Am I defending his viewpoint? Absolutely, since I have been saying exactly the same things for quite a while now. And I am sure that somewhere in here I have a spelling error or two, but does his error somehow lessen the point he was making?
The first thing I read in Analog is your editorial, and it sometimes worries me that I agree with you 98% of the time, and am one of your fans for that alone, aside from the excellent magazine. But I honestly believe that in this response, you blew it big time.
Don Manyette
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No, I did not fault him for having a political bias, nor do I consider my response a personal attack (as at least one other reader claimed). I explicitly acknowledged that his general points were good ones, which was the main reason I printed the letter. What bothered me was that all his specific illustrations seemed to be chosen to expound a particular political bias, to the point where it seemed that that, not promoting more careful thought, was the primary purpose of the letter. I may have been mistaken in that impression, but it's the one I got, and I got it strongly. And that would have bothered me regardless of which political bias he showed.
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Clan Father (I mean Dr. Schmidt),
I was so intrigued by the first half of Barry Longyear's “Turning The Grain” that the minute the September issue arrived, I sat down and finished it.
That was a great story, full of interesting Native American mythology, an imaginative description of early humans, very earthy details, touching relationships, and a happy ending that I didn't quite expect. When I finished reading it, my spirits were raised.
Time travel is a very old theme in science fiction, and could be overworked, but “Time Spanning” as Barry did it was fresh and exciting. Donald Moffit's use of parallel universes for time travel in “The Affair of The Phlegmish Master” (June, 2008) was equally clever.
Analog is without doubt, the very best.
Give my birthday regards to Otto Schmidt. He is my senior by four years.
Bob Stanton
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Reader's Department: UPCOMING EVENTS by Anthony Lewis
4-6 December 2009
SMOFCON 27 (Convention runners convention) at Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, Austin, TX. Theme: Time Management. Membership: $60 until 1 November 2009, more thereafter. Info: www.alamo-sf.org/smofcon27/; P.O. Box 27277, Austin, TX 78755-2277
15-18 January 2010
ARISIA ‘10 (New England SF conference) at Hyatt Regency Hotel, Cambridge, MA. Artist Guest of Honor: Sarah Clemens; Fan Guests of Honor: Kevin Roche & Andy Trembley; Musical Guest of Honor: SJ Tucker (Skinny White Chick); Writer/Editor Guest of Honor: Gardner Dozois. Memberships: $40 until 30 September 2009. Info: www.arisia.org; info@ arisia.org; Box 391596, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Late January 2010
VERICON X (Harvard University SF conference) at Harvard Yard, Harvard, Cambridge, MA. Info: Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association, Student Organizations Center, 59 Shepard St., Box 93, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
12-14 February 2010
BOSKONE 47 (New England SF conference) at Waterfront Westin, Boston, MA. Guest of Honor: Alastair Reynolds; Official Artist: John Picacio; Special Guest: Tom Shippey; Featured Filker: Mary Crowell; Hal Clement Science Speaker: Vernor Vinge; NESFA Press Guest: Michael Whelan. Membership: $47 until Mid-January 2010. Info: www.nesfa.org/ boskone/; [email protected]; Boskone 47, Box 809, Framingham, MA 01701; 617.776 (fax)
2-6 September 2010
AUSSIECON FOUR (68th World Science Fiction Convention) at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Guest of Honor: Kim Stanley Robinson; Artist Guest of Honor: Shaun Tan; Fan Guest of Honor: Robin Johnson. Membership from 1 January 2009 until some later date (see website for latest details): AUD 210, USD 175, CAD 185, GBP 100, EUR 120, JPY 16000; supporting membership AUD 70, USD 50, CAD 50, GBP 25, EUR 35, JPY 4900. This is the SF universe's annual get-together. Professionals and readers from all over the world will be in attendance. Talks, panels, films, fancy dress competition—the works. Nominate and vote for the Hugos. Info: www.aussiecon4.org.au/, [email protected], GPO Box 1212, Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA 3001
Copyright © 2009 Anthony Lewis
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Running a convention? If your convention has a telephone or fax number, e-mail address, or web page, please let us know so that we can publish this information. We must have your information in hand SIX months before the date of your convention.
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Attending a convention? When calling conventions for information, do not call collect and do not call too late in the evening. It is best to include a S.A.S.E. when requesting information; include an International Reply Coupon if the convention is in a different country.
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Visit www.analogsf.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
Analog SFF, December 2009 Page 24
