Conference noted::sf

	My name is Fred Hommel.  Mail to VLNVAX::FHOMMEL. This is my work
system.

	Anyway, I do not think that the company will suffer from your
participation in this file.  I should hope that anyone else would want to
encourage your participation.

	I myself aslo love The Lord of the Rings.  Have you read
Farmer Giles of Ham.  It is a great story of a farmer a king and a dragon.

	Also high on my list is most everything by Philip Jose Farmer.
The Riverworld series and the Maker of Universes series.

	I have just discovered Anne McCaffrey also.

	Has anyone read Demon???

		ARC,
		  Fred

*I* have no objections, though I don't know about the company...

Without getting into a hardcore autobiography, I'll give a brief expose' of
my sf past. My earliest interest in sf came from watching sf & monster movies
as a kid (I'm talking late 50's; oh, the bones they do creak...). My first
exposure to written sf came from the Tom Swift, Jr. series of books, followed
by the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet series, followed by SPACE CADET by Robert
Heinlein. My first contacts with science fiction fandom was in 1969, at the
Boskone 6 SF Convention. I'm a Collector of sf and fantasy, boasting a collec-
tion of somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10,000 books, magazines, and comics
(no, I have not read them all).

My sf reading interests consist of hard science fiction, a la Isaac Asimov,
Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, etc.; horror fiction,
a la Stephen King, Charles L. Grant, Manly Wade Wellman, etc.; and adventure
fantasy, such as the works of H. Rider Haggard and Talbot Mundy. I'm not that
much into fantasy, per se, though I enjoy certain writers in that genre, like
Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber, some Michael Moorcock (mostly the Elric books),
some Robert E. Howard (most notably the Solomon Kane and Dennis Dorgan series),
and C. L. Moore. Other general areas of interest are "young adult" fantasy and
Arthurian legends.

--- jerry

I also started with Tom Swift Jr., then went on to Heinlein.

I've never been active in fandom, and probably read less SF and fantasy 
than I used to.

My SF collection is only between 400-500 paperbacks, and a copy of hundred 
magazines.

Hey, Jerry, we should tell tlh about Sam... I mean really, THIRTEEN????

P.S. Welcome, Sam. Play by the rules and you'll do okay.

	WOW! I had forgotton my love of the Tom Swift books. I've even have
1 or 2 of the originals.

	Fred

	Welcome Sam!  

	My name is Mike Foley and I started out with Tom Swift Jr. books too!
	And I'm not NEARLY as old as Jerry or Andrew! (Just joking fellas!)
	I have almost all of the hardcovers and I'm thinking of going to 
	flea markets and such to get the rest.  My Mom originally bought
	them for me in Filenes Basement in Boston for about 89 cents each!

	I read constantly and my favorites are James P. Hogan (Inherit the 
	Stars started me on him), and Alan Dean Foster (although he could have
	refused some books, I like him in general).  My collection is about 300
	paperbacks and growing every week.

	I personally think that Sams' inclusion in this file is good as long
	as he is doing it under the supervision of his Mom or Dad.  Remember,
	DEC may want to hire Sam in a few years.  


							mike

		Hey wow! Thanks a lot guys/gals for your permission,
	it makes me feel less like a... thief?

					sam

re: .6

	You shouldn't feel like a thief!  Although, I wouldn't put it past you
	that you've read some notesfiles where they don't think employees
	kids (please don't take offense. After all, we are older. :-)) should 
	be allowed. I tend to disagree with that philosophy.  You seem to me 
	to be a very intelligent and mature 13 year old and with the proper 
	supervision I can't see why people would object to your participation.

	My suggestion to you though is to refrain from ACTIVELY participating 
	in other notesfiles until others are more comfortable with your 
	presence.  You have nothing to worry about here.  Good Luck Sam!

							mike

Can't hardly say I could see any harm in Sam taking part in the discussions
and flaming -- after all, Sam seems to write much better and more intelligently
than many of the employees!

As far as intros go, I'm Dave Butenhof (my wife, Barbara Bazemore, also
reads this file -- or at least she used to).  I got started on SF by my
father's SF collection.  When I was a little kid, and got tired of the
picture books, you see, I decided to raid my father's bookshelf.  I realized
that inevitably the best stuff must be hidden towards the top of the shelf,
so I pulled over a chair, climbed from that up onto an old Victrola and
thence onto a window sill (I was probably about 6 or 7 at the time), and
reached up as high as I could ... it so happened that the next to highest
shelf and the two below it were SF.  Luckily I wasn't a bit taller -- the
top shelf was his old Zane Gray westerns!

When I got bored with his collection or when he told me not to go through
his books (I got really good at shuffling books around so he couldn't tell
one was missing, but it didn't always work) I went to the library -- since
I couldn't go to the adult section, I got into the Heinlein juveniles
(Rocketship Galileo, Space Cadet, Have Spacesuit Will Travel, ...) and
the Tom Swifts, etc.  My memories of some of those are almost as fond as
the "adult" SF I read back then (Cities in Flight series, Way Station,
The Witches of Karres, Doc. Smith adventures, etc.).

I don't hardly know the count of my SF collection, but I have probably
400 or 500 paperbacks and a complete collection of Analog magazine back
to '67 or so (when my subscription started), and a number further back
which I got from a friend.  Of course, I've only read up to about '74 ...
I've been planning to catch up for the last 6 years or so, but it never
quite works out ... too much else to do (especially since I'm writing
author/title/synopsis records as I go).

Hmm, it's interesting to see who people are -- most of the people I "know"
through notes files are really strangers.  Let's have more contributors
to this note ...

	/dave

Re: .0

Hello Sam, and welcome! Frankly, this NOTES file isn't all that active,
we can use a bit of "fresh blood". I'm John Osborne, a programmer in
Nashua, NH, with interests in SF since I was 13, a loooonnnnggg time ago.
Rocketship Galileo was my first SF book.

Re: .1

Recently read Demon by John Varley, Fred (I think that's what you mean,
is there a different one?) It's good, but I'm partial to Varley anyway,
and it wraps up the "Titan" trilogy with a very satisfactory slam-bang
ending, I think. There is more discussion of this in note # 78 in this
file.

John O.

I'm Jim Burrows, also called Brons (rhymes with Ponce as in de Leon not Pons as
in Solar) around SF fandom and parts of the real world. My first SF books were
Raiders from the Rings and Trouble on Titan (I forget which I read first - this
was a couple of decades ago when I was 10 or 11), which convinced me that SF
was neat so I started in on City by Simak, which sold me completely, and then a
bunch of Asimov Robot stories. I didn't get to Tom Swift until years later. At
the first SF con I attended, Dr. A. compared me to Harlan Ellison (the exact
words were "another short obnoxious neo", I believe - perhaps I did lay the gag
about Fantastic Voyage on a bit thick). I have about 100 shelf-feet of SF,
including ASF from the mid-40s, Galaxy more-or-less complete, and 25 years or
so of F&SF. My favorite authors are Piper, Niven (w/o Pournelle), Chandler,
Anderson, Garrett, McCaffrey, Asimov, Clement, Dickson, and other old fogeys.
I've been involved in fandom since the late 60s, though I seem to have largely
gafiated this past year. For those of you who attend Boskone, I'm the long
haired hippy in the gray suit with a radio or beeper who acts as floor manager.

Guess that's enough.

JimB.

Howdy Sam!

I got started on fantasy/sci-fi when my 4th grade teacher read us the
Hobbit, and several Ray Bradbury shorts from R is For Rocket. I then
progressed on to I Robot by Asimov and Starship Troopers by Heinlein.
I have about 500 assorted paperbacks, most gotten second hand during
junior high. My favorite writers include Niven, Heinlein, Joe Haldeman,
JRR Tolkien, and Le Guin.  
					Keith

Sam, 
   I have no problem with you being in here except that you have stolen my 
name, but seeing as how we have different nodenames and "signatures" I don't 
think too many people will be confused...  Besides, I'm new to this file and 
don't feel I can contribute to the rules!
   Anyway, my name is Sam Lambert, and I've been into SF for about 10 years.
I've been in the SF Bookclub for a while, and now have an almost full bookcase 
of their hardcovers, plus zillions (or is it "billions and billions"?) of
assorted paperbacks.  I got started on Tolkien, and have since developed a 
wide range of tastes.  I especially like Niven, Cherryh, and (early) Heinlen.
One of the first SF things I read was "Future History Stories" which I still 
love.
   Another thing I've been enjoying lately is my subscription to Asimov's SF 
magazine.  I don't hear too much about it though.  I haven't looked thoroughly, 
but I don't believe it's been discussed in this file.  Does anyone else read
and/or enjoy this?  Some of the stuff is trash, but there have been some
really good stories in there; things from new authors that I've enjoyed
almost as much as "classics" from the "masters". 

Be seeing you,

-- Sam

	re 12.  Far from it dear chap. You have stolen my name, and by
		rights I challenge you to a duel. At the Andover plant
		parking lot (hey, that's about the effective range of
		my 10-speed!) By law, you have a choice of weapons. I
		suggest letter opener, shovel or cap gun...

		ha ha? seriously though, I lied (not my age!!) my name
	
		is not sam not Samuel and NOT Samantha. I'm an Indian
		and since all Indian names are by law extremely hard
		to pronounce, I usually shorten my name from Sambhav
		(sum-buv) to Sam. I have a vague feeling that a mix
		up could cause some problems ( don't give any lectures
		on sex in books without your full name and a note saying 
		that no, you are not 13), so I suggest that you (or I)
		change our signing name. sam and --Sam aren't VERY different
		but any way If you are reading this file and you have
		nothing to do with it please note the difference. 

			sam: written by an immature teenager

			--Sam written by an older (wonder how much) person

		
					after all that I have to sign it?


							sam (13)

Hello all,
I'm Andy Robinson, I'm new at DEC.  I've been reading SF for about 12 years
I have >140ft of paperback SF and >40 of hardcover. (~3500 books) I'm
a collector (I buy faster than I could possibly read) I've read <1/2 the books 
I own.  All my books are currently packed away in storage.  (I'd be in 
withdrawal if I wasn't so busy.) I have Analog from 1970 on, all of Asimov's 
SF Mag. and about 9 years of F & SF.  I had a data base of all books and 
stories (collections and anthologies)  ~11000 entries.  It is in machine 
readable form but I don't know what package I'll use to put it up in here.
  
You could find me working hard at Boskone in the last 3 years and at 
worldcons.  I was one of two commuting Regular (Voting) Nesfa members
from New York (Troy).

I used to run a lending library to friends.

Hi!  I'm Beth in Atlanta.  If any of you went to Atlanta Fantasy Fair, I was
with the tall, skinny security guy that maybe looked a little crazy.

I got started in fantasy at age 11 with Tolkien, sf at 13 with Foundation
trilogy.  Since then, I've read as much sf&f as I can get my hands on (used
to be I had to borrow from somewhere, finally I can start my own collection).
On a good week, I'll go through 2-4 books (on a bad, I reread what I've got).

Favorites are so many I won't bother to list them.  I think they've all been
mentioned one place or another in this file.

Sam (13)-- Welcome to the file and enjoy.

Hi, all.  I'm Mark in Nashua.  I started on science fiction (Tom Swift, also!) 
as soon as I could get away from Dick and Jane.  It accounts for 80% of my 
reading since.  I'm interested in just about anything, and Sturgeon's Law 
doesn't bother me.  My exposure to fandom is more recent, with the Halcon
(Halifax) Science Fiction and Fantasy Asso.  I doubt if any of you were there!
I go through about four books a week.

I'm new to Notes, so I'm certainly not going to pass judgement on who should
be here, and who shouldn't.

My name is Ian, I am not 13, and I live on the other side of planet earth.

True!  I live in Sydney Australia.  I have been reading SF since I was
young.  I suppose TV shows like STAR TREK and DR WHO (I've been watching it
since 1964!) lead me into all this SF&F.

I have kept a record of every SF&F book I have written.  One day I'll
have to create a computerised database.  I started it so I would remember
who and what books were best.  My wife complained that we lugged around
too many SF books.  She is now an avid reader like me.

Alan Dean Foster, Larry Niven, Ursula le Guin, Anne McCaffery,
Ben Bova, Asimov, Heinlen, on and on ...

By the way I have never heard of Tom Swift!

Ian Smith

re: .17 & "every SF&F I have written"


How many did you write??


:-)
MartyJ

Hi there, world!  I'm Roger Goun, a software engineer in Andover, MA.  I've
been with DEC in one capacity or another since the summer of '79; I've been
reading SF in one form or another since I could read books sans pictures.

I started with the Tom Swifts, too, but I didn't think of them as SF at the
time.  The first book I read which I knew was SF was Asimov's I, ROBOT,
picked up at a school book fair.  I've been gobbling up the stuff as fast as
possible ever since.

My SF library contains about seventy shelf-feet of books, hardbacks and
paper.  I have about twenty shelf-feet of empty bookcase space to fill before
I have to move to larger quarters.  I've been a member of the SFBC since
1977.  I have a kitten named Loiosh (see JHEREG, by Steven Brust), and one
named Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace.  But that's another NOTESfile.

My favorite authors include (but are certainly not limited to) Asimov, Brin,
Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Heinlein, Kurtz, Niven, Simak and Zelazny.  My all time
favorite book is Simak's WAY STATION.  My favorite SF film is "2001."  My
favorite "Star Trek" episode is "The City on the Edge of Forever."  My least
favorite is "The Empath."  In fact, I detest everything from the third season
except "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield."  I am neither an SF "fan" nor a
Trekkie (the preceding is not meant as pejorative to either fen or Trekkies).

I sign myself,

					  -  o
					 - -/-->
					-  @~\_

					Roger

which has been explained before, somewhere in TRIVIA (note #1177, I think).

Hello, I'm Mike Kier, a Field Software Specialist in Cincinnati.

I'd like to thank Sam (13) for getting these introductions going as it has 
helped me to understand more about the people whose notes I've been reading.

I'll extend my gratitude also to Mr. Appleton (pseudonym for the woman that 
authored the Tom Swift series) for my introduction to S.F.

After the T.S. series I graduated to Andre Norton and have been acquiring SF 
at whatever rate my income would support ever since.

This equates to somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 - 1000 books currently, 
but with Mortgage, children & etc. it has tapered off dramatically in recent 
years.

Current favorites are Piers Anthony (Xanth, Incarnations of Immortality), Niven 
(anything), Zelazny (Champion Eternal), and Philip Jose' Farmer (Riverworld).

Speaking of Riverworld, I just finished the latest one, Gods of Riverworld.  
I'll withhold my opinion until someone starts a new note on it.

                       Mike

re:.20

The various Eternal Champion series are by Michael Moorcock, not Roger Zelazny.
Or did you have another series in mind?

As regards the authorship of the Tom Swift books, see Note #172.

--- jerry

Sorry... You are entirely correct on the Moorcock issue.  I'd just finished 
reading another reply on the Amber series and had Zelazny on my mind.

As regards TS, the ones that I had all had the Appleton penname, and I had 
recalled reading an obituary of a woman which listed her as the true author.  
I didn't have your wealth of TS background to draw from.  TS is but a pleasant 
but dim memory.

Thanks for the info...

             [} mike {] 

Yes, 
    you do have readers in England too, I'm Ian Seaton working for DEC in 
Reading, England. I've only been here for eight months so I'm still 
discovering most of the notes files.
    As to SF & F, I started at the tender age of 8 with Heinlein's Tunnel in 
the Sky. Since then my interests have gone virtually every way it could 
through, Arthur C. Clark, Asimov, Heinlein to McCaffrey, Tolkein, Donaldson. 
My current edge is towards fantasy though. I've just finished two out of three 
books in Nancy Springer's Book of the Sun trilogy and will recommend them to 
anyone into "historical" fantasy.

Be sure I'll be reading for Reading regularly from now on.

Ian.

Hi, I'm a new DEC TAG, so I'll probably be moving around a lot. I 
have been reading SF since age 7, when I discovered Scholastic 
Books and Robert Silverberg's LOST RACE OF MARS. I think I have 
somewhere between 3500 and 5000 books, but I have moved 4 times 
in 2 years and many things have not been unpacked since my last 
move. 

I have been into SF fandom for around 10 years and can be found 
at most east coast conventions (usually working) and at 
world-cons as well. 

My interests tend slightly towards fantasy (I think it is usually 
written better than hard SF lately), but I am particularly fond 
of Cherryh, Moorcock, Heinlein, Spinrad. I also read a great deal 
of horror (having gotten to know most of the easter horror 
"mafia" several years ago).

This is my first reply to a notesfile. It was nice to find a way 
to slip into one.

Tamzen

Hi Tamzen,
You found out about notes a lot sooner than I did when I started. Of course
you had a head start. I tried to send mail but couldn't get to willie so I'll
say welcome to DEC here.

I guess now I have to introduce myself. I'm Kris Brown. I've been working with
DEC for about six months now. My mother started me reading SF, so I have no
idea how young I was. I'm another one of the crazy people who likes to work
on SF conventions. I like almost all aspects of SF, reading all different
kinds - science fiction, fantasy, some horror - and I'm also a media fan.
I especially like Ellison (the writer not the person), Heinlein, Cherryh,
Bradley and more recently Somtow and David Brin.
           kris

After a long gap this entry gets new life with the introduction of another SAM.

Hi sam,

	I am Sampath ( as much as Indian as Sambhav). My early books in SF
were 2001, Rendezvous with rama, War of the worlds.. It is only recently, that
I really got into SF that I almost stopped reading mainstream. But then you
don't see that many SF in India (I am here temporarily on business. I don't
work for DEC either but for a company representing DEC in India. That makes
two of us).

	My alltime favourite is Asimov, Foundation series being the favourite
among A's work, Others include Pohl, Anderson, Heinlein. I haven't read any
novels of Bradbury, but I like his short stories. I am not into fantasy.

	Hope you are still hooked to this notes file to see this.


Sampath.

Hi all!  Though you may not realize it, this is my second try at introducing
myself in this note.  My carrier died in the middle of my second paragraph.
Perhaps it's trying to tell me something...  You see, I am also a non-DEC
employee and new to this notefile.  I'm Kathy Reinig, wife to August (Gus)
of Spit Brook, Nashua.  

My first SF (or is it fantasy?) was  _A Wrinkle in Time_ by Madeline L'Engle,
required reading in my fourth grade class.  My collection is practically
non-existent as compred with the others noted here.  Recently I've been "banned"
from such leisure reading while I try to complete my undergraduate degree.
(A Math and Social Science major [government is my SocSci] doing an honors
thesis on planetary astronomy.  Think about that one.)  I have, however,
managed to sneak in about 6 books this past two weeks of which my favorite
was Robert Lynn Asprin's _Tambu_.  I prefer books with well developed characters
and thus though I enjoyed the SocSciFi in Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, in
general I found them disappointing.

I also have never heard of Tom Swift.                  

                         Glad the concensus is that Sam is welcome.
                                How about me?  
 
                                      --Kathy--
 

Sure you're welcome.

Funny thing about A WRINKLE IN TIME---

I hadn't read it until about two years ago, well after I'd already gone on
a L'Engle binge and read almost everything else she'd written. I ended up
being rather disappointed in WRINKLE and its sequels; I consider them among
her lesser books.

--- jerry

   Ok, Jerry, I'll bite.  What other books has L'engle written?
   I really liked the Wrinkle in time books so I'd propably really like
anything of hers if those are her lesser books.

tlh

RE. 29.  (Other books by Madeline L'Engle)

   She also wrote The Arm of the Starfish.  (I think that's the title.) 
I remember enjoying that one a lot, though I haven't thought about it in
over ten years.  Compared to the second and third of the so-called Wrinkle
in Time books, I wouldn't call it a lesser work.
                                               --Kathy--

                                               

RE .30 -- "Arm of the Starfish" features the O'Keefe family -- that is, Meg
and Calvin and their children (one of whom is named Polyhymnia).  I believe
a couple other books of L'Engle's also feature this same family.  I don't
know whether these books were written before or after the "Wrinkle in Time" 
series; for some reason, I have the impression that they were written *before*,
but I don't know for sure.  If I think of it, I'll check my copy of "The
Arm of the Starfish" and see what information I can glean from it.

								-- Nina

re:.29

I've been away for a few days, and I don't have the time at the moment to
list L'Engle's other work, but I'll do so tonight (I hope). I'll warn you
that you may be sorry you asked... :-)
	At any rate, I'll do it as a separate note.

re:.31

ARM OF THE STARFISH was written after WRINKLE, but before A WIND IN THE DOOR.
I found it amusing when I finally read the Time Trilogy (as it's generally
referred to) that Polyhymnia "appears" in A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET (as you may
recall, Meg was pregnant. :-))

--- jerry

Hi, my name is Gary.  I just found this notes file last week and have slowly
been filtering through the different messages.  I just couldn't resist 
responding to this one since Sam (13) gave us all such a great introduction.
I have been at DEC for six years in Reliability engineering, but have been
an avid SF fan for over 20 years.  I can't really remember my first SF book,
but
I know that TS was one of the first.  I was really hooked when I borrowed
"Galactic Patrol" from my next door neighbor (and never gave it back).  It
wasn't for another 8 years that I found out that there were other books in
the series.  I bought them all that week.  Now I in the process of buying
autographed hard copy versions.
My favorite novel is Tom Godwins "survivors"  short story is ADF "with friends
like these..." , author - not enough room here, but most listed above with
many that were forgotten to be listed.
Well, that is enough for now.  Now that I have formally been introduced you
will be hearing from me throughout the notes file.

    It's eight months since the last introduction in this note, but
    maybe it's not too late.  My name is Earl Wajenberg and I discovered
    this file shortly after getting VAXnotes on our node.  I am chugging
    my way slowly through the file, leaving much-belated comments as
    I go.
    
    I've been reading fantasy and science fiction for about twenty years
    now.  My first was Asimov's "I, Robot."  My favorite authors are
    Anderson, Niven, LeGuin, Tolkien, Lewis, MacAvoy, and Brin.  This
    list changes with time.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    howdy,
    
    my name is Steven Marshall. I am an electrical engineer in Thin
    Film Heads (Storage Systems). I've been with DEC three years now.
    I've been reading SF as long as I can remember, and I don't recall
    exactly what my FIRST exposure to SF was, but I'd like to thank
    Kathy for reminding me of _A_Wrinkle_in_Time_, that may well be
    the first of the genre I read. Asimov was certainly among the first;
    i.e. the Foundation series. Also A.C.Clarke.
    My current favorites include: Varley, P.J.Farmer, Chalker, Niven,
    Ellison, Piers Anthony, Zelazny, Heinlein (most of the time) and
    many more, but I'm mostly 'into' "hard" science in my fiction.
    
    my personal name "beware the fractal dragon" refers to my current
    obsession with fractals and the Mandelbrot set and is a paraphrase
    of "Beware the Jaberwock, my son" [I've been dying to explain that
    somewhere].
    
    I sign myself just,
    
    sm 

    Hello there!
    
    I'm Pete Goodwin, a Software Engineer in DECpark II Reading, England.
    I've been reading Sci-Fi since I can remember. I don't recall the
    very first I read, but I started with Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.
    
    I found Jack Vance a favourite, with the Durdane series. It was
    at this stage I found I like HUGE stories of at least 6 volumes
    (Tolkien here we come!). I read the Hobbit at school, but later
    found the Lord of the Rings series much MORE interesting.
    
    I guess as time has progressed my interest has shifted to Science
    Fantasy or just pure Fantasy (Anne McCaffrey, Frank Herbert, Stephen
    Donaldson - Thomas Covenant series books 1,2,3..., Michael Moorcock)
    
    One of these days I'll finally put pen to paper and write one of
    those stories that has been buzzing round my head for years (Lord
    of the TimeSphere? The SwordMage?) but I guess its easy to read
    the stuff but v. hard to write it without losing track...still,
    one day!
    
    Pete (who'd publish my stuff!)

    Hi, I'm Bonnie Reinke, and I just found the introductions note -
    after writing for some while. My first SF was - as I mentioned in
    a different note was Stars my Destination at about 16 or 17. I have
    a vary large book collection - no idea how many, they fall off shelves,
    pile up by the bed, gather on the floor and generally drive my husband
    a little nuts (tho after 19 years he's more or less reconciled).
    Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is my all time favorite - I've read
    it so many times I can no longer count. We've also read it out loud
    at least three times to our kids and probably will start again this
    summer for our youngest. I am a former college Biology teacher who
    started work at DEC 2 1/2 years ago - primarily to make a little
    more money (my oldest is rapidly approaching college age.) I've
    only managed to convince one of my kids that SF is worth reading
    - my oldest who likes early Heinlein, the Valentine books
    (Silverberg?), Piers Anthony (Xanth and Split Infinity) and Poul Anderson
    (and who recently devored Ender's War after I'd finished it. Inaddition
    to the above I also like LeGuin, Tiptree, Asimov, Niven, Piper,
    Brin, Somtov Sch...., Hogan, Foster etc. I've never been to an SF
    conference raising 5 kids, working, and running a small farm donit
    leave one with a lot of free time. (By the way does sam who should
    now be 15 or more still write??)

    My name is Mike Baker and I have been reading the file for several
    months.  I've work for Digital at the support center in Colorado
    Springs for about year.  Before that I was a customer at various
    sites for several years.  Been reading SF since grade school.  I
    read about 85% SF and 15% Fantasy.  I don't know how many books
    I have.  I bought a computer to try and keep track of them.  It's
    real nice to read notes by people who have read more SF than I
    have.

Hi, everyone!

My name is Wook Lee and I'm a programmer/analyst in the Advanced Application
Development group within Reference Information Systems Development.  I'm at
PKO1 in Maynard.  I've been with the company for about four months and have
been avidly reading and sporadically responding to various notes in various
conferences.

My first SF book ever was Lester Del Rey's _Marooned_on_Mars_ when I was in
the fourth grade.  It was a last ditch attempt by one of my teachers to get
me to read a fiction book of any kind!  (I have a lot to thank her for!)  
My first exposure to fantasy was when a fifth grade teacher read _The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe_ to us.  (The Chronicles of Narnia are still one
of my all-time favorites.)

My favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, Asimov, Bradbury, TOLKIEN (see personal
name - I write elvish, too), Piers Anthony, Hogan, Clarke, et. al.  This is
a great note.  Keep the replies coming.  (It might be nice to see something
like it in other conferences.)  And Sam (or is it sam?) if your still there
it's great reading this note you started.  You can be proud of it.

Here's my sign-off:

	Thanks,
       as always,

	 /~~'\
	W o o k				Frodo is alive and well
	(  ^  )				and living in Valinor!!
	 \`-'/
	  \_/

	I don't see any recent replies here, but I'll assume that 
someone will eventually see this.  I am going to be joining the
conference and this looks like the place to start.

	My name is Doug Gordon, and I am a SWS Consultant in the Area Sales
Support activity of the East Central Area (home offices in Farmington Hills,
Michigan).  I have been back at DEC for about two months, but previously
worked here from 1978-83.

	My first exposure to Science Fiction was a book from the "juvenile"
section of the public library when I was about in the 6th grade.  The
book was "Secret of the Martian Moons" and I was hooked on SF!  I joined 
the Science Fiction Book Club in about the 8th grade, so it must have been
about 1960, and am still a member (although I don't take many selections
any more due to the decline in quality SF being written and the increase
in the type of fantasy fiction that I am not interested in).

	Before I get flamed for starting up the old "SF vs. fantasy"
arguments again, I want to point out that I still put "Lord of the Rings"
on top of my all-time favorite list and I have read all of the books 
about Middle Earth several times!  It's just that, after gaining an
appreciation for Tolkien's work, all the other "sword and sorcery" type
stories pale in comparison.

	I have a similar bone to pick with much of the "mainstream" SF
of recent times.  Many of them start out with pretty decent premises and
interesting ideas, but then lose me due to just plain poor writing --
weak characterizations, stilted dialogue, unlikely plot turns, etc. 
It seems like some just needed more polishing before being rushed
to press.  Note that this is not just restricted to science fiction
either, as many of the "best seller" type books have the same faults.

	As for favorite authors, that has changed over the years.  In my
early days I read all of Asimov's stuff from the 50's, as well as the
other classic authors like Van Vogt, Poul Anderson, etc.  For a while
I put Robert Silverberg on the top of the list while he was writing his
best stuff in the 60's.  More recently I have favored Joe Haldeman,
David Gerrold, and Gregory Benford, and have occasionally enjoyed books
by some of the newer authors.

	Even though I have been reading science fiction for almost 30
years now, for some reason I never got into any "fan" type activities
and have never understood many of the references to them.  I rarely
ever read a monthly-type publication even though many were available
during the 60's and 70's.  I also have never attended any sort of 
convention either, as I am just not the gregarious type, I guess.


Best book recently read:  "Heart of the Comet" by Benford

Worst recently read:  "Footfall" by Niven/Pournelle

    Hey!  Where'd this note come from?
    
    My name (for all intents and purposes) is chelsea; some of you might
    detect a Unix background in that.  I've been working for Digital
    for about 7 months now for what's currently known as SwSE/TSG.
    
    I've less time for reading than I like, but I've done a spurt of
    it recently - _Stalking The Unicorn_ by Mike Resnick, _Jhereg_ and
    _Yendi_ by Brust.  My tastes run more to fantasy than science fiction;
    I much prefer short stories for my science fiction.
    
    Favorite authors include Roger Zelazny and Ray Bradbury (incredible
    imagery); a recent favorite is Steven Brust (not surprising, since
    he's much like Zelazny in many things).

    Gawl, I'm impressed!  Thought I knew a bit about Fantasy & S.F.
    literature, but after reading this file I find I'm a lightweight
    among professionals.
    
    My name's Bob Bailey.  I'm a tech. writer in Shrewsbury.  I've been
    at DEC since last October, and just getting around to discovering
    this notes conference.
    
    I've been reading Fantasy & S.F. now about 17-18 years, since I
    read _Lord of the Rings_ for a high school assignment.  Tolkien is
    still by far my favorite author.  My first "real" science fiction
    book was _Foundation_, and that series continues to be my favorite
    S.F. literature.
    
    I own about 100 or so Fantasy/SF paperbacks, and maybe 15 or 16
    hardcover books.  I've probably read about that many more that were
    borrowed or obtained from the library.  And I'm surprised at how
    many titles I've already seen in this conference that I've never
    heard of.  (Joy, rapture, ecstacy...years worth of reading to catch
    up on.)
    
    I definitely enjoy books that are part of a series better than single
    novels.  My favorite authors include:
    
    Tolkien -  LOTR and the Hobbit are my all-time favorites.  
    
    Asimov - The Foundation series, the Lije Baley series, and the three
    books that cover the time period in between.
    
    Donaldson - Thomas Covenant series
    
    Silverberg - The Majipoor series
                                      
    Eddings - The Belgariad series
    
    Bradley - The Darkover novels (with some reservations about a couple
    of the early ones).
    
    Hogan - The "Giants" series
    
    May - The Pliocene Saga
    
    Kurtz - The "Kelson" series (earlier six books were OK, last three
    were great).
    
    Thanks sam(13)(+3) if your still out there for getting this started.
    
    					... Bob
    

    Hello, all...
    
    I'm a fantasy and comparative-mythology fan, with strong sf tendencies.
    (I'm also a librarian, so, needless to say, I love books in general
    and own far too many of them!  Moving is a real...you know!)
    
    My name is Sherry Bailey, I'm currently contract at Spit Brook,
    and this file is great stuff!  (No relation to the preceding Bailey,
    but interesting to follow another with the name.)
    
    I guess Tolkien was my first fantasy although I read a lot of Asimov
    as a child and sampled everybody along the way.  I'm fond of Joy
    Chant, McCaffrey, LeGuin, and so on.  I hope to find pointers to
    more good things in this file.
    
    No special signature, just call me...
    
    Sherry

    Hi all,
    
    My name is Clive Summerfield, I am a Programmer/Analyst at DECPark
    in Reading, U.K. This is my second time with DEC. I first joined
    in Aug 1985 as a student for 1 year, and rejoined in Jul 1987. I
    am at the tender age of 22 and have been reading SF and Fantasy
    for about 14 years.
    
    My first Fantasy was Alan Garner (highly adult childrens fantasy),
    closely followed by The Hobbit and thence on to TLotR (currently
    on re-read number 20, starting with the Silmarillion, then The Hobbit,
    finally LotR). SF arrived at age 10, when an English teacher gave
    me the Lensman Series, Dune, 2001, Brave New World and 1984 to read
    (sorry about including the latter).
    
    Current favourites are Niven (w/o Pournelle, Barnes etc), early
    Heinlein, Herbert, Robert Holdstock, J.R.R. Tolkien.
    
    People call me Clive, evilC, Baldrick, Balders and other derogatory
    names :-)
    
    Clive
    
    

    re:.44
    
    Why are you "sorry about including the latter" (I assume you're
    refering to 1984)?  It's a good book, it's science fiction, and
    (best of all) it's good science fiction.
    
    --- jerry

Oh Gosh !

I've got to own up now and admit that I don't really like SF per se
although I used to be a (passive) SF Fan (member of British Science Fiction
Association and all that). Then I discovered that labels are a real pain in
the backside (along with all those boring discussions as to "what is SF")
I mean who cares so long as you enjoy what you read ?)

Anyway my favourite authors are :-

J G Ballard , Philip K Dick , John Sladek , Emma Tennant , Thomas Pynchon
("Gravity's Rainbow" rules OK ?) , Alasdair Grey , John Barth and hundreds
others.

I'm also a born-again comix reader thanks to "Watchmen".

    -.1  Since you "don't really like SF per se" and you're brave enough
         to have entered this conference I hope you're nervy enough
         to enter lotsa comments, as I'd guess if a work strikes your
         fancy it oughta be O.K. for us fanatics.  :-)  Anyway, at
         least we'd see a critical review.
    
    						Don   

    Oog.  Since I actually have had the crust to enter replies, and
    since one sharp-eyed observer has already spotted me through my
    mild-mannered secret identity (whoops! this isn't the COMICS
    conference! guess they'll have to hide this reply!), I better sign
    in and take my lumps.
    
    I read SF when I was a kid, then I discovered literature and how to
    read slow, and finally I came back to SF looking for good literature.
    At that time, I lived in rural Missouri and so I also joined fandom,
    looking for dates.  I had fun for a while, but when I went to college I
    found easier sources with fewer hassles ("WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T
    LIKE STAR TREK!?!?!?!?").  So I kept up with the great SF writers I had
    found, but lost track with the fans who had pointed me to them. 
    
    I'm here a) to find out about new writers I might be interested
    in and b) to chat about the writers I like.  So far, a) hasn't panned
    out very well but I keep hoping...

    While reading Ray's entry a thought hit me.  [Whap!]  So I looked
    back thru this note to see if I was there.  I wasn't.
    
    I work at Hudson Semiconductor; a Thin Films Engineer.  We fabricate
    the various custom chips required by DEC.  HL was built in '78,
    and I've been around a lot longer than that.
    
    I stick mainly to the Mainstream, but have been known to read Fantasy,
    and love a good horror story.  In BOOKS I usually comment on the
    Old West and war stories (Mostly WWII-Pacific Theater).  I also read
    adventure novels and cheap mysteries (light, escapist stuff to clear
    the head).  At last count my Library has in excess of 4.2 K books,
    of which a small portion goes on sale in BOOKS when I find the time to
    type 'em in (some may remember I've threatened this, and yes, there's
    a few Star Treks on the list ;-)).
    
    SF notes is fun and informative, and I *have* found a few new authors
    here (Gibson & Brin, to name 2).  See, in the before-time I tried new
    authors but was usually disappointed, so I stuck mostly to known
    authors.  Now I see reviews which allow me to pre-screen them.
                                    
    And it is nice to "converse" with other SF-types, "closeted" or 
    otherwise.  I knew somebody else besides me was buyin' 'em!
                
    						Don     

    Hi All (especially Sam :-), you still around ? probably work for
    IBM now EH ? :-))
    
    I'm Scott LeDoux and I've been in and outa DEC since '79.  I'm
    currently a Software Spec III in rocky mountains of CXO3.  Just
    stumbled across this conference a coupla weeks ago.  I'm probably
    a run-o-the-mill f&sf fan (having less than 1k books) whose favorite
    wordsmiths are Asimov, Niven, Heinlein, Herbert, Clark, Foster;
    and whose favorite fantisy wordsmithies are (of course) tolkein,
    and Anthony.
    
    All time favorite SF: Ringworld
    All time favorite  F: Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (all six parts!)
    
    A little Stephan King got mixed in somewhere too, 'IT' most recently.

    Keep the reviews comin'
    
    Scott.

    I'm Linda Huxtable, a new (5 months) employee at DEC.  I've been
    reading SF and fantasy as long as I've been reading--anyone else
    ever heard of the Space Cat stories? _<mumble>_Mushroom_Planet_? 

    I settled almost exclusively on SF/F about 10-15 years ago,
    although recently I've been enlarging my horizons to include
    some non-fiction (history, psychology, anthropology, myths),
    partly because it enriches my SF reading.  Also, my husband
    (another SF fan) reads and *remembers* everything, and he keeps
    telling me about these interesting things he reads outside SF, and
    I just have to know more about whatever it is ... 


    -- Linda Huxtable

    "_Mushroom_Planet_" --  Do you mean the series?  "The Incredible
    Flight to the Mushroom Planet" (or something like that), and its
    sequels.  I came across them in third grade, and they helped get
    me interested in SF.  I think there were 5 of them;  I'd love to
    find them in a bookstore some day, if only for the nostalgia.
    
    Good books for kids!  Thanks for reminding me of them.
    
      Scott

    I read 3 'mushroom' books at a very young age; they and stuff like
    TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN started me off into the realm of Fantasy &
    Science Fiction.
    
    							Don

    Good luck, Sam!  Where will you (hopefully) be working?
    
    Wook

      Things take time.  Be patient.
      
      Now, back to SF, please.
      
      Dave C.
      one of the moderators

    
    	Hi,
    	My name is Chris Blake.  My friends call me Spunk.  I work
    in Andover (DAS) installing barcoding equipment + software.  I
    like reading, but never seem to find enough time.  My favorite
    books are the classics (Shakespear, Dickens, etc), Mysteries
    (Ellery Queen, Earl Stanley Gardner, Agatha Christie), and
    SF related(many).  Currently I'm in the middle of the Thomas
    Covenant series (book 3).  I got into SF watching Star Trek on
    TV as a kid with my dad.  He's really a SF fan.  My first SF
    related book was probably "Wrinkle in Time" mentioned previously.
    But I also remember reading books like "The Hobbit", "1984",
    "Animal Farm", "Frakenstein", "War of the Worlds", and various
    books by the author of "Planet of the Apes" and by Lovecraft.
    I can't remember which came first (long time ago).  Other things
    occupying my time: Basketball (see BOSTON_CELTICS notes), work,
    my truck, music, and my friends.
    			Spunk

    
    My name is Marc Reid.  I'm employed by DEC as a Network Course
    Developer at FPO in Burlington, MA.  I'm currently writing a
    course on DECnet PhaseV DNA architecture.
    
    I've been reading SF (as most people in this notesfile probably have)
    since I was a kid.  Started reading Tom Swift and then into E.R.
    Burroughs, Asimov, etc.
    
    My favorites are early Heinlein, Brunner, and Moorcock.

    Hi, my name is King Lam, I joined DEC as an employee in December '89,
    though I worked for DEC in Hudson/Marlboro as a consultant back in
    1986/1987.  I'm in the New York TP Resource Center as a software
    specialist.  I've been reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy since I was in junior
    high school.  I'm a avid fan of Star Trek(seen all TV shows, movies and
    cartoons).  My favorite SF movies are Alien/Aliens and the StarWars
    trilogy.  I have several favorite authors - Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury,
    Brin, Niven, JG Ballard, Tolkien, CS Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, Ellison,
    Jack Vance, McCaffrey just to name a few.  
    
    PS - I noticed there hasn't been an entry in here for awhile.

    My name is Tahi (tie) Massari. I am of Italian extraction and work
    in Birmingham UK. I have been with Digital since last September
    and am greatly enjoying trying to specialize in PCSA.  
    
    I am an avid Science Fiction/Fantasy reader and have a great passion 
    for Julian May and David Eddings books. Other writers include Clarke, 
    S.Donaldson, L.Niven, Herbert and many more. 
    
    This conference is great...

Hi all,

My name is Mark Fletcher, I joined Digital last August and I work in VMS 
Engineering Europe (Newbury - U.K. - well I suppose that someone has to work
there - at least that's what they told me ...) where I am the SET HOST / CTERM
maintainer / developer.

I read a lot of SF, classing Larry Niven, Jack Vance, Bob Shaw, Rob Silverberg,
Henry Kuttner, Harry Harrison etc .... (long list) as my favourites. I used to
really enjoy Piers Anthony too - but not any longer I'm afraid. I'm a regular
attender of Novacon (U.K.) and a few other British cons - one day I'll make a
Worldcon.

As 62.1 said - this is a great conference ...

/mark

    I am Mike Krantz, a nuts-'n-bolts VAXhacker.  I work as a consultant for
    DEC on the West Coast.  I read the classics -- Niven, Niven and Pournelle,
    Assimov, Clarke, Leguin, Zimmer-Bradley.  It's been a while since I've had
    time to read anyting new, mostly because I spend too much time reading
    VAXnotes.

    -- mikeK

	Charlie Bennett, ULTRIX Engineering
	381-0360
	KRISIS::CCB
	MS: ZKO3-3/X18

	Came in to look for Cyberpunk info. Not really a sci-fi fan in
	the traditional propellerhead sense. Was a Burroughs fan (Wm S.,
	not ER) as a kid and have interest only in near-future and
	anarcho-syndicalist fictions. Also a fan of the Gary Panter RozzTox
	aesthetics.

Just to let y'all know:

As a DEC TAG, after working a year, I get laid-off for 6 weeks.  Well,
that time has come, starting April 30.  I will be back, however, on
June 11 (hoping, of course, that things don't get so bad here that they
won't let me;  it IS being worked on, and I WAS told that I am coming
back), same node.

I will miss everyone and everything.  If anyone wishes to send me
U.S. mail (Gawd!  How primitive!  ;^) ), my home address is:

			55 1/2 Cross Street
			Nashua, NH  03060.

I SHALL RETURN!

See y'all June 11!

K.C. (aka Karen) Fahel

    
    	Hi,
    	   As I've replied to a few notes and even started some new topics
    	I should really introduce my self. I'm Andy Whitaker a VMS
    	specialist based in Hampshire House, Basingstoke (UK). I do like
    	*real* science fiction but as its so hard to find now I make do
    	with Fantasy. 
    
    	I joined Digital last August and have been rushed off my feet. But
    	now that I've learned the ropes and things are not so hectic I hope
    	to be a bit more active in this conference. As some one once said
    	(I think it was Mark Twain) "The man who does not read good books
    	has no advantage over the man who can't" I need a list of good
        books ! ;-)
    
    							Andy

    Hello:
    
    	I am Jim Stewart from Vancouver, Canada.  I joined DEC exactly
    three years ago as a instructor.  My wife refers to this as the
    time "Jim died and went to Digital".  In my previous life I hacked 
    high speed (>200,000 events/sec) data acquisition systems
    at TRIUMF, a Canadian National Physics Lab.  
    
    	RAH taught me to read, and kindled my interest in science. 
    For that, I owe him.  I also like Robert L. Forward, Charles Sheffield
    and Larry Niven.
    
    							js

    I am David Larson working at ABO (Alberkerky).  I am here as contract,
    so if anyone knows of permament jobs in Quality Engineering/management
    *please* let me know. [ ACE::LARSON].
    
    I have been reading SF for only 10 years now.  I started with Asimov
    and Donaldson.  I devoured both their trilogies in one day each.  Each
    year I read fully Foundation, Chronicles of TCovenant, Heechee, Myth
    series, LotR, Phoenix Legacy (the best), and others.
    
    I spend most of my note time in 422, 63, and 200.  Other notes is
    Baseball 24 and 52.
    
    My desire is to become a full time writer writing SF novels and
    publishing short stories.  I want to start publishing a short story
    magazine similar to IASFM (Isaac Asimov Science Fiction Magazine). 
    IASFM is a good magazine but is not suitable for children to read.  The
    purpose for the magazine I propose would be suitable for all ages.  It
    would not be limited to SF but to all short stories.  Eventually, if
    demand grows, then a split would produce two mags, one for SF and the
    second for general fiction.
    
    Any suggestions, please comment.  <where?>  I don't know, maybe a fast
    note in 200 to give me directions to the proper note.
    
    David
    

    Shades of Demosthenes and Locke!  I'm on the Net!
    
    I've been reading SF since 1960.  Favorite authors are Card, Auel
    and Donaldson.  If I see a book with these names, I don't ask
    questions, I just buy them.  Collecting books is probably my biggest
    hobby, I can only wish for the talent to write!
    
    Out of the fantasy world, I'm a simply CS engineer in WKO and a
    single parent.  Gee, is it any wonder I prefer SF escapism...

    Lets see, I started into SF about the same day I held my first real
    coherent thoughts.  I was raised in it, my father also being an
    avid reader.  In fact, I have combined my personal library with
    his and it now spands better then 60 years of SF.  Everything from
    Big-Little books of Buck Rodgers to video cassettes and tape
    recorderings of old SF radio shows.
    
    Favorite authors are old Heinlen, Assimov, Bradbury, Sturgeon, Dick,
    Matheson, Ellison, Bradley, Anthony... well, just about anyone who
    has any claim to being a SF writer.  
    
    Also enjoy all the old "B" and "Classic" SF movies as well as the
    new ones comming out.  
    
    Lets see... personnal info...
    
    I'm an aspiring poet, artist, and short story writer, I'm currently in the
    ERC Transition program.  (Turned down the package) I'm 34 years
    of age and have a 5 year old son who enjoys movies about "B-Bots"
    which is his word for robots. Oh I've been with DEC 5 years.
    
    Hmmmmm... oh I've help put together one SF convention back in 74
    called CARSACON.  Had a lot of writers there.  T. Sturgeon, R Bradbury,
    P. Dick, R. Matheson, and some producer from Star Trek... what's
    his name again? ;-) There were others as well, Forrest J. Akerman
    (Uncle Forrey) and several others who's names escape me at the moment.
                                                                

    Well, I guess I might as well check in! I'm Karen Brockney and I've
    been reading this notesfile for quite some time now. I've been
    reading sf for AGES!
    
    My first introduction to sf was the Mushroom Planet books by
    E. Cameron. I must have read every one of them at least 10
    times as a child -- and I'd love to re-visit them again now.
    I also watched Flash Gordon on television, and had my own little
    set of plastic Flash Gordon characters that were great fun for
    make-believe games.
    
    I'll read just about anything, but I lean towards:
    
     o Stories that create a future world peopled by Earth descendants
       (Pern-like stories)
    
     o Stories of survivors of nuclear war, Earth's destruction, etc.
       (Brin's _The Postman_)
    
     o Stories with time travel 
       (Tim Powers _Anubis Gate_)
    
    I enjoy reading everyone's commentary and getting good ideas for my
    next trip to the library.
    
    Karen

    Hi I'm Matt Griffin and I've been working at dec for 3 years and am a
    avid book reader, I lean towards sf @ sf/fantasy, although I will read
    other books if highly recommended.
         I have previously replied in this note file, so I thought it was
    about time that I introduced myself. Besides my love of reading I also
    enjoy a good movie, usually action/adventure or sci/fi. I don't watch
    much tv except for movies and a few sci/fi series, star trek-tng, the
    flash and most recently the 100 lives of black jack savage....well I
    guess thats more than "not much tv" , anyway some of the books I've
    read are ; all of the dune series, both covenent chronicals series,
    the first shanara series, I've started on the second shanara series by
    finishing "scions" and went to buy book 2 "druid of" but its only out
    in hardcover and is about 16.buckaroos and I'm told it won't be out in
    paperback for a year, I hate it when that happens! some other books
    I've read ,(not sci\fi but still fiction), are hunt for the red october
    and red storm rising. 
          well I think thats enough of a list to let you know a little
    about myself. I rarely  give a bad review of a book as I would love to
    have the talent to write and don't feel qualified to critic the work
    of authors because I envy them all. Movies on the other hand are
    another matter, for instance "DUNE", I loved the books and almost cried
    at the way the movie butchered such an awsome story,( probably seeing
    it is what killed F.H.), I'm on share:: griffin, hlo1 in hudson ma.
    and will no doubt be noting here in the future.
    
    Happy to be here,
         
        Matt Griffin
    
    p.s. I usually end my replys/notes   "MDG"
    

    Hi Matt Griffin again,
     
        I just wanted to say that Frank Herbert was one of my favorite
    authors and I was very sad upon hearing of his passing, in my previous
    note,(122.72), I had said that his seeing how they,(hollywood),wrecked
    his story may have caused his passing.  
        To anybody that this may have caused any discomfort, I apologize,
    I meant no disrespect, as I said Frank was one of my favorite authors
    and a source of many hours of reading enjoyment. I know that he died of
    cancer and this was a great loss  to all who enjoy great sci/fi.
    
    sincerly
     MDG

    Having read this conference for some months, and having entered some
    replies, I stumbled across this note. I think it's time to introduce
    myself.
    
    My name is Wildrik Burema, and I hail from the Netherlands. I am a
    contracter currently being employed as an analyst/programmer at
    Nijmegen.
    
    The first SF book I read was an anthology compiled by Jeffrey(?)
    Conklin. It was a translation so I can't give the proper English title.
    This was way back in '63 or '64. I was hooked at once. Favorite authors
    at that time became Clifford D. Simak, Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac
    Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Larry Niven, .. Pohl, .. Kornbluth, Ray
    Bradbury.
    
    In later years I tended to go more in the direction of Fantasy and less
    "hard" SF. First and best of course J.R.R. Tolkien. Then (in no
    particular order) Stephen R. Donaldson, Terry Books, Ann McCaffrey,
    Marion Zimmer Bradley, David Eddings, and Jenny(?) Kurtz.
    
    This conference also pointed me to David Brin, C.L. Cherrey, and ..
    Hogan. I have already purchased some books by them, but have not read
    them (yet).
    
    Favorite titles are: "Wolfbane", "I, Robot", "Foundation trilogy", "I
    will fear no Evil", "Martian Chronicles", "Stranger in a Strange Land",
    "Chrystal singer/Callisandra", "The Ship who Sang", "Hawkmistress",
    "Tendara House", "Mallorean trilogy", and many more.
    
    I also collect SF films on video tape and currently have about 120
    taped.
    
    Well, time to stop rambling.
    
    Until another note,
    
    Wildrik
    
    N.B. Does anyone know what happened to sam(13)?
    
    -W-

    re:.74
    
    It's Groff Conklin and Katherine Kurtz.
    
    As for what happened to sam(13), well, he grew up. :-)  Some time
    later, he was a temporary employee during the summer while going
    to college, but then DEC cut out the temps as part of the cost-cutting
    measures and we haven't heard from him since.
    
    --- jerry

    
    	Hi, no entry's in this area in a while but I will put
    	my name down anyway.
    	I'm Michael Nancarrow from Australia I've been reading this
    	notes conference over the past few months from home ( to busy
    	at work) and getting use to DEC. I have been employed for
    	just over a year now as an operator and just really getting
    	used to the company.
    	My sf reading started with James Blish's adaptation of the
    	Star Trek series way back when I was in primary school and
    	my tastes have evolved into Heinlein, more Blish, Feist,
    	Zetford, E.E."Doc" Smith, Asimov,McCaffery and anything
    	else recommended to me.
    	I have not always worked on computers and my training
    	is mainly electronics(courtesy of the Australian Air Force)
    	plus some University courses in Mathematics,Engineering
    	,etc. 
    	I've been really enjoying the conference so far
    	and hope it will continue at it's current level.
    	My pet hate is people who knock the older SF writers
    	with technicalities and "poor" character development
    	after all their stories were written at a time when
    	sf was a slowly growing field breaking into new
    	realms some of which have been realized in the past
    	few decades.
    	
    				Anyway happy noting
    
    				Mike N.
     

    
    	Sam(13) is alive and well. It's nice to know that this file has
    survived all the recent turmoil in DEC. If anyone out there knows how
    to get in touch with Mike Foley, Jerry Boyajian, or Ed Barach, please
    drop a line to:
    
    		Sam Sankar
    		Rains Apt. #26J
    		704 Campus Drive
    		Stanford, CA 94305
    
    	My Internet address is all screwed up, so the primitive way
    is the only way for now. Take care.
    
    						sam(22)

    
    	Amazing ... looks like the longest-running member of this
    	conference doesn't even work here.
    
    	It's kind of funny in a warped sort of way.  8^)
    
    	Anyway, I'm Shawn Labounty ... been with the company for 7
    	years, going from LMO2 to FXO to MRO1 [but still with the
    	same business!!].  I'm a stockroom coordinator.
    
    	Basically I came in here to find out who wrote "The Adolescence
    	of P1" [which I did find out, BTW], and figured I'd stick around
    	for awhile and watch for anything new and exciting that might
    	come along.
    
    	And my NOTES sign-off is my CB handle.
    							GTI

    
    		Hi, my son (now sam(23)--it HAS been ten years) wanted
    to post his internet address here in case anyone has the information
    discussed in .77: It is [email protected].
    
    						Thanks

I have been playing catchup for a while now and have picked up lots of useful
pointers for books that I haven't read, so thanks to the numerous contributors
over the years, many long since departed. Time to introduce myself...

Name:
    Derek Garson

Position:
    Software Engineer in CSS Engineering, Sydney, Australia
    (for now...)

Earliest SF reading:
    C.S.Lewis (but the religious stuff went over my head; really enjoyed the
    BBC serialisation as an adult), "A Wrinkle in Time" (for school assignment),
    Lensmen series, Foundation trilogy (and other Asimov then available).

Favourite authors:
    Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Niven, ... (I tend towards hard SF.)

Favourite SF book:
    "Rendezvous with Rama"
    It's awe inspiring and a pity that the sequel didn't (couldn't!) live up to
    the original. The third in the series is in the queue (my "to read" pile)
    despite the negative comment here.

Favourite SF TV series:
    "Lost in Space" (my earliest SF memories), "Star Trek" (TOS), "Blake's
    Seven", "UFO", "Thunderbirds", "Time Tunnel", "V" (although the reception
    was so bad I thought it was called W). I don't watch much TV nowadays but
    as you can tell I used to be somewhat undiscriminating.

Favourite SF Films:
    "2001", "Alien*" (although I hope the third is the last), "Dune" (not
    having been handicapped by reading the books), "Star Wars", "Terminator*".

Least favourite book:
    "Lord of the Rings" is the only book I've ever not finished. That's not to
    say I don't read fantasy at all. I have read and enjoyed the first three
    books of the "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" (with dictionary alongside).

Collection size:
    Small. Time and money are limiting factors. (At least shelf space isn't.)
    My to read queue currently has around 12 books in it. Also only about half
    of what I buy and read is SF.

Pet hates:
    Futile discussions about the distinction between SF and F or what is or
    isn't SF. (I subscribe to the mini-skirt school of thought.)

Hi, I only just discovered this wonderful notesfile, and after browsing around
a bit, I went looking for the Intro topic.  Harder to find than usual, but
rewarding--enjoyed following Sam from 13 to 23.  All the best to him.

I'm a UNIX specialist, an American living in Munich, Germany.

My first exposure to SF was an issue of Astounding that my father brought
home.  I read and was captivated by Mack Reynolds' _Me_and_Flapjack_and_the_
Martians_.  That issue also contained an episode of Asimov's _The_Currents_
of_Space_, which REALLY grabbed me.  I immediately devoured everything of
Asimov's that I could find, and just branched out from there.  By the time
I reached high school I had absorbed them all:  Asimov, Leinster, Clarke,
Heinlein, van Vogt, Simak, Pohl with and without Kornbluth (and vice versa),
Hamilton, Stapledon, Eric Frank Russell, and on and on.

Mostly I read hard SF: some of the current writers whose work I'll pick up
automatically are Vance, Cherryh (no longer the fantasy, however), Resnick,
Forward, Card, Kevin O'Donnell (whom I haven't seen lately--did he finally
find the Far Being Retzglaran?), and numerous others.  Writers who are no
longer in that category are Zimmer-Bradley, McCaffrey, Niven, and a few others.

I do read a little fantasy: Vance and Brust are probably the only automatic
acquisitions.

I got a kick out of all of your favorite films.  Mine's still Forbidden
Planet.

My only previous contact with the world of SF is an old colleague from the
late, lamented System Development Corporation in Santa Monica, CA, who is
also a longtime member of LASFS, the LA Science Fantasy Society.  If it
weren't for him, I wouldn't have had a clue about trying unknown writers
in the last 15 years or so.  So I expect to benefit greatly from this
conference.  Looking forward to talking to you all.

Steve

    I suppose I should introduce myself:- Peter Jackson, been working in
    the UK CSC for 5 years.
    
    I like both fantasy and SF, but in different ways. Overall I prefer
    hard SF, but it seems to be getting rarer.
    
    I read some of the Narnia books when I was about 8 - they were in the
    school library. I started reading SF when I was about 10, mostly what
    was in the junior section of the local library. There were several
    factors that pushed me towards SF. I was (and still am) a fan of Dr.
    Who. It was the year of Apollo 11. I was given a subscription to a
    Childrens Book Club as a present, and one of the books was "Welcome to
    Mars" by James Blish. Gerry Anderson's shows were on televison -
    Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, etc..
    
    The following year I started to read Heinlein (Citizen of the Galaxy),
    Asimov (I, Robot), John Wyndham (The Chrysalids (sp?)), and E.E.Smith
    (Lensmen series). I also borrowed from the library a comedy SF book
    about a dentist who is kidnapped by aliens - Prostho Plus by Piers
    Anthony. I liked the book, but could not find anything else by him for
    years.
    
    In my teens I spent most of my money on books, most of which were SF.
    Clarke, Anderson, Niven, and Van Vogt were added to the list of authors
    whose works I would buy almost automatically. I read all the SF in my
    local library (Wells, and Verne).
    
    When I went to university, I expanded my range as I now had easy access
    to more and better bookshops. I started to read fantasy regularly
    including The Lord of the Rings and Spell for Chameleon (pity the rest
    of the series did not maintain the same standard). I added Vance, and
    Cherryh to my favourites. I read the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
    (first trilogy) in less than 24 hours (lunchtime to lunchtime) while
    wait for the results of my finals.
    
    I have four bookcases, and several boxes and piles of books. SF and
    fantasy is still the majority, but I am finding it harder to find good
    new ones. The best I have found recently was Vance's Cadwal trilogy. I
    read and liked Silverberg's "Lord Valentine's Castle" last weekend, and
    will continue the series next weekend. I am currently reading Kiplings
    "Kim" (It was cheap, and is good).
    
    One I read recently which I did not like was Titan by John Varley.
    Generally I don't like books which appear to be hard SF, but where the
    science is wrong or unbelieveable. I can 'suspend my disbelief' when I
    am prepared for it, by the conventions of the genre which the book
    appears to belong to, the date it was written, or by the book itself.
    I have the same problem with Star Trek - it looks like hard SF, but
    isn't, even making allowances for the conventions of the medium.
    
    Peter

    Hi, My name is Joan Templeton and I am switchboard receptionist at TRO
    I have been with the company almost ten years but have only recenly
    been able to get a PC at home so I am very new into notes as I do not
    have time at work to get involved, eccept to take a peek when I think 
    nobody is looking.
    
    I do not read scifi books but love mythology, Greek and anything to do
    with Merlin, which I guess is pretty close to the subject, anything
    about space or the future on film or TV I cannot miss, maybe I am just
    a sucker for the special effects.
    
    I may need some help through the do's and dont's of noting as being an
    older person getting involved with computers i don't know all the rules
    and there does not seem to be a handbook around for us old timers.
    
    Joan  

    
    Hi Joan,
    
    Welcome! There is a notesfile dedicated to NOTES etiquette at
    HUMAN::ETIQUETTE. But it looks as though you're doing fine.
    
    JP