ARPAVAX:UNKNOWN:sf-lovers (11/01/82)
>From SFL@SRI-CSL Tue Oct 26 22:04:34 1982 SF-LOVERS Digest 26-Oct-82 Volume 6 : Issue 66 Today's Topics: Authors - Docking in PODKAYNE, Moorcock & music, Bastable Queries - computer-written story, SF opera, DEC WARS, Worm Wars game T.V. - HHGttG in Los Angeles and Chicago Movies - Revenge of the Jedi Misc - Filksongs from Usenet ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 25 Oct 1982 10:49:33-EDT From: csin!cjh at CCA-UNIX Subject: docking in PODKAYNE My initial argument about the energy inefficiencies of this method is probably irrelevant in view of the fact that the ship somehow has energy to burn (it takes high-speed trajectories between planets, rather than Hohmann orbits), but there is a more important factor: given RAH's description of the first-class passengers, how do you think they would like being weightless for several hours (the time necessary for either boarding or debarking)? Also, most of the [lower]-deck people have kids and many have babies---remember how chaotic it was in the storm shelters when they had to shut down the spin just for a few minutes? Granted, RAH assumes (by my recollection) that Phobos will be effectively zero-gee, although he doesn't deal with (for instance) the difficulty of inspecting the contents of a well-packed suitcase when said contents have no motivation to stay put. I simply don't think he thought this through (or any of the rest of this book, for that matter) very well. I've twice been through the debarkation procedures of a major ocean liner (to which RAH makes many analogies which seem valid to me) and the increase in chaos caused by attempting to do anything in zero-gee in a ship designed for centrifugal gravitation is likely to be immense. ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 1982 09:47 EDT From: Heiny.Henr at PARC-MAXC Subject: re: Michael Moorcock Moorcock is the only writer I can think of who is extensively involved in popular music. As well as "Veteran of the Psychic Wars", he has worked with the British group Hawkwind (sometimes called The Hawkwind Orchestra), and may have been a member of a band called Deep Fix. Moorcock wrote a book called "The Time of the Hawklords" around himself and Hawkwind. I don't remember who published it, but the cover art and blurb (like so many) had little relation to the book. (The art consisted mainly a distorted picture of some singers and a spaceship. I don't remember any spaceship in the book.) The central characters are the members of the band, while Moorcock appears in a more peripheral role as The Acid Sorcerer and a member of a band called Deep Fix. References to Hawkwind, besides "The Time of the Hawklords", occur in the Jerry Cornelius series and more obscurely in "The Dancers at the End of Time" series. Jerry Cornelius is a member of band called Deep Fixx or Deep Fix (the first may be a typo) in some of books of the tetralogy. It is described as being much like Pink Floyd. There are also references to Hawkwind and Deep Fix(x) in the movie "The Last Days of Man on Earth", an adaptation of "The Final Programme" made about 1977. Does any one out there know of a book called the Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius? I have heard rumors, and it was listed in Books in Print for about a year, but whenever I tried to order it, the publisher (I don't recall who) replied that it was not yet published. The most detailed reply I got (mid 1981) was that it would be "published soon". For all you time voyagers out there, there is a new Oswald Bastable book just out. "The Steel Tsar" (DAW, $2.25) puts Bastable in a world where the Bolshevik revolution never occured. Chris Heiny ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 1982 1259-PDT From: GUNS at SRI-KL Subject: identification of a "computer written" story cc: guns at SRI-KL A friend is trying to find a story for use in a paper. Can anyone identify the title or author of a fairly recent novel or short story at the end of which is a short computer-generated story. (At least the claim was that it was computer generated.) The story describes the computer's role in society in the first person. James Hogan seemed the obvious possibility, but he could not find it there. Please respond to Guns@sri-kl or to Dave Kolbus at SRI (415-859-2802 or SRI, Room IS207, Menlo Park by "snailmail".) ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 23 October 1982 22:23-EDT From: Mike Blackwell <Blackwell at CMU-20C> Subject: SF Rock Another good example that I can think of is "2112" by Rush. It's the entire first side of the 2112 LP, and is based on one of Anne Rand's novels (Atlas Shruged, maybe?). Very good. WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL... -mike- ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 1982 1244-PDT Subject: Search for an old item - Star Wars parody From: WMartin at Office-8 (Will Martin) Back when SW first came out, and SFL had all that discussion on it, someone submitted an item which was a parody of the scene where Princess Leia transmits the Death Star plans to the rebels. It was written with all the data communications jargon and problems we all know and love (koff!); things about parity errors, changing data speeds, etc. Does anyone have that on-line? If so, please mail me a copy. If anyone knows which back issue of SFLovers it was in, I'd appreciate a pointer to the volume & number. Thanks much! Will Martin [There is something called DEC WARS. It is available on SRI-CSL in <SFL>DECWARS.;1. --ed.] ------------------------------ Date: 24-Oct-82 12:24-PDT From: DAUL at OFFICE Subject: WORM WARS (Computer generated graphics?) Last night I saw a commercial for a new Atari game cartridge call WORM WARS. The animation of the add looked like it was done by the same folks that did TRON. Even in black and white it look very impressive of the TV. Does anyone know who.how this add was done? --Bi<< ------------------------------ Date: 24 Oct 82 23:11:33-PST (Sun) From: Iglesias.UCI at Rand-Relay Subject: HHGttG The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy will be on in the Los Angeles area on channel 28 (KCET) on Saturday at 10pm. The original radio series will be on KCRW 89.9 FM starting Friday November 5 at 930pm. ------------------------------ Date: 25 Oct 1982 16:20:55-EST From: Christopher A Kent <cak@Purdue> Subject: At last, HHGTTG comes to Chicago The first episode of the TV version of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy will air on WTTW, Channel 11, this Sunday (Oct 31) at 10PM CST. The time switch happens this weekend, so that makes it 11PM EST for those of us in Indiana who get WTTW by cable (and means that Dr. Who won't be on till Midnite....ugh). Cheers, chris ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 1982 1434-EDT From: TYG at MIT-OZ at MIT-MC Subject: Revenge of the Jedi While driving down Memorial Drive a few nights ago, i tuned into the NPR adaptation of Star Wars just in time to hear Obi-Wan tell Luke:: "Revenge is not the way of the Jedi. Sucombing to such base emotions leads to the dark side of the force". Hmmm. tom galloway ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 82 14:31:07-EDT (Tue) From: Will Martin (DRXAL-FD) <wmartin@BRL> Subject: Filksongs Here are some filksongs from USENET: >From esquire!harpo!ihps3!ixn5c!inuxc!inuxd!aka779 Fri Oct 22 23:23:49 1982 Subject: SF Filksong Collection: No. 1 of ? Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Beginning with this contribution, and depending on the response, I plan to distribute a sampling of the parody songs put on by the Circle of Janus SF Club of Indianapolis, IN. Tonight's selection is from the 1980 play, UP THE CREEK, done in honor of Philip Jose Farmer, the Guest of Honor that year. [To the tune of Camelot] (copyright 1980 by AKAndrews, Sr.) RIVERWORLD sung by Sir Richard Francis Burton who awakes on Riverworld and finds that he is surrounded entirely by SF fans... I've awakened by a slowly flowing river. I see giant mushrooms each topped by a can. And as these scattered bodies round me gather. I see that we're all fans. Somehow this scene is strange, yet still famiiliar As in some dream ssome long lost memory swirled. Yes, a book by some weird Spanish farmer. This must be Riverworld! Riverworld! Riverworld! When all fankind is oneday resurrected By a river that is serpentinely curled Why then my friend it may well be suspected We're on Riverworld! Each day the grailstones split the dawn with thunder Be sure to get your goodies in your pail And meanwhile if you touch it through a blunder You get burnt to hell! Riverworld ! Riverworld! Though it may give a person paws On Riverworld! Riverworld! Philip Farmer wrote thelaws! Every person who has ever loved science fiction Is gathered here, yes every chap and churl For the biggest of the really big conventions On Riverworld! desires of fans are granted to a T here Our pails get filled with books and bheer and gin And if we gafiate or just OD here We get born again ! [interrupted by script] There're more, folks, so standy by while we adjust your set. --Arlan Andrews, Indy ****** >From esquire!cmcl2!floyd!harpo!ihps3!ixn5c!inuxc!inuxd!aka779 Sun Oct 24 00:04:32 1982 Subject: SF Filk No. 2 of many... Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers In response to the letter that poured in, here is another filksong from the Circle of Janus players, also known as the It's Not OUr Fault Players. This is a selection from this year's ELF TREK: A TWO PINI OPERA. ELFTREK copyright 1982 by Arlan Keith Andrews, Sr. :Tune: Aquarius] [Sung by Cutup, the elf tribe chieftain, in the introductory scene] Once we elves Were driven from our home By human hate and human fear They didn't like Our laid back life style And they didn't like= The shape of our ears! This is the story of the Elf Trek adventurers The ElfTrek adventurers Adventurers...adventurers Hello, there, my name is Cutup I'm the leader of this elf tribe Like for you to meet the wife and kiddos Lead On's her name Sunburn, Sparky And here's my friend, Skysagan who knows facts by the billions e're ElfTrek adventuers Adventurers...adventurers. Standby for No. 3, which will be another from last year's UP THE CREEK. [By the way, one of this year's ElfTrek songs made it to the big time-- WOLF [tune of " Hair"]was published in the first issue of YEARNINGS, a companion to Elf Quest, by WaRP Graphics, Poughkeepsie, NY -- Oooh, what phonetic spelling, but I don't have vi, and will not back up to correct... on the other hand, my local elf tells me that's close enough, and anyhow, no one can spell New York names, or what? late on a Saturday nite....Arlan ..inuxd!aka779 ------------------------------ End of SF-LOVERS Digest ***********************