Internet: stephen.adams@bandit-bbs.com
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* RM 1.3 * Eval Day 44 *
--- WC!/IM!/GE-PRO1.20!
* Origin: Longbow BBS! Tampa, FL (813)961-3653 USR V.34+ DS (1:377/77)
Ä [10] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 180 of 185
From : STEPHEN ADAMS 1:377/77 .˙ō 19 .íâ 96 10:06
To : DAVID JOHNSTON
Subj : NOWHERE MAN
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: GE 1.2
On 01/19/96 at 10:06, DAVID JOHNSTON uttered these words to STEPHEN ADAMS:
"Nowhere Man," which prompted this discussion:
DJ> Oh, I believe that conspiracies exist. I just don't believe that they can
DJ> simultaneously be so omnipotent and incompetent at the same time.
Let's not forget that Tom Veil is but ONE of the "erased" people that The
Conspiracy has to account for. We assume that there are actually a great
number of these "erased" people eluding them. What this means is that The
Conspiracy, therefore, must have some sort of bureaucracy going that tries to
keep track of them - hence, innate incompetency.
Also, The Conspiracy needs to do their "hunting" in *private*, so as not to
alert the general populace of its existence. Anything done under the cloak of
secrecy has its hands tied in some respects, again leading to a certain amount
of inborn incompetence.
Besides, the incompetence helps to give Tom the cracks that he needs to squeak
through in order to keep the series on the air. :)
Later...
Steve
Friday, January 19, 1996 at 10:12 ET
Internet: stephen.adams@bandit-bbs.com
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* RM 1.3 * Eval Day 44 *
--- WC!/IM!/GE-PRO1.20!
* Origin: Longbow BBS! Tampa, FL (813)961-3653 USR V.34+ DS (1:377/77)
Ä [10] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 181 of 185
From : STEPHEN ADAMS 1:377/77 .˙ō 19 .íâ 96 10:31
To : MARK JONES
Subj : NOWHERE MAN 01
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: GE 1.2
On 01/19/96 at 10:31, MARK JONES uttered these words to STEPHEN ADAMS:
"NOWHERE MAN," which prompted this discussion:
MJ> In real life, when strange things happen, you simply accept them. There
MJ> they are. They don't *need* justification--they HAPPENED.
Maybe that thought process works for you and the people you know, but not for
me. I've had too many "strange" things happen in my life (*not* my
perception, but the perceptions of many people who are very close to me) to
simply accept them. I've felt compelled to try and find some answers for some
of them, and in cases, found enough answers to indicate that someone else was
"behind" it. I was able, therefore, to put a stop to a few more "strange"
things before they actually happened.
MJ> But one of the first things a beginning writer learns (or should learn) is
MJ> that "but this really happened to me/a friend!" is no defense.
I hope you're not implying that writers are *supposed* to follow rules and/or
formulas to produce their works. :)
My tastes tend to gravitate toward the bizarre. Also, it doesn't hurt if the
work borders on some anarchy as well. :)
I don't enjoy works that have things so neatly explained as to keep a
viewer/reader following a prescribed path to the intended conclusion.
MJ> The more bizarre an event is, the *more* justification it requires before
MJ> a reader will accept it.
Not true - just look at me! :)
(Also, you *seem* to contradict this statement a little further down in your
post.)
MJ> If the show is simply an excuse to vicariously experience raging paranoia,
MJ> I'll pass. I can get all the paranoia I want by cruising the net.
And what's wrong with the subject of a television show centering on the
emotion(?) of paranoia? It seems we have plenty of shows about the more talked
about (and beat-to-death, IMO) aspects of love, laughter, hate, et al.
As far as the 'net goes, yeah, there *does* seem to be a bit of paranoia on
it. But then again, who's to say that it's real, imagined, or purposefully
made up? Hmm? :)
MJ> But to each his own. Other people seem to really like this one.
Then, this statement *seems* to contradict your "more bizarre = more
justification" statement above. And yes, I agree - to each his own.
MJ> I suspect that there *aren't* any answers--and while that may strike some
MJ> viewers as a cool philosophical position to take, I don't care for it.
It may turn out that you are completely correct. And it could also be quite
possible that this whole story of Tom Veil may be nothing more than one huge
dream (maybe induced by some illicit substances?)! I would hope not, but I
can't escape the feeling that each episode is just one small part of a
constantly recurring dream. To me, each episode is written with a vagueness
similar to what I experience in recurring dreams.
That's what's so cool about this show, IMO. It is so open right now to many
possible interpretations, that *any* of them, or *none* of them may actually
be the *right* one.
MJ>> If she was a ringer all along, why didn't they just have her
MJ>> *steal* the negatives, or at least find out where he kept them
MJ>> (so experts could blow the safe, for instance).
SA>> Well, if they did *that*, then there would be no more story. :)
MJ> No, it would have required some serious work on the writers' parts, but
MJ> they could have still had a story. But they would have had to *explain*
MJ> why that wouldn't work...instead of simply ignoring that option.
It all boils down to a matter of tastes. You seem to prefer writing that uses
auxiliary characters and scenes to help define the main character and his/her
condition. I prefer a minimalist-type of writer who lets the audience make
judgements about the plot based only upon what the main character perceives.
I won't get into an argument as to which style of writing requires more work.
I've experimented with both styles myself and, as far as I'm concerned, both
require an extraordinary amount of effort in order to put out an interesting
product. :)
Also, it would seem to me that any discussions that centers on writing styles
.
Continued in the next message...
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Ä [10] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 182 of 185
From : STEPHEN ADAMS 1:377/77 .˙ō 19 .íâ 96 10:31
To : MARK JONES
Subj : NOWHERE MAN 02
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: GE 1.2
Continued from the previous message...
.
could be off-topic in this echo; more appropriate in the "writing" echo, if
one exists (and no, I don't frequent that echo). :)
MJ> [Maybe he wouldn't *tell* her where the negatives were. Which, she being
MJ> his wife, would be an interesting insight in Tom Veil *before* the
MJ> conspiracy was revealed, don't you think? Perhaps he was paranoid all
MJ> along....]
Again, another possibility for the outcome behind Nowhere Man. I don't
discount such thinking, as it is as valid as another person's thoughts.
MJ> Any halfway competent conspiracy could have gotten the information from
MJ> HIM in half a dozen different ways.
Nowhere in the series was it *ever* said that The Conspiracy was a *competent*
bunch. In fact, They *could be* somewhat incompetent, and the reasons for this
could be many, but hear (read?) this one out.
Tom is *no*t the only victim of this group of people; there are possibly
hundreds of victims. To keep track of every single "nowhere person" on the run
would require a vast bureaucracy, and we only have to look at our own local,
state, and federal governments for examples of *incompetency* at work! :) So,
what you call incompetency, I tend to call bureaucracy.
Hey.....! You seem to ask a bunch of questions/offer a lot of opinions
regarding a show you've only seen *one-half* of an episode of! Are you just
yanking our chains...???? :-)
Later...
Steve
Friday, January 19, 1996 at 12:46 ET
Internet: stephen.adams@bandit-bbs.com
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* RM 1.3 * Eval Day 44 *
--- WC!/IM!/GE-PRO1.20!
* Origin: Longbow BBS! Tampa, FL (813)961-3653 USR V.34+ DS (1:377/77)
Ä [10] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 183 of 185
From : STEPHEN ADAMS 1:377/77 .˙ō 19 .íâ 96 12:50
To : MARK JONES
Subj : NOWHERE MAN
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
.TID: GE 1.2
On 01/19/96 at 12:50, MARK JONES uttered these words to STEPHEN ADAMS:
"NOWHERE MAN," which prompted this discussion:
DJ> Do you know anyone who just balks at the utter implausibility of
DJ> what is going on?
SA> Not personally, but I'm sure that there are.
MJ> Me. Me! ME! (Waving hand frantically to attract attention....) That
MJ> describes me perfectly.
Hey...! Now I KNOW you're just trying to get me going... you..., you...,
CHAIN-YANKER you!
MJ> I balk at the utter implausibility of a conspiracy which is at the same
MJ> time so all-encompassing that it can make Tom Veil's entire life vanish in
MJ> the time it takes him to visit the bathroom in a restaurant AND which
MJ> cannot pry relatively simple information out of a man they've successfully
MJ> confined to a mental hospital (using drugs, torture, threats against loved
MJ> ones, or simple sleep deprivation).
OK, such a conspiracy *may* not exist in real life (let's hope not!),
*but*, there are organizations who *are* nearly omnipotent, and at the same
time, incompetent. Take the federal witness protection program for one.
That program can take a witness, under secrecy if so desired, and give them a
completely new identity. So new, in fact, that not even close friends and
relatives have a *clue* as to what happened to the witness. (Sort of a
reversal here: Nowhere Man - Tom Veil "loses" an entire society; witness
protection program - an entire society "loses" an individual). However, due to
foul-ups and such at the bureaucratic level, leaks have been known to get out
regarding witnessess' new identities, which causes breakdowns in the new
identities. This does happen.
Later...
Steve
Friday, January 19, 1996 at 13:11 ET
Internet: stephen.adams@bandit-bbs.com
---
* RM 1.3 * Eval Day 44 *
--- WC!/IM!/GE-PRO1.20!
* Origin: Longbow BBS! Tampa, FL (813)961-3653 USR V.34+ DS (1:377/77)
Ä [10] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 184 of 185
From : Don Dellmann 1:154/40 .ķá 20 .íâ 96 06:50
To : Brion Lienhart
Subj : Re: nuclear BS
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
While tripping merrily through the mail, Brion Lienhart was overheard
BL> Gamma Rays are much higher frequency than light. Microwaves are lower
BL> frequency than visible light, just below the infrared band. They used
BL> to call them "Radar Ranges" because some radar sets use the same
BL> frequency band. And yes, you can get cooked if you stand in front of a
BL> fire control radar set.
It's said that the man who invented the Microwave oven was a technician for
Raytheon who discovered "cooked" birds in radar antennas during WW II.
Don
... When I was your age, we carved transistors out of wood.
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* Origin: Anonymous BBS -=- Non plus Ultra -=- 414-251-2580 (1:154/40)
Ä [10] SFFAN (2:463/2.5) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ SFFAN Ä
Msg : 185 of 185
From : Don Dellmann 1:154/40 .ķá 20 .íâ 96 06:50
To : Frank Glover
Subj : Re: VIRTUAL SEX
