FORWARD@USC-ECL@sri-unix.UUCP (08/14/83)
I am at the Hyatt so can't offer my room, but will be glad to assist
with a little beer money to get things rolling. I will even go so far as
to leave my vests in my room and wear one of RODOF's (in)famous tee
shirts with the mysterious message
...
.._.
._..
I am pretty sure that Jerry Pournelle and maybe Larry Niven have accounts
at MIT-MC that Minsky helped set up, so you could send invitations to them
there. (I see POURNE on the system often but don't know if Niven checks in
very often.) In the last few SF-Lover's parties that I attended, both
Larry and Jerry went out of their way to attend.
A few weeks ago, someone made some crack about not hearing much from SF
writers on SF-LOVERS. You guys don't realize how lucky you are having a
free electronic postal system for you to play with. Of all the science
fiction writers I know, I think only three have access to the ARPA net,
and Larry and Jerry wouldn't if it weren't for Minsky getting them on
MC before the access closed down. I know David Brin does not have access,
even though he is associated with UCSD. When I relayed some of the nicer
comments on his books to him, he asked me to write a short article about the
SF-Lovers newsletter, the ARPA-net, and possible ways to get access for the
SFWA Computer Users Newsletter that he edits for SF writers. I also doubt
that Prof. Vernor Vinge, and Prof. Gregory Benford have access to ARPA net
despite their university ties, or Charles Sheffield or James Hogan, or
the others that have some professional connection with universities or
government contractors or government. Then there are all the other writers
that have NO connections at all. If you want them on SF-LOVERS, you are
going to have to figure out ways to give them access to the ARPA net or its
equivalent.
(Then of course, there is the problem that you can lead a writer to the
net, but you can't make him read the miles of stuff that SF-Lovers generates
every day. I for one don't have the time to spend reading about all the
speculations about what Lucas "really" meant in his movies.)
See you at the Worldcon in Baltimore.
Bob Forward
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