Lloyd's Locs Box - Fanzine letters of comment
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Lloyd Penney" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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10:52 pm
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Loc on The Drink Tank 216 and 217 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:
Two issues behind again. Things have been a little crazy here because we’re getting ready for Polaris, the local media SF convention, 3000+ people expected, and the only guest I recognize is Matt Frewer. M-M-M-Max! Looking forward to a party weekend, but until that arrives, here’s a loc on The Drink Tank 216 and 217.
216…Oooo, that’s an eeee-vil parrot on the cover. Beautiful plumage, but eeee-vil. Being in a cage for a long time will do that to anyone, I imagine.
Wow, John got way behind. Good for you, Herr Doktor Professor Purcell! I have utterly failed to care about the Oscars for quite some time, unless of course one of the rare movies I’ve actually seen and enjoyed gets some recognition. Wall-E has gotten some trophies; might get another in Montreal.
I have been told by those in the know that Yvonne and I will be presenting a Hugo. I believe it will be Best Fan Writer, which means that we’ll be up on stage early. Might go to Taral, with all the writing and artistry that’s been in fanzines these days. I’d like to see John Hertz win some year. Maybe Reno? In a week or so comes the sixth Harry Potter movie, and I am cruising through the sixth book right now. With luck, I will finish reading it as I head off to see the film.
With the computer problems we had in early June, we now have about 250Gb of backup space. I must learn a little bit more about backups, and this may never happen again. Yeah, right… Great news from Leigh Ann! And she is looking forward to coming up and doing something fanzinish in Montreal. (I’ll jump ahead to something I read on your LJ…tell me lots more about this Steampunk zine you want to do. I am connected with a number of groups, who may be able to get you lots of material.)
I must agree with Dan Kimmel, there’s a number of good movies come out in the past year or so, but Wall-E is the best for me. It’s warning and upbeat and fun and a beautiful sight to see. And, its various messages are vital and important today, too. And I know of what Taral speaks, for I have to have a cataract removed, and I think I will wait until all of this year’s conventions are done, and I am back to work of some kind.
217…I think we’ve all liked to make movies, or have at least some involvement in making of a movie. That may be one of the reasons behind getting some voicework done. Had some more lately, and there may be more shortly. I met up with one woman who is not only doing voicework here and there, but also starting up her own agency. If her promises come about, I may be doing some anime and video game voicework. We’ll see what happens here.
His later life was gaudy, so it’s no surprise that the news of his death and his memorial were even more gaudy. Sigh…all those performers, talented or not, who wanted to show some respect, and wound up make the whole show a bizarre musical, fully intent on giving themselves a little more exposure and publicity. MJ is dead, and please, please, everyone, let him lie in peace.
It is late Thursday here, and tomorrow is one of the big local cons here, Polaris 23. We’ll have our own table, a great room, access to two swimming pools, and a family reunion of all those who didn’t come down to Ad Astra this past spring. I’ve had so little time for writing lately because of preps for this convention, and as you can see from some e-mails, I am finally getting somewhere with the fanzine lounge. In about five weeks or so, it will be time for Worldcon in Montreal, and I am looking forward to seeing you and Linda and Leigh Ann and Jean and the bunch from the Bay. It will be a pleasure to see you all, and no matter what, we will have the best of times. Bring it on, I can handle it. See you then!
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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09:07 pm
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Loc on MarkTime 92 (Mark Strickert, ed.)
Dear Mark:
It’s been crazy times here, with a computer meltdown and a big local convention coming up, but I can finally get to commenting on MarkTime 92.
You’ve had computer problems, too. We spent a couple of hundred dollars on getting our old system fixed up, but we will probably need a new computer within six months or so. Gotta get back to work and save some bucks. I hope it wouldn’t be too expensive, but anything to do with computers is usually expensive.
Happy wedding and happy baby, when they come. Life has changed radically for you. And, it sounds like you are handling both admirably. Did you ever think you’d be both husband and dad?
Some of Toronto’s old trolley buses are being used in Phoenix? I shouldn’t be surprised, there are old Toronto Peter Witt streetcars still in use all over the continent. Next time you and Nancy come up to Toronto, send us an e-mail, and perhaps we can get together. We live just north of the IKEA on the Queen Elizabeth Way; I can see it from our balcony.
When we were in Las Vegas spring of 2008, we used The Deuce extensively. We also had to take a couple of the other Vegas bus routes, and that $5 card worked on those buses, too. It was a real bargain, highly recommended.
If you are planning to go all-.pdf or have .pdfs available as an option, sign me up for that. With the wedding and baby coming, keep your expenses down in mailing to Canada.
No problem seeing American stations here…the change to digital here is a ways off, not sure when. That won’t affect me much, for I don’t watch much television to begin with. I’ve heard something about how a particular station, say a Channel 4, can also have a Channel 4.1 for all sports or 4.2 for all weather or 4.3 for all movies? That would be new here.
All done for the moment…we had a grand Canada Day here, and I hope your July 4 was spectacular. Now for some hot summer, I hope. Take care, and see you next issue. Hugs to Nancy!
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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03:31 pm
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Loc on The Fek'lhr You Know Vol. 11, No. 7 (Joe Casey, ed.)
Dear Joe:
Got Vol. 11, No. 7 of Fek’lhr, and I’m going to make it fast. With only five pages, I don’t think I have a choice.
Hope both you and Maj are okay. The bylaw in Toronto against pitbulls still stands, but one local station noticed that the bylaw hasn’t been enforced. Now with the light being shone on the bylaw department, the pitbulls, and their owners, are in hiding. You’re right, the Human Rights Commission is going overboard, but I think if they didn’t they’d spend most of their time fighting lawsuits that may prove frivolous, but would clog up valuable time judging on real cases. I’ve seen Levant act like a jerk on television, but his complaint here seems to be valid.
Comments on the Penguins winning another Stanley Cup? I thought the Red Wings were going to do it again, but the Penguins fought back and grabbed it away. We just need to teach Sidney Crosby a lesson or two about showing some humility and not letting the ego escape, but otherwise, a good result this year.
Summer’s getting hot, and this is the last time of year I’d want to wear a suit, but I have… June 30 was a second interview with edCetra Training, a software website/DVD training company. I am hoping to get this job! This might finally be the season where we’re both fully employed. Stranger things have happened.
In a week and a half, it’s Polaris 23. We’ll be there to see old friends and have some fun, I hope. Then, about a month after that, is the Worldcon in Montreal. Mixed feelings all around right now.
Time to go. Hope your Canada Day was a lot of fun, and take care; hope to see you some time this summer.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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02:52 pm
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Loc on Space Cadet Gazette 13 (R. Graeme Cameron, ed.)
Dear Graeme:
It's good to see another Space Cadet, issue 13 this time, and a loc is coming your way right now.
Good cover, the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing is approaching. For a long time, we've been asking the question, if we can put a man on the moon, why can't we put a man on the moon now? Some of the tech has been forgotten or lost, and some tech may have to be reverse engineered. I guess we're too busy waging war to spend money on the space programme, and the recession doesn't help, either. Can we go to space and stay green?
A shame to shut down WCSFAzine, but I understand. A regular monthly schedule makes a hobby seem like work, and you shouldn't do that to yourself...unless you really want to. Do what you want, when you want to, and you'll do a better job. No stress, no guilt.
I haven't seen much of Alex von Thorn or Marah Searle-Kovacevic lately, so I guess they've been busy on various projects, including ConComCon 16. I'd like to read how it went.
Conspiracy theories, while nonsense, are fun to read. Some of the theories around how NASA faked all the moon landing are insane, and I enjoyed a past episode of Mythbusters which busted all those theories. We really did walk on the moon, and I wish it were possible to return. There are plans to go back to the moon and to Mars, but China may lead the way. (By the way, one movie I remember well was Capricorn One, with O.J. Simpson and Sam Waterston, about how NASA faked a Mars landing, and how the US government tried to kill the astronauts who threatened to expose the fakery.)
(I see Scott Patri's drawn an astronaut finding a Kilroy marker on a moonscape/soundstage. How do I know? The astronaut isn't wearing gloves...)
Those of us support the space programme, wither actively or passively, must wonder at those who actively try to discredit it. What do they get out of it? They really achieve nothing; they say they're looking for the truth, but really want their own truth. Barbara and Casper...could they be people who worked in Mission Control? Why do they call it common sense when it seems to be so uncommon?
Space models...these days, it seems to be making models from popular movies and television shows. Other than the space shuttle, and perhaps the ISS, we have no real space ship models to recreate. I never had any models when I was growing up...too expensive for any kid who got 50 cents a week as allowance, if I was lucky. There are still chapters of the IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society) here and there, but they are not as busy or visible as they used to be.
Your Retro Film Reviews certain add life (and sarcasm) to craptacular movies I might laugh at, and pass by. The exploration of their crapitude is more than enough for a fun article, even if they are old movies no one would want, and movies that are long past their best before date. The genre movies...I have seen Just Imagine (you're right, it's horrible).
LeAmber Kensley is the CUFF delegate for this year at Anticipation. Our computer broke down just after my birthday, and when we got it back about two weeks later, Lance Sibley had announced the voting period of two weeks, and it ended as I got back on line. There were no paper ballots, and two weeks just wasn't enough to run a proper vote. So, Yvonne and I were two of LeAmber's nominators, but never had the chance to vote. I hope she will leave more time for nominations and voting the next time we do this.
My job hunt goes ever onwards...June 30 saw the second interview with a company called edCetra Training. If I get the job, I will be doing quality control for a variety of web-based and DVD-based training courses created especially for our clients. Fingers are crossed, mostly because I think a local friend has also applied for the same job. She could use the job, I'm sure, but I really need it right now. Prospects aren't the best. There may shortly be a strike at the Globe and Mail, but I don't think that will affect me much.
Has Alyx taken an editorial look at your short story? Has she offered any revision-type criticisms? I am going to fold this up, fire it off to you, save it to LJ, and get started on more writings...I'm so far behind. Take care, see you next time.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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01:44 pm
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Loc on SFC Update Vol. 1, No. 6 (Warren Buff, ed.)
Dear Warren:
I think all the e-mail pluggage is cleared up...did you send me a large e-zine? If you did, send it to lloyd.penney@email.com instead. In the meantime, I do have issue 6 of the SFC Update.
Great con flyer...how was Hypericon and the DSC? Haven't heard any reports yet.
Many thanks for your good words, Warren. I am still having fun with writing locs, storing them on my LJ, and seeing how many I can produce. I hope I can add some quality to the quantity. Anime North came and went, and even non-anime fans like us had a good time because of the variety of costumes, and even non-anime activities. The steampunk fashion show was great fun. If you have fanzines for the fanzine lounge, bring them along for sale or reading or takeaway, and I'll take you up on your offer of help in the fanzine lounge.
I do remember the original Dark Shadows, seeing it occasionally on ABC television, but I remember more the dedicated fandom that sprang up around it. Clubs, fanzines, conventions...don't recall the comic books, though. The Comics Code restricted so many publications; I suspect that so many themes that were prohibited as obscene or dangerous to children in the 60s would be seen as quaint in this more sophisticated era. Was Barnabas Collins a tortured soul like SpiderMan, perhaps? A comprehensive article, well done.
Yesterday was a fun day for us here...Canada Day is July 1, and yesterday was the country's 142nd birthday. Parties, parades, fireworks, all of that and more, and a day off in the middle of the week. A very good time. Also, two days ago was a second interview with a corporate software training company, and I am hoping. Funniest thing is that a friend of mine may also have interviewed for the job...guess I'll find out in a week or so.
Off this goes to you...if you do have a regular issue of the SFC clubzine on hand, send it to my Gmail account, and it will get through. Allstream is being very picky these days, but at least they tweaked my account so that large files will be held back without plugging up my account entirely. Take care, have a great summer, and see you in Montreal...next month!
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:19 pm
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Loc on The Drink Tank 214 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:
Hey! Finally getting on with this! Time’s been crazy, got some voice work done, and a first and second interview with a software training company. The locs went right out the window, but they have boomeranged back, and here’s a loc on the late, lamented and resurrected Drink Tank 214.
Lost all that art…well, I hope it comes back, too. When our computer bit the big one a couple of weeks ago, not only was it repaired, but with our OK, now has a 250Gb backup, ready to save our documents and artwork every few months or so. So, we gotta remember to back up, too. However, not all of our software was recovered. Know anyone who could give me a free copy of PhotoShop 5?
I talked a little bit to Jack Speer in Vegas, but I think I needed someone to introduce us properly to him. So, sitting out front of the Plaza Hotel was the last time I saw him. We’d like to meet all the personalities in fandom, but time and money, not to mention distance, never allow for it. We keep them alive by remembering them.
Frank Wu echoes our feelings about the new Trek movie. Yes, Jim Kirk is a jerk, and he is banished to a snow planet…who didn’t think Hoth? Kirk was promoted too fast, indeed, and there are major changes to the Trek canon, with some semi-plausible explanation. Vulcan go bye-bye… Oh, well, it’s another Trek movie, but the reset button has been pressed, and this isn’t your father’s Trek.
My loc…who were those three Canadians at that Eaton Conference? I might know them. The Toronto Steampunk Society is having another event, but once again, it’s out in the open. There are some hotels that have some Victorian or Edwardian décor; I’d happily go to a tea there… More and more Girl Genius, near the end of Book 4.
I remember when Chaz Boston-Baden had his own catastrophic disk failure some time ago…he spent some cash taking his hard drive to a disk recovery shop, and he got not much sympathy, and far too many people telling he should have had everything backed up. You got off pretty good…guess the techies didn’t get wind of your crash.
Anyway, about done here, and I will get this to you PDQ. Tomorrow is Canada Day!, a holiday here in the middle of the week. 142 years ago, this country was created. I can hardly wait for the sesquicentennial in 8 years. Anyway, a little time off is good for everyone. Take it easy, and happy July 4 when it comes around.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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12:51 pm
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Loc on Idle Minds 3 (Arnie Katz, ed.)
Dear Arnie and Cabal:
For something called Idle Minds, some minds have been pretty active. A third issue looks pretty good, but obviously, Ross Chamberlain drew the cover before the big news of the comic world cropped up, that Archie Andrews finally (dropped his fanzine and) proposed to Veronica Lodge. Poor Betty…in the meantime, while people recover from such an event, here’s a loc.
Fandom can provide a lifetime of friendship, activity and purpose. I have friends and acquaintances around the world, and I cannot think of any other activity I could be taking part in that would give me those same friends, etc. I love a lot of fandom, but some of it can sink into the earth. However, that part of fandom is easily ignored, and the rest of fandom is loved even more. As you say, Joyce, love seems easy to say because we misjudge its effect and strength of emotion. We love or love people, and sometimes, I wish there was a word stronger than like, but without the emotional attachments of love. Yvonne and I met in fandom, now married more than 26 years, and together for nearly 30.
Hello, Tee…I always thought The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird was an Irish traditional song. The version I’m most familiar with is The Bunclody Cuckoo, performed by the Irish Rovers in the early 70s.
Now, there’s a name I haven’t seen in a Katzine in a long time, David Gordon. We are all victims of our hormones, and sometimes, I think we’d get a lot more done if our heads weren’t in our pants. Or someone else’s pants, for that matter. At least we get to surround ourselves with the people we can most easily love, our friends, the family that we choose.
Did I have any girlfriends when I was in school? Of course not! I was too short and unathletic for any self-respecting nubile female teenager to even look at, and being a year younger than everyone else in my grade didn’t help, either. I had consigned myself to being a life-long bachelor, and then Yvonne came along, and put paid to that prediction. I can now say that I’ve been married longer than I was single.
You’ve got to have marbles in order to lose them, and I’ve always had my doubts. I remember at my grandmother’s home, whenever we’d come down to Toronto to visit, I would find alleys around the driveway. Sometimes, they’d been in the shrubs and flowerbeds, sometimes in the ruts of the driveway. I never had any idea how these great marbles would appear. They were found treasure, but then, I never really knew what they marbles were for, and there was no one to trade for them. I think I gave them to my brothers, who had even less of an idea of what to do with them.
I’ve passed the page, and I think I’m done for the moment. Now, if the computer will work, I can get this to you. Take care, see you soon.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:17 pm
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Loc on Claims Department 9 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:
Hey, it’s been a long time since I’ve locced a Claims Department! Not sure how much I can say right now (computer’s still not back from the shop), so here goes a few early morning words on issue 9.
It’s easy to say don’t take it too seriously, but times like your Dad’s death qualify, I think. I have been noticing for some time now that we all build familiar names and faces around ourselves, and as we get older, so do they, and they pass away. David Carradine died recently, for example. Yes, we watched his television work, but there’s another familiar name or face gone. Forry passing on, Chester Cuthbert, more and more people in our sphere of popular culture, it’s tough to deal with, and our consolation is everyone is going through the same thing. For as long as we’re on this planet, enjoy the people around you and make new friends, especially younger than you are. I hate the idea of being old and alone, so being surrounded by friends would be my way to leave this earth.
Thrift stores are great fun; sure, there’s lot of garbage, but the challenge is to find the gems in the gravel. In my area, there’s a chain of thrift stores called Value Village, and I have found some great clothes there. There’s also the local Salvation Army, Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul stores, but Value Village is best, at least for what I’m looking for.
Head office for Cirque de Soleil is in Montréal, and while there are performances of Cirque all over the world, I think there’s still regular performances within Montréal. You should check first. It’s Cirque’s 25th anniversary (today!), so there may be something spectacular in Montréal around the time of Worldcon. Your friend Christian probably had to go to Montréal to get that job of his, or someone from the city came to talk to him. And, your favorite Laser Books’s head office was in Toronto, by Harlequin, the same company that produced the endless romance novels.
You’ve got quite the selection of Ditmar artwork…Dick, do you have an online gallery of your work? That gallery might as well be in this issue; well done Chris.
Quite a story with Denise and Anna. Few guys would have a great weekend story like that, I know I don’t. I’ve been lucky in that I have made up for a lack of such stories with lots of close female friends.
Well, I think I’ve done all I can here, but I’ve got The Drink Tank 214 to deal with too, so you’ll get another letter from me soon. Take it easy, see you soon.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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07:45 pm
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Loc on SF/SF 87 (Jean Martin and Chris Garcia, eds.)
Dear Chris and Jean and crew:
I’m getting an early start on this…my computer is down and in the shop, so the time I’m not spending on it is being spent writing locs. Good thing I have a computer at work. I’m getting really caught up with locs downloaded at work and writing locs on Yvonne’s old laptop. So, here’s some comments on SF/SF 87.
I read poor reviews of this year’s Baycon elsewhere, but a con is only as good as you make it. Not everything a convention plans works. I was in the chatroom when Cheryl Morgan arrived and read some of the remarks that had been made…they weren’t the best, but people were enjoying themselves, making the usual smartass remarks, taking potshots at Tall Kevin, and you, too, Chris, and Cheryl left quickly. I tried to explain what had been happening, on the chatline and on her blog, but if she read my comments, she did not comment back. Offence was not intended, Cheryl; you might just have come in at the wrong time.
Interesting to hear about a steampunk costuming panel at Baycon, I’d like to hear more. I must send you more photos from the steampunk fashion show at Anime North, and there are more events from the Toronto Steampunk Society coming up, possibly with a visit to a steam locomotive further north. Also, just saw a recommended video, the first anime movie I’ve ever bought, called Steamboy. One of the characters in the movie is the main character’s grandfather, a Dr. Lloyd Steam, so now I have ideas for my next costume.
My home computer is still in the shop, so I haven’t been able to check my e-mail for nearly two weeks. Once it comes back, I will have a lot of e-mail to catch up on, and I hope to get some information out to as many faneds as I can about getting their zines to Montreal for the lounge. Your own computer problems have put The Drink Tank 214 on hold for right now, and I look forward to it. Askance 14 was an egoboo jamboree for me… I had a column, an article and a loc in it, and I got lots of mention elsewhere. Like a Tale from the Convention!?
Tomorrow is a historic day in Canadian space history. Tomorrow, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette launches in the Endeavour heading off towards the International Space Station, and aboard is fellow Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk. This is the first time two Canadians have been in space at the same time, and Julie and Bob will meet at the ISS.
My loc…slow down? I’m just getting warmed up! The way I’m going, I might just hit 300 locs this year! I don’t think you know exactly who I am talking about, Chris, but there was someone in Toronto who staged a big Star Trek event in town, brought in Jimmy Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig and George Takei, and stiffed them all. There’s also a big annual pro convention in town that most people aren’t happy with, but they still make megabucks. They seem to be modeled on Creation. No, I don’t think I’d ever run for TAFF. I know a fan fund is for those who wouldn’t be able to afford to go otherwise, but I get conflicting signals for that. I finally did get onto the Girl Genius site, and I was enjoying the episodes right up to when my computer went down. Looking forward to getting back to it, and catching up to the current day.
Re España’s article…that’s one thing I like about steampunk costuming…after having been in costuming fandom for many years, and being told many times that any costume I might be wearing was wrong for some obscure reason, I know that with my steamy costume, it’s not wrong because it is original. This kind of costume seems to have iconic costume parts…goggles, gears and pocket watches. At Anime North, of all places, I was able to ad to my costume a magnifying glass on a chain, a gear on a chain around my neck, and a set of clip-on lenses to add to my glasses. Part of the costumer network here got us connected with a surplus store downtown; that’s where we bought our own goggles, plus a few other bits and bob for our costumes.
Chris, you’re surprised that George Takei was involved in politics and SoCal rapid transit? Many years ago, when most of the supporting cast of Trek was at a fan-run convention, George disappeared, and no one could find him. Turns out he slipped away to explore a new subway line in Toronto. About ten years ago now, we met with George at a small convention in the Buffalo area, and we got to talk to George about the Toronto subway, and subsequent additions to it. Some people thought we were hogging time with George, but we found a non-Trek topic that was his passion.
Glad you enjoyed the new Trek movie, Jean…Yvonne and I were involved with the Star Trek Welcommittee in the 1970s and 1980s. There were a costumed group attending the premiere here, but we simply went on our own, and in spite of canon changes, it was a fun, non-stop movie. If I was to have a new Trek costume, it would be one of the red cadet uniforms from the new movie. I think I’m happier with our steampunk duds
It’s the weekend!, and Yvonne and I are spending our Saturday running registration for Who Party 14, an occasional one-day Whocon held downtown. Sunday will be downtown again for the annual Woofstock, a festival of everything canine. Off this goes to you and my LJ, and see you the next time.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:01 pm
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Loc on Interstellar Ramjet Scoop June (Bill Wright, ed.)
Dear Bill:
I’m getting an early start on a lot of zines lately…the computer is in the shop, and thanks to a laptop borrowed from Yvonne, I am ploughing through a stack of zines, e- or otherwise, and I now have the June Interstellar Ramjet Scoop.
I thought that cover had some Cthulhu-like qualities. With the right software, it could be animated. Could the Groboto software do that, Dick? I have read Clark Ashton Smith, A. Merritt, HPL and the like…sometimes difficult to get through, and it does make me wonder what went on in those minds. I think they may have exhibited signs of depression.
That sad anniversary of Tiananmen Square, just a couple of weeks ago as I write. Because Cuba calls itself a communist country, America shuns it, but because China is a communist country with money, America bestows upon it its Most Favoured National status. It always comes down to money. Some are criticizing China for their reaction to dissent 20 years ago, but for the most part, money makes sure that most criticisms are muted.
My letter…Emma Hawkes will certainly get a big welcome from us. I hope all the fan fund winners can meet at one point. I refer to TAFF, DUFF and CUFF, the Canadian Unity Fan Fund. An announcement should be ready soon to see who will win CUFF, but only one candidate has made an announcement.
Barack Obama has found out that he simply can’t do all the things he wants to do; there’s just too many obstacles in his way. He is doing what he can, and doing it well. Some are disappointed in him, but I hope he will open up markets in spite of his Buy American efforts.
I could understand dealing with a recession that you may have caused, or even one that affects you directly, but this current recession comes from Ponzi schemes and pure greed on Wall Street, making trillions of dollars disappear worldwide. We’re dealing with it, too, and it indirectly caused my job to go away. I am lucky that I am still working evenings.
I hope my computer comes back soon, but in the meantime, I still have e-mail in the evenings at my office, and that’s where this will come from. Take care, see you next time.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:00 pm
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Loc on This Here... 12 (Nic Farey, ed.)
Dear Nic:
My computer is in the shop, and may be released shortly, but with a borrowed laptop from Yvonne, I am forging ahead with letters of comment, so already, here’s some comments on this Here… 12.
Any cleaning surcharge at any hotel is bullshit. All they’ll do is clean all the linens in the room, clean all surfaces in the room, as is usually done with any visit from housekeeping, and then a few chemical squirts here and there, the room is ventilated, and is back so its so-called pristine non-smoking state. All that should not cost $250, but it’s the hotel’s way of getting across to you that you shouldn’t smoke in a non-smoking room. Still, it’s a ripoff. I can understand spending $1000 at a Worldcon for five or more days at a big hotel, but I couldn’t spend that at a smaller hotel for a Corflu.
That cartoon is great, but I hope it is meant to be ironic, and not pro-smoking. No matter what the non-smoking rules are where you are, guaranteed they are a lot tougher in Toronto. It is now an offence to smoke in your car with a child under the age of 18, and tickets have already been issued.
Congratulations on the move! When does it happen? With you and Arnie creating zines, a joint effort should be interesting. Few people know about our schooling…I could add B.A.A. (Journ) after my name, but I never do, not even on my resume. And it was so long ago, too.
The local news channels will be keeping an eye on the Iranian elections. It looks like Ahmaddinejad might lose because of his repressive regime and recent remarks. Should he leave, perhaps Iranian and western relations might improve. We can hope; we could use all the normalized relations we can get.
Ridiculously removed from reality? Heck, aren’t we all? There’s nothing better or healthier for you than a temporary reprieve from the harsh realities of everyday life. I’d say that after that vacation from reality, you are better equipped to tackle that reality, and solve your problems. But, there’s always someone to tell you to stop reading that crappy sci-fi, and get your head out of the clouds, forgetting that keeping your head in the clouds is what allowed us to think of and create many of the great inventions of our time, like the computer or cellphone or most tech items.
The switch from analog to digital TV in the US happens tomorrow as I write. There must still be millions of analog TVs still out there, and shortly, there will be nearly nothing for them to pick up, unless the sets have a converter. The switch from analog to digital will happen in Canada soon, but not for a couple of years, I think, so Americans who live close to the border will probably be stuck with Canadian signals until they make that switch.
I have been told that with the current success of the new Star Trek movie, with the re-imagined plotline and deviation from canon, suddenly new Trek is cool, and old Trek is still nerdy. I’ve seen the movie once, and although I would like to see it again, I suspect once is all I’ll get. I expect the DVD will be a best-seller.
Alexis Gilliland should know that while the Russians have given up on naked women reading the news, the Canadian have not. I regularly see Naked News advertising on Craigslist for new…readers, both male and female. Naked News’ studios are somewhere in Toronto.
Fanzines a dead form…they can take any format we choose, as long as we are willing to pay for it. If I recall, a couple of local fans have a twiltone stash at home, and they could easily recreate a fanzine from the 40s or 50s. Any of us could do it, if we chose. I don’t think fanzines are a dead form, but moribund as stated. We have found other formats more usable through our advanced technology.
Ron Salomon details an old hobby of mine, radio DXing. I listened for distant stations not only on shortwave radio bands, but also AM and FM bands. Somewhere in one of our lockers, I still have all my QSL cards and letters, plus most of the assorted radio station tat picked up over the years.
My loc…as I write, I am a week and a half past 50. Still decreeping, which should be the verb form of decrepit. I have promised all that I shall grow old disgracefully, so I need to get to more conventions.
I’m done, I think. I’ve got a lot to do today, but at least I got some writing done. Many thanks, take care, and see you next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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07:59 pm
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Loc on Inca 4 (Rob Jackson, ed.)
Dear Rob:
Got Inca 4 off eFanzines.com, and many thanks for that. This should be good, a revisit to Corflu Silver and some very good times in Las Vegas. That view of Fremont Street on the front cover is unmistakable.
(Jumped to the locol…I didn’t even get WAHFed! Arrgh!! Gotta make this a decent letter.)
When we flew to Las Vegas, our layover was at Bush International in Houston. It was a bit of a maze, getting from one gate to another via the airport’s train, but the flight from Bush to McCarran was quite quick. When we got to McCarran, the first thing we went to look for was the airport’s aviation museum. Not a single staffer we talked to at the airport knew what we were talking about when we asked where it was; we stumbled across it.
We have discovered that the best way to survive such a trip away from home is to eat familiar foods, so we brought cooler bags with us, and had a simple and familiar breakfast and lunch each day. Yvonne brought some foods with her; she has food allergies that will make her uncomfortable at best, and ill at worst. Going out for some groceries occasionally kept a couple of people laughing in our faces, but not only did our stomachs thank us, we also saved a lot of money. Our good friends were the folks in the ABC store on Fremont Street. Yvonne remembered the ABC chain from the time she spent in Hawai’i with her sisters. (We did have a few meals at the buffet at the Plaza, at $7.77 a shot. It’s easy to stuff yourself, or overstuff yourself, when you want to make sure you get your money’s worth.)
Timmins and Thunder Bay? Yes, I’ve flown over them, too. And, I’ve been in them as well. I had my own Hawaiians in Las Vegas, but I blended in, and no one commented on them. We filled out our forms, offered our passports, just in case (now they are mandatory), got on a pre-arranged bus, and we got to the hotel quickly. I had Arnie’s phone number and Bill Mills’ number as well, and promptly got them mixed up. We toured a bit of the Strip, we ate lunch at the Star Trek Experience, but declined to go to it because they were charging much more than they told us on the phone. We took a tour of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, and it was a wonder to behold.
The walk at Red Rock was a good time and a hot day, but I think we needed tougher shoes than what we had. Yvonne went back up early, and found some small snakes near the parking lot. I am somewhere in the photo on page 12; that’s probably my bulk in the front. I had a fine time being a voice actor for Andy Hooper’s play, and while I had a slice of the free pizza, only certain people I know could possibly take offence at such a gift. Oh, well, they provided grist for gossip. Didn’t get to Corflu Zed, and as much as I’d like to, I can’t possibly get to Corflu Cobalt. However, Yvonne would like to return to Vegas at some point, possibly connected with a trip to the 2011 Worldcon in Reno, Nevada. We’ll see what we can save.
I think I can understand Sandra Bond’s idea…over the years, you meet people who either fade into the background or make such an impact on you, you don’t want to think about time where they might not be around. Many of these people come to fandom, have some fun, get involved, make their mark, and then gafiate and disappear off the face of the earth. I check my phone book, and see their names, and wonder where they’ve gotten to…the phone doesn’t work, and e-mail bounces, and you wonder if something’s happened in their lives to so radically take them away.
I must issue an apa-ish rae,bnc to the locol…Hugo would be pleased to know that we attended an anime convention in Toronto a few weeks ago. Anime North is the third or fourth largest anime convention in North America, about 16,000 people based on the latest figures. We were there to take part in a steampunk event, and I got to help out at several fan tables, and for non-anime fans, we did have a good time.
Time to fold it up, and send. Probably won’t be able to get to any fanzine conventions for some time, so all I can say is see you next issue, whenever that will be.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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07:58 pm
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Loc on Visions of Paradise 141 (Robert Sabella, ed.)
Dear Robert:
Many thanks for issue 141 of Visions of Paradise. This will come from my work e-address because my own computer is in the shop. It should be back in a couple of days, but I will probably need a whole day just to download and answer my e-mail.
I haven’t seen artwork from Franz Miklis in a while, and I haven’t heard from him, either. I should see if I still have a current e-mail address. Good artwork, as always.
I don’t go to many movies, either, but I am hoping to get a little time to see the newest Pixar movie, Up!. It’s been described as Pixar’s best yet, which is high praise. We’ve bought a surprising number of DVDs lately…I bought for Yvonne all five Harry Potter movies, and we recently purchased Steamboy (combination steampunk and anime), Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and a documentary on SF moviemakers called The Sci-Fi Boys.
I didn’t get many books when I was little, even though I could ready from a precocious age. I guess even then, books were comparatively expensive. I remember my earliest books were cartoon books, like Peanuts and B.C., plus the series of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! paperbacks. I wish I’d had books like the Oz series. Coming from a French-Canadian household, Yvonne grew up with Tintin and Asterix et Obelix.
There’s nothing I like more than having a wall of books. Yvonne and I have had that for most of our married lives. Because the computer’s in the shop, I am in the living room working on Yvonne’s laptop, and I can see our current wall of books. It needs reorganizing and perhaps a small weeding.
Are children banned from bringing iPods and camera phones in the school in which you teach? Even now, there are efforts to ban texting while driving, and people are killed because they wander onto the road while their attention is completely taken up by their iPod or handheld game or reading something on their cellphones. Such a ban would be fine with me; I have to deal with a lot of noise coming from total strangers on the bus or subway.
I have read a ton of Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke, but there’s also Simak, Silverberg, Zelazny and Anderson, all of which I discovered afterwards. There’s still more of their works to discover and read, and recently, I’ve read Simak’s Shakespeare’s Planet, Cosmic Engineers and Ring Around the Sun, Silverberg’s Across a Billion Years and Project Pendulum, and Anderson’s Past Times. One author not listed here, but who should be, is Frederik Pohl. Just lately, I’ve read The Far Shore of Time, The Other End of Time, STAR #4, Tales From The Planet Earth and The Coming of the Quantum Cats. Classic SF, and I am always looking for more.
Just made the page, and off it goes to you, and I am nearly completely caught up. (That’s my signal for a ton more fanzines to drop on me like bricks. Once I get my computer back, I am certain that’s what will happen.) Take care, see you next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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07:57 pm
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Loc on Feline Mewsings 36 (R-Laurraine Tutihasi, ed.)
Dear Laurraine:
My computer is in the shop! I hope there’s nothing major wrong…either a major bit of software is corrupted, or I picked up a major virus, or possibly a failure in the hard drive. Fingers are crossed. In the meantime, I’m borrowing Yvonne’s laptop, and probably sending this loc to you via my work address. So, one way or the other, here are comments on Feline Mewsings 36.
Last time we moved, we went to the post office to register for an official mail redirect. It’s not cheap…I think it was $60 back then, and I think it’s now $85. It’s worth the money, but most people don’t bother with it, and they lose important mail, like bills and cheques. The observatory slab sounds promising. Is Mike going to build his own shed for winter observing? Last time I was in such a structure, it was in the middle of summer, but in the middle of nowhere, and the sights to be seen with that large telescope were amazing.
I never did see Amelie, but Audrey Tautou is a great French actress, and she co-starred with Tom Hanks in The DaVinci Code. One movie we purchased a short time ago is a true departure for us. We are not anime fans by any stretch, but we have become fans of the steampunk genre. We had recommended to us a movie called Steamboy, and when we went to search for it, we found that it is actually an anime feature. This might explain why there was the combination of steampunk and anime at our local anime convention just a few weeks past.
I’ve been on Facebook for a while now, and I have found it useful for keeping track of friends and acquaintances, plus old friends from a ways back, old friends from my beginnings in fandom, high school friends and cousins I’d lost touch with. All the other apps, the games…who has time for them? I certainly don’t.
The CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie is funny, and Yvonne watches it from time to time. You might be able to order DVDs from CBC itself. I think the website is cbcshop.ca.
I hope Nate Bucklin’s been in touch with John Purcell; I suspect he has. I was never really in touch with Minneapolis fandom beyond some who were in TAPA with me, but I did receive the last six or seven issues of Rune. Minneapolis sure had a fandom back then; I’m not in touch with anyone there right now.
Organizing my fanzines…the best I’ve been able to do is put them alphabetically by title in Bankers’ Boxes. Plus, I have three boxes of zines to be inserted in order, plus a fourth box on the go, and filling rapidly. I’ve never had the chance to purchase a fanzine collection, and I’m not sure where I’d put it if I ever got my hands on one.
My loc…Yvonne is now the head of accounts payable for Masonite Canada. Seeing you’re still building your house. You might be familiar with Masonite doors. I’m still looking, and hopeful that something will come up soon.
As I wrap up, I am yawning my head off…maybe a nap is in order. Finish it up, e-mail it, save it to my LJ, and see you soon. Sorry you won’t be in Montréal, so see you next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:12 pm
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Loc on Lofgeornost 95 (Fred Lerner, ed.)
Dear Fred:
Thank you for sending me Lofgeornost 95…good thing Yvonne has a laptop. The CPU is in the shop, and there are still zines to loc.
Those CDs your brother sent you sound interesting, but I have to wonder if Prof. Drout really teaches SF, or simply has a passing acquaintance with the genre. It’s also possible that he sounds competent enough for others to think he knows what he’s talking about. No matter, there’s no set opinions in any of this, and any of us could create similar lectures.
You mention linearity…I’ve written elsewhere that while our technology allows for a non-linear presentation of a publication, for example, a website with various pages unseen from the main page, our wetware doesn’t update nearly as fast as the software we create. We still absorb the contents of a publication better when it is presented in a linear fashion. That’s why if I can’t have a paper copy, a .pdf changes the medium, but keeps the publication’s linearity.
Google is a good tool, but there’s not yet a link to click that says “Give Me Exactly What I Want”. I figure they’re trying to sharpen those blunt instruments. I find that Google results may vary depending on the order your key search words are entered, and may also vary with time.
Much mention of The Yiddish Policeman’s Union and Anathem…both award-winning books that I have yet to read. However, I am currently making my way through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and while it is not an easy read, it is a rewarding one, and given the speed at which I am reading it, I expect it will take more than a month for me to consume it.
Driving in Montreal is truly a challenge. Finding rue Guy for the hotel that Con*cept is held in each year is a little difficult, especially seeing that much of that part of the autoroute is in a tunnel. Yvonne’s just come back from a business trip in the southern townships, to Berthierville, St-Romuald and Lac Mégantic, and driving in those areas was always difficult. Autoroute 40 is well marked, but taking secondary highways down to Lac Mégantic was a difficult drive.
Greetings to Carl Frederick, and good to see you at Eeriecon. More and more, I find that you have readers I know, and would not expect to find in fanzines. I think I am done, and will get this to you late in the evening. I will do better when the CPU comes back, fully repaired, I hope. Take care, and see you next issue, and then in Montréal.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:10 pm
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Loc on Banana Wings 38 (Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer, eds.)
Dear Claire and Mark:
My e-mail is kaput for right now, and the CPU is in the shop. Good thing Yvonne has at least an old laptop I can fire up and type up a loc to Banana Wings 38.
In some ways, it would be great to be a full-time fan, and that would give me the time to do my own zine. However…I am underemployed, and I have to look for a daytime job. I don’t want to have to deal with an office that is usually toxic, but the job pays for the good times, like it or not.
I’ve run enough conventions and worked enough trade shows to know that the average attendee will not read anything he or she might receive in the mail or e-mail when it comes to convention/trade show literature and policies. I’ve worked trade shows that announce their no children policy in every mailing, and on every page of their website, and guaranteed, at least three people will come with their children, and be outraged when their children are not admitted. As for cons, who really reads the PRs or all the pages of the website. Few do, and that’s to their loss. The tracks of programming are important to a convention, for it’s a potential learning experience, and definitely a discussion opportunity and a way to network. Yet, we all know that people are going to go to a convention to shop in the dealer’s room, and be entertained here and there, and then go home, with no intention to mingle and meet others with similar interests. They don’t seem to realize that the con offers opportunities to entertain yourself.
We’ve certainly found out that those who we had hoped would succeed us at SF conventions are not generally going to SRF cons, but to anime cons. Our own local SF con is still drawing some youth, but I think it’s mostly because cons here are seasonal (no conventions in the winter), and this con is the first one of the year.
I remember that announcement about Patterson Joseph being the next Doctor Who, and how silly the whole thing looked when it was proved completely wrong. Was it Stephen Hunt making this announcement, or Joseph being proactive and hopeful as to his future. Did Joseph ever release a statement after he was not chosen?
Publishers going under or reducing their published books, SF bookstores closing down, SF magazines reducing frequency…the whole SF industry looks to be in bad shape. Robert J. Sawyer has gone on record as saying he believes SF to be a 20th-century literature, but possibly not for the 21st…worth an article or discussion? I’ve seen the phrase “end of an era” several times; is the whole thing the end of our genre? The end of our fandom?
The Greg Pickersgill article makes me wonder, and I may sound oldphartish over this… the physicality of books gives it value in many minds, including mine. Do we feel that an e-book of the same novel has the same value? We can put dozens of e-books on an SD card or USB drive. Dozens of books take up a lot of space, but we like seeing those books. Those dozens of e-books can hang off a lanyard or key chain. Same value? If we were able to reach those numbered fandoms and fans of the 1940s and 1950s, would they recognize us as fans? Probably not, but then we got the same reaction from fans we first met when we were neos. If fandom exists in 2020, for example, would they recognize us as fans? Probably not. We have to remember that the world changes, the technology changes, and perhaps even the content changes. If we demand that all of this remain static, then we betray the literature we claim to love, and ignore the reality of the world moving on.
I have enjoyed taking part in the fan lounge webcasts on Ustream, even if it’s only the chatline part of it…I’m still on dial-up, at least when the computer’s working. Peter’s been able to make it work, but I don’t have the tech or the knowledge. I also suspect that Peter is right, that I won’t be able to get any web access for the fanzine lounge in the Palais de Congres, but I am still waiting for some official response from Anticipation about what the lounge will look like. If nothing else, there will be an evening lounge in a private suite at the Delta.
I have chaired conventions, but certainly nothing on the scale of an Eastercon. It is difficult to earn the loyalty of your committee, but not impossible. After a career of 25 years working on cons, and then a couple of years of retirement, I am returning to the committee to assist the chairman with loyalty and money problems, and help out with the dealer’s room and flyer distribution. Guess I can’t get it out of my system, and I think I will enjoy the convention that much again because I’ve helped to stage it.
The locol…I know how much it costs to get this fanzine to Canada, and I do appreciate the effort and cost, and ta. I think that like most of us who have been involved in fanzine fanac for many years, a paper copy would be great, but I don’t want those costs to get in the way, so should the costs get to the point where they might stop you producing BW, that’s when I’d take a .pdfed copy.
Animal stories…I should have included a story from my school days. I was a little kid perpetually picked on, and I had to watch out for just about anyone bigger than me. I rarely had anything to laugh at when I was in school, but the one day I had a huge laugh was the day one of the neighbourhood dogs near my school wandered into the schoolyard, as it would usually do, and casually urinated on the pant leg of the school bully. I had to run like the wind, but I had my laugh, and he wasn’t so tough after that.
Hello to Fred Smith…Hogtown is a nickname for a part of Toronto from probably 125 to 150 years ago. There are other parts of Toronto with other nicknames, or the city took over incorporated small villages over the years…there’s Mimico, Rosedale, The Junction, New Toronto, Eatonville (that’s the part of Etobicoke I live in), Cabbagetown, Corktown, there’s quite a list.
And hello to Curt Philips. We seem to have a lot in common besides having turned 50. I have always thought that the social aspect of fandom was the best thing about it, and that I cannot think of anything I could do with my time and effort that could give me the worldwide friends and acquaintances that fandom has given me. I’m fortunately to have found it.
Shelby Vick reveals a secret vice…and I will too. Antiques Roadshow is a programme I enjoy watching, and it is shown on the CBC here. Not only do we watch the original, but we sometimes watch the American version, and there is a Canadian version that ran for a few years. I swear that most people in the US didn’t know about this show until Morley Safer decided to make fun of it on the US newsmagazine 60 Minutes.
Good to see Andreas Davour here…Andreas and Anna now attend the afore-mentioned convention whose committee I’ve returned to. Murray Moore must be getting tired of delivering envelopes of fanzines, but my thanks to him for getting to places I can’t.
This letter has gone on far longer than I expected, so I will wind it up and get it ready to go. It will be from me, but from my evening work address; our CPU is officially in the shop, and I hope it will be back in a few days. I will have a lot of e-mail to download. Take care, and thanks for yet another enjoyable issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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09:09 pm
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Loc on Ansible 262 & 263 (Dave Langford, ed.)
Dear David:
Time to catch up again, this time on the May and June Ansibles, issues 262 and 263.
262…It would seem that any place that might still have a science fiction book store would consider themselves lucky. Toronto still has Bakka-Phoenix Books, but I can’t see that store making any money.
Heard about the death of J.G. Ballard here, mainly because the move based on Crash that David Cronenburg directed…today, heard about the death of David Carradine in a hotel room in Bangkok.
Are you thinking of going to Corflu Cobalt, Dave? Unfortunately for me, most Corflus have been some distance away from me, and I can’t usually get to them. Yes, there was a Corflu in Toronto a couple of years ago...wish there were more that were closer.
I’ve read in several places that somehow, given how those others see us, old Trek is still geeky and nerdy, while new Trek is cool. It could be that modern actors are taking the old roles, but still, the line between nerdy Trek and cool Trek is very thin. Perhaps there’s another generation of Trekfans yet to come, without the rancid t-shirt and bulging belly? The end of Starlog Magazine is a source of sorrow for many people I know, given that the magazine had been around for so long, and it was one of the first magazine you’d see in most comic shops around the Toronto area. Shouldn’t be too surprised…I look at magazine and book industry websites nearly every day, and the news is almost uniformly bad…layoffs, firings, magazine and publisher shutdowns, imprints being closed, frequency being reduced.
263…It’s easy to think the worst of Harlan Ellison in refusing that award from his home town, but the award seemed underfunded, and the organizers may not have realized Ellison’s status and fame. I might do the same. And, Cleveland and Sherman Oaks aren’t exactly a short drive apart.
I’ve had discussions with journalists about attitudes towards Star Trek fans, how they perpetuate stereotypes, in direct conflict with their goal to present fact instead of fiction or opinion. I told them holding on to this stereotype misinforms the public, and they have carried it on until most consider it fact. Most of them smiled, and said they had no idea what I was talking about. I expect that we won’t change the collective hive mind of the press until Trek, and we, are long gone.
A little bit of news, cleared by Jim Mann…Yvonne and I have been asked to hand out a silver Hugo at Anticipation, and it will be for Best Fan Writer. Who knows, we may be on the phone with Martin Hoare waking you up in the middle of the night…
I am done, and feeling a little toasty. The best cure for that is that is First Thursday, so pubnight is tonight. I am having e-mail problems at home, so this won’t be e-mailed out until I get to work at the Globe and Mail tonight. Nevertheless…take care, and my best to Hazel.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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09:07 pm
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Loc on Vanamonde 783 - 787 (John Hertz, ed.)
Dear John:
Thank you once again for another five issues of Vanamonde. Issues 783 and 787 are here; time for another letter.
Notes on the envelope…I hoped that this might happen, and now it has…Yvonne and I have been asked to present a Hugo. I believe it will be for Best Fan Writer. So, I would like to ask you about how formal I might be on stage. In asking Jim Mann about a dress code, all he could say would be to “dress well”. So many others have gone on stage in t-shirt and jeans; I can and want to do better than that. No worries about Yvonne; she actually has a tuxedo, and plans to wear that on stage.
Also, I am finding there might be so much I can and cannot do in the fanzine lounge for Anticipation. I have tried to get some conversation going on the subject among those interested, but there’s been no response, and right now I am having e-mail problems, and the computer will have to go in the shop as soon as Yvonne returns from her business trip in Québec. If you have back issues of Vanamonde you’d like to sell or give away, please do bring them along. If you would like to donate cash to TAFF or DUFF or any other fan fund, I could handle it, but TAFF delegate Steve Green should be there, and you could probably just give him the cash.
783…Both science and theology comes from efforts of logic based on observations. Both have been built up over the centuries in an effort to make sense of the world around us. Science intends to make sense of the world around us; theology intends to make sense of the world with God in it, and as best as it can without really knowing the will of the Lord. Too many theologians, and indeed, televangelists, assert that they know the will of the Lord, often in an effort to build a personal empire and power base. Thus is the genesis of today’s religious extremists, to raise themselves in the eye of God, at least according to the way they see Him.
I follow some web comics, like Namir Deiter, Wapsi Square, Zortic, Arthur King of Time and Space, RaineDog and Phil Foglio’s Girl Genius, but they are naturally slow because the can be produced only so fast, and are put on their website as soon as the strip or page is done. Web comics also come to an end, like A Doemain of Our Own and Ozy and Millie. They have been a lot of fun, and there must be tens of thousands of web comics, so as like anything else on the web, you could devote far too much time to them.
784…Economics the way they are, and worse over the past six months or so, I completely understand why a fanzine editor would want to eliminate the time and expense of producing their publication. Time, because it’s taking more time to make the money, and expense, because why spend if you don’t have to. At least with producing your zine as a .pdf file, you have the benefit of a linear publication on your screen instead of in your hands. We deal better with linear publications, especially those of us who grew up with magazines and newspapers. There’s so much complaining about e-zines; I say deal with it. It’s not so difficult to split your computer screen with a .pdf above, and Word below. Even at this date, I am often the only one who will take the time to loc an e-zine.
Fans in their 80s and 90s are definitely to be honoured. I am pleased to say that we’ve received some honour after our 26th wedding anniversary on May 28, and my 50th birthday, just a couple of days past on June 2. Earlier this month, Yvonne and I attended our local anime convention, Anime North. We are not anime fans, but we still found much to do and enjoy, especially with friends close by. We all know that our successors, those we hoped would run the SF conventions so we wouldn’t have to, do not come to our conventions, but do come to anime conventions. Anime North’s attendance was around 17,000 warm bodies.
(I see Fred Patten’s string of consecutive ¡Rábanos Radiactivos!s has come to an end. There’s something else that should be honoured.)
785…I was never attracted seriously into comics because I found them like soap operas. We all want unbounded imaginations, especially when our own might be a little lacking. Perhaps we’re disappointed when the imagination of the writers may be as limited as our own.
I believe that fanzines are among the foundations of our fandom, but we have built upon those foundations over the years. While we have risen high, some of us have forgotten what our foundations are all about. Too few would descend from the heights we’ve risen to, to explore those foundations, and perhaps understand fandom a little better.
786…Comics didn’t really interest me, but I would never say that they are for illiterates. Comics and books express ideas to the reader in different ways; good illustration can be as informative as good writing. If indeed illiterates were to obtain and enjoy comic books, perhaps they might want to learn to read to find out more about the story at hand. The word bubbles are there for a reason. I think Jean-Pierre Normand would be thrilled to see you list him along side Bonestell, Freas and Di Fate.
I am finding that with the increasing interest in steampunk, and all it entails, such as Victorian dress with a few changes, and some more technology and machinery, it is indeed possible to dress well in a fannish way. At Anime North, we participated in a fannish steampunk fashion show. Yvonne created an airship pilot’s costume for herself, while I put together a railway conductor’s uniform.
787…I knew that Geordie Howe was a Vancouver fan, but did not know that he was starting to travel to conventions further afield. Good for him. We should travel as best as we can, and as best as we can afford. Not far from my home is a great bakery called Dimpflmeier’s, with a large outlet store. They sell my favorite bread, light rye with caraway seed. Delicious, and I found, very tasty toasted with some butter and peanut butter.
I think that I am done…the Montreal Worldcon is but two months away, and there is still much to do. Thank you for more to read, and we shall see you in August.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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07:53 pm
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Loc on BCSFAzine 433 (Felicity Walker, ed.)
Dear Felicity:
Time to respond to another BCSFAzine, and with some luck, this response to issue 433 might even make sense. If not, it won’t make much of a dent in the IN box.
Yes, I like the idea of having virtual adventures by being beamed into a remote pattern buffer, and possibly living a lifetime before being beamed out to resume the actual life you have. Such experiences you could have, and still have a lifetime to enjoy. Subjective time could be conquered. It’s fun to discuss SFnal ideas, isn’t it? Exercises the leetle grey cells. Some of the shows on television more accurately show that even with the characters we’ve grown to love and respect, or despise, they are not all white or black, but various shades of grey.
My loc…Anime North has come and gone, and even not being an anime fan, I had a good time. Not every bit of merchandise in the dealers’ room was anime, hurray for that, and the steampunk fashion show was a very good time. If we have ever wondered where our successors have gotten to, they do not come to science fiction conventions, they come to anime conventions. Attendance was estimated at about 17,000. Yvonne and I spent most of our time helping out at the Ad Astra fan table, plus the Astronomicon table (annual convention in Rochester, New York). About half the attendees were in costume, and many of those costumes were anime-style skimpy, which provided an awful lot of eye candy for everyone.
I met the organizer of the Central Canada Comic Con at Anime North…he said that this was the 13th convention of the year for him, promoting CCCC. I hope he makes the convention work. The Trek movie continues to do well in the box office, and I think I read it was the first movie of 2009 to cross the $100 million box office barrier. I’ve wanted to see it a second time, but there’s never enough time to do it. Besides, I want to see the new Pixar movie Up!.
Wish I could have gone to the Seattle Corflu, but I felt a little on the outside looking in at the Corflu in Las Vegas last year. By extension, I’d like to go to Corflu Cobalt in Winchester, England next year, but that won’t happen, unless 6/49 burdens me with untold wealth.
June 2 was my 50th birthday, and I have decided to grow old disgracefully. Got to have something to look forward to. Our next convention will be in about a month; Polaris 23 should be a good time. Again, we will have a table to sell assorted goodies culled from our collection.
All done, and I think that’s enough for the moment. I am having some computer problems at home, so good thing I have a Gmail account to fall back upon. Take care, off this goes to you and my LJ, and see you soon. Have a great summer, everyone.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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07:52 pm
[Link] |
Loc on Siddhartha 3.4 (Ian Williams, ed.)
Dear Ian:
Many thanks for Siddhartha 3.4. A quick scan here says to me that I may not be able to write much about the contents, with the show discussed being completely unfamiliar to me, but I will write what I can.
I think that last television show that caught my attention enough to want to follow it devotedly was Babylon 5, and that was more than 10 years ago. Some of my friends here rave over Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica, but the latter never caught my attention at all, while working evenings has made sure that I’ve never seen any of the new episodes, and Matt Smith is all set to take over the TARDiS.
Nope, I’ve never even heard of Skins. It may be a while before it gets over to this side of the Atlantic, and then it may go onto a subscription channel. We watch so little television, and we don’t subscribe to anything above the basic channels. If something special happens in the lives of the characters in this show, it should have a substantial audience. I find one of the frustrations of modern youth is that very little happens in their lives. Their parents cannot relate to them because so much that their parents took for granted are not in the kids’ lives. We bicycled, delivered newspapers, traveled at whim…today, bicycles are very expensive, and they need helmets, pads and licences; newspapers are delivered by adults only, and no one travels at a whim anymore, especially after 9/11. I think I’d be frustrated, too.
I’m not entirely unsympathetic to youth…because of diet and estrogenic chemicals in the environment, children are physically maturing earlier and earlier, but seem to mentally maturing a little later. That results in a child’s mind in an adult body, and not knowing what to do with sudden curves and urges. It’s also a time of self-discovery, to find out what turns your crank, to find out of you are homo- or hetero-. There’s conflict between keeping such discoveries secret, or wanting to blurt it out to the world. (Yvonne and I watched both British and American versions of Queer As Folk. Not only was that a fine show, but educational for the masses, I’d hope. The American version was shot in Toronto, by the way.) Attempted expressions of love and other deep emotions are awkward, and we remember our own first expressions, but the deepest expressions are often pure words from the heart.
One other frustration for the youth of today is that they are hammered by the admonition to shape up, grow up and act right. Well, growing up is what they’re doing, as fast as they can, and when it comes to acting right, their parents are providing some pretty poor examples to follow. Parents should be saying, “Act better than we do”, but kids don’t know enough to do that.
Should this show ever show up on Canadian television, and I expect that it will at some point, I’m not sure I’d watch it. Personally, I find that watching fictional problems in a movie or television programme simply allows you to ignore your own real problems, or keeps you away from dealing with the responsibilities of your own life. That may be the best reason I watch so little television.
Thanks for this issue; hope to see 3.5 soon.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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