The measurements had been done with satellite-based microwave instruments. But Fu's team discovered that rather than zeroing in on the upper troposphere as expected, these instruments getting a mixed reading from it and the stratosphere. That produced a muddled result because the stratosphere is cooling (due to ozone depletion, among other factors). Taking this into account shows that the troposphere is warming at just about the rate predicted by global warming models.
So it's a perfect example of why politically oriented people shouldn't jump to conclusions based on a single anomalous finding—and why scientists themselves (most of the good ones, anyway) are quite loath to do so.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Lovett
* * * *
Editor,
Please temper my comments with the fact that I haven't read Analog in about forty years.
I found the story “Tracking” annoying. At first. Once I was mentally able to translate the style into one I understood, I appreciated it very much. For me, “Tracking” marks the texting generation becoming mainstream. Writers in my world of complete sentences and paragraphs with coherent subjects have a much easier time of presenting ideas. The texting style of stream of consciousness, with little or no punctuation, is one that is very difficult to present ideas more than the length of a sound bite. The author, David R. Palmer, did a good job. The story itself was fun and colorful, though it had its share of inaccuracies (e.g. An EMP will destroy unhardened electronics powered on or powered off.)
I am glad to see that after all of these years that Analog is still able to stimulate ideas and generate discussion.
Gregg Ferry
* * * *
Actually, the narrative style in Tracking has nothing to do with texting—it came first in Emergence, by at least twenty years.
* * * *
Dear Analog,
Congratulations and thank you for one of the very best stories that I have recently read—not just in your pages but anywhere. Candy is easily the most engrossing character that I have encountered since Bean (of the Ender series). I'm also impressed with the literary tactic of “transcribing the stenographic notes” because, for me at least, it captures the tempo of the heroine's life so very well.
Not a question, but more like food for thought: Is the creation of heroes/heroines with fully adult capabilities, but strong residues of juvenile or infantile morality—I recall fondly the teen on Mars a year or so ago—a metaphor for the world we are creating? Or even, with your own and your contributor's guile, might it become such a metaphor?
Gordon Love
* * * *
Dear Stanley Schmidt,
I just finished reading the October Analog, and I want to thank you for publishing David Palmer's “Tracking.” That was a really enjoyable and rewarding read. Pure thrilling adventure SF, pure entertainment, but I'm not ashamed to say I loved it! I had never heard of David Palmer before (I've subscribed to Analog since 1992), but I hope you will keep on publishing his fiction (I suspect there will be a sequel to “Tracking"); meanwhile, I intend to read “Emergence."
Also, thank for providing us with veteran author Dean McLaughlin's “Tenbrook of Mars,” a deeply satisfying story.
Fabrice Doublet
France
PS: If you could harass Tom Ligon and Jeffery Kooistra so that they produce more fiction for Analog...
* * * *
Hello,
I've been reading Analog since 1965, and the October issue was one of the best in a long time. “Stealing Adriana,” “The Meme Theorist,” “Vita Longa,” and “Tracking” were all great stories of the type I look for in Analog. Keep it up!
Joe Cunningham
* * * *
Stan:
Just finished David Palmer's “Tracking.” Crackling good story. Found shorthand format captivating after getting over initial hurdle of writing style. (Had forgotten previous stories.) Aviation specs and lingo solid throughout. Much appreciated that many varied literary and other references were not explained; those who understood would, but plenty of others to entertain those who didn't have a specific referent. Otherwise might have bogged down.
Was afraid Candy would have blown it by calling Kazimirov three seconds before the 50 cal hit, giving him time to duck (or perhaps have a messier end?) but closure for him and Fedka still happy-making.
Had forgotten Billy Batson's “Shazam.” Latest use remembered was by Gomer Pyle. Memory recalls Z for Zeus, others less sure. S for Socrates, H for Hera, A for Apollo, A for Aristotle, M for Minerva?
Puzzled by warning about “disturbing” scenes. All quite natural and in character here. More puzzling were sex scenes in recent Mars story; humble opinion—unnecessary in Analog. Skilful writer wouldn't need to be as explicit and could still get point across, probably better.
Switzerland sequel obvious. Can't wait.
I've been an Astounding reader since the late 1940s. Currently I'm author/editor of books and have a 64-page bi-monthly magazine to produce. I flew B-52s in the early 1960s and we had flash curtains and eye patches, shades of the “Man in the Hathaway Shirt.” Talk about bringing back memories. After that airline captain. About 24,000 hours total time, or, to respond to questions about flying experience “almost three years."
Minor grumble: This story did not include a post-script reference to the previous one, as is usually given. Accompanied by kudos: For a brief period, serialized works did not show the vital information (such as “Part I of III"), but now have returned to that essential practice.
Keep up the good work,
Robert P. Odenweller
Bernardsville, NJ
* * * *
Analog,
I just received my November 2008 Analog. Being an engineer with a lot of math background, numbers and equations are important to me. In the editorial, Stanley Schmidt talked about a graph that “becomes practically indistinguishable from the vertical line y = x.” The formula y = x is a straight line with a 45 degree angle (assuming the x and y scales are identical), not a vertical line. The formula he needed was a vertical line of y = 1. Keep up the great work. I enjoy your work and look forward to each edition.
Nick Rickenbaker
Actually, the vertical line is x = 1. Thanks for pointing out my obvious error, and for helping me demonstrate how easily even someone with lots of experience in a field (like us) can be thinking one thing and write something quite different!
[Back to Table of Contents]
2008 INDEX
Here is the Index to 2008, Analog's Volume CXXVIII. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author, with month and page. When the author's name and/or part of the entry's title is omitted, it is the same as that of the previous entry. Multiple entries by the same author are listed alphabetically according to the story/article title. Collaborations are listed under all authors with cross references. Unless otherwise noted, each entry is identified as an Alternate View (av), editorial (ed), fact article (fa), guest editorial (ge), novella (na), novelette (nt), poem (pm), Probability Zero (pz), serial (ser), special feature (sf), or short story (ss).
Asaro, Catherine—
The Spacetime Pool (na) Mar 8
* * * *
Bagwell, Timothy J.—
Tangible Light (nt) Jan/Feb 76
Bartell, David—
Misquoting the Star (nt) Dec 8
Test Signals (na) May 9
Baxter, Stephen—
Project Boreas: A Base at the Martian North Pole (fa) Mar 54
Bohnhoff, Maya Kaathryn—
Junkie (ss) Jul/Aug 134
Bova, Ben—
Waterbot (nt) Jun 46
Burns, Stephen L.—
Mea Culpa (ss) Nov 99
Righteous Bite (ss) Apr 68
The Fourth Thing (ss) Sep 65
* * * *
Canfield, Tracy—
Starship Down (ss) Oct 60
Carlson, Paul—
Shotgun Seat (nt) Jul/Aug 156
; Castle, Sarah K.—
Still-Hunting (ss) May 72
Chase, Robert R.—
Not Even the Past (nt) Mar 64
The Meme Theorist (ss) Oct 49
Cramer, John G.—
"All About Teleportation” (av) Jul/Aug 128
"Noise as a
Quantum Signal” (av) Dec 40
"There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Universe” (av) Mar 82
"The Falling Dominoes: The Source of Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays” (av) May 82
"Tracking Adolf” (av) Oct 71
Creek, Dave—
No Traveller Returns (nt) May 46
Stealing Adriana (nt) Oct 34
* * * *
D'Ammassa, Don—
The Natural World (nt) Jan/Feb 114
DeLancy, Craig—
Amor Vincit Omnia (nt) Apr 52
Demand Ecology (nt) Jun 64
Drummond, Oz—
ReCreation (ss) Nov 106
Dulski, Thomas R.—
Guaranteed Not to Turn Pink in the Can (nt) Apr 8
* * * *
Easton, Thomas A.—
The 3D Trainwreck (fa) Nov 50
The Reference Library Jan/Feb 226
——— Mar 136
——— Apr 134
——— May 134
——— Jun 134
——— Jul/Aug 228
——— Sep 134
——— Oct 134
——— Nov 134
——— Dec 102
Elam, Bond—
A Plethora of Truth (ss) Jul/Aug 101
* * * *
Flynn, Michael F.—
Sand and Iron (nt) Jul/Aug 86
Forest, Susan—
Back (ss) Jun 88
Foster, Alan Dean—
Cold Fire (ss) Nov 81
Frederick, Carl—
Greenwich Nasty Time (nt) Nov 64
The Challenge of the Anthropic Universe (fa) Jul/Aug 62
The Engulfed Cathedral (ss) Jan/Feb 128
The Exoanthropic Principle (nt) Jul/Aug 70
Vita Longa (ss) Oct 76
What Drives Cars (ss) May 97
* * * *
Glass, James C.—
Helen's Last Will (ss) Mar 99
Gleason, William—
Into that Good Night (ss) Apr 80
Once in a Blue Moon (nt) Sep 50
Goldman, David W.—
Invasion of the Pattern Snatchers (ss) Sep 80
Goulart, Ron—
Conversations with my Knees (nt) Jan/Feb 140
Grace, David—
Forever Mommy (ss) Sep 74
* * * *
Haldeman, Joe—
Marsbound, part I of III (se) Jan/Feb 10
Marsbound, part II of III (se) Mar 110
Marsbound, conclusion (se) Apr 96
Hemry, John G.—
The Bookseller of Bastet (ss) Mar 78
Hendrix, Howard V.—
Knot your Grandfather's Knot (ss) Mar 86
Honken, Henry—
Strange Croaks and Ghastly Apparitions (fa) May 37
* * * *
Kirkland, Kyle—
Imprint (ss) Jul/Aug 144
Kleine, Walter L.—
Petite Pilferer Puzzles Piedmont Police (ss) May 86
Kooistra, Jeffery D.—
"Einstein and the Ether” (av) Jan/Feb 72
"Return of the Warlock's Wheel” (av) Jun 84
"The Hospital of the Future” (av) Apr 74
"Turnings” (av) Nov 102
"What is ‘Old-Fashioned’ Anyway?” (av) Sep 70
* * * *
Lambert, Ronald R.—
Consequences of the Mutiny (nt) May 106
Landis, Geoffrey A.—
The Man in the Mirror (nt) Jan/Feb 98
In ‘69 (pm) Sep 49
Lerner, Edward M.—
The Night of the RFIDs (nt) May 119
Follow the Nanobrick
Road (fa) Sep 38
Where Credit is Due (pz) Oct 74
Levinson, Paul—
Unburning Alexandria (nt) Nov 116
Lewis, Anthony—
Upcoming Events Jan/Feb 240
——— Mar 144
——— Apr 144
——— May 144
——— Jun 144
——— Jul/Aug 240
——— Sep 144
——— Oct 144
——— Nov 144
——— Dec 144
Ligon, Tom—
The World's Simplest Fusion Reactor Revisited (fa) Jan/Feb 60
Longyear, Barry B.—
The Purloined Labradoodle (ss) Jan/Feb 198
Lovett, Richard A.—
A Deadly Intent (ss) Jan/Feb 186
(with Mark Niemann-Ross)
Biolog: David Bartell (sf) Dec 7
Biolog: Mark Niemann-Ross (sf) Oct 33
Biolog: Mia Molvray (sf) Jan/Feb 175
Brittney's Labyrinth (na) Jun 8
Bug Eyes (ss) Nov 90
Green Nanotechnology (fa) Dec 22
Here Be There Dragons: the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and Other Mysteries of an Explored Planet (fa) Oct 26
Hook, Lure and Narrative: The Art of Writing Story Leads (sf) Jul/Aug 123
New Wineskins (nt) Oct 8
(with Mark Niemann-Ross)
Nuclear Autumn: The Consequences of a “Small” Nuclear War (fa) Apr 30
Peroxide Snow, Ejected Moons, and Deserts that Created Themselves (fa) Jun 38
Lundy, Robert—
Good Morning, Class (pm) Apr 73
On the Evolution of God (pm) Jun 83
Lyon, Richard K.—
Finalizing History (ss) Jun 98
* * * *
McCarthy, Wil —
How the Bald Apes Saved Mars Crossing (ss) Jan/Feb 158
McLaughlin, Dean—
Tenbrook of Mars (na) Jul/Aug 174
Moffitt, Donald—
The Beethoven Project (nt) Apr 36
Molvray, Mia—
Low Life (ss) Jan/Feb 176
* * * *
Niemann-Ross, Mark—
A Deadly Intent (ss) Jan/Feb 186
(with Richard A. Lovett)
New Wineskins (nt) Oct 8
(with Richard A. Lovett)
Norwood, Rick—
Aliens (pz) Dec 30
Oltion, Jerry—
A New Generation (ss) Jan/Feb 166
Outside the Box (pz) Jul/Aug 132
The Anthropic Precipice (ss) Apr 86
* * * *
Palmer, David R.—
Tracking, part I of III (se) Jul/Aug 10
Tracking, part II of III (se) Sep 90
Tracking, conclusion (se) Oct 86
* * * *
Sanford, Jason—
Where Away You Fall (ss) Dec 32
Sawyer, Robert J.—
Wake, part I of IV (se) Nov 8
Wake, part II of IV (se) Dec 62
Schembrie, Joe—
Moby Digital (nt) Dec 44
Scherrer, Robert—
How I Saved the National Science Foundation (pz) Apr 77
Schmidt, Stanley—
"Attention” (ed) Jan/Feb 4
"Choosing Tools” (ed) Jul/Aug 4
"'It's All About Me,'
Writ Large” (ed) Sep 4
"Mirrors and Might-have-beens” (ed) Apr 4
"Our Most Important Product” (ed) Jun 4
"Relativity” (ed) Dec 4
"RSVP” (ed) Oct 4
"The Great Rush Forward” (ed) Nov 4
"Ups and Downs” (ed) May 4
"Which Stitch in Time?” (ed) Mar 4
Schweitzer, Darrell—
The Dinosaurs of Eden (pz) May 80
Sparhawk, Bud—
The Late Sam Boone (nt) Jun 110
Stone, Eric James—
The Ashes of His Fathers (ss) May 60
Stratmann, H.G.—
The Last
Temptation of Katerina Savitskaya (nt) Sep 8
* * * *
Turtledove, Harry—
Worlds Enough, and Time (pz) Jan/Feb 156
* * * *
Wade, Juliette—
Let the Word Take Me (ss) Jul/Aug 110
* * * *
PS FORM 3526: STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
1. Publication Title: Analog Science Fiction and Fact; 2. Publication Number: 488-910; 3. Filing Date: 9/30/08; 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly except for combined issues Jan/Feb and July/August; 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 10; 6. Annual Subscription Price: $55.90; 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 475 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016; Contact Person: Penny Sarafin; Telephone: (203) 866-6688; 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 6 Prowitt St., Norwalk, CT 06855-1220; 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher: Dell Magazines, 6 Prowitt St., Norwalk, CT 06855-1220; Editor: Stanley Schmidt, Dell Magazines, 475 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016; Managing Editor: Trevor Quachri, 475 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016; 10. Owner: Penny Publications, LLC, 6 Prowitt Street, Norwalk, CT 06855-1220. Shareholders owning 1% or more are Selma, John, James, and Peter Kanter, 6 Prowitt St., Norwalk, CT 06855-1220; 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: There are no bondholders, mortgagees, or other security holders; 12. Tax Status: N/A; 13. Publication Title: Analog Science Fiction and Fact; 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: 3/08; 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation—Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months. a1. Total Number of Copies: 38,033; b1a. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 21,880; b2a. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 0; b3a. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS: 12,114; b4a. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS: 0; c1. Total Paid Distribution: 33,994; d1a. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: 4; d2a. Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: 0; d3a. Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS: 0; d4a. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail: 0; e1. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 4; f1. Total Distribution: 33,998; g1. Copies not Distributed: 4,035; h1. Total: 38,033; i1. Percent Paid: 100%; 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation—No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. a2. Total Number of Copies: 36,000; b1b. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 21,098; b2b. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 0; b3b. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS: 11,790; b4b. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS: 0; c2. Total Paid Distribution: 32,888; d1b. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: 4; d2b. Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: 0; d3b. Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS: 0; d4b. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail: 0; e2. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 4; f2. Total Distribution: 32,892; g2. Copies not Distributed: 3,108; h2. Total: 36,000; i2. Percent Paid: 100%; 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in the Jan/Feb ‘09 issue of this publication; 17. Signature and Title of Publisher: Peter Kanter. Date: 10/1/08.
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