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ARGENTUS LoCsIssue Six |
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ARGENTUS LoCsIssue Six |
| Issue One Locs Issue Two Locs Issue Three Locs Issue Four Locs Issue Five Locs | |
Issue Six Christopher Garcia
Lisa Deutsch Harrigan
Joseph T. Major
Mike ScottEditorial insertions in blue italics. Other contributor comments in red italics.
In the days immediately following the posting of the issue, a discussion based on Kevin Standlee's article began on the SMOFS mailing list.
12/26/06
Dear Steven:
Excellent! I’m glad to see I’m not the only one putting up zines on Christmas!
Great cover. I love Frank’s stuff and that’s one of my faves. It’s just a spectacular piece from a spectacular artist!
Ah, Kevin Standlee! Or, as we call him around here, Tall Kevin. It’s good to see him in more and more fanzines…now if I could just get him to write an article for The Drink Tank! I love badges and I keep most of mine. One of the saddest losses in my fannish life was that of my CorFlucisco badge with a picture that Frank Wu drew on the back. It’s interesting that I know they’re of incredible usefulness if properly laid-out, but really, I’ve almost never recognized anyone by their badge. I’ve never used a Fan Name, though my Dad never used the same name twice on badges. One of his fannish frauds was Sir Reginald Coxswain. I’m still not sure why anyone would believe that a pudgy six foot Mexican in a Maui 80 shirt would be named Reginald Coxswain. As always, Kevin makes good points. My opinion: do it right, and by right, I mean the way I like it.
I saw Phil Klass read at Loscon a few weeks ago. I’ve read a little of his stuff and I genuinely enjoyed it. I’m always glad to see people saying thank you to big names in zines. Ted White carries that moment with Klass very closely, much like my encounter with filmmaker Jean Marc Barr at Cinequest in 2002. It’s one of those moments that you hold onto for as long as you can. Laurie’s talk of Phil was just as strong. That story about saving Flowers for Algernon, one of the three greatest science fiction stories ever, just makes me love the man that much more.
TV on DVD: a subject I could talk about for days. Doctor, Doctor was a fine show and Matt Frewer is one of those comedic actors who doesn’t get the attention he deserves. I watched every episode first run and it’s been years since I’ve seen it but I can clearly remember the opening segment. Doctor, Doctor is a great choice for DVD. AfterMASH was crap. I know there are people who love it, especially the characters, but it wasn’t MASH and it wasn’t ever entertaining TV. If I remember correctly, there was a notice on one of the DVD release sites for afterMASH in
the middle of next year. Voyagers and Best in the West I was a little young for, though I have a slight memory of Voyagers. I want to see Salvage One. Sounds like a damn fine series. There’s a group called Brilliant but Cancelled and it certainly sounds like they’d want to release it. I can remember a Timecon showing every episode of When Things Were Rotten.
The idea of a lot of Science Fiction as Westerns makes sense. I can remember a serious debate with two of my film school friends about whether Blade Runner was Noir or Science Fiction. I still maintain that it’s SF, but they could not be swayed. The argument also went into the realm where no SF fan wants it to: that science fiction isn’t a genre but a setting. That’s a tough road, and there are a few films and books that I can think of that you could call nothing but science fiction. Flatland, for instance.
More Frank Wu. There’s a lot of us BAreans in this issue! I too love Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein, but for different reasons. He always managed to make his doctor seem so reasonable. Brannaugh’s Frankenstein was a braggart idiot whose every suggestion is an obvious failure in waiting. Cushing’s Doc was a genius who just made little mistakes that no one could ever have seen coming. I should also mention that I hate Heart of Darkness. I just hate it. King Leopold’s Ghost, on the other hand, is magnificent. I have to agree that the accountant is always the one who has to bring both the good and bad news, and more often than not, at least in mob stories, is the one who takes the fall.
I love Obiwan. I really do. Mark’s article will now make me forever question if my love was baked in a crust of lies! I once wrote an article about Luke as the bastard who turned his back on the agriculture of his home planet to go out for glory and who, in fact, brought down greater pain on all those around him for it.
You’re a lucky man to have gotten a chance to correspond and meet Dr. Tombaugh. I’ve gotten to know some of the true pioneers of computers (mostly the folks responsible for video games like SpaceWar and Pong) but a personality as impressive as Dr. Tombaugh I’ve never had the chance. I understand that Lick Observatory played some part in the discovery as well, though I don’t’ remember what. The Little One, Evelyn, and her class did a project around the Pluto demotion. They had the kids locate several objects around the room and classify them, first while everyone was standing at one end of the room, then they got a little closer and reclassified everything and then again when they could get even closer. The results were very interesting. Evelyn firmly believes that there are only three planets now because of the exercise.
I’ve not read nearly enough Poe, which is funny because I went as Poe two Halloweens running and once at a Dead Man’s Party where everyone had to dress as a Dead Person. I had the hair for the part.
Hey, I’ve read some F.M. Allen! It’s entirely too rare that someone talks about old science fiction works that I’ve actually managed to read! The Voyage of The Ark is certainly the better of the two and much reminded me of works from thirty years later when the whole thing we call SF had gelled more thoroughly.
Mr. Romm’s journey sounds incredible. I’ve never seen a penguin in the wild, but I’ve studied them to the point that I could actually construct a penguin species that was adaptable to any climate using examples from real penguins. It was one of the best months in Biology when I had to do that project. There’s a theory that penguin calls are more pronounced the further south you go. You can easily tell the difference between an Antarctic penguin and any other bird, though one that lives closer to the equator will sound more like other birds that occur in common space. An interesting theory.
I kinda like the Wells Time Machine. There was an interesting heart to the movie. I’ve no love for Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, or most of his movies. The Planet of the Apes remake had two problems: Tim Burton didn’t get to be Tim Burton (which was what made Charlie & The Chocolate Factory from 2005 such a pleasure for me) and they insisted on using that stupid ending. Lost in Space was a waste of everything. The 76 King Kong was only good for how hot Jessica Lange was.
I thought that Mars Attacks! was brilliant. OK, brilliant is the wrong word, but it let Burton be Burton and still show that he loved the material he was working with. I wished he had done the dinosaur rampage movie instead, but he did a reasonable job with good acting and some neat effects. It was just a really fun movie. Plus, I love me some Slim Whitman.
Here’s my take on remakes: they need to be done every twenty or thirty years with some films. There’s no way an audience can relate after that long. Now, no one has tried to remake Wizard of Oz (other than The Wiz) because it still works, but try showing a kid of today Forbidden Planet or even WestWorld. It just doesn’t work. Yes, there are films that should never be remade (Song of the South, Gone With the Wind and Triumph of the Will all come to mind) but there are others that are begging for it. We need another Day The Earth Stood Still so that today’s audiences can
finally get it. I know that’s not a popular take (unless you’re a studio exec), but it’s true. I’ve noticed it when I’ve tried to introduce films to Evelyn over the years. She did take to the Godfather films, though. Plus, ever since Georges
Melies started remaking his own films when he had a new trick that he could incorporate it's been a tradition.
There aer also films that equal or improve on their sources. The graphic novel of V for Vendetta was brilliant, but the slightly updated 2006 version was a near-masterpiece of 21st century film. The play Everbody Comes to Rick's was crap compared to Casablanca. John Carpenter's The Thing beat out Hawks' 1950s snoozer. Invasion of the Body Snatchers got better when they remade it, as did The Incredible Shrinking Man (as the Incredible Shrinking Woman with Lily Tomlin).
Once again, a great mock section. Hell, I even thought that my piece was readable! I love the idea of Pratchett and Stephenson writing together. It just makes sense. Matt Appleton is a mad man with his article. I’d give anything to
see that book. Dammit!Yours,
Christopher Garcia
12/27/06
Excellent article Kevin. I must say that I agree with you.
Will be passing the article on to the registration people I work with so they can gain some insight.
I wasn't too crazy about the ConJose badge holder, since I already have a badge holder of my own with my other buttons and badges. It created even more clutter (like that is possible with my stuff). But it was a Nice Idea and Moose still uses his as a badge holder. And I even have mine for times when the Mucky Crazy badge holder is not appropriate. But warning they can and do shed ribbons.
As the Chairman of Westercon 40,who had to put up with the 24 pt rule before the neat and nifty inkjet/laser printers we have now. Let me tell you, it was a challenge. Plus doing all the other items you noted in your article. And it was more annoying when after meeting the challenge I saw future Westercons ignore it.
Badge name vs Real Name. Let me introduce you to Fuzzy Pink Niven, who because of her husband is in America's Who's Who social register, ie well known in Fandom and the mundane world. She is completely annoyed with Real Name Nazis who insist she use the mundane name in fandom. And I know she's not the only one. And I know the stalking problem you mentioned. That is real folks. *sigh*
MythCon luckily doesn't have the Fan Name problem. We accept Real Names, the Usual nicknames, and Pen Names, and know most members, so whatever they want on the badge is fine by us. CC26 has a spot for Badge Name in our Registration Program. Real names will not be printed on the badge. So choose your badge name carefully.
I am currently working on making a Return Address sticker with all my important NickNames to be stuck near my Real Name on my Badge. It solves the problem of which name someone knows me by. There are too many. And it also solves the problem of We Want Real Name Nazis. And if it covers up the artwork, *sigh* the problems of fame.
:P
And we have shoe boxes filled with badges and badges all over the house. I like to keep them if they are in any way nice. And that's the truth.
lisa_marli aka Auntie M aka Lisa Deutsch Harrigan
12/28/06
Feeling Badgered?: Kevin Standlee forgets the most common form of badge name confusion: badges that have only a first name. I had formed a theory that this was a way for gamers to identify each other, from observing how that worked at ConGlomeration, our new local con, run by the gaming crew from RiverCon, our former local con. Then when I signed up for the latest one, they gave me a badge that just said "JOSEPH", and no one spoke gamer to me.
There’s also the habit of wearing the badge on the belt. (Somehow, saying "at waist level" doesn’t go with some fans.) So you have to intrude into personal space to read the badge name. And then you find you’ve met Stanley From Beneath The Earth (a badge name that came up in connection with the MidAmeriCon badge matter).
And the "Why would you want to know other members’ names?" attitude Kevin mentions, which is a symptom of the transition to professional cons. Where, as he points out, the point is getting into the dealers’ room and then getting into the autograph session for the Guest of Honor, the actor who played Nonspeaking Role Klingon #6 . . .
Some of those "persona" name badge problems have other solutions. I recall a RiverCon that was overrun by ElfQuest fans. The Pinis’ ElfQuest seems to have been that year’s thing; it was Doctor Whos one year and so on and next year they were all gone. They had two name badges; the one for RiverCon with their "real" name on it and an ElfQuest name badge with their elf name on it.
Whither the DVD-TV Revolution?: Patricia Barnstable and her husband host the Barnstable-Brown Derby Eve Gala every year in Louisville. (I didn’t mention it because attending costs $$$$, even if it goes for diabetes research, which I don’t object to one bit.) So that’s what she’s been doing since Quark. Which had some pretty funny moments — the show, not the gala.
Starship Westerns Versus Science Fiction: Does anyone remember the "You’ll Never See This In Galaxy!" piece with Marshal Bat Durston?
Best Birthday Present Ever: Technically, Graham Land is part of the Antarctic Peninsula, "the area of the continent that looks like a tail". The British discoverers called the peninsula the "Graham Peninsula" after the sponsor of their expedition; the American discoverers called it the "Palmer Peninsula" after the captain of the discovering ship. They eventually compromised.
As everyone who has read Grumbles From the Grave will recall, Robert & Virginia Heinlein took a Lindblad cruise down to the continent. From the brief description in that book, it seems to have been happier overall than the one they took as described in Tramp Royale.
Letters of Comment: Ned Brooks: Scheissen und Schiessen — Does a bear shoot in the woods?
Chris Garcia: Ah, another Marxist! Have you seen the movie with Harpo’s only speaking role? (Explanation later)
Shakespeare and Lovecraft: What a beautifully squamous and rugose play! I’m waiting for "The Two Shoggoths of Verona", "The Merry Wives of Leng", "The Taming of the Cthonian", "Nyarlathotep, Prince of Khem", and other blasphemous masterpieces!
Namarie
Joseph T. MajorThe movie is "Too Many Kisses" (1925) — a silent movie!
12/26/06
Kevin Standlee has fallen into the usual trap when discussing convention badge names. Your name is not your identity, names cannot be used as identities, and identities cannot be used as names -- especially in the UK and many other jurisdictions where your name is whatever you say it is and you can change it at any time with no paperwork. Also in the UK, very few people carry around official identity documents of any kind, and so it is in any case pretty
futile to attempt to ensure that badge names match legal names. If you want to use a badge in order to identify people, then you need to actually put a link to their identity on the badge -- generally speaking, a con membership number will handle this nicely without being found offensive or intrusive. The "name" element of the badge should thus always contain the name that a person actually wants to be addressed by at the convention, regardless of whether or not the member has any paperwork to back up the name, and since we've established that the name can't and shouldn't be used to identify the member then there should be no objection to this. If you don't have membership numbers, it is reasonable although probably unpopular to require that all badge names be unique so that they can be used as links to the member's actual identity -- but this applies to two "John Smith"s, both of whom have legal papers in that name, as much as it does to two "Nylarthotep The Unlikely"s.
At a large con, you will naturaly want to check that the identity of the person collecting the badge matches the identity of the person who has paid for the membership, but once again, the name is pretty useless for this purpose.Mike Scott
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