If you could travel to anywhere in the sci-fi film and TV

Michael Stemper · External Since: Oct 27, 2009 Posts: 5

In article <hc7dl0$mfh$2@news.eternal-september.org>, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp DeleteThis @sgeinc.invalid.com> writes:
>Michael Stemper wrote:
>> In article <hc1r5n$ofl$1@news.eternal-september.org>, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp DeleteThis @sgeinc.invalid.com> writes:

>>> Actually, for the vast majority of the people in Civilization life was
>>> very good and comfortable. We just get to watch the most "exciting" bits
>>> in the books. Remember how very little of Civilization's GNP was devoted
>>> to the war effort; for most people, most of the time, the War was far
>>> away and not terribly important on their day-to-day lives.
>>
>> Yeah, for those of us safely here on Tellus. Things were a little tougher
>> if your system of residence was close to the galactic rim, especially if
>> it was on a line towards Lundmark's Nebula.
>
> I was actually rather specifically NOT thinking of Tellus; remember the
>reason the Sunbeam was invented.

Ah, right. I was using Tellus as an exemplar of how far in a planet
should be for safety, but given its politico-military significance,
it's not a very good specific example.

> One of the other pleasant-but-not-visited places, like dropping by
>Chickladoria or Aldebaran, etc., might be better choices.

Or Vegia.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

Michael Stemper · External Since: Oct 27, 2009 Posts: 5

In article <05bee55tpt20jk07pal4rg3mdkt27iqj04 RemoveThis @4ax.com>, David Johnston <david RemoveThis @block.net> writes:
>On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:53:33 +0000 (UTC), mstemper RemoveThis @walkabout.empros.com (Michael Stemper) wrote:
>>In article <hc1r5n$ofl$1@news.eternal-september.org>, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp RemoveThis @sgeinc.invalid.com> writes:

>>> Actually, for the vast majority of the people in Civilization life was
>>>very good and comfortable. We just get to watch the most "exciting" bits
>>>in the books. Remember how very little of Civilization's GNP was devoted
>>>to the war effort; for most people, most of the time, the War was far
>>>away and not terribly important on their day-to-day lives.
>>
>>Yeah, for those of us safely here on Tellus. Things were a little tougher
>>if your system of residence was close to the galactic rim, especially if
>>it was on a line towards Lundmark's Nebula.
>
>I never entirely bought the idea that the grandiose war they were
>fighting was that cheap.

Not on an absolute scale, no. But, on a per-capita scale, probably.

In Chapter 28 of _Children of the Lens_, it's stated that Tellus,
an average planet, graduates about one hundred new Lensmen per
year. If you scale a planet's share of the Patrol based upon one
hundred new Lensmen per year, that planet's share of the Patrol
isn't really huge, especially when you take into account the fact
that most (if not all) of the US Service Acadamies gradutate
several times that.

Yet, in aggregate, it's huge. That graudating rate, accumulated
over the entire First Galaxy, leads to 6.85E12 new Lensmen per
year. The size of the armed forces implied by this is enormous.
Stupendous! INCREDIBLE!!!

So is the traffic problem in the Arisian system, of course, with
almost a quarter of a million candidates for Lensmanship arriving
to be vetted every second.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
I feel more like I do now than I did when I came in.

"Sea Wasp · External Since: Oct 21, 2009 Posts: 16

Michael Stemper wrote:
> In article <hc7dl0$mfh$2@news.eternal-september.org>, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp.DeleteThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> writes:
>> Michael Stemper wrote:
>>> In article <hc1r5n$ofl$1@news.eternal-september.org>, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp.DeleteThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> writes:
>
>>>> Actually, for the vast majority of the people in Civilization life was
>>>> very good and comfortable. We just get to watch the most "exciting" bits
>>>> in the books. Remember how very little of Civilization's GNP was devoted
>>>> to the war effort; for most people, most of the time, the War was far
>>>> away and not terribly important on their day-to-day lives.
>>> Yeah, for those of us safely here on Tellus. Things were a little tougher
>>> if your system of residence was close to the galactic rim, especially if
>>> it was on a line towards Lundmark's Nebula.
>> I was actually rather specifically NOT thinking of Tellus; remember the
>> reason the Sunbeam was invented.
>
> Ah, right. I was using Tellus as an exemplar of how far in a planet
> should be for safety, but given its politico-military significance,
> it's not a very good specific example.
>
>> One of the other pleasant-but-not-visited places, like dropping by
>> Chickladoria or Aldebaran, etc., might be better choices.
>
> Or Vegia.
>

Ahh yes, the very ARCHETYPE of the Kawaii Catgirls!

--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Live Journal: http://seawasp.livejournal.com

Wayne Throop · External Since: Sep 29, 2004 Posts: 32

:: Instant messaging. "i can has Lens pls?" "I M M3N+0R! PH33R MY
:: 133+ +313p4+y 5k1Lz! IM in UR brain reedin' UR thoughts.!"

I would hav thought that'd be "M3N+ORZ".
Or at least, a "Z" after "OR" seems exceedingly common.

Wayne Throop throopw RemoveThis @sheol.org http://sheol.org/throopw

"Sea Wasp · External Since: Oct 21, 2009 Posts: 16

Wayne Throop wrote:
> :: Instant messaging. "i can has Lens pls?" "I M M3N+0R! PH33R MY
> :: 133+ +313p4+y 5k1Lz! IM in UR brain reedin' UR thoughts.!"
>
> I would hav thought that'd be "M3N+ORZ".
> Or at least, a "Z" after "OR" seems exceedingly common.
>

The "z" would indicate it's a plural. While Mentor is a fusion, there's
only one Mentor. He is composed of several ArisianZ, though.

--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Live Journal: http://seawasp.livejournal.com

Michael Stemper · External Since: Oct 27, 2009 Posts: 5

In article <aff5910a-fef7-48cc-8b4b-4d94e4b70498.RemoveThis@j4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>, =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Robert_Carnegie=3A_Fnord=3A_cc_talk=2Dorigins=40moderators=2Eisc=2E?= =?ISO-8859-1?Q?or=ADg?= <rja.carnegie.RemoveThis@excite.com> writes:
>Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) wrote:

>> I was actually rather specifically NOT thinking of Tellus; remember the
>> reason the Sunbeam was invented. The war was not far away from the
>> Capital of Civilization; if Boskone could figure out a way to nail the
>> planet, they would.
>>
>> One of the other pleasant-but-not-visited places, like dropping by
>> Chickladoria or Aldebaran, etc., might be better choices.
>
>But where do you plan to buy drugs?
>
>Is this the series where the graduating class from police college are
>invited to sit down and supplied with booze and cigarettes and
>appropriate-to-species equivalents while the boss lectures them about
>the galaxy-wide drugs problem?

Yes, except for the booze. For some reason, Patrolmen were never
portrayed as drinking liquor. It was always fayalin, which the
Historian stresses is "non-intoxicating".

Kinnison drank in his undercover roles in _Gray Lensman_, but that
was part of the cover.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
"Writing about jazz is like dancing about architecture" - Thelonious Monk

Mike Van Pelt · External Since: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 14

In article <hc7r73$v53$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seawasp.RemoveThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>You have no control over the facts within the writer's
>universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
>believable, or not.

How ... un-post-modern of you.

--
Mike Van Pelt "If they're going to talk about
mvp.at.calweb.com Camelot, then we get to talk about
KE6BVH The Lady in the Lake." - ?

Mike Schilling · External Since: Jan 16, 2005 Posts: 20

Mike Van Pelt wrote:
> In article <hc7r73$v53$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seawasp DeleteThis @sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>> You have no control over the facts within the writer's
>> universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
>> believable, or not.
>
> How ... un-post-modern of you.

What Wasp said is true even in post-modernism. What he implied (that as the
writer, he *is* in control) is, on the other hand, really old-fashioned.

Mark Reichert · External Since: Oct 28, 2009 Posts: 1

On Oct 21, 3:39 am, Trevor <trevor.ander....TakeThisOut@joinme.com> wrote:
> If it was possible for you to go anywhere in the film or TV sci-fi and/
> or scifi fantasy
> universe that you love and greatly admire, where would you most like
> to go and please say why, for anywhere named.

The Galactic Milieu, Post Rebellion.

OR

Nantucket, ISOT version, either at the arrival or after Walker's
defeat.

"Sea Wasp · External Since: Oct 21, 2009 Posts: 16

Mike Schilling wrote:
> Mike Van Pelt wrote:
>> In article <hc7r73$v53$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seawasp.RemoveThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>>> You have no control over the facts within the writer's
>>> universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
>>> believable, or not.
>> How ... un-post-modern of you.
>
> What Wasp said is true even in post-modernism. What he implied (that as the
> writer, he *is* in control) is, on the other hand, really old-fashioned.
>
>

It's old-fashioned, but like many old-fashioned things, it still works.

--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Live Journal: http://seawasp.livejournal.com

Bill Snyder · External Since: Nov 19, 2004 Posts: 5

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:01:36 -0400, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
<seawasp.TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:

>Mike Schilling wrote:
>> Mike Van Pelt wrote:
>>> In article <hc7r73$v53$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
>>> Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seawasp.TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>>>> You have no control over the facts within the writer's
>>>> universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
>>>> believable, or not.
>>> How ... un-post-modern of you.
>>
>> What Wasp said is true even in post-modernism. What he implied (that as the
>> writer, he *is* in control) is, on the other hand, really old-fashioned.
>>
>>
>
> It's old-fashioned, but like many old-fashioned things, it still works.

[and earlier]

> You can do that, but then you're arguing with God Almighty, and
> while you can live in your own delusion, you'll be wrong.

Does sound like rather the Old Testament reports, at least,
doesn't it?

"In My universe, dear reader, two and two adds to five, and
you'll just have to accept that. And like it. Or else."

--
Bill Snyder [This space unintentionally left blank]

David Johnston · External Since: Jan 29, 2007 Posts: 168

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:21:52 +0000 (UTC),
mstemper.TakeThisOut@walkabout.empros.com (Michael Stemper) wrote:

>In article <05bee55tpt20jk07pal4rg3mdkt27iqj04.TakeThisOut@4ax.com>, David Johnston <david.TakeThisOut@block.net> writes:
>>On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:53:33 +0000 (UTC), mstemper.TakeThisOut@walkabout.empros.com (Michael Stemper) wrote:
>>>In article <hc1r5n$ofl$1@news.eternal-september.org>, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp.TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> writes:
>
>>>> Actually, for the vast majority of the people in Civilization life was
>>>>very good and comfortable. We just get to watch the most "exciting" bits
>>>>in the books. Remember how very little of Civilization's GNP was devoted
>>>>to the war effort; for most people, most of the time, the War was far
>>>>away and not terribly important on their day-to-day lives.
>>>
>>>Yeah, for those of us safely here on Tellus. Things were a little tougher
>>>if your system of residence was close to the galactic rim, especially if
>>>it was on a line towards Lundmark's Nebula.
>>
>>I never entirely bought the idea that the grandiose war they were
>>fighting was that cheap.
>
>Not on an absolute scale, no. But, on a per-capita scale, probably.
>
>In Chapter 28 of _Children of the Lens_, it's stated that Tellus,
>an average planet, graduates about one hundred new Lensmen per
>year. If you scale a planet's share of the Patrol based upon one
>hundred new Lensmen per year, that planet's share of the Patrol
>isn't really huge, especially when you take into account the fact
>that most (if not all) of the US Service Acadamies gradutate
>several times that.

The number of Lensmen is minute by comparison with the number of
Patrolmen. The standards are so very, very high.

>
>Yet, in aggregate, it's huge. That graudating rate, accumulated
>over the entire First Galaxy, leads to 6.85E12 new Lensmen per
>year. The size of the armed forces implied by this is enormous.
>Stupendous! INCREDIBLE!!!

Nah. Tellus would produce much more Lensmen than a normal world.
Nevians for example can't produce them at all.

"Sea Wasp · External Since: Oct 21, 2009 Posts: 16

Bill Snyder wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:01:36 -0400, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
> <seawasp.TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>
>> Mike Schilling wrote:
>>> Mike Van Pelt wrote:
>>>> In article <hc7r73$v53$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
>>>> Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seawasp.TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>>>>> You have no control over the facts within the writer's
>>>>> universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
>>>>> believable, or not.
>>>> How ... un-post-modern of you.
>>> What Wasp said is true even in post-modernism. What he implied (that as the
>>> writer, he *is* in control) is, on the other hand, really old-fashioned.
>>>
>>>
>> It's old-fashioned, but like many old-fashioned things, it still works.
>
> [and earlier]
>
>> You can do that, but then you're arguing with God Almighty, and
>> while you can live in your own delusion, you'll be wrong.
>
> Does sound like rather the Old Testament reports, at least,
> doesn't it?
>
> "In My universe, dear reader, two and two adds to five, and
> you'll just have to accept that. And like it. Or else."
>

Minus the Like it or else, since the author can't make you like it and
has no way of enforcing the belief outside of the book. Unless he has
the reader tied down and has a gun to the reader's head, but even then
that's just the "or else".

You can find an author's assumptions/postulates within the world to be
too extreme for you to *accept*, thus breaking your WSOD, but that fact
won't (sometimes, unfortunately) change what's actually in the universe
of the work.

--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Live Journal: http://seawasp.livejournal.com

Robert_Carnegie:_Fnord:_c · External Since: Oct 22, 2009 Posts: 11

On Oct 29, 11:26 am, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
<seaw....DeleteThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
> Bill Snyder wrote:
> > On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:01:36 -0400, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
> > <seaw....DeleteThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>
> >> Mike Schilling wrote:
> >>> Mike Van Pelt wrote:
> >>>> In article <hc7r73$v5...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> >>>> Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seaw....DeleteThis@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
> >>>>> You have no control over the facts within the writer's
> >>>>> universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
> >>>>> believable, or not.
> >>>> How ... un-post-modern of you.
> >>> What Wasp said is true even in post-modernism. What he implied (that as the
> >>> writer, he *is* in control) is, on the other hand, really old-fashioned.
>
> >> It's old-fashioned, but like many old-fashioned things, it still works.
>
> > [and earlier]
>
> >> You can do that, but then you're arguing with God Almighty, and
> >> while you can live in your own delusion, you'll be wrong.
>
> > Does sound like rather the Old Testament reports, at least,
> > doesn't it?
>
> > "In My universe, dear reader, two and two adds to five, and
> > you'll just have to accept that. And like it. Or else."
>
> Minus the Like it or else, since the author can't make you like it and
> has no way of enforcing the belief outside of the book. Unless he has
> the reader tied down and has a gun to the reader's head, but even then
> that's just the "or else".
>
> You can find an author's assumptions/postulates within the world to be
> too extreme for you to *accept*, thus breaking your WSOD, but that fact
> won't (sometimes, unfortunately) change what's actually in the universe
> of the work.

If I have to rewrite a book in my head to enjoy it, and if I /can/,
then it's a way to try to get my money's worth from it.

That may mean simply skipping over paragraphs explaining political or
economic theories that I don't want to hear about, or a more creative
re-interpretation of the text.

Michael Stemper · External Since: Oct 27, 2009 Posts: 5

In article <k35ie5tqmblo18e0ocno2g8pt4r53lj6lt.DeleteThis@4ax.com>, David Johnston <david.DeleteThis@block.net> writes:
>On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:21:52 +0000 (UTC), mstemper.DeleteThis@walkabout.empros.com (Michael Stemper) wrote:
>>In article <05bee55tpt20jk07pal4rg3mdkt27iqj04.DeleteThis@4ax.com>, David Johnston <david.DeleteThis@block.net> writes:

>>Yet, in aggregate, it's huge. That graudating rate, accumulated
>>over the entire First Galaxy, leads to 6.85E12 new Lensmen per
>>year. The size of the armed forces implied by this is enormous.
>>Stupendous! INCREDIBLE!!!
>
>Nah. Tellus would produce much more Lensmen than a normal world.

Chapter 28:
"Bear in mind that [...] Tellus, an average planet, graduates
approximately one hundred Lensmen every year."

>Nevians for example can't produce them at all.

And, if the number of Lensmen per year produced follows a Gaussian
distribution, it's probably not the only world in the First Galaxy
that doesn't.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
If this is our corporate opinion, you will be billed for it.

Will in New Haven · External Since: Oct 21, 2009 Posts: 6

On Oct 29, 11:36 am, Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-
orig....TakeThisOut@moderators.isc.org <rja.carne....TakeThisOut@excite.com> wrote:
> On Oct 29, 11:26 am, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
>
>
>
>
>
> <seaw....TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
> > Bill Snyder wrote:
> > > On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:01:36 -0400, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
> > > <seaw....TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>
> > >> Mike Schilling wrote:
> > >>> Mike Van Pelt wrote:
> > >>>> In article <hc7r73$v5...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> > >>>> Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) <seaw....TakeThisOut@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
> > >>>>> You have no control over the facts within the writer's
> > >>>>> universe, whether you like them, or even think they're
> > >>>>> believable, or not.
> > >>>> How ... un-post-modern of you.
> > >>> What Wasp said is true even in post-modernism. What he implied (that as the
> > >>> writer, he *is* in control) is, on the other hand, really old-fashioned.
>
> > >> It's old-fashioned, but like many old-fashioned things, it still works.
>
> > > [and earlier]
>
> > >> You can do that, but then you're arguing with God Almighty, and
> > >> while you can live in your own delusion, you'll be wrong.
>
> > > Does sound like rather the Old Testament reports, at least,
> > > doesn't it?
>
> > > "In My universe, dear reader, two and two adds to five, and
> > > you'll just have to accept that. And like it. Or else."
>
> > Minus the Like it or else, since the author can't make you like it and
> > has no way of enforcing the belief outside of the book. Unless he has
> > the reader tied down and has a gun to the reader's head, but even then
> > that's just the "or else".
>
> > You can find an author's assumptions/postulates within the world to be
> > too extreme for you to *accept*, thus breaking your WSOD, but that fact
> > won't (sometimes, unfortunately) change what's actually in the universe
> > of the work.
>
> If I have to rewrite a book in my head to enjoy it, and if I /can/,
> then it's a way to try to get my money's worth from it.
>
> That may mean simply skipping over paragraphs explaining political or
> economic theories that I don't want to hear about, or a more creative
> re-interpretation of the text.

I find that easier to do on a re-read. I don't usually have trouble
immersing myself in what the author wants to say her/his world is like
but sometimes the oddest minor things bother me. It is easier,
generally, for me to accept major points. The author usually
buttresses them well enough that I can live with them. On a re-read, I
can skip the annoying minor stuff.

--
Will in New Haven

TBerk · External Since: May 08, 2007 Posts: 67

On Oct 22, 8:15 am, "Steven L." <sdlit....DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote:

> I never got the feeling of suspense or tension from the Ringworld
> stories either. The first novel had a real sense of wonder, because the
> Ringworld was such a stunning concept. But that sense of wonder
> dissipated in the subsequent novels.
>
> --
> Steven L.

Well, there is a lot more than 'Ringworld' to work with; there are
big, hungry K'Zin, and lets not forget

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Pak_Protector#encyclopedia

the Pak. And Puppeteers. And

hell- we have all of Known Space to work with...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Known_Space

berk

PV · External Since: Mar 01, 2007 Posts: 40

Howard S Shubs <howard.RemoveThis@shubs.net> writes:
>> Lazarus was a secret geek, and I *know* Zeb would give me a free ride for a
>> set of Firefly CDs. I don't think valuta would be a problem. *
>
>From how many versions of you?

The hell with those guys, unless they have copies of the second through
seventh season. *
--
* PV Something like badgers, something like lizards, and something
like corkscrews.