20 February 2010: 'Harry the Crow' by John Kratman

[13:50] Jago Constantine: Hi, Cloud :)
[13:50] Cloud Pilote: Hi Jago
[13:50] Jago Constantine: Are you here for the sci fi meeting?
[13:51] Cloud Pilote: I guess - I looked to see what was on and thought this looked interesting...
[13:51] Jago Constantine: Great - we'll start in about 10 minutes
[13:51] Cloud Pilote: OK
[13:51] Jago Constantine: This week we're listening to a story podcast
[13:52] Cloud Pilote: oh kool - this is every week at this time?
[13:52] Jago Constantine: Yes - 2pm Saturdays / Would you like a group invite?
[13:52] Cloud Pilote: Yes please :o)
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: While we wait I can tell you how i fell in love with sf if you like?
[13:53] Jago Constantine: Sure!
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: OK
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: I am 54 now but for my tenth birthday I got a book token
[13:53] Sora Bluebird: hello everyone
[13:53] Jago Constantine: Hey, Sora :)
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: Dad took me to town and prevailed upon me to buy a brand new book...
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: AC CLarke - 2001!
[13:54] Sora Bluebird: my stream is on already jago
[13:54] Jago Constantine: Wow nice :)
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: I read it deep into the night on my Birthday
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: At 2am I sat bolt upright in bed
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: as Dave Bowmans las words sped from Iapetus
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: to Earth
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: "Its opening and...
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: Oh MY GOd
[13:55] Cloud Pilote: Its full of stars...
[13:55] Cloud Pilote: Who needs drugs!!
[13:55] Jago Constantine: Hehe
[13:55] Lukos Tairov: I think that IS a fantastic line, personally.
[13:56] Cloud Pilote: who are fav authors for you guys?
[13:56] Jago Constantine: yes it has that sense of wonder / personally, I'd say Iain Banks or Neal Stephenson / Sora probably likes manga and anime :)
[13:56] Cloud Pilote: lol
[13:56] Sora Bluebird: you are correct
[13:57] Sora Bluebird: and dysney
[13:57] Cloud Pilote: wELCOME!
[13:57] Jago Constantine: hey zobeid :)
[13:57] Zobeid Zuma: Hii!
[13:58] Lukos Tairov: I haven't read so much sci-fi as watched it, but I do like it.
[13:58] Jago Constantine: Hi, Lukos ... come in and join us if you like :) / We're listening to a podcast sci fi story this week
[13:58] Zobeid Zuma: When it's written, then it's SF. The word "sci-fi" applies to lower life forms, such as TV and movies. :)
[13:58] Cloud Pilote: What is that disc on your face Jago?
[13:59] Jago Constantine: hehe its from the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
[13:59] Lukos Tairov: I'm on a text-only client. I can not navigate around the doorway just using the minimap, haha. So, I'm just gonna stand wherever I am and talk as well x)
[13:59] Jago Constantine: oh ok then you won't be able to hear the story today lol
[13:59] Sebastian Diranovitz: Hello everyone... ^^
[13:59] Jago Constantine: Hi, Sebastian :)
[14:00] Sebastian Diranovitz: HelloZ Jago/... >.<
[14:00] Sebastian Diranovitz sits down shyly
[14:00] Jago Constantine: We'll start the story at about 5 past to give any latecomers time to get here
[14:01] Sora Bluebird snickers at the cute schoolboy
[14:01] Zobeid Zuma: Oh, I think I found a new favorite chair.
[14:01] Jago Constantine: hehe
[14:02] Sebastian Diranovitz: I iz shy! *Frowns*
[14:02] Jago Constantine: um so yeah Cloud - in the anime the character they're hunting is the Laughing Man, a hacker / and he always conceals his face with this symbol / I've been watching it lately so I bought one for myself :P
[14:03] Sora Bluebird: hello eddi hunni
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: hai
[14:03] Jago Constantine: hey eddi babe :)
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: hai
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: hey sweetie, you too jago
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:04] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: i just consecrated two dogtags today
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: at a wedding
[14:04] Sebastian Diranovitz: Hii Eddi!
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: hi seb
[14:05] Jago Constantine: ok does everyone have their music stream on?
[14:05] Sora Bluebird: you should be hearing the moonlight sonata
[14:05] Sebastian Diranovitz: yuss... I am swaying to the moonlight sonata
[14:05] Zobeid Zuma: I had to stop and restart it. . . but it's going now.
[14:05] Jago Constantine: Hi, Souldeaf, Jairdan / Are you here for the sci fi meeting?
[14:06] Jairdan Tearfall: hello
[14:06] SOULDEAF Zabaleta: hello
[14:06] Jairdan Tearfall: yes, thought i would come and listen
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Great - put your music stream on cos we're just about to start / today's story is Harry the Crow / by John Kratman
[14:07] SOULDEAF Zabaleta: helo
[14:07] SOULDEAF Zabaleta: hello
[14:10] Sebastian Diranovitz: Guys... *Sighs* gotta go.... Suddenly... RL... I will try to make it back
[14:11] Jago Constantine: kk :)
[14:11] Sebastian Diranovitz waves
[14:11] Eddi Haskell: bye seb
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: must be from new york
[14:18] Jago Constantine: hi, serafina, we're listening to a story on the music stream
[14:18] Serafina Faith: cool
[14:38] Jago Constantine: hi, niccole :)
[14:38] Niccole Damone: hi!
[14:38] Jago Constantine: we're listening to a podcast story on the music stream
[14:38] Niccole Damone: ok
[14:53] Jago Constantine: cool
[14:53] Zobeid Zuma: That was wild!
[14:53] Eddi Haskell: hi!
[14:53] Jago Constantine: lol hi? / So what did you all think?
[14:54] Zobeid Zuma: Very funky story. A flight of fantasy, really, but a fun one.
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Yeah I thought it was fun / I've read a few stories and novels with native american themes / It would be good to have a NA perspective on the story
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: ok question
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: they were robot animaloids right?
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: what did they do?
[14:56] Jago Constantine: animaloids?
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: yeah
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: like kinda animals and kinda robots
[14:56] Jago Constantine: there was one robot in the story / harry
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: what were tthe others?
[14:57] Jago Constantine: there was a horse / and some buffalo
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: but how come it talked
[14:57] Jago Constantine: how come what talked?
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: the horse
[14:57] Jago Constantine: did it? / what did it say?
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: well everyone was intelligent
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: I got the sense that all the animals were semi robotic
[14:58] Jago Constantine: all the people were / no I don't think so
[14:59] Zobeid Zuma: Sometimes a horse is just a horse.
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: of course!
[14:59] Jago Constantine: of course
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: unless it is a horse that talks of course!
[14:59] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: mr. ed
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: that was the opening of a TV show about a talking horse
[15:00] Jago Constantine: I wonder if the author is native american? / yes we know
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: im batting 100 today!
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: im just tying to make sense of it
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: the crow
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: the native americans
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: the starbase
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: but i guess the story about about Harry who is a robot
[15:01] Jago Constantine: yes / basically its the old story about the robot who wants to become human
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: oh yeah
[15:02] Jago Constantine: like pinocchio
[15:02] Zobeid Zuma: He seems to posit a future in which the native tribes have -- somehow -- retaken large parts of the country.
[15:02] Jago Constantine: well it said the government handed Yellowstone to the native americans in 2053
[15:02] Sora Bluebird: ok guys im gonna get going
[15:03] Zobeid Zuma: One of those things that would be hard to explain, but you can get away with it just by treating it as a given and leaving the rest to the reader's imagination.
[15:03] Jago Constantine: ok thanks sora :)
[15:03] Sora Bluebird: have fun!
[15:03] Eddi Haskell: io need to go too
[15:03] Jago Constantine: well I figure that if a lot of the population is moving into space
[15:03] Eddi Haskell: i need to run i have a commitment for dinner
[15:03] Jago Constantine: then the people with more ties to the land would remain / and why not get their lands back / it seemed like it was pretty sympathetic to the Crow culture / but again I would be interested in a Native American point of view on the story
[15:05] Zobeid Zuma: Well, it's been fun. :)
[15:05] Jago Constantine: so next week we'll be back to book discussion :) / thanks zobeid!
[15:06] Zobeid Zuma: I should read something!
[15:06] Jago Constantine: niccole, would you like a group invite?
[15:06] Niccole Damone: i just joined the group the other day. seems good. i had no idea what this story was about
[15:06] Zobeid Zuma: You arrived in the middle of it, didn't you?
[15:06] Niccole Damone: yeah, halfway through.
[15:06] Jago Constantine: hehe well you can download the full story here / http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/EP201_HarryTheCrow.mp3
[15:07] Niccole Damone: that's ok, just wanted to get here and meet some people.
[15:07] Niccole Damone: i'm already in the group
[15:07] Jago Constantine: oh cool / anyway, next week we'll be talking about what we've read lately / 2pm saturday, same location
[15:07] Niccole Damone: oh ok
[15:08] Jago Constantine: Time for my breakfast - see you next week!
[15:08] Niccole Damone: ok, nice meeting you

13 February 2010

[13:54] Jago Constantine: Hey, Zobeid :)
[13:55] Zobeid Zuma: Hello
[13:56] Jago Constantine: Hi, Simeon :)
[13:56] Simeon Bookmite: hi there
[13:57] Jago Constantine: hey, metro, leiben
[13:57] Metro Annamemnon: hi!
[13:57] Leiben Lorakeet: Hello Jago, know if we have to turn voice on or anything?
[13:58] Jago Constantine: No, we chat in local for the meeting :)
[13:58] Leiben Lorakeet: great
[13:58] Jago Constantine: brb just getting a drink
[14:00] Egil Milner waits for things to rez.
[14:01] Zobeid Zuma: It can take A While.
[14:01] Jago Constantine: Ok back :) / Thanks for coming, folks! / For those of you who are new, the meeting usually runs as follows / we go round the circle and take turns to discuss what we've read in the genre recently / I usually start, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read anything this week :P / hehe / I did listen to some podcast stories
[14:03] Mesmer Jericho: hello everyone
[14:03] Leiben Lorakeet: Hello
[14:03] Jago Constantine: hey, mesmer, nika
[14:03] Mesmer Jericho: sorry to barge in ^^
[14:03] Nika Farshore: hello :)
[14:03] Jago Constantine: no worries / are you here for the science fiction meeting?
[14:04] Mesmer Jericho: well, yes ^^
[14:04] Jago Constantine: cool ... welcome :) / we just started
[14:04] Mesmer Jericho: not sure what form it'll take, though? ^^ i'll just hang back and see what you're all up to
[14:04] Jago Constantine: the format is that we go round the circle talking about what we read last
[14:04] Zobeid Zuma: unfortunately. . . I had water invading my work area, so I've spent most of my days running a shop vac instead of reading. :(
[14:05] Jago Constantine: I was just saying I didn't get to read anything but I have been listening to podcast sci fi
[14:05] Mesmer Jericho: alright, sounds neat
[14:05] Jago Constantine: (because next week's meeting we'll be listening to a story) / So I can't really talk about the story :) / So ... Simeon - have you read anything lately?
[14:06] Leiben Lorakeet: Ive been reading classic science fiction this past week
[14:06] Zobeid Zuma: This is a spoiler-free zone. :)
[14:06] Jago Constantine: lol yes zobeid
[14:06] Simeon Bookmite: I Have been listening to the podcast versions of Fledgeling and saltation
[14:06] Jago Constantine: hmm fledgeling?
[14:07] Simeon Bookmite: by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee
[14:07] Simeon Bookmite: I will be inerviewing them her tommorrow for our pudcast
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Oh, cool / what is it about?
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: so I had to do some background work:$)
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: saltation comes out next month.
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: fledgling came out in september
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: from Baen
[14:09] Jago Constantine: Hi, RihaNa, welcome :)
[14:09] Simeon Bookmite: mostly they are back story for the liaden Universe
[14:09] Metro Annamemnon: hi, paolo!
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Ok... I haven't read any liaden books
[14:10] Paolo Alfa: hello all
[14:10] Zobeid Zuma: There's a big faction of Liaden fans in SL. . . I'd never heard of those books until I came here.
[14:10] Mesmer Jericho: hey paolo
[14:10] Zobeid Zuma: And still haven't gotten around to reading any.
[14:10] Simeon Bookmite: they cover the early years of one of tjhe characters so that we can see how she fits into the overall picture.
[14:11] Jago Constantine: Can you give a bit of an overview of the Liaden universe?
[14:12] Simeon Bookmite: Its pure space opera.
[14:12] Simeon Bookmite: characterisation is good hardware is pretty generic,
[14:13] Simeon Bookmite: Liaden is one of the major human Cultures
[14:13] Simeon Bookmite: terra ia another
[14:14] Jago Constantine: are there aliens?
[14:14] Simeon Bookmite: yes but not in the books I read.
[14:14] Jago Constantine: heh ok
[14:15] Simeon Bookmite: they are I gather big slow moving and pretty unstopable.
[14:15] Metro Annamemnon: brb
[14:16] Jago Constantine: ok and what time is your interview tomorrow?
[14:16] Simeon Bookmite: 1 PM in the podcast studio
[14:17] Jago Constantine: cool :)
[14:17] Simeon Bookmite: I will put out a LM before hand
[14:17] Jago Constantine: Thanks, Simeon :) / Ok, Leiben ... have you read anything good lately? / You there? / Hi, Richard, welcome :)
[14:19] Leiben Lorakeet: oops sorry was afk, Just finished the foundation series.
[14:20] Jago Constantine: Ah, nice / all the books, or the original foundation series?
[14:20] Leiben Lorakeet: The original, Yeah so there are some newer ones i have not read yet, but it is neat to go back, and for its time it still holds up well
[14:21] Jago Constantine: We were just talking a few weeks ago about the reasons Asimov created a human-only setting
[14:22] Simeon Bookmite: was never tempted by the later ones
[14:22] Leiben Lorakeet: yes? I liked that about them.
[14:22] Zobeid Zuma: Why was it, I wonder?
[14:23] Jago Constantine: From memory, John W Campbell didn't like stories where aliens were more advanced than humans / or defeated them / Something like that
[14:23] Simeon Bookmite: yeah as i said hard to sell stories where welose
[14:23] Mesmer Jericho: i have to admit i liked it also. there's often sort of an automatic assumption that aliens are part of space.
[14:24] Jago Constantine: Yes / I'm something of a contact pessimist
[14:24] Zobeid Zuma: This is something I've thought about. . .
[14:24] Leiben Lorakeet: Wow, thats not why i liked that. Well star wars kinda stole the empire from the foundation series, but in starwars i always thought it was unrealistic that all those aliens would share a government
[14:25] Zobeid Zuma: I'd like to see a setting where there are only humans at first, but then we spread out and create new species. . . We become the "progenitors" if you will.
[14:25] Jago Constantine: None of the aliens in star wars are really *alien* though
[14:25] Zobeid Zuma: Is anyone aware of a setting like that, I wonder?
[14:25] Mesmer Jericho: and also, like you mentioned, that they are superior to humans. i wonder why that is? because we tend to view ourselves as being inherently inferior?
[14:25] Jago Constantine: zobeid - I think there are
[14:25] Simeon Bookmite: nods just guys in suits
[14:25] Jago Constantine: maybe cordwainer smith's books
[14:26] Zobeid Zuma: David Brin came close with this stories about uplifted species. . . But he posited a galaxy already full of them by the time humans appear.
[14:26] Jago Constantine: Well the idea of there being superior aliens is a consequence of the age of the cosmos
[14:26] Simeon Bookmite: nods strange author cordwainer
[14:26] Jago Constantine: aliens could have evolved aeons before us
[14:27] Egil Milner logs off to head home. "If I get there in time, I'll return."
[14:27] Mesmer Jericho: and then exploded aeons ago ^^ but i see your point.
[14:27] Paolo Alfa: They're almost certainly are aliens, but whether we'll have much to do with them is something else, or them with us.
[14:28] Zobeid Zuma: I think it's very questionable whether there are other civilizations already in our own galaxy. . . meaning, anywhere near enough for us to ever encounter them.
[14:28] Zobeid Zuma: But it's so uncertain, it's perfectly plausible to write stories either way.
[14:28] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:28] Simeon Bookmite: think civilisation is a human concept
[14:28] Jago Constantine: I sometimes wonder what would happen to sci fi if we ever meet aliens / I mean, as a genre / how can you write stories when you *know* what's out there
[14:29] Zobeid Zuma: I think Larry Niven did do a good job with his aliens in the Known Space and Ringworld series. . . They weren't just suits.
[14:29] Mesmer Jericho: well, it'd just be fiction? ^^
[14:29] Jago Constantine: yes LOL / thriller novels
[14:30] Zobeid Zuma: No matter how much is known, there always will be unknown too. :)
[14:30] Mesmer Jericho: the genre would spread out into different genres, like crime novels ("the martian on the balcony"), romance ("while you were hibernating") and so on...
[14:30] Leiben Lorakeet: If we did, im sure it would open a whole new genre of science fiction exploring our new neighbhors.
[14:30] Richard Ghostaltar: Isn't the key word "science"?
[14:31] Richard Ghostaltar: SF doesn't need aliens
[14:31] Jago Constantine: true / Ok ... Mesmer, what have you been reading lately?
[14:32] Simeon Bookmite: mm you can some up most of Niven's aliens in a few pages. which i dont think you should bevable to withany alien with depth
[14:32] Mesmer Jericho: well, actually... i haven't been reading sf in a while - that's part of why i thought i'd stop by here, see what's being read
[14:32] Jago Constantine: no worries :)
[14:32] Mesmer Jericho: so unless you want to hear my other books, i'll respectfully pass ^^
[14:32] Jago Constantine: Ok, Paolo - would you like to talk about something you've read lately?
[14:33] Paolo Alfa: I've just gotten about halfway thru Snow Crash
[14:33] Jago Constantine: nice :)
[14:34] Paolo Alfa: And I'm going to start One Hundred Years of Solitude today. Is that fantasy?
[14:34] Jago Constantine: Yes / So how are you finding Snow Crash?
[14:35] Brekka Sveiss: Thanks for the invite Jago
[14:36] Paolo Alfa: I like it, but don't quite understand it
[14:36] Jago Constantine: Which parts?
[14:37] Paolo Alfa: It's hard to tell what's real and what's virtual
[14:37] Paolo Alfa: which I think is the whole idea
[14:38] Jago Constantine: hmm ok ... from memory the virtual aspects are pretty clear / I haven't read it for a while though / one hundred years of solitude will be very different to follow it :)
[14:39] Paolo Alfa: yes, i started it once, heavy going really
[14:40] Paolo Alfa: but I hear it's the best of Magical realism, and arent' the Twilight books that?
[14:40] Jago Constantine: um no / hehe / I would describe them as paranormal romance
[14:41] Paolo Alfa: But they treat vampires as real, I mean as they would really act, not like scary monsters
[14:42] Jago Constantine: sure / but I think the genre of magical realism is more surreal
[14:42] Simeon Bookmite: Umm vampire are scary monsters
[14:42] Jago Constantine: the twilight milieu is fairly consistent
[14:42] Zobeid Zuma: I like for vampires to be scary monsters.
[14:42] Jago Constantine: even science fictional in that there is a rational explanation for vampirism
[14:42] Paolo Alfa: well, yes, but they wouldn't try to appear as such, that
[14:43] Metro Annamemnon: i read once that magical realism comes from thetransposition of the catholic church onto native belief systems.
[14:43] Jaen Wirefly: do you think most sci-fi is geered toward young adults?
[14:43] Mesmer Jericho: magic realism seems like when you infuse the "real world" with a kind of subtle mysticism? whereas twilight is just vampires all around, no questions asked - another reality, not a different perception of reality...
[14:43] Mesmer Jericho: (blah blah blah, that was long, sorry)
[14:43] Jago Constantine: Wikipedia: Magic realism, or magical realism, is an aesthetic style in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting.
[14:44] Simeon Bookmite: nods well said mesmer
[14:44] Metro Annamemnon: i think it's a way of thinking, of giving realism another layer of meaning.
[14:44] Simeon Bookmite: magic realism can and does merge with fantasy
[14:44] Jago Constantine: You'll see when you read 100 years of solitude / how magical it is
[14:45] Metro Annamemnon: like a natural disaster being the hand of god.
[14:45] Simeon Bookmite: but its less defined
[14:45] Metro Annamemnon: or alien visitation being another face of god :)
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Here's a good example - the woody allen movie Purple Rose of Cairo ... where the character comes out of the movie screen
[14:46] Jaen Wirefly: great movie btw
[14:46] Jago Constantine: no explanation or anything, it's a given
[14:47] Simeon Bookmite: inexplicable things happening and being accepted is magic realism for me, most fantasy
[14:47] Paolo Alfa: I've got to see that
[14:47] Simeon Bookmite: the inexplicable is explained
[14:47] Jago Constantine: yes its systemic simeon
[14:47] Metro Annamemnon: or, put another way maybe, the inexplicable is taken for granted.
[14:47] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:48] Jaen Wirefly: fantasy, sci-fi and horror almost always overlap
[14:48] Jago Constantine: sure there are blurred boundaries
[14:48] Metro Annamemnon: these days, surely.
[14:48] Metro Annamemnon: before i always though of fantasy as very Campbell-esque.
[14:48] Jago Constantine: hmm campbellesque?
[14:49] Metro Annamemnon: Joseph Campbell-esque.
[14:49] Jago Constantine: oh I get it / I was just talking about John W Campbell so I got confused
[14:49] Metro Annamemnon: The Hero's Quest.
[14:49] Simeon Bookmite: "some one comes to town some one leaves town" Big, Little lots of New weird.
[14:50] Jago Constantine: I thought 'someone comes to town' was a little contrived seeming / forced
[14:50] Simeon Bookmite: anythiong buy an author who gets hewr ideas from a dream diary :%0
[14:50] Metro Annamemnon: I haven't read that.
[14:50] Jago Constantine: its by cory doctorow
[14:50] Simeon Bookmite: still the world worst typist.
[14:50] Metro Annamemnon: Is Jeff Vandermeer doing an anthology on The New Weird? Or is that somebody else?
[14:51] Jago Constantine: the protagonist's father is a mountain and his mother is a washing machine / new weird is different again
[14:51] Jaen Wirefly: wow that is bizzare
[14:51] Jago Constantine: yeah but the symbolism seems a little heavy handed
[14:51] Simeon Bookmite: yeah and forced as jago said
[14:51] Metro Annamemnon: Sorry, i might be losing the thread here :)
[14:52] Jago Constantine: no worries metro
[14:53] Simeon Bookmite: just saying fantasy does not have to follow quest motifies, or ghost motifs for that matter
[14:54] Simeon Bookmite: urban fantast can take on magicrealim elements
[14:54] Metro Annamemnon: What do you think a 'new' definition of fantasy would be? It HAS gotten blurry.
[14:54] Paolo Alfa: what is the title of this book? with the protagonist washing machine and mountain?
[14:54] Zobeid Zuma: Fantasy isn't what it used to be.
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Someone comes to town, someone leaves town / by Cory Doctorow
[14:55] Metro Annamemnon: SciFi is different, too.
[14:55] Paolo Alfa: thank you
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Wikipedia again: Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting.
[14:55] Simeon Bookmite: nods but both have always changed
[14:55] Jago Constantine: that's very broad isn't it :P
[14:56] Metro Annamemnon: My old definition of scifi would have just encompassed hard scifi and that's no longer appropriate.
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Sure ... there's lots of great sci fi outside the hard stuff
[14:57] Simeon Bookmite: lord Dunsey had little in common with fritz leiber or george macdonald Fantasy has always attrated oddballs
[14:58] Jago Constantine: mervyn peake
[14:58] Zobeid Zuma: I read somewhere once that fantasy worked by presenting readers with the familiar, and SF by presenting the unfamiliar. But if that was ever true, it's totally broken down now.
[14:58] Leora Darkstone: how is sci fi different today?
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: its broadened i think.
[14:59] Metro Annamemnon: I think it's a much broader category, only loosely based on science spec.
[14:59] Leora Darkstone: From just space opers?
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: during the fifties it was defined by american magazines
[14:59] Leora Darkstone: sorry operas?
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: nowadays there is awide range of influences
[15:00] Jago Constantine: Sorry, folks, it's 3.00pm I have to log now ...
[15:00] Metro Annamemnon: i fell in love with it in the early 60's. it was pretty hard scifi spec fiction.
[15:00] Leora Darkstone: I think the biggest changes I have seen is de emphasis on hard science
[15:00] Jago Constantine: thanks for a great discussion ... feel free to hang around and keep talking :)
[15:00] Mesmer Jericho: bye bye, jago
[15:00] Zobeid Zuma: Well, the whole computer revolution and cyberpunk genre totally changed the focus of SF.
[15:00] Leora Darkstone: bye jago
[15:00] Paolo Alfa: thanks for haviing it ,bye
[15:01] Jago Constantine: Next week we're listening to an audio story, so please do come along for that!
[15:01] Metro Annamemnon: thank you, Jago.
[15:01] Zobeid Zuma: I'll be here.
[15:01] Metro Annamemnon: What's the story?
[15:01] Jago Constantine: hehe I'll send a group notice out during the week when I pick it :)
[15:02] Metro Annamemnon: Enjoyed it. Bye!
[15:02] Simeon Bookmite: space opera is works where people run around with rayguns and fly spqace ships and nobody feels any need to explain the science, but are glad of an excuse to fight

31 October 2009

[13:56] Vel Alchemi: Hi, K.
[13:56] Seren Snowpaw: hello vel
[13:56] Kghia Gherardi: Hi Jago
[13:57] Harpy Convair: Hello Vel
[13:57] Vel Alchemi: Hi, Seren.
[13:57] Jago Constantine: Hi, Kghia!
[13:58] Kghia Gherardi: Jago, please welcome Skipa and Seren. Both are newcomers to SL.
[13:58] Vel Alchemi: Hi Harpy. I'm not keeping up with the greetings.
[13:58] Harpy Convair: It's alright
[13:58] Jago Constantine: Hi, Skipa, Seren!
[13:59] Kghia Gherardi: I'm going leave you in Jago capable hands and grab some dinner.
[13:59] Skipa Monday: hello ty
[13:59] Kghia Gherardi: please let me know if you need anything. And welcome to Bookstacks!
[13:59] Seren Snowpaw: bye kghia thanks for the warm welcome :)
[13:59] Vel Alchemi: Bye Kghia.
[14:00] Jago Constantine: I'm in the usual room folks XD
[14:01] Jago Constantine: Thanks for coming :)
[14:01] Jago Constantine: Happy Halloween to anyone who's into that :)
[14:02] Harpy Convair: Thank you
[14:02] Jago Constantine: Actually, it might be fun if this week we talk about a horror novel ...
[14:02] Jago Constantine: rather than our usual routine of discussing what we read during the week
[14:02] Vel Alchemi: Sure. Which novel?
[14:03] Jago Constantine: well, one of our favourites I suppose :)
[14:03] Jago Constantine: Let me think
[14:03] Jago Constantine: I suppose my favourite horror novel is Blood Crazy by Simon Clark
[14:04] Harpy Convair: I've never heard of that one
[14:04] Jago Constantine: he's a british horror novelist
[14:04] Jago Constantine: he wrote the abysmal sequel to day of the triffids
[14:04] Harpy Convair: I didn't know that such a creature existed
[14:04] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:04] Jago Constantine: but his original works can be pretty good, and Blood Crazy is close to perfect
[14:05] Jago Constantine: the premise is that something makes everyone over 18 go crazy
[14:05] Harpy Convair: Hmm
[14:05] Jago Constantine: and try to kill everyone under 18
[14:05] Harpy Convair: So only 18 year olds live
[14:05] Vel Alchemi: Sounds like parenthood to me.,
[14:06] Jago Constantine: so a lot of the horror of the novel comes from parents trying to kill their children
[14:06] Harpy Convair: Yikes!
[14:06] Harpy Convair: I read Lullaby by Chuck Palanuik
[14:06] Vel Alchemi: See? And I hadn't even heard of the book.
[14:06] Jago Constantine: I haven't read that one?
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Anyway it becomes a novel of survival
[14:06] Harpy Convair: I found it very disturbing
[14:06] Jago Constantine: with groups of children trying to survive and form a society
[14:07] Harpy Convair: Interesting
[14:07] Jago Constantine: protecting themselves from hordes of zombielike (but somehow smarter) adults
[14:07] Seren Snowpaw: o dear i have zombiephobia so this sounds super scarey
[14:08] Harpy Convair: Hmm, sounds interesting
[14:08] Vel Alchemi: So can horror fiction be divided by who is trying to survive what?
[14:08] Harpy Convair: I read World War Z by Max Brooks
[14:08] Jago Constantine: now the novel is really gripping from the beginning, with great action, a likeable young adult protagonist
[14:08] Jago Constantine: I can't recommend it highly enough :)
[14:08] Jago Constantine: anyway, Harpy ... what did you think of WWZ?
[14:09] Harpy Convair: Loved it, very nervous about the movie version
[14:09] Jago Constantine: oh they're making a movie? cool
[14:09] Harpy Convair: It's set up to be a series of interviews of the survivors and major players of a world wide zombie outbreak
[14:09] Harpy Convair: Max Brooks is Mel Brooks son
[14:09] Jago Constantine: wow
[14:09] Harpy Convair: There is some humor, but it's also very emotionally true
[14:10] Seren Snowpaw: o no, more zombies lol
[14:10] Jago Constantine: I like end of the world novels
[14:10] Harpy Convair: I can't talk about the one I'm reading now, because I'm doing a talk on it tomorrow
[14:10] Vel Alchemi: What is it, Harpy?
[14:10] Harpy Convair: I loved The Road by Cormac McCarthy as well
[14:11] Jago Constantine: not so much cataclysms ... but surviving afterwards
[14:11] Harpy Convair: John Dies at the End by David Wong
[14:11] Jago Constantine: I guess post-apocalyptic
[14:11] Jago Constantine: I love the Road too :)
[14:11] Harpy Convair: I've heard the upcoming movie is extremely close to the book
[14:11] Jago Constantine: that's good!
[14:12] Jago Constantine: I thought it was a very original end-of-the-world
[14:12] Jago Constantine: well, I have read a few with similar causes
[14:12] Harpy Convair: I was amazed by how much I connected with the characters despite the fact that they had no names
[14:12] Harpy Convair: I like that you never really know what caused it
[14:13] Jago Constantine: yeah that was good
[14:13] Jago Constantine: In my mind, something killed all the plant life
[14:13] Jago Constantine: everything else followed from that
[14:14] Harpy Convair: I felt the wizened apples suggested that some plant life survived
[14:14] Harpy Convair: THough in a much reduced fashion
[14:14] Jago Constantine: hmm I forgot that bit ... were they from a tree or preserved?
[14:14] Jago Constantine: hey bobby
[14:14] Bobby Lomba: Hello people!
[14:15] Harpy Convair: They were windfall
[14:15] Vel Alchemi: Hi, Bobby.
[14:15] Bobby Lomba: :)
[14:15] Harpy Convair: Hello Bobby
[14:15] Seren Snowpaw: hello bobby
[14:15] Bobby Lomba: hello all
[14:15] Jago Constantine: I'll check that cos my theory was pretty neat :P
[14:16] Jago Constantine: Anyway thanks, Harpy :)
[14:16] Harpy Convair: Since the boy was about 10 and the event happened before his brith
[14:16] Harpy Convair: birth*
[14:16] Jago Constantine: Vel ... do you have a horror novel you'd like to discuss?
[14:16] Harpy Convair: Even well preserved fruit would have rotted
[14:16] Jago Constantine: yeah
[14:17] Vel Alchemi: I'm not a horror fan. Poe and Saki are the horror authors I read growing up.
[14:17] Vel Alchemi: Since then, it seems there's plenty of horror in mainstream fiction without going to look for more.
[14:17] Jago Constantine: ok, well feel free do talk about your sci fi reading :)
[14:17] Bobby Lomba: is this a horror noght??
[14:17] Vel Alchemi: Maybe grimness rather than horror, I should say.
[14:17] Bobby Lomba: night?
[14:18] Harpy Convair: I'm a scifi/fantasy and horror herd
[14:18] Jago Constantine: oh well horror is an option bobby :)
[14:18] Vel Alchemi: I'm reading Iain M. Banks "The State of the Art" on a recommendation and it is very grim.
[14:18] Harpy Convair: nerd*
[14:18] Jago Constantine: oh they're making a movie of one of his stories
[14:18] Harpy Convair: Anyone read Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson?
[14:18] Vel Alchemi: No,
[14:18] Jago Constantine: yes :)
[14:19] Harpy Convair: You should, it inspired Second Life
[14:20] Jago Constantine: is that the first banks you've read vel?
[14:20] Vel Alchemi: LOL, well in that case....
[14:20] Vel Alchemi: Yes. He's an author I hadn't read before.
[14:20] Vel Alchemi: I see a lot of echoes of Philip K. Dick.
[14:20] Jago Constantine: he's great ... state of the art isn't the first book I'd recommend :P
[14:21] Bobby Lomba: what book would you recommend of him+
[14:21] Harpy Convair: I still need to read Phillip K. Dick
[14:21] Vel Alchemi: That's the title, but it's made up of about half a dozen short works.
[14:21] Jago Constantine: Well I like Consider Phlebas
[14:21] Vel Alchemi: By Banks?
[14:21] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:22] Jago Constantine: but many people think Use of Weapons is his best work
[14:22] Vel Alchemi: I'm wondering if Banks is an author better liked by men han women.
[14:22] Seren Snowpaw: i have to go now thanks for the chat everyone :)
[14:22] Vel Alchemi: Bye Seren
[14:22] Jago Constantine: thanks for coming Seren
[14:22] Jago Constantine: We're here same time next week :)
[14:22] Harpy Convair: I don't like many female authors, I don't tend to like their writing style
[14:23] Vel Alchemi: Women writer of all genres?
[14:23] Bobby Lomba: you think women have a genuinly different style of writing?
[14:23] Harpy Convair: I like a few
[14:23] Harpy Convair: Bobby, I do
[14:23] Harpy Convair: Just as they have a different style of speaking
[14:24] Harpy Convair: Most women writers I've read seem to be better suited for fantasy then the raw, intensity needed for most scifi and horror
[14:24] Vel Alchemi: Makes sense. After all, communication skills show up much differently in little girls than in little boys.
[14:25] Jago Constantine: what about horror?
[14:25] Jago Constantine: oh you said horror lol
[14:25] Vel Alchemi: Mary
[14:25] Vel Alchemi: Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein.
[14:25] Harpy Convair: I quite liked that book
[14:25] Harpy Convair: I enjoy Katherine Kerr's fantasy series
[14:25] Vel Alchemi: Hi rene
[14:25] Jago Constantine: I recently read Children of Men, which is a great science fiction novel
[14:25] Harpy Convair: Marion Zimmer Bradley is quite good as well
[14:26] rene Swords: Hello
[14:26] Jago Constantine: Hi, Rene
[14:26] Bobby Lomba: Helluuu!
[14:26] Harpy Convair: Hello Rene
[14:26] rene Swords: Can you hear me ? Is it possible to voice ?
[14:27] Harpy Convair: I have my voice off at the moment
[14:27] Jago Constantine: I don't have voice on
[14:27] Bobby Lomba: ditto
[14:27] Jago Constantine: I can turn it on but we usually text these meetings
[14:27] Bobby Lomba: ups, ja, aint got voice on
[14:27] rene Swords: Thank you for your answers
[14:28] Vel Alchemi: Hi glass
[14:28] Harpy Convair: Hello Glass
[14:28] Glass Sorbet: Hey everyone
[14:28] Bobby Lomba: Hello Miss Glass
[14:28] Jago Constantine: Hi, Glass
[14:28] Jago Constantine: We're just discussing female authors
[14:28] Jago Constantine: of horror sci fi and fantasy
[14:29] Bobby Lomba: only feamle writers discussed today?
[14:29] Jago Constantine: well no bobby XD
[14:29] Harpy Convair: Tanith Lee's White as Snow was very interesting
[14:29] Jago Constantine: we're just at that point right now ...
[14:29] Harpy Convair: A very old school retelling of Snow White
[14:29] Bobby Lomba: ah hehe ok
[14:29] Jago Constantine: I never really got into retellings of fairy tales :P
[14:30] Jago Constantine: Anyway, Bobby ... what have you read this week in sci fi ... or tell us about a horror novel you love
[14:30] Harpy Convair: Andrews, Flowers in the Attic, but she died and a male ghost writer is continuing the work
[14:31] Bobby Lomba: well, dont think ive ever read a horror book
[14:31] Harpy Convair: Emz is a female horror writer
[14:31] Bobby Lomba: this week i read Starfish by Peter watts, got some horror in it
[14:31] Bobby Lomba: horrible fish in it
[14:31] Bobby Lomba: moster fish
[14:31] Jago Constantine: oh yeah
[14:31] Jago Constantine: that is pretty scary for sci fi
[14:31] Harpy Convair: Trial of Madness has a female author
[14:32] Jago Constantine: or grim
[14:32] Harpy Convair: But I can't remember her RL name
[14:32] Harpy Convair: It harkens back to the original version, before the Grimm Brothers made it a little softer
[14:32] Vel Alchemi: I can't think of any contemporary women writers doing horror fiction.
[14:32] Bobby Lomba: Yeah! It is! Kinda condusing book, i cant really tell whats the main story of it is, but i like it
[14:32] Bobby Lomba: Got a scary claustophobic feel, the whole book
[14:32] Jago Constantine: except for the paranormal romance genre vel
[14:33] Harpy Convair: I am SO sick of vampire romance novels
[14:33] Jago Constantine: aren;t we all XD
[14:33] Harpy Convair: I want to smack Anne Rice for starting that trend
[14:33] Bobby Lomba: have you guys read starfish? the rifter series is popular i think?
[14:33] Vel Alchemi: That makes me shudder -- paranormal romance. As bad as sci fi romance.
[14:33] Jago Constantine: yes I read starfisj
[14:34] rene Swords: I am sorry I have to leave. Have a nice meeting
[14:34] Harpy Convair: Rene, it was nice to meet your
[14:34] Vel Alchemi: Bye rene. Hope to see you again.
[14:34] Harpy Convair: you*
[14:34] Harpy Convair: Bobby, haven't heard about it.
[14:34] Bobby Lomba: Ok, good book, even tho it was a bit disappointing after having read Blind sight of same author. Best sf ive read:)
[14:34] Harpy Convair: Who's the author?
[14:34] Bobby Lomba: Peter watts
[14:35] Harpy Convair: I have Blindsight by him, but haven't read it
[14:35] Jago Constantine: I love blindsight
[14:35] Bobby Lomba: but, i havent read much sf. im new to the genre
[14:35] Harpy Convair: I recommend Dune by Frank Herbert
[14:35] Vel Alchemi: Maybe we should all give Bobby one favorite Sci fi title
[14:35] Harpy Convair: It's the LOtR of Scifi
[14:35] Bobby Lomba: Yes!!! please do!!
[14:35] Bobby Lomba: Dune is noted
[14:36] Vel Alchemi: Hm. Connie Willis "Doomsday Book"
[14:36] Jago Constantine: I would suggest A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
[14:36] Bobby Lomba: Great. And Jago, your all time favourit?
[14:37] Jago Constantine: It could be that one
[14:37] Bobby Lomba: cool, ill read it
[14:37] Jago Constantine: Or Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
[14:37] Bobby Lomba: Just got 15 books in the mail so it will be some thime till i order anymore hihi
[14:37] Harpy Convair: Snowcrash is my only Stephenson
[14:37] Vel Alchemi: There are so many varieties of sci fi that it will be interesting to see which ones you like, Bobby.
[14:37] Eddi Haskell: sorry im late
[14:37] Jago Constantine: lol hey eddi babe
[14:37] Harpy Convair: HOw does it compare to his other books?
[14:37] Eddi Haskell: hi
[14:37] Vel Alchemi: 15! That beats me!
[14:38] Vel Alchemi: Hi eddie
[14:38] Eddi Haskell: hi val!
[14:38] Jago Constantine: I think I liked DIamond Age more than Snow Crash
[14:38] Vel Alchemi: Are you allowed on the couch, Eddie?
[14:38] Harpy Convair: Simialr themes?
[14:38] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:38] Eddi Haskell: no im a wetter
[14:38] Jago Constantine: well yes similar
[14:38] Jago Constantine: Diamond Age seems like it could be set in the same world but later
[14:39] Harpy Convair: Ah, ok
[14:39] Jago Constantine: after nanotechnology is invented
[14:39] Jago Constantine: there are similar themes of the breakdown of civil society into affinity groups
[14:39] Jago Constantine: for example
[14:39] Bobby Lomba: is it part of a series?
[14:39] Jago Constantine: no they're both stand alone
[14:39] Bobby Lomba: ok
[14:40] Harpy Convair: William Gibson is classic cyberpunk
[14:40] Jago Constantine: I never really liked Gibson novels much :P
[14:40] Harpy Convair: Walter Jon Williams Hardcrash
[14:40] Bobby Lomba: he wrote neuromancer, right?
[14:40] Harpy Convair: I like some more than others
[14:40] Jago Constantine: yeah
[14:40] Harpy Convair: Yes, Bobby
[14:40] Vel Alchemi: How about S.M. Stirling?
[14:40] Bobby Lomba: yeah, ive readd that one
[14:40] Jago Constantine: I prefer Bruce Sterling XD
[14:40] Vel Alchemi: lol
[14:40] Jago Constantine: to both
[14:40] Harpy Convair: He is very technobabble, hard to get into sometimes
[14:41] Jago Constantine: I hate SM Stirling
[14:41] Harpy Convair: Haven't read Stirling or Sterling
[14:41] Vel Alchemi: Come on Jago, tell us how you really feel.
[14:41] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:41] Jago Constantine: well he has written a few partly enjoyable books
[14:41] Vel Alchemi: Orson Scott Card?
[14:41] Harpy Convair: I know he leans a little more to fantasy, but very much has steampunk elements, China Mieville
[14:42] Harpy Convair: I love his books, his use of lanuage is fabulous
[14:42] Jago Constantine: Mieville is great ... we had a meeting at a Mieville-inspired sim once
[14:42] Bobby Lomba: Enders game! liked that one
[14:42] Harpy Convair: language*
[14:42] Harpy Convair: Cool
[14:42] Vel Alchemi: Have you tried Card's Alvin Maker series, Bobbie?
[14:42] Bobby Lomba: no?
[14:42] Vel Alchemi: Bobby. Sorry for the misspelling.
[14:43] Harpy Convair: There's a YA book called True Sight which is really interesting
[14:43] Bobby Lomba: hahanp, the series, is it good? recommend it?
[14:43] Harpy Convair: I'd also recommend Scott Westerfield's Uglies series
[14:43] Jago Constantine: I enjoyed the alvin maker series, I liked what card was doing with it
[14:43] Vel Alchemi: I'd call Alvin Maker fantasy rather than sci fi, but I liked it.
[14:43] Jago Constantine: but I wouldn't read them twice ;P
[14:43] Vel Alchemi: Lol
[14:43] Vel Alchemi: Isn't that the way with a lot of books?
[14:43] Jago Constantine: sure, but some it's more worth noting than others
[14:44] Vel Alchemi: In fact, I'm having to thin out my collection and that's how I'm doing it. If I don't expect to read the book again, it goes to a charity shop.
[14:44] Bobby Lomba: enders game wasnt much fantasy i think tho...?
[14:44] Jago Constantine: In fact ... I should have said I wouldn't recommend buying them ... get them from the library
[14:44] Jago Constantine: that's how I thin out my books vel
[14:44] Harpy Convair: I still need to read Ender's Game
[14:44] Vel Alchemi: Hi Duck
[14:44] Duck Quinote: Oooh Ender's Game is awesome.
[14:44] Jago Constantine: Hi, Duck :)
[14:44] Bobby Lomba: Thin out book?!?! Who does such a horrible thing?!
[14:44] Duck Quinote: Hi Vel.
[14:44] Eddi Haskell: hi duck!
[14:44] Duck Quinote: Hi Eddi.
[14:45] Harpy Convair: We donate ours to the local library
[14:45] Vel Alchemi: lol. No books are harmed in this process. They merely get new owners.
[14:45] Jago Constantine: books aren't sacred ... you can get rid of them xD
[14:45] Bobby Lomba: ah, good. never hurat a book, think Jesus said so
[14:45] Vel Alchemi: lol
[14:45] Bobby Lomba: hurt a book
[14:45] Harpy Convair: Books are about the only thing I hold sacred, but they can be given away
[14:46] Vel Alchemi: But on the other hand, I shop second hand stores to find books other people don't want.
[14:46] Jago Constantine: you can always try bookcrossing: http://www.bookcrossing.com
[14:46] Vel Alchemi: I've looked at it but haven'
[14:46] Vel Alchemi: haven't tried it.
[14:46] Jago Constantine: I found one once!
[14:46] Harpy Convair: That's a fun idea, not enough people in my town read for it to work for me
[14:47] Vel Alchemi: Small town or small minds?
[14:47] Harpy Convair: They are doing a "Read It Forward" program at our campus
[14:47] Harpy Convair: A little of both
[14:47] Jago Constantine: oh?
[14:47] Harpy Convair: They are starting with the book IQ
[14:47] Jago Constantine: ok
[14:47] Vel Alchemi: I like the read-and-release program -- put the book in a public place for someone else to pick up.
[14:47] Harpy Convair: The librarian hid copies of the book, the kids find it, read it, pass it on
[14:47] Vel Alchemi: I love it!
[14:48] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:48] Vel Alchemi: I'm going to tell my library about that.
[14:48] Harpy Convair: Most books I buy, I don't ever let go of
[14:48] Vel Alchemi: Sigh. It's been that way all my life.
[14:48] Harpy Convair: Its the school library, not hte public
[14:48] Jago Constantine: You could always try forbidding the book to encourage them even more xD
[14:48] Vel Alchemi: But now I run the risk of being killed by a falling stack of books.
[14:48] Harpy Convair: Jago, we have too many parents that do that already
[14:48] Bobby Lomba: haha, how many books would you guys say you own?
[14:48] Harpy Convair: Had a parent rip up a teacher's personal copy of Harry Potter about 7 years ago
[14:49] Harpy Convair: A LOT
[14:49] Jago Constantine: Oh I only own about 700 now
[14:49] Vel Alchemi: Well, I use LibraryThing.com to catalog them. So far I have 2500 and piles to go.
[14:49] Harpy Convair: I love ebooks because they aren't heavy in a move
[14:49] Jago Constantine: I am very strict
[14:49] Bobby Lomba: 2500?! wow
[14:49] Vel Alchemi: Jago, you must be.
[14:49] Harpy Convair: I avoid bookstores because I don't have the money to spend
[14:49] Jago Constantine: I am making a lot more use of the library and interlibrary loans
[14:49] Vel Alchemi: Second hand shops, Harpy.
[14:50] Harpy Convair: Don't have the money for that either
[14:50] Vel Alchemi: Hi eddie
[14:50] Harpy Convair: And I hate books not being in good shape
[14:50] Duck Quinote: Baning and destroying books, becausen nothing bad ever came of that before...
[14:50] Jago Constantine: Interlibrary loans are free in Aus
[14:50] Vel Alchemi: Here in US, too.
[14:50] Vel Alchemi: My, how you changed, Eddie.
[14:50] Eddi Haskell: hi
[14:50] Bobby Lomba: free everwhere i think
[14:50] Harpy Convair: I'm terrible about getting books back ontime
[14:50] Jago Constantine: hehe
[14:50] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:50] Harpy Convair: And the late fees don't go into the library
[14:51] Jago Constantine: I took a lot of my books to book exchanges gradually
[14:51] Jago Constantine: taking say five along and getting 2 or 3 back
[14:51] Jago Constantine: winnowing
[14:51] Vel Alchemi: My library supports my buying habits. They sell donations they don't want -- 50 cents for a hardback and 25 cents for a paperback.
[14:51] Harpy Convair: They do that here too, but it's romance novels and westerns
[14:51] Jago Constantine: mine sells them for about a dollar!
[14:52] Vel Alchemi: Well, I do have to pick through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat.
[14:52] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:52] Harpy Convair: We gave the library and Easton Press edition of Brothers by Ben Bova the last time we moved away
[14:52] Vel Alchemi: Did they appreciate it?
[14:52] Harpy Convair: It was in a box of books, it's still on the shelf
[14:53] Vel Alchemi: Good grief.
[14:53] Harpy Convair: It gets checked out as far as I know
[14:53] Duck Quinote: The mere mention of the word romance novels made me think of Twilight, which made me want to go and wash my brain out with bleach.
[14:53] Vel Alchemi: lol
[14:53] Eddi Haskell: i like the cheap cheezy ones
[14:53] Harpy Convair: Duck, I hate book burning, but that series makes me want to
[14:53] Jago Constantine: Duck - have you read any sci fi this week?
[14:54] Jago Constantine: that you'd like to talk about?
[14:54] Bobby Lomba: Alberto Manguel has written a book about collecting books, the love of books.... The Library at Night, anyone read it?
[14:55] Harpy Convair: No, sorry
[14:55] Vel Alchemi: No, but I just added it to my to-be-read list.
[14:55] Duck Quinote: I'm trying to read the Jerle Shannara trilogy at the moment but Thesis writing keeps getting in the way.
[14:55] Bobby Lomba: supposed to be a great book
[14:55] Harpy Convair: Anyone else on Goodreads?
[14:55] Bobby Lomba: im going to read it
[14:55] Jago Constantine: No
[14:56] Vel Alchemi: Goodreads?
[14:56] Duck Quinote: The Twilight series are books in the same way Botulism is a yoghurt. Burning them totally doesn't count.
[14:56] Harpy Convair: A social network for book nerds
[14:56] Duck Quinote: So I hear, but I'm having trouble getting into them.
[14:56] Harpy Convair: Yes it does, it got many kids to read
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: im trying to figure out botulism and yoghurt
[14:56] Vel Alchemi: Maybe that's a clue - pre-teen reading.
[14:57] Harpy Convair: Jago, you could make a group page for this discussion
[14:57] Duck Quinote: (now that I've said it so am I Eddi, it worked in my head).
[14:57] Jago Constantine: I am planning to Harpy :)
[14:57] Bobby Lomba: kids shouldnt read, they could become addicted, and end up, well, lik me
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:57] Harpy Convair: Heehee Bobby
[14:57] Vel Alchemi: lol
[14:57] Harpy Convair: I so want a B&N Ereader
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Ok, would anyone like a group invite before we wind up?
[14:58] Duck Quinote: Sure why not.
[14:58] Harpy Convair: Sure
[14:58] Sarah Television: Oh.. phoo... I missed it
[14:58] Duck Quinote: I'm new to Second life and don't know what that means but it sounds good.
[14:58] Vel Alchemi: Send one to me, too.
[14:58] Jago Constantine: Would you like a group invite Sarah?
[14:58] Bobby Lomba: think im in the group
[14:58] Sarah Television: Na... I'll catch ya next Saturday... I got too many groups. :D
[14:59] Harpy Convair: That's always a problem in SL
[14:59] Jago Constantine: ok cya next time Sarah :)
[14:59] Duck Quinote: Ooooh, geek bling above my name.
[14:59] Jago Constantine: haha
[15:00] Jago Constantine: welcome to second life duck
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: welcome
[15:00] Jago Constantine: In your contact list there is a tab for groups
[15:00] Jago Constantine: you can activate groups to show a group title
[15:00] Bobby Lomba: Yes, welcome, and get out while you still can!
[15:00] Vel Alchemi: lol
[15:01] Duck Quinote: Ty Jago. By you're mention of wrapping up can I take it I somewhat overshot in my effort to be fashionably late?
[15:01] Jago Constantine: hehe
[15:01] Vel Alchemi: Thanks Jago. See you next time.
[15:01] Jago Constantine: we just go for an hour before I have breakfast xD
[15:01] Jago Constantine: I'm in Australia
[15:01] Harpy Convair: Texas
[15:01] Duck Quinote: Lol, I take it if it was a choice between crack and SL you would reccoment the crack the Bobby?
[15:01] Bobby Lomba: you wake up late, or youre in a wierd place
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: i would. you dont have to buy all these hairs
[15:02] Vel Alchemi: lol
[15:02] Jago Constantine: lol eddi
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: im gonna be talked to how to dress at these meetings
[15:02] Jago Constantine: ok ... see you all next week!
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: bye all!
[15:02] Vel Alchemi: Bye Jago.
[15:02] Jago Constantine: happy halloween again :)
[15:02] Duck Quinote: By Jago.
[15:02] Bobby Lomba: byebye!
[15:02] Vel Alchemi: Bye all.
[15:02] Harpy Convair: Take care all

5 September 2009

[13:56] Eddi Haskell: such slow rez
[13:56] Flawnt Alchemi: hi LL.
[13:56] Flawnt Alchemi: "all" ;-)
[13:56] Shadowen Silvera: howdy
[13:57] Eddi Haskell: hiya flawnt
[13:57] Eddi Haskell: hi SS
[13:58] Flawnt Alchemi is it heiSS or is it me...
[13:58] Jago Constantine: Hey, Shadowen - cool avatar
[13:59] Flawnt Alchemi: hi camilla dear
[13:59] Shadowen Silvera: thanks
[13:59] Camilla Delvalle: hello flawnt
[13:59] Flawnt Alchemi: did you get a new haircut, camilla?
[13:59] Flawnt Alchemi snorts.
[13:59] Camilla Delvalle: maybe
[14:00] Simeon Beresford: hi folks
[14:00] Karl Mearkus: Hi everyone
[14:00] Jago Constantine: Hi, everyone :)
[14:00] Jago Constantine: Thanks for coming to Science Fiction Saturday!
[14:00] Jago Constantine: And thanks again to our hosts at Bookstacks
[14:01] Flawnt Alchemi claps, muffled.
[14:01] Jago Constantine: As usual, we'll go round the group and talk about what we've read during the week
[14:01] Jago Constantine: I'll begin by talking about the book I read - Hunter's Run
[14:02] Jago Constantine: It was written by Gardner Dozois, George R R Martin and Daniel Abrahams
[14:02] Jago Constantine: It was a long collaboration, originally between the first two authors, but they never finished
[14:02] Jago Constantine: it was completed a few years ago by Abrahams
[14:03] Jago Constantine: Anyway, it's a pretty light weight novel about a man being chased by aliens on a largely wilderness-type world
[14:04] Jago Constantine: the twist is that one of the aliens is actually a clone of him, and it's written from the clone's perspective
[14:04] Flawnt Alchemi: neat
[14:04] Jago Constantine: I thought it was alright, but I'm glad I got it from the library instead of paying for it :)
[14:05] Jago Constantine: Welcome, Coach
[14:05] Flawnt Alchemi: what didnt work in it?
[14:05] Coach Bravin: Hi Jago
[14:05] Flawnt Alchemi: or rather why didnt it work for ya
[14:05] Coach Bravin: Hi all
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Well, it was just written at too low a level for me
[14:06] Camilla Delvalle: i have read book by george rr marting
[14:06] Jago Constantine: I felt I was reading a young adult novel or something
[14:06] Jago Constantine: maybe that was it
[14:06] Camilla Delvalle: how do you mean low level?
[14:06] Flawnt Alchemi: you mean the language?
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Yes, I think so
[14:07] Flawnt Alchemi: ursula le guin writes at that level, too, sometimes
[14:07] Eddi Haskell gave you Incident at Oak Ridge, Terry Bisson.
[14:07] Flawnt Alchemi: but she still hits my spot every time
[14:07] Camilla Delvalle: interesting that it had three authors
[14:07] Flawnt Alchemi: actually a lot of times...
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Maybe I didn't like the fact that it was mostly set in the wilderness, and that isn't my thing
[14:07] Jago Constantine: It's hard to say
[14:07] Flawnt Alchemi shudders - wilderness
[14:07] Camilla Delvalle: did you notice the style of the differnt writers?
[14:07] Jago Constantine: the background civilization isn't very well fleshed out either
[14:07] Jago Constantine: No it's hard to spot and signs of that
[14:08] Jago Constantine: It was co-written by Dozois and Martin when they were young authors decades ago
[14:08] Flawnt Alchemi wonders about other (better) multi author collaborations
[14:08] Jago Constantine: and completed by newish author Abrahams
[14:08] Jago Constantine: Welcome, Pasirto
[14:08] Flawnt Alchemi: brothers strugatzky are a brilliant example. you wouldnt know it.
[14:08] Simeon Beresford: only thing of abrahams I have read is his short "Flat Diane", which was very good
[14:09] Camilla Delvalle: george rr martin usually has a lot of details
[14:09] Jago Constantine: Actually, it feels a lot like a 1970s sci fi novel, which is understandable given when it was begun
[14:09] Jago Constantine: Yes, well it's nothing like Martin's later works
[14:09] Camilla Delvalle: how is 1970 sf?
[14:10] Tillery Woodhen is Online
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Heh don't ask me to try and pin it down, it's just a feeling
[14:10] Simeon Beresford: pre or post star wars?
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Hmm... not sure when it was begun
[14:11] Simeon Beresford: star wars kicked of a return to space opera
[14:11] Jago Constantine: This isn't really space opera - it's planetbound
[14:11] Simeon Beresford: but action adventure ?
[14:11] Jago Constantine: Yeah, it's action
[14:11] Simeon Beresford: nods
[14:12] Camilla Delvalle: i dont think i would like a novel by a man hunted by aliens in the wilderness either
[14:12] Flawnt Alchemi wishes for some action. writes down "more action".
[14:12] Jago Constantine: Anyway ... Shadowen - have you read any good books lately?
[14:12] Shadowen Silvera: Always :)
[14:13] Flawnt Alchemi laffs.
[14:13] Jago Constantine: Heh please share
[14:13] Shadowen Silvera: typing
[14:13] Shadowen Silvera: I have the typing sound turned off so please be patient
[14:13] Jago Constantine: ok
[14:15] Shadowen Silvera: Unfortunately the library delivered several books at once that I had put on hold so I haven't been able to finish them yet. Currently reading: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson, The Losers by David Eddings, Flow my tears the Police Man said by phillip k dick
[14:15] Shadowen Silvera: a few others but they are not scifi
[14:15] Raver Xeno is Online
[14:15] Jago Constantine: Nice
[14:15] Jago Constantine: Which one are you liking the most?
[14:15] Jago Constantine: Welcome, Justine
[14:16] Camilla Delvalle: i have read by eddings and gibson
[14:16] Justine Rhapsody: Thanks, hello everyone
[14:16] Flawnt Alchemi raven catching up on human literature? ;-)
[14:16] Shadowen Silvera: Cryptonomicon for the geek elemens, The Losers for the humanistic
[14:16] Camilla Delvalle: hello justine
[14:16] Jago Constantine: Welcome, Arkady
[14:16] Simeon Beresford: the eddings got his usual plot?
[14:16] Flawnt Alchemi: i am curious about "the losers" - havent heard of it
[14:16] Arkady Poliatevska: hi Jago
[14:16] Shadowen Silvera: no the losers is not typical eddings
[14:16] Jago Constantine: Is Losers a fantasy?
[14:17] Shadowen Silvera: Fiction I suppose but it does have a fantastical element
[14:18] Shadowen Silvera: Set in oregon and washington its a sort of good against evil story
[14:18] Shadowen Silvera: not far into it but its good
[14:18] Jago Constantine: Cool
[14:18] Jago Constantine: Thanks :)
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: ir oregon good and washington evil?
[14:18] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:18] Flawnt Alchemi: lol
[14:18] Shadowen Silvera: Hope the good side would be oregon cause otherwise im living in the wrong state
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: well at least they know how to say please and thank you there , not like seattle
[14:19] Jago Constantine: Ok, Eddi - have you read anything this week?
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: i caught my attention
[14:19] Jago Constantine: Welcome, Nolligan
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: the story was by Terry Bissson
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: it was called return to oakridge
[14:19] Nolligan Nino: hi
[14:19] Nolligan's Google Translator: जागो Constantine
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: i gave a note card to jago with the story on it
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: on nolligan
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: its about a time warp
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: well it was really good but i cant figure out the ending
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: has anyone read the story ?
[14:20] Flawnt Alchemi: nope
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: he won a big award for it
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: well
[14:20] Nolligan Nino: soz didn't see you
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: its like the philadelphia experiment
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: yah i dont see some people
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: and
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: two guys go back to 1944
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: they end up in oakridge
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: where the uranium isoptop was purified or something
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: im sure others nhere know more about this than me
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: and
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: then at the end
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: there true selves
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: meet them and everyone tries to kill everyone lese
[14:21] Shadowen Silvera: sorry jago groups are full
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: else
[14:21] Nolligan Nino: me too
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: see
[14:22] Simeon Beresford: lol
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: if they interfere with oakridge, they interfere with the manhattan project
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: and then
[14:22] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:22] Simeon Beresford: sumss up so many plots
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: who knows that would have happened
[14:22] Arkady Poliatevska: the beaver is never born?
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: but its really good i just cant figure out the quantum at the end
[14:22] Jago Constantine: lol Arkady
[14:23] Eddi Haskell: yes the beaver might not be born, hugh beaumonth might have been part of operation coronet
[14:23] Arkady Poliatevska: too old a reference for many
[14:23] Eddi Haskell: and barbara billigsley could have become a dyke biker, who knows?
[14:23] Jago Constantine: Yes :P
[14:23] Arkady Poliatevska: :)
[14:23] Camilla Delvalle: never heard of :)
[14:23] Jago Constantine: Ok, thanks, Eddi
[14:23] Eddi Haskell: Im named after a very famous obnoxious teenager, eddi haskell
[14:23] Jago Constantine: Nolligan - have you read any sci fi this week?
[14:24] Shadowen Silvera: I've been musing to myself as to what the world would be like if the hindenburg disaster hadnt happened.
[14:24] Nolligan Nino: not this week
[14:24] Camilla Delvalle: it would be nice with airships
[14:24] Shadowen Silvera: oops wrong window
[14:24] Jago Constantine: Ok, no worries :)
[14:24] Arkady Poliatevska: some other airship would have bloen up spectaculalry
[14:24] Jago Constantine: lol shadowen
[14:24] Justine Rhapsody: Airships are so beautiful
[14:25] Nolligan Nino: but I recently re-read a classic - the land ironclads by HG Wells
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: and nothing famous would have ever happened in new jersey except mob killings
[14:25] Jago Constantine: Cool
[14:25] Arkady Poliatevska: in france in ther early twentieth century..
[14:25] Jago Constantine: I haven't read that
[14:25] Flawnt Alchemi: me neither
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: is it about tanks?
[14:25] Arkady Poliatevska: the very first concrete buidings were airship hangers
[14:25] Arkady Poliatevska: because they caught fire so freqquently
[14:26] Nolligan Nino: written in 1910 it imagines a european war that is resolved by the use of 'tanks' essentially
[14:26] Jago Constantine: Cool ... I wonder how prescient it was?
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: well tanks were thought up in 1914 under churchills juridiction
[14:26] Jago Constantine: I mean maybe the writing was already on the wall
[14:26] Jago Constantine: tank-wise
[14:26] Nolligan Nino: I don't think so
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: they were invented to end trench warefare
[14:27] Nolligan Nino: nobody expected trenches - it was wars of movement pre 1914
[14:27] Flawnt Alchemi: interesting.
[14:27] Camilla Delvalle: they didnt know there could be such a great war at that time
[14:27] Simeon Beresford: were trences in american civil
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: yup. it was the farthest thing from their minds
[14:27] Nolligan Nino: make sme wonder which sci fi writers today will be judged as 'prescient
[14:27] Jago Constantine: "the first description of a tank-like vehicle and its usefulness in trench warfare is found in an H.G. Wells short story, "The Land Ironclads", in the Strand Magazine, December 1903"
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: wow
[14:27] Nolligan Nino: sorry 1903
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: did he visit the future
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: serioulsy
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: how could he see this stuff????????
[14:28] Nolligan Nino: how could Neal Stephenson see a place similar to sl?
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: i wish i coujld do things like that
[14:28] Flawnt Alchemi: wells wasnt a cottage writer...he was on top of science in his time and knew everyone who know anything
[14:28] Shadowen Silvera: Imagination combined with current information
[14:29] Jago Constantine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank#History
[14:29] Flawnt Alchemi: fabians, russell...plus the world was actually simple then (or was it?)
[14:29] Eddi Haskell gave you jago oil.
[14:29] Camilla Delvalle: There were ironclads on the sea, so it would not be a far leap to imagine ironclad wagons powdered by steam or something
[14:29] Shadowen Silvera: If you know it could be possible but doesnt exist (yet) its fun to imagine what it would be like if it was. with enough clues you can come up with a good idea
[14:29] Simeon Beresford: all the scientific heavy weights new big changes in the air
[14:30] Camilla Delvalle: they also had trains, so they could think up trains without rails
[14:30] Jago Constantine: Yes
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: yes the first ironclad le gloirie 1858 france
[14:30] Simeon Beresford: and wells new them all
[14:30] Jago Constantine: That wikipedia link mentions some ideas for use of steam vehicles in war
[14:30] Nolligan Nino: easy to say with hindsight
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: well necessity is the mother of invention and they needed tanks
[14:31] Jago Constantine: So Nolligan - is it a good read, or is it just notable for its prediction of tanks?
[14:31] Shadowen Silvera: makes one wonder if there will ever be battle suits ala heinlein's starship troopers
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: iwant to read it
[14:31] Camilla Delvalle: or mechas like in anime
[14:31] Nolligan Nino: quite a good read , quite short too
[14:31] Nolligan Nino: good but not brilliant
[14:32] Nolligan Nino: but I like HG Wells generally
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: who cares about that will there be hot shower scenes with casper van dien again?
[14:32] Flawnt Alchemi: /e nods nolligan
[14:32] Jago Constantine: http://www.zeitcom.com/majgen/60w-1_landironclads.html
[14:32] Jago Constantine: That's the story online
[14:32] Flawnt Alchemi: ty jago
[14:32] Jago Constantine: lol eddi
[14:32] Jago Constantine: Ok, thanks, Nolligan
[14:32] Nolligan Nino: :-)
[14:32] Jago Constantine: Karl - have you got a book report for us?
[14:33] Karl Mearkus: Nope, didn't get to any SF this week
[14:33] Jago Constantine: Ok :)
[14:33] Jago Constantine: Justine?
[14:33] Karl Mearkus: I'm just here to hoover up all your tips ;)
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: dont you feell guillty when you say that? i do.
[14:33] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:33] Flawnt Alchemi hides.
[14:34] Justine Rhapsody: oh yes,
[14:34] Jago Constantine: heh wb justine :)
[14:34] Justine Rhapsody: lol you caught me
[14:34] Justine Rhapsody: I am reading Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress, the second in the trilogy.
[14:34] Jago Constantine: Oh, I was just listening to an interview with her
[14:35] Justine Rhapsody: I like these books, her characterizations are wonderful.
[14:35] Justine Rhapsody: Oh really!
[14:35] Simeon Beresford: the folks that dont sleep?
[14:35] Jago Constantine: an old one from The Future and You podcast
[14:35] Shadowen Silvera: thanks
[14:35] Jago Constantine: like a few years old
[14:35] Justine Rhapsody: yes the sleepless and then there are super sleepless lol
[14:35] Justine Rhapsody: Yes they are. I only recently discovered that I like her writing, so went back and got those.
[14:35] Jago Constantine: And how does it compare to the first book?
[14:36] Justine Rhapsody: oh its a good continuation
[14:36] Justine Rhapsody: she brings in a various concepts, nano,
[14:37] Justine Rhapsody: and i especially like how she creates the supersleepless as having new ways of thinking, completely different than humans can think now.
[14:37] Jago Constantine: Here are 6 episodes of the future and you with Kress http://www.thefutureandyou.libsyn.com/?search_string=kress&Submit=Search&search=1
[14:38] Jago Constantine: It's a great podcast, I only just discovered it. Really wonderful
[14:38] Simeon Beresford: always have problems with none human thinking how can humans right about it?
[14:38] Jago Constantine: I think it would be hard for an author to try to write a character that is either superintelligent or thinks in a radically different way
[14:38] Justine Rhapsody: ok thanks :)
[14:39] Shadowen Silvera: Jago: try the alien intelligence game sometime. it's fun.
[14:39] Jago Constantine: Of course, being an author you're omniscient anyway lol
[14:39] Justine Rhapsody: well it is, but she does a good job of describing it - they create all kinds of association thinking with images words etc all rolled in together.
[14:39] Shadowen Silvera: sometimes called higher power
[14:39] Eddi Haskell: like a 12 step program.
[14:40] Jago Constantine: thanks, shadowen
[14:40] Justine Rhapsody: alien intelligence game?
[14:40] Simeon Beresford: think most heros are super intelligent the author takes three days to pick an action the hero has 3 seconds for.
[14:40] Jago Constantine: true
[14:40] Jago Constantine: So I assume you're going on to read the third book, Justine?
[14:41] Shadowen Silvera: you assume the aspect of a higher power/alien intelligence and then have a friend ask meaninful questions.. like "why are we here" you then answer as if you are a higher intelligence: ie "Nobody knows but it is the journey that counts" my example is lame but you get that idea.. its a sort of stream of consciousness exercise
[14:41] Justine Rhapsody: Yes I am. Though now I have Paul McAuley's new Quiet War ordered so have to read that one first.
[14:41] Camilla Delvalle: sounds difficult
[14:41] Jago Constantine: I want to read that one too
[14:41] Jago Constantine: Quiet War
[14:42] Justine Rhapsody: Yes I love that kind of space opera with ideas.
[14:42] Jago Constantine: Thanks, Justine ... Ok, Arkady? Anything to report?
[14:42] Arkady Poliatevska: I will just obseve this time
[14:42] Arkady Poliatevska: if thats okay
[14:42] Jago Constantine: Sure :)
[14:43] Jago Constantine: Flawnt, I see you crouching down back there
[14:43] Jago Constantine: :P
[14:43] Flawnt Alchemi whistles.
[14:43] Kyo Rogozarski is Offline
[14:43] Flawnt Alchemi: ya, i havent read any SF. torturing myself with flaubert on my left and alison lurie on my right
[14:43] Jago Constantine: Heh no worries
[14:43] Eddi Haskell: are they avatars?
[14:43] Justine Rhapsody: lol
[14:43] Eddi Haskell: sounds hot
[14:43] Flawnt Alchemi wipes the sweat off his brow
[14:44] Jago Constantine: Ok, Camilla ... your turn!
[14:44] Camilla Delvalle: can you tell me of flaubert maybe? im interested in him because people says he writhes good
[14:44] Flawnt Alchemi: lol eddi. but they're dirty ;)
[14:44] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:44] Flawnt Alchemi: he's a style guru
[14:44] Camilla Delvalle: shall i talk?
[14:44] Flawnt Alchemi nods camilla - later.
[14:44] Jago Constantine: If you have read some sci fi :)
[14:44] Camilla Delvalle: ok i can talk about haibane renmei
[14:44] Camilla Delvalle: although it is fantasy
[14:45] Jago Constantine: Nice :)
[14:45] Jago Constantine: Another anime I like :)
[14:45] Simeon Beresford: more manga?
[14:45] Camilla Delvalle: it is a anime, japanese series
[14:45] Simeon Beresford: ah
[14:45] Camilla Delvalle: so you like it?
[14:45] Jago Constantine: Yes, it's sweet
[14:45] Camilla Delvalle: it is about a girl who is reborn as an angel
[14:45] Camilla Delvalle: in a strange town
[14:45] Camilla Delvalle: and there are other angels but mostly humans
[14:46] Camilla Delvalle: she gets winds
[14:46] Camilla Delvalle: but her halo will not stick so they have to use metal wire to keep it in place
[14:46] Camilla Delvalle: but they are like disciminated
[14:46] Camilla Delvalle: because she can only wear used clothes
[14:46] Flawnt Alchemi gets wind, too.
[14:47] Camilla Delvalle: and they cant have money
[14:47] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:47] Camilla Delvalle: the angels are cool
[14:47] Camilla Delvalle: there is a leader who is called Reki
[14:47] Jago Constantine: Yes, the angels are called haibane in the show
[14:47] Flawnt Alchemi likes it.
[14:47] Jago Constantine: which I think is a japanese pronunciation of heaven
[14:47] Camilla Delvalle: and she smokes cigarrettes
[14:48] Camilla Delvalle: it is very calm series
[14:48] Camilla Delvalle: i like it because it is not hysterical or shrieky like many other
[14:48] Jago Constantine: I hate those shrieky hyperactive anime series :P
[14:48] Camilla Delvalle: it is a bit religious but not so that it disturbs
[14:48] Jago Constantine: Excel Saga for instance
[14:48] Camilla Delvalle: it is much about existential questions
[14:49] Camilla Delvalle: and friendship and such
[14:49] Jago Constantine: Yes, I think it's just a japanese author using angel symbolism mostly
[14:49] Jago Constantine: in the same way they might pick out ancient greek or aztec just because they think it's cool
[14:49] Camilla Delvalle: it not so much plotdrivet
[14:49] Camilla Delvalle: more character driven, with low tempo
[14:49] Camilla Delvalle: very nice
[14:49] Camilla Delvalle: questions?
[14:49] Flawnt Alchemi: arent "angels" outside of the japanese....spiritual world? (not that i have any clue)
[14:50] Jago Constantine: Well they'd have a conception of them from western sources
[14:50] Simeon Beresford: yes
[14:50] Flawnt Alchemi: it is a rather interesting choice then i suppose.
[14:51] Flawnt Alchemi wonders what the equivalent would be for a western writer.
[14:51] Camilla Delvalle: the creator said that it was inspired by religions, but he would not say which
[14:51] Jago Constantine: It's kind of whimsical in the manner of hayao miyazaki in some places
[14:51] Camilla Delvalle: yes
[14:51] Jago Constantine: although not too surreal
[14:52] Camilla Delvalle: it is not entirey logical
[14:52] Simeon Beresford: japanese do thinngs to to western culture that are as wrong as some of the things we do to eastern cultures not much resembance.
[14:52] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:52] Jago Constantine: it's probably as realistic as our conception of zen for example
[14:52] Jago Constantine: a popular conception
[14:52] Flawnt Alchemi nods. good example.
[14:52] Simeon Beresford: you have to put away the part of you that says " thats just wrrong".
[14:52] Jago Constantine: or hinduism
[14:53] Jago Constantine: Ok, Simon ... you had a sci fi author speak during the week didn't you?
[14:53] Eddi Haskell: yeah ever have a big mac in tokyo? you can gag
[14:53] Flawnt Alchemi wonders if modern sci fi is more culturally transgressive or not
[14:53] Jago Constantine: Thanks, Camilla :)
[14:53] Jago Constantine: transgressive in what sense?
[14:54] Flawnt Alchemi will teleport to second tokyo later to gag on a mac
[14:54] Simeon Beresford: there was one at one virtualy speaking I think
[14:54] Simeon Beresford: ours is tomorrow
[14:54] Jago Constantine: Ok, I thought I got a notice from bookstacks during the week :P
[14:54] Simeon Beresford: we cross promote
[14:54] Flawnt Alchemi: jago: in the sense of using symbols etc from other cultures
[14:54] Jago Constantine: Ok, it was the Tobias Buckell podcast
[14:55] Jago Constantine: my mistake
[14:55] Simeon Beresford: yes at one oclock tomorrow
[14:55] Simeon Beresford: we will be recording in world
[14:55] Jago Constantine: well, I think authors today, flawnt, have access to better information about other cultures through the internet
[14:55] Flawnt Alchemi: ... and turning it into something new and really interesting.
[14:55] Simeon Beresford: and there will be a q&a after with the audience
[14:55] Flawnt Alchemi: i am wondering how real that information is...
[14:56] Arkady Poliatevska: thank you all I must go
[14:56] Jago Constantine: and I expect there's a lot of incentive to be the first to exploit a different culture for a story
[14:56] Simeon Beresford: nods
[14:56] Flawnt Alchemi nods.
[14:56] Simeon Beresford: bye arkady
[14:56] Nolligan Nino: bye
[14:56] Flawnt Alchemi waves
[14:56] Jago Constantine: Let's see - there's Ian McDonald's River of Gods
[14:56] Justine Rhapsody: bye
[14:57] Justine Rhapsody: Oh I loved that book River of Gods.
[14:57] Jago Constantine: a major one from recent years set in India
[14:57] Simeon Beresford: coulld I plug our meet to set up some reading groups tommorrow at two as weel
[14:57] Jago Constantine: absolutely fantastic book
[14:57] Flawnt Alchemi: i am just astounded how culturally provincial most sci fi still seems to be...
[14:57] Flawnt Alchemi: thanks will check that out.
[14:57] Jago Constantine: sure simeon
[14:57] Flawnt Alchemi nods - sure simeon
[14:57] Flawnt Alchemi: thanks jago, again!
[14:57] Simeon Beresford: will expect to see every one at both :^)
[14:58] Flawnt Alchemi: bye all
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: bye!
[14:58] Nolligan Nino: bye
[14:58] Jago Constantine: Thanks for coming everyone
[14:58] Simeon Beresford: see you next week
[14:59] Justine Rhapsody: I need to go too
[14:59] Jago Constantine: Back here again next week same time!
[14:59] Simeon Beresford: when I will have finished a book to report on :^)
[14:59] Jago Constantine: And don't forget the off the shelf podcast here tomorrow
[14:59] Jago Constantine: If you'd like to check that out :)
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: happy labour day to you americans
[14:59] Justine Rhapsody: Bye everyone
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: bye!
[15:00] Simeon Beresford: that sounds so socialist
[15:00] Jago Constantine: bye!

21 March 2009: Channel Island Asylum

[13:57] Jago Constantine: Hey Fourside :)
[13:57] Fourside Janus: Hi!
[13:57] Eddi Haskell: hai
[13:57] Jago Constantine: The meeting will be at the far end of the building behind me
[13:57] Eddi Haskell: im wearing a haradous duty uniforum / hazardous
[13:57] Lewis Luminos: hi guys :)
[13:57] Jago Constantine: Sorry about the bad landing point
[13:57] Fourside Janus: k... still rezzing, can't see much.
[13:57] Eddi Haskell: hi
[13:57] Jago Constantine: Hi, Lewis / The meeting is in the end of the building ... sorry we had to arrive a ways from it
[13:58] Eddi Haskell: i just suprised jago with a new appearance. Hes trying to digest it
[13:58] Jago Constantine: heh
[13:59] Fourside Janus: Wait... are you saying we're going thru an asylum to reach the meeting?
[13:59] Jago Constantine: you look pretty similar eddi :P
[13:59] Eddi Haskell: ah
[13:59] Jago Constantine: lol
[13:59] Lewis Luminos: that sounds like a polite way of saying he doesnt like it
[13:59] Jago Constantine: it is in the asylum :)
[13:59] Eddi Haskell: of course he dont like it lol / i changed back
[14:00] Jago Constantine: I will cam out here from the room and keep an eye out for people
[14:00] Eddi Haskell: you should never suprise your partner with a new look
[14:00] Jago Constantine: let's go in
[14:00] Eddi Haskell: reminds me of where I grew up in brooklny / i dont have lag / just a bit
[14:01] Fourside Janus: Any chance you have the LM?
[14:01] Eddi Haskell: lol / this place is so creepy / i like it / hi lewis
[14:02] Fourside Janus: I'm just glad it's not "The Cradle".
[14:02] Eddi Haskell: hiya fourside
[14:02] Fourside Janus: Ji.
[14:02] Eddi Haskell: i have a photo of insilico in the paper metaverse manager
[14:02] Jago Constantine: we can't take LMs in here
[14:02] Eddi Haskell: on page 8 / if you want to check it out / you can take a slurl / i also have a feature coming up in sl vibe on insilico
[14:03] Fourside Janus: Oh, right SLURL...
[14:03] Lewis Luminos: lol "The A to Z of Electrotherapy", one of the books on the floor here
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: how about
[14:03] Lewis Luminos: by Doctor Linden :-D
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: thorazine for you and me
[14:03] Jago Constantine: lol yes
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: they give you that sometimes for hiccups
[14:05] Jago Constantine: Hi, Ilsa, welcome :)
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: hi lisa / ilsa sprecht deutsche? / bitte sehes? / bitte sehen?> / seine namen ist deutsche / oh good i dont have to translate LOL
[14:06] Jago Constantine: I am lagging today so please bear with me everyone / Anyway, this isn't really a sci fi location, but it is haunted :P
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: jago let me check the sim to see if it is laggy
[14:06] Lewis Luminos: you're grey Jago / at least to me
[14:07] Jago Constantine: I think it is me
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: no lag
[14:07] Jago Constantine: I was very slow logging in and lagged out tping a few times
[14:07] Fourside Janus: How's it haunted?
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: the fps is 34 / the 45 / so
[14:08] Fourside Janus: ?
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: jago is lagging today so
[14:08] Jago Constantine: I have bad chat lag this morning sorry
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: he might have a delay
[14:09] Lewis Luminos: i haven't seen a ghost yet Fourside
[14:09] Eddi Haskell: hes in australia and the server serving that could be overwhlemed
[14:09] Jago Constantine: You can hear them in some places if you have sound on
[14:09] Fourside Janus: Hm.
[14:09] Eddi Haskell: i can tell if there are ghosts i have been tested by professional ghosthunters im serious
[14:10] Eddi Haskell: i was on the Queen Mary and there are no ghosts there
[14:10] Jago Constantine: heh I am sceptical of that eddi :P / the sound of crazy laughing, or childlike giggling
[14:10] Fourside Janus: I should probably turn down my techno mix...
[14:10] Eddi Haskell: it cant be proven / so you should be / i started reading snowcrash
[14:11] Jago Constantine: Cool
[14:12] Eddi Haskell: im really not a sci fi reader but i read all the time so its good
[14:12] Lewis Luminos: how are you going with it?
[14:12] Eddi Haskell: my mom is a heavy sci fi reader / she wanted to watch the meeting but shes at a seminoar now / ok / hwo am i going with it / why is it so dark? / in general
[14:12] Lewis Luminos: hehe I think its meant to be
[14:13] Eddi Haskell: is the vast majority of thesci fi genre dark
[14:13] Jago Constantine: I liked the darkness of it :)
[14:13] Eddi Haskell: i can too / ok
[14:13] Lewis Luminos: the majority of the cyberpunk genre is
[14:13] Eddi Haskell: ok tto fill you in on me when Im not doing photography / and writing articles / i read history and bios / so this is a good change for me
[14:14] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:14] Lewis Luminos: I really liked Snow Crash
[14:14] Eddi Haskell: so the thing amazing about it / is how much ternminology he has thought of
[14:14] Jago Constantine: Yes, Neal Stephenson is good for that ... / LOL I read Anathem earlier in the year, his newest book, it is full of invented terms
[14:15] Eddi Haskell: i will read that next / what came to mind for me oddly / in 1993 / called VRML / the first virtual reality language / computer language was written
[14:15] Jago Constantine: I think you would be better to read The Diamond Age next, it is sort of a continuance of Snow Crash in some ways
[14:15] Eddi Haskell: ok / ill get throught that one first
[14:15] Lewis Luminos makes a note
[14:15] Jago Constantine: I liked it better too :)
[14:16] Fourside Janus: ditto.
[14:16] Eddi Haskell: VRML predicated things that we take for granted for example embedding hyperlinks within this environment / the era was the same / that oddly enough was in my mind when I started reading
[14:16] Lewis Luminos: thats interesting
[14:16] Jago Constantine: cool
[14:17] Eddi Haskell: yeah back in 1993 the entire idea of a consumer web was out there as Second Life is to 99% of the world today
[14:17] Jago Constantine: I like the idea of the burbclaves
[14:17] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:17] Jago Constantine: each of these different communities
[14:17] Lewis Luminos: yes those are great
[14:17] Eddi Haskell: that is exaclty what happened here
[14:17] Lewis Luminos: commercially-owned neighbouthoods
[14:17] Jago Constantine: there's a book that is similar in a lot of ways, Only Forward, by Michael Marshall Smith / different suburbs with different cultures / I really enjoyed that too ... a lot of fun
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: thing is
[14:19] Jago Constantine: Yes, SL has turned into burbclaves lol
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:19] Fourside Janus: O.o
[14:19] Lewis Luminos: haha yes
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: with these vr novels / i imagine there are many of then out there / they are all written as if we are applying first world or real world
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: concepts
[14:20] Lewis Luminos: I'd love to find more
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: snwo crash is / you are looking from here in / has any been writtien / the other way around?
[14:20] Lewis Luminos: there was an element of VR in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: sometimes / ues / FUNNY
[14:20] Lewis Luminos: totally missed out the movie, unless you count the unicorn thing
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: electric sheep iinvented windlight / the company / that iw where they got the name i guess
[14:21] Lewis Luminos: I guess so :)
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: what is everyone else reading
[14:22] Lewis Luminos: well I finished the Scar on Thursday
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: what is that about
[14:22] Jago Constantine: How did you like it?
[14:22] Lewis Luminos: Its the sequel to Perdido Street Station / Very interesting setting, a city at sea, made up of many boats lashed together
[14:23] Jago Constantine: Remember the last meeting was set there babe?
[14:23] Lewis Luminos: but... I dunno. I actually didnt like it as much as Perdido
[14:23] Fourside Janus: Sounds familiar... :D
[14:24] Jago Constantine: I liked it more
[14:24] Lewis Luminos: I was going through the whole thing waiting for this great exciting climax when they reached the Scar, and it didnt happen
[14:24] Eddi Haskell: we are kinda far from each other
[14:24] Jago Constantine: It was more fun I thought / We can still hear each other :P
[14:24] Eddi Haskell: oh / ok
[14:25] Lewis Luminos: I think it didn't help that I didn;t particularly like the main character / not as much as I liked Isaac and Lin
[14:25] Jago Constantine: Bellis was it?
[14:25] Lewis Luminos: yeah / stick up goth chick :P / *stuck-up
[14:25] Jago Constantine: I wanted more about the spy :P / she was a bit of a cold fish
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: I wanted more about The Lovers, and Uther
[14:26] Jago Constantine: yes they were cool / some really interesting backstories too
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: but on the whole I liked the story from Perdido better than this one
[14:26] Jago Constantine: ok / Oh eddi another excellent VR story is Permutation City by Greg Egan
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: cool / i have to write that down
[14:27] Fourside Janus: Well, I know I'm not going to be short on readng material for a bit...
[14:27] Jago Constantine: heh :) / What are you reading now, Fourside?
[14:28] Fourside Janus: I just discovered "Buck Godot - Zapgun for hire" http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buckcomic.php Last thing I read was http://www.setileague.org/articles/meat.htm
[14:28] Jago Constantine: Heh I like that story
[14:28] Fourside Janus: Both of them are somewhat silly...
[14:28] Jago Constantine: they're made of meat, it's a classic :)
[14:29] Jago Constantine: "They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."
[14:29] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:29] Lewis Luminos: o.O / lol
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: it sounds like the club jago and I were at yesterday
[14:29] Jago Constantine: it is about alien perceptions of us fleshy earthlings :P
[14:30] Fourside Janus: Which club?
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: warehouse / i need to behave myself at these meetings
[14:30] Jago Constantine: The Wharf you mean :P
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: yeah
[14:30] Jago Constantine: It's a gay club / pretty fun
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: its gay but not that gay, anyone can come / btw before i forget jago is in this huge blog
[14:31] Jago Constantine: Anyway I read The Collapsium by Wil McCarthy this week
[14:31] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: http://www.eddihaskell.com/ / no / i will give you the url
[14:32] Jago Constantine: I am quoted in New World Notes :P / About the Adult Continent thing
[14:32] Lewis Luminos: cool
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/03/adult-praise.html
[14:33] Jago Constantine: Anyway The Collapsium is an interesting vision of the future
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: that is another book or short story jago? / who is the author
[14:33] Jago Constantine: a novel / Wil McCarthy / One funny part is that the human race has become united in a monarchy / The monarchy of tonga, which was the only surviving monarchy when they decided that was the system they wanted
[14:34] Lewis Luminos: lol
[14:35] Fourside Janus: So it was the Tongans all along! Ah, I mean. Haha, intersting.
[14:35] Lewis Luminos: what happened to the monarchy of Britain? Oh, I guess it all collapses when Carlie takes te trone
[14:35] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:35] Lewis Luminos: *Charlie
[14:35] Jago Constantine: it doesn't really say I think ... :P
[14:35] Eddi Haskell: charlie means idiot in england
[14:36] Lewis Luminos: well I was referring to Prince Charles, but yeah, same ting
[14:36] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:36] Jago Constantine: But anyway, a very positive look at the future, humans are doing some cool things
[14:36] Lewis Luminos: sounds cool
[14:36] Eddi Haskell: i know
[14:36] Jago Constantine: the author is a physicist so his speculations are really interesting / even a kind of teleportation / It is the first in a series so I might check them out / so that will be what I'm reading next ... how about you, Lewis?
[14:38] Lewis Luminos: I dont have anything lined up yet. Trip to the library on Monday, see wat I can find / I should make a habit of picking the next book BEFORE I finish the last one
[14:39] Jago Constantine: heh / I usually get two at once from the library
[14:39] Fourside Janus: Heh, that's why I like anthologies.
[14:39] Eddi Haskell: i need to stop buying them and taking them out LOL
[14:39] Lewis Luminos: well I bought The Scar / library didn't have it
[14:40] Jago Constantine: I like book exchanges too
[14:40] Lewis Luminos: I trawl te second hand shops a lot
[14:40] Jago Constantine: I have one near me where I can usually swap books for good rates
[14:41] Lewis Luminos: I will probably swap The Scar away
[14:41] Fourside Janus: I find it interesting that there are still places unconnected to the internet for selling, simply because it's too complex...
[14:42] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:42] Lewis Luminos: internet use is still pretty much a minority, at least in the UK
[14:42] Jago Constantine: a lot of them are online in some way I find
[14:42] Jago Constantine: but you're right
[14:42] Lewis Luminos: I think its about 12% of the population, someting like that
[14:43] Lewis Luminos: or 12% of households
[14:43] Jago Constantine: wow that seems low
[14:43] Fourside Janus: Hmm... I wonder if a person could make a living just driving around buying & reselling online.
[14:43] Lewis Luminos: well dont forget 50% of te population in the UK is over 50
[14:43] Eddi Haskell: no cant be
[14:43] Eddi Haskell: is it? over 50? wow
[14:43] Jago Constantine: If you knew what you were looking for you could
[14:44] Lewis Luminos: its very close, according to statistics I read recently
[14:44] Lewis Luminos: I used to make a profit, buying up things like comics, science fiction toys and stuff, in Manchester
[14:44] Lewis Luminos: then going do conventions in London and selling the stuff
[14:45] Lewis Luminos: usually made enough profit to cover my ticket
[14:45] Jago Constantine: http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm
[14:45] Jago Constantine: this site says almost 70% of the uk are internet users
[14:45] Eddi Haskell: that is correct
[14:45] Lewis Luminos: wow
[14:45] Eddi Haskell: it is higher then the united states
[14:45] Lewis Luminos: thats gone up fast then
[14:45] Eddi Haskell: but
[14:46] Eddi Haskell: teletext is estblished there
[14:46] Fourside Janus: Canada has the higest %?
[14:46] Jago Constantine: maybe you hears 17 when they said 70 :P
[14:46] Lewis Luminos: maybe its a different thing, does this one count people who have internet access at school or work, but not at home?
[14:46] Lewis Luminos: I think the % I read was home use
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Not sure
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Australia is about 80% ... we are fast with technology uptake
[14:46] Lewis Luminos: but admittedly it was a couple of years ago
[14:47] Jago Constantine: Do you have any reading plans, Fourside?
[14:48] Fourside Janus: I was thinking either "The Best of Robert Silverberg" or...
[14:49] Fourside Janus: Gnoph http://www.drunkduck.com/Gnoph/index.php?p=527206 which has something to do with internal parasites. Might check out the titles mentioned here if I burn through 'em.
[14:49] Jago Constantine: hmm haven't heard of that one
[14:49] Jago Constantine: He is good, a real master
[14:49] Jago Constantine: silverberg
[14:50] Fourside Janus: I don't think I've read any of his works, would you reccomend anything else by him? Or everything?
[14:51] Jago Constantine: I liked his majipoor books when I read them
[14:51] Jago Constantine: particularly the first one I guess
[14:51] Jago Constantine: they are kind of fantasy
[14:52] Fourside Janus: Heh http://www.majipoor.com "the official site of Robert Silverberg".
[14:52] Fourside Janus: Quasi-*
[14:52] Eddi Haskell: hi antwan
[14:52] Jago Constantine: Hi, Antwan
[14:52] Jago Constantine: yeah
[14:52] Fourside Janus: Hi! And maybe!
[14:53] Fourside Janus: Am I the only one with voice?
[14:53] Jago Constantine: Downward to Earth is a good Silverberg novel
[14:53] Lewis Luminos: I dont have voice
[14:53] Jago Constantine: I don't either :P
[14:54] Fourside Janus: Ah.
[14:54] Eddi Haskell: you have been blogged take a look before you go http://eddihaskell.blogspot.com/
[14:54] Lewis Luminos: lol Eddi!
[14:54] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:54] Fourside Janus: ...
[14:55] Eddi Haskell: your in there too fourside
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Also The Man in the Maze, which is kind of a rip off of Algis Budrys' Rogue Moon
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Cool Eddi :)
[14:55] Eddi Haskell: :)
[14:56] Jago Constantine: Ok, the next meeting will be at the Museum of Robots :)
[14:56] Lewis Luminos: cool :)
[14:56] Fourside Janus: Hmm... I have to see that.
[14:56] Jago Constantine: I'll send out a notice to the group soon
[14:56] Jago Constantine: the landing point will be a little way from the meeting area again sorry
[14:56] Fourside Janus: Have you held a metting at the dinosaur park yet?
[14:57] Jago Constantine: not yet
[14:57] Jago Constantine: sounds interesting ... do you have an LM?
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Thanks, I'll check it out!
[14:57] Lewis Luminos: thanks :)
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: oh cool fourside maybe i will write aobut it in vibe
[14:57] Fourside Janus: )
[14:57] Lewis Luminos: guess we'll need safari gear
[14:57] Jago Constantine: heh that would be fun :)
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: i work for two publications, metaeverse messenger and sl vibe
[14:58] Fourside Janus: Gotta check those out now... argh... too many windows...
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: so i like cool places to photo
[14:58] Jago Constantine: Ok, thanks for coming again!
[14:58] Lewis Luminos: Eddi do you have a Flickr page?
[14:59] Jago Constantine: Have a wander around the asylum, it's pretty cute for a linden build