actors and writers did back then has little bearing on what they're
doing now.
... Does a radioactive cat have 18 half-lives?
--- RA/FD/FMail
* Origin: The Eclectic Fox -- Memphis, TN 901-327-1008 (1:123/10)
Ä [19] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 167 of 225
From : Michael Harper 1:123/10 .˙ō 12 .íâ 96 11:45
To : John Mcgill
Subj : Re: tv and sf
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
-=> Over coffee and beignets, John Mcgill told Michael Harper all about
tv and sf...
JM> Say, isn't this also the same hack who wrote _E.T._?
God, no. _E.T._ was written by Melissa Mathison, Harrison Ford's wife.
Chris Columbus wrote a number of things before he got into directing,
but that wasn't one of them. I think he wrote _The Goonies_, and I know
he wrote _Heartbreak Hotel_. IMNSHO, somebody should nail his ears to a
truck bumper and drag him face-first down Rodeo Drive. But every time
he does something like _Mrs. Doubtfire_ that makes a pile of money, he
becomes the fair-haired darling of the studios, and they suck up to him
and give him anything he wants. He is everything I despise about the
Hollywood studio system made manifest.
Here endeth the sermon.
--- RA/FD/FMail
* Origin: The Eclectic Fox -- Memphis, TN 901-327-1008 (1:123/10)
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Msg : 168 of 225
From : Frank Swarbrick 1:104/825 .åō 11 .íâ 96 22:51
To : All
Subj : Prisoner movie
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 92-0022
Dunno if anyone's posted this yet... I read an article in the paper
today that said that Patrick MacGoohan has signed on to write and
produce a motion picture based on his old tv series The Prisoner. He
won't play the main character, but he may play another role.
Personally, I'm not sure how well the show would translate to the
modern silver screen, but with MacGoohan (is that right?) being
responsible for it there's certainly hope. We shall see...
Frank
... The Psi Corps Is Your Friend. Trust The Corps.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12
* Origin: The Bailey Information Exchange BBS, 28.8k v.fc (1:104/825.0)
Ä [19] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 169 of 225
From : HTom Trites 1:282/62 .˙ō 12 .íâ 96 22:24
To : Don Dellmann
Subj : nuclear BS
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
[much snipped]
DD> The loggers are doing more to protect the forests with selective cutting
DD> and replanting than they are "destroying" them. Because of the efforts
DD> of the logging companies, there are more acres of forest in the US today
DD> than there were when Columbus arrived (according to the
DD> US Forest Service).
Yes, there are more acres of "forest". You have to remember, though, that
when Columbus arrived there were /no/ acres of "solid Aspen forest". The
Forest Service figures cited do not distinguish between "natural forest" and
that human invention, the "monocrop forest".
The measurement is like claiming that the acres of wheat and rye (these
are grasses, remember) are part of the total acres of prairie, which is
composed of grasses.
--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: SpareCom: Internet email and Fidonet (1:282/62)
Ä [19] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 170 of 225
From : David Durgee 1:109/458 .ķá 13 .íâ 96 12:30
To : Mark Jones
Subj : Virtual reality issues
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: InterEcho 1.14 6E011108
In a message dated 01-0996, Mark Jones said to J.t. Smith:
MJ> And if you engage your taste for pain by sadistically tormenting
MJ>virtual victims, are you still twisted psycho? Is it still a vicious,
MJ>evil thing to do? Even if nobody is *really* hurt? Even if you'd
MJ>never, ever do it to a REAL person?
MJ> I'd say: yes, it is still sick. Because you're engaging a taste
MJ>for inflicting misery on others--even if those others don't exist.
MJ> I'd also defend your right to do it since no *real* person is being
MJ>harmed. But I wouldn't care to associate with you much.
Read a story in Analog a while ago that dealt with this issue. Somebody got
to the point where he went beyond sadism to murder, first of anonymous
victims, then of a construct modeled after someone who actually existed.
Thanks to early warning the police stopped him when he decided that virtual
murder wasn't enough and decided to try the real thing.
I can see where this kind of use of virtual reality could be fine in a
theraputic setting, to deal with impulses and work out frustrations. It
could also be put to good use in training exercises for dangerous
situations. I can also see it put to use in exploring environments hostile
to human life. But when it goes out of control it can become a breeding
ground of all manner of evil.
Dave
___
* MR/2 2.22 NR * Armed we are citizens, unarmed we are subjects. -- RAH
--- InterEcho 1.14
* Origin: The Shoreline BBS - (301) 946-2771 - Silver Spring, MD (1:109/458)
Ä [19] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 171 of 225
From : David Durgee 1:109/458 .ķá 13 .íâ 96 12:30
To : Chip Griffin
Subj : Re: nuclear
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: InterEcho 1.14 6E011108
In a message dated 01-0896, Chip Griffin said to The Raven:
CG>you would need to make MEGAWATTS of power and beam it through the
CG>atmostphere ... what about airplanes? What if one should pass through
CG>that airspace? What about lifeforms (ie birds)? We're talking crispy
CG>critters here!
This has been given serious consideration by engineering groups, to the
point that it is estimated a pilot plant could be launched for less than the
expense of building a new nuclear power plant under current restrictions.
The receiver for this would be about 10 miles square. With that area the
energy density is several orders of magnitude too small to achieve any
"cooking". The advantage to a space based solar power satellite is that
there is no atmospheric absorption of energy prior to use and the space
environment prevents some losses of energy unavoidable down here. The SPS
would also intercept power that would never reach earth and has no thermal
environmental consequences.
To tie this back into the Science Fiction topic of the area I read a story
in Analog a few years back where they diverted the output of a SPS to form a
"hot spot" in the ocean. As the microwaves were absorbed in the first few
inches of water this worked, allowing them to steer a hurricane away from
the coast. Whether this particular application is practical or not it gives
us something to think about.
Dave
---
* MR/2 2.22 NR * Those not governed by God will be ruled by tyrants. - W Penn
--- InterEcho 1.14
* Origin: The Shoreline BBS - (301) 946-2771 - Silver Spring, MD (1:109/458)
Ä [19] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 172 of 225
From : J.T. Smith 1:132/152 .pä 10 .íâ 96 21:57
To : Chip Griffin
Subj : Re: nuclear
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Contact has been made.
TR> You aren't thinking it through. Put the collectors in orbit. Several
TR> of them, placed at the right spots, and you never have the problem of
TR> overcast days or the sun not shining. Have the collectors convert the
TR> light into microwaves, beam the microwaves to large antennas on the
TR> surface, then convert the microwaves to electricity. Simple. Large
TR> initial investment which pays for itself very quickly.
CG> Actually I had thought it through! You just added TWO more
CG> conversions into the process which will make it MUCH less efficient.
CG> In Nuclear power we consider ~30% efficiency pretty good and I think
CG> you will have less efficiency then that!
The efficiency would vary depending on the setup of the collectors,
transmitters, and receivers.
CG> Besides, on the scale
CG> necessary to be useful you would need to make MEGAWATTS of power and
CG> beam it through the atmostphere ... what about airplanes? What if one
CG> should pass through that airspace?
The components affected by microwaves could be easily shielded.
CG> What about lifeforms (ie birds)?
CG> We're talking crispy critters here!
Negative. The reason yer microwave oven cooks things so well is because
what ye're cooking is in a very enclosed environment. With a wide enough
dispersion and low enough intensity, ye could keep from "cooking" the local
flora and fauna while also feeding several receivers at the same time. The
efficiency would be a wee bit lower to begin with, but that could be fine
tuned over time; and in the end would be cleaner and safer.
CG> de Chip [N1MIE] President of TRAUG quarry@q.continuum.net
CG> -!- MacKennel 2.2.1
CG> ! Origin: The Quarry: 860-889-6427 -- Amateur Radio & Mac User
CG> (1:320/301.0)
... "I bid you peace." - J.T. Smith
--- Blue Wave v2.12 [NR]
* Origin: The Cereal Port BBS (OS/2) Rindge,NH 603-899-3335 (1:132/152)
Ä [19] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 173 of 225
From : J.T. Smith 1:132/152 .pä 10 .íâ 96 22:10
To : Chip Griffin
Subj : re: nuclear safety
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Contact has been made.
MD> Nuclear power is the most cost-effective and nearly the safest.
JW> Until it fucks up...look under 'Chernobyl' or 'Three Mile Island'
CG> I don't think you get it. I work on a site with three nuclear units.
CG> At least two of them have gone over 1 BILLION MEGAWATT-HOURs. That is
CG> enough between the two for over 30 years of power for Connecticut not
CG> counting the other unit on our site, the one on the CT river, the two
CG> in Massachusetts, and the one in New Hampshire. With the hundreds of
CG> units around the world there are probably hundreds of thousands of
CG> hours of operation without an incident. Browns-Ferry, TMI, Chernobyl
CG> and others helped us all learn some valuable lessons. As far as the US
CG> goes, a Chernobyl-style incident is IMPOSSIBLE!
Never kid yerself. NOTHING is impossible. Murphy's law has a way of
catching up w/ ye. Improbable I might grant, but never impossible.
(Impossible just means it takes a wee bit longer to do.
CG> Due to the inherent
CG> instability and danger of their design they were a disaster waiting to
CG> happen. Lets just say that while graphite (their moderator, necessary
CG> for all nuclear reactors) will burn, ours (water) won't!
Anything can burn. Including water. Ye heat up H2O enough, ye'll cause
the hydrogen and oxygen to seperate. Hydrogen can explode, and oxygen will
fuel that explosion. I know a guy who was in the coast guard. Watched a
bucket of water literally explode. 2H2O can, and when heated enough, will
break down into H2 and O2. (Now if I could only remember me chemistry
lectures on the mathmatics i could post them.)
CG> The bottom line is that don't let the fact that all we get is bad
CG> press over a few small (and fewer not so small, with one biggie)
CG> incidents ... don't let that convince you that nuclear power isn't what
