The Ellison Bulletin Board

Comments Archive - 01/10/96 to 03/23/96

James C. Hess (James.Hess@Colorado.edu) Sat Mar 23 12:58:21 1996
Hey all.

Just a quick note for your own future personal reference: Current modern technology does has certain limits. How do I know this? Well, about a week ago I was out of town and did not check my e-mail regularly. This, incidentally, is a Bad Thing. Apparently my particular e-mail box has a limit on the number of notes and letters it can hold. And once it reaches that capacity, it crashes.

Which means I lost a large amount of e-mail. (At least, According To Them That Know Such Things.)

What this means is that if you sent me a note or letter on the Harlan Ellison articles and have yet to hear back from me on your insights, opinions, criticisms, or comments, it may be because I didn't get your communication due to the aforementioned crash. So, if you haven't heard back from me you might want to fire off a quick note to that manner.

Thanks.

Jim

Rick (webmaster@harlanellison.com) Sat Mar 23 11:18:10 1996
Actually, Barney, your words were so sublime that the few mortals that read them before I cleverly "crashed" the comments page were instantly transported to Nirvana. While I am always appreciative at seeing souls transcend their mortal shells, the simple fact is after a while this would play merry hell with my page hits.

I'm sure you understand.

Barney Dannelke (dannelke01@enter.net) Fri Mar 22 20:51:10 1996
Rick,
Bullpucky. I am convinced these "server crashes and incomplete backups" are simply your thinly veiled attempts at Orwellian revisionist history in which MY clever remarks regarding HE's birthday and off-topic blather about Marky Mark are lost forever to the phosphor mists. I've seen Brazil. I have 12 feet of JFK conspiracy theory texts. You wont get away with this Rick. If they find me in a ditch folks it's Wyatt you want. I have a safe deposit bo...

Larry Fay (fays3@msn.com) Fri Mar 22 17:57:17 1996
There was a drive-by shooting recently in Boston, that attracted a lot of media attention. A random bullet apparently went into a school library, and landed smack dab in the middle of a Harlan Ellison hardcover edition of Deathbird Stories. Make of it what you will.

WolfMistress (rwhiteanderson@kraft.com) Fri Mar 22 14:19:52 1996
Hello, again --
Okay. This time I'll follow directions... Anyway, being a regular watcher of Babylon 5, I have often wondered what comprises being a "Conceptual Consultant" as HE is listed in the show's credits. I know the answer is somewhere in these marvelously archived comments, but I haven't had a chance to read them all yet.I see that no one has visited since I did yesterday, so I guess this Page doesn't get a lot of Surfers.
Some where back a ways, I noticed the comment of someone who mentioned having been a Babylon 5 "basher". Understandable. It is not for everyone. There is a great deal that is 'Harlanesque' about it. I was just wondering how many people (persons? beings?) out there think along the same lines as I do, to wit: Star Trek at its height (say midway through the ST:TNG years), is a wonderful ideal of how Humanity should live among the stars, treat other races, etc. It's nice, but it's LaLa Land, folks. Fantasy Central. Closer to the way the future _may_ be -- Babylon 5. Which is one of the reasons why I enjoy it. Psi Corps, presidential assassins, the constant bickering between races -- it's all social comment of the Human kind! Personally, I am, after all these years, finally bored with Trek. Voyager is a joke, and they finalized the downward spiral to destruction of DS9 when they brought Worf into it. My graduate degrees in Philosophy and Psychology & half a lifetime of experience have shown me that the Federation is a wonderful idea, impossible to put into practice on any real scale. Federation 'policy' is beginning to sound like one huge propaganda machine that grates on one's nerves after a while. Babylon 5, however, whether due to HE's "conceptual consulting" or not, is much more like the Humanity (& Company) with which I am the most familiar. They are all spiteful, hateful, brutal, jealous, opportunistic, conniving, idealistic, altruistic, uncommonly brave and abysmally stupid -- all at once, sometimes. Babylon 5 is US whether we want to accept it or not. A little micrcosmic glimpse through the peephole of Time into one possible future -- a more likely future than Trek ever was. If you don't like the view,then back away from the door, before it swings open in your face....Just some food for thought and conversation. Replies are welcomed. Keep 'er running, Rick! 'Bye for now.

WolfMistress (rwhiteanderson@kraft.com) Thu Mar 21 16:48:47 1996
Greetings, All!

Doing some browsing during my lunch hour and behold! what do I find? A little slice of sanity by a wacko named Rick! I am not certain this is an altogether good thing,
but yours seems to be one of the most reasonably sane voices on this technological gargoyle hanging in our faces everywhere we turn. I know it well; I've been playing with
them (computers & their kind) before the "PC" became a corporate/household chimera. (If you think that's the wrong word, take time to look it up in Webster's! The second
definition will serve.) I fondly remember the nights I spent cruising BBSs on my old Atari 128...Ahhhh, those were the days....

Anyway,I have been an Ellison 'appreciator' (my own word) for more years that a lot of the partakers hereof are old, I think. I am not a "fan" of anything or anyone. I either
like something or I don't like it. If I like it enough, I quietly I pick up everything else I can find by that particular author or songwriter/singer or what/whoever. I am a
very private person, and I respect everyone else's, especially those who publicly entertain us. Writers give us more of themselves than most performers do in their work. Why
should they give more? Why do "fans" feel THEY should HAVE more? The problems inherent in that question led me to give up going to most of the SF conventions up and down the
entire Eastern Seaboard when I lived in the DC area (I now live in Madison, WI). I got older and the "fans" got sillier -- or maybe they had always been that way, because I
had never, ever gone to the ridiculous extremes others did. So maybe I'm the one who's "wacky" and they're the sane ones...?!?

I have only joined one so-called "fan" organization in my life, and that was (is) Starfleet International. I was one of the very first people to join, in fact, which makes me
a "Classic" Trekker. I was (and am) also a definite minority among those who agreed! with William Shatner's now-infamous statement on SNL -- "For God's sake, was only a TV
show! Will you people get a life!?" He was one-hundred percent correct, then and now, even though I have never liked the man personally. His personality is too abasive for
my tastes, but that's a story for another Page and Time...

But back to Mr. Ellison. I am proud to say that I'm 46 years old and have been reading Harlan for at least the past 30 years,if not more. As an only child growing up on a
working farm in rural Western Pennsylvania, my companions were animals of all kinds and books of all kinds. My parents were the staunchest champions of reading I have ever
known, and I indulged in it to glorious excess! Still do. One of the first stories of HE's that grabbed my mind and STILL will not let go is "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes".
It wasn't the first Ellison story I read, I know that, but somewhere along the line, I sucked it up, and it stuck. I own original hardback editions of "Dangerous Visions"
& "Again, Dangerous Visions". I have original hardbound and/or paperbacks of everything else he has ever published that I could find. I followed his stormy career through
the old SF Review and Locus.

I formed my own opinions and kept them to myself, where they belong -- and I kept reading his work, some stories over and over again, because, depending on what I needed at
the time, they coddled me, stroked me, hugged me, rejected me, belted me upside the head if necessary. For all the flights of incredible fantasy and blinding imagery Harlan
Ellison gives you in his stories, one thing he has never, ever held back is the _truth_, even if it is only Harlan's truth or the truth of his protagonist. For some of us,
it is the truth of Life. In the mid-'70s, when my son was approaching kindergarten age and my abusive marriage was flying apart at lightspeed, I took refuge in a little
paperback called "The Deathbird Stories". Later, when the dust settled and the divorce was done-deal, I felt a lot like Larry Talbot in "Adrift, Off the Islets...". I went
back home, enrolled in grad school, found out I had a hereditary latent genetic deficiency that causes my bones to suddenly shatter with little or no warning.

Today, 20 years and over a couple dozen operations later, I still remember the pain-filled nights "A Boy and His Dog" kept me fighting back. It wasn't something so miraculous,
it wasn't some kind of spiritual epiphany, it was a story. But contained in that story was _something_ that made me see the raw underbelly of my own Human spirit, made me just
not give in to depression and despair, but to fight back, to summon everything it took to goddamn survive when everything in my world was trying to say I shouldn't, that I didn't
deserve survival, only a wheelchair in a corner somewhere, dribbling into my oatmeal.

Today, my son is a successful young of 25 and I am the on-site PC & Network Systems Engineer for the Corporate Engineering department of a well-known multinational whatsit!
I walk with a cane, and there hasn't been a day in the last 21 years that I have been totally without pain. So what? I work at a profession I love; I live reasonably well,
and I still read Harlan Ellison stories on a regular basis. I have re-read the older ones so often I know many of them like old, dear, trusted friends. Just last night I
re-read "Miss Ankle-Strap Wedgie" -- a dangerous little story if read in the proper frame of mind at the right hour of the night....

So I rattle on. Sorry. But you, Mr. Rick Wyatt, are a wonder and a delight, washing up on my particular cyber-shore. I will be a constant presence from now on, though not
nearly so talkative, in future. I will support you in whatever way you need to keep this wonderful Page going. Perhaps there IS a light at the end of that optic cable
after all....!? Until later,

WolfMistress

Phillip Cairns (x95tel@juliet.stfx.ca) Thu Mar 21 08:37:58 1996
Hey Rick,

I think I might actually have a copy of a certain book that HE is looking for. I'd love to give it to him, if the edition I have is the one he's looking for. Please drop me a line as soon as possible to confirm that what I have is what HE's looking for.

Shelley Draven (driddle@cdc.net) Wed Mar 20 21:56:59 1996
We have the new Details. It's got a great interview with, "the Man". By the way, Rick, what's the deal with dream corridor?

Meilichios@aol.com Tue Mar 19 22:24:06 1996
Anybody have the solves for all five scenerios of HE game "I have no mouth and I must scream"? Please send semi-detial solves to my email for Benny and Gorrister.

Jason Tue Mar 19 18:20:15 1996
HE picked up an honourable mention in the Year's best science fiction for "The pale silver dollar of the moon pays it's own way and makes change", in the King is Dead. Does anyone know where I can find this story?
also HE has a story in the horror anthology Dark Destiny, for anyone who hasn't heard. p.s. where the news Rick?

Rick (webmaster@harlanellison.com) Tue Mar 19 17:47:56 1996
OKAY, OKAY, OKAY...

Yes, the server crashed again. No, it's never going to happen again. I promise. I just spent an hour or two rewriting the comments program to detect the system being out of disk space, so YOU WILL NEVER LOSE ANOTHER COMMENT HERE!

As promised, I was backing up - but my last bi-weekly backup was Wednesday. Big, big, REALLY big apologies to the Keegans and Dave and everyone else who lost messages. IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN.

Please don't give up on me!

Rick Tue Mar 12 16:16:35 1996
Barney: The "Coolio" issue of Details is not the latest issue. The issue you are looking for is the April Issue (which I haven't seen yet, but which is supposedly out now).

Barney Dannelke (dannelke01@enter.net) Tue Mar 12 09:47:30 1996
Hey, howcum Webderland was established in 1932. HE was born in 1934. Even if your taking into account the fact that Harlan's parents "did the nasty" in 1933 that wouldn't explain it. Did they have "nasty" in 1933? In the mid-west? Hey I got it! HE intended to be born in 1932 but missed a deadline while fine tuning the product. Picking nits rather than living a real life... Barney (HERC#1)

Barney Dannelke (dannelke01@enter.net) Mon Mar 11 23:20:31 1996
Does anybody know which issue of Details the "A Rage In Harlan" article/interview appeared in. It doesn't seem to be this months (Coolio cover) issue. Any help will be appreciated. My apologies in advance for the redundant post but some people only check in about once a week and apparently last nights post was assimilated by the Borg.[in the voice of Patrick Stewart "bibliomania is irrelevant."] Frustrated in PA. Barney (HERC#1)

Rick Wyatt (webmaster@harlanellison.com) Mon Mar 11 16:15:48 1996
Once again, the web server ran out of space; and once again, they had NO BACKUP. So the base had to be reset to my last PERSONAL backup.

I will make an effort to back this thing up personally at least twice a week from now on. My apologies.

Anakin O'Hara Sat Feb 10 13:09:12 1996
Good! I'll be at Irresitsable Force at 7pm Eastern on Monday, my handle is Mara Skywalker. I'm glad everyone is voicing their opinions here, but we should do what's right for our future generations, but we must excericize the right to be expressive, did anyone see Picket Fences last night? I'll see you later, Anakin.

Rick Fri Feb 9 23:29:33 1996
I am extending the blackout of Webderland through the weekend, since that is when I get the majority of my hits. I may check with Harlan tomorrow to get a comment or two...

keegan Fri Feb 9 21:15:53 1996
Keep it coming folks! Reading your stuff is great. Speak up while you still can.... Don't sit idle while the government limits free expression in cyberspace. If they control the information you choose to access via *PERSONAL* Computer, they'll have a better grip over controlling what you read in your libraries. Remember, Harlan is not exactly "welcome" in the libraries of some more conservative communities. While I, personally, do not know of any "official" HE bannings (and would be interested to know if there HAVE been any), certainly his works are often "passed over" because some would prefer to look the other way.

Hilary (hilary@ozemail.com.au) Fri Feb 9 17:55:12 1996
Hi Rick and everybody! THEY are kidding aren't they? Congress I mean? I find the complete stupidity of these old white anally retentive F***wits too immense to comprehend. Do they just sit around bandwangoning all day? Have they nothing better to do? (I'm insensed as you probably can tell) I don't even live in the States and some group of f***ers want to censor my reading material and I didn't even vote them in!!How dare they. They really think it's GOD then them don't they. The black pages are great, and I hope freedom is acheived.
Viva la Internet!!

Rick Wyatt (webmaster@harlanellison.com) Fri Feb 9 16:42:25 1996
Thanks, guys. I usually don't try to use Webderland to further my own personal agenda, but I feel in this case Harlan would appreciate the gesture.

I am all for raising our children right and providing them with a stable environment, but I believe this can be done without abrogating our basic rights.

Anakin O'Hara Fri Feb 9 14:41:07 1996
Hello all! Rick, I like your protest, people should be able to speak their mind, and to educate others about certain things on the Internet. I am with project Blue Ribbon all the way, and I think that we should censor Congress, this is America, we have our rights, remember the First Amendment? THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!!! Congress says that they are doing this for children, because of what the parents are saying, what parents? The ones who push their children into lakes, leave them home alone, Harlan had a point there in Dream Corridor #5, Let's get Dole and Gingrich out of office, and elect some real people! This is based on the opinions of Anakin O'Hara, I hope nobody was offended by this, talk to you soon, Peace, Anakin. P.S. Lauri, too bad I missed you and your hubby at Irresistable Force, but I'm there at very weird times, I'll give you next week's schedule soon. See you around everybody. Anakin.

keegan (keegan@lightlink.com) Thu Feb 8 14:49:55 1996
Okay, stand back. I'm going to rant. Consider yourself warned. This is raw and emotional. I intend to do more research and write a real article about this issue which will probably find its way onto the pages of _14850_(hit my web page if you care http://lightlink.com/keegan/lauri.htm). But watch out, I'm gonna spew....

What bothers me the most about Net censorship is the patronizing attitude of politicians who can't even handle EMAIL for Chrissakes! If I don't want to see something, I don't go looking at it. But I'd for sure like to know that if I go surfing around for information about the symptoms of breast cancer, I wouldn't be S.O.L. just because some old geezer can't trust the American people read the word "breast" without snickering or raping their neighbor. I'd like to download pictures of Michaelangelo's David and of the Sistine chapel. I am religious and this art speaks deeply too me. But honey, I am poor and the net may be the best view of these works I ever see.

Come on! In real life I have lots of choices. I can choose to go to the art museum or I can choose to go to Adult XXX playland. It is my responsibility to myself to do the right thing and it is also my responsibility and mine alone to make sure that my children don't get too much too soon. Get it... it's MY responsibility NOT the responsibility of the government. Besides, some of us can actually deal with sex intellectually and (gasp!) talk about it for reasons other than arousal (though I ain't saying there's ANYthing wrong with that).

Every morning, I stand to salute the flag. This is the time I choose for my moment of silence because I don't believe we have acheived "liberty and justice for all". I have no religious obligations which forbid me from speaking the pledge, and I do, on occasion, recite it. However, most of the time I choose to reflect upon the words and upon my vision of fulfilling them. I excercise my constitutional right to free speech by refraining from speech. When my right to free speech is taken away, maybe what's next is my right to shut up. Maybe I will be expected to say "Heil, Exon!" or some such thing. I dunno, but I've written some letters and some articles and I'm glad to see Rick bringing the issue up on this dark day.

P>
keegan Wed Feb 7 18:31:54 1996
Hey-have any of you Harlan-heads read anything by Camille Paglia (and yeah, yeah, yeah. This is off-topic, but WTF?)? Can your universe handle them side by side? It for sure keeps your blood pumping...
Anyway, just curious

PS My husband tooled around on Anakin's chat place, but we only ran into someone who kept talking about the sentient trees. Hi, Anakin-wherever you are!

Hope everyone's warm!
Lauri

keegan Tue Feb 6 19:08:03 1996
Still thinking about that guest book, Rick? Breaking into the conversation here can be a bit daunting for the uninitiated. It might be cool to have a place to where the wittiest thing you feel compelled to say is, "Hi. I wuz here".

Ted, from work Tue Feb 6 18:59:28 1996
I nuked your comment and bulletin board sections, Wyatt. Ha!

Rick Wyatt (webmaster@harlanellison.com) Mon Feb 5 19:50:25 1996
Curator's Note: I added HTML tags around Anakin's and Jim's URLs so you can go there by clicking on them.

Also, if you've already read my latest rant, I just now put up a new version with numerous minor corrections and spelling fixes. I'd hate for you to think I didn't fix my mistakes...

Anakin O'Hara Mon Feb 5 18:09:50 1996
Hello everybody, if you want to meet me, here's how, I'll be at Irresistable Force's Chat line, http://paul.spu.edu./~kevnord/starwars I'll be there tomorrow at 7pm eastern, Wed at 7, Thurs at 6, Friday at 3:30, and Saturday at 3:30, all eastern standard time. Ciao, Anakin.

James C. Hess (James.Hess@Colorado.EDU) Mon Feb 5 13:20:10 1996
Hey-ho! It's me! The biggest pain since HE!

Anyway, hoping I'm not interrupting something really important, I'll like to encourage each and every person who reads this to check out my bit on HE. Oh? you say. Yes, I say. And here's how:

http://www.smartlink.net/~olcapss/
[The Buzz]

All questions, comments, and criticisms will be dealt with accordingly. Okay. That's all. Go back to whatever imporant thing it was you were doing. Jim

PAUL WAS (NOXTURNE@AOL.COM) Sun Feb 4 17:33:18 1996
THIS IS THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD. I MISSED HARLAN ELLISON ON POLITICALLY INCORRECT, SO IF ANYONE HAS A COPY, I WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE A TAPE OF THE STAN LEE BIOGRAPHY, BECAUSE HARLAN ELLISON APPEARS ON IT, COMMENTING ON COMIC BOOKS. I HAD THIS ON TAPE, BUT IT WAS A HORRIBLE COPY. IT FINALLY SELF-DESTRUCTED. MY ADDRESS BY SNAIL MAIL IS 2270 EVALINE, HAMTRAMCK MI, 48212, UNDER PAUL WAS. MR. ELLISON SEEMS TO LIKE HAMTRAMCK FOR SOME REASON, HAVING MENTIONED IT IN TWO STORIES THAT I HAVE READ SO FAR. IF ANYONE CAN GET ME THESE TAPES, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.

Rick Wyatt (webmaster@harlanellison.com) Sun Feb 4 13:37:56 1996
Okay. Somehow both the Bulletin Board AND the copy I make whenever a comment is added were both nuked. So I had to reset to my last personal backup.

I am trying to see if the Webmaster can restore a backup, and if so I will add any new comments from this page to there. Apologies and I will see what I can do to make sure this doesn't happen again.

keegan Thu Jan 11 14:12:25 1996
Anyone out there know if Harlan has written any recent essays about race and ethnicity? "From Alabamy, with Hate" appeared in 1965 and describes a defining moment of history. I'm curious to know what Harlan thinks about the race situation now, thirty years later. I am NOT trying to be all PC in honor of Dr. King day or anything. I'm a white jazz singer so this stuff is in my face ALL the time *I* think that's a Good thing. It beats using my mind to determine which shade of nail-polish to aply

Anyway, has da man written or talked about race issues since, say, oh...1986 or so? I mention 1986 because it's roughly when I noticed hip-hop culture finding mild expressions within the suburban mainstream. Harlan got anything to say 'bout all that?

Lauri

Anakin O'Hara Thu Jan 11 13:43:03 1996
Next Tuesday, I am starting my seven month training program at Job Corps in Chicopee, Mass. I will be sharpening up my Computer Skills there, so they may give me an E-Mail Address, I'll notify you all, if not, you'll be hearing from me on the weekends. Ciao, Anakin.

Anakin O'Hara Wed Jan 10 16:57:31 1996
Thank's Rick for fixing up that Marvel thingie. When is DragonCon 96 coming up, and will Harlan be there?

keegan Wed Jan 10 15:56:48 1996
oy!

Glenn Houk Wed Jan 10 15:41:50 1996
A Webderland theme song would consist of any song with the words replaced by "Glenn Boots". Thus, for example, "Footloose" would go

I'm gonna wear
Glenn Boots!
On my feet!

Or, say, Bang a Gong

Bang a Glenn
Wear the Boots
Get them On!

Don't ask why you need to do this. Just DO it.

Cult Propagation Ministry

keegan Wed Jan 10 14:29:23 1996
How about a Webderland "theme song"? Or is that WAY too much?

Scott Jennings (carcajouboy@snider.net) Wed Jan 10 13:27:27 1996
I have to say that I used to be a MAJOR Babylon 5 basher.

"Deep Space 5... er... Babylon Trek... uh... you know, the show with cool Lightwave demos!"

However, I watched an episode again after a hiatus of a year or two (the one where the Napoleonites conquer the Macholizards -- sorry, those names are WAY beyond me) and was actually impressed.

While the message(s) of the episode were laid on with all the subtlety of a crowbar, ST was never much for subtle shadings either. ("Let This Be Your Last Glenn Field" comes to mind.) The show had reasonably defined characters, halfway decent acting, original if telegraphed plotting (OK, so I can anticipate EVERYTHING on television ten minutes before it happens, including the news shows), continuity between episodes instead of self-contained dramas (the essence of creating a coherent milieu) and, of course, cool Lightwave demos.

Considering that the competition is Deep Space Babylon...er 9, which is in terminal rut, and ST:Gilligan's Island, the less said about the better (although I do enjoy the Artificial Captain), it's got a call on my viewing habits.

I'm given to understand that Harlan's contribution to the thing is letting his name appear on the credits every week and every so often brain-farting during story sessions -- but it beats the hell out of anything on the SciFi Channel.

Beth Wed Jan 10 11:19:47 1996
Thanks for fixing that. I got caught up and forgot the warning; but actually, what I was asking was, does anybody know how to change the pedestrian crossing signs? I'm too short to see them from the sidewalk, and since Columbus cops are notorious for hassling jaywalkers, I don't want to draw their attention by climbing the pole. Oh well, it's been done already anyway.

Shelley, you seem to be doing some things right (working with something you love and eating right) so I will be in touch.

Lauri, normally I would say I love winter, but I quit saying that a couple days ago when I helped unstick three cars within twenty minutes. I did have a fun 1 a.m. walk home with two drunken friends this past Sunday, though. I had a hell of a time convincing them that urinating, "We love you, Beth", in the snow of my front lawn was NOT the way to cheer me up.

Harry Huff (HHuff@skf-afr3.afres.af.mil) Wed Jan 10 10:09:05 1996
I wanted to put something here and ask for some help. The local UPN station here KRRT channel 35 (cable 7) has removed the program Babylon 5 and replaced it with old Star Trek reruns. I realise that this is a boon to many people but those of us here in San Antonio feel that B5 is a better representation than Star Trek. I know that ST had its place and I enjoyed the program intially and in some of the first five or six reruns but enough is enough. The thing that grates the worst is this is a local programming policy and not one of the network. This decision was reached after B5 was moved and there was no notification of where or when it would be on and then the local affiliate deemed there were not enough viewers to merit it staying on the air. Please help and notify Mr. Ellison and the UPN network of this and maybe with their help we can get B5 back on the air.

Sorry, but that's it!

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