Profgeek/John Purcell

Hmm....

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:56:32 GMT

This 1948 cartoon seems rather appropos nowadays, don't it?

nationaljuggernaut.blogspot.com/2009/09/this-cartoon-seemed-far-fetched-in-1948.html

Aggiecon update

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:34:19 GMT

I just perused the Aggiecon 41 website, and things are looking good so far. It is set for the weekend of February 5-7, 2010 at the College Station Hilton Hotel and Convention Center, and some guests have already been set. If I remember correctly, Steven Gould is one of the primary GoH's so far, and others who have indicated they will be there are Mel White, Rie Sheridan Rose, Gloria Oliver, and a few others. Below is the link to the con's website for further information. I am pleasantly surprised at the attitude and responsiveness of the con committee in getting this together. Con slogan: Night of the Living Con! Sounds good. My favorite sf convention slogan was one that Minicon had back in the 80's: "Spring Forward, Fall Over." Kathy Marschall drew a wonderful namebadge that had a spaceman face-planting in the lunar surface. Great stuff!
http://aggiecon.tamu.edu/?q=aggiecon

EGAD!

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:17:53 GMT

I am still in shock at the Twins win last night. What a great game by both teams. That was definitely entertaining, and it's sad somebody had to lose it. That was fun baseball. Now it's on to the Bronx and see if the Twins can give the Yankees some grief. I doubt if they'll win a single game in this best-of-3 playoff series, but you can never tell. I will be watching the game --- and grading papers at the same time. Gee, I can multi-task. Can you?

I wonder...

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:53:48 GMT

Has any team in MLB history ever played tie-breaker games in two consecutive seasons before? This is one possibly for the record books because that is exactly what the Minnesota Twins accomplished today: by defeating Kansas City 13-4, they forced a tie-breaker game for the AL Central Division with the Detroit Tigers to be played this coming Tuesday at 4 PM CDT in Minneapolis. So don't close the Homer-Dome for baseball just yet. Who knows? There might be at least a first round playoff game or two if the Twins defeat the Tigers Tuesday. A simply unbelieveable season ending, eh? Maia, I know you're pulling for the Tigers. As for my other baseball natterers out there, let's enjoy the game. Go Twins!

This is completely insane...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:17:05 GMT

They did it! Those crazy, never-say-die, Minnesota Twins did it just a little while ago: they beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in 10 innings (game one of a twi-night doubleheader) to pull within one (1) game of first place in the AL Central Division! This is indeed nuts. I only wish that the programmers at ESPN would get their act together and broadcast the second game tonight. I haven't checked the local cable listing yet, but as of yesterday afternoon, nothing like this was scheduled. Oh, to have Dish Network now....

GO TWINS!!

Yeesh, it's been a while since I've been here.

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:07:18 GMT

Now that Askance #16 is done and off to Bill Burns for posting, I wrote a couple locs earlier, found out the Twins lost to the Tigers, so now they're three games back with two weeks to go in the season, and watching History Channel. And the chicken I grilled (delicately seasoned and cooked whole with a foil tent over it) was quite yummy. Checking out entries, it appears I haven't been on LJ for over a month! Whow! It has been a busy semester so far. Time flies.

That, and Val and I couldn't afford to run up to DFW for Fencon VI. *fout!* Bums me out, but there's still next year, and in 2011, Fencon will be hosting DeepSouthCon. That one will definitely be on the agenda. And other good con news: Aggiecon #41 has been scheduled for early February, 2010, and in the College Station Hilton Hotel and Convention Center, so it will have a real convention feel instead of obviously on a college campus. Not that that's a bad thing, but you couldn't avoid noticing the TAMU stuff and the weird looks from students. Oh, well. It's a good move, one that pleases me.

As for baseball, we'll see if the Twins can continue to gain. After all, it's only a three game lead for the Tigers, and anything can happen, especially since the season ends with four games between the Twins and Tigers in Detroit. If the Twinkies can be within two games by the time of that series, whoo-boy! Can you say, white-knuckle time? This is where baseball gets interesting and loads of fun.

No predictions on the World Serious yet. Once the AL playoff picture is completely set, then we'll see who's favored. I would have to go with the Yankees if I was a betting man. Still, the Angels are damned dangerous, as are the Red Sox. Only a miracle would have either the Tigers or Twins getting past the first round. In the NL? I have to check the standings since I really don't follow the National League, which is too bad. Easy enough to remedy with a quick glance. But, let's not worry about the playoffs yet. I have to see if the Twins can pull this off without Crede, Morneau, Slowey, and Liriano.

Baseball Natter Alert

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:52:29 GMT

The Twins - my fave beisbol team - has been suffering from streaky pitching all season long. Recently, however, they've been showing signs of settling down, thanks to (I believe) the acquisition of veteran Carl Pavano from the Indians. As a Twin, Pavano is 1-1, but his experience should help this young starting rotation (most of them in their second year as major league starters) settle down. Liriano pitched very well in his last start, and last night Scott Baker threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Rookie Anthony Swarzak is pitching today against the Indians, so we'll see about him. In the meantime, Joe Mauer is on a tear - now batting a major league leading .375 - and three Twins hitters have over 20 home runs (Morneau [28], Mauer [21], and Kubel [20]). Additionally, Cuddyer has 19 homers, and Crede has 15 round-trippers (ya gotta love the terminology). Some definite pop in that line-up. With the White Sox and Tigers playing .500 ball lately, this is the time for this young Twins team to step up and make a move. Otherwise, it's wait for next season in their new outdoor stadium.

Elsewhere, I wonder if anybody will stop the Yankees in the AL East Division. They have been tearing up the league lately (literally the best team that money can buy), and the Angels have a sizeable lead in the AL West. AL Wild Card is between the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, but there's still a long ways to go. I really don't follow the National League that much, but I do know that the wild card race in the NL has 7 teams in the running. I'm pulling for the Giants there, if they don't take the West division. St. Louis is my pick for the NL Central - and they're doing quite well right now - and the Phillies have made a real move in the East. Once the season hits September, anybody within 4 games of their respective division lead is in the hunt. It is about to get very interesting, and I really enjoy this time of the season.

Football? Michael Vick's with the Eagles? Who cares? It's the playoff hunt in MLB, and I'm loving it.

R.I.P.: Les Paul

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:19:55 GMT

At the age of 94, a legend has passed. Les Paul - guitar innovator extraordinaire and a marvelous player in his own right - has died. All of my life I have faunched for a Les Paul standard guitar. Now I will have to get one in the man's honor. As for his music, I have an old cassette tape of him and his wife Mary Ford, their greatest hits; it's great music, still extremely listenable and fun today.
He will be missed.

all together now...

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:05:49 GMT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATE!!!

"Defying Gravity" ABC-TV, Sunday nights, 9 PM CDT

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:34:47 GMT

Well, last night's 2-hour debut episode ran from 8 - 10 PM, but this series is slated for a regular spot (starting in two weeks) at 9 PM. My immediate impressions are minimal. First of all, I was not very impressed by the writing or the acting; in fact, maybe this show should have been named Defying Gravitas since I found it hard to take the show's assumptions very seriously. Not only that, our cats can act better than this ensemble, which appears to have been assembled for the sole purpose of shtupping in zero gravity. Since when do all astronauts, male and female, appear so virile and oh-so often nekkid in a space ship? The Antares' six-year mission is apparently to boldly screw where no one has screwed before. (I forget who said that first, but it definitely applies to this TV show.)

Okay, granted, this series is set in the year 2042 AD - which for this show should stand for Astronomical Dumbness - but still: given what's going on politically and economically right now here on planet Urth, the likelihood of a multi-year, multi-planetary trek through the solar system is not very good. Speaking of "not very good," these actors and actresses need some serious acting lessons. Pretty wooden, if you ask me. The physics and design of the Antares are decent, but that's about it. My final judgment on this show shall be reserved until after I see the next couple episodes. But if those are anything like the debut episode, pray that the Antares will plunge into the sun and spare us the ignominy of an extended death scene.

In other television skiffy-ness, one of my favorite shows is back on, Eureka, and it's still a lot of fun. I like the continuing thread running through the episodes. Along the continuity line, does anybody else besides my wife and I get into Burn Notice (USA, Thursday nights, 8 PM CDT)? That show is very well-written, and the core cast is crackerjack that fires off on some real chemistry. Bruce Campbell plays a wonderful character (Sam) so beautifully tongue-in-cheeky, and Sharon Gless is a hoot as Mike's (Jefferey Donovan) mom. Gabriella Anwar as Fiona is likewise delightful, but I really dig Sam's character and the writing. By the way, if you go to the show's website http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/ you will notice that there is a link to a panel at Comic Con that Bruce Campbell was on.
Yes, this is a fun show.

Other shows of note? Well, there's Merlin on NBC Sunday nights, which is okay; SyFy's Warehouse 13 has potential, but so far has been only mildly entertaining; one of my wife's faves, Psych is back at the end of this week, Fringe is returning this fall on ABC, as is Sanctuary on SyFy. The latest issue of TV Guide has a lengthy section on the SF shows previewed, in case anyone is interested.

Of all these, my favorite is Eureka. I am glad it has been renewed for another season; 22 episodes have been ordered. That's good news so long as the writing stays fresh and they avoid falling into the trap of formulaic plots. So far, so good.

fun book!

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:47:58 GMT

As a bit of a follow-up to a much earlier LJ posting of mine, I started reading S.M. Stirling's novel The Sky People a few days ago and have been enjoying it quite a bit. This is a logical book to read since a couple months ago I read Carson of Venus (reviewed in Askance, too). The Sky People is definitely a lot of fun since it makes all sorts of assumptions about ERB's views of Mars and Venus, even Tuckerizes ERB a bit (the name of the American space ship, for example, is Carson, and there are nasty Russians involved (those nasty commie bastards)), and I've now made a mental note to check out more of his books from the library. Anybody out there have suggestions of which books of Sterling's I should read next?

Toxic Cloud Attack!!

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:27:48 GMT

This link provides a raw video of the chemical fire at the El Dorado Chemical Co. plant in Bryan, Texas yesterday that forced the evacuation of thousands of homes in Bryan. That was scaled back to about 500 homes last night, and this morning investigators are trying to figure what caused it; initial suspicion is that it was accidentally ignited by a welding spark. Those clouds - early on, they were of a brown-orange color, then turned whitish - are of burning ammonia nitrate. Fun stuff to inhale: a severe respiratory irritant. Fortunately, no severe injuries were reported; nearly everyone hospitalized last night was released; only one stayed overnight for observation.

Our home in College Station was not affected by last night's evacuation. But Blinn College (where I teach) and Texas A&M University were both closed down and evacuated yesterday afternoon; this morning things are back to normal operations at both schools.

http://www.theeagle.com/video/Bryan-chemical-fire

Are they freakin' serious ?!?

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:31:52 GMT

I was just perusing the online penultimate Anticipation program guide, and ran across a box on one of the pages that simply stated
"Minneapolis73 Worldcon. July 1-6, 2015" with an e-mail address of minneapolis73worldcon@yahoo.com. Hmm... I smell yet another hoax bid, especially since the year 2015 is something like the year 5773 on the Hebrew Calendar. I might be wrong about this last bit, but I do suspect a hoax here.

A day late, and much more than a dollar short...

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:32:30 GMT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GERI SULLIVAN!!!

Yes, a day late, I know; but we love yuz, Geri!

Last night was interesting, to say the least.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:15:22 GMT

Not only did the Twins eventually blow a 10-run lead against Oakland - found that out this morning - and lose 14-13(WTF??), but the Bryan-College Station area was under a tornado warning last night for a bit over an hour. One twister apparently formed two miles east of us and started heading off towards the Pebble Creek subdivision, where Penny's boyfriend's family lives, and we were outside for a while taking videos and pictures of another tornado trying to form a half-mile north of our house! It was fascinating to watch, and kinda stupid to be out there, but what can I say: at that time it wasn't raining, hailing, and the wind was relatively calm. All the heaviest stuff was east of us by a couple miles, and the cell we were watching eventually fizzled out, so to speak.

No damage to the old homestead, thankfully. Now it's back to our regularly scheduled lives. More storms possible tonight, they say, so we shall see what develops. Hopefully nothing like last night! I will have to plunk some of the tornado photos and video we took in here Real Soon Now.

Yeesh...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:52:03 GMT

Y'know, 100+ degree heat every single day is a fargin' beast. Here deep in the heart of SouthCentralEastern Texas, we're in the third week of such daily highs. Of course, if you compare what is considered normal around here at this time of the year - 95 degrees F - all I have to say is, "what the hell's the difference?" Not much. Still, I must paraphrase something that Randy Byers once said, this heat is a lot better than having to shovel the weather. True, that.

getting ready for the Post Offal

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:56:59 GMT

In a day or two I should be running by the Bryan Post Offal/Awful to get the first batch of hard copies of Askance #15 in the mail. If they get sent First Class mail, will that be enough time to get a few off to Lloyd for the fanzine room at Anticipation? If so, I'm gonna try to do that.

RIP, Khen Moore

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:55:10 GMT

Very sad to hear of Ken Moore's passing on June 30th. But I am having a dickens of a time finding his birthdate/birthyear. Does anybody know it? I'm culling together a quick tribute article for Askance #15 (under construction this weekend), and that info is sorely needed. I have been fortunate to find numerous wonderful photos of Khen online.

YIPPEE-SKIPPEE!!! I DONE DO'D IT!!

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:16:45 GMT

Now I'm feeling jazzed. According to the bathroom scale - which admittedly is not completely accurate,weighing in usually on the heavy side (by ~1.5 pounds) - this morning my weight finally cracked below the 180 mark: 179! For the past couple weeks I've been flirting with this, usually a pound or three over 180, but during this last week I have been a very good boy by laying off the sweets, late-night snacking, and getting some sort of exercise every day (usually taking a dog or two on a 2-3 mile brisk walk, plus every other day morning exercises, which is nothing supremely strenuous, believe me), and now I have results to show for the effort. Thing is, now I have to keep it up. My goal weight is 170 lbs, and now that's not far away. This means really good news about my blood sugar levels and all that important stuph when I get my annual exam in July.

Dang! I feel good. This calls for a donut....

Just kidding! :=)

Kenny Rankin, R.I.P.

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:56:23 GMT

I am so supremely bummed out and sad right now because I just read on the Internet that singer-songwriter Kenny Rankin died today of lung cancer. He was 69. One of my favorite albums of the 70s was his 1975 offering Silver Morning, which had some marvelous songs on it: "Birembau", Lennon and McCartney's "Penny Lane" and "Blackbird," "Killed a Cat," "People Get Ready", and the title song. The Like a Seed album was also full of great songs. His voice was so smooth and effortless, and Rankin was an exceptional guitarist. Yeesh, this is a loss.

Sun, 31 May 2009 22:26:52 GMT

This is from the Bryan-College Station, TX Eagle newspaper's website. In the seventh picture in the slideshow, the young lady in the maroon cap and gown is Josie:

http://www.theeagle.com/slideshows/view/A-M-Consolidated-High-School-graduation

Another graduated kid

Sun, 31 May 2009 03:45:59 GMT

Last night our middle child, Josie, graduated from A&M Consolidated High School. Time sure flies, don't it? One more to go -- five years from now!

stfnal chatroom etiquette

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:11:15 GMT

Well, this weekend's webfeed from Baycon was successful, even with the technical problems that plagued the system; these, though, are to be expected. Hats off to Kat Templeton for her attempts to deal with the system and the crazy folks in attendance.
The chats accompanying the fanzine lounge and Hugo panel discussion feeds were interesting and fun, and I believe something good will eventually come of them: stfnal chatroom etiquette.

See, at one point during today's Hugo panel discussion - which included Chris Garcia, Kevin Standlee, and three others whose names I forget offhand - Cheryl Morgan dropped into the chatroom, which was a pleasant surprise. Or so I thought. At just about the same time the six or seven chatroom members were zinging puns with nautical themes back and forth largely because Kevin was wearing his captain's uniform. (Aside: I am well aware that he loves that uniform, and he does look mighty sharp in it.) None of the puns - and some of them were truly atrocious, mine being among the worst - were personally aimed at Kevin, and before any of us knew it, Cheryl had bid adieu to the chatroom. Within minutes Steve Green passed along the URL to Cheryl's blog, which I read, passing along a key quote to the chatroom. Lloyd Penney commented back to her, as did I, both of us apologizing for any bad impression she had received from that brief exposure.

But Cheryl's comments deserve some worthy thought. Most of the fans who get into these fannish chatrooms do so with full knowledge of the kind of lunacy that happens there. It is one of these livestream chat's major attractions. We zing puns, jokes, comments pithy and pissy back and forth at breakneck speed; it is almost like being in a real, live consuite. Cheryl observed that these comments can be seen by anyone since they are made live on the Internet, and unless people looking in aren't In The Know, fandom could be seen as a bunch of immature, drunken yahoos who just like to act goofy. Point well taken. I can see this. In fact, historically speaking, this falls right in place with how science fiction fans have been seen and described over the decades.

Bottom line: we should watch what we say, even though virtually everything said in these convention chatrooms is done with absolutely no malice intended. It is a good thing that Ustream does have a censor function that prohibits foul language. In essence, Cheryl Morgan is advocating that we should attempt to censor our comments.

Now that is going to be hard to do. We can each do our parts, but fannish nature is to not take everything super-seriously. I will try not to make stupid puns in the future that could be taken offensively. That's an admirable attitude. But will others follow my example across the board? Will other fans take heed of Cheryl's warning? These are two good questions. Science fiction fans will unfortunately be fans, and so stupid things will continue to be said. Unintended hurt will happen. Perhaps what we all need to do is keep this lesson in mind during future webcast chatrooms. If anything, that's a good lesson to maintain in day-to-day life. Let us see what happens to these webfeed chats in the future.

Locs and bagels

Tue, 19 May 2009 23:20:18 GMT

A tasty treat. Been getting my first batch of locs already on Askance #14. And also extremely glad the Twins are out of NYC; farging Yankees simply had their number this past weekend and swept the Twins. Now they play the White Sox, who are likewise struggling. I had to laugh at Denard Span's comment: The Twins outfielder said he was not only glad to get out of New York for the stadium, but the city itself! The White Sox, on the other hand, were glad to get out of an entire country (Canada) after getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. I am sure Ozzie Guillen had some pithy and pissy comments to make about that deal. He's such a nice guy...

Meanwhile, gonna grill up some burgers tonight: beauteous weather right now: 80 degrees, sunny, light breeze. Can you say "cheeseburger"?

Well....

Fri, 15 May 2009 18:40:41 GMT

The fourteenth issue of Askance is now done and shipped to Bill Burns.