Sigma The Newsletter of PARSEC - www.parsec-sff.org April, 2015 - No. 349 PM. I arrive at about 12:30PM and will in the future President’s Capsule be there by Noon. The hour or so before the meeting It seems that spring has sprung. begins is a great time when people trickle in and talk Turns my head metaphorically spontaneously about what movies they have seen, and practically to re-creation. what books they are reading, what conventions and I’m not sure what clod put the be- shows they will attend. It is a wonderful time. I urge ginning of the year at frigid and fal- you to become part. low January, but it would have been I have seen some email from people who are Par- better done in April. Oh, if I’m ever by Joe Coluccio sec members living out of city and state who have re- emperor… quested audio or video of the meetings. There are So, what of SF in this “new” beginning? some problems with the idea. I will be glad to ask any It is harder than ever to bring to light new SF works of the guest speakers and others if they are willing to and new talent, what with everyone publishing every- be recorded. BUT. Video and/or audio takes equip- thing everywhere. I read all the mags both pro and not ment. I don’t perceive that as a real problem. I have and am amazed at the sheer vision exhibited on the enough audio equipment and can scrape together digital and print pages. So many great voices, so video equipment that will suffice. BUT. It takes more many grand images. So little time. How do we shift than one person to pull off an audio or video presen- through it all? Who is at hand to curate it all for us? tation of a meeting. Or someone who can fragment, I think one of the points of focus of the Parsec duplicate and multitask. monthly meeting is to bring information about what We talk on and off about gathering people to vol- is happening in SF from the members who attend to unteer help with the workload of all the branches of the members who attend. If you don’t show up, you Parsec. Let me take this opportunity to ask on my are missing something priceless. own behalf. Anyone out there interested in taking part Although I have objected to the name, many still in recording the Parsec meetings? call this meeting function of Parsec, the Club. But Email me, call me, put a note to president@parsec- Parsec is a club of enthusiasts who come together sff.org on the web page. While you are there, look monthly to meet and talk about the subject we all love around the web page. There are plenty of places and adore. SF. where we could use the help. Begs the question. If you’re a member, why aren’t you showing up? Each month I put a sign up on the door of the meet- PARSEC is Pittsburgh’s premiere organi- ing room of the Squirrel Hill Branch of the Carnegie zation of science fiction, fantasy and hor- Library that states, “This meeting is free to the public, ror. We sponsor an annual conference, c’mon in we’d love to meet you.” Same goes for workshops for young writers, lectures, members. I’ve been President of Parsec for a year and three and other events that promote a love of months. I hope the meetings have become more at- the written word and a passion for spec- tractive, but at times I have added too many things to ulative fiction. Our members include the schedule and have not left enough time for folks writers, teachers and fans. PARSEC is a to talk together. 501c3 non-profit corporation. Parsec has the meeting room from 12 Noon to 5 lation to “event horizon,” a point at which the math Monthly Meeting Minutes becomes infinite. Though Kurzweil gets credit, by William Blake Hall, Secretary Raulerson argued that the concept goes back to ear- March 14, 2015 lier work by Vernor Vinge. He also recommended As my mind feels unusually preoccupied this such writers as Rudy Rucker, Charles Stross, and month, I hope I can be forgiven for forgetting a lot of Cory Doctorow. The singularity has been called “the incidental details and just trying to report basics. We Rapture for nerds” and does indeed have its utopi- began with readings, first from some of Mary Soon anism, in the form of “transhumanism” or “posthu- Lee’s forthcoming novel-length fantasy poem, and manism.” then Eric Davin read us the poem “Demon Lover” by This subject is good for exploiting such topics as Dorothy Quick. Who, you may ask, is Dorothy nanotechnology and its possible impact (the recent Quick? Evidently back in the days before Gernsback, Johnny Depp movie Transcendence springs to my when “spec fic” was championed by the magazine mind), as well as “uploading of the self” (begging Weird Tales, that journal’s most prolific poet was what constitutes the real “you”) and economic issues Dorothy Quick. Her name is not remembered much in a world beyond scarcity. Once we are freed from now, but Eric gave us a taste of her evocative work. a finite life span and the old scramble for material Eric also reminded us that his story “Twilight on wealth, what new problems arise? Damon Knight Olympus” is now up at Galaxy’s Edge, and Christie was noted for his speculating on how such an econ- Meierz also reminded us that her book “The Fall” is omy might come about through techno-magical out. Our ex-Treasurer Sarah-Wade Smith can use replicator machines, while Greg Bear has relied more on a “gray goo” nanotech. Raulerson also introduced help working on a DVD based on the RPG Traveler and getting it out by year’s end. Greg Armstrong’s us to the term “extropy,” a kind of willful reversal of Parsec library is up to 3180 books and this time entropy, which reminded me of everything from Asi- around, in honor of the recent passing of author Terry mov’s “Last Question” to the work of Ilya Prigogine. Pratchett, he pushed Pratchett titles such as The Ver- By the way, Raulerson’s dissertation is online. He million Trilogy, , , and can PDF his book for an interested party. Strata The Color of Magic And that could have been more or less it – except Mort. Word is that SFWA is starting to look at and ac- that Meeting Part 2 kicked in, with Kevin Hayes and cept small-press and self-published work. Diane Jeff Mierzejewski calling upon us to generate panel Turnshek alerted us to a Young Adult fiction writing topics for this year’s Confluence (for which we have event at CMU featuring Joshua Bellin at 5 PM Sun- some 45 individuals listed on the program). Topics day, April 12. She also called for reviews of local that got kicked around included: Antarctica being authors. The raffle raised $45 and newcomer (or anything like Mars, evolution and viruses, biology course) Caitlin got a Lovecraft anthology, and astronautics, historical swordfighting techniques, Great Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, Theodore Sturgeon, Tales of Horror. Our speaker was Joshua Raulerson, Ph.D., who is Manly Wade Wellman, memorials for Pratchett and evidently also a radio personality. He spoke to us Nimoy, a Juanita Coulson filk round table, “Sects in about his thesis on the whole Ray Kurzweil singular- Zero G” (SF and religion), the impact of 3D printing, ity concept. While in the past such talks have tended choosing a best of the year in SF film, Immortality to get a bit overthick with “academese,” actually and the Law of Unintended Consequences (Wen seeming to corrupt comprehensible English and bog Spencer was considered for that), What is Self- down ease of communication, Raulerson kept his talk Awareness Good For, Is Space Going to Be White, accessible and used it as a kind of license for far- SF comic books, The Marketing of Fear, a panel on ranging observation. I felt gratified that he was not the past ten years in SF (possibly involving David on some “Everything will soon be perfect once we Hartwell) and – drum roll, Anton – Gateway Drugs surrender our humanity” mission. for Young Readers. The con, it would seem, is on. Our own Kevin Hayes helpfully brought up the original physics definition of “singularity” and its re- 2 Slime Gods, Crackers, us?” That statement resonates in what I like to consider Mutants and Robots my writing. I don’t have any sense of how “entertain- Henry Kuttner, Part One ing” what I write is, but I do desire to seed my words by Joe Coluccio with ideas and moralities. What you make of them is up to you, not me. In many science fiction reference works Henry So, early Kuttner, the Kuttner who was mentor to Kuttner is labeled as C.L. Moore’s husband. A re- a young Ray Bradbury and as a result, the rest of SF. freshing view. The works of women in early science I refer you to three wonderful anthologies. “Terror fiction seldom take the lead and are masked by the in the House The Early Kuttner Volume One - wild whiff of puerile testosterone that seems to define Haffner Press 2010 ”, where you will find much of the burgeoning field. Kuttner’s work in the pulps -Weird Tales, Thrilling In the late 1930’s Henry Kuttner, in New York, Mystery and Spicy Mystery.