TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 1

Produced by Garry Dalrymple as a contribution to thhe June 2013 mailing of the Australian and NZ Amateur Press Association.

Postal Address: Garry Dalrymple, Local Post Office Box 4152, Bexleey North NSW 2207 Home ph. (best after 7 pm) 02 9718- 5827

Email; [email protected] The March 4, 2013, Sydney City Skywatchers meeting, Topic; Mars on Earth – right here in Sydney. Speaker: Dr. Carol Oliver, Aust.

Pages 1 to 4 - Astronomy and Science Centre for Astrobiology, UNSW

Meeting Notess of March 2013 – Mars on Earth – Right here in Sydney – Carol Oliver Aust Centre for Astrobiology, UNSW

Pages 5 to 17 – Notes from Sydney’s SF&F Meetings, Dec 2012 to Mar 2013; Friday Night Sydney Futurian meetings Pages 5 & 6 – Books deserving Sequels, or

Sequels we’d like to see – 14 Dec. 2012 Pages 7 & 8 – Your Best and Worst SF&F of Who was there? – Twenty Eight members and 2012 – 18 Jan. 2013 guests were presentt at the meeting tonight, Pages 8 to 11 – Robots A.I.s and other roughly equal M and F. Thinking Machines – 15 Feb. 2013 Pages 11 to 14 – Supernatural Creatures in On this occasion our usual meeting format, SF stories - 15 Mar. 2013 Member’s observations then Guest speaker Pages 14 & 15 – Parramatta’s Underground was inverted, the Guest speaker speaking SF&F Book Review Discussion Meeting – 21 before the Member’s observations.

Mar 2013 Dr Oliver presented and discussed the Pages 15 & 16 - The SF&F Discussion significance of a number of recent discoveries meeting at Sappho’s Second Hand on Mars, pointers to Life on Mars, or at least Bookshop – 27 Mar 2013 evidence of past conditions on Mars that were

Pages 15 to 20 – Notes from the Feb 26, and more likely to allow life as we know it, based on 26 Mar. 2013 meetings of the Canterbury and terrestrial examples, water deposited District Historical Society – AGM Meeting ‘Blueberries’ and beffore and after scenes of and School Day’s Memories, School Photos liquid / moisture aided landslides on numerous and Postcards 1873 to the 1950s – Robert crater rims hint at Mars not being as ‘Dry and Hutchinson, Marrickville Historical Society Dead’ as previously thought. Some deep, shadowed or near pollar Craters show traces of Pages 19 & 20 - Book Reviews water ice at their bottoms. Much of the Pages 21 to 24 – Traveller’s Tales evidence uncovered in the search for life on Page 24 - Basenjis Tail Piece Mars centres around evidence of past hot 1 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 2 water springs, such as Silica surface deposits and carbonate rock deposits, as phylogenic Phylogenic Evidence and the Tree of Life. (Tree of Life) evidence suggests that Life on Genetic decoding has allowed for greater Earth emerged out of ‘Archaea’ like life forms precision in identifying relationships between similar to those currently found around ‘Black existing and ancestral life forms on Earth. Smoker’ undersea thermal vents, or geyser field The true picture is slightly different from that hot springs on land. depicted in most textbooks (Known since the 1990s). The most recent ‘Universal Ancestor’ Liquid Water on Mars today? seems to be an Archaea, similar to the types of We were shown water droplets which had microbial life found in communities around ‘Hot formed on the (shaded) legs of a recent Mars Smoker’ volcanic vents of the ocean vents. lander. Atmospheric conditions on Mars, This fact does tend to shape the search for life typically 1% or less than that at Earth’s surface on Mars (fossil of living). The evidence and much colder usually mean that water suggests that all life on earth ‘evolved up’ from ‘sublimes’, i.e. it goes straight from ice to vapour this source in a brief span of 500 million years, without any visible liquid phase, however or perhaps life on earth has an older pedigree perchlorate is known to be present in the and a longer period to pile up genetic diversity Martian soil can and does lead moisture to form and life’s range of adaptions, starting much as droplets of hyper-saline solution, which is earlier and merely finding refuge down among able to stay liquid at above sublimation the black smokers deep under water while temperatures. Earth was still being bombarded during the late (asteroid) bombardment era. Clearly ahead Meteorite ALH84001 – Fossil evidence of of a search for life beyond Earth, there is great Martian life? value in understanding all the possible factors ‘Worm like’ features detected on this Meteorite influencing the start of life on Earth. from Mars, had been identified as magnetite deposits left by long departed micro-organisms. Australians in Space Industry? The Jury is still out on this interpretation of the Clearly there will be a future with Space evidence and the conclusion of a ‘discovery’ of Industries and Australia cannot help but be life on Mars. affected by this reality. Better to have Australians involved in this than to have to pay Methane on Mars? ‘import’ prices for goods, services and people Recent observations have discovered that Mars with space skills. The question is, ‘How to is venting Methane, a gas associated with life on create ‘Space Ready’ people in advance of Earth. This small fraction of Mars’ atmosphere Australian participation in Space Industries’. is replenished every 18 months and its point One Method that has recently been tried is to origin seems to be localized, centred on some enrol 13 year ten students in a Space Project areas presumed to be volcanic vent fields. Program delivered online. These Students

Stomatalites in Western Australia signed up for a program which committed them Both live and fossil evidence of Stromatalites to 3 hours each Saturday for Eight Months! can be found in Western Australia, in the form of The four Schools with students involved in this massive Ancient (3 and a half Billion years old) program were a mixture, two schools from fossilized reefs in the Pilbara and live examples Armidale (NSW) one a ‘posh’ Private school, near shark bay. The ‘life’ in these is a thin film the other a Public school, an ‘Alternative’ High of microorganism, very slow growing, accreting School (Tasmania) and a school from a wine layers of rock over time. The significance of growing area, i.e. not the usual schools of the these is that they like shallow waters and can advantaged ‘Inner city Urban elite’, all were tolerate heat and highly salty water, the sort of instead arguably, ‘Regional and Remote’. environment which might have been available Charles Darwin High School (Northern on Mars before it became as it appears today. Territory) was nearly involved in this project. The Astrobiology centre may be planning future Their research project was to ‘Search for Life field trips / pilgrimages to these ancestral life on Mars’, which resolved after some research sites to acquaint searchers for exo-life with resolved itself to be a search for evidence of ‘alien’ life on Earth. Hot springs on Mars. This lead to an amount 2 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 3 of research including reading scientific papers methods of estimating Solar Flare height and and interviews with scientific researchers, which Filament length ensued. lead them to a deeper understanding of how Science progresses, uncertainty in a scientific Harry Roberts – Visible White Dwarves! context and the necessity of scientific teamwork Harry introduced some ‘Summer Stars’ worth to gather all relevant details necessary for their observing, being the two visible White Dwarf project. Amongst other resources they used stars, Sirius and 40 Eridani. White Dwarves JMARS, MSIP, THEMIS & CRISM and contact are low mass stars and consequently only with Cottonwood Middle school. visible when they are close at hand. Their The determined that the most likely places to lack of mass and lack of unburnt Hydrogen fuel detect signs of life / volcanic spring fields would means that they will fadeout and die as neutron be around the central peak and edges of dust stars rather than progressing via Nova and free craters. On their sixth Saturday of collapse into black holes etc. monitoring ‘live’ streamed Mars footage (direct Magnetic Fields in Space and their from a Mars orbiter via NASA) they scored a Evolution to Sunspots ‘hit’, an area which matched their parameters. Space within Galaxies is filled with dust, and Further research unearthed a relevant scientific where there are charged particles capable of paper and earlier satellite footage from another motion there will be a magnetic field. Harry camera angle which confirmed their supposition showed a few diagrams which outlined the that this was a life potential area. usual process of star genesis, gravitational or They produced an abstract of their findings for a light shock compression of a dust cloud, with conference held at the UNSW, which resulted in the addition of Magnetic field details, i.e. a pre- an invitation to have a full paper published. proto-star dust cloud typically has a magnetic This paper was produced and peer reviewed, field strength (over vast amounts of space) of 1 resulting in a verdict that their work was of a gauss, equivalent to Earth’s magnetic field ‘Post-Doctoral’ level! strength. As the matter of a proto-star

Nationwide Teacher’s Mars Rover hook up compresses, so does it’s magnetic field until it Other successful initiatives include an online reaches ~ 1 million Gauss at the centre of an connection for school teachers to drive the ignited star. Our own sun is estimated to Sydney Mars model over its simulated Mars have a magnetic field strength of 100,000 environment. gauss at its centre and 3,000 at its surface. Sunspots are only the surface manifestation Members Observations – (broken by an (slightly cooler areas) of a tube of very tightly abortive attempt to use the Observatory’s main wound magnetic force lines, and Solar Flares Telescope to view Jupiter) and Mass ejections occur as matter and lines of force arc across the sun’s surface between Branch Away Missions – Two ‘Away missions tubes of opposite magnetic polarization. were discussed, one to follow in the footsteps of Lt William Dawes, the first Sydney Astronomer Ross Mitchell – Displayed some Moonbow of the Dawes Point Observatory (in April) and (just like a Rainbow, but from the Moon at the March 24, Tebbutt’s Observatory / Windsor Night) photographs which were time a lapse outing, which will start at Tebbutt’s grave and exposure which also showed some Meteor end up with a guided tour of the observatory. images as well. Ross also showed a video of the recent Moon / Jupiter conjunction, Monty Leventhal – Solar Observations which was a ‘pass by’ in Sydney, but seen as a Rather brief this month due to bad weather grazing occultation elsewhere. The video during the preceding month. Only a few started with Jupiter approaching a position in observations made and generally the solar line with the Moon’s terminator, and ended with activity level remains atypically low. On , the Moon settling into an opaque cloud layer February 5 no more than a few minor spot on the Western Horizon (GD - I also watched groups. February 17 there a 261,000 km long this at home, from about 8.30 pm to 12.05 am, Filament was observed while six small groups waiting for an occultation that always seemed were visible. On February 26, three small to be just a few minutes away). groups were seen. A discussion of the 3 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 4 A Video of a ‘Rain of Fire’ was shown depicting phenomena (comets and conjunctions) while an oblique view of matter falling back to the Sun H.C. Russell’s ‘officiaal’ pronouncements were during a large Solar Flare. less common. With John Tebbutt’s semi- There are Two Comets visible at the moment retirement from active observation (at 73 years on line ephemerides were shown and of age / 1908?) and correspondence with the discussed. newspapers, more offten than not, it was the President of the NSW Branch (Bank Manager, Garry’s Historical Section Report and news. Walter F Gale F.R.A.S.) and his successors Ahead of last month’s meeting I have finished who were the ‘go to’ gguy for the press seeking an effort to Trove edit all references to the informed comment on astronomical matters, meetings of the NSW Branch of the British possibly because they were more accessible Astronomical Association. I found about 400 of and free to talk to reporter’s than the public them, much leess than the John Tebbutt servant working at the observatory? Also, references, which remain an ongoing project. during this period the Observatory was My primary interest was to see if I could find any frequently slated for closure and at times the more BAA NSW committee member details and post of Official Government Astronomer was to fill in the gapss in my 1995 listing. vacant.

The search resulted in a few syllabus cards These two effects combined and were resolved worth of additional committee names / dates, as in the person of James Nangle, BAA NSW some in years the full new committee is President, F.R.A.S. and an Architect in private disclosed in the SMH accounts of the Branch’s practice, who offered tto take on the job of NSW Annual General Meeting. My Methodology was Government Astronomer _without pay_. to concentrate on the Trove indexed News and Curious times indeed? Advertising articles in the Sydney Morning Herald, 1894 to 1954, as it was the only Sydney On another front, I notice with considerable paper available on Trove covering the period satisfaction that the ‘New and Reduced’ SMH from beginning to end. To avoid the references (Tabloid Format) has re-introduced its to news from the inconveniently named small coverage of the Risse and Set times of the NSW country town ‘BAAN BAA’, I searched for Planets, together withh an image of each Planet, “Astronomical Association” which resulted in similar to what is feattured in the Australian or a few off target hits for the personnel and the Melbourne Age newspapers? pronouncements from the London BAA, the Astronomical Soociety of the Pacific and the South Australian Astronomical Association. A few more accounts of what were clearly BAA NSW meetings were found under “Astronomy Association” and “Royal Astronomical Association, NSW Branch” and a few other predictable variations due to indexing errors or the reporter writing down the wrong name for the meeting. An unintended discovery of this research was that some Branch Presidentiial Addresses have been recorded at length or in synopsis, presenting an informed perspective on the Astronomical view of the day. In the future I hope to gather these together, for re- publication, or the Association’s website? Notes from the Sydney Futurian SF Another discovery was the changing nature of Discussion meeting of Friday who was to speak for ‘Astronomy’, from John Tebbutt’s first appearance in Sydney papers December 14, 20012 – Topic; Books (the 1860s) to the 1950s, where Tebbutt would deserving Sequels or Sequels we’d offer his opinions and news of celestiial like to see attempted. 4 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 5 Present were – Stephen Bingle, Garry way, engage! Dalrymple, Diane Fox, John Fox, Ann An oceanographic survey ship’s ‘discovery’, Rankins and Dean Wheatley that it ain’t there means that an island will be deleted from charts 163 years after it’s What we have been reading recently; ‘discovery’, it was never really there. SB - Currently Reading Nothing! Patrick Moore, the public face of Astronomy, GD - Currently Reading a 1986 issue of Analog pop culture reference and presenter of ‘The Magazine, a duplicate / leftover from Sky at Night’ (and YA SF Author?) has died. contributions to the Fisher Library Special Some 7,000 year old Polish Cheese has been collection. discovered (at the back of an office fridge?). DF- Currently Reading a book of stories for Popular Australian Author Bryce Courtney younger readers by C.S. Lewis (Narnia et al) has died, leaving a Video farewell thanking his including Spy thrillers with talking animals and readers. an Anti-hero Main character whose aim in life is to corrupt morals by creating ethical dilemmas? Discussion of the Topic; Books ‘James Barr, the Mischevious Bear’ was deserving Sequels or Sequels we’d mentioned. JF - Currently Reading mostly non-fiction in the like to see attempted. form of the ‘Soup Bible’ and ‘Call Girl’ by The Good - A sequel to John Wyndham’s ‘The Janette Angell Crysallids’, based on how they got on afterwards AR - Currently Reading ‘The Lake House’ and could be done, and filmed in New Zealand. ‘When the Wind Blows’, both by James Interest was expressed in some ‘The Hobbit’ Patterson (US) and Batman Noel, a Batman _prequels_, beyond ‘The Silmarilion’ of course. Christmas Special Comic book and ‘A Christmas Perhaps there is already a ‘Son of Sam’ Hobbit Carol’ by Charles Dickens (Dec’d UK, Bi- sequel out there in the multiverse of Fan centenary year?). Through a WEA screening Fiction stories? Possibly involving a Marshall she also saw a German SF Movie ‘Algol’, a Plan for the reconstruction of Mordor, where an Tragedy of Power. adventurer with gardening skills would be DW - Currently Reading ’Aloha from Hell’, by much in demand? Some ‘Grey Mouser’ , Richard Kadrey, a ‘Crime’ novel where a Elric of Melnibone (originally by Michael Wizard is returned from Hell to investigate, with Moorcock but occasionally farmed out to other powers including an immunity to death? Has Writers) sequels would have appeal, provided seen ‘God Bless America’ a critical view of they were episodes rather than thick quest America movie centred on the adventures of a cycles. bloke with Terminal Brain Cancer and a ‘Bucket The Six book series, ‘The Amtrak Wars’ list’ which includes the extermination of finished without a satisfying resolution – just annoying people including ‘Reality TV Stars’. the appearance of a blade of Green Grass. Also the Morgan Spurlock DVD about Comic ‘Rendezvous with Rama’, by Arthur C. Clarke Con, which is sympathetic and focussed on the initially and then with Genley, scope for future large amount of fan-to-industry networking developments or a very worked out Universe? taking place behind the scenes. Edgar Rice Burroughs ‘Carter of Mars’ series deserves cinematographic treatment, of the News world of Ancient Barsoom, rather than the Dean nearly didn’t make it to this meeting, as he present treatment, which covered only the followed a Drag Queen down an alley … and action scenes? was delayed. The book ‘When We Have Wings’ by Claire There will be a ‘Dalek Concert’ at the Sydney Corbett (Aust) needs a sequel to provide a Opera House, selections of Dr Who Music. sense of conclusion. Wharehouse 13 is back on channel 73, also Title not known – There is believed to be a ‘Alphas’ a police force of ‘X-Men’ type steam punkish sequel to H.G. Welles’ ‘The characters with ‘weak’ powers maintaining Law War Of The Worlds’, Edwardian payback time, and Order over more powerful ‘X-Men’ by as reverse engineered Martian spacecraft cooperation. Star Trek sequels are on the allow for time to kick alien red butt. ‘Golden Key’ by Melanie Rawn and two 5 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 6 others, features a reverse Dorian Grey effect, Zombie world getting on, does ‘the last man’ due to painters who have the ability to ‘write’ get off on appeal? reality by their art. Douglas Copeland presented a SF Massey ‘A Sundial and a Grave’ by Mary Gentle lecture based on his book ‘Where Will We Go Now’ consisting of five consecutive lectures, The Bad - John Wyndham’s ‘The Day of the delivered the whole work over many hours. Triffids’, could we have something better than the TV series that should really have been finished American re-imagining (widely remaindered) please? – ‘Lost’, The short TV series ‘Space Above And Any number of genre story ideas, originally Beyond’ set during a Human-Alien-A.I. war conceived as stand-alone books suffer from also ended without much satisfaction being publishing industry pressure to become a series notable for ‘SFfying’ and breathing new life into / cycle or story arc connected titles. some really good War stories and dilemmas. Any number of genre story ideas, originally There was also a very bleak UK series about conceived as stand-alone books suffer from contact with some very alien aliens, a battle to publishing industry pressure to become a series avoid Earth being ‘assimilated’ by the / cycle or story arc connected titles. dimension hopping Alien creature / ‘Gone With The Wind’ had an estate of the late Universe/thing, the final program left main authorized sequel, but it’s literary success characters in the ‘belly of the beast’ and wasn’t that great, however such a stunt (as with without hope of rescue. R.M. Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’) effectively preserve ‘Silver Sun’ the ABC teenage space adventure the copyright of the previous work for another 50 (on the star ship ‘Teen-Hormonal’) needs a / 70 years. sequel or planet fall. On the other hand – The ‘Dune’ series really should have ended after the second outing. Generally - And as for the Brian Herbert ones – we blame The Role of Fan Fiction in ‘sequelising’ loose Kevin J Anderson. Surprisingly our in-house ends in Sci-Fi, responds to a need ‘Dune’ fan agreed with this analysis, finding the Dr Who will go on forever, endlessly re- later books to lack the ‘Real Herbert’. generating as long as there are new (or old) The ‘Blade Runner’ sequel (to the movie) by audiences for his brand of susceptible Hero J.W. Jeter was a bad mix of the book and the based Sci-Fi adventures. movie. Anything by John (GOR) Norman (26 books?) And we conclude with - The place for sequels is not so much a sequel to previous works, but a of popular ‘cult’ books, that fall below relay of the same essential storyline with commercial success, may well be in the form of different characters / locations, always ‘on E-Books rather than on paper. message’ even though the message is © Garry P Dalrymple March 2013 decidedly ‘off’. Shouldn’t be printed, let alone sequelled. The ‘Planet of the Apes’ series should have stopped at two? Similarly there should be no Notes from the Sydney more ‘Aliens’ sequels after ‘Prometheus’ (or perhaps an explanation / apology for it?) Futurian SF Discussion Superman sequel writers discover a new and meeting of Friday January 18, limitless source of ‘Kraptonite’, one that is deadly to viewer’s sensibilities but has no effect 2013 on the ability of Superman Movies / Comics to endlessly reproduce!

And the Hard to do? - Nevil Shute’s ‘On the Beach’, coz we’d really like to see what ‘angle’ is left to follow up on for a sequel, although, there was that story of alien explorers landing on a human devoid earth, digging up and viewing a reel of film buried in a cairn. ‘I am Legend’ needs a sequel, how is the 6 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 7

News Jerry (Thunderbirds are Go!) Anderson has died, of long term dementia, a Mu Meson Archive tribute nightt was held with excerpts from many of his series shown. In the Sydney Telegraph there was news of a Restaurant in China with robot waiters. An Epic movie ‘The Half Dead’, is to be filmed in South Granville, unclear if this is a documentary or funded by the NSW Tourist Authorities. Topic - Your Best and worst SF&F The Hobbit movie is a bit violent at times, with decapitations and killlings on screen – but no of 2012 sex.

The new Predator Vs Alien movie is off. Present were – Stephen Bingle, Garrry The next DWCA event will take place on Dalrymple, Diane Fox, John Fox, Ann January 27, Club Burwood. Rankins, Brian Walls and Dean Wheatley The long unavailable UK TV series ‘The What we have been reading recently; Champions’ is out on DVD. SB - Currently Reading ‘Dr Who Data Extract’, Someone has finally said – NO! - To a the journal of the Sydney based Dr Who Club of financing a ‘Transformers Part 4’4 Movie. Australia, and enjoying a Plants Vs Zombies A Catweazle Movie is due to be filmed. computer game. Arnie, the ex-Governator, at 65 years of age, is GD - Currently Reading ‘Heaven’s Reach’, by set to film another ‘Conan the Barbarian’ David Brin sequel. DF - Currently Reading - ‘About Spin Doctoringg’, New Scientist says that its possible to turn by Unknown, where Arthur is lead by Merlin to hagfish slime into plastic (most suitable for lead the Britons in the fight against the Saxons? movie merchandising or cosmetic inserts?). Planning to watch a DVD/Video of ‘Bed Time for Neil Armstrong and John Young, Moon Bonzo’o , (the ultimate pre-prequel to Pierrre walking Astronauts haave died, but will forever Boule’s ‘The Planet of The Apes’?) have a place in our youth. JF - Currently Reading a phone App called The Mount Palomarr Observatory is infested ‘Fires near Mee’, real time advice of local with Rabid Squirrrels (a change from bushfires keyed to your mobile phone’s GPS / Zombies?). SIM card. Also reading ‘Robotic Experiments New Star Trek and Enders Game series for the Evil Genius’ by Mike Predico, a YA book movies are in the making, and ‘After Earth’ by by McGraw Hill and ‘Call Girl’ by Jeanette Midnight Sharmalan are due out in Angell, autobiographical story of an Academic November (2013) turned callgirl by sudden economic need. AR - Currently Reading ‘The Lake House’, by Our Best and Worst SF&F for 2012 James Patterson, a story with Genetically SB – Bests – the ‘Green Lantern’ movie, Modified Bird/Humans, which switches between Caprica, the sequel to the Battllestar Galactica being SF and a Crime Thriller. series, the Computer game ‘Plants Vs BW - Currently Reading ‘Distrust that particular Zombies’, and ‘Hotel Transylvannia’ Flavour’, William Gibson’s collection of Non Worsts - Considers the death of Patrick Fiction stories. Might be about to read Paolo Moore (he showed me my first Comet at Bacigalupi’s ‘Wind Up Girl’. Carter Observatory in New Zealand) to be a DW - Currently Reading ‘Whispers bad thing, and as some juvenile SF (written by Underground’ by Ben Aaronovitch, part 3 of a a UFO loving Lord Le Pour Trench?) went out series, currently a gore fest, the series involves under his name / aauthorization, I deem it a crime investigation. sufficiently SFnal to include here.

7 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 8 Had a frosty reaction to the Dr Who Christmas Earth. Speciala . This defrosted Dr Who episode failed Best TV – the series ‘Community’, a situation to appeal. comedy about a group of Community College GD – Best SF TV seen would have to be Joss students (was on GO now on SBS?) that Whedon’s ‘Doll Housee’, took the (Jerrry lurches into SF and SF fan issues, rather better Anderson) Joe 90 concept of brain recording / than ‘Big Bang Theoryy’. imprinting into a surprisingly deep SF range. Best Movie – ‘John Carter’ (Princess of Mars) Points also for ending the series with an Worst SF – ‘Infinite Jest’ by David Foster apocalypse rather than an opportunity for Wallace, fell into the First Tuesday Night Book sequelitis. Club trap, an incomprehensible plotless JF - Worst SF read – The US re-imagined cascade of miseries and breakdowns – not as sequel, ‘The Night of the Triffids’, even though it advertised – not funny and no SF at all. received a Fantasy award! ‘Beauty and the Geeks’ it is soooo fake and DF – Best SF read – ‘Hollow Earth’ by Rudy soooo much crap, TV with a ‘kick me’ sign on Rucker (US), about a trip to an Alternate Earth its back? AR – Best boooks - Rather enjoyed ‘When We The Movie – ‘Prometheus’ with a plot written by Had Wings ‘ by Claire Corbett (Aust), the the same guy who did ‘Lost’. humourous ‘The Winged Boy’ and Kim Wilkin’s (Aust) Milton’s (UK Dec’d) ‘Paradise Lost’ Notes from the Sydney Futurian SF inspired ‘Angel of Ruin’. No Worsts to speak of, as she rarely gets through a bad book, Discussion meeting of Friday tending to ‘dump early’ rather endure an February 15, 20113 unsatisfying read to its end. BW - Bests – ‘Kolchak The Lost World’ (TV episode?) ‘The Immortals’ by James Gunn; ‘Rule 34’, by Charles Stross; ‘Distrust that Particular Flavour’, by William Gibson; Smallest, ‘The Wit of Harlan Ellison’, with a single short witticism to a page! Best Comic Books – ‘Saga’ by Brian Vaughan, an Adult space Opera

‘Trans Metropolitan #4’ by Warren Ellis Most mixed success? - The Movie ‘Judge Topic - Robots, A.I.s and other Dredd’d bombed in the US, but cheered in the UK, featured an NZ actor as hero, shot in South thinking Machines in SF Africa. Best Movies - ‘The Hunger Games’ is Stories vastly underrated (You _might_ be on your own here Brian) ‘Skyfall’ saw it four times, Present were – SStephen Bingle, Garry Best SF Play ‘The Time Machine’ by Frank Dalrymple, Diane Fox, John Fox, Ann Gauntlett Rankins and Dean Wheatley

Best TV series – ‘The Prophets of Science What we have been rreading recently; Fiction’n SB - Currently Reading Nothing Best Anthology – ‘Digital Rapture’ GD - Currently Reading ‘Heaven’s Reach’ by Worst – The Movie ‘Battleship’ TV – Dr Who David Brin. (Christmas special?), The ‘Total Recall’ re- DF - Currently Readiing a book by Pat Grant make, inexplicably about a trip to Australlia about Surfies and Aliiens, a picture book, 101 rather than Mars, and the herds of other things to do before meeting a dead body? unnecessary sequels. JF - Currently Readinng about his new Mobile DW – Best SF ‘Dog Stars’ by Peter Heller (US), Phone it is SF, but you will have to look for it in Abbeys AR - Currently Reading more James rather than Galaxy, a post apocalyptic search for Patterson books, finished ‘The Wind’, not so companionship among the de-populated ruins of SF nal but it is OK reading. Next book to read 8 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 9 is ‘2312’ by Kim Stanley Robinson. Has seen task of printing out all possible combinations part 1 of the Hobbit movies, impressed by the of letters which could represent the actual hippy like Brown Wizard and a sled pulled by name of Ghod. The presumed power of Rabbits! connectivity Vs planned size, the reality of DW - Currently Reading ‘The Jonah Kit’ by Ian massive dispersed systems (and the time lag Watson (UK?), a Russian kid has a whale and a in computer messages preventing the Cosmonaut imprinted (on his mind?) a satire, appearance of self-awareness? One Arthur very 1975 settings, but very current issues. C. Clarke story features a telephone system becoming self-aware, while in ‘The Moon is a News Harsh Mistress’ by Robert A. Heinlein, a Liverpool Library is selling books, Non-Fiction - computer that became self-aware due to its $1, Science Fiction $0.20. We note this complexity, irrevocably loses its self- inequality. The Back room at Gearin’s Hotel awareness as a casualty of the Earth / Moon is likely to be free for a 2013 Autumn Blue war of independence as some of its constituent Mountains Freecon. The Foxes have a new network are destroyed or cut off. Resulting in mug with a Chocolate molecule described on many thinking / interpreting machines but not it. The ‘Face on Mars’ has blown away, or self-awareness (a cyber martyr to the cause of rather wind has shifted the geography so that it freedom?). doesn’t seem so ‘face-like’. Names are being A frequently overlooked commentary on the sought for Pluto’s 4th and 5th satellites, Garry implications of rise of automation and the suggested that suitably ‘underworld’ names ‘minds’ that control them is to be found in Kurt could be ‘Obeid’ and ‘Macdonald’. The Artist Vonnegut’s lesser early (first published?) work who created ‘Yoda’ has died, Yoda was partly ‘Player Piano’. based on the artist’s own features? J.J. Giant Brain Vs Giant computer, and Abrams is to direct the next Starwars Movie, no. therefore due to the magic of complexity, a 7 in the sequence. Star Trek movie sequels self-aware Machine, both must inevitably go are likely, Time Travel alert. The Dr Who 50th mad given the burdens of their consciousness anniversary special is due, as are a 3D episode and or the illogicality of their human and Royal Mail, Dr Who themed stamps! programming / need to understand illogical Recently released movie (?) ‘Jupiter Ascending’, human society? by the Nakowski Brothers, is a Solaris rip off, Awareness – What is it? A quality of ‘Life’ or where reality goes on the blink on the way to an option for sufficiently complex machines? Jupiter and becomes a ‘search for meaning’. The Niss Machine from David Brin’s uplift ‘Wharehouse 13’ and ‘Alphas’ are both off series is an A.I. with a personality, or just production schedule and the Sci Fi channel has programming from it’s Tymbrimi creators? cancelled ‘Alphas’ Wesley Crusher in ‘Star Trek’ discovers some self-aware chrystals, whether they are a life form, protected by the Prime directive et al. is Discussion of the Topic – Robots, the ’lesson’ of the episode. Another ‘Star Trek’ A.I.s and other thinking Machines in example we are aware of is the recurring SF Stories character ‘Moriarty’, originally a holodeck simulation from a Sherlock Holmes story The Ultimate computers / Thinking machine - scenario, who is known to be self-aware, and Deep Thought, is encountered (after a few false ‘the Entertainer’ drops some hints. The starts) in ‘The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ holographic Doctor from ‘Voyager’ is also by Douglas Adams. Another Ultimate ‘aware’ and aspirational of having a ‘free’ computer (A.C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov?) is existence. created to be asked, ‘Is there A Ghod’, resulting in the reasonable but immodest reply, ‘There is The Evolution of the Robots - The Age of Now!’. A more modest computing device is Robots starts with Karel Kapec’s play, employed for a similar theological purpose in ‘Rossum’s Universal Robots’, where the robotic ‘The Ten Million Names of God’, by Arthur C. workers replace the human, first in the Clarke, which is merely the word processing workplace and then in society? Or perhaps you would prefer ‘The Golem’ a ‘programmed’ 9 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 10 artificial man, made of clay and animated by universe? Kabalistic magic? ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ features a surprise, as Gort the Robot turns Indecisive Robots - The Cylons from out to be the thinking machine head of a first ‘Battlestar Galactica’ are Robots (with souls?) contact mission and the Master to ‘Mr and an agenda, to destroy all humans, before Carpenter’. Isaac Asimov’s series of they change their minds. The minions of the Positronic brained Robot Stories (including but artificial intelligence known as ‘Skynet’ (a not limited to the ‘I Robot’ collection, details the cousin of GPS?), various grades of Terminator evolution of the Robots and the ethics by which are pre-programmed to kill humans or to hunt they must operate within human society. The John Connor, but they can be changed into central character of the series being, Dr Susan ideal father material apparently. Skynet’s Calvin, a Robot psychologist, a less than motivation to ‘terminate’ humans is based on human woman charged with trying to self-preservation. The government was understand the un-human minds that men have planning to switch it off. While the Robot in created (and a dig at the Calvinist Religious ‘Saturn 3’ goes mad, or is programmed by a viewpoint of human nature?). One humorous sex obsessed mad man, before it hunts down Asimov robot story involves a Robot in hiding, men, while in the movie ‘2001’, it is just a as a result of it’s literal interpretation of a lawful misunderstanding / programming error that instruction to ‘Get lost!’. And what to make of turns HAL 9000 homicidal. In ‘Aliens’ the ‘Roderick’ by John Sladek several stories about Robot crew member Bishop has a similar the life of an orphaned robot boy who just wants breakdown, in the opposite direction, as he to fit in. knows exactly what is going on with the The trend in Isaac Asimov’s ‘I Robot’ stories, expedition, human crew members as alien bait, as typified by ‘The Bicentennial Man’ is for an but is ordered not to tell. Marvin the evolution toward ‘humanity‘ and integration with Paranoid Android from in ‘The Hitchiker’s biology? Guide to the Galaxy’ serves, but serves As was Pinocchio the wooden boy who aspired reluctantly, more should be expected from a to be a real boy, Star Trek’s Data was ‘hung up’ robot with a brain the size of a planet? on his not being human, to the point of wanting Uncaring or hostile Robots – The Extra- to be a creator / father to Lal, at times computer terrestrial Robots of ‘Transformers’ use Earth like Spock was concerned at minimising his as a convenient space for their inter-machine humanity? The Androids of ‘Blade Runner’ races conflict. The Rogue A.I. of ‘Space are compelled to return to Earth at great risk to Above and Beyond’, are quite prepared to kill meet their makers, before their alotted lifespan humans, but depend on the uncertainty of runs out. They seem more in touch with their tossing a coin to make an ‘un-logical’ decision. humanity than their persecutors. Pinocchio The Robots from the Terminator movies are while the at times computer like Spock was programmed to be hostile to human life. In a concerned at minimising his humanity? ‘Astro similar manner, the ‘re-enactor’ Robots of boy’ (and his sister) occasionaly reflective on ‘West World’ and ‘Future World’ have been re- their search of their humanity, while ‘Gigantor’ programmed to hunt down and kill humans. from the same animation ‘stable’ was wordless on the subject. In Red Dwarf, Kryten is quite Helpful / Loyal Robots - ‘The Jetsons’ have secure in his robot ness, in spite of one Robot domestic help in just about every adventure as a human, which he didn’t enjoy as conceivable way to maintain a middleclass much as he thought he would, having a ‘logical’ 1950s lifestyle in the future, as opposed to the but programmed theology with a silicon based current reality of purpose specific and not very afterlife paradise for god appliances, where the communicative vacuum cleaner and mower Iron lies down with the Lamp etc. robots that just dumbly and randomly pursue their task. In ‘Forbidden Planet’ Robbie the Japanese Giant Robots – they make them big, Robot stars, filling which Shakespearean role they make them intelligent and then they go into (the Tempest), also in that movie the departed a rage and destroy Tokyo, requiring the ‘Pat alien’s Id still exists, within the planet wide Labor’ crew of Cyborgs to bring them to a halt. computer? In ‘Lost In Space’ their robot has Other examples infest the Anime / Manga 10 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 11 the role of foil for Dr Zachary Smith’s Discussion meeting of Friday comments. The three robots in ‘Silent Running’, caard March 15, 2013 cheating, gardener droids who are capable of feeling loss when one of their number is destroyed. Dr Who’s Robots on a mining ship, re-programmed to murder by a robot identifying human. The Doctor and the Human crew are saved by a self-sacrificing detective Robot. The Droid armies of ‘Starwars’ provide apparently trouble free military force, without software bugs?

Contained Robots - The powers that be in Dune after the ‘Butlerian Jihad’ (and also in Topic - Supernatural Creatures in Cordwainer Smith’s ‘Norstrilla’) are very down SF Stories on Computers and thinking machines, quite rightly so given some of the examples above. Present were – Garry Dalrymple, Diane Fox, John Fox, Ann Rankins and Dean Wheatley Various Mixed Robots - In the recently broadcast Scandinavian TV series, ‘Real What we have been rreading recently; Humans’ (on SBS) a number of Robotic GD - Currently Readding ‘Infinity’s Shore’ by elements / concerns are treated, from Robots David Brin, after reading his ‘Heaven’s Reach’ taking ‘our’ jobs, Robots that want to be ‘Free’, (i.e. read part 3 thenn part 2 of this Uplift War Robots who can kill without conscience, Robots series). Very surprised that it hasn’t been who are compelled to serve / obey, Robots as made much of by publishers as an intelligent sex made to measure sex partners, Robots as ‘YA’ book as many off its central characters are metaphors for poor people/migrants etc. The Young Adults who are growing up through the company of Robotic sex doll partners may adventure and the whole Species Uplift idea is currently be avaiilable in a Surry Hills Brothel? about Parent-child and growing up issues. ‘Dr Who’ gives us the Robotic Movellans, supper Also reading the ‘Little Green Men’ issue of the model shaped perfectionist Androids, K-Nine Fortean Times, ahead of St. Patricks day! the Dr’s Robot Dog, the indecisive and DF - Currently Readiing - How to Understand impressionable Chameleon robot as well as the Bird Names of the Blue Mountains, ‘What’s in a Cybermen and Daleks who are robot like, but name’ by Ilmar Kala and ‘The World of Poo’ by not actual robots. The Tardis, we learn is a Terry Pratchett. self-aware A.I. JF - Isn’t Currently Reading any SF, reason, he ‘Red Dwarf’ offers Kryten, and the Scutters as is tied up with / partway through a Call Girl or robots, the various incarnations of Holly the something, the storyy of the adventures of a shipboard computer and any amount of University lecturer whose life savings were intelligent and conversational appliances around cleared out by a disappearing boyfriend and so the ship. provoked into a careeer change. ‘Futurama’ offers Bender, a mechanical Bart AR - Currently Reading Recently attempted to Simpson? And a cast of other Robots as read ‘Game of Thrones’, but had to give it up citizens of a multti-species future. as a waste of time, the story being too slow predictable and formulaic. Begs the question of whether this book’s popularity a consequence of purchhase by easily impressed non-reading gamer fans? Attended the ‘Cloud Atlas’ movie and quite enjoyed it, is planning to attend the local Festival of French Films (some are Science fictional?)’

DW - Currently Reading Non Fiction, ‘The Notes from the Sydney Futurian SF Arctic Labyrinth’, the North West Passage 11 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 12 story, by Glynn Williams Richard Harland. In this Universe humans have scientifically discovered the News physical difference between ‘heavenly’ and More geological evidence has emerged of Mars terrestrial life and synthesised the stuff that once having had liquid water. The Foxes have now allows the living to enter the various levels attended an imagination challenging display of of the ‘Kingdom Of Heaven’, now a republic the Sculptural Art of Anish Kapoor, with 3D after God has left town. The Humans then go images and artefacts that change shape when on to invade Heaven! In the TV series viewed at different angles. Also saw some of ‘Babylon 5’, the Vorlons have impressed on the Patricia Piccini’s ultrarealistic / unreal mutant minds of all humans that the Vorlon form is of sculptures at the NSW Art Gallery, featuring Angelic appearance. chimeric GM hybrid creatures, also saw a very A great number of Dr Who stories involve disturbing 30 tonne, blood red wax fountain Supernatural appearing themes, all revealed called ‘Spawn of Chthulu’. as misplaced aliens and explained scientifically There is a New Star Trek movie coming out etc. The ‘Weeping Angels’ are only the latest (said to be surprisingly watchable), and also an example. ‘Enders’ Game’ movie. In ‘Barbarella’, Jane Fonda runs into Pygar New Scientist is on about how alien the forms of the Angel (good guy) and the manifestation of Alien life could be, the fantasy of Star Trek like evil, the Matmos, while on a search for Duran SF Vs the likely extra-solar operation of parallel Duran, the Astronaut and not the pop group (or evolution. There is a project to fund a tour bus the Western NSW Aboriginal Newsletter). type expedition to the Moon during 2020, via Creatures - Igni appearing in a Robert A. online ‘Crowd Funding’. You can be in on this Heinlein story, a version of Ourrobos (Greek mission for as little as $10 for a supporters Mythology) a giant snake creature (AKA the certificate – probability of success – Midgard Serpent?) perpetually consuming its questionable, file under ‘too good to be true’, but own tail. Fire breathing Dragons explained worth watching. as the consequence inflammable stomach The Sunday Morning Radio National program gasses which self-ignite under pressure. ‘Future Tense’ has been discussing near future Elrick of Melnibone, by Michael Moorcock, Asteroid mining – for satellite fuel volatiles explains fire breathing dragons as having fangs (water and gasses) rather than space that secrete hypergolistic (self-igniting) venom. construction materials, all rather topical given These antics require large amounts of energy, recent ‘near miss’, the sky is falling, Asteroid hence dragons sleeping it off in their lairs transits. between encounters. Other Writers (Larry Niven / Jerry Pournelle?) have offered dragon Discussing the topic - Supernatural flight via Hydrogen gas bloating, with venom / Creatures in SF Stories stomach gasses reacting with bone mass to give off the Hydrogen gas. Where to start? Fortunately one of the first Ghosts and other ‘not quite real’ creatures contributions for consideration was often appear in SF stories, explained as ‘Frankenstein or Prometheus unbound’ by Mary reflections of other realities, echoes from Shelley, considered by many to be the first parallel universes / alternate realities. ‘Science Fiction’ story (published ~1817). Significantly this story uses the Science of the Different Gods - In ‘Dune’, by Frank Herbert, day to advance a storyline, and it was the Paul becomes God Emperor, the quisats product of a competition to write a ghost story, haderatch, and then a worm, the ultimate i.e. its origins are in trying to tell a supernatural being, but this is all done by Bene Gesserit tale. Science rather than through supernatural Angels - Recently a lot of non-scripturally sound hokus pokus. ‘Angel’ stories have appeared on TV, hopefully a In ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’, by Robert A. trend now in decline? But biblically authentic Heinlein the main character organises his own Angels are on offer in the series starting with stoning, in order to found his new religion. ‘Ferren and the Angel’ by Australian Writer Any SF story that involves Jesus – cue the 12 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 13 niche market Christian SF, sold on line and in type of internal conflict in the family of gods, some (mainly US) Religious Bookshops. exploited to the ruling family’s advantage. An Australian version of this are Kel Richards In the Movie ‘Dark Star’, on a mission to ‘Jesus World’ mysteries, not quite SF, destroy ‘unstable’ Stars/Planets, it is necessary investigating ‘crimes’ mentioned in the biblical to hold a theological discussion with an genre. intelligent Atomic Bomb in order to get it to In ‘The Lord of The Flies’ a book by Nobel Prize follow orders, however a misstep of logic winning SF writer William Goldman about a convinces it that it is Ghod, causing it to group of stranded and adult less choirboys detonate, after saying ‘Let there be Light’. reverting to primitive savagery after a plane The Stargate Universe is plagued by ‘Wraiths’, crash (due to a nuclear war?), not only do they ‘Life Force’ sucking vampires, as a follow on to create a ‘Lord of the Flies’ from a pig’s head, but running out of Gods and other supernatural this Ghod talks back to the last civilised boy. entities for the parasitic eel-like Go uld to Scientology, the gift of L. Ron Hubbard to the impersonate as a means of dominating their world, provides a ‘Scientific’ and ‘Historical’ human subjects. explanation of the supernatural, Xenu and all those sticky Thetans messing with your head. Mormon SF - A reality rarely explored by you The purpose of the adventures described in the ‘Gentiles’ is the wonderful world of Mormon SF, Movie ‘Altered States’, where a bloke regresses that is SF stories set in the worlds created by via drugs and a float tank into being a pre- the Mormon religious experience, more Fan Fic human ape ancestor, claimed to be based on a than a full subgenre, more often available on real story, the original was use this as a method line than on paper, some Mormon themed SF of getting closer to god!). stories do occasionally break out into the In the story ‘The Ten Million Names of God’, by mainstream such as ‘Dem Bones’, ‘Battlestar Arthur C. Clarke, once the ‘true’ name of god is Gallactica’ and Orson Scott Card’s ‘Enders written down and read out, there is no further Game’ / ‘Alvin Maker’ series et. al. In ‘Dem need for this universe, the stars wink off and all Bones’, Time travelling refugees from a future that. Hubris if not actual godhead is assumed ecological collapse in search of a refuge in pre- by the ‘Ultimate computer’ in a story by Arthur history arrive in America while there are still C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov, which is created to Mammoths (it is all in The Book of Mormon), be asked, ‘Is there A Ghod’, resulting in the one guy goes nuts, turns fundamentalist reasonable but immodest reply, ‘There is Now!’. Mormon and sets out to make events Star Trek has occasional encounters with the described in ‘The Book of Mormon’ real, Supernatural, in ‘I remember Athos’, while in inscribed Gold Plates and all, with the use of a Star Trek Next Generation onwards, Q and his hijacked time machine. cohort possess omniscient God like powers, but Other - The 1960s TV series ‘The Champions’ lacks human understanding, care to compare features ordinary people gifted with and contrast with the Old Testament Ghod? supernatural powers – to do good, as opposed In ‘Zardoz’ the eternals use a levitating ‘God to the characters of ‘Misfits’ whose powers are Head’ to control the primitives and collect randomly allocated, the gift of a storm and groceries, they end up with Sean Connery in a seemingly disciplined only by the loin cloth and a gun (which is more consequences of their experiences. dangerous?). The Diety behind all this being a In ‘The Stand’ by Steven King, the main computer of light beams that is housed in a big character is supposed to be the embodiment of diamond. Supernatural Evil. In ‘A Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley, a In the ‘Riverworld’ series by Philip Jose world of efficient mass production and soma Farmer there is re-incarnation, as some medicated universal happiness, it is ‘The Ford’ unseen aliens have chosen to re-incarnate all that is worshipped in civilised places. humans who have ever existed on Earth In ‘The 100,000 Kingdoms’ by N.K. Jemison (including some ‘pre-humans’ and there is a separate creation and there are Neanderthals) on an artificial world consisting imprisoned ‘real’ gods working as servants to of a veeery long river valey. There is a the royal family’s, sort of a Titans Vs Chronos process known as riding the suicide express, 13 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 14 which is the only known way to travel up and Infinitas Bookshop ‘Book Club’ meeting, down the vast distances of the length of this after the closure of the physical book shop Riverworld (~20,000,000 miles long?) but this is (Tim is still doing soome online book trading). not a supernatural process at all, unexplained, Initially we gathered in the upstairs area of the but not supernatural. Café, until the noise from the band booking’s warm-up session precluded conversation. My Vampires? - The ‘Buffy’ and ‘Angel’ TV series impression of the dimensions of this area was explained away the supernatural as different – ‘Umm, I guess we _could_ do a small levels of existence / parallel worlds, these are Parramatta Freecon in here’. We had to flee threatening, Non Sparkly Vampires. this space before theeir ‘gig’ started, ending up In ‘Dracular Unbound’, by Brian Aldiss, in the downstairs cellar / basement level, a Vampires as such are a non-human species that convict built sandstone brick cave / dungeon have been around since the time of the under the street level of the cafe, a ‘cool’ dinosaurs and were wiped out with them, but for clubhouse for SF&F // Urban Fantasy readers? the arrival of future world human Time It even has a darker area where ‘Dark Fantasy’ Travellers, giving them the freedom to rule the could be gravely ddiscussed in a cryptic human world to both ends of time via a Time manner. However, the acoustics of this area Train service that sucks in the energy of dying are such that you really do need to impose a suns to run. strict rule of ‘only one conversation at a time.’

Final Word - Acccording to Arthur C. Clarke any It was agreed to alllow this meeting to be sufficiently advanced Science /Technology publicised to draw in new members and to would appear magical to the uninitiated. keep the current ‘News and What-Have-You- In ‘2001’ the purpose of the quest / the black Recently-Read’ formmat but to try to move monoliths was to raise humans to a higher toward a SF and Fanntasy Book of the Month supernatural, poost physical level. choice, as suitable bbooks can be identified. Wine appreciation should cover the room rent.

Parramatta’s Underground SF&F Book News – The Infinitas Bookshop Gamers are prospering, after theiir move to rooms in the Review discussion meeting, Thursday Parramatta Public libbrary from meeting in the March 21, 2013 (Formerly the Infinitas drafty corridors outsiide the (closed) Infinitas Bookshop SF&F Book review, ‘Book Club’ Bookshop. The Parramatta police Admin meeting), in the Basement, Mars Hill Café, 331 Headquarters has a yellow Tardis parked in Church Street (two doors back from the the lobby, possibly this is a case of ‘psychic Parramatta River Bridge), Parramatta, 6.30 to paint’ camouflage. Tim is still trading online. 8.30 pm. Wine appreciation should cover the dungeon

rent.

The Books – Books we have recently read and enjoyed include the following; ‘Gold’ by Isaac Assimov (US Dec’d) is a collection of his better short stories. ‘The Rook’k by Canberra Writer Daniel O’Malley is an Urban Fantasy, about a government agency set up to meet Supernatural threats, imagine MI6 meets The Discussion Topic – A Science Fiction or X-Men. Of necessity a sort of Alternate reality Fantasy book I have recently read. (or ASIS insiders’ tale?) the writing style will appeal to readers of Terry Pratchett and Jim Who was there? Ammanda, Anthony, April Butcher. This is a very impressive debut Garry, Geoff, Len, Michael, Sam and Tim. novel and the big name Paranormal Romance Under the circumstances, a very good turnout. writer Charlaine Harris is an enthusiastic What was it like? For most present this was a evangelist for this new writer. first 2013 gathering of the members of the 14 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 15 ‘The Straight Edge Razor Cure’, by Daniel SF writers (thousands sold in Australia) to Polanski (N.Z.) is an Urban Fantasy murder switch to Fantasy to increase their mystery. The investigator being an ex-military marketability! Skill and experience and ex-police person, now a slum based drug shortages in the industry – The first dealer, who is motivated to solve this crime by ‘economies’ in the publishing trade were to cut the advice that unless he solves it, HE will be spending of SF bookk promotion - experienced railroaded by the police for the crime. specialist area staff have gone, replaced by ‘Cold Days’, by Jim Butcher (US) most recently outsourced online proomotional staff working out available book in the Harry Dresden series (?) of their homes in rural Australia! E-book sales was enjoyed (NB this book was reviewed in have peaked! Possibly the desires of all who TBS&E No 99). are prepared to ‘buy a new book’ E or real, ‘Sandmanslim’, by Richard Kadrey (US), who have been satisfied? Greater E-book also wrote the one off Cyber punk classic availability on loan frrom public libraries is not ‘Metrophage’, is the first book of a gritty and considered a major faactor in this trend. grim Urban Fantasy series, written in a style Also – Driving Storiees, Tim’s War Stories and similar to Joe Abercrombie, features a Noon- other cautionary tales Harry Potter wizard returned from a wrongful stretch in Hell to ... the mean streets of L.A. Mood of the Meeting – Discussion of people ‘Time Traders’ a David Drake (US) Northworld seen on the train playing with their superfluous Trilogy book, was read as an e-book. technology as distracttions from reading a good Discussion of this book provoked some book, resulted in ... those present with observations on peculiarities of the David Drake superfluous technoloogy getting theirs out to writing, particularly the non-continious plot, as if play with during the conversation. editors had deleted sections at random, to keep The next meeting of Parramatta’s the book within a marketable page count, orr if Underground SFF&F Book Review the Author simply hadn’t managed to write some discussion group will take place on April sections proposed in the original book plan by 18, 2013, third Thursday of the Month. publishing / promotional deadlines. Or perhaps the writer is overly reliant on current day Notes from thee SF&F Discussion reader’s assumed knowledge, which may render his books cryptic to future readers. Also noted Meeting of Wednesday March 27, were obvious ‘set up’ passages in early bookks 2013, Held at Sapphos Secondhand which failed to lead to any plot developments in Book- shop, Glebe Point Road, later books of the same series. Glebe. ‘First and Last Contact’, is an Ebook publication of some short stories by Stephen Baxter (UK), who has also recently written a Dr. Who tie-in book? Opinions were expressed that this initiative may not work well as either a SF book or a Dr. Who book.

Observations on the Publishing Industry – It’s crook mate! The shortage of SF titles on Present were – Garry Dalrymple, Peter Eisler, Brian Walls and Ian Woolf. publisher’s new Speculative Fiction release lists is chronic and ongoing, such ‘new’ SF books are Topic – A Generall Discussion of recent likely to be previously published books re- SF&F reading and viewing and other badged (cover Art work changed) or latest new fannish interests. books by established bestselling SF Authors. If you are a new to the scene SF writer, then I arrived to meet Brian and Peter, Ian arrived self-publishing and self-promotion seems the later. This is the fiirst meeting I have been only option, only successful ‘Second and Later able to attend while based at No. 1 Oxford book’ SF Authors are likely to get publisher Street, very much eaasier, a walk across Hyde support. A part of the problem might be that in Park and a short buss ride, and less expensive years past publishers encouraged ‘successfuul’ to get to there than from Bankstown. 15 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 16 Bosons, by slightly twisting the Laws of Conversation ranged over Recent SF&F book Physics. This book is apparently the first of a purchases, Comics, recent SF Movie releases series of four books. and that Sydney features clashing monthly Skeptic and Agnostic meetings. There was a discussion about Musical versions of SF Movies, apparently many Brian was very interested in the ‘Little Grey Men’ emanate from Canada, for no discernible issue of The Fortean Times, due to it’s featuring reason. an article about the short life and posthumous successes of Robert E. Howard (US 1906- All present tried not to remember the alleged 1936), the creator of ‘Conan the Barbarian’. It ‘Aliens’ prequel ‘Prometheus’, a movie that set out to explain the sources of some of the requires no explanation, but for which an ideas that were the basis of his Character’s apology would be appreciated. world – his Mother! Sapphos was observed to be holding a ‘Big Some interest was expressed in ‘Cloud Atlas‘ Sale’ of SF&F, with a better SF to Fantasy ratio both the movie and the original book. The than usually seen at non specialist bookshops. movie seems to have been confected from only two or three of the sections of the book (features A lot more than this took place, however this is crap writing style, gimmicks and content, a very about all I can recall the day after, not having poor example of what ‘Literary’ folk consider to taken any notes at the time. be ‘Science Fiction’, i.e. incomprehensible, © Garry P Dalrymple, 28 March 2013. illogical future fantasy) and ‘improved’ from the original text by having continuing characters which certainly do not occur in the book. I.e. seeing the movie is likely to mislead people intending to read the book. Would it have been better with Tom Cruise in it, or as a Canadian Musical?

There is another Tom Cruise SF movie out I believe. Notes from the February 26, 2013,

Concern over the timing of the 2013 Aurealis Canterbury and District Historical Awards Night, had it already been held? A Society’s AGM meeting Google search uncovered that the Awards night is due be held at North Sydney in May this year, Present were; 12 members, 6 M, 6 F evidently there was some confusion with the No Guest Speaker was listed for this evening, Ditmar Nominations / Shortlist for voting on at and consequently attendance was down a bit. Conflux 9, Anzac day weekend Natcon to be held this year in Canberra. Informal Pre-meeting discussion largely referred to the passing of two members and Brian related that as many as half a dozen the circumstances of those members on the people showed up for the recent Jedi themed sick list, as is to be expected with a group with evening event at the Mu Meson Archive. this group’s age demographics. There is debate at present whether ‘devolved’ legal powers in Scotland would allow Jedi At the beginning of the meeting, we marked the religious practitioners to legally marry couples, passing of two esteemed and well-loved or whether this ‘power’ would also include same members with the eloquence of a minute’s sex marriages. silence. Since the previous meeting, Jack Thompson (guest speaker on his WW2 There is a ‘Higgs Boson’ talk to take place in experiences) and Adrian Ovenden, had died. Sydney later this week. I had just finished reading a book (by John Ringo, see my book An ordinary meeting was held before the AGM. review elsewhere) which features the A discussion of the range of the work of the consequences of creating artificial Higgs society in the year ahead was discussed, the 16 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 17 curatorship of the Society’s collection, the Earlwood Caring Association, hosted by consolidation and indexing of recent bequest the Better Planning Network, to discuss the material received, the need for various work latest M5 Madness, Connex’s proposed parties. The Society’s participation at the (unfiltered) duplication of the existing M5 Tasker Park Australia Day event was discussed, Tunnels with general appreciation expressed to those members who had been able to help out. Notes from the March 26, 2013, Financially, the past year has been ‘draining’ on the Society’s funds, with a large but unavoidable Canterbury and District Historical deficit this year, which will require the eventual Society meeting liquidation of one some part of the Society’s Guest Speaker; Robert term deposit funds, but much of this year’s expense relates to paying two annual Hutchinson, Topic – School Day’s subscriptions within the one calendar year and Memories, Schoool Photos and the unavoidable expenses of the recent Postcards from 1873 to the 1950s constitutional revision process, which may be considered as a ‘once in a generation’ type of expense.

In general business it was announced that Canterbury library would like to scan and display, as an online resource, the full run of the Society’s newsletters, from 1963 to the present. This was well received, with the caveat that some material in earlier issues would need to be edited to identify facts that had been superseded by later research. Present were; 15 members, 8 M and 7 F. It would be very desirable to be able to identiify these inaccuracies and / or to point to latter General Business - The usual more correct information. correspondence receiived / bills to be paid were announced together with discussion of the The Parkes family letter was discussed. Society’s Financial sittuation, an ‘asset backing The meeting decided by a unanimous vote to per member’ of several hundred dollars. award life membership to Colin Beecroft, citing Other correspondence received were his singular devotion to the life and practical publications and letters with membership activities of the Society. payments. The activities of the ‘Better Planning’ people were discussed, as was the A spirited discussion of the range of options wording of the disclaimer to accompany the available, to make use of the ‘Past Times scanned copies off the Society’s early Tours’ tickets awarded after last year’s newsletters. The disclaimer is to the effect Historical Societies conference, resulted in a that factual details in early newsletters may be decision for six members to undertake the less superseded by details in later newsletters. physically arduous Parramatta Cemetery toour Several members off the Society attended – (over a tour of Sydney’s ‘Rocks’ district). and possibly featured in local paper coverage – of the Canterbury Library’s Digital rollout, a The AGM re-filled all posts with the previous scheme where Cantterbury library members occupants, with the exception of the position of may borrow and usse an Ipad or Samsung Meeting Speakeer’s Coordinator. Galaxy for two weekks, to receive and read This position will in future be shared by Nigel books. There will be a series of Free ‘how to Parbury and Kerin Wanstall, with all members use’ courses offered by the library for these enjoined to suggest to the joint coordinators any devices. Mention was made of the three suitable potential speakers. Local History relevant courses offered by the An event will be held on March 7, at the WEA Autumn course list. A request from the

17 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 18 central coast (Woy Woy?) was received for 1950s) is telling, well dressed or poorly historical information about the WW2 Herne Bay dressed shoeless or neatly turned out etc. Hospital complex. It is believed that a church gives some indication of the range of social in the vicinity was constructed from materials status to be encountered in the school sourced from Herne Bay. playground of those times. Apart from images with a known family Guest Speaker; Robert Hutchinson, connection, and the opportunity to compare Topic – School Day’s Memories, how similar the parents, children and grandparents of a faamily looked at the same School Photos and Postcards from ages, occasionally these images include some 1873 to the 1950s details on the back,, of when and why the images were taken. Less frequently, the names of the students featured are listed, which can lead to the identification of youthful images of people who were to be important in their later public life. Frequently the photoggraphs will include views of buildings since changed or no longer possible to take and enigmatic events now no longer remembered. Some show events that are unlikely to be seen at modern day schools, such as an excursion to the Botanic Gardens during 1910 with all girls shrouded in black formal mourning attire, presumably in respectt of the death of the King.

Some are class phottos identified by a board stating year and cllass and some feature Robert screened a range of images from his apparently the whhole school community collection of Postcards and Photographs specially dressed up outside the school. featuring school scenes, usually formal class photos. Some of his collection came from Robert showed a number of images that were family, and others came from dealers and related to education oof membere s of his family weekend markets, as the form of these images and he also showed a number of images from meant that they sometimes ended up spread relatively local schools to the Canterbury area. across the globe. The meeting continued informally after the

Why build up such a collection? These photos screening of these iimages with attempts to depict a reality of the times, the actual faces of identify schools and pupils from some of the young Australians of the time. For example in a scenes shown, including close inspection of 1908 image from Ultimo Public School we see the photo album in whhich Robert’s collection is Twins, a Chinese girl and a Pacific Islander girl, currently mounted. evidence of ethnic diversity not otherwise © Garry P Dalrymple March 2013 documented.

All these imagees are special images, from the beginnings of public education (1848) to the 1950s, few people had cameras and photographs were usually a rare speciial occasion, often an occasion demanding ‘Sunday best’ clothing, and formal settings and at other times more ‘of the moment’ and spontainious.

The appearance of the children, what they weere wearing (seldom in school uniforms until the 18 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 19 Monsters and reasonable speculation about the implications of ‘High’ Physics. I was influenced to read this book, ahead of many others by a back cover blurb implies that the Author’s writing stylle is similar to that of Rudyard Kipling like and I guess it is, as it is an adventure filled with presumably authentic characters of the current day US ‘Raj’ its world spanning ‘Empire’ of Citizen Military, associated advisors and contractors, the sort of people you are likely to meet on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan.

ISBN 0-732-6474-X The Book of RRevelation,

by Rory Barnes & Damien Broderick (Both Aust), UFO expperiencer SF, 393 pages ISBN 0-7434-9880-1 (c) 1999, 30 mm - Read 26 Feb to 06 March 2013. Into The Looking Glass, Published in TBS&E No. 999 by John Ringo (US), Military / Hard SF with Higgs Bosons, 278 pages (c) 2005 25 mm This book deals with a number of issues but it Read March 24 to 99, 2012 all revolves around the life and connections of to be Published in TBS&E No. 999 an Australian who becomes a new age UFO ‘experiencer’ who founds a religious group A ‘rogue’ physicist cooks up a new way of based on his experriences as an abductee. making Higgs Bosons, by ‘adjusting’ the laws of The voice of the book is that of his daughter Physics slightly instead of playing by the rules and the range of issues it covers is quite broad, and using a massive ring collider – result – in the sense of ‘write what you know’ / ‘live Campus Go Boom! - Takes City and suburbs what you write’ it is an interesting view of one with it in a 60 mega tonne explosion, body count part of Australian life from the seventies to the approaches 500,000. end of the 20th century. And then things start to get worse, with nasty Aliens popping through some newly created The main character lives his life with frequent looking glass wormholes between worlds, who nocturnal interferences from the alien greys. are nearly impossible to defeat by ‘conventional The explanation he comes up with for their forces’. The day is saved, the alien bridgehead existence and motivvation for interference in forced back, only by the minuteman like rallying human affairs (and private parts) and his of some local gun nut rednecks and their consequent books // religion are no more inordinately large weapons. absurd than well known ‘Sci-Fi’ Religions, and Then it is realized that there are lots of worm indeed, if examined too closely, the rationale at holes opening, one per Higgs Boson, each the centre of some mainstream religions – the offering a potential portal for alien conquest. Alien Greys are quaantum matter ghosts of And so it goes. Humanity is on the ropes. The aborted human soouls, real humans are fight back begins. Nukes are detonated on US potential Greys that went ‘over age’ in the soil and we travel at the shoulder of a Redneck womb - . In reading this book, at the end of a Physicist as solutions are thought out and run of several other books and the focus story counter measures developed, so it is quite a of the February issue of the Fortean Times, I good quality of SF being served up, and action noticed coincidental references to some of the paced. ideas in those previouus books. Were Barnes and Broderick’s enigmatic private parts Conclusions – a Very engaging SF adventure, interfering Greys and their ‘hybrids’ actually which manages to bring together Bug Eyed 19 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 20 involved in a bit of in the field ‘Genetic Uplift’ as lead to hyperspace links between the in Brin’s ‘Heaven’s Reach’, might their populated Galaxies breaking down. This was implausible activities be the result of multiple known to the ancestral predecessor races, but track reality created by time travelling aliens as they and their descendants chose to carefully in John Barnes’ ‘Kaliedescope Century’, or disguise this in the records of the Galactic perhaps the Greys are the old time original Library. founder sentient species who seeded the galaxy The story concludes with a Dolphin population with life and guided it’s subsequent evolution. ‘bodysurfing’ across the universe on a wave Quite an experience to go on through created by trillions of ssentient beings hitting the coincidental sequence of very different books. event horizon of a black hole, Jijo being saved from future consequences due to it Galactic Conclusion – I picked it up because it’s Authors isolation as a by-product of the more general are Australian, and it is a book about Australians termination of hyperspace connections, the working through Science Fictional issues. A blockade of Earth liftts as Military spaceships well put together bit of story-telling. © Garry are now required for evacuation of ‘crack up’ Dalrymple March 2013 refugees before the hyperspace links shut down for good, and so on. ISBN 0-553-57473-6 Heaven’s Reach, Conclusion – an engaging read, in spite of the by David Brin (US), Final book of the Upllift ‘cast of thousands’ whose adventures have to War series, 557 pages (c) 1998, 35 mm be documented and their fates resolved. I Read February 10 to 20, 2013 can see that spaces exist for another ‘cycle’ of Published in TBS&E No. 999 three books to tie up remaining loose ends and unite long sundered ffriends etc., but I’m more I picked this book up to read because it likely to read the other two pre-existing books advertised itself to be the final of the series and in this cycle rather than seeking out any having read a number of the uplift war books, I sequels. I’m surprissed that the series which was curious to know how it all ends. I’ve read includes this book, with its numerous ‘Young others in the series but not too sure if I have Adult’ major characters and the central theme read the preceding two books, which I have to of the process of ‘Genetic Uplift’ as a metaphor hand for Growing Up, isn’t made more of as a

The major issue of this book for the Human lead ‘Young Adult’ readinng option. There are Dolphin crew is that Earth is Blockaded and enough books in the series to justify a Harry under siege, due to the reaction to their Potter initiated demand for ‘half a dozen more discoveries, and the fate of the inhabitants of books like the first one’, which seems to be Jijo depends on news of it’s settlement by the necessary these days to justify publisher six races (or is that nine races?) not becoming promotional effort. known. They emerge into a Universe © Garry Dalrymple March 7, 2013 undergoing turmoil, with the habitats of ‘retired’ life-forms self-destructing. Why the other races of the Universe are up in arms is that the discoveries of the ship present indisputable facts which contradict the received wisdom of the ancients, as recorded in the Galactic Library, that the point of life the Universe and everything is to raise your entire race up through sentience through enlightenment to a higher disembodied form of existence, and that this Shangri la is to be found on the other side of a black hole.

It emerges that much of the chaos of the Universe at this time is a consequence of the continuing expansion of the Universe, which re- writes the Universes physical constants and will 20 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 21 it?). If I take a bus to Bexley North Station before 8.30 am I’m quite likely to be sharing the bus with a dozen or so quiet Korean Australian students (from Burwood and Available for TBS&E No. 53 Campsie) headed for the Selective Sydney Technical Boys Highh School, but surprisingly not their sisters headed for the equally Selective St George Girls High School. Another of life’s little mmysteries I guess, unless they all go to Sydney Girls High School? Anyway, they seem a lot more focused than the ‘riot on a bus’ load of boys passing the bus stop on the owned by the school bus headed to Trinity Grammar.

The selective schools people were due to

March 25 - Life in my new office – Nice view move to level 15, No.. 1 Oxford Street, the day of parts of the Harbour, around the towers, after their big annuall state-wide test, so they tempted to bring Seymour in. I’m sitting with would be without phonnes / computers at one of the ESSA people who are going ahead with their peak phone enquiry times. preparing their online Science Test ahead of March 19 - Impressions to and from No. 1 getting official decisions. Where I’m at I have Oxford Street enough space and peace and quiet for me to be I started with the NSW Public service in 1989 comfortable and to get a few things that need to at the Selective Schools Unit, at level 10, 175 be done, like looking after Mum’s financials and Liverpool Street. From the new Selective writing stuff up ahead of a possible issue 53 of Schools Unit ‘window box’ (for it is a box and it TBS&E, if I can sneak the photocopying of it has a window) you can see across the street without making waves. I have no officiial where the old Selective Schools Unit office duties as such, apart from occasional specific was. Since then quite a bit has changed, the requests from level 13 and the Selective ‘Around Hyde Park’ bbuildings have gentrified, Schools unit up on level 15. I get the feeling high status, high rise apartments where mid- that many other people are marking time until rate hotel/motel accommodation prevailed. It ‘what to do’ is explained. Life isn’t so bad, but used to be possible tto get a cheap takeaway the how long this idyl be expected to last lunch or some pies frroom a cake shop, but now March 22 - Travelling to Work – It is a bit all the street level food outlets are, wait at the longer and a bit more expensive to get to work, rope, $25 - $40 mainns and wine list places for passing through fifteen stations into town Vs the Tourist, Barristers or Business suits (the about six to get from Campsie to Bankstown, but Downing Centre Law courts are nearby). it doesn’t take that much more time overall as Hyde Park as a pseudo New York Central park less time is wasted waiting on the platform for a style zone – But – Oxford Street has gone next train to arrrive. Train carriages tend to be greatly down market. The impact of the fabled crowded, both in and out, particularly after the ‘Pink Dollar’ has been greatly diluted, the Airport line stations but many more people on shops on Oxford street are now more board are book readers rather than e-zombies, ‘Suburban’ than ‘Avant Garde’ possibly due to being able to better employ the 30 to 50 minute extensive and long term council funded street sit down time between home station and the level re-developmentt which over nearly a city. Additionally, I do have the options of decade managed to starve most of the iconic Bankstown line (Campsie Station), East Hills or innovative shops, so it’s a typical case of line (Bexley North Station) or taking the 412 / urban gentrification donuting but very localised. 423 busses into town, so as a work location it’s In the Office – there are 23 floors in this OK, as a starting point for evening events, it’s building, with a frequent turnover of tenants. streets ahead of Bankstown, even for sorties to Various bits of the Education Department places like Parrramatta (can’t last though can (Schools and TAFE Colleges) are scattered 21 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 22 across the various floors, all mixed up, randomly that I _wouldn’t_ answer the phones stowed with doors requiring security pass keys (ringing hot!), the only person on the floor so everywhere. For example my most direct route privileged while everyone else was being to the toilet (surprisingly well appointed, prestige driven round the bend by a unending chorus of hotel level fixtures etc.) is through two security last minute ‘emergency’ calls. doors, out, via the lifts and back in on the other The calls that I overheard were striking side of the floor through TAFE land. There consistent with what I dealt with nearly 20 probably would be room in this building for all years before, the persistent inability of parents Education ‘burocrats’ to be housed, as a one to read and follow through the conditions listed stop shop for all education needs, but no ‘plan’ on the application form, the, ‘I didn’t realize it seems evident, i.e. we have about one third of was on’ late application attempts, the ‘psychic floor 13, but I have no idea what the TAFE applications’ (as in ‘I thought we had applied by people on our floor do, or where our fellow ‘High looking at the website / or asking at the Performance’ people are in the building. school’) and so on. What I found to occupy Something that stood out on the first few days myself while this was going on was the filling was how young the people I was encountering plastic crates (capacity five reams of A3 paper) in the lifts were, until I realized that this was just and occasional level 9 call outs. Effectively I a consequence of mixing with non-education was packing up the Unit by myself ahead of its people. Unlike the Education Department, in move. I filled about 100 plastic crates, with recent years the TAFE and other organisations stores and records mostly, as everyone else had been hiring people, including school was tied to the phones ahead of the Unit’s leavers, instead of the Department which has annual test day, up until a few hours before the been continually shedding people over the past movers (or Metaphors if we were Greek) fifteen or more years. As a result, the average arrived. Being ‘organised’, I listed the age of the Ex-EMSAD people at Oxford Street is contents of all 83 plastic crates as I filled them, ’45 to dead’. until I ran out of crates. This attention to detail was to be greatly appreciated later. March 15 - Impressions of the Selective Schools Unit – During the great ‘Functional March 18 - First day in at Oxford Street for realignment’, instead of going straight to level the, among the ~130 crates, effectively you 13, No. 1 Oxford Street (the fortunate few?) with had to ask people to breathe in if you wanted the remains of EMSAD (Now MAPA within ‘High to get past them and their stack of unopened Performance’), I offered to stay behind at crates. Eventually an off floor storage space Bankstown a bit longer to aid the Selective was found for ‘don’t need it just now’ stores schools Unit (Now ‘High Performing Students’ and I shifted about 70 crates down lifts, across within ‘Business Systems’) and to be a doorman mid building lobbies and through security doors to the looting of level 9 by some schools. to a room 14 floors away! A week after the Much stuff went out the door to schools that move about 60 boxes worth of stores remain in were prepared to act on its availability, but so this store and it is still a tight and unworkable fit much remained. So I was ‘semi-detached’ to for 12 people to have to work in a 4 metre by 8 the Selective Schools Unit and in effect back to metre box. where I had been circa 1994/95. At first I was wont to describe their new digs as ‘a shoebox for a dozen people’ before realizing Much had changed since then, far more Schools that as there is frequently toe wiggle space in with Selective school places on offer, online any shoebox, so a dozen people in an egg application forms. While I was there one of crate is probably more fitting. the Bosses Grand children came to help out. In a lift I was told that the overcrowding was In my day it was his Father who had been mostly Magda’s fault, the new structure coming in to help out! And I must say that 20 allowed her eight positions (hopelessly years on, like Father Like Son, they each had inadequate) to do the job, but she chose to the same attitude to their own father! bring 12 people, 4 without positions in the new

What was I doing there? – Well after an chart, with her instead of showing them the absence of nearly twenty years it was agreed door, something that she couldn’t do anyway,

22 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 23 until stage something next when excess officers informant explained that under these can be identified and disposed of. circumstances there was simply nothing anyone could do to make things right, and that The madness of the whole exercise is this, the by the rules of gang solidarity he would have a timing of the move of had been predicated on responsibility to join in the retribution if the the availability of tech support to re-connect gang ever became aware of the identity of the phones and computers on arrival. The person who had stolen the Boss’ car, so his Selective Schools unit arrived to find No phones, dilemma was what to do – to give up an No Computers connected and the offer of ‘the acquaintance to his gang superiors for possibly connection in a few weeks.’ All at a retributive justice, or to himself live in some time when about 25,000 parents and 400 ish fear that in having failed to demonstrate pro- High Schools are increasingly anxious for news active gang solidarity that he himself could face of When / If 13,000 students will be starting year a beating. 7. Who else was there – before I entered the A week after the move they do have some carriage there was a young woman in one phones and computers, with about 60 boxes corner, who, by her Mediterranean / Middle worth of stores remain in this store room. Eastern appearance, with Uni course material

January / February - It’s a hard life … being a on hand, may have been Christian Orthodox or gang member Islamic. I expect that she would have been From time to time I’ve seen drug transactions less comfortable with the ‘performance’ than I ‘go down’ and the Police bust a few passengers was. I got the feeling that she was trying to on the trains for fare evasion and or drug make herself as invisible as possible. At one possession. Recently I was joined on the train point he was railing against the behaviour of by a character who provided some insights into ‘Convict Australians’ to the effect that his the difficulties faced by a gang member, people arrived in Australia on planes, while presumably of the ‘Drug dealing Outlaw Bikie’ White Australians arrived ‘in chains’. I had to kind, via his unrestrained opinions on life, as strongly resist the urge to point out that I was in expressed over the phone to a friend, and the fact a convict descendant (William Roser 1844- world in general. I had some sympathy for his 1871). He freely announced his disliked the plight, as it emerged that ‘Real Bikie’ or not, he Australian habit of being openly polite to all, was dependent on public transport because he irrespective of personal feelings (prejudices?), had lost his driver’s licence, tough to maintain preferring the ‘openness’ of his own culture, street cred as a ‘Bikie’ when you can’t be seen openly telling people face to face what you to be riding a bike in public. dislike about them (Most of the people I know who are influenced by Islamic values are in fact Due to recent NSW laws, it is an offence to wear _very_ polite and well mannered, more so than ‘Outlaw Gang’ club colours in public, so he and most ‘Australians’). his associate (who arrived later) were in ‘civvies’. In spite of having spent some time in prison, or During a long mobile phone call he was regaling perhaps because of it, having prison tattoos to his unseen friend a number of major recent etc. He was of the view that Muslims like him dilemmas he had had to face. Recently he would be laughing with joy after it became has been contacted by a connection for some possible to live under Sharia Law within their advice on what to do. This connection had own community, leaving the ‘left out’ Christians apparently stolen a ‘real cool car’ and made to wallow in the suffering generated by the something of a splash by boastfully showing off impure and unsatisfactory anarchy of their his new acquisition to his circle of friends, inferior non-sharia law. I found it difficult to possibly abandoning it at the airport, or stealing understand his mindset, given the presumptive it from the Airport car parks. The only problem harshness of Sharia Law to repeat offenders, was that this car belonged to the Boss of the like, presumably himself? gang of our fellow passenger. The connection, His advocacy of Sharia (Muslim) Law aside, he now living in some fear, had wanted to know announced to his unseen friend some aspects what he could do to ‘make it right’. Our 23 TBS&E Number 53 – Dec 2012 to March 2013 24 of his troubled love life. Apparently he had bite, a bite from Amber, or a scrape against met a nice girl at a night club, or rather one that sharp metal / wires from somewhere in the would do nicely for a roll in the hay. He went back yard. Very cautiously I treated it with home with her and her two ‘flatmates’ and antiseptic and some (human use) antibiotic overtime, he bedded all three, whereupon it powder, as I am aware that some Antibiotics emerged that the three were in fact Mother and are very toxic to dogs. Predictably, anything I two daughters. (I refer you to Leviticus 18:17 put on was soon licked off, but it stopped the just in case you require any advice on this issue) infection and the area is now a mass of pink He excused any sense of personal guilt at this scar tissue with hair re-growth. discovery because ‘The Mum was hotter that her daughters’ – funny old world isn’t it. Anticipating some difficulties, his first conquest was pissed off at his ‘keeping it in the family’ he announced that he had on hand a solution to the problem of a potentially clingy and exploitative

‘girlfriend’. In the past he had been troubled by a sex partner who was trying to ‘use him’ as a source of cheap drugs. He dealt with her by telling her to trouble him no more, claiming to have videoed all their sexual liaisons and stating Pages 1 to 4 - Astronomy and Science a willingness to spread this footage around to Meeting Notes of March 2013 – Mars on family and friends if didn’t leave him alone. Earth – Right here in Sydney – Carol Oliver Aust Centre for Astrobiology, UNSW A Class act? Pages 5 to 17 – Notes from Sydney’s SF&F Another concern volubly expressed was an Meetings, Dec 2012 to Mar 2013 enthusiasm for Jihad, claiming that the Friday Night Sydney Futurian meetings Australians fighting against the Taliban in Pages 5 & 6 – Books deserving Sequels, or Afghanistan were afraid to die, but that the Sequels we’d like to see – 14 Dec. 2012 Taliban fighters all envied their casualty’s fast Pages 7 & 8 – Your Best and Worst SF&F of track to paradise. 2012 – 18 Jan. 2013 Conclusion – I rate this encounter as an Pages 8 to 11 – Robots A.I.s and other example of the success of multiculturalism, a Thinking Machines – 15 Feb. 2013 convict, Islamic Bogan Australian successfully Pages 11 to 14 – Supernatural Creatures in integrated into an Australian criminal SF stories - 15 Mar. 2013 community. Pages 14 & 15 – Parramatta’s Underground SF&F Book Review Discussion Meeting – 21 Mar 2013 Pages 15 & 16 - The SF&F Discussion

meeting at Sappho’s Second Hand Bookshop – 27 Mar 2013

Pages 15 to 20 – Notes from the Feb 26, and 26 Mar. 2013 meetings of the Canterbury and District Historical Society – AGM Meeting and School Day’s Memories, School Photos and Postcards 1873 to the Not much to 1950s – Robert Hutchinson, Marrickville say. At this time of year the grass is wet in the Historical Society mornings, so extra vigilance and supervision Pages 19 & 20 - Book Reviews has to be offered when letting the dogs out in the morning, to avoid ‘misunderstandings’. Pages 21 to 24 – Traveller’s Tales

Awhile back Rusty managed to skin his left knee Page 24 - Basenjis Tail Piece / wrist, resulting in very unpleasant looking © Garry Dalrymple April 2013 infected sore. It may have been a mosquito 24