Analog SFF, November 2007
Page 25
I think the author let his hate lead him to error. A problem that confronts us all.
Thanks,
Harold Brashears
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Or maybe he simple misremembered and didn't check—an oversight, perhaps, but hardly as sinister as you assume.
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Stan (If I may be so familiar),
I know you'll have probably already been told, but the story “The Test” in your recent double edition bears a very strong resemblance to a much older story from, if I recall correctly, the ‘50s or thereabouts. Main difference then was that the alien protagonists took the form of a ghastly alien, an old prospector, and his mule. Can't remember the exact title, I'm afraid. Would be curious to know how many other readers spotted it—I'm beginning to realize that not everyone grew up on Clarke, Sturgeon, Van Vogt et al.
And congratulations on a truly excellent publication that I've been reading for a couple of decades now.
Regards,
Lee Reynolds
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A couple of other readers did point out a general similarity of theme and plot between “The Test” and Fredric Brown's “Puppet Show,” which appeared in Playboy in 1962. I found a copy in a collection I hadn't read, and have to grant the casual resemblance; however, I strongly suspect that's mere coincidence, the idea being one of those that has probably occurred to many writers independently. You're right that not all newer writers have read (or remember) all of the older ones; the backlog of material has long been much too big for that. In any case, the treatments were substantially different. One reader said he preferred Brown's story but added that he usually prefers “the original.” That's a common effect; I read Kirkland's version first and found that, if anything, Brown's seemed unnecessarily drawn out—which is a little surprising, because I'm a great fan of Brown's short-shorts.
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Dear Dr. Schmidt:
Dr. Roger Angel's proposal to create a sunshade at Earth's Lagrange Point 1 ("The Alternate View: Cooling Off Global Warming From Space,” July/August) is a great idea that has a lot of potential to do more than save Earth from a climatic disaster. First, it needs a snappy name. How does Project Parasol sound to you?
Second, the deflector itself need not be complicated. At a range of 1,500,000 kilometers, the deflector need only shift the Sun's light a little over a quarter of a degree to make it miss Earth completely. We could use Fresnel lenses stamped into Mylar film. Further, the force that the Sun's light would exert on that film would equal the force that it would exert upon a perfectly black body multiplied by one minus the cosine of the deflection: using Dr. Cramer's figure for the pressure of sunlight, I calculate a force of 41.4 micronewtons per square kilometer of material. If we want to deflect 1.8% of the light striking Earth, we will need to use the equivalent of a circular Fresnel lens with a radius of 855 kilometers, about 2.3 million square kilometers, and it will have to resist an additional force of a little over 95 newtons.
And third, I would ditch the electromagnetic launchers. Project Parasol is the perfect incentive for the development and construction of a space elevator. Unlike Dr. Angel's high-gee launchers, the space elevator can carry relatively delicate cargoes, such as people, into space. Therein lies the beauty of the plan: just as President Eisenhower's network of military highways (a.k.a. The Interstate Highway System) stimulated growth in the American economy, so the space elevator will stimulate tremendous growth in the cislunar economy. Eventually a great fliederstadt will grow on Clarke's orbit and put Humanity into an excellent position from which to expand out into the Solar System. And all from a perfectly reasonable plan to protect Earth from excess warming.
Yeah, let's do it! All we need now is for someone to show that Project Parasol will cost less than the damage that global warming will do if we don't take steps to mitigate it. That's something I will have to leave to one of your other readers. May our collective wisdom make this dream come true!
Cordially,
Dennis Anthony
Los Angeles, CA
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Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.
—Mohandas Gandhi
People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.
—Otto von Bismarck
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UPCOMING EVENTS by ANTHONY LEWIS
30 August—3 September 2007
NIPPON 2007 (65th World Science Fiction Convention) at Pacifico Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan. Guests of Honor: Sakyo Komatsu and David Brin; Artist Guests of Honor: Yoshitaka Amano and Michael Whelan; Fan Guest of Honor: Takumi Shibano. Registration: USD 220; JPY 26,000; GBP 125; EUR 186 until 30 June 2007; supporting membership USD 50; JPY 6,000; GBP 28; EUR 45. This is the SF universe's annual get-together. Professionals and readers from all over the world will be in attendance. Talks, panels, films, fancy dress competition—the works. Nominate and vote for the Hugos. This is only the third time Worldcon will be held in a non-English speaking country and the first time in Asia. Info: www.nippon2007.org; info@nippon2007.us. Nippon 2007/JASFIC, 4-20-5-604, Mure, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0002. North American agent: Peggy Rae Sapienza, Nippon 2007, PO Box 314, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701, USA. UK agent: Mike Rennie, 68 Crichton Avenue, Burton Stone Lane, York, Great Britain YO30 6EE (sparks@lspace.org). European agent: Vincent Doherty, Koninginnegracht 75a, 2514A Den Haag, Netherlands (VJ1709@hotmail. com). Australian agent: Craig Macbride, Box 274, World Trade Centre, Victoria, 8005 Australia (nippon07@f8d.com).
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7-9 September 2007
CopperCon 27 (Phoenix area SF conference) at Embassy Suites Phoenix North, Phoenix, AZ. Author Guest of Honor: Charlaine Harris; Artist Guest of Honor: Sean Martin; Music Guests of Honor: Heather & Allison Stern. Registration: $40 until 15 August; $45 at the door. Info: www.coppercon.org; cu27@coppercon.org; CopperCon 27, PO Box 62613, Phoenix, AZ 85082; (602) 973-2341.
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21-23 September 2007
FOOLSCAP IX (Washington state SF conference) at Sheraton Bellevue, Bellevue, WA. Guest of Honor: Charles de Lint; Artist Guest of Honor: Charles Vess. Registration: $45 until 20 September; more at door. Info: www.foolscapcon.org; chair@foolscapcon.org.
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21-23 September 2007
MOUNTAIN-CON III (Utah SF/media conference) at University Park Marriott, Salt Lake City, UT. A Celebration of Fandom. Guests of Honor: David Prowse, Garrett Wang, Barbara Luna, Felix Silla, Eric James Stone, Dan Willis, Paul Genesse, Robert J Defendi, Howard Tayler. Registration $40 in advance; $5 at the door. Info: www.MountainCon.org; info@mountaincon.org; Mountain-Con III c/o Carl Stark, 3872 West 2550 South, Ogden, UT, 84401-9007.
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28-30 September 2007
CONTEXT 20 (SF reader/writer conference) at Midwest Hotel and Conference Center, Columbus, OH. Author Guest of Honor: Tim Powers; Editor Guest of Honor: Mike Resnick; Horror Guest: Michael Arnzen; Anime Guests: Matt Greenfield, Tiffany Grant; Special Guest: Walter Hunt; Musical Guest: Tom Smith. Registration: $35 until 15 August 2007; $45 thereafter; $50 at the door. Writers Workshops: check website for fees. Info: www.contextsf.org. n
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