll be one of the greats. (If he's at it that long.) Folks I really *don't* like having in the booth include Boomer Esiason (sp?) and Cris Collinsworth. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Scouted: It's NOT so cold in space, after all.
Temperatures listed are in Farenheit, in case some you were wondering why it was almost hot enough to boil water in the shuttle's lab. Better add 'unbreakable dehumidifiers' to the life support system wish list. Jon Elf women just the right height to keep my ears warm. Go me! From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin Astronauts heat up beds to cool off lab CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) --With temperatures of nearly 80 degrees in their laboratory, shuttle Columbia's astronauts had to take unorthodox steps to cool it down, including warming up their sleeping quarters. Columbia's lab began heating up almost a week ago after a pair of dehumidifiers broke down. The astronauts managed to get the temperature below 80 degrees by directing the flow of cool air from the crew cabin into the lab, back in the payload bay. But that wasn't enough. Over the weekend, Mission Control asked whether the astronauts would mind if their sleeping bunks got a little warmer in order to get more cool air flowing into the lab. Commander Rick Husband said that would be fine. The warming temperatures affected other shuttle passengers as well. Soon after the breakdown happened, astronauts removed the sound-reducing covers from the cages of experimental rats to keep the animals as cool as possible. John Charles, a NASA scientist at Mission Control, said all 13 rats appeared to be doing fine. In addition to the rodents, Columbia is carrying spiders, silkworms, carpenter bees, harvester ants and fish during a rare flight devoted solely to science. Nevertheless, the balmy temperature in orbit was the envy of flight controllers working in Greenbelt, Maryland, which on Monday had high temperatures in the low 20s and a wind chill that made it seem like in the teens. Columbia and its crew of six Americans and one Israeli are due back on Earth next weekend. Ilan Ramon, a colonel in Israel's air force, became the first Israeli in space with the launch of Columbia on January 16. -- Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
Hi, gang!! Given the mixed nature of the topics in this List, and the possible cumulative knowledge of the members of this list, I thought I'd like to start the following thread... ;-) I teach a Computer Science course, and I'm asking my students to research on the topic of The Pros and Cons of Online Dating. What does that have to do with Computer Science? Well, I like to keep the topics in my class fresh and up-to-date. I like to bring in, from time to time, unusual stuff that you probably can't find in a textbook, but which constitutes an essential part of day-to-day computing. Anyway, this is where I'm going to... * Did you found the love of your life online? Or.. * Do you have an online dating horror story you wish to share? * Do you have advice that you would like to give those poor, young souls that are venturing into the wild frontier of the Internet dating sites? * Have you heard a story and you think it's relevant? Then, by all mean, sound off. I want to be able to share them with my kids. They're High School Seniors. They can handle almost anything. * Incidentally, if anyone out there knows of any particular website that may have information on how Online Dating got started (a history of sorts), I'll appreciate it. My kids and I thank you in advance. JJ Proud Member, Order of the Mendicant X-Sysops - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
Hi Jose and welcome to the list. I'm not eligible for your project, but can suggest a possible helpful column. Salon.com recently started a feature called 'match made in heaven, match made in hell' which posts submitted letters on online dating experiences. http://dir.salon.com/topics/match_made_in_heaven_match_made_in_hell/ Jon -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 4:31 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: We Want Your Online Dating Stories... Hi, gang!! Given the mixed nature of the topics in this List, and the possible cumulative knowledge of the members of this list, I thought I'd like to start the following thread... ;-) I teach a Computer Science course, and I'm asking my students to research on the topic of The Pros and Cons of Online Dating. What does that have to do with Computer Science? Well, I like to keep the topics in my class fresh and up-to-date. I like to bring in, from time to time, unusual stuff that you probably can't find in a textbook, but which constitutes an essential part of day-to-day computing. Anyway, this is where I'm going to... * Did you found the love of your life online? Or.. * Do you have an online dating horror story you wish to share? * Do you have advice that you would like to give those poor, young souls that are venturing into the wild frontier of the Internet dating sites? * Have you heard a story and you think it's relevant? Then, by all mean, sound off. I want to be able to share them with my kids. They're High School Seniors. They can handle almost anything. * Incidentally, if anyone out there knows of any particular website that may have information on how Online Dating got started (a history of sorts), I'll appreciate it. My kids and I thank you in advance. JJ Proud Member, Order of the Mendicant X-Sysops - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Top 10 SF Characters
Top SF Characters Ranked SFX magazine has published a list of the top 10 science-fiction characters of all time, as determined by a poll of readers. The results of the poll include four characters from UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, two from the SCI FI Channel's Farscape and two from Star Wars. The number one spot went to British SF legend Doctor Who. The complete top 10 list follows: 1. Doctor Who (Doctor Who) 2. Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 3. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 4. John Crichton (Farscape) 5. Aeryn Sun (Farscape) 6. Han Solo (the Star Wars saga) 7. Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 8. Darth Vader (the Star Wars saga) 9. Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 10. Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue298/news.html ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
JJ said: * Did you found the love of your life online? Or.. * Do you have an online dating horror story you wish to share? Salon.com have been running several stories like this every week in their Match Made in Heaven, Match Made in Hell series on online dating: http://dir.salon.com/topics/heaven_and_hell/index.html Rich GCU Funny And Touching ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of The Fool ... SFX magazine has published a list of the top 10 science-fiction characters of all time, as determined by a poll of readers. The results of the poll include four characters from UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, And the science in Buffy is exactly what? Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Wow. I guess nobody reads. But to be fair, I find it hard to remember characters' names from SF books...I remember authors and titles, but except for a handful I tend to forget characters very quickly. 1. Hiro Protagonist, Stephenson, Snow Crash 2. The surfer who rides a tidal wave into a skyscraper, Niven, Lucifer's Hammer. 3. ... On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, The Fool wrote: Top SF Characters Ranked SFX magazine has published a list of the top 10 science-fiction characters of all time, as determined by a poll of readers. The results of the poll include four characters from UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, two from the SCI FI Channel's Farscape and two from Star Wars. The number one spot went to British SF legend Doctor Who. The complete top 10 list follows: 1. Doctor Who (Doctor Who) 2. Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 3. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 4. John Crichton (Farscape) 5. Aeryn Sun (Farscape) 6. Han Solo (the Star Wars saga) 7. Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 8. Darth Vader (the Star Wars saga) 9. Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 10. Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue298/news.html ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l Marvin Long Austin, Texas Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Poindexter Ashcroft, LLP (Formerly the USA) http://www.breakyourchains.org/john_poindexter.htm ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wow. I guess nobody reads. But to be fair, I find it hard to remember There are lots of Dr. Who books, more than a few star wars books, and I can think of four books starring Gandalf off the top of my head. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Quoting The Fool [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Top SF Characters Ranked SFX magazine has published a list of the top 10 science-fiction characters of all time, as determined by a poll of readers. The results of the poll include four characters from UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, two from the SCI FI Channel's Farscape and two from Star Wars. The number one spot went to British SF legend Doctor Who. The complete top 10 list follows: 1. Doctor Who (Doctor Who) 2. Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 3. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 4. John Crichton (Farscape) 5. Aeryn Sun (Farscape) 6. Han Solo (the Star Wars saga) 7. Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 8. Darth Vader (the Star Wars saga) 9. Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 10. Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) I can't believe that two characters from Buffy are on the same list as Darth Vader and Gandalf. JJ Mendicant X-Sysop - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, The Fool wrote: From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wow. I guess nobody reads. But to be fair, I find it hard to remember There are lots of Dr. Who books, more than a few star wars books, and I can think of four books starring Gandalf off the top of my head. Well, Gandalf is hardly SF; but otherwise I suppose it's possible that all those TV episodes and movies didn't influence the voting ;-P Marvin Long Who has read some Dr. Who books and some Star Wars books, but let's face it: they're crap and are only enjoyable if you have a mental image of Tom Baker (et al.) or Harrison Ford to superimpose on the action. Austin, Texas Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Poindexter Ashcroft, LLP (Formerly the USA) http://www.breakyourchains.org/john_poindexter.htm ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
That was a survey of teenage TV adicts. Let's do our own survey: Top 10 non-sentient SF creatures. 1. Black Destroyer [questionable as to non sentient?] 2. Hurkle 3. Grampa [sp? floating raft] 4. 5. 6. Tribbles 7. 8. 9. Damnthing 10. Fill in, comment, and rant. Anything to Buff out the memory of that other list. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Let's do our own survey: Lazarus Long Gillian Baskin - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, The Fool wrote: From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wow. I guess nobody reads. But to be fair, I find it hard to remember There are lots of Dr. Who books, more than a few star wars books, and I can think of four books starring Gandalf off the top of my head. Well, Gandalf is hardly SF; but otherwise I suppose it's possible that all those TV episodes and movies didn't influence the voting ;-P Well Star Wars is hardly SF... Marvin Long Who has read some Dr. Who books and some Star Wars books, but let's face it: they're crap and are only enjoyable if you have a mental image of Tom Baker (et al.) or Harrison Ford to superimpose on the action. Can't argue with that. Although I also liked Jon Pertwee and Colin Baker. Colin Baker was completely shafted by the BBC. Twice. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of The Fool Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:53 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Top 10 SF Characters From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, The Fool wrote: From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wow. I guess nobody reads. But to be fair, I find it hard to remember There are lots of Dr. Who books, more than a few star wars books, and I can think of four books starring Gandalf off the top of my head. Well, Gandalf is hardly SF; but otherwise I suppose it's possible that all those TV episodes and movies didn't influence the voting ;-P I think the voters and list framers didn't separate the traditional genres of horror, fantasy and sci-fi when voting for best _sci-fi_ characters. Sad, actually. Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Jon Elf women just the right height to keep my ears warm. Go me! From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
Hrm. This could get interesting, although I'm not sure if some of these would qualify as non-sentient: Thread Shrike Rewq Mugatu Localizers (not a creature tho) Ms. Puppetteer Cruciform Tormal (although I'm nearly sure they'd qualify for sentience.) (In no particular order) Anybody else? Jon VFP If you can't id 'em, just ask -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:43 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled That was a survey of teenage TV adicts. Let's do our own survey: Top 10 non-sentient SF creatures. 1. Black Destroyer [questionable as to non sentient?] 2. Hurkle 3. Grampa [sp? floating raft] 4. 5. 6. Tribbles 7. 8. 9. Damnthing 10. Fill in, comment, and rant. Anything to Buff out the memory of that other list. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Scouted: Heinlein Translated Into Dutch...
...with an unforeseen consequence. :-) Jon Dutchman sold pieces of the moon - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSOCIATED PRESS Jan. 28, 2003 | AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- For years, Rene Veenema says he made a small fortune selling real estate plots on the moon. Now he's in jail, on Earth. Veenema, 33, has been accused of fraud and forgery by prosecutors investigating complaints from clients who said they paid for, but never received, ownership certificates for their parcels of land in space, the daily Telegraaf newspaper reported Tuesday. Veenema, who goes on trial next month, was quoted as saying he made thousands of people happy before his business turned sour. He claims he sold plots for around 1,500 euros ($1,600) each through the U.S.-based firm Lunar Embassy. The American company has sold plots since 1996 to owners who include Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, David Letterman, Ed Asner, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Since then, the moon has sold well in Europe -- last year the lots were a popular Valentine's Day gift in Romania -- even though few if any buyers can ever hope to set foot on their property. The paper said Veenema was jailed several weeks ago and that prosecutors are seeking damages in a suit brought by five disappointed investors. Like most things I start up, the moon project had a promising start. But when the rush failed to materialize -- I had expected tens of thousands of orders per month -- I ordered a car, a house, you name it, he was quoted as saying. In fact, I have been pulling this off for more than 10 years, Veenema told the newspaper. My employers, my colleagues, my ex-girlfriend, I conned them all. When he gets out of jail, Veenema said he intends to repay all those he swindled and learn to stop lying and cheating. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, Jon Gabriel wrote: Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Some would make the puritanical distinction between SF (realistic physical universe with only one or two futurish changes, examined in a sophisticated manner, while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas) and Sci Fi (spaceships fly around the galaxy and blow shit up while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas). In such a scheme, it makes sense to say that Star Wars is Sci Fi but not SF despite its appallingly low incidence of green alien hoochie-mamas. Was the poll for SF heros or Sci Fi heros? Marvin Long GCU Hooch Hooch Baby Austin, Texas Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Poindexter Ashcroft, LLP (Formerly the USA) http://www.breakyourchains.org/john_poindexter.htm ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Jon Gabriel wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of The Fool Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:53 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Top 10 SF Characters Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Space fantasy. (How's *that* for a genre?) It's got enough fantasy elements that I don't consider it real science fiction. I *do* consider it to be entertaining, though, at least the bits with Harrison Ford. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
From: Jon Gabriel [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of The Fool Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Space Fantasy. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Heinlein Translated Into Dutch...
At 16:17 28-01-2003 -0500, Jon Gabriel wrote: Veenema, who goes on trial next month, was quoted as saying he made thousands of people happy before his business turned sour. He claims he sold plots for around 1,500 euros ($1,600) each through the U.S.-based firm Lunar Embassy. Assuming for a moment that those are 1,600 *US* dollars, whoever wrote that article really needs to update his/her exchange rate tables. If 1,500 Euros equals 1,600 dollars, then a dollar would be worth 1,066 Euros; that *has* happened, but the last time it *did* happen was early June 2002; it's been going downhill ever since (although it has actually been going downhill longer than that). At the current exchange rate (1 : 0.92), 1,500 Euros equals roughly 1,380 dollars -- that is 220 dollars less than the article wants us to believe. Just thought I'd mention that... Jeroen Casual Observations van Baardwijk LEGAL NOTICE: By replying to this message, you understand and accept that your replies (both on-list and off-list) may be published on-line and in any other form, and that I cannot and shall not be held responsible for any negative consequences (monetary and otherwise) this may have for you. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, Jon Gabriel wrote: Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Some would make the puritanical distinction between SF (realistic physical universe with only one or two futurish changes, examined in a sophisticated manner, while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas) and Sci Fi (spaceships fly around the galaxy and blow shit up while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas). In such a scheme, it makes sense to say that Star Wars is Sci Fi but not SF despite its appallingly low incidence of green alien hoochie-mamas. Was the poll for SF heros or Sci Fi heros? Science fiction 'characters' not heros. Dr Who is more of an anti-hero, and Darth is a villian. http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2608743.stm ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Marvin Long, Jr. Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 4:18 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Top 10 SF Characters On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, Jon Gabriel wrote: Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Some would make the puritanical distinction between SF (realistic physical universe with only one or two futurish changes, examined in a sophisticated manner, while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas) and Sci Fi (spaceships fly around the galaxy and blow shit up while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas). So would the former category eliminate FTL? What about humanoid-type aliens? Arguments abound on the net that neither seem particularly realistic or likely. I guess our hero couldn't be fondling wild alien hoochie mamas if humanoid-type aliens aren't present :) Such a scheme will shunt most sf into a sci-fi category. Certainly the only fiction book Dr. Brin ever wrote that could fit would be 'Earth'. In such a scheme, it makes sense to say that Star Wars is Sci Fi but not SF despite its appallingly low incidence of green alien hoochie-mamas. Was the poll for SF heros or Sci Fi heros? From The Fool's original post: SFX magazine has published a list of the top 10 science-fiction characters of all time, as determined by a poll of readers. So, SF. Which means none of those voted in qualify. Guess they used my original unnerstandin' of the term. :) Marvin Long GCU Hooch Hooch Baby What every young nerd dreams about: Green Alien Hoochie Mamas :) LOL! Jon Elf women just the right height to keep my ears warm. Go me! From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
OK, I'll buy that. :) I've never seen it in a bookstore, but I'll buy it. :) Jon Elf women just the right height to keep my ears warm. Go me! From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Julia Thompson Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 4:33 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Top 10 SF Characters Jon Gabriel wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of The Fool Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:53 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Top 10 SF Characters Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Space fantasy. (How's *that* for a genre?) It's got enough fantasy elements that I don't consider it real science fiction. I *do* consider it to be entertaining, though, at least the bits with Harrison Ford. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Book query
I know *someone* here knows the answer to this: What's the first book in that Diana Gabaldon series? TIA! Julia p.s. that's thanks in advance and *not* referring to anything involving Poindexter ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
upstream censorship: AOL
http://www.breakyourchains.org/aol_blocking.htm AOL has been blocking access to this website. In fact, AOL has been blocking adults from this website. America Online is a prime example of corporate fascism. There are ways to get around AOL's blocking. We will explain how to avoid AOL's fascist censorship at the bottom of this page. First, however, we'd like to offer some examples of the kinds of websites that AOL has decided Americans should not see. Our recommendation to all Americans is to dump AOL and seek a more ethical Internet service provider. Random Links Concerning AOL Blocking PositiveAtheism.org: Why Is AOL Blocking Our Website? http://www.positiveatheism.org/mail/eml9292.htm AOL Blocks NRA Web Site http://www.packing.org/news/article.jsp/1450/ AOL blocks political information http://www.oblivion.net/oblivion/9/aol.php3 ASSESSING FOR BIAS IN AOL'S INTERNET-FILTERING SOFTWARE FOR KIDS http://www.politicalamazon.com/aol-candidates.html Getting Around AOL by Using a non-AOL Browser While Still Connected to AOL You can surf the web with web browsers other than the one AOL provides. Usually Internet Explorer will already exist on your computer or it can be downloaded at no charge. Netscape Communicator is also available for free, but we have found several features we use on our pages are not supported by Netscape (Another AOL owned company). To use another browser with AOL, you need to connect to the web with AOL, then open Internet Explorer or Netscape in another window and then connect to your favorite sites, leaving the AOL browser window open. The limitation of this method is that AOL will periodically prompt you to stay connected or just boot you off for the hell of it. Using an Anonymizer Try visiting an anonymizer and typing our URL into the browse box: http://www.breakyourchains.org Recommended Anonymizer: GUARDSTER http://www.guardster.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
From: Marvin Long, Jr. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Some would make the puritanical distinction between SF (realistic physical universe with only one or two futurish changes, examined in a sophisticated manner, while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas) and Sci Fi (spaceships fly around the galaxy and blow shit up while the hero fondles green alien hoochie-mamas). In such a scheme, it makes sense to say that Star Wars is Sci Fi but not SF despite its appallingly low incidence of green alien hoochie-mamas. I'd add the qualification that SF is generally allowed 1 (or maybe a few) radically unrealistic element(s). This is almost always hyperspace or some sort of greater than light speed travel. But it doesn't have to be. - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Book query
Outlander? http://www.bookwormslair.de/gabald_e.htm Here's her biographical timeline. :) Jon Elf women just the right height to keep my ears warm. Go me! From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Julia Thompson Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 5:07 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Book query I know *someone* here knows the answer to this: What's the first book in that Diana Gabaldon series? TIA! Julia p.s. that's thanks in advance and *not* referring to anything involving Poindexter ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Book query
At 05:12 PM 1/28/2003 -0500, you wrote: Outlander? http://www.bookwormslair.de/gabald_e.htm Here's her biographical timeline. :) Jon Elf women just the right height to keep my ears warm. Go me! From: The Very Secret Diary of Gimli, Son of Gloin If you googled her name, the third link is a German fan forum. Kevin T. Much fun! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Scouted: Videotaping How Bugs Breathe
From: Jon Gabriel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] They were bombarded with mega doses of radiation, so experiments with more advanced animals aren't likely. Oh great. They've created a race of super insects! I'll expect the giant insects to attack anytime now... - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: upstream censorship: AOL
On 28 Jan 2003 at 16:05, The Fool wrote: http://www.breakyourchains.org/aol_blocking.htm AOL has been blocking access to this website. In fact, AOL has been blocking adults from this website. America Online is a prime example This also isn't new. And ou can get round it by using your own web browser which frankly any net-savvy AOL user will anyway. No, not a contradiction in terms - AOL is the only UK unmetered 56K ISP which dosn't throw people off every 2 hours for anything LIKE a reasonable price. And Anti-Idle will auto-click those annoying stay connected pop-ups. AFAIK port 25 blocking is worse as it's MUCH, MUCH harder for the average user to work round and denying people the right to use the E-mail client of their choice irks me intensely. (my soloution is PostCast Server which as it happens I like so much I continue to use with broadband today). Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Texas fiction (L3!)
From: Julia Thompson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] I see McMurtry books for sale at the supermarket. Should I be picking one up next month? Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite books. And I don't go in to the western genre all that much. (The others in that series aren't nearly as good...) - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: upstream censorship: AOL
Uh Fool? I know you're twitchy about them mighty corporate baddies, but some actual hands on experimentation showed that what you posted is wrong. I was able to access: http://www.breakyourchains.org/aol_blocking.htm From AOL's v. 7 and v. 8 internal Browser, as well as: http://www.breakyourchains.org AOL has been blocking access to this website. So, no they haven't. In addition, PositiveAtheism.org: Why Is AOL Blocking Our Website? http://www.positiveatheism.org/mail/eml9292.htm They're not. I got in to that page and the main page at: http://www.positiveatheism.org AOL Blocks NRA Web Site http://www.packing.org/news/article.jsp/1450/ Nope. Got in there, too. Saw their main page as well. AOL blocks political information http://www.oblivion.net/oblivion/9/aol.php3 ASSESSING FOR BIAS IN AOL'S INTERNET-FILTERING SOFTWARE FOR KIDS http://www.politicalamazon.com/aol-candidates.html This is a problem only for people who have the 'young teen' setting engaged on their AOL *5* software. AOL is up to version 8 on PC's and X on Macs. AOL 5 was out in 1999, I think? I'm not going to bother switching my account settings to try this one. The software they're complaining about is at least four years old. FYI: AOL 7 used dialup. AOL 8 used cable modem. I normally use either IE or Opera at home or Safari or IE at work on the macs. Been an AOL member since at least 1994, I think. I have never, ever had AOL block a website, and I surf constantly. I only rarely use the internal browser supplied with AOL, 'cuz it sucks, but, again, have never, ever been forbidden from reaching a site by aol. Better luck next time. Jon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Fwd: Tolkien Technology: A Commentary from Bill Hammack
This weekly 'engineering thoughts' topics range from Velcro to Muzak; this week it was hobbits: Tolkien Technology : A commentary from Bill Hammack's public radio program J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings enchants because it lets us escape into another world called Middle Earth. Yet, odd as this fantasy world is, it carries an important message for our world. Tolkien placed at the center of his saga the question of how technology fits into our lives. The story appears to be about the Quest to destroy a ring with incredible powers, but hidden not below the surface is a clear message about technology. Throughout the Lord of the Rings Tolkien often characterizes evil as technology. For example, one of the major villains, a Wizard called Saruman, lives in a place Tolkien calls Isengard. Tolkien, who was an Oxford Professor of Anglo-Saxon, knew Isengard meant iron yard, what we might call an industrial park. Inside that iron yard the evil Wizard Saruman spends his days building mills, chopping down forest, and blowing things up. He creates a system of tunnels and dams, and vents for poisonous gases and fires. Tolkien writes that wheels and engines and explosions always delight Saurman and his followers. The idea of machines appears again when he describes the evil Saruman as having a mind of metal and wheels. In contrast to this evil were the Hobbits. A simple, small people who have an agrarian economy. Tolkien once wrote to a friend I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and [I] like good plain food (unrefrigerated) Tolkien lived a life as opposed as possible to technology. During his lifetime he rejected trains, television and refrigerated food. He did own a car, but sold it at the beginning of World War II. By that time Tolkien perceived the damage cars and their new roads were doing to the landscape. He came to think of the internal combustion engine as the greatest evil ever put upon this Earth. His experiences with war colored his view of technological change. He served in the trenches during World War I and experienced technology as fighter planes, tanks, bombings, and flame-throwers. By 1918, he once said, all but one of my close friends were dead. Small wonder he disliked the immense power behind technology. In many ways the great theme of the Lord of the Rings is that no one should have dominion over the world. The Lord of the Rings is an anti-quest, with its goal to destroy universal power forever. Herein lies Tolkien's message to us, what make his Lord of the Rings still ring true today. He refused to let the material world draw the boundaries of life, and though his small Hobbits he asserted the individual's right and responsibility to shape the decisions and structures that determine their life. Copyright 2003 William S. Hammack Enterprises Usually this column is very pro-tech, pointing out all the small wonders of our Western culture (and it's a lot of fun to learn about how some inventions came about!). I do think it's understandable that Tolkien, who survived the trenches of WWI, was predominantly anti-tech, but I like my refrigerator and CD player - and then there are hospitals, washing machines and computers... and the movie of LotR. :) GSV Balance __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
At 04:07 PM 1/28/2003 -0600, you wrote: I know *someone* here knows the answer to this: What's the first book in that Diana Gabaldon series? TIA! Julia p.s. that's thanks in advance and *not* referring to anything involving Poindexter Here's some fun info. I know John answered already. http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/gabaldon.html Hmm, she seems pleasant. Can't believe she's 15 years older than me. At least she has good taste, her husband has red hair. Kevin T. tax time soon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: upstream censorship: AOL
From: Jon Gabriel [EMAIL PROTECTED] Uh Fool? I know you're twitchy about them mighty corporate baddies, but some actual hands on experimentation showed that what you posted is wrong. I was able to access: http://www.breakyourchains.org/aol_blocking.htm From AOL's v. 7 and v. 8 internal Browser, as well as: http://www.breakyourchains.org AOL has been blocking access to this website. So, no they haven't. Perhaps they changed. In addition, PositiveAtheism.org: Why Is AOL Blocking Our Website? http://www.positiveatheism.org/mail/eml9292.htm They're not. I got in to that page and the main page at: http://www.positiveatheism.org AOL Blocks NRA Web Site http://www.packing.org/news/article.jsp/1450/ Nope. Got in there, too. Saw their main page as well. AOL blocks political information http://www.oblivion.net/oblivion/9/aol.php3 ASSESSING FOR BIAS IN AOL'S INTERNET-FILTERING SOFTWARE FOR KIDS http://www.politicalamazon.com/aol-candidates.html This is a problem only for people who have the 'young teen' setting engaged on their AOL *5* software. AOL is up to version 8 on PC's and X on Macs. AOL 5 was out in 1999, I think? I'm not going to bother switching my account settings to try this one. The software they're complaining about is at least four years old. It's still political censorship, and I doubt they changed what they filter in those catagories very much between versions. FYI: AOL 7 used dialup. AOL 8 used cable modem. I normally use either IE or Opera at home or Safari or IE at work on the macs. Been an AOL member since at least 1994, I think. I have never, ever had AOL block a website, and I surf constantly. I only rarely use the internal browser supplied with AOL, 'cuz it sucks, but, again, have never, ever been forbidden from reaching a site by aol. Can you ever be totally sure that every 'host name lookup failure' or '404 not found' was Not AOL blocking? Better luck next time. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Japan 'loses' 206kg of plutonium
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory c=StoryFTcid=1042491288304 Japan 'loses' 206kg of plutonium By Bayan Rahman in Tokyo Published: January 28 2003 20:12 | Last Updated: January 28 2003 20:12 Japan on Tuesday admitted that 206kg of its plutonium - enough to make about 25 nuclear bombs - is unaccounted for. Government scientists said that 6,890kg of plutonium had been extracted since 1977 from spent nuclear fuel at a processing plant about 120km north east of Tokyo. But that is 3 per cent short of the amount the plant was estimated to have produced. About 5kg to 8kg of plutonium are needed to make a 20-kiloton atomic bomb similar to the one that destroyed Nagasaki in 1945. Experts said the missing amount was surprisingly large. There is normally a margin of error of 1 per cent or less when measuring liquid plutonium, which can dissolve into other elements. Japan's admission comes at a time of acute sensitivity because of the threat of nuclear proliferation in north-east Asia following North Korea's revival of its mothballed nuclear programme. However, there is no evidence that North Korea was linked to the missing plutonium even though it is known to smuggle goods in and out of Japan. This is an unusually large amount of plutonium to be unaccounted for, which makes me uncomfortable, although I think it's highly unlikely that it was stolen, said Tatsujiro Suzuki, senior research scientist at the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry. The science ministry, which reported the discrepancy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), dismissed the idea that the plutonium had been stolen. It said about 90kg was probably diluted into waste-water and about 30kg probably dissolved into other elements. It admitted it was baffled by the remaining 86kg but said initial output projections may have been too high and the plutonium may not have been produced. Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the IAEA, said: The Agency [is] confident that no nuclear material has been diverted from the facility. The IAEA, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has urged Japan to strengthen its procedures for measuring nuclear material since it first noted discrepancies in 1998. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
Re: Book query Change the title. I keep thinking I've got a customer. Last Sat was the Phoenix Lib. sale. They had so much pulled that they priced all the 800s at 25 cents each. I just sold Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton: a Reference Guide for $30. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
--- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Jon Gabriel wrote: On Behalf Of The Fool Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Space fantasy. (How's *that* for a genre?) It's got enough fantasy elements that I don't consider it real science fiction. I *do* consider it to be entertaining, though, at least the bits with Harrison Ford. :) Hmm, what category would 'Highlander' fit? Fantasy, b/c of the immortality angle? Adrian Paul is fairly entertaining... :) [Although Tracker' is so incredibly stupid that I can't watch it. :P] Favorite characters: Jean-Luc Picard Fiben Bolger Gailet (I forget her last name) Kira Nerese Tom (not Bombadil, but Gillian's, of the Streaker) (most of the rest of my list is fantasy rather than SF) Non-sentients: Keplians Tribbles (oh, definitely! Just don't want to actually encounter a pile of them... :D ) The Holy Egg Evil Characters: Admiral Thrawn (from the Timothy Zahn Star Wars trilogy - which I enjoyed, although I agree that most of the SW 'novels' are a waste of good trees) Khan Noonian Singh (sp?) Gul Dukat The Borg Queen (from the movie 'First Contact,' IIRC) Debbi __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
In a message dated 1/28/2003 4:32:21 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Favorite characters: Jean-Luc Picard Fiben Bolger I can never think of Fiben Bolger without thinking of Fatty Bolger. William Taylor - If at a SF convention, someone yells, We love you Jean-Luc!, I'll yell, Sejanus, you're a prick! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Re: Book query Change the title. I keep thinking I've got a customer. Didja read the whole original L3 Texas authors post yesterday? I'm waiting to hear from you. ;) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
JJ wrote: I teach a Computer Science course, and I'm asking my students to research on the topic of The Pros and Cons of Online Dating. [snip] * Have you heard a story and you think it's relevant? Then, by all mean, sound off. I had a friend in college who was dating a guy online. She seemed to have a lot of fun with the relationship, and at one point he sent her his picture. It was an almost Hollywood-cute guy. She seemed really excited. I asked her if she though it was really him. She said, I don't really care. It's just an online relationship, I'll never really meet him. Actually, she and I were in a choir together, and our choir did a little tour of the midwest (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado). At one point on the tour, everyone was supposed to write a limerick about someone else in the choir. Mine was: There was an anonymous female who met her boyfriend via email. A picture he sent, more crazy she went, but was it his? A minor detail. Reggie Bautista _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
The Fool wrote: SFX magazine has published a list of the top 10 science-fiction characters of all time, as determined by a poll of readers. The results of the poll include four characters from UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nick replied: And the science in Buffy is exactly what? SciFi.com and some other similar sites and mags, often refer to genre books, movies, and TV shows. By genre, they usually mean, science fiction, science fantasy (or space fantasy, like _Star Wars_ or the recent Joss Whedon show _Firefly_), general fantasy (like LotR), contemporary fantasy (like _Buffy_, or _Enchantment_ by Orson Scott Card), horror, and anything that is printed in comic book format, even if it has none of the above elements. Presumably, SFX does something similar, although I don't think I've ever actually read it. So even though they worded their poll as being about science-fiction characters, most of their regular readers would have probably understood that to mean genre characters. Reggie Bautista _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
In a message dated 1/28/2003 4:47:41 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Didja read the whole original L3 Texas authors post yesterday? I'm waiting to hear from you. ;) Julia I don't really do fiction as a bookseller. I know nothing, nothing I remember the Texas - Israeli War had an American flag strip tease. William Taylor - And A Planet for Texans, or Lonestar Planet, where everything was super something. But Piper wasn't Texan. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Deborah Harrell wrote: Hmm, what category would 'Highlander' fit? Fantasy, b/c of the immortality angle? Yes, fantasy. I prefer to ignore that incredibly ugly attempt in Highlander 2 to make it science fiction, by claiming that the Immortals are actually aliens. __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Favorites
on 26/1/03 4:15 pm, Richard Baker at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: George said: I know these kinds of questions have undoubtable been asked before, but I'm new and curious. What are your favorite books by the authors on this list? Hey, this is fun! Here are mine: And mine: --- Brin:_The Practice Effect_ Runnerup: _Startide Rising_ Bear:_Blood Music__Eon_ Benford: _Timescape_ _Across the Sea of Suns_ Baxter: _Anti-Ice_ _The Time Ships_ Vinge: _A Deepness in the Sky_ _A Fire Across the Deep_ Banks: _The Bridge_ _The Player of Games_ Egan:_Permutation City_ _Diaspora_ -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life - Terry Pratchett ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
Nick asked: And the science in Buffy is exactly what? Why the Initiative, of course; how else are you going to made a human/demon cyborg with super strength and speed and the ability to upload data from a disc inserted into its chest? You gotta have the secret laboratory, and the crazy scientist chick, and some fanatical drugged warriors to protect your research facility. Don't forget the cool military-type gadgets, either, or the hidden door... Major Mojo Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
Quoting Richard Baker [EMAIL PROTECTED]: JJ said: * Did you found the love of your life online? Or.. * Do you have an online dating horror story you wish to share? Salon.com have been running several stories like this every week in their Match Made in Heaven, Match Made in Hell series on online dating: http://dir.salon.com/topics/heaven_and_hell/index.html Rich GCU Funny And Touching Thanks, Rich and Jon !! I appreciate the note. My kids thank you. Anyone else? ;-) JJ Mendicant XSysop - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Quoting Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I *do* consider it to be entertaining, though, at least the bits with Harrison Ford. :) Julia Personal bias!! I'm sure you also like Raiders all the Jack Ryan films he made. :-) Seriously now, I think Harrison Ford contributed more to the success of the original Star Wars series than most of films' cast members. Except of course, R2. He couldn't possibly top R2. ;-) JJ Mendicant XSysop - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Best Dr. Who Actors
Since we're mentioning Dr. Who Which of the actors was your favorite? I like Jon Pertwee if for nothing else the looks he threw to the Brigadier when the doctor thought the Brigadier was being particularly obtuse. john ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Videotaping How Bugs Breathe
On Tuesday, January 28, 2003, at 05:28 PM, Horn, John wrote: From: Jon Gabriel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] They were bombarded with mega doses of radiation, so experiments with more advanced animals aren't likely. Oh great. They've created a race of super insects! I'll expect the giant insects to attack anytime now... - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l Of course. Haven't you ever seen 'Them!'? john ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Quoting The Fool [EMAIL PROTECTED]: From: Marvin Long, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wow. I guess nobody reads. But to be fair, I find it hard to remember There are lots of Dr. Who books, more than a few star wars books, and I can think of four books starring Gandalf off the top of my head. True.. but in all fairness, I don't think the great Star Wars books by, say, Terry Brooks stand a chance next to anything in the Buffy storyline. My thoughts, of course.. I could be wrong. :-) JJ Mendicant XSysop - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: That was a survey of teenage TV adicts. Let's do our own survey: Top 10 non-sentient SF creatures. 1. Black Destroyer [questionable as to non sentient?] 2. Hurkle 3. Grampa [sp? floating raft] 4. 5. 6. Tribbles 7. 8. 9. Damnthing 10. Fill in, comment, and rant. Anything to Buff out the memory of that other list. William Taylor Great one! :-) Okay, I think the Tribbles ARE sentient. They feel stuff.. like hate for all Klingons. But if you include the Tribbles on the list, I have to include the Horta and Jabba the Hut. Wait.. does Shatner's hairpiece count as a sentient being? ;-) JJ Mendicant XSysop - Running and ducking before any other Shatner fan shoots me a salvo of flames.. - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Quoting The Fool [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Science fiction 'characters' not heros. Dr Who is more of an anti-hero, and Darth is a villian. IMHO, I liked Darth Vader better when he was a villain, tearing up ambassador ships, torturing princesses and choking his admirals. I just can't.. JUST CAN'T picture him rolling in the hay on a villa in the South of France. JJ Mendicant XSysop - This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
Nick asked: And the science in Buffy is exactly what? Debbi replied: Why the Initiative, of course; how else are you going to made a human/demon cyborg with super strength and speed and the ability to upload data from a disc inserted into its chest? You gotta have the secret laboratory, and the crazy scientist chick, and some fanatical drugged warriors to protect your research facility. Don't forget the cool military-type gadgets, either, or the hidden door... Well, if you want to look at it that way... There was also a Frankenstein episode (Some Assembly Required, early second season), the episode where a demon gets scanned into a computer and starts wreaking havoc on the internet (it was a demon that was bound into a book, and to release it you would have to read the pages -- since the book was scanned, the demon was released into the computer, and eventually had others build it a robot suit to download itself into; the episode was called I Robot, You Jane, first season), the android episode where John Ritter plays Buffy's Mom's new boyfriend, who turns out to be a psychotic android (Ted, second season), the episode where some chemical akin to steroids only derived from fish which is being given to the swim team causes them to start mutating (Go Fish, late second season)... Season 3 is remarkably devoid of technology, but season 4 has The Initiative and all their (pseudo-)scientific stuff, and the 5th season saw the introduction of the Katrina-Bot (I Was Made to Love You) and the Buffy-bot, among other things... :-) You could also say that Buffy (and some of the other characters in the show) are basically superheroes, and superheroes have usually been lumped into the category of science fiction. And despite all the silliness, Buffy the Vampire Slayer still manages to be a great dramatic show. And it really is a drama that just happens to have a lot of comic and genre elements, sort of a _Kolchack_ or _X-Files_ with a more consistant core mythology and people who have a somewhat unusual sense of humor. Just like any book, movie, TV show, or piece of music, Buffy certainly isn't for everyone. But a lot of folks ignore the very strong characters and fantastic writing. I think the fact that the poll in SFX has four characters from BtVS certainly speaks to that. Reggie Bautista _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Summary of UNSCOM Report to the UNSC
--- John D. Giorgis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is a list of the findings in table format: http://www.usatoday.com/news/2003-01-28-weapons-chart.htm Quite clearly, Iraq has not completed with the UNSC resolution that was passed unanimously requiring that it demonstrate that it has disarmed. Thanks for the post; summaries make keeping up at least possible. Debbi who still has journal articles from 12/2001 to read... __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
I teach a Computer Science course, and I'm asking my students to research on the topic of The Pros and Cons of Online Dating. You mean, pros are the professionals, and cons are the convicts? Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
Jon Gabriel wrote: Well Star Wars is hardly SF... No, Star Wars is definitely SF. It's just terribly bad SF on certain levels. Under what genre would you classify Star Wars if not under SF? Star Wars is science/fantasy, because there's a strong component of magic mixed with tech gadgets. Come to think of it, so is Buffy. But Buffy is more hard-(science/fantasy) than Star Wars, because the Axioms of the Jossverse are testable by experiments done in that Universe, while in Star Wars the rules of the world keep changing across the movies. Come on, people. Buffy is _humour_. The fun of it is the absurdity of the almost **self-consistent** Jossverse, where Vampires, Demons, Zombies, Witches, etc share the world with XX and XXI century technology. I haven't seen _Firefly_ [and probably never willl - it was cancelled, wasn't it?] but if Joss Whedon had continued with the Jossverse it would be another great show. Imagine: Vampires against laser guns? Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
In a message dated 1/28/2003 6:22:11 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Wait.. does Shatner's hairpiece count as a sentient being? ;-) If it was, it would have run away screaming decades ago. 11. WhoJust to add some very young reader science fiction. 12. The bearor was it a Russian? If you don't know the book, you need to be taught. William Taylor - Pitching one Lao and inside. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
--- Reggie Bautista [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snipped further deliniation of 'Buffy science' Just like any book, movie, TV show, or piece of music, Buffy certainly isn't for everyone. But a lot of folks ignore the very strong characters and fantastic writing. I think the fact that the poll in SFX has four characters from BtVS certainly speaks to that. And my teen students suddenly think that I'm cool (or at least cooler than their parents!) when they find out that I like the show (although 'Angel' has been going in bizarre directions lately shudder). But my choice of 'guy-to-watch' amuses them (Giles the ex-librarian, who I must say looks good on a horse...). Not A Bad Springboard For Bringing Up Tough Topics With Teens Either Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Top 10 SF Characters
Debbi wrote: And my teen students suddenly think that I'm cool (or at least cooler than their parents!) when they find out that I like the show (although 'Angel' has been going in bizarre directions lately shudder). But my choice of 'guy-to-watch' amuses them (Giles the ex-librarian, who I must say looks good on a horse...). I have a good friend named Loey Lockerby who is a local film critic and who also has a website that includes Loey's Guide to Buffy and Loey's Guide to Angel. (You can get to both of those sites through http://members.aol.com/LRL94/) She has a lot of interesting things to say about the episodes, and although I don't always agree with her comments (or her episode ratings), I always enjoy reading them. She also includes a very well written synopsis of most episodes. Anyhoo, Loey is also a big Giles fan, and last season when he wasn't in several episodes in a row, and wasn't even *mentioned* in most of those episodes, she started a GLURP count (Giles Lovers United in Raving Protest) on her site. It got to 9 episodes without Giles, 8 without him being mentioned, and then he finally got a mention in the next episode so she stopped counting :-) Reggie Bautista _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
I Think I'm Going to Cry......
.wow, what a speech, what a President. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity. JDG ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 1/28/2003 4:47:41 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Didja read the whole original L3 Texas authors post yesterday? I'm waiting to hear from you. ;) Julia I don't really do fiction as a bookseller. I know nothing, nothing I remember the Texas - Israeli War had an American flag strip tease. Haven't read that one. William Taylor - And A Planet for Texans, or Lonestar Planet, where everything was super something. But Piper wasn't Texan. No, but it was a fun book. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Quoting Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I *do* consider it to be entertaining, though, at least the bits with Harrison Ford. :) Julia Personal bias!! I'm sure you also like Raiders all the Jack Ryan films he made. :-) I've enjoyed him in every film I've seen him in. I haven't seen all the Raiders films, and I think I missed one of the Jack Ryan films he was in (but I loved him in Patriot Games). I've seen more films that haven't been mentioned above. The one I have the soundtrack to here is Working Girl. (Dan has soundtracks to various Star Wars and Raiders films upstairs, so I can bum music when I want to.) Seriously now, I think Harrison Ford contributed more to the success of the original Star Wars series than most of films' cast members. Except of course, R2. He couldn't possibly top R2. ;-) No, you can't top R2. And any attempt to do so ends up looking silly. For example, I can't think of any sort of hat you could put on him that wouldn't look ridiculous Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wait.. does Shatner's hairpiece count as a sentient being? ;-) No, because it would have committed suicide years ago, I'm sure. :P (Or maybe it's a different hairpiece every month. Who knows?) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
Alberto Monteiro wrote: I teach a Computer Science course, and I'm asking my students to research on the topic of The Pros and Cons of Online Dating. You mean, pros are the professionals, and cons are the convicts? That's an amusing way of looking at it. I'm sure he meant reasons for and reasons against, but I like your interpretation a lot, Alberto. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Tolkien Technology: A Commentary from Bill Hammack
Thanks for posting this. :) Very enjoyable! Jon Stuck on top of tower. Great view, but constant pelting sleet not good for pointy hat. Am amusing self by spitting gum down on the Orcs. From: The Very Secret Diary of Gandalf the Grey -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Deborah Harrell Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 5:53 PM To: brinl Subject: Fwd: Tolkien Technology: A Commentary from Bill Hammack This weekly 'engineering thoughts' topics range from Velcro to Muzak; this week it was hobbits: Tolkien Technology : A commentary from Bill Hammack's public radio program J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings enchants because it lets us escape into another world called Middle Earth. Yet, odd as this fantasy world is, it carries an important message for our world. Tolkien placed at the center of his saga the question of how technology fits into our lives. The story appears to be about the Quest to destroy a ring with incredible powers, but hidden not below the surface is a clear message about technology. Throughout the Lord of the Rings Tolkien often characterizes evil as technology. For example, one of the major villains, a Wizard called Saruman, lives in a place Tolkien calls Isengard. Tolkien, who was an Oxford Professor of Anglo-Saxon, knew Isengard meant iron yard, what we might call an industrial park. Inside that iron yard the evil Wizard Saruman spends his days building mills, chopping down forest, and blowing things up. He creates a system of tunnels and dams, and vents for poisonous gases and fires. Tolkien writes that wheels and engines and explosions always delight Saurman and his followers. The idea of machines appears again when he describes the evil Saruman as having a mind of metal and wheels. In contrast to this evil were the Hobbits. A simple, small people who have an agrarian economy. Tolkien once wrote to a friend I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and [I] like good plain food (unrefrigerated) Tolkien lived a life as opposed as possible to technology. During his lifetime he rejected trains, television and refrigerated food. He did own a car, but sold it at the beginning of World War II. By that time Tolkien perceived the damage cars and their new roads were doing to the landscape. He came to think of the internal combustion engine as the greatest evil ever put upon this Earth. His experiences with war colored his view of technological change. He served in the trenches during World War I and experienced technology as fighter planes, tanks, bombings, and flame-throwers. By 1918, he once said, all but one of my close friends were dead. Small wonder he disliked the immense power behind technology. In many ways the great theme of the Lord of the Rings is that no one should have dominion over the world. The Lord of the Rings is an anti-quest, with its goal to destroy universal power forever. Herein lies Tolkien's message to us, what make his Lord of the Rings still ring true today. He refused to let the material world draw the boundaries of life, and though his small Hobbits he asserted the individual's right and responsibility to shape the decisions and structures that determine their life. Copyright 2003 William S. Hammack Enterprises Usually this column is very pro-tech, pointing out all the small wonders of our Western culture (and it's a lot of fun to learn about how some inventions came about!). I do think it's understandable that Tolkien, who survived the trenches of WWI, was predominantly anti-tech, but I like my refrigerator and CD player - and then there are hospitals, washing machines and computers... and the movie of LotR. :) GSV Balance __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
At 01:31 PM 1/28/2003 +0400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: * Did you found the love of your life online? Or.. Since I'm single, I guess that that's a No. * Do you have an online dating horror story you wish to share? Met a girl OnLine in real life after only a few letters and one phone call. We got together, and she literally was almost incapable of holding a conversation. We stopped for Lunch after seeing a Smithsonian together, and she ordered chicken wings!Now, I'm from Buffalo and was raised on wings, but even I know not to order chicken wings on a date, let alone a first date!Its the only date that I ever waited to mercifully end. * Do you have advice that you would like to give those poor, young souls that are venturing into the wild frontier of the Internet dating sites? For most things, be as honest and up-front as possible. If you deliberate create a misconception in the mind of your date, your chances of your relationship going somewhere are slim. That, and meet in real-life as quickly as possible. Quite simple, there is no substitute for real-life interactions, that use of telecommunications just can't match. Also, make sure you learn from the process. Think about those profiles that seem interesting to you, and make you want to start writing, and then think about your own profile and how to make yourself seem interesting to those types of people. Lastly, don't get frustrated. Probably 1 out of 3 people you write on the 'Net won't write back, and of those, maybe 1 out of 3 won't write to you for more than a couple weeks. And then, once you get to a first meeting, 1 out 4 or so will end after that first meeting.In other words, internet dating isn't a direct path to a dating relationship, let alone marital bliss, but it can definitely help expose you to a far larger pool of individuals than you might meet otherwise. * Incidentally, if anyone out there knows of any particular website that may have information on how Online Dating got started (a history of sorts), I'll appreciate it. Most dating sites have a list of success stories that are often mildly interesting. JDG ___ John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] People everywhere want to say what they think; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children -- male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society -- and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages. -US National Security Policy, 2002 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
In a message dated 1/28/2003 8:38:43 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Wait.. does Shatner's hairpiece count as a sentient being? ;-) No, because it would have committed suicide years ago, I'm sure. :P (Or maybe it's a different hairpiece every month. Who knows?) Julia You do remember the Tiny Toons Star Trek take-off, don't you? William Taylor -- Name game Plucky. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
John D. Giorgis wrote: At 01:31 PM 1/28/2003 +0400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: * Did you found the love of your life online? Or.. Since I'm single, I guess that that's a No. * Do you have an online dating horror story you wish to share? Met a girl OnLine in real life after only a few letters and one phone call. We got together, and she literally was almost incapable of holding a conversation. We stopped for Lunch after seeing a Smithsonian together, and she ordered chicken wings!Now, I'm from Buffalo and was raised on wings, but even I know not to order chicken wings on a date, let alone a first date!Its the only date that I ever waited to mercifully end. Why don't you order chicken wings on a date? Not something I would do anyway (not that fond of wings, but will assist in ordering eating if enough other people at the table want them). Would it be a bad thing to order a cheeseburger on a date? Bad to keep the onions on the burger? Is there some Tex-Mex specialty dish that ought to be avoided at all costs? If so, what? Some sushi that would be bad as first-date food? Is it impolite to bum wasabi if you're allergic to fish and hence not eating sushi, but eating at the sushi place to be polite, and also because they have some good non-sushi things that you *can* eat in most sushi places, including wasabi? I know you have to be careful when you're out with someone who cannot stand the thought of anyone actually eating a pickle when you yourself like them. (At an agreed-upon moment, the other person looks the other way while you chow down every pickle on the table. You don't exactly get to savor them, but at least they're not in the way of the other person's enjoyment after that.) Julia who's never done online dating and not terribly likely to any time in the future, because hey, she found the love of her life in the co-ed college dorm and spent an awful lot of time in his room initially to get away from a somewhat inconsiderate roommate (as opposed to the extremely inconsiderate roommate) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Top 10 SF Characters Rankled
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 1/28/2003 8:38:43 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Wait.. does Shatner's hairpiece count as a sentient being? ;-) No, because it would have committed suicide years ago, I'm sure. :P (Or maybe it's a different hairpiece every month. Who knows?) Julia You do remember the Tiny Toons Star Trek take-off, don't you? I think I only saw it once, and it's but a vague memory now. Duck Dodgers in the 24th-and-a-half Century, now, *that* one I *really* remember. (But that was ripping off something else, now, wasn't it?) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Darwin Radio [was: First real post - Hugo Noms]
In a message dated 1/27/2003 11:23:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Do you know why it's called a saltation? I think it was explained to me once in college, but I've forgotten. : No; My knowledge of saltation comes from essays by Gould who admired his work and had sympathy for it and Mayr and Dawkins who did not. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Fareed Zakaria on Iraq
In a message dated 1/28/2003 1:37:30 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: But why not keep working with our allies and the U.N. and keep the pressure on Hussain while continuing to support internal dissent. Actively seeking a peaceful solution has the potential of reaping all or most of the benefits of an immediate, preemptive attack and avoids the serious problems mentioned along with a few more I can think of including not having to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure after it is destroyed and the good will of the international community. That would be fine if we could keep the pressure on Sadaam and get our allies to cooperate but this will be difficult. It is hard to sustain battle readiness for months at a time (and there can be no strategy for ousting Sadaam without the imminent threat of war). We would have to believe that our allies would support of if push came to shove but I am afraid that the french and the german governments will not support us for their own self serving and cynical reasons. Sadaam has lasted over 10 years since the last gulf war, why should he not last 10 more if we don't do something now. As to his threats against us; He has made them before when he was in a much better position to carry them out. I am afraid that unless his neighbors oust him we must go in ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Darwin Radio [was: First real post - Hugo Noms]
In a message dated 1/28/2003 2:08:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Couple of sources: (Oh, and Dr. Zim, your spelling of Richard Goldschmidt was inventive. :)) Wow someone thinks my speellling is inventive how kool ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Darwin Radio [was: First real post - Hugo Noms]
In a message dated 1/28/2003 4:12:23 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: This is just not true. There have been plenty of sf stories with interstellar travel and no FTL, even ones with vast amounts of such travel. Yes of course it is true that interesting sci fi can be written without FTL but it is more difficult and less frequent. I love Deepness in the Sky but it does tweak the issue by allowing individuals to live for very long periods of time. My point main point is that we are talking about a future technologic advance that could allow this to happen. In reality it probably won't. In reality we are probably essentially alone. The problem with Darwin's Radio is that we know the scientific premises are wrong. Would you accept a sci fi book that had as its basic premise the sun revolved around the earth and the heavens were made of celestial spheres? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
In a message dated 1/28/2003 5:07:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: TIA! Julia p.s. that's thanks in advance and *not* referring to anything involving Poindexter fyi TIA in medicine is Transient Ischemic Attack; A stroke precessor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Darwin Radio [was: First real post - Hugo Noms]
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The problem with Darwin's Radio is that we know the scientific premises are wrong. Would you accept a sci fi book that had as its basic premise the sun revolved around the earth and the heavens were made of celestial spheres? Sun revolving around the earth, no. Celestial spheres? If a good enough case were made, I could buy it. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Suuuuuuuuper Bowl
Julia Thompson wrote: Doug Pensinger wrote: Ronn! Blankenship wrote: At 06:04 AM 1/27/03 -0500, Kevin Tarr wrote: The after game interviews, [...] was cringe worthy. One word for ABC: Heidi. Not Even The First View Of Jennifer Garner Was Worth The Waste Of Time Maru John Madden is still head and shoulders above anyone else in the booth, IMO. He's pretty good at color commentary. For play-by-play, I really like Al Michaels. Maybe it's that I really like Al Michaels' *voice*. But he is better on the play-by-play than some other announcers. Darryl Johnston hasn't been doing too bad a job on commentary from what I've seen. I imagine that when he's been doing it as long as Madden has, he'll be one of the greats. (If he's at it that long.) Folks I really *don't* like having in the booth include Boomer Esiason (sp?) and Cris Collinsworth. Joe Thiesman irritates the hell out of me. So does Dan Dierdorf. Madden may have slipped a little, but in his day he could analyze a play in real time and pick out stuff to comment on that had me wondering how the hell did he see that - then they'd show the play in slow motion and sure enough he'd called it. He's also got a great sense of humor. He does a radio show - just a few minutes long - every day on a local station and it's quite often either very insightful or very funny. Doug GSV On the Bus ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: We Want Your Online Dating Stories...
I'd say John's figures are a little skewed IME. I used to do some net dating when I got tired of being desperately lonely. I'd say of all the contacts I made, perhaps 10% actually wrote back, and about half to a quarter were interested enough to date. One thing to keep in mind is that pictures CAN lie. I dated about 3 girls that I felt looked ok on a net picture, but in person was less so. Also once you move from e-mail to phone, don't let success there create too much expectation. One time, I had met this girl O-L. We hit it off on the phone...remarkably so. We were chatty, witty, fun and intellectually stimulating. And there was a little sexual innuendo too. At one point she said she was amazed at how well things were going and that I was a real catch (yes I was impressed and a little flattered). Finally she asked me to dinner. I had seen a picture of her before, but felt she was acceptably attractive (a little big but I like my women with curves rather than bones so I gave her the benefit of the doubt). When we finally met in person I was wholly and utterly un attracted to her. Furthermore, our conversations became awkward when things weren't working out...especially after all of the romantic and sexual tension that inadvertently built up in our phone conversations. So don't let unrealistic expectations build up. Thankfully, after dozens of dates and other duds (one claimed she had sex with 30+ guys by our second date) I finally met someone I fell in love with. We're looking to get married sometime this summer... Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: Revell's Tiger Ausf. H ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Book query
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 1/28/2003 5:07:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: TIA! Julia p.s. that's thanks in advance and *not* referring to anything involving Poindexter fyi TIA in medicine is Transient Ischemic Attack; A stroke precessor I knew that, once. My grandmother had some of those. Eventually she was taken out of the apartment she had in the retirement community and moved into the nursing section, where she lived for a good 4 years, at least. (My grandfather just had a major stroke, another, lesser one a couple of months later, and then died about 3 months after the initial stroke.) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Suuuuuuuuper Bowl
Doug Pensinger wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: Folks I really *don't* like having in the booth include Boomer Esiason (sp?) and Cris Collinsworth. Joe Thiesman irritates the hell out of me. So does Dan Dierdorf. Madden may have slipped a little, but in his day he could analyze a play in real time and pick out stuff to comment on that had me wondering how the hell did he see that - then they'd show the play in slow motion and sure enough he'd called it. He's also got a great sense of humor. He does a radio show - just a few minutes long - every day on a local station and it's quite often either very insightful or very funny. Theisman doesn't bug me as badly as Esiason or Collinsworth. Can't remember enough about Dierdorf's commentating to have strong enough feelings about him. Summerall is still doing play-by-play, but pretty much just Dallas home games. He did an away game for them at some point and I remember his talking about the shopping his wife had done a day or two before, and how full the hotel room was. I like Madden, I wish he'd talk about 15% less sometimes. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
