Conference noted::sf

> vanished. However the planet itself had some sentient awareness. This lifeform
> helped the hero to leave this time but unfortunately they found themselves 
> hurled into pre-historic time.

	Did they call them Rock People or something like that?
	If so, I vaguely remember it but can't say what it was.

    Points 1, 2 and 3 sound very much like The End of Eternity by Asimov.
    
    Dave.

 RE .2  >> Points 1, 2 and 3 sound very much like The End of Eternity by Asimov.


Not even close.  In the Asmovian Universe the only setiant life form are humans.

In TEOE the hero is assigned to  20th century Earth

    Folks -- I haven't seriously read SF for about 15 years and my
    collection is sadly smaller than it used to be.  Nevertheless, I'm
    looking to find a wonderful story written years ago by some amazing
    visionary who foresaw an interesting future vis-a-vis what we are now
    calling PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants).  
    
    It envisioned a technology where folks began carrying personal alarm
    clocks with easy interfaces and speakers giving signals when
    appointments came up.  Then they went to silent vibration-emitting
    transducers, and then to save weight(?) they went to electrodes... 
    Then the PDA's got smarter, and the people made the mistake to allow
    the PDA's to issue more and more insistent "reminders" when things
    weren't done...  slippery slope...  before they knew it, the PDA's
    began talking to one another, began punishing folks who wanted to take
    off the electrodes, figured out how to monitor their wearers' thoughts,
    and -- not to put too fine a point on it -- took over the world.  It
    was touch-and-go, but someone finally managed to get their PDA off and
    won out over the slavemasters...  Yay, humanity...  But it was a
    helluva ride, and very relevant to the near-term innovations that will
    arrive soon, hopefully to delight us, not to subvert and bestride us...
    
    Who wrote this?  Where can I get a copy, or can I borrow yours PLEASE
    and re-read it?
    
    I don't have much time for yet another NotesFile so I won't get much
    chance to get back here...  (blush) I would be extremely grateful for
    any "finders" contacting me via EMail.  I'll get back to you ASAP and
    we can work out the transfer details.
    
    I really hope someone out there knows or better yet has this gem...
    
    Dan Kalikow
    Consultant, Engineering Interface Program 
    Corporate Research & Architecture, MLO
    

    Although the originator wants a reply by Email I would be interested in
    the answer as it looks like a good read. So, if someone can identify
    the book, please can they post its title, author and, preferably, ISBN
    here.
    
    Thanks
    Jim

    I can't remember the title, but Fritz Leiber wrote a short story or
    novellette with that theme.  I believe the devices were called
    "ticklers" and the hero was a Bohemian eccentric living on th edge of
    civilization who never did wear a tickler.  
    
    Potential spoiler:
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Eventually, the ticklers and the humans struck a deal.  The ticklers 
    were given personal anti-grav units to ride rather than humans (they 
    already had arms and eyes), and a spaceship to go explore the universe 
    in.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

           (-: breaking my "pledge" not to check back in here... :-)
    
    Sounds hopeful.  In fact the "tickler" sobriquet actually evoked a
    "tickle" of an archived recollection...
    
    As did the spoiler...  Any direct hits on the title from elsewhom, and
    possibly even the loan of the tome?
    
    /Dan
    

    Last week, I ordered some anthologies from my library -- but I just
    skimmed "The Best of Fritz Leiber" (Nelson Doubleday, 1974) and "The
    Worlds of Fritz Leiber" (Gregg Press, 1976) and they didn't have a
    story matching the description, or mentioning "ticklers."
    
    ... Does that "tickle" someone else to recall a more exact reference?
    
    :-)

    I noticed that his son wrote the preface to one of the books I managed
    to get from my local library, and it was signed from Houston TX. 
    Thinking that this perhaps means that Lieber pere might be in failing
    health, and anyway because I had a city to try, I called Houson info. 
    However they had no phone listings for a Justin Leiber.  
    
    Any pointers to the Great Man himself?  Or perhaps to his agent or
    current publisher of record?
    
    Tnx for any info...  Dan
    

    Re .9: Afraid you're a bit late for Himself; Leiber passed away in
    September. (See note 1105 for details.) 
    
    -b

                     ... still hoping to find that darn story ...

    
    Hi,
    
    I thought my question would fit in here best.
    
    I'm looking for a book I have read a few years ago. The main character
    is a girl who has the ability to "read" other people's faces so that
    she knows when they are lying or not. I vaguely remember a scene
    towards the end of the book on the surface of a planet (or the moon?).
    
    It's not much to go by but if you've read the book you'll know. The
    author is probably one of the big names (Heinlein, Niven, maybe Asimov)
    and if someone has a title I will know if it's the one.
    
    Thanks in advance,
    
    Andr� ;^)

RE: .12
    
>    I'm looking for a book I have read a few years ago. The main character
>    is a girl who has the ability to "read" other people's faces so that
>    she knows when they are lying or not. I vaguely remember a scene
>    towards the end of the book on the surface of a planet (or the moon?).

It's definitely not Heinlein.  I've read every book and short story by him 
that I can find, and I can't think of any story with that sequence.

This might be wrong, but could it be "First Lensman" by E.E. Smith?  In that
book, Virgilia Samms is an accomplished "muscle reader", who can read the
involuntary flickers of motion of muscle groups on her subject in order to
tell not only whether they are lying, but also extract even more detailed
information.  She demonstrates this to several other characters by cleaning
them out in a series of poker games, and then uses it more effectively to
uncover and stop an assassination.

She is not the main character, but she is certainly an important one.

-- Ken Moreau

    
    Hi Ken,
    
    The name nor title ring a bell, and the girl in question did not have a
    name like Virgilia Samms... the way you describe her sounds a lot like
    the girl in my book, though.
    
    Some more "hints" since I've really been trying to remember more
    details about the story:
    
    She's pretty lonely because everyone thinks she's a "freak". On this
    barren planet (might be the moon) she finds an older man who becomes
    her friend, because he's the only one who is not scared of her, and
    he's completely honest to her. He has a beard, which is pretty unique
    in that sosciety. 
    
    Also I remember that there is some intelligence on this planet, not 
    in a physical body but rather 'freeflowing', and it was found near 
    a river or a flow...
    
    Is that vague enough for you? ;-)
    
    Andr� ;^)

    I think the book you're describing is "Nemesis" by Asimov.

    A colony ship leaves from earth to go to a near red dwarf companion of
    the Sun that has been hidden from view from the earth.  Once there, the
    colonists discover a gas giant planet that has a habitable moon.  They
    also discover that Nemesis is approaching the solar system and may pass
    close enough to perturb the orbits of the planets and thereby cause
    Earth to become uninhabitable.  The colonists are trying to keep their
    discovery secret as they left the solar system to get away from the
    overcrowding and don't want hordes of earth people following them, so
    they decide not to warn Earth of the coming danger (which won't affect
    them for another 1000 (or was it 10000?) years anyway).

    The girl (can't remember her name) was born on the colony ship and has
    the uncanny power to "read" other people's body language such that she
    always knows if they are telling the truth.  She is drawn to the
    surface of the moon and believes the colonists should move there, but
    their leader wants to stay in space and build more colony ships.  She
    finally gets to the moon and discovers it contains a global lifeform
    that appears to her in the shape of a human and talks to her.  It
    convinces her that it would be a bad idea to colonize this moon as that
    would destroy the lifeform.  In the end, I believe they work out a
    cooperative scheme whereby the course of Nemesis will be changed
    slighty so as to avoid disturbing the solar system.

    That's all I can remember - is that what you were thinking of?

    Bruce

    Bruce,
    
    that's absolutely the one I mean! Thanks very much!!!!
    
    Now where did I leave my Library card....
    
    Andr� ;^)