Re: Science Fiction In General

[Medievalbk]

In a message dated 12/27/2003 10:48:57 PM US Mountain Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Travis wrote:
>  > -Dune (can't wait to read it/at least two people here on the list highly 
>  > recommended it + the series)
>  
>  You may have heard this from me before, I'm pretty sure others on 
>  this list have...  I loved the first Dune novel, loved the third and the
>  ones after that.
>  
>  I hated the second one.  

As they are milking it for all it's worth, I'm stll expecting to someday see 
Brig-a-Dune and Dune & Bradstreet.

And the all naked version of the original

Dune what comes naturally.

Vilyehm Teighlore
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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 11:59 PM 12/27/03, Reggie Bautista wrote:
Alberto asked:
> Where are condoms sold in your country? Here they are only available
> in drugstores, and teenagers usually don't go to drugstores. They
> should be sold in the markets, along with diapers and (things that
> women use to absorb bleeding - dunno the English term)
Here (US, Kansas and Missouri to be specific), they can be found in
supermarkets (our local WalMart has a particularly large selection),


Do you mean a "diverse" selection, or do you mean that they cater to those 
who may not need any of the enlargement products advertised in endless spam 
messages?



convenience stores, gas station bathrooms, motel vending areas (along
with grossly overpriced single-dose packets of pain releavers, etc.),
specialty stores (Priscilla's is a sex-oriented chain that has several
stores around here),


Is that the one that has those billboards all along I-70 starting just 
outside St. Louis?



drug stores, sex-ed classrooms...


You seem to have made an extensive study of this issue . . .



-- Ronn!  :)

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Re: Science Fiction In Music

[Reggie Bautista]

- Original Message - 
From: "Ronn!Blankenship" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 11:14 AM
Subject: Re: Science Fiction In Music


> At 12:19 AM 12/27/03, Reggie Bautista wrote:
>
> >Ronn! wrote:
> > > "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"?
> >Would that be the original by Klaatu (who some people think were a
> >reunited Beatles performing "under cover," as it were), or the remake
> >by The Carpenters (I kid you not)?
> >
> >http://www.vex.net/~paulmac/carpenter/lyrics/calling_occupants.html
> >
> > > Going For Completeness, Not Necessarily Quality Maru
>
>
>
> Which version do you think I was referring to with that postscript?
>
>
>
> -- Ronn!  :)

Both?  (Klaatu would be the quality, The Carpenters would be the
completeness...)

Reggie Bautista


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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Reggie Bautista]

Alberto asked:
> Where are condoms sold in your country? Here they are only available
> in drugstores, and teenagers usually don't go to drugstores. They
> should be sold in the markets, along with diapers and (things that
> women use to absorb bleeding - dunno the English term)

Here (US, Kansas and Missouri to be specific), they can be found in
supermarkets (our local WalMart has a particularly large selection),
convenience stores, gas station bathrooms, motel vending areas (along 
with grossly overpriced single-dose packets of pain releavers, etc.), 
specialty stores (Priscilla's is a sex-oriented chain that has several 
stores around here), drug stores, sex-ed classrooms...

Reggie Bautista


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Re: Merry Christmas

[Reggie Bautista]

- Original Message - 
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, December 26, 2003 1:00 AM
Subject: Re: Merry Christmas


> In a message dated 12/25/2003 10:36:00 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> > >From: Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >  >
> >  >Merry Christmas, everyone!
> >
> >  Merry (somewhat belated) Christmas, all!
> >
>
> Merry Beltane!
>
> Now that's belated.
>
> William Taylor

Or really early.  ;-)

By the way, this looks like as good a place as any to say this, so, Happy
Winter Holidays to All!

Reggie Bautista


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Re: Outlandish but exceedingly fun.

[Reggie Bautista]

- Original Message - 
From: "Matt Grimaldi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 11:41 PM
Subject: Re: Outlandish but exceedingly fun.


> Reggie Bautista wrote:
> > 
> > Matt wrote:
> > >-- Matt
> > >
> > >...who wonders whether the monkeys' script revisions
> > >for Hamlet were any good...
> > 
> > Is this possible?  Hamlet was perfect, after all ;-)
> > 
> > Reggie Bautista
> > 
> 
> The question is not whether it's possible, but
> rather, exactly how improbable is it? :-)
> 
> 
> -- Matt

Well, I guess with a sufficiently hot cup of tea...

:-)

Reggie Bautista


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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Reggie Bautista]

Travis wrote:
> -Dune (can't wait to read it/at least two people here on the list highly 
> recommended it + the series)

You may have heard this from me before, I'm pretty sure others on 
this list have...  I loved the first Dune novel, loved the third and the
ones after that.

I hated the second one.  

Hated, hated hated.

I almost didn't read the rest of the series because of the second one.

But of course, you can't skip the second one as it sets up a lot of 
things that get payed off in book three (and later, IIRC).

You have *no idea* how happy I was when I heard that SciFi
channel was combining the second and third books into one
miniseries, instead of devoting a separate mini to each book.

Obviously, I'm in the minority here, but I just wanted to mention that...

YMMV, of course.

Reggie Bautista


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awesome pic of dolphin & surfer...

[Gary Nunn]

If I were this surfer, I would probably take up another hobby - even if
it was just a dolphin. My guess is that for some period of time, this
guy wondered if the shadow was friend or hungry foe

I ran across this webpage quite by accident, and then looked it up on
Snopes.

http://www.surfshooter.com/DolphinInfo.html

http://www.snopes.com/photos/surfer.asp

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Re: NHL observation

[Julia Thompson]

"Ronn!Blankenship" wrote:
> 
> At 09:53 PM 12/27/03, Julia Thompson wrote:
> >Robert Seeberger wrote:
> > >
> > > - Original Message -
> > > From: "Julia Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 9:35 PM
> > > Subject: NHL observation
> > >
> > > > I like rooting for Edmonton.  Because then I can say I'm an Oilers
> > > fan.
> > > > :)
> > > >
> > > > Julia
> > > >
> > > > but they're losing at the moment, the only team I like that's won
> > > today
> > > > was Dallas
> > >
> > > Girl.you just perverse!
> > > 
> >
> >Yes, and you would be too, if you'd had the afternoon I did
> 
> So share . . .

Short version:  Left alone with all 3 kids for over 3 hours.

Long version:  Babies were fussy, and fussy, and fussy; finally got them
to sleep, planned on taking care of just one thing (a 25-minute thing)
and then was going to put them in something and take them outside, and
Sammy and I would play together out there; I'd gotten Sammy's shoes and
socks on and was preparing to put them in the double stroller, and they
both woke up, screaming.  (They're teething)  During the process of
calming them down again, Sammy climed into the jogging stroller, where
he rides when he's taken on a walk by someone and where he usually ends
up falling asleep, and fell asleep there on his own, saving me the
trouble of putting him down for a nap later.  :)  Spent awhile after
that calming babies, started dinner (doesn't take long to start an oven
preheating, nor that long to pull out a frozen lasagna, poke holes in
the plastic, put it on a baking sheet and stick it in said preheated
oven), needed more time on babies, and had just gotten a little bit of
downtime and had the opportunity to check e-mail (and post something)
when I realized that Sammy ought to be woken soon, and then he woke
himself and Dan came in a few minutes after that and took care of Sammy
while I finished fixing dinner.

And the rule here is that the person who cooks doesn't have to do the
clean-up, but I did the clean-up to leave childcare to Dan for a few
minutes longer.

Julia
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Doug Pensinger]

Kevin wrote:

And to add to Doug's answer, I think it depends on what level of sci-fi 
you want. I think Player of Games is a weak book, compared with the 
rest. Excession is very high tech and is my favorite, but it was also my 
first. CP is interesting as is Look to Windward. Both have technology 
but are also character driven like PoG. Inversions is best after those 
three, because you will then know what is going on. Then again, I read 
it and still don't know what happened. (You'll see). Use of Weapons is 
the best book, but save it for last if you can.
I place CP at the top of the list with UoW, Inversions and LtW very close 
behind.  I need to reread Excession.  I enjoyed it, but it was a complex 
story with many, many ships to keep track of.  I agree that PoG is the 
weakest except for maybe State of the Art.  I read CP first Inversions 
second, and have reread both.

And by the way... not a git.

--
Doug
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Re: NHL observation

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 09:53 PM 12/27/03, Julia Thompson wrote:
Robert Seeberger wrote:
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "Julia Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 9:35 PM
> Subject: NHL observation
>
> > I like rooting for Edmonton.  Because then I can say I'm an Oilers
> fan.
> > :)
> >
> > Julia
> >
> > but they're losing at the moment, the only team I like that's won
> today
> > was Dallas
>
> Girl.you just perverse!
> 
Yes, and you would be too, if you'd had the afternoon I did


So share . . .



-- Ronn!  :)

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Re: NHL observation

[Julia Thompson]

Robert Seeberger wrote:
> 
> - Original Message -
> From: "Julia Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 9:35 PM
> Subject: NHL observation
> 
> > I like rooting for Edmonton.  Because then I can say I'm an Oilers
> fan.
> > :)
> >
> > Julia
> >
> > but they're losing at the moment, the only team I like that's won
> today
> > was Dallas
> 
> Girl.you just perverse!
> 

Yes, and you would be too, if you'd had the afternoon I did

> xponent
> Former Fan Of The Team Formerly Known As The Oilers Maru
> rob

At one point, they were my second-favorite AFC team.  Now I like half
the AFC East better.

Julia

not saying which half unless pressed hard
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Re: NHL observation

[Robert Seeberger]

- Original Message - 
From: "Julia Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 9:35 PM
Subject: NHL observation


> I like rooting for Edmonton.  Because then I can say I'm an Oilers
fan.
> :)
>
> Julia
>
> but they're losing at the moment, the only team I like that's won
today
> was Dallas

Girl.you just perverse!


xponent
Former Fan Of The Team Formerly Known As The Oilers Maru
rob


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NHL observation

[Julia Thompson]

I like rooting for Edmonton.  Because then I can say I'm an Oilers fan. 
:)

Julia

but they're losing at the moment, the only team I like that's won today
was Dallas
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Julia Thompson]

Jim Sharkey wrote:
> 
> Julia Thompson wrote:
> >My pile is over 800 for fiction alone.
> 
> Maybe it's time to put one of those signs at the bottom of the pile
> like they do on queues that cuts it off.  Even if by some miracle 
> (given your family obligations) you could read a book a day, you're
> looking at two-and-a-half straight years of reading.
> 
> Someone take Julia's B&N account away before it's too late!  :)

B&N?

No, my biggest problem is one William Siros, followed by one Scott Cupp,
followed closely by amazon.com.  :)   (And not only does Willie offer me
a 15% discount on the books he pushes on me, he's willing to come to my
house once in awhile to deliver them in person!)

Julia

hasn't been in a B&N store for almost 2 years, and hasn't ever bought
from them on-line
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Funny LotR bit

[Jim Sharkey]

Today's PvP is a good one: http://www.pvponline.com

I just found the last panel to be one of the funniest SKurtz has done recently.

Jim
I disagree with the set up, but the punch line is great Maru

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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Kevin Tarr]

At 01:47 PM 12/27/2003, you wrote:

Doug Pensinger wrote:
>I'm just finishing Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
What did you think?

>I was shopping for my brother in law who also reads a lot of SF and
>ended up getting him a copy of Iain M. Banks' Inversions without
>thinking too much about it.  I need to get a copy of Consider
>Phlebas or Player of Games (or both) for him to read first
Player of Games is the only one I've read so far, and I liked it a 
lot.  It seems like a good intro to the Culture.  What should I read next 
from him, you think?

Jim
And to add to Doug's answer, I think it depends on what level of sci-fi you 
want. I think Player of Games is a weak book, compared with the rest. 
Excession is very high tech and is my favorite, but it was also my first. 
CP is interesting as is Look to Windward. Both have technology but are also 
character driven like PoG. Inversions is best after those three, because 
you will then know what is going on. Then again, I read it and still don't 
know what happened. (You'll see). Use of Weapons is the best book, but save 
it for last if you can.

Kevin T. - VRWC

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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Kevin Tarr]

At 02:32 PM 12/27/2003, you wrote:
On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 13:47:25 -0500 (EST), Jim Sharkey 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Doug Pensinger wrote:
I'm just finishing Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
What did you think?
Haven't quite finished yet, battle looming on the Enterprise.  Stephenson 
is a real talent, but I hope the ending is better than Diamond Age.  More 
later.

I was shopping for my brother in law who also reads a lot of SF and
ended up getting him a copy of Iain M. Banks' Inversions without
thinking too much about it.  I need to get a copy of Consider
Phlebas or Player of Games (or both) for him to read first
Player of Games is the only one I've read so far, and I liked it a lot.
It seems like a good intro to the Culture.  What should I read next from 
him, you think?
Consider Phlebas gives an outsiders view of the culture and allows you to 
entertain THE question*.  But they are all good;  Use of Weapons, 
Inversions(as I mentioned familiarity with the Culture is a plus before 
reading this one), Excession (take notes), State of the Art and Look to 
Windward.  I haven't read the two non Culture books; Against a Dark 
Background and Feersom Endjinn.

Jim
Not that I don't already have about 10 books in the pipeline thanks to 
the holidays Maru
Ah, my Lal-pile** is considerably larger than that and continues to grow 
unchecked thanks to the used book store near my work that I can't seem to 
stay away from.

--
Doug
*Is Horza a git?
**A culture list reference a member of whom, Lalith Vipulananthan, is 
famous for his stack of unread books.
This is weird. I know I've read Against a Dark Background, but the 
description does not fit with my memory. I now see it was Look to Windward 
I was thinking of. I need a better description to jog my memory of the 
story. Player of Games, Use of Weapons, Inversions, and Excession I've read 
and can recall, but not AaDB. But total agreement, they are all great 
books. Feersom Endjinn I've started a few times, but it's a tough read. 
Wasp Factory and Complicity are straight fiction (mostly, hehe) and are not 
bad. They are tough to find here in the US. Some stupid laws between 
England, Canada and the US.

http://www.iainbanks.net/index.htm

He has a forum on his site. Does The Culture list know? ;-)

I only have 4 or 5 books to read, but 20 more that I want to read after 
them. Where is all the time going?

Kevin T. - VRWC
I say not a git
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Re: Efficient bus

[Kevin Tarr]

But there is actually no new tech involved, just some good brainwork.
The inverted rotor/stator design is such an obvious and elegant
solution to an electric drive for vehicles that one does wonder why it
hadn't been thought of before. But I think that shows just how
difficult it is to "think out of the box".
rob


Yes, I cannot imagine it has never been tried before. In fact I'm a little 
confused about what I see. The outside moving ring and inside motor still 
have to be mechanically tied together which is not a big deal but the whole 
motor/rim must have stiff pivot point to allow free lateral movement of the 
wheel. The picture on the top of the page, the wheel is much thinner than 
the one shown for the bus. Not saying it's a weak point, just noticeable. 
And the picture does not show the electrical wires.

In fact, what is the big deal? The more I look the more I don't see. The 
outside rim doesn't float on nothing. There is still friction coming into 
play. I have way too many questions now.

Another thing: also important is the extra engine energy for heat and 
cooling. Can the battery pack/generator compare?

Kevin T. - VRWC
cornfused
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Re: Hybrib vehicules was: Efficient bus

[Doug Pensinger]

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 20:42:07 +0100, Jean-Marc Chaton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
wrote:

* Doug Pensinger [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 11:34 -0800]
It makes so much sense, too, ya gotta wonder why it hasn't been done
before.  Is the necessary technology state of the art?
I don't understand your question.


Sorry.  I was just wondering if the technology required is new.

--
Doug
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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Doug Pensinger]

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 17:52:23 -0600, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

"Feminine hygiene supplies" is the general term.  They fall into 2
classes -- "sanitary napkins" and "tampons".  I can find the Canadian
French and Spanish words for "sanitary napkin" if you really want me to,
but the nearest package that has info in 3 languages isn't exactly in
the room.
French: serviette f hygiénique
German: Damenbinde
Italian:  assorbente
Spanish: compresa f; paño m higiénico
http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=sanitary+napkin

--
Doug
Soaking up a little culture
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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Jim Sharkey]

>Alberto Monteiro wrote:
>Where are condoms sold in your country?

Food stores, convenience stores and drugstores, at the very least.  You'd think with 
that much latex and lambskin available, there'd be less stigma attached with buying 
them.

Jim

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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Jim Sharkey]

Julia Thompson wrote:
>My pile is over 800 for fiction alone.

Maybe it's time to put one of those signs at the bottom of the pile like they do on 
queues that cuts it off.  Even if by some miracle (given your family obligations) you 
could read a book a day, you're looking at two-and-a-half straight years of reading.

Someone take Julia's B&N account away before it's too late!  :)

Jim

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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Julia Thompson]

Alberto Monteiro wrote:
> 
> Jim Sharkey wrote:
> >
> > Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed isn't
> > mature enough for sex Maru
> >
> Where are condoms sold in your country? Here they are only available
> in drugstores, and teenagers usually don't go to drugstores. They
> should be sold in the markets, along with diapers and (things that
> women use to absorb bleeding - dunno the English term)

"Feminine hygiene supplies" is the general term.  They fall into 2
classes -- "sanitary napkins" and "tampons".  I can find the Canadian
French and Spanish words for "sanitary napkin" if you really want me to,
but the nearest package that has info in 3 languages isn't exactly in
the room.

And I find those on the same aisle as condoms at my grocery store. 
Diapers are a few aisles over, in a special "baby section" that includes
baby formula, jars of baby food, and some clothing for infants under a
year old.  And disposeable sippy-cups.  (We buy the disposeable sippy
cups but haven't disposed of anything so far besides one lid that got
cracked, but it's very nice that the sippy cups cost under $1 each.)

Julia
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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 05:10 PM 12/27/03, Robert Seeberger wrote:

- Original Message -
From: "Alberto Monteiro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 3:46 PM
Subject: Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't
Sure Why
> Jim Sharkey wrote:
> >
> > Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed
isn't
> > mature enough for sex Maru
> >
> Where are condoms sold in your country? Here they are only available
> in drugstores, and teenagers usually don't go to drugstores. They
> should be sold in the markets, along with diapers and (things that
> women use to absorb bleeding - dunno the English term)
>
Band-aids?

xponent
Troublemaker Maru
rob


I'm in a generous holiday mood¹.  This is the second time I have left a 
response like this for someone else.

(¹Maybe I'm just confident in the wit of my fellow list members.)



-- Ronn!  :)

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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Robert Seeberger]

- Original Message - 
From: "Alberto Monteiro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 3:46 PM
Subject: Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't
Sure Why


> Jim Sharkey wrote:
> >
> > Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed
isn't
> > mature enough for sex Maru
> >
> Where are condoms sold in your country? Here they are only available
> in drugstores, and teenagers usually don't go to drugstores. They
> should be sold in the markets, along with diapers and (things that
> women use to absorb bleeding - dunno the English term)
>

Band-aids?



xponent
Troublemaker Maru
rob


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Re: First Mad Cow Case in U.S.

[Bemmzim]

> >
> >Second was the incubation period in humans. The caller said 5 to 40 years
> >and it's 100% fatal. True, false, real facts?

Creuzfeld Jakob (CJD) the human prion disease usually occurs in 50-60 old patients. 
The disease is usually not infectious. It occurs secondary to spontaneous conversion 
of the prion protein to its abnormal isoform. In some cases there is a hereditary 
predilection - a greater than normal for the protein to flip. It is of course 
difficult in these circumstances to know when the disease begins but given the rapid 
progression of clinical abnormalities in patients with CJD it is unlikely that the 
disease is present for any signficant period of time before becoming symptomatic. As 
to the infectious cases - post transfusion, corneal transplant, reuse of instruments 
exposed to CJD, etc - in these cases the disease occurs relatively quickly after 
infection - probably within a year. 

> >
> >The third, related to the long human incubation period, was that it may be
> >causing Alzheimer disease. Somebody eating bad meat 30 years ago gets
> >diagnosed with Alzheimer today.
>
This cannot be true. The symptoms of Alzheimers Disease (AD)are different from CJD - 
there is a major motor component to CJD not seen in AD and it progresses much more 
rapidly. CJD has characteristic MR findings that are never seen in AD. The mad cow 
epidemic in England was the result of a change in the meat rendering process. 
Therefore it is extremely unlikely that humans have been eating infected cows for very 
long. It is important to note that the spongiform encephalopathies skip between 
species only with great difficulty (there are still only a few cases of mad cow in 
humans - New CJD Variant).
> >> Bra—a—ains Maru
> 
> 
> -- Ronn!  :)
> 
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Re: Efficient bus

[Robert Seeberger]

- Original Message - 
From: "Doug Pensinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 1:34 PM
Subject: Re: Efficient bus


> On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 20:23:41 +0100, Jean-Marc Chaton
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
>
> > * William T Goodall [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 16:47 +]
> >> http://www.rnw.nl/science/html/031215wheel.html
> >
> > Yeah that's very interesting but not new, It's basicaly a bus
version of
> > an hybrid car like the Prius sold by Toyota since 97 (BTW, it's
> > definitely my next car) the extra plus of that bus is the space
saving
> > location of the electrical engine : in the wheels.
>
> It makes so much sense, too, ya gotta wonder why it hasn't been done
> before.  Is the necessary technology state of the art?

Not really.
Its basically a new approach to design.
Looking at E-Traction's webpage, one gleans that they were originally
involved in finding greater efficiencies for electric forklifts and at
some point hit upon this idea as a way to remove the inefficient
friction of a driveshaft.

Now, obviously, this design approach is not practical (if at all
possible) with an internal combustion powerplant. And it is also
obvious that current hybrid designs are evidence of engineers who are
locked into older ways of thinking about design and implementation.
E-Traction's approach is a real "thinking out of the box" attack on a
design problem, and one that coincidentally happens to solve other
problems and have other benefits.

But there is actually no new tech involved, just some good brainwork.
The inverted rotor/stator design is such an obvious and elegant
solution to an electric drive for vehicles that one does wonder why it
hadn't been thought of before. But I think that shows just how
difficult it is to "think out of the box".


xponent
Drivetrain Maru
rob


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Re: The Sims

[Jean-Marc Chaton]

* Alberto Monteiro [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 21:43 +]
> Does anyone know how to remove the c*nsorship in The Sims?

I'think there are addons or patches around for that on internet.

> Also, does anyone know how to remove the references to
> astr*logy in The Sims?

dunno about that

> 
> These are the two most objectionable things that I found
> out about this game.

>I don't know how the idiots that
> classify games per age made it for 16 years old or older.


My 3 daughters have played with it. The Sims knowhow that has has been
transmitted the fastest between the 3 is 'how to make babies'



> 
> Alberto Monteiro
> 
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-- 
Jean-Marc
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Re: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Alberto Monteiro]

Jim Sharkey wrote:
>
> Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed isn't
> mature enough for sex Maru
>
Where are condoms sold in your country? Here they are only available
in drugstores, and teenagers usually don't go to drugstores. They
should be sold in the markets, along with diapers and (things that
women use to absorb bleeding - dunno the English term)

Alberto Monteiro

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Re: Science Fiction In Music

[Jean-Marc Chaton]

* Jean-Marc Chaton [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 22:31 +0100]
> * Robert Seeberger [Mon, 22/12/2003 at 19:18 -0600]
> > Something I have been thinking about a lot lately is music with Science
> > Fictional and Fantasmal themes.
> 
> I'm thinking of the rockopera Starmania

I've just come across it's named Tycoon in its English version.


-- 
Jean-Marc
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The Sims

[Alberto Monteiro]

Does anyone know how to remove the c*nsorship in The Sims?
Also, does anyone know how to remove the references to
astr*logy in The Sims?

These are the two most objectionable things that I found
out about this game. I don't know how the idiots that
classify games per age made it for 16 years old or older.

Alberto Monteiro

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Re: Science Fiction In Music

[Jean-Marc Chaton]

* Robert Seeberger [Mon, 22/12/2003 at 19:18 -0600]
> Something I have been thinking about a lot lately is music with Science
> Fictional and Fantasmal themes.

I'm thinking of the rockopera Starmania

-- 
Jean-Marc
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Julia Thompson]

Doug Pensinger wrote:

> Ah, my Lal-pile** is considerably larger than that and continues to grow
> unchecked thanks to the used book store near my work that I can't seem to
> stay away from.
> 
> --
> Doug
> 
> **A culture list reference a member of whom, Lalith Vipulananthan, is
> famous for his stack of unread books.

My pile is over 800 for fiction alone.

I have this habit of buying the whole series as soon as I've finished
reading the first, or buying as much of a particular author as I can
once I've read one or two that I really liked by him or her.  I've been
burned too many times by things going out of print before I want to read
them, and I don't have free access to any public library, and the
non-public library I have free access to is a pain and a half to get to
from here.  (And with kids the ages mine are, darn near impossible.)

On the non-fiction, we have an awful lot there that I haven't read,
either, but I'm not sure how many of them I want to read.  :)  There are
plenty in the "want to read" pile, still.

Julia

currently reading _Deep Time_ by Benford and a book on solving
children's sleep problems
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Julia Thompson]

Travis Edmunds wrote:

> -Calculating God (Robert J Sawyer/Anyone heard of him or the book?/He has
> won a Nebula)

Yes, and he won a Hugo this year for _Hominids_.

_Calculating God_ was nominated for a Hugo.  It was beat out by a Harry
Potter book.  Frankly, I thought that _The Sky Road_ by Ken MacLeod was
the best nominee for Best Novel that year, but it didn't win.  I'm not
sure if I was still getting Locus when the final tallies for those were
published.  (I also liked _Midnight Robber_ by Nalo Hopkinson, but
didn't get around to reading the George R. R. Martin book nominated that
year before I sent off my ballot -- naughty voter!  Then again, it was
the Nth in a series and I had a newborn to deal with before my ballot
was cast.)

On Sawyer, of the ones I've read, the one I enjoyed the most was
_Starplex_.

Julia

who will renew the Locus subscription when she gets to having time to
actually *read* it again
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Hybrib vehicules was: Efficient bus

[Jean-Marc Chaton]

* Doug Pensinger [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 11:34 -0800]
> It makes so much sense, too, ya gotta wonder why it hasn't been done 
> before.  Is the necessary technology state of the art?

I don't understand your question.


-- 
Jean-Marc
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Re: Efficient bus

[Doug Pensinger]

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 20:23:41 +0100, Jean-Marc Chaton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
wrote:

* William T Goodall [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 16:47 +]
http://www.rnw.nl/science/html/031215wheel.html
Yeah that's very interesting but not new, It's basicaly a bus version of
an hybrid car like the Prius sold by Toyota since 97 (BTW, it's
definitely my next car) the extra plus of that bus is the space saving
location of the electrical engine : in the wheels.
It makes so much sense, too, ya gotta wonder why it hasn't been done 
before.  Is the necessary technology state of the art?

--
Doug
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Doug Pensinger]

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 13:47:25 -0500 (EST), Jim Sharkey 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Doug Pensinger wrote:
I'm just finishing Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
What did you think?
Haven't quite finished yet, battle looming on the Enterprise.  Stephenson 
is a real talent, but I hope the ending is better than Diamond Age.  More 
later.

I was shopping for my brother in law who also reads a lot of SF and
ended up getting him a copy of Iain M. Banks' Inversions without
thinking too much about it.  I need to get a copy of Consider
Phlebas or Player of Games (or both) for him to read first
Player of Games is the only one I've read so far, and I liked it a lot.  
It seems like a good intro to the Culture.  What should I read next from 
him, you think?
Consider Phlebas gives an outsiders view of the culture and allows you to 
entertain THE question*.  But they are all good;  Use of Weapons, 
Inversions(as I mentioned familiarity with the Culture is a plus before 
reading this one), Excession (take notes), State of the Art and Look to 
Windward.  I haven't read the two non Culture books; Against a Dark 
Background and Feersom Endjinn.

Jim
Not that I don't already have about 10 books in the pipeline thanks to 
the holidays Maru
Ah, my Lal-pile** is considerably larger than that and continues to grow 
unchecked thanks to the used book store near my work that I can't seem to 
stay away from.

--
Doug
*Is Horza a git?
**A culture list reference a member of whom, Lalith Vipulananthan, is 
famous for his stack of unread books.

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Re: Efficient bus

[Jean-Marc Chaton]

* William T Goodall [Sat, 27/12/2003 at 16:47 +]
> http://www.rnw.nl/science/html/031215wheel.html

Yeah that's very interesting but not new, It's basicaly a bus version of
an hybrid car like the Prius sold by Toyota since 97 (BTW, it's
definitely my next car) the extra plus of that bus is the space saving
location of the electrical engine : in the wheels. 


-- 
Jean-Marc
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Jim Sharkey]

Doug Pensinger wrote:
>I'm just finishing Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)

What did you think?

>I was shopping for my brother in law who also reads a lot of SF and 
>ended up getting him a copy of Iain M. Banks' Inversions without 
>thinking too much about it.  I need to get a copy of Consider 
>Phlebas or Player of Games (or both) for him to read first

Player of Games is the only one I've read so far, and I liked it a lot.  It seems like 
a good intro to the Culture.  What should I read next from him, you think?

Jim
Not that I don't already have about 10 books in the pipeline thanks to the holidays 
Maru

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RE: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Jim Sharkey]

Ronn!Blankenship wrote:
>Jim Sharkey wrote:
>>Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed 
>>isn't mature enough for sex Maru
>And how is that statement more useful than "just say no"?  I.e., 
>lots of people who are not mature enough (particularly to deal with 
>the consequences) nevertheless have sex.
>A lot of people would say that what takes more maturity is to wait, 
>especially when a boyfriend/girlfriend is pressuring one...

You managed to completely miss the point of that sign off, Ronn!.  It was in favor of 
abstinence due to a lack of knowledge and maturity.  It's not intended to be a 
platitude or battle cry, but a statement of what I think about kids with serious 
cranio-rectal inversions having sex.

Jim

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*I*N*F*R*A*R*E*D* VISIONS

[Robert Seeberger]

First Photos from Infrared Space Telescope

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/spitzer_first_031218.html

[Follow the link to see some beautiful pics. As fine as the best of
Hubble]


NASA announced the formal name of its newest space telescope today and
released the first science pictures. The images support a promise that
the orbiting observatory, now called the Spitzer Space Telescope, will
provide top-notch science and entertainment on par the Hubble Space
Telescope.

"Every time we take a picture, we see something spectacular," said
Giovanni Fazio of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO).



Initially called the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), the
observatory is now named after the late Lyman Spitzer, Jr., who in the
1940s first proposed putting telescopes in space to overcome the
limiting effects of Earth's atmosphere.

The name was chosen from 7,000 public suggestions.

Spitzer, as the telescope is sure to be informally known, launched
Aug. 25 and spent its first weeks in space undergoing instrument
checkout. It is working "extremely well," project scientist Michael
Werner, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said at a press
conference.

The new photographs illustrate Spitzer's range of targets and
capabilities. They provide fresh details of a nearby galaxy, a peek at
star formation inside a corner of our own galaxy, an updated view of a
planet-forming disk around a nearby star, and new details of a comet
and a pair of asteroids. The telescope also discovered water for first
time in a galaxy so far away that it is observed at a time when life
was just developing on Earth, Spitzer scientists said.

The initial observations are modest compared to what is expected.

"Like Hubble, Compton and Chandra, the new Spitzer Space Telescope
will soon be making major discoveries, and, as these first images
show, should excite the public with views of the cosmos like we've
never had before," said Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for
space science.

The pictures

The telescope gathers infrared light, an invisible form of
electromagnetic radiation associated with heat. It allows astronomers
to see through layers of dust, which block visible light, and detect
heat emitted by deeply embedded dust around myriad cosmic objects.



For astronomer-detectives, it's like looking through walls.

One Spitzer image showcases a relatively nearby galaxy called M81. The
picture resolves features not seen before, astronomers said, and will
allow them to estimate a rate of star formation in a galaxy much like
our own.

"By studying M81, we can get an outsider's view of our home," said the
SAO's Fazio. "This is what aliens would see if they looked back at the
Milky Way."

Fazio is the principle investigator for the telescope's Infrared Array
Camera (IRAC).

At the center of M81 is a blue-white bulge of old stars. The galaxy's
spiral arms are loaded with dust bathed in stellar radiation. Bright
knots of material in the arms are sites where massive stars are
developing in giant clouds of hydrogen.

M81 is near the Big Dipper in the night sky and can be found with
binoculars. It is 12 million light-years away. White objects in the
image are foreground stars in our own galaxy.

Stellar nurseries



Another striking new picture looks through a dark cloud astronomers
call the Elephant's Trunk Nebula to glimpse a stellar nursery. Inside
a region called a globule, young stars and stars-to-be are seen for
the first time.

The nebula sits within a larger nebula called IC 1396, in the
constellation of Cepheus. It is about 2,450 light-years away. Star
formation in the globule is forced along because the cloud is
pressurized by intense radiation and a "wind" of charged particles
from a massive star, which is to the left of the cloud and outside the
picture. The pressure also creates the colorful filamentary structure
of the globule.

A half-dozen reddish, newborn stars have been found behind the
globule's dusty veil.

"Radiation and hot winds are carving away the nebula like rust
sandblasted from an old car," Fazio said. "Eventually, it will vanish
completely. We're lucky to have caught it in the act, to get a chance
to see these stunning ethereal wisps before they disappear."

In another image, Spitzer captured the energetic outflow of an
embryonic, Sun-like star that is hidden from view to visible-light
telescopes.



The picture shows a Herbig-Haro object, a bright region of gas and
dust formed by high-speed outflows of gas from a developing star. This
one is called HH 46/47. The polar outflows -- stuff shooting out in
two opposite directions, are linked to material around the star that
is forming a disk, where planets might be born.

The action all sits inside a dark cloud called a Bok globule, which is
illuminated by the nearby Gum Nebula. It is about 1,140 light-years
away in the constellation Vela. Astronomers said the scene is
reminiscent of the birth of our own Sun.

"Together, these three images show 

Iran Fears Quake Toll Could Hit 40,000

[Robert Seeberger]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031227/D7VMO0180.html

Overwhelmed rescue crews picked through entire city blocks of rubble
in search for survivors and bodies a day after an earthquake ruined
this southeast Iranian city. With the death toll in the thousands,
Iran appealed for international help and promised to waive visas for
foreign relief workers.
The scope of the tragedy was so vast that a reliable death toll was
impossible to pin down so soon after the magnitude 6.5 quake hit Bam
early Friday. The Interior Ministry's early estimate on Saturday was
20,000 dead, while two leading rescue officials said the toll could
eventually double.

"As more bodies are pulled out, we fear that the death toll may reach
as high as 40,000. An unbelievable human disaster has occurred," said
Akbar Alavi, the governor of the city of Kerman, the provincial
capital.

The leader of one relief team, Ahmad Najafi, said in one street alone
in Bam on Saturday, 200 bodies had been extracted from the rubble in
one hour's work. Workers used their bare hands and shovels, while a
few bulldozers moved piles of bricks in the search for bodies and
survivors.

A man with white turban and graying beard dug into and lifted rubble
from the remains of his house, where his family was buried. When a
hand of his teenage daughter appeared, he fainted and collapsed, and
eventually, the bodies of his daughter, wife and two sons were brought
out.

With hospitals in the area destroyed, military transport planes had to
evacuate many wounded for treatment to Kerman, and even to Tehran.

"There is not a standing building in the city. Bam has turned into a
wasteland. Even if a few buildings are standing, you cannot trust to
live in them," Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari told
reporters Saturday.

One man interrupted Lari as he spoke. "My father is under the rubble,"
the man said, his face streaked with tears. "I've been asking for help
since yesterday, but nobody has come to help me. Please help me. I
want my father alive."

Lari tried to calm the man down and assigned an aide to see that he
got assistance.

Authorities had new trouble to deal with Saturday. About 800 convicts
escaped from the Bam prison, guard Vahid Masoumpour told The
Associated Press. The prison lies outside the city and its walls
fractured or collapsed without killing any inmates.

Thousands of residents of the city spent Friday night outdoors,
sleeping under blankets in temperatures close to freezing. A few
hundred slept in tents erected by relief workers, and more tents
arrived Saturday.

Men and women were seen slapping their own faces and beating their
chests in an Islamic ritual of mourning.

"This is the Apocalypse. There is nothing but devastation and debris,"
Mohammed Karimi, in his 30s, said Friday when he brought the bodies of
his wife and 4-year-old daughter to the cemetery.

The government appealed for international aid and said it would waive
visa requirements for foreign relief workers.

"The disaster is far too huge for us to meet all of our needs,"
President Mohammad Khatami said Friday. "However, all the institutions
have been mobilized."

Many countries responded, and relief crews from across Europe began
arriving. A search-and-rescue team from Los Angeles - mostly county
firefighters - was getting ready to go as well.

Bam's population was 80,000 before the quake, and surrounding villages
were also severely damaged.

In one of the city's cemeteries, relief workers were digging and a
bulldozer was excavating a mass grave. More than 20 corpses were
already lying in the mass grave. A cleric and 10 relatives were saying
prayers over an individual grave.

The quake destroyed much of Bam's historic landmark - a giant medieval
fortress complex of towers, domes and walls, all made of mud-brick,
overlooking a walled Old City, parts of which date back 2,000 years.
Television images showed the highest part of the fort - including its
distinctive square tower - crumbled like a sand castle down the side
of the hill, though some walls still stood.

The quake struck at 5:28 a.m., while many were asleep. The state news
agency IRNA put the magnitude at 6.3; the U.S. Geological Survey
measured it at 6.5. Survivors were panicked throughout the day by
aftershocks, including one that registered a magnitude of 5.3,
according to the geophysics institute of Tehran University.

The interior minister said 70 percent of residential Bam had been
destroyed, and there was no electricity, water or telephone service.
Iran's Red Crescent, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, said
rescue and relief teams had been sent to Bam from numerous provinces.

Entire neighborhoods in Bam had collapsed. On one street, only a wall
and the trees were standing. People carried away injured, while others
sat sobbing next to the blanket-covered corpses of their loved ones.
One man held his head 

RE: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 11:17 AM 12/27/03, Jim Sharkey wrote:

>"There is strong support for a clear message for abstinence for
>teenagers, especially young teens.  "But there is also support for
>good information about contraception," Ms. Brown added. "Americans
>don't see this as an either or."
Well duh.  Maybe seeing it in print will make the dummies at both far ends 
of the spectrum think a little about how working at cross-puposes for the 
same end is stupid.

Teens are going to have sex.  I agree with promoting abstinence, but it's 
the height of wishful thinking to believe that's sufficient.  Education 
from both sides of the argument is the best tool, especially considering 
the teenage proclivity for doing exactly the opposite of what they should do.

Jim
Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed isn't 
mature enough for sex Maru


And how is that statement more useful than "just say no"?  I.e., lots of 
people who are not mature enough (particularly to deal with the 
consequences) nevertheless have sex.

A lot of people would say that what takes more maturity is to wait, 
especially when a boyfriend/girlfriend is pressuring one . . .



-- Ronn!  :)

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Re: Science Fiction In Music

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 12:19 AM 12/27/03, Reggie Bautista wrote:

Ronn! wrote:
> "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"?
Would that be the original by Klaatu (who some people think were a
reunited Beatles performing "under cover," as it were), or the remake
by The Carpenters (I kid you not)?
http://www.vex.net/~paulmac/carpenter/lyrics/calling_occupants.html

> Going For Completeness, Not Necessarily Quality Maru


Which version do you think I was referring to with that postscript?



-- Ronn!  :)

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Re: First Mad Cow Case in U.S.

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 10:09 PM 12/26/03, Kevin Tarr wrote:

Here in Colorado and a few contiguous states there's
been a problem with Chronic Wasting Disease, a TSE, in
deer and elk; it was recently discovered in Wisconsin
as well.  Locally, hunters who kill deer or elk that
appear to be ill are requested to submit the head for
testing to state authorities; I think concerned
hunters can have any hunted animal tested, for a
nominal fee.
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/research/chronic_wasting/chronic_wasting.html
I expect to have more reliable info next week, and
will post it.
Debbi
who still eats beef, but hasn't approached the US
average of 65#/yr in more than a decade


That's weird. I went to the CWD website:

http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fuseaction/about.map

and it had nothing for PA. I was sure some whitetail deer, on a captive 
farm, were found with CWD.

But I have a question about Mad Cow disease. A caller to a certain 
national radio show mentioned info about the disease which I've not heard 
backed up anywhere else.

First was the cattle incubation period of 3-7 years. Does that mean if the 
animal is infected, it is not sick for at least three years? Is it 
contagious before three years?

Second was the incubation period in humans. The caller said 5 to 40 years 
and it's 100% fatal. True, false, real facts?

The third, related to the long human incubation period, was that it may be 
causing Alzheimer disease. Somebody eating bad meat 30 years ago gets 
diagnosed with Alzheimer today.

Fourth and last I heard from another source. When it was first discovered 
in England they did a survey of those affected, or the families of those 
who died, and found 24 of the first 28 ate cow brains as a meal. 


Or a clip from a cheesy zombie movie . . .



(FWIW, I've eaten pigs' brains but never cow brains, AFAIK.)



Bra—a—ains Maru

-- Ronn!  :)

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RE: Merry Christmas

[Ronn!Blankenship]

At 09:41 PM 12/26/03, Kevin Tarr wrote:
At 01:54 PM 12/26/2003, you wrote:
At 11:35 PM 12/25/03, Bryon Daly wrote:
From: Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Merry (somewhat belated) Christmas, all!


Happy Boxing Day!

So Far The Only Big Box I've Seen At The Curb In Front Of Any Neighbor's 
House For Trash Pickup Is The Package For A Toilet Maru

-- Ronn!
Ahh, but it was it American Standard?


Yes.




Obligatory second line.


Suh!



-- Ronn!  :)

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RE: SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Jim Sharkey]

>"There is strong support for a clear message for abstinence for 
>teenagers, especially young teens.  "But there is also support for 
>good information about contraception," Ms. Brown added. "Americans 
>don't see this as an either or."

Well duh.  Maybe seeing it in print will make the dummies at both far ends of the 
spectrum think a little about how working at cross-puposes for the same end is stupid.

Teens are going to have sex.  I agree with promoting abstinence, but it's the height 
of wishful thinking to believe that's sufficient.  Education from both sides of the 
argument is the best tool, especially considering the teenage proclivity for doing 
exactly the opposite of what they should do.

Jim
Anyone not mature enough to buy condoms without being embarassed isn't mature enough 
for sex Maru

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Re: Rush Limbaugh is a hypocrite

[Bemmzim]

In a message dated 12/26/2003 8:59:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
writes:

> Two things, because I have to go. How is importing gas from Turkey 
> > cheaper? On a strict price basis, 117 is less than 227, but is it safer, 
> > shorter, less manpower/equipment needed? Should the 
> government auditor 
> > be fired or prosecuted for revealing internal documents?
> 
Point 1 _ There seems to be no debate on the fact that Halliburton overcharged. Even 
the incredibly pro-business Bush administration is not making your claim. Halliburton 
overcharged period.

Point 2 - Exactly why should the auditor be fired? If he/she worked for Halliburton it 
was his/her obligation to do an unbiased audit and report it to the company. That the 
results of this audit became public would not be his/her responsibility and unless 
she/he went to the press and governmemt with the info after being ignored by 
Halliburton. As Doug states if this were the case the person would clearly be 
protected by "Whistle Blower" laws. If in fact the audit was sent to goverment and 
made public by the government then there can be no crime.

I am still waiting for any one of the conservatives on the list to state up front that 
overcharging is a crime that must be pursued. 

I know it is tough for you guys so let me offer you a suggestion. I will simply 
substitute Rush for Bill Clinton and provide you with the formulation that us lefty 
commie liberals used.

"I do not condone the actions of Clinton -Limbaugh. They were reprehensible and no 
glib emotional apology is acceptable given that Bill-Rush did not come clean until 
caught in his lie/illegal drug purchase. Having said this I do not believe that these 
actions warrent impeachment/crimal prosecution. I do believe that given his position 
as president/spokesman for the right that his actions represent are especially 
reprehensible"

I have no problem with principled conservatism. I think it completely reasonable to 
hold that individuals are responsible for their own behavior and that government 
should not intefer with individual actions or the market economy. Opposition to 
abortion gay marriage etc are all legitimate positions. I do not hold them but I can 
respect those who hold these views just as I can respect people who are principled 
communists or socialists. But too often conservatism is espoused not as a political 
philosophy but a moral stance. Frankly I think John and Gautam (to a lesser extent) 
start with the premise that the right is good and the left is bad. So any action by 
the right can be defended as either principled or a necessary expediant to achieve a 
goal. But actions are taken by the right or the left. They are taken by indiviudals of 
the right or the left. And these indiduals and groups inevitably act in what they see 
as their self interest regardless of their political philosophy. One need only point 
to the messy and in some cases dispicable behavior of several prominent "pro-family" 
conservatives to understand this point
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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Damon Agretto]

> -Dune (can't wait to read it/at least two people
> here on the list highly 
> recommended it + the series)

Interestingly I bought that just before christmas in
hardback; my supervisor at work gave me a B&N gift
certificate, and since they have a mediocre history
section, well I had been looking to replace my sc
edition for some time...

Damon.


=

Damon Agretto
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum."
http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html
Now Building: 


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Re: Science Fiction In General

[Doug Pensinger]

Travis wrote:

Merry Christmas everyone. And speaking of "the most wonderful time of 
the year" (sorry Nick), I received some books for Christmas. Three books 
to be exact:

-Dune (can't wait to read it/at least two people here on the list highly 
recommended it + the series)

-Blackwood Farm (Anne Rice/for you Rice fans out there, what did you 
think, as this is the first book that I decided to read)

-Calculating God (Robert J Sawyer/Anyone heard of him or the book?/He 
has won a Nebula)

I got Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow which I've been hearing good things 
about for years.  I'm just finishing Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson) so I'll 
read it next.  Maybe.

I was shopping for my brother in law who also reads a lot of SF and ended 
up getting him a copy of Iain M. Banks' Inversions without thinking too 
much about it.  I need to get a copy of Consider Phlebas or Player of 
Games (or both) for him to read first as Inversions won't be completely 
comprehensible without reading at least one other Culture  book first.

Banks is very highly recommended by the way, excellent stuff.

--
Doug
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Efficient bus

[William T Goodall]

http://www.rnw.nl/science/html/031215wheel.html

"A new Dutch invention can make cars, busses and other vehicles no less 
than 50 percent more efficient and thus more environmentally friendly. 
Better still, the technology is already available; it all comes down to 
a smart combination of existing systems.

This winter, in the city of Apeldoorn, a city bus will be used to prove 
that the claims about the new invention are true. These are quite bold. 
E-traction, the company that developed the bus, boasts fuel savings of 
up to 60 per cent, with emissions down to only a fraction of the soot 
and carbon dioxide an ordinary bus would blow out of its tailpipe.

In addition, the test bus requires no adaptation, its drivers need no 
extra training and there'll be no discomfort for passengers. It will 
simply run on diesel, just like all the other buses, and it should be 
just as reliable. One thing however will be very different; the 
Apeldoorn bus hardly makes a sound, hence its nickname "the 
whisperer"."

--
William T Goodall
Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web  : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk
Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/
"It is our belief, however, that serious professional users will run 
out of things they can do with UNIX." - Ken Olsen, President of DEC, 
1984.
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Science Fiction In General

[Travis Edmunds]

Merry Christmas everyone. And speaking of "the most wonderful time of the 
year" (sorry Nick), I received some books for Christmas. Three books to be 
exact:

-Dune (can't wait to read it/at least two people here on the list highly 
recommended it + the series)

-Blackwood Farm (Anne Rice/for you Rice fans out there, what did you think, 
as this is the first book that I decided to read)

-Calculating God (Robert J Sawyer/Anyone heard of him or the book?/He has 
won a Nebula)

-Travis

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SCOUTED: More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

[Ronn!Blankenship]

<>

December 23, 2003

More Teenagers Say No to Sex, but Experts Aren't Sure Why

By LINDA VILLAROSA

Arielle Wilcott, 17, knows the facts of life. Her mother gave her the 
"birds and the bees" talk for the first time when she was 13, and the two 
women continue an open dialogue on love, sex and relationships.

Several years ago, Arielle's junior high school in Sherman, Tex., brought 
in a health educator to discuss sex, sexually transmitted diseases and 
birth control. At the end of ninth grade, Arielle and her classmates 
participated in an assembly that encouraged abstinence.

Combined with what she has read, seen on television and discussed with her 
friends, Arielle said she believed that she had been thoroughly "sex 
educated." That is why she has decided to wait to have sex until she grows 
older.

"I don't want to be forced to take care of a child that I'm not ready for 
or get an S.T.D.," said Arielle, a high school senior who likes art and 
plans to be an animator after college.

"As far as sex," she said, "it'll happen someday, but just not today. 
Besides, if I came home pregnant, I'd be lying on the ground, outlined in 
chalk."

Like Arielle, a record number of teenagers have received the message, 
"Don't bring home a baby." Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, in its annual tally of birth statistics, announced that the 
teenage birthrate had declined 30 percent over 10 years to a historic low 
of 43 births per 1,000. African-American teenagers showed the sharpest 
declines, down more than 40 percent since 1991. For young black teenagers, 
from 15 to 17, the rate was half, to 40 births per 1,000 in 2002 from 83.6 
per 1,000 in 1991 .

These declines, combined with a decrease in abortions among teenagers, 
points to a promising trend: fewer teenagers are becoming pregnant. 
According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, in women 15 to 19, the 
pregnancy rate dropped from 11.5 per 1,000 in 1991 to 8.5 in 1999, the 
latest year with available statistics.

"When you see the abortion rate decline in tandem with birthrate, this 
essentially means that teenagers are being more successful in avoiding 
pregnancy, both that end in abortion and end in birth," said David Landry, 
senior research associate at the institute. It estimates that in women 15 
to 19, the abortion rate declined, from 40 per 1,000 in 1990 to 24 in 1999.

Experts in the field agree that educational efforts have been crucial to 
reducing the numbers.

"Since 1991, when teen birthrates peaked, there's been a tremendous amount 
of attention focused on preventing teen pregnancy, and it has paid off," 
said Stephanie Ventura, the chief of the reproductive statistics branch of 
the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., who is a 
co-author of the new report. "Initiatives at the state and local levels, 
including school-based programs, church-run, private and community have 
been ongoing and have really caught teenagers' attention."

Campaigns to raise AIDS awareness have also helped reduce teenage 
pregnancy, particularly among blacks, who have the highest rates of H.I.V. 
and AIDS.

"Our community has had to become more forthright and willing to discuss 
sexual issues, because we have been so hard hit by AIDS," Bronwyn Mayden, 
executive director of Campaign for Our Children in Baltimore, said. "Black 
kids know the stats, they have seen what's happening in the community, and 
they are scared."

Even as advocates, health educators and, of course, parents, celebrate the 
good news, the debate continues over what type of sex education can take 
credit.

The two sides are firm.

Abstinence-only education, which the Bush administration supports, teaches 
that refraining from sex is the only way to prevent pregnancy and diseases. 
Programs that receive federal financing are not allowed to advise using 
contraception to reduce the risk of pregnancy or condoms to protect against 
disease. In 2003, the federal government devoted $117 million to abstinence 
education.

Comprehensive sex education, on the other hand, teaches that while 
abstinence is preferable, young people need information about sex and 
contraception. The Guttmacher Institute says that two-thirds of public 
school districts have policies to teach sex education, and that 35 percent 
of those require that abstinence be promoted as the sole option for 
unmarried people. Birth control and condoms can be mentioned just in terms 
of failure rates.

Arielle Wilcott says her ninth-grade workshop encouraged just abstinence 
until marriage, while presenting failure rates for birth control.

Rather than distributing condoms, a common practice in "safer sex 
workshops," the educator urged any students who had condoms to drop them 
off in a box near the counselor's office.

Two years ago, when she was 14, Addie Hughes of Columbus, Ga., signed a Why 
Wait contract not to have sex until marriage.

"

Re: Science Fiction In Music

[Reggie Bautista]

Debbi wrote (re: Rush)
> Their concept album 2112 with the "Temples of Syrinx"
> speaks of the 'great computers,' the Solar Federation,
> and how they have made the world contented:
> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/9123/lyrics/2112.html
>
> Many individual songs from multiple albums use science
> facts or memes to elaborate various themes ; sometimes
> it's a pun (frex "in the dog days of summer/People
> look to Sirius"  which I heard as "look too serious").
[snip]
> On the fantasy level is "The Trees," about war between
> the oaks and the maples (last song):
> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/9123/lyrics/hemispheres.html

I love that song!

But the first one from Rush that came to my mind was Red Barchetta.

 My uncle has a country place
 That no one knows about.
 He says it used to be a farm
 Before the Motor Law.
 And on Sundays I elude the Eyes,
 And hop the Turbine Freight
 To far outside the Wire
 Where my white-haired uncle waits.
 [snip]
 I strip away the old debris
 That hides a shining car:
 A brilliant red Barchetta
 From a better vanished time.
 [snip]
 Suddenly ahead of me
 Across the mountainside
 A gleaming alloy air-car
 Shoots towards me, two lanes wide...

Then there's Prime Mover, from Hold Your Fire.  It might be a little bit of
a stretch...

 I set the wheels in motion
 turn up all the machines
 activate the programs
 and run behind the scenes
 I set the clouds in motion
 turn up light and sound
 activate the window
 and watch the world go 'round

If Prime Mover is allowed, then it's only a tiny stretch further to allow
Dreamline from Roll the Bones...

 He's got a road map of Jupiter
 A radar fix on the stars
 All along the highway...

Getting a way from Rush, and speaking of stretches, how about The Police,
Walking on the Moon?  Or Syncronicity I?

 Effect without a cause
 sub-atomic laws, scientific pause,
 Syncronicity.

And while we're still stretching, there's Nine Inch Nails, The Becoming,
from The Downward Spiral

 I beat my machine it's a part of me it's inside of me...
 [snip]
 all pain disappears it's the nature of my circuitry
 drowns out all I hear there's no escape from this my new consciousness
 [snip]
 the me that you know is now made up of wires...

And heck, since the original email said horror would work too, then just
about the entire Downward Spiral album would fit.

Back to sci-fi, I'm sure at least 3 or 4 songs from Billy Idol's album
Cyberpunk would qualify.  Maybe Tomorrow People...

 A time warp scene
 a cy-fi story
 a dirt coloured love
new hope for glory

or Neuromancer (describes the world from the William Gibson novel) or Love
Labours On (supposedly written about John Conner from Terminator 2).   This
is probably not Billy Idol's best-known album, but it has some really
interesting (and really fun) stuff on it.

How about King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man?  And did anybody mention
Mister Roboto by Styx?

And as far as fantasy, did anyone mention Led Zeppelin, The Battle of
Evermore?

Ooh, and back to horror, how about Motley Crue, In the Beginning (the intro
to Shout at the Devil).

 In the beginning
 Good always overpowered the evils
 Of all man's sins...
 But in time
 The nations grew weak
 And our cities fell to slums
 While evil stood strong

 In the dusts of Hell
 Lurked the blackest of hates
 For he whom they feared awaited them...

 Now, many many lifetimes later
 Lay destroyed, beaten, beaten down
 Only the corpses of rebels
 Ashes of dreams
 And blood-stained streets...

I know there's a bunch more that are not coming to mind right now, and most
of them are far more "on-topic" than the ones I've listed.  But sadly I'm
away from the bulk of my CD collection right now so I can't just go look the
m up.  But this thread is fun!

Reggie Bautista
Sorry for the sleepy ramblings Maru


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