Aucbvax.1420 fa.sf-lovers utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!JPM@MIT-AI Tue May 26 03:59:34 1981 SF-LOVERS Digest V3 #132 SF-LOVERS AM Digest Tuesday, 26 May 1981 Volume 3 : Issue 132 Today's Topics: SF Lovers - Film Buff Digest, SF Books - Earthsea Trilogy & Dark is Rising & Cyber SF, SF Movies - Outland, SF Topics - Children's TV (Rocky and Bullwinkle and Jay Ward productions and Jetsons) & Physics Today (Moons of Jupiter and Anti-Sugar) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 20-May-81 1:49:54 PDT (Wednesday) From: Hamilton.ES at PARC-MAXC Subject: Re: FILM-BUFFS list At the instigation of Michael First, and with the aid and advice of Chris Stacy, Jim McGrath, Ted Anderson, and others, I have set up the necessary mailboxes and distribution lists to support (1) FILM-BUFFS Digest and (2) FILM-BUFFS-REVIEWS, which will distribute movie reviews from the wire services. Yours truly will act as moderator. As Michael has indicated, the Digest's scope will include "general discussions about current films (mini-reviews, interesting tid-bits, etc.), queries, film convention info, general airing of opinions and anything else pertaining to cinema." I would add that, while the focus will doubtless be on current cinema, historical discussion on actors, directors, genres, periods, etc. will be most welcome. What FILM-BUFFS Digest should NOT be: (a) a trivia contest (although honest queries are welcome) (b) long-winded articles from the general press (that's what FILM-BUFFS-REVIEWS is) (c) long discussions about science fiction/ fantasy films (that should remain in SF-Lovers), EXCEPT perhaps discussions of purely cinematic arcana regarding special effects, etc. Anyone wishing to receive the digest or the reviews should send a msg to FILM-BUFFS-REQUEST @ MIT-AI. Be sure to specify whether you want the Digest, the Reviews, or both. [Xerox people only: to get the Digest, add yourself directly to FILM-BUFFS-LIST^.ES using Maintain. To get the Reviews, add yourself to FILM-BUFFS-REVIEWS^.ES. Film-buffs-list^.es was initialized with the contents of Movie^.pa, but Film-buffs-reviews will not be so initialized.] To contribute to the digest: send mail to FILM-BUFFS @ MIT-AI [or FILM-BUFFS.ES @ PARC-MAXC, if that is more convenient]. --Bruce ------------------------------ Date: 24 May 1981 1658-PDT From: OR.TOVEY at SU-SCORE Subject: Garner, LeGuin, Cooper Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy was \not/ originally marketed for children. A Wizard of Earthsea was out as an Ace science fiction special years before it caught on as a children's book and was issued in hardback for kids. The second book in the series, The Tombs of Atuan, was originally published in Analog or F&SF. By the way, \it/ won a Newberry award, because A Wizard deserved the award but it was too late to give it one (because as I just said, it took a few years for people to realize what a great children's book it is). This is unfortunately typical of the Newberry awards: authors often don't win the award for their best book. (I think The Tombs is the weakest of the three books). The Earthsea books are among my favorite children's books, fantasy books, and just plain books. I agree wholeheartedly with your praise for Garner's books. I, too, didn't read them until I was older and liked them very much, especially The Owl Service and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. Have you read the Green Knowe books by L.M. Boston? How about the Weathermongers books by Dickinson? Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series: as usual, the best in the series is really the second book, The Dark is Rising, but the Newberry went to the fifth book. The books are very well written and many of the scenes are quite gripping. I think the series has tremendous potential but falls short for several reasons. First of all, the magic fails to have rules. (For comparison, see Leguin, McKillip, etc.) In the second book, the main character reads the "Book of Grammarye", which contains all the magic tricks he will use. But we never learn anything about the book or its structure. It is just a bag of trick he can reach into when he is in a tough spot.... Supposedly important "rules" concerning the light and the dark (paths for instance) are taught to him and never appear again in the series. Second, Cooper completely subverts the primacy of the Light/Dark conflict (which is the foundation of the plot) by introducing the so-called High Magic, which is superior to both Light and Dark and from whose standpoint the other two are symmetric. Third, the symbolism doesn't quite work. It is not inconsistent, but doesn't stir up much profundity, either. Fourth, I find it hard to sympathize with characters who erase portions of other people's minds. This ends/means morality is often unconvincing, and Cooper makes a big thing about what suffering Will must be going through because he is erasing other people's memories. In spite of the above criticisms, I certainly recommend the series to fantasy enthusiasts. good reading, --cat ------------------------------ Date: 25 May 1981 1001-PDT From: First@SUMEX-AIM Subject: Outland comment and Jay Ward Comment I just saw "Outland" last night and I agree wholeheartedly with Vincent Canby's review in the \Times/--this film is an example of pure escapist entertainment. I think Gene Siskel and several SF-er's have missed the point--I do not think it is fair to discuss this film in terms of sociological implications or even plot logic. This film is NOT Sci-FI. Like Alien, its charm is the transposition of film genres into a single slick amalgam. The plot is almost identical to High Noon. The film works because of the observed parallels between a mining colony on the frontier of Earth colonization and Western towns on the frontier of the Wild West. The common theme of these Westerns is that of a loner--out on his own, trying to come to terms with the lawlessness around him and handling it on his own terms. This is a theme which has been very popular in American films, because it expresses some of the central ideas upon which America was established--the importance of individuality and self-determination. "Outland" is just an updating of this type of film, carrying over the same types of values and even plot logic. I felt that the production values in this film were marvelous--the set design was imaginative and exciting, SPFX were smooth and relatively seamless. In all, a very satisfying evening of escapism and cinematic fireworks. I think if you go into the film with these expectations, you will not be disappointed. Does anybody remember another Jay Ward production, "George of the Jungle", a Rocky and Bullwinkle type of production which also included "SUPERCHICKEN" and "Tom Swift" segments--all were quite tongue-in-cheek and superb. Or Dudly-Do-right? If one ever ventures into LA, there is a store called the "Dudley-Do-right Emporium" (on Sunset Blvd, near La Cienega, I think--better look it up). (Actually, I haven't been there since summer '79, so it might not be there anymore--anybody in LA know?) Well anyway, they sold all manner of Jay Ward memorabilia, including T-Shirts, dolls, and cartoon storyboards--which were quite fascinating. I think Jay Ward might even have hung around in this shop. Does anybody know what happened to Jay Ward? --Michael ------------------------------ Date: 24 May 1981 1846-PDT From: OR.TOVEY at SU-SCORE Subject: Rocky and Bullwinkle What is Frostbite Falls? (I remember the Fractured Fairy Tales -- they were \very/ funny). --cat ------------------------------ Date: 24 May 1981 1855-PDT (Sunday) From: Lauren at UCLA-SECURITY (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: Rocky and Bullwinkle Shame on you! Rocky and Bullwinkle LIVED in Frostbite Falls (Minnesota). Rather chilly. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ Date: 25 May 1981 13:43-EDT From: J. Noel Chiappa Subject: Rocky&Bullwinkle & R.R. These two are still great favorites at MIT; the local weekend movie types (LSC) get them for shorts very often. They have done up the long R&B series with the Dumb Ray, etc. They may not have excellent animation, but the inside political jokes are fascinating. I remember several 'Hubert' jokes whose form I don't remember. I too regret the inability to collect these as I would books. Noel ------------------------------ Date: 25 May 1981 1428-PDT (Monday) From: Lauren at UCLA-SECURITY (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: Rocky and Bullwinkle I stand by my previous statements about the Derby and the Moonmen until documented evidence to the contrary is presented. Chuckle. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ Date: 25 May 1981 11:14:09-PDT From: Cory.cc-06 at Berkeley Subject: Robots ... An interesting robot in "Robots have no tails" By Henry Kuttner. Many robots of all shapes and sizes in "The Reproductive System" or "Mechasm" by Sladek. ------------------------------ Date: 21 May 1981 2241-EDT From: KJB at MIT-DMS (Kevin J. Burnett) Subject: Children's TV I sure do remember back then when I used to see all of those programs like The Jetsons etc. I also remember about Aqua boy.. That whatever-it-was in the last digest (5/21) was correct to my knowledge too. (I should know; I am only 14, so it wasn't really that long ago compared to some of you) -Kevin ------------------------------ Date: 25 May 1981 06:18:43-PDT From: decvax!duke!unc!smb at Berkeley Subject: SF lovers and the Moons of Jupiter The name of the Arthur Clarke story IS "Jupiter Five", and it appears in "Reach for Tomorrow". A character is deliberately tossed towards Jupiter to scare his companion, who is warned that a body falling from that orbit towards the planet would reach atmosphere in about 1.5 hours. They deliberately omitted to mention that the body would have to be at rest with respect to Jupiter; as is, his orbit would intersect Jupiter Five's fairly soon. Clarke claims that it took 20 or 30 pages of orbital calculations to write the story. Another description of the orbital mechanics of the Jovian system is by Pournelle, in a column in the late lamented Galaxy magazine. It was written shortly before the fly-bys that detected the immense radiation fields around Jupiter, which (as he later wrote) ruined his hypothesis: that in terms of delta-V necessary to move among them, a culture based on Jupiter's moons was far more viable than (Niven's) "Belter" culture -- it turns out that the asteroids are generally closer to Earth (energetically speaking) than they are to each other. There is also some discussion, albeit on a lower level, in Asimov's (writing as Paul French) "Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter" -- a "juvenile". ------------------------------ Date: 21 May 1981 16:11:59-EDT From: cjh at CCA-UNIX (Chip Hitchcock) Subject: receptors Perhaps there's a true bio hacker out there who can give more precise info, but it is my understanding that taste (and to a large extent smell, which is commonly considered to contribute detail to taste through the sinuses) is dependent on the chemical components of each substance reacting with a substance-specific receptor. Just how specific the receptors are is quite variable; consider that most hexose sugars taste sweet (though "milk sugar" (lactose?) is bitter enough to be used to cut heroin, and even two similar types like glucose and fructose produce significantly different strengths of response) and even sugar alcohols (e.g., hexols (such as mannitol and sorbitol) instead of aldo- or keto-pentols) taste sweet although bacteria can't consume them as efficiently. I would expect that, if the mirror image response to the rotgut exists when the consumer is reversed, it should also work when the drink is reversed. Consider someone trying to put a left hand into a right-handed glove; if either the glove or the hand is replaced with its reverse you'll get a gloved hand. Obviously this doesn't work if the person specifically wants this glove on hir left hand---unless you push heesh or the glove through the reverser, in which case either the glove will fit or heesh'll \\think// it fits, which would work just as well. This should work in any case of a stereospecific on-off receptor. ------------------------------ End of SF-LOVERS Digest *********************** ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.