HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: trumpins@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu (Barbara Trumpinski)
Subject: Re: A return, and a good-bye....
Keywords: death, Asimov
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 03:21:15 GMT

In <1992Apr6.180757.26077@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> keaches@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Kevin S Eaches) writes:

>     During a lull in the conversations, the door to the Place opens, and a 
>figure that hasn't been seen for a while walks in.
>     "Hello all!"  Legion says, as he walks into the busy bar. "How's it going?
> Sorry to be gone so long, but things got so hectic last fall with research 
>that I had to quit posting and put more of my attention to that.  Things have 
>quieted down a bit, so hopefully I'll be back more regularly now.  I've been 
>lurking mainly, off and on as time permits...."  He heads over to Mike, waving 
>at familiar faces as he passes - DM, kitten, Kateri, Didi-Sprite..."Mike, I'd 
>like two drinks:  a glass of champaigne, and a double scotch."  He reaches into
kitten waves to legion...."welcome back...i will eventually come to
holomuck....one of these days....i promise, you guys...really."
--
***************************************************************************
conan the librarian a.k.a. kitten           /\ /\  barbara ann 
"my life's a soap opera, isn't yours?"      {=.=}
                                              ~   trumpins@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu 

"kittens today are not properly trained--the way that they were when
victoria reigned." asparagus (gus: the theatre cat)
From: eesshlgb@gdr.bath.ac.uk (S H L G Bisson)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Hickory, hickory dock, a cartoon mouse on rock...
Date: 14 Apr 92 10:15:22 GMT
Organization: School of Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, UK

Taking advantage of a lull in the party Ignatz and Deej wander off, heading
back to the crag. Stopping at the bottom the Cartoon Mouse removes his bag,
and starts to delve inside.

First out, a magenta waist harness. Then a fluorescent yellow and green
rope. Ignatz puts the harness on, and slips his climbing shoes on.
Pulling a rack of protection and some slings from the bag, he clips a
selection of gear onto his harness. Setting up a standing belay, he persuades
Deej to actually belay for him. Then, tying onto the rope with a figure of
eight knot, Ignatz readies himself for the climb.

First move: reaching up into a crack for a right hand hold, out left to a
pocket for his left hand. Right foot high into a crack, and up, moving 
weight from feet to arms, lifting left foot high, into the waiting pocket.
Right foot follows, left hand reaching high for the next handhold, a solid
jug, in easy rhythm. Eyes up, scanning the limestone for those next few 
cracks and pockets that form his route. Good handholds for two moves, not
too bad for the left foot, but nothing for the right. Adrenaline surge as
the rubber of his boot grips the rock, his inertia and the friction holding 
him for the brief moment as two moves lead him to a place to rest a while.

Fifteen feet up, and a good vertical crack is just right for protection.
Good footholds here, and an easy handhold; Ignatz unclips a carabiner from
his harness. The small metal prism on a steel wire attached to the crab
fits snuggly in the crack, slipping down neatly and holding as Ignatz
pulls hard on it. Pulling up on the rope he clips the crab over the rope,
and, taking a deep breath, moves on up the rock face.

Sixty feet up, and well protected behind him with a range of nuts, a few 
hexes and a small cam, Ignatz reaches the crux move. The crack he's been 
climbing takes a sharp bend to the left, widening as it does. To his right
the rock bulges out, hiding the foot and handholds that might lie beyond.
But he has to move right, traversing around the rock bulge, feeling for 
those holds that must be there. Dip hands into chalk for better grip, and
reach out! In that moment adrenaline takes control, and sense of self is
lost in a timeless moment of body and rock. Right foot, small pocket, safe.
Right hand high in a long crack, moved down to make room for a later left
that sits at shoulder height in a deep pocket. Left foot feel for safety,
another pocket by the right, and pull, pull around, pulling right to look
up and see cracks and pockets that lead safely to the top of the crag.

Mantleshelfing onto the top, Ignatz breathes deeply, the adrenaline 
flushed out of his system. he relaxes, and sets up a top rope belay,
ready for anyone who wants to join him in pushing out past what were 
once his limits.

---
Ignatz Mouse/Simon H Le G Bisson...net.jerriais, sf-bibliophile, climber
----
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
From: bruce@harry.ugcs.caltech.edu (Bruce J Bell)
Subject: Re: Hickory, hickory dock, a cartoon mouse on rock...
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 22:11:18 GMT

Skeeve, who nobody noticed coming into the meadow, steps into view of
the crag...

From his backpack, he takes climbing shoes and a few meters of green
nylon webbing, a figure-eight and a locking 'beaner.

He doubles the webbing and quickly fashions a harness-like configuration
around his waist and legs, hooks the 'beaner and figure-eight to it, then
spends a fair amount of time lacing up the damn shoes...

Tying the end of the rope to the *harness*, he starts up the rock:

"ON BELAY"

"...belay on...", quoth DM.

"CLIMBING"

"...climb on..."

Skeeve is glad for the toprope, being that he's a bit rusty and out of
condition...
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: Tam Lin/Thomas the Rhymer (sources and history)
From: olson@husc8.harvard.edu (Chip Olson)
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:53:46
 ago.edu><OLSON.92Apr7235623@husc8.harvard.edu><1992Apr8.190826.25408@midway.uchicago.edu>
Organization: Spam-On-A-Rope Inc.
In-reply-to: moh2@quads.uchicago.edu's message of 8 Apr 92 19:08:26 GMT

In article <1992Apr8.190826.25408@midway.uchicago.edu> moh2@quads.uchicago.edu (Kateri/Mary Anne) writes:

>Another version has him about to be paid as a tithe to Hell when Janet rescues
>him.  The Faerie owe Hell one life every seven years, and they'd rather 
>sacrifice a mortal than one of their own. Janet somehow hears about this, and
>is there to rescue him on the night before Halloween.  She drags him off his
>white horse and must cling to him throughout the many awful shape changes 
>the Queen puts on him, the last being a burning brand, which she douses in a
>well/stream.
>
>In some versions she must be pregnant by his child to accomplish this - how
>she manages it after him being away for seven years is never successfully
>explained.

Castellan listens attentively to Kateri being pedantic :-).  "That's the
version Sandy Denny sings... `For they will turn me in your arms into a
newt or a snake / but hold me close and fear not, I am your baby's father'.
I understand the song a lot better now; thanks!"

--
-Chip Olson. | olson@husc.harvard.edu | ceo@gnu.ai.mit.edu (seldom used)
"So come all ye lovers of the Good Life, your children playing in the sun,
And set a sympathetic flag a-flying, and be there when the Dutchman comes..."
                                      -Jethro Tull, "Flying Dutchman"
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
From: pierce@spop.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Jim M. Pierce)
Subject: Re: All mind and no heart?
Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-16278]: spop.navo.navy.mil
Reply-To: pierce@navo.navy.mil (Jim M. Pierce)
Organization: POPS Operations
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 05:38:41 GMT

In article <tjlee.702881355@pv740b.vincent.iastate.edu>, tjlee@iastate.edu (The Lamplighter) writes:
|> Curious Of All Natures writes:
|> 
|> >Shared pain lessened, shared joy increased...  but I have nothing to
|> >share but confusion.  Confusion and a calm familiar inner quiet where
|> >I'd rather be rage and storm.
|> 
|> 	"This sounds so familiar!" the Lamplighter exclaims.  "You see,
|> I've always been very sensitive to emotional attack (grade school was a
|> hell), so as a child I developed this kind of inner warm void; feelings
|> about other people got switched off.  I could feel about friends (but I
|> had to know them really well), about ideas, and about fictional
|> characters, since they weren't out to hurt me."

   "In the fourth grade, the nicest thing anyone said to me was, " Hey,
  Four-eyes ! Come here !" "

|> 	"At one point, I don't remember exactly when, I either found out
|> or decided that not feeling things was bad.  So I've been trying to stop
|> being shy, to stop 'switching off' when people I didn't know well were
|> around.  It's only been partially successful."
     
    "I was told its called 'going into a shell.' I spent alot of time
  there growing up." NickD.

|> 	"Realizing I was doing it was a big step.  Music listening and
|> playing has been a big help.  My relationship with Aurora (Tammy Jo) has
|> changed this a great deal; I don't feel hurtable when she's around.  And
|> yes, reading and posting to alt.callahans has also helped greatly."
|> 
|> 	"Well, I'm still trying.  Good luck; may you find your way!"

    "Finding someone, or someones, to share the hurt makes it less. I
   had several friends growing up that were also the butt of many of
   the same jokes I was put to, but things are better now ! Much Better !

      "Thanks to my friends, one and all !"says NickD. as he raises his glass
    in toast to those friends { some of them I haven't seen in years, and
    some are right here ! }. 

-- 
     pierce@navo.navy.mil  Jim Pierce aka Nick D.

    "I want a new saying..." me 
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
From: lindercs@HYDRA.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU (Galadin (Craig Linderoth))
Subject: Dr. Asimov
Reply-To: lindercs@HYDRA.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 17:20:00 GMT

	Galadin is sitting looking at his bookcase filled with Empire,
Foundation and Robots.  It also holds many books that are their own
self-contained worlds.  Yet, all of these books have one thing in common, they
were written by a master.  Dr. Asimov died last night, but he will continue to
live on in his works.  Not only that, but he will also live on in the
influences that his writings have had on many people.  I still remember how the
ostracism between spacers and earthers helped me break out of the prejudice of
the city that I was living in.  
	It is due a lot to his books that I am in engineering.  It was the
fantastic mixed with the scientific that made his works so good.  And he was
damn good at the characters.  I also remember reading his critiques of
Shakespeare in one of his many non-fiction works.  Gave me a new perspective on
the Bard's words.  It is sad to know that the foundation is finally finished,
but we should then try to enjoy what we have that much more.
	The worlds of science fiction has definitely lost a lot with the deaths
of the 3, but there are new ones coming up that should be able to take our
interests and unbind our minds.  And never forget that Orson Scott Card is
still there and his works, at least Ender's Game and such, almost definitely
rank up there.
	Well, enough of the nostalgia for now.  Mike, give me a ginger ale
please.  With that, Galadin slaps a dollar on the counter.  He accepts the
glass from Mike and slowly stands.  Sipping from the glass, Galadin walks to
the chalkline.  As he takes his last sip, he peers intently into the fire.  He
raises his arm, and lets loose the glass which slowly spins its way into the
fire.  As it hits the fire, Galadin waves his staff, (Yes, he finally changed
it back from a cane) and the blaze leaps high and joyously to meet the shards
that are descending upon the fire.  "To greatness lost but still to be
savored."


******************************************************************************
*Craig Linderoth                * Reality is for People who Lack Imagination.*
*Lindercs@Rosevc.rose-hulman.edu*   The Callahanian Protector of People from *
*ChemEng, Rose-Hulman           *    Outrageous Pun Throwers    SPLAT :)     *
******************************************************************************
From: lydick@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Speaker-to-Minerals)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: Becoming a murderer
Date: 16 Apr 92 07:33:34 GMT
Reply-To: lydick@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera

In article <204995@unix.cis.pitt.edu>, seawasp+@pitt.edu (Ryk E Spoor) writes:
>In article <1992Apr15.184806.6821@cello.hpl.hp.com> renglish@cello.hpl.hp.com (Bob English) writes:
>>"At 12:01 AM on April 21, I will become a murderer.  The State of
>>California, acting in my name and in my behalf, will strap Robert Alton
>>Harris into a chair and drop cyanide tablets into a pail of acid, ending
>>his life.  I do not condone his acts, but neither do I wish for his
>
>	The Sea Wasp shrugs. "Sorry you feel THAT way. I don't see myself 
>as a murderer if the state does things in ITS name that I don't approve of.
>After all, I don't call myself a thief simply because, in addition to being
>taxed, the state also taxes other people in my name.
>	"I'm not a murderer unless I throw the switch, or directly, with
>intent, cause it to be thrown. Maybe you could stretch the definition to
>include those 80% out there, but not you.
>	"Now... I'd cheerfully throw the switch on Dahmer or Manson. Since
>I don't know exactly what Harris did, I reserve judgement on whether I'd
>go along with his execution. As my prior post on the Death Penalty makes
>pretty clear, my standards for it are much more stringent than those of
>most laws..."

StM pontificates (and I'm not even Catholic, let alone a bishop, let alone....
[he ducks the barrage of peanuts]):  "First of all, to claim that the state of
California is making you a murderer is to ignore the definition of murder in
order to try to carry the argument via emotion.  Murder is the INTENTIONAL,
UNLAWFUL killing of another human being.  Few, if any societies, hold
killing someone in self-defense to be murder, for example.  And while killing
Harris is certainly intentional, it's most definitely NOT unlawful.  And while
renglish (sorry, name of the persona lost in previous editing of attributions)
thinks it's heinous to kill Harris as punishment for his multiple murders, I,
for one, think it's heinous to spend more money per year than the average
resident of California earns supporting him for the rest of his life.  He has
been judged, by a number of courts, to be mentally competent, fetal alcohol
syndrome notwithstanding.  I'd be willing to pull the lever that drops the
potassium cyanide capsule into the HCl.
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
From: keaches@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Kevin S Eaches)
Subject: Re: Books to build a civilization...
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 22:02:16 GMT

Legion has been listening to Sea Wasp and some other Patrons holding a 
conversation on books to use to build a civilization for some time now, and 
decides to go over and chat a bit....
     "Hello - the talk's been interesting so far, but I have a major question:
You keep mentioning the CRC.  Somehow or another, I've managed to miss the 
reference for that entirely.  What exactly is it?  You also mentioned an old 
book of formulas and such; unless I miss my guess, you're thinking of Hensley's
(sp?) Formulas, and old book, but a good one....I've looked through it several 
times, and found it very interesting."
     "There's something that I personally think would be VERY useful....In The 
Whole Earth Catalog, the collection titles SIGNALS, or somthing similar, they 
mentioned a box of microfilm and a reader that you could buy....It's expensive,
but from the sound of it, it has a LOT of information on just about 
everything...I'll look up the information, and post it later, in case anyone is
interested...."
     Legion grins, and walks back to his table.  "Let me know what the CRC is, 
please.   Oh, and by the way, Wasp.  I saw your post on abortion.  Found it 
very clear-cut and reasonable....See you later."  As he walks to his table, he 
sees DM's party still going on outside, and decides to go back to that for a 
while...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin 'Legion' Eaches                  keaches@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
I never really believed in entropy; then I got cats....
From: Elizabeth.Mccoy@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Elizabeth Mccoy)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: Living in Sin
Date: 8 Apr 92 21:58:25 GMT
Organization: Procrastionaters Anon.


>Tizrak enters the place, having been missing for a day or two.  With
>him is a beautiful woman ("No I'm not", she whispers; "Yes you are" he
>whispers back; "oh, for crying out loud" [...])

T'Kee twists her large, sensitive ears about. She starts giggling. "I
have the same sort of conversation with my VSO all the time too. It's
obviously a Delusion on his part, but I'm happy he has it..."

Tizrak and Rachel toast:
>               "To living in sin!"

"Here, here!" says T'Kee as she sends her glass to follow theirs. 
"Of course, married is nice too, I've found.  It's more the "who" whan
the "how," y'know?  

"Wishing y'all luck on getting your wedding when you want it."

--E_McCoy@unhh.unh.edu aka T'Kee the Hopeless Romantic Cat-Centaur
--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
From: cplma@groper.jcu.edu.au (Nicarra)
Subject: Re: a weary patron returns
Organization: James Cook University
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 92 03:22:27 GMT

In <1992Apr4.182533.3655@unixland.natick.ma.us> escorpia@unixland.natick.ma.us (Ruth Wallace-Laubinger) writes:

>"Yes, Mike, an Amaretto would be just fine. (sigh) It feels good to be back.
>This has been a very long winter. It took me a long time to find way back
>here. I see there are lots of new faces, as usual, and some not so new.

Nicarra turns and a smile lights up her face.

>Is my old Queen Anne still, by any chance? I'd dearly love to curl up and
>soak up the ambiance for a bit."

>"Thanx, Mike. Um, if you happen to see Gray Lady or Aahz, would you send 
>give holler?"

Nicarra wanders over to give Escorpia a welcome back hug.  "I'm sure
that Aahz and the Gray Lady will be around soon.  But for the moment,
will I do?"

"Mike, I'm paying for this lady's next drink."

Nicarra
-- 
The screen of my Mac doesn't really resemble my desktop despite being designed 
to support the desktop metaphor (1), and the windows on my terminal bear only 
the slightest relation to the contraptions that lets drafts into my office.  
Stroustrup.  1) I wouldn't be able to tolerate such a mess on my screen anyway.
From: bruce@harry.ugcs.caltech.edu (Bruce J Bell)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: the best books to rebuild modern technology
Date: 9 Apr 92 05:56:53 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

seawasp+@pitt.edu (Ryk E Spoor) writes:

>	Can't argue there -- I still can't comprehend the SCAdians who actually
>WANT to live in that era. Me, only if I can bring the CRC and a couple sturdy
>bodyguards (and several firearms with lots of ammo) with me....

Well, the CRC has lots of useful general information, but if I had more
room, I'd take the Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology.  Math and physics
and engineering you can remember or work out, and are sort of intuitive
in the first place, but practical chemical engineering is the sort of
thing that takes years of long, tedious, and occasionally dangerous trial
and error to get right.  Though at 17 volumes, it would take a mule of
its own to carry around...

>                                 Sea Wasp
>                                   /^\
>                                   ;;;


Skeeve (I'm not a chemist, but I play one on TV)

"Have brain, will travel"
From: JMPIERCE@USMCP6.BITNET (JIM PIERCE)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: You are invited to a picnic!
Date: 7 Apr 92 02:42:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: USM.920406.20422972.069188


[...]

>Nicki nods at the compliment, playing all the while.

>Soon after this, she hears Linda's request and, with her on trumpet and
>Arty playing his 12-string, plays "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy of
>Company B".  She's not even surprised at the dragon joining in on the
>harmonica.

   Linda zooms straight up and commences to fly around from 100-1,000
 meters up in the air. With her trumpet clearly in sync and in-key with the
 playing of the others.

>Finishing with a laugh and a flourish, Nicki pauses for just a short
>while before playing another tune.  She almost stops when a small blue
>firelizard pops into being infront of her.

><<Dart!  Where've you been.>>

><<Here and there.  I figured you'd need an extra voice for that song
>you're playing.>>

>With this, the blue firelizard perches himself on Nicki's shoulder and
>begins to sing with the guitar playing, a gentle, beautiful tune.

>Concentrating so hard on playing, it takes Nicki a little while to
>notice that someone else has joined in.  Looking around, she spots
>Galadin with his keyboard, adding depth to the music.  Gradually, more
>people join in, some of them hesitantly, but picking up in confidence.

   NickD. hums along wth the music.

>Soon, the whole meadow is full of the lovely music, changing as
>different musicians lead it in different directions, but still keeping
>together perfectly.  Above all of the instruments, Dart's voice sounds
>clear and high, a perfect descant to whichever tune currently dominates
>the music.

   "Thanks Nicki. I needed this after I heard that Isaac Asimov had died.
  Thank you all. I know some of the words, so I sort of hummed along as
  my singing voice isn't exactly on-key, although I can usually listen to
  a stringed instrument and tell if one of them is out of tune. Of
  course, I can't tune a guitar, I've tried ! <chuckle> Oh well." NickD.


* <JMPIERCE@USMCP6.BITNET> Jim Pierce; Bach. Sci. in Applied Computer Science
* USM Academic Computing on the Gulf Park Campus. Disclaimer: Standard.
* "Women are People, *not* property." me