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5511 discussions

In Space, No One Can Discuss The Weather ...
by Sally Manton 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

One other point I thought of when answering Natasa's essay, was something that I have noticed both in my own writing (what little there is) and others ... how very *very* difficult it is to imagine most of these people carrying on a simple, non-rebellion-or-survival-or-some-such-plotty-thing conversation. I mean, just think about the nine of them in the various groups that got flung together ... what the *hell* did they all find to talk about with each other when we and Zen-cam weren't there to watch?!?!? There must be *hours* and *hours* and *days* when the Revolution/Federation/etc is on the virtual back-burner, and they all have to drop into the normal interaction of people who *live together* for years. For instance (and all IMO, obviously) Avon and Blake aren't too hard, they do share a similar background, have the nearest intellectual compatibility and a shared enjoyment in 'the verbal arts' - but while I do see Blake and Vila as drinking companions, it is *not at all* easy to think of what they'd talk about while drinking. Dayna and Soolin seem to have an almost girlfriend-y relationship at times (okay, breif and fleeting times, but it's there) and Avon and Vila have their pretend-slanging-match thing that they fall into so easily that one suspects it's almost unconscious (they also have common interests - money, for one, and how to get it non-legally). But what on *earth* might Cally and Jenna, or Cally and Tarrant, or Gan and Avon, or Dayna and Vila, find to talk about on the off-hours? Any suggestions? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

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Re: [B7L] The view from the top
by Tony Nolan 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

Hi, You may find that the view is a fixed projection, rather than a window. None of the ships ever had a real window, but always a projection in some way, on a view screen. You couldnt afterall have the surpreme comander, president. etc. at risk from a bit of broken glass and the valcum of space. If the view was in motion rather than static, it may have caused space sickness, and im not sure she woudl like vomit on her floor, in that pretty white room. regards tony

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Re: [B7L] The view from the top
by Nic Mayer 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

From: Andrew Williams <awilliams(a)daikin.com.au> > Okay, so why is it that if Space Command is a rotating space station (or > series of stations, as has been suggested), the view out of Servalan's > window is always static? Maybe the station's rotating so slowly you can't see the stars move - after all you can't see them move from here. Nic General (USMC) - Danny's Girls www.paranoidangel.freeserve.co.uk Doppler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

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RE: [B7L] The view from the top
by jacquispeel＠netscape.net 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

"Andrew Williams" <awilliams(a)daikin.com.au> wrote: > >Okay, so why is it that if Space Command is a rotating space station (or >series of stations, as has been suggested), the view out of Servalan's >window is always static? > >Andrew. > >- - - - >"In the Iran-Iraq war, Iran has issued a statement accusing Iraq over >Irans' denial of Iraqs' allegation that Iran has lied about Iraqi planes >attacking Irani positions on Iraqi territory occupied by Iran. Experts >on both sides are studying the statement." - Max Headroom >- - - - Apropros the I-I remark - apparently an editor on a 'national newspaper' asked 'Iran Iraq - what's the house style?' Jacqui __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/

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RE: Re: [B7L] Orac and pronouns
by jacquispeel＠netscape.net 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

Harriet Monkhouse <hflysator(a)jarriere.demon.co.uk> wrote: >Iain replied to me: >>> I really think eponym is a fairly large blanket. >> >>No, that's 'duvet'. Eponym is something quite different. > >I'm a bit worried if you can't distinguish sheep from geese. >-- >Harriet > >"Would you like me to go and stick my head in a bucket of water? I've gotone ready." - Marvin, HHGTTG My original comment was that as a specific word had been created for 'names from places' why not 'names from things/ideas etc' - these might be 'useful words' Jacqui __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/

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RE: Re: [B7L] The view from the top
by jacquispeel＠netscape.net 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

Harriet Monkhouse <hflysator(a)jarriere.demon.co.uk> wrote: >Andrew wrote: >>Okay, so why is it that if Space Command is a rotating space station (or >>series of stations, as has been suggested), the view out of Servalan's >>window is always static? > >They found that the rotating view made people (or at any rate, Servalan) >space sick. So what you see isn't really a window at all - it's a >screen which always projects the same sector of the sky outside. >-- >Harriet > Or - it is the view from her home planet/a prediction from Orac so she knows where not to go Jacqui __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/

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Re: The view from the top
by jacquispeel＠netscape.net 16 Aug '01

16 Aug '01

Iain Coleman <ijc(a)bas.ac.uk> wrote: > > >On Wed, 15 Aug 2001, Alison Page wrote: > >> The Liberator appears to have artificial gravity, but that could be Alta >> technology. The pursuit ships seem to have it too, and they are Federation. >> The scientific research station (forget name) in 'Breakdown' doesn't spin >> does it? I'm blanking out on Space Command. Are we sure it spins? > >It either spins, or is consistently filmed from a rotating camera. > >> >> I think that if you have artificial gravity you can get by with much lower >> tech in respect of everything else that you do. > >I don't understand what you mean by that. > >Iain > Perhaps the reason why Avon can shove the bit of neutron star in Shuttle the last foot or so is that the artificial gravity 'fades out' near the door - the fragment of star then just moves under momentum (and how was the bit of neutron star obtained in the first place - slightly difficult to 'mine' I would imagine) Jacqui __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/

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Re: [B7L] Re: Location, Location, Location
by Marian de Haan 15 Aug '01

15 Aug '01

Betty wrote: >Avon as literal bastard is an idea you see a lot in fanfic, and it seems like a pretty plausible one to me. The man obviously has a chip on his shoulder that's been there for a very long time, and having grown up under some kind of social stigma, or in a disadvantaged social position due to something like illegitimacy could certainly explain it.< Only if illigitimacy causes a social stigma or disadvantage in the Federation. We have no canonical evidence for or against that, but considering the tolerant attitude to unmarried couples, I would assume that illigitimicy doesn't carry the stigma it did until recently in our Western societies. Marian

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The Human Factor
by Judith Proctor 15 Aug '01

15 Aug '01

I listened to part two of Invasion of the Daleks last night - it's called 'the Human Factor' It's got a lot going for it, and has some particular resonances for B7 fans. It's raising serious questions: Is collaboration with an enemy justified if it saves lives? What price are you willing to pay to for a revolution to succeed? This story does't duck the issues, it's facing them head on. The joy of the 4 CD format is that it's allowing the story to go at its own pace, rather than trying to pack everything into four half-hour episodes. It allows for slower pacing and for more time to examine the issues. Having said that, there's also plenty of action, planetary invasions, and occasional humour (and one minor character who totally fails to work for me), but for me, the real appeal of this series (apart from Gareth) is the questions it is starting to raise. Sometimes fiction allows us to ask the questions that are almost too sensitive to raise in real life. Does anyone remember 'The Bridge over the River Kwai'? It's many many years since I saw it, but some related issues are surfacing here. Where does the line lie between survival and collaboration, between hope and despair? What's right, what's wrong? If you've argued long and hard with regard to whether Blake was right to want to destroy Star One, then you may well find this CD interesting (but don't buy it on it's own, you need 'Invasion of the Daleks' as well as that starts the story and leads to the situation in the second CD), but I'd recommend it as a good story in any case. It's ironically entertaining to hear Gareth's character being the one to express doubts about the price being paid for possible feeedom in The Human Factor. Kalendorf (Gareth) is a bit of a dark horse and I have one or two personal speculations about what he may do in the final CD. Right now, he wants to defeat the daleks by any means possible, but his entire back history is one of hatred for the Earth Alliance (think of him as a man bred to warfare). What will he do if Earth Alliance finally defeats the daleks? I enjoyed the first CD, but feel this is the better of the two. Copies for sale on http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7 Judith PS. The weakest Big Finish CD of those I've tried so far is 'The Sirens of Time'. It's well acted and has 3 doctors, but when the plot was finally resolved at the end, I thought the solution lacked conviction and have no desire to listen to that one again. Some of the others, I know I will come back to. -- HTTP://WWW.HERMIT.ORG/bLAKES7 - Fanzines for Blake's 7, B7 Filk songs, pictures, news, Conventions past and present, Blake's 7 fan clubs, Gareth Thomas, etc. (also non-Blake's 7 zines at http://www.knightwriter.org ) Redemption '03 21-23 Feb 2003 http://www.smof.com/redemption/

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Re: The view from the top
by Alison Page 15 Aug '01

15 Aug '01

Andrew >>Okay, so why is it that if Space Command is a rotating space station (or series of stations, as has been suggested), the view out of Servalan's window is always static? Oh, this is an apposite question to me, because I am just wrestling with the same issue in a story I am writing (non B7). In this there are two human cultures in space, one of which has artificial gravity, and the other does not. There are a lot of knock-on effects. The Liberator appears to have artificial gravity, but that could be Alta technology. The pursuit ships seem to have it too, and they are Federation. The scientific research station (forget name) in 'Breakdown' doesn't spin does it? I'm blanking out on Space Command. Are we sure it spins? I think that if you have artificial gravity you can get by with much lower tech in respect of everything else that you do. Also you can use artificial gravity in a kind of hand-waving way to get round various scientific and logical anomalies, on the basis that you can prove anything once you have believed one impossible thing before breakfast. So I'd always go for space-and-time warping and artificial gravity as one big package that lets you close your eyes to a lot of the illogical plot stuff in B7. Alison ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.mimesweeper.com **********************************************************************

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