THE MT VOID
Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
12/13/13 -- Vol. 32, No. 24, Whole Number 1784
Co-Editor: Mark Leeper, mleeper@optonline.net
Co-Editor: Evelyn Leeper, eleeper@optonline.net
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Topics:
Free Collection by Hugo Nominee Saladin Ahmed
Star Trek Holiday Song
Congress's Eerie Lack of Silence on the Subject of
Astrobiology (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
There's something out there. Something not ... us.
(comments by Mark R. Leeper)
Solution to Last Week's Mathematics Puzzle (comments
by Mark R. Leeper)
FROZEN (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
ENOUGH SAID (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (film review
by Mark R. Leeper)
TO THE WONDER (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
GOOD OL' FREDA (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
A TEACHER (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
SALT SUGAR FAT: HOW THE FOOD GIANTS HOOKED US by Michael Moss
(book review by Tom Russell)
Jewish Food (letter of comment by Paul Dormer)
The Green Hornet (letter of comment by A. Joseph Ross)
Sons and Daughters (letter of comment by Steve Milton)
Elements (letter of comment by Kip Williams)
Why I've Stopped Going to (Most) Conventions (letter
of comment)
This Week's Reading (BEOWULF) (book comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)
==================================================================
TOPIC: Free Collection by Hugo Nominee Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed's new collection ENGRAVED ON THE EYE is available in
eight different electronic formats (including plaintext download)
at .
Ahmed's novel THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON was a Hugo finalist last
year.
==================================================================
TOPIC: Star Trek Holiday Song
Andre Kuzniarek sends in the following:
You might get a kick out of this if you haven't seen it already,
and surely the MT-VOID readers would like it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSn2JuDQSc
It is however the lead-in for an "ad" for a game, sort of a bait
and switch, but not offensively so. Kind of a clever marketing
ploy actually, and pretty successful with 1.5 million views. [-ak]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Congress's Eerie Lack of Silence on the Subject of
Astrobiology (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
Congress just held a remarkable two-hour hearing on aliens:
http://tinyurl.com/mtv-astrobiology
I guess the idea was as long as they did not have anything
important to do they might as well have some entertainment. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: There's something out there. Something not ... us.
(comments by Mark R. Leeper)
I notice that some company has bought and is squatting on the web
domain .
Also there is a rock band who have taken them name M.T. VOID:
I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
(In case you did not get it, the title of this item is a quote from
THE ABYSS.)
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Solution to Last Week's Mathematics Puzzle (comments by Mark
R. Leeper)
Last week Dale Skran gave us the problem below.
Compute the number of ordered pairs of positive integers (m,n) that
solve
2m + 6n = 2006
We received correct solutions from Lee Beaumont, Steve Milton, Pete
Rubinstein, and Keith F. Lynch.
Most of the above used a spreadsheet and let the machine find
ordered pairs. That sort of takes the fun out.
Here is my solution:
First I just simplify things a bit and change some variable to ones
easier to work with.
2m + 6n = 2006
Well each side has a factor of 2, so we can change it to
m + 3n = 1003
or
(m+n) + 2n = 1003 = 2 + 13*77
That 13 will be a problem, so lets pull all the 13s together with a
variable, p
2n = 2 + 13p
for some integer p.
Let's group the 2s. If we divide by 2 we get p as a remainder
2q = p
for some integer q.
We have shown:
2q = p
2n = 2 + 13p
m + 3n = 1003
So if you know q, you know p. If you know p, you know n. If you
know n you know m.
Let's start with q = 0.
q = 0, so p = 0, so 2n = 2 + 13*0, so n=1,
So m + 3*1 = 1003, so m = 1000.
So (m,n) = (1000,1). That is your first solution.
Let's let q = 1
q = 1, so p = 2, so 2n = 2 + 13*2, so n = 14, so m + 3*14 = 1003,
so m = 961
then (961,14) is the next solution.
If we let q=2 we get (922,27)
If we let q=3 we get (883,40)
Note with each step the m decreases by 39 and the n increases by
13. It makes sense then that the (m,n) pairs if graphed would all
lie in a straight line evenly spaced. You can only keep doing it
while the 'm' is positive and it loses 39 each iteration.
So the legal m values are 1000 - 39*0, 1000 - 39*1, ... 1000 -
39*25. The last value is equal to 25 so you cannot subtract
another 39.
I did that without help of spreadsheet but the following table I
used my palmtop for:
q p m n
0 0 1000 1
1 2 961 14
2 4 922 27
3 6 883 40
4 8 844 53
5 10 805 66
6 12 766 79
7 14 727 92
8 16 688 105
9 18 649 118
10 20 610 131
11 22 571 144
12 24 532 157
13 26 493 170
14 28 454 183
15 30 415 196
16 32 376 209
17 34 337 222
18 36 298 235
19 38 259 248
20 40 220 261
21 42 181 274
22 44 142 287
23 46 103 300
24 48 64 313
25 50 25 326
Note all four columns are each arithmetic progressions.
This all fits into Number Theory and Diophantine Equations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diophantine_equations
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: FROZEN (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: You might not notice it, but FROZEN has a more complex and
interesting plot than most Disney animation films do. The chief
conflict is between two sister princesses who love each other even
as they do conflict. The real villains in this tale are not people
but Elsa's (super-)power to freeze with a touch and her indecision
as to how to use the power. Younger sister Anna searches for Elsa
to have her remove the curse of year-round cold winter weather from
their kingdom. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
A few animated Disney Studio films grab the public's interest and
can be the basis of merchandising and being adapted into live
musicals on Broadway. Notably there was BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and
THE LION KING. At first brush FROZEN could well be headed for
Broadway with at least a few good songs. Some of the songs
definitely have a Broadway feel.
Nominally at least, Disney Studios is back supposedly basing films
on Hans Christian Anderson stories, though there is little of the
original story left. There is a lot going on in FROZEN but at the
front is the sister relationship. Elsa and her younger sister Anna
(voiced as adults by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell) are princesses
of the northerly kingdom of Arendelle. As a child Elsa discovers
to her horror that she has a Midas-like touch, but what she touches
turns to ice. She wears gloves to avoid touching anything
directly. To keep her powers a secret and to avoid accidents, Elsa
hides away in her room and refuses to see anyone including her
sister, a behavior that breaks Anna's heart. So it goes for
several years. Meanwhile Elsa has to decide is she proud of her
powers or frightened. Are the powers good or bad? Should she hide
her powers or show the world who she is?
Three years pass. The king and queen are dead and Elsa is to be
crowned the new queen of Arendelle. And if that were not exciting
enough for Anna, who still loves her sister, she meets handsome
Prince Hans (Santino Fontana) and with love at first sight the two
decide on the spot to marry.
But things are going just too well to last. Elsa, now queen of
Arendelle, refuses to let Anna marry a man she barely knows. In
the ensuing disagreement Elsa accidentally lets loose her freezing
powers. The kingdom is horrified and during the chaos that follows
Elsa accidentally dooms the kingdom to the curse of eternal winter.
She flees to the North Mountain. There she finds how to use her
powers to build for herself an ice palace. Soon after Anna sets
out to find her sister and to get the curse lifted. On the way Ana
picks up a traveling companion, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), a burly
ice cutter, and his comical reindeer sidekick Sven. And if one
comical sidekick is not enough there is also the snowman Olaf (Josh
Gad) who longs to be a warm-weather snowman. Kristoff brings in
another complication. How does Anna feel about Kristoff, given
that she is still in love with Prince Hans?
I cannot remember a Disney musical about two sisters before this.
Sister relationships are unusual in general. And almost as a
tradition in the first song the main character tells why she or he
is unhappy. ("There must be more than this provincial life" or "I
just can't wait to be king."). This film's first song after some
native chanting asks the question "Do you want to build a snowman?"
It seems to have escaped that device, but between the lines the
song is about how Anna misses her sister.
The days of shoddy animation are gone, at least at Disney. This
film is straight Disney animation, not Pixar, but the images feel
three-dimensional and particularly in the song sequences it really
has the effect that the image really is singing. I am not sound
expert enough to explain it, perhaps there is a slight echo, but
one feels more that the song is performed on a stage in a way it
did not in, say, SLEEPING BEAUTY. Considering it is a Disney
musical, it may well come from a stage soon.
There are some things not very logical that the script asks us to
go with. Anna knows her sister can create ice with her touch, but
she has no reason to believe her sister can remove ice and turn the
winter of Arendelle back into summer. It is just we have to accept
the magic I suppose, but Elsa can avoid touching things and turning
them to ice by wearing gloves. What stops her gloves and her
clothing from freezing? And my pet peeve, with the notable
exceptions of the films NEVER CRY WOLF and THE JOURNEY OF NATTY
GANN, wolves are always ravening menaces in Disney films. Real
wolves are rarely a direct threat to humans. Real-world wolves
seem to think/know that attacking humans entails more risk than
reward.
The film somewhat loses some of its interest in the second half as
fewer new ideas are introduced to the mix. Part of the problem is
that this film needed Olaf the snowman about as much as STAR WARS
needed Jar Jar Binks, and for much the same reason.
FROZEN is just about as intelligent as Disney musicals get. Both
Elsa and Anna are well-developed characters and story has some nice
complexities. This film is much more than children's
entertainment, though it is that too. I rate FROZEN a +2 on the -4
to +4 scale or 7/10.
Film Credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/combined
What others are saying:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frozen_2013/
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: ENOUGH SAID (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
[Spoiler Alert: Below I discuss the premise of the film, which is
not revealed until somewhat into the film.]
CAPSULE: What starts as a light comedy goes on to a story that
raises some serious issues of relationships. Eva is a divorced
masseuse approaching middle age who finds a guy she hits it off
with. She also has a divorced client becoming her best friend who
likes to complain about her own ex-husband. Soon she discovers
that her new boy friend and the ex-husband are one in the same.
Now does she ignore the client or does she take the friends insight
on the man she might get serious about? Julia Louis-Dreyfus and
the late James Gandolfini star in a film written and directed by
Nicole Holofcener. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
Okay, let me ask you something. How much do you let reviewers like
me influence your attitude about a film? Most people to a lesser
or greater degree rely on the opinions of others. Some people make
up their own minds ignoring other people's opinions, and some
people want to take advantage of other people's experience. That
is an issue very much at the center of ENOUGH SAID. It is about a
woman who finds she has a special of information on a guy she might
be serious about.
Single mother Eva (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) would like to
remarry if she could ever find the right guy. And then perhaps she
does. Albert (James Gandolfini) is not the most attractive guy and
has a few bad habits. But he makes Eva laugh. Is he right for her
or not? Eva is a masseuse by trade and meets and becomes good
friends with a new client, Marianne (Catherine Keener). They have
fun together and she likes to hear Marianne talk about her ex-
husband and why the relationship became unbearable. Then Eva comes
to realize that the ex-husband is her own Albert. Eva does not
know if her relationship is right and decides she is getting
valuable information about Albert from Marianne. Eva is not quite
sure what she is being told is even reliable since on some details
she disagrees. She does not tell Marianne or Albert, but really
wants to learn about Albert from the inside information that
Marianne gives her. Eva is fascinated with Albert's previous
relationship and having found this peephole into the relationship
she finds it hard to look away.
The script by director Nicole Holofcener is quietly funny and
ironic as long as the situation allows it to be so. And rather
than gags, the humor comes from the personalities. Holofcener
centers the film on Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but demands little from
her that she had not put into "Seinfeld" and "The New Adventures of
Old Christine." She seems to have found her niche before she ever
came to the public's attention and just plays that same person no
matter what film she is in. On the other hand, James Gandolfini is
certainly not playing a Tony Soprano here. He is a man of more
sensitivity and with a better sense of humor. In this, his second-
to-last film, he seems to be broadening out and finding a softer
side to his character. It would have been interesting to see how
he would have developed his acting skill in years to come. In a
beard and mustache, however, he does not seem to have the same
magnetic attraction he had as Tony Soprano. The film also features
popular Australian actress Toni Collette, though she is somewhat
under-used in this film. Holofcener brings the script into issues
of privacy and of whether one can trust other people's judgments.
Also it is nice to see a story of relationships of people older
than twenty-somethings. We do not get many of those these days. I
rate ENOUGH SAID a high +2 on the -4 to +4 scale or 8/10.
Film Credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390361/combined
What others are saying:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enough_said_2013/
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (film review by Mark
R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: The subject is the high rate of depression and suicide
among Asian-American women. And that is about as far as this taped
one-woman show goes. If it is a call to action it is really
unclear what action is called for. The one-woman is Kristina Wong
and she has performed this show several places in the United
States. But the show is little more than a lament embedded in
irrelevant material. There is no remedial action offered. Rating:
(-4 to +4) or 4/10
Asian-American women apparently have high rates of depression and
even of suicide. That is paradoxical since they do have high
education and income rates. Kristina Wong's stage play gets that
across to the audience very quickly. What anyone can do about it
is not part of her message. Some of her approach is getting her
audience to make howling noises while she walks around wearing a
bra outside her dress and throwing skeins of yarn at them. It is a
novel approach, but not one that is especially likely to be
fruitful. One would expect that Wong would be just bubbling over
with information about the depression epidemic, but her
presentation is short on facts and statistics.
At the beginning of the act she announces that she does not have
depression, nor does her family, nor do her acquaintances. And, in
addition she makes the point very clearly that what she says in the
show is F*I*C*T*I*O*N. And she calls for everyone in the audience
to repeat "F*I*C*T*I*O*N." When she shows little impressions of
depressed women, we have been forewarned that this is all
F*I*C*T*I*O*N. Well, I suppose UNCLE TOM'S CABIN was fiction also,
but it is not nearly as effective as the fact that the author will
stand behind.
It takes Wong a long time to get to her subject. We do learn
something about story structure, but somehow it does not do a lot
for her message. Her delivery is high-speed and breathless so she
could be giving us a lot of information, but she is more likely to
play with yarn on the stage than talk about the problem. She
throws in some humor and much of that is shock vulgarity. She is
more likely to be out in the audience petting an audience member's
hair than she is to get to the point. There are little snatches of
acting as she gives her impression of some depressed Asian women.
She apparently has some information about who these people are that
is flashed on a screen at the back of the stage, but on the video
there is usually someone in the way so that the video viewer cannot
read it. A lot of time is taken up with her singing off-key or
giving her impression (in the style of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY) of a
sexual climax that goes on and on.
Along the way Kristen tells us autobiographical anecdotes about how
she wanted to be one of a lucky few who would get some free
psychological therapy and how she treated it like she was trying
out for the part of a very depressed woman. She wanted to be sure
that she got the therapy and not someone with less acting skill.
Then she recounts how useless the therapy really was to her. But
she considers Asian-American female depression her subject and
warns others away from her awards and grant money. I think if I
were a depressed Asian-American woman this show would only make me
more so. Publicity for this film seems to indicate that Kristina
Wong's show has been very successful on the stage. Perhaps it
really needs the immediacy of live theater.
Wong claims to have a solution to all this depression, but just
before she is going to give it she is interrupted and cannot finish
her message. Kristina Wong in this film gives Asian American
depressed females one more thing to be depressed about. The
problem is real, but this stage show about the problem is not. I
rate the film WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST a frustrated 0 on the
-4 to +4 scale or 4/10. The film was released on DVD and VOD on
November 26, 2013.
Film Credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587387/combined
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: TO THE WONDER (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
They say that Terence Malick is running a contest. After seeing
the film you can tell him what you think it is about. Whoever
comes the closest wins. Malick seems to like the handheld camera
not carefully aimed. It was an effect I first saw in TREE OF LIFE,
but that film had enough information to put together most of a
story. Here one cannot tell if the plot has developed or if we
have gone into a flashback. In the end I for one was unsure what
the plot was or what it all meant. The story is told in Paris and
Oklahoma. Two lovers, played by Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko
seem to meet in France but come to Oklahoma to live. They break up
and find other partners but eventually come back together. Javier
Bardem plays a Catholic priest with the actor's trademark, a bad
haircut. Rating: 0 on the -4 to +4 scale or 4/10 [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: GOOD OL' FREDA (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
Fans of the Beatles will recognize the names John, Paul, George,
and Ringo. Most will remember Brian Epstein. Freda Kelly people
are much less likely to remember. Freda was an avid fan of the
Beatles when they were a little known group playing at The Cavern.
She hung around them and when they grew successful enough to need a
secretary she was hired. She was there to see the band become well
known, then famous, then world famous. Each of the Beatles
considered her a close friend. This film is her inside look at the
Beatles from their very early days until the band dissolved. She
became the Fan Secretary. The film is full of Beatles music and
Freda's anecdotes. Many were about the popularity of the Beatles
that kept surprising even her. Answering their fan mail was much
more than a full time job. Freda tells her story fifty years after
she first worked for the Beatles, while she has been a secretary
all that time. Apparently she can old a job longer than the
Beatles can. The film is a bit nostalgic of nostalgic fun for
those old enough to remember the 60s. One observation: Freda never
seems to have benefitted financially for her work with the
fabulously successful rock group. Though she worked very hard for
the group they do not appear to ever having given her very much of
the money they must have been taking in. Rating: low +2 on the -4
to +4 scale or 7/10. One problem is a week after seeing the film
you will not be able to get Beatles music out of your head.
Rating: 1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 6/10 [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: A TEACHER (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
[Spoiler warning]
A young attractive high school English teacher, Diana (played by
Lindsay Burdge) has an affair with one of her students Eric (Will
Brittain). Once she realizes what she has done and the possible
consequences paranoia, jealousy, and fear of losing her job set in.
Her strange behavior proves to be her own worst enemy. This is
basically a very simple (too simple) morality tale. Even though
the film is only 75 minutes some of the scenes simply drag. One
can almost feel the editor struggling to make this long enough to
be a feature film. We have extended scenes of Diana driving and
driving which just seem to pad out the film. Even the sex scenes
go long and drag. They are tastefully shot in near dark. Hannah
Fidell writes and directs. Rating: low +1 on the -4 to +4 scale or
5/10 [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: SALT SUGAR FAT: HOW THE FOOD GIANTS HOOKED US by Michael
Moss (book review by Tom Russell)
I picked up this book in the Nashville, Tennessee airport
bookstore. I haven't read but half of it so far but would like to
recommend it: SALT SUGAR FAT: HOW THE FOOD GIANTS HOOKED US by
Michael Moss.
This is not science fiction, but might be of interest as the topic
of food shows up often in your MT VOID.
Here are a few interesting things I learned from the book:
- The creator of Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper is one Howard Moskowitz,
a man who grew up on kosher food, graduated as a mathematician, and
went on to become the top consultant to the food industry. He uses
statistical methods to determine the "bliss point" combination of
ingredients in processed foods.
- Tobacco companies own Nabisco, General Foods, and Kraft. Nestle
owns Jenny Craig. There never was a "Betty Crocker." Food
companies contribute financial support and consulting to school
Home Economics programs.
- By extracting fructose from grapes and pears rather than using
sweeteners from corn syrup or other sources, food companies can put
"Made with real fruit!" on their product labels. Lab-created
cherry flavoring is used, but pictures of real cherries are put on
the label. This is allowed by the FDA.
There is a lot of turnover in the executive ranks in the food
industry. Michael Moss has interviewed many who played key roles
in the development and marketing of products designed to maximize
the food companies' profits. His book goes back to the introduction
of Sugar Frosted Flakes, and before, but is as up-to-date as
Michael Bloomberg's war against mega-sized sodas.
One disappointment: Moss does not include the story of how the man
from the North Pole got his red-and-white suit (and became a Coca
Cola drinker).
Caution: if you like Oreos, don't read this book. [-tlr]
Mark adds:
Last February NPR ran a story on this book. I remember for several
days I looked at the content of these three items in what I ate and
it was an uncomfortable feeling. The NPR story is at
http://tinyurl.com/mtv-saltsf. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Jewish Food (letter of comment by Paul Dormer)
In response to comments on Jewish food by Wendy in the 11/29/13
issue of the MT VOID, Paul Dormer writes:
I didn't know tongue was considered Jewish food. Used to have it
regularly growing up in the UK and I still buy it occasionally from
my local supermarket. A nice tongue and Branston pickle sandwich.
[-pd]
Mark comments:
Well, I think at least some Jews think of tongue as a Jewish dish.
It is just about the most tender meat. I grew up with it and never
questioned its Jewishness. The following article lists some Jewish
foods and includes and also some Jewish foods I had never heard of.
P'tcha????
http://forward.com/articles/135781/jewish-dishes-we-miss/
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: The Green Hornet (letter of comment by A. Joseph Ross)
In response to Mark's comments on the 1938 Retro Hugos in the
11/15/13 issue of the MT VOID, Joe Ross writes:
I was looking at your reviews online, and I found an error in your
description of the Green Hornet. Britt Reed's valet, Kato, was, as
you say, originally Japanese. But he was converted into Filipino,
not Korean, on the radio show. He was only said to be Korean on a
couple of later movie serials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Hornet_%28radio_series%29
[-ajr]
Mark replies:
Right you are. I stand corrected. Snopes explains the whole
complex story.
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/radio/kato.asp
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Sons and Daughters (letter of comment by Steve Milton)
In response to Evelyn's comments on the king's decree to increase
the proportion of men in the kingdom that women might have as many
daughters as they want, but must stop having children as soon as
they had a son in the 12/06/13 issue of the MT VOID), Steve Milton
writes:
The idea doesn't work because stopping at first son mean there
can't be any daughters born into the family. It can be proved more
formally, but I am not going to bother. The fact that it doesn't
work assumes that all fathers have an equal chance of producing
boys or girls. If there are a significant number of fathers that
are more likely to produce boys, then the idea would have an effect
since the son-favoring fathers would be stopped at one son. [-smm]
Evelyn responds:
The complete explanation goes like this:
Assume that all women in the kingdom have their children at the
same time, say, on the first of the year. Then in year 1, half the
children will be boys and half girls. In year 2, only those
mothers who had a girl will have children, and half those will be
boys and half girls. And so on, with the number of mothers having
children being halved each year. The proportion of boys to girls
will still be 1:1. [-ecl]
Mark responds:
I think we can make it easier. Every birth adds on average one-
half boy and one-half girl to the population. On average you will
have about as many boys as girls. Evelyn's is the traditional
explanation, but I think mine is convincing and simpler. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Elements (letter of comment by Kip Williams)
In response to Jim Susky's challenge to name the elements in the
11/22/13 issue of the MT VOID, Kip Williams writes:
It belatedly occurs to me to write and brag that I can name (by my
reckoning) 102 elements, for the simple reason that I taught myself
the Tom Lehrer song. As it's a bit out of date now, I update the
final couplet to say:
"These are the only ones we knew of when this song was written,
And they say they've got some new ones, but the damn things
wouldn't fit in."
(Pronouncing 'writ in' just so, to set up the injured rhyme
following.)
I learned it while still in high school or shortly thereafter,
starting and stopping and rewinding a cassette tape so I could type
them all on the typewriter I had back then. Since then, I've
gained access to the real words and substituted the names of actual
elements for some of the phonetic garbles I set down on that
Underwood (Standard No. 5).
I used a similar technique to memorize some version of a Python
sketch with an unfeasibly long composer name. I haven't yet seen a
version that uses the exact same name I came up with, but it still
impressed some people that I could cough up that name several times
in a row, with an accent.
P.S.: Hello to the folks on Usenet. I'm not able to get my system
to let me on any more, and it hasn't been enough of a hardship that
I've taken the pains to overcome the reluctance to admit me, but it
wasn't my intent to vanish without a word of explanation: word.
[-kw]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Why I've Stopped Going to (Most) Conventions (letter of
comment)
In response to Mark's comments on conventions in the 12/06/13
issue of the MT VOID, someone on a mailing list wrote:
Also, Mark's suggestion of doing a Worldcon on-line doesn't have
any way of having an art show, or late-night, tired conversations
with fellow-attendees. I also get a contact high off of associating
with people, and seeing my many friends at conventions. [-anon]
Evelyn responds:
The art show--or at least a form of it--exists 24/7 on-line in
various web pages. No, it's not the same as seeing the art in
person, but it is much bigger.
I should have added that it is also the case that each year fewer
and fewer people I want to get together with are at the
conventions. Some die, some burn out, some have financial
problems, some have family commitments, etc. So even the social
aspect has declined. [-ecl]
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TOPIC: This Week's Reading (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
BEOWULF (translated by Seamus Heaney) (ISBN 978-0-393-32097-8) is
actually a bilingual edition, with Old English on the left-hand
pages, and Heaney's translation on the right. This lets you notice
some of the finer points of the translation. First, it maintains
the alliteration of the original, with each line having a repeated
initial consonant sound:
So, The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
We have heard those princes' heroic campaigns.
The first has a repeated "D" sound, the second "K", and the third
"H". And in spite of the three Latin derivatives and one Greek in
this verse, Heaney tends towards words of Old English origin rather
than other languages. He seems to choose Latinate words only if
there is no common Old English derivative. For example, the only
Old English derivative equivalent of "prince" I can think of would
be "lordling"--hardly a common term.
The bilingual text also lets you see just what the Old English
words were for a lot of current English. (Because it is not
interlinear, and the grammar necessarily involves some re-
arrangement, one cannot always match up the words.) But you can
tell that "princes" matches up with "aethelingas" and "king" with
"cyninga".
Oh, and BEOWULF was written in Old English. Chaucer's works were
written in *Middle* English. Shakespeare's were written in what is
basically modern English.
Here are examples to clarify.
BEOWULF:
Hwaet we Gar-Dena in gear-dagum
theod-cyninga thrym gefrunon,
hu Da aethelingas ellen fremedon.
CANTERBURY TALES:
Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
JULIUS CAESAR:
Hence! home, you idle creatures get you home:
Is this a holiday? what! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk
Upon a labouring day without the sign
Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?
This is not to say that the spelling in Shakespeare has not been
regularized for 20th century readers. I was reading some of the
"doubtful" Shakespeare plays in a book called THE SHAKESPEARE
APOCRYPHA. These are taken directly from the various quartos,
etc., and have not had the spelling regularized. So here are four
lines from EDWARD III:
But heauen I call to recorde of my vowes:
It is not hate nor any priuat wronge,
But loue vnto my country and the right,
Prouokes my tongue, thus lauish in report.
Every edition of Shakespeare that I have seen for general use
standardizes the spelling so that the last four lines, for example,
would read:
But heaven I call to record of my vows:
It is not hate nor any private wrong,
But love unto my country and the right,
Provokes my tongue, thus lavish in report.
It is also interesting to see a lot of Tolkien's tropes in what may
be their original setting. In the third section in particular
(when Beowulf fights the dragon who has the hoard of treasure), we
read:
The precious cup
had come to him from the hand of the finder,
the one who had started all this strife
and was now added as a thirteenth to their number.
They press-ganged and compelled this poor creature
to be their guide. Against his will
he led them to the earth-vault he alone knew, ...
Doesn't this sound a lot like Gollum ("finder", "poor creature")
being forced to join the ring-bearer, who was one of a group of
nine (rather than twelve) companions on the quest involving part of
a dragon's hoard. (Though in BEOWULF it is a cup that is found,
there are a *lot* of rings being given and described throughout.)
Oh, and on the back cover, the blurb begins, "Composed toward the
end of the first millennium of our era, ..." My first reaction
was, "What era is that?" Only because I knew when BEOWULF was
composed was I able to figure out what it meant, but really, isn't
that an odd way to express it? [-ecl]
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Mark Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot
little puppies.
--Gene Hill