HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mkwan@cs.mu.OZ.AU (Matthew Kwan)
Subject: Re: Valhalla (Melb) 24hr Sci Fi coming REAL soon
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 07:36:46 GMT

fraser@munta.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Fraser Wilson) writes:

>>   More details when someone gets the calendar near a computer.

>Just from memory, it seems to be a James Cameron special:
>Terminator 1&2, Abyss and the other one.  Also, The Andromeda Strain,
>Dark Star, there might be Alien, and I can't remember the rest.

OK, from the Valhalla's ad in last week's EG we have -

Saturday 16jan93

0700	Breakfast
0730	Star Wars
0945	The Andromeda Strain
1210	Dark Star
1345	Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
1550	Space Hunter - Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (3D)
1740	Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150AD
1930	Terminator
2130	Terminator 2
0000+1	Aliens
0220+1	The Abyss
0445+1	Westworld

Sorry about the time/date formats. I've been spending too much time
working on airline scheduling software. Thank god it doesn't cross
time zones ...

Anyway, as Fraser said, it's got all the James Cameron movies -
with the exception of Pirhana II. Unfortunately they've cut Alien
this year, so you'll have to take a nap during some other movie.

mkwan
From: antony@werple.apana.org.au (Antony Suter)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: No ST:TNG this week :( :( :( :(
Date: 22 Dec 1992 22:13:16 +1100
Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au

raeram@kittyhawk.aero.rmit.OZ.AU (Richard A. Muirden) writes:

>No ST:TNG this week due to Carrols by Candlelight. This is Melbourne, is
>anyone else (syd, bris) affected like this? If not, doesn't this mean
>we will again be out of sync? :(

What? I hadnt checked the program. I tend to get withdrawal after 4 days.
From: zaph@torps.apana.org.au (Kevin Burfitt)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Valhalla (Melb) 24hr Sci Fi coming REAL soon 
Distribution: world
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 15:12:13 GMT
Organization: The Torps - Legends in their own lunchtimes

Valhalla 24hr Sci-Fi Festival.  Sat/Sun 16/17 Jan 1993
(or, as they now call it, the 'All day and night science fiction)

Heres a list of whats going on, and who's in the movies


 7.00am : Free BBQ breakfast
          - The usual Snags, Toast, Rice bubbles etc...

 7.30am : Star Wars
          - Who needs this described ?    

 9.45am : The Andromeda Strain
          - ' Michael Chritons absorbing thriller about a virus from O.S.'

12.10pm	: Dark Star
          - John Carpenter (The Thing, etc),  
          - Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Total Recall)

 1.45pm : Buckaroo Banzai
          - Peter Weller (The Fly)
          - John BigBoote
          - The guy who plays the railway ghost in 'Ghost'

 3.50pm : SpaceHunter - Adventures in the forbidden zone   **3D**
          - Isn't this the one with Molly Ringworld (or whatever her name is)

 5.40pm : Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150AD
          - Dr. Someone

 7.30pm : Terminator
          - Arnie  

 9.30pm : Terminator 2
          - Arnie 2

12.00am : Aliens
          - Sigourney, Guns, Bugs
          - That Conner boy's father (from the last movie)

 2.20am : The Abyss
          - If they only cut out that last 3 or 4 minutes of film....

 4.45am : Westworld
          - Yul 'Dont Smoke' Brynner

 Prices    :  1   2    3    4    5    6    7    8 or more
 Normal    : $9  $11  $14  $17  $20  $23  $26  $28
 Concession: $6  $8   $10  $12  $14  $16  $18  $20


 Anyone feel like reviewing the movies ???


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
zaph@torps.apana.org.au           |  ...I knew her before she was a virgin!
Kevin Burfitt                     |   Groucho Marx, commenting on Doris Day
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ins_wayne@actew.oz.au
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: ST:TNG  Booby Trap (yeah, spoilers probably)
Date: 21 Dec 92 16:21:03 EST
Organization: ACT Electricity & Water

In article <1h0pedINNer@werple.apana.org.au>, speednut@werple.apana.org.au (Mark Jose) writes:
> Original Message From: 10726446@eng2.eng.monash.edu.au (LAU WAI KUEN)
>  
>>  Ha!  Well, I utterly freaked when Data played a 1000 year old tape,
>>and the alien on it promptly spoke in English (or whatever common
>>language the Feds use).  Sheesh!  How much trouble would it have
>>been to have some say that they'll have the computer translate it from
>>data tapes or something?  Yes, it would have slowed down the plot
>  
> ANd what do they do, preface every alien encounter with, "please
> switch to translator, Mr. Data". It wouldn't be long before the show
> became boorish and pretty soon people would start saying "Jeez, I wish
> they would stop treating us like idiots, we know they'd have to have
> some translating device operative". Sort of a catch-22 situation.

  One which is explored, rather unsuccessfully in a fifth-season
  episode called "Darmok" (45047.2) where Picard is drawn into a
  situation in which no translator could help him - only his wits.

  (SPOILER) They communicate with metaphors.  The problem is that
  they speak English words (but of course...), but with
  mythological allusion and metaphor.

> Me, I am quite happy to allow such plot foibles if it allows the
> series to not become too engrossed in explaining every single
> alien encounter, new life form, new concept etc.

  A casual reference to "Engaging Universal Translator" would
  help.  I wonder how it happens that almost every species and
  race in the Galaxy decided to use the same "Hailing
  frequencies..."

>>desperate he is, or a slight mental problem).  I still can't figure
>>out why Picard destroyed the derelict ship; putting a warning beacon
>>would have sufficed, long enough for the Feds to get a demolition team
>>in to plant explosives on the generators, destroying them.
>  
> How would the team have got in. They would be unable to use energy and
> also they would have been exposed to radiation. Not worth the risk.
> All the ships logs were bought back onto the Enterprise. They have
> detailed logs of what happened, so that is enough to satisfy every-
> body but the archaeologists. Blowing it up was the safest and quickest
> way of preventing another vessel falling into the same trap.

  Better to plant a warning beacon, and allow a team which is
  *prepared* to explore the situation.  Considering the interest
  he showed in the ship, it was a strange decision indeed.  All it
  would take is a ship with a small energy supply and
  chemical/reaction drive.

  He did NOT save the day by destroying the ship; if anything, he
  caused a bigger problem by not leaving the derelict as a
  warning.

-- 
Wayne Myles             Email: ins_wayne@actew.oz.au, wsm@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au
System Manager,	        Snail: GPO Box 366, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.
ACT Electricity & Water	   Ph: +61-6-248-3143 (w)  Fax: +61-6-248-3439
Newsgroups: aus.sf,aus.tv
From: chisnall@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz (The Technicolour Throw-up)
Subject: Re: Questions (one or two of 'em)
Organization: Computer Science,University of Canterbury,New Zealand
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 04:22:45 GMT

From article <1993Jan4.011807.28005@csc.canberra.edu.au>, by mmr@asgserver.canberra.edu.au (Micheal Rainford-Watson):
> I could just see a special christmas edition with chrissy decs strung
> up around the bridge. Who would have been Santa? Warf, Picard, Lefroy?
> Or maybe an unwanted alien).

Q

--
Just my two rubber ningis worth.
Name: Michael Chisnall  (chisnall@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz)
I'm not a .signature virus and nor do I play one on tv.
From: bongo@DIALix.oz.au (John Bongiovanni)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: No ST:TNG this week :( :( :( :(
Date: 23 Dec 1992 19:44:43 +0800
Organization: DIALix Services, Perth, Western Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.dialix.oz.au
X-Newsreader: NN version 6.4.19 #1

>raeram@kittyhawk.aero.rmit.OZ.AU (Richard A. Muirden) writes:

>>No ST:TNG this week due to Carrols by Candlelight. This is Melbourne, is
>>anyone else (syd, bris) affected like this? If not, doesn't this mean
>>we will again be out of sync? :(

It just got pre-empted by Cluedo in Perth. This better not be another
Cluedo season. Three episodes of TNG? Two I've seen before! Somebody
out there just doesn't like Star Trek....
From: zaph@torps.apana.org.au (Kevin Burfitt)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Valhalla (Melb) 24hr Sci Fi coming REAL soon
Distribution: world
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 92 19:31:52 GMT
Organization: The Torps - Legends in their own lunchtimes


Hi Guys & Gals,

   Just found out that the Val is hosting another 24hr sci-fi, but this ones
   in January! - its right near the start of the new calendar.

   More details when someone gets the calendar near a computer.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
zaph@torps.apana.org.au           |  ...I knew her before she was a virgin!
Kevin Burfitt                     |   Groucho Marx, commenting on Doris Day
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: speednut@werple.apana.org.au (Mark Jose)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: ST:TNG  Booby Trap (yeah, spoilers probably)
Date: 28 Dec 1992 15:12:44 +1100
Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au

Original Message From: eoin@xocolatl.com (John F. Snyder)
 
>-> How would the team have got in. They would be unable to use energy and
>-> also they would have been exposed to radiation. Not worth the risk.
>-> <<stuff deleted>>
>-> Blowing it up was the safest and quickest
>-> way of preventing another vessel falling into the same trap.
>
>But they only blew up the ship, NOT the generators.  They are still
>there, and still dangerous.  Do you believe they just shut down
>completely when their prey was destroyed?
 
Did I miss something or wasn't the whole idea of blowing up the asteroid
belt to destroy BOTH the ship and the generators. Seems little sense in
destroying just the ship.
 
I am sure the whole lot went up - but maybe I was dreaming.
From: kat@werple.apana.org.au (Kathryn Andersen)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: Isn't anyone READING anymore?
Date: 27 Dec 1992 09:06:05 +1100
Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au

aa317@Freenet.carleton.ca (Mike Porter) writes:

>I'm not sure if I'm totally welcome here, not being from "down-under" (I'm
>from "up-over"--Ottawa, Canada),
Heck, I dunno!  I didn't realize aus.sf made it outside aus anyway.
>but this is the first time I've run
>across a science fiction area in my short travels.
Really?  There's a whole hierarchy of groups under rec.arts.sf.*

>I'm also a big ST:TNG fan
>(literally, I've got scar tissue on my head from where it bumps the
>doorways),and find it interesting that the episodes you are seeing seem
>to be pretty old by our standards.
I know - pathetic, isn't it.

>Of course, I'm just getting over my
>disappoint at reading a "spoiler" from the States, where they are a week
>ahead of us, apparently.
Ah, then you *do* read other sf groups - or do you not consider the 
rec.arts.startrek.* groups to be sf?
>Aaaaanyway, regarding the comment about this
>area being taken over by Trekkies--Has anyone read "Earth" by David Birn? 
>It's got some interesting stuff on this whole worldwide computer network
>thing that I'm just beginning to uncover.  Aside from the interesting
>ideas, the book isn't that great, as he kind of loses control of the story
>towards the end... But it _did_ keep me entertained.

A really good book that features something like the 'net is
_A Fire Upon The Deep_ by Vernor Vinge; I think it's the best thing by
him I've read.  A page-turner.  Just when you think it couldn't get
worse for Our Heroes, it does.  Bit like David Brin's _Startide Rising_
in that respect.  It is also similar in that it has a galactic civilization
which is a semi-anarchic association of lots of aliens, rather than some
centralized confederation of species, or a segregated
one-species-one-territory situation.  He proposes an idea about the
galaxy which is central to the plot, but it is one of those neither
plausible nor implausible ideas, impossible to prove or disprove (unless
someone actually went Out There 8-)) and it wasn't the kind of idea that
left me jumping up and down saying "What a neat idea!".  Others could
well disagree.  But it is definitely a good book.

(Thanks again, JB, for giving it to me!)

Kathryn Andersen
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"What is it about Earth-people that makes them think
	a futile gesture is a noble one?"
		-- Turlough		(Doctor Who : Warriors of the Deep)
-- 
 _--_|\		Kathryn Andersen	<kat@werple.apana.org.au>
/      \	Hawthorn -> Melbourne -> Victoria -> Australia
\_.--.*/	-> Southern Hemisphere -> Earth -> Sol -> Milky Way Galaxy
      v			-- My other account is an Apollo --
From: speednut@werple.apana.org.au (Mark Jose)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: ST:TNG  Booby Trap (yeah, spoilers probably)
Date: 28 Dec 1992 15:13:58 +1100
Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au

Original Message From: ins_wayne@actew.oz.au
 
>> Me, I am quite happy to allow such plot foibles if it allows the
>> series to not become too engrossed in explaining every single
>> alien encounter, new life form, new concept etc.
>
>  A casual reference to "Engaging Universal Translator" would
>  help.  I wonder how it happens that almost every species and
>  race in the Galaxy decided to use the same "Hailing
>  frequencies..."
 
I envisage that "Engaging Universal Translator" would create even more
dilemmas like lip-synchronisation. It would be silly to "believe" the
voice was being translated and then see the aliens actually mouthing
the words.
 
With the "Hailing frequencies...", they are an attempt to get another
vessel to respond. Obviously they try numerous frequencies to try to
encompass all known frequencies. Is it not true that most of the
"aliens" they meet they have some general knowledge of their
civilisation and therefore we can deduce they also know of their
distress and hailing frequencies.
 
In the episode with the Borgs (?), they tried to hail the ship but to
no avail.
 
>  Better to plant a warning beacon, and allow a team which is
>  *prepared* to explore the situation.  Considering the interest
>  he showed in the ship, it was a strange decision indeed.  All it
 
But how can we assume that a distress beacon and its emissions will
serve to warn all species off. Surely some (as in your argument re
Hailing frequencies) would be unable to deduce the meaning of it and
could perhaps even believe it to be a call for help or a "sound" that
needs to be investigated.
 
>  would take is a ship with a small energy supply and
>  chemical/reaction drive.
 
This is presupposing a lot, isn't it?
 
>  He did NOT save the day by destroying the ship; if anything, he
>  caused a bigger problem by not leaving the derelict as a
>  warning.
 
Didn't the energy thingies get blown up with them. Perhaps I wasn't
paying enough attention to the ending, but I thought the purpose and
the result was to blow the whole lot up - ship and all.
From: raeram@kittyhawk.aero.rmit.OZ.AU (Richard A. Muirden)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: No ST:TNG this week :( :( :( :(
Date: 21 Dec 1992 06:33:47 GMT
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre
NNTP-Posting-Host: kittyhawk.aero.rmit.oz.au

No ST:TNG this week due to Carrols by Candlelight. This is Melbourne, is
anyone else (syd, bris) affected like this? If not, doesn't this mean
we will again be out of sync? :(

-richard

--
Richard Muirden, System Administator, RMIT.Aero. Engineering.. Office: 10.12.26
raeram@kittyhawk.aero.rmit.OZ.AU --- IRC: GA --- 'phone: +61 3 660-3142    LL&P
---------Hopeless Romantic, Fanatic of Shostakovich and "Star Trek" -----------
Newsgroups: aus.sf
From: steve@fulcrum.oz.au (Steve Taylor)
Subject: Re: Isn't anyone READING anymore?
Organization: The Fulcrum Consulting Group
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 23:40:13 GMT

kat@werple.apana.org.au (Kathryn Andersen) writes:

>_A Fire Upon The Deep_ by Vernor Vinge
...
>He proposes an idea about the
>galaxy which is central to the plot, but it is one of those neither
>plausible nor implausible ideas, impossible to prove or disprove (unless
>someone actually went Out There 8-)) and it wasn't the kind of idea that
>left me jumping up and down saying "What a neat idea!".

In my case it did. I thought the central idea was incredibly stupid, but
found it so nifty that I fell in love with it. It also had the advantage
that it made it possible for all the different technology levels to exist
for more than a month without the strong conquering the weak. (That's one
of my problems with Iain Banks excellent "Culture" novels - it really shouldn't
take more than a couple of centuries for the entire galaxy to become
members of the culture, and for life to become pleasant but boring for
everyone.

>Kathryn Andersen


						
						Steve Taylor
Newsgroups: aus.sf
From: mwp@iconix.oz.au (Michael Paddon)
Subject: A Recommendation (was Re: Isn't anyone READING anymore?)
Organization: Iconix Pty Ltd (World Headquarters)
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 06:36:40 GMT

In <1992Dec18.063642.14667@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au> ghm@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au (Geoff Miller) writes:
>I'm sure the detailed discussion of the latest ST:TNG episode
>is interesting (although I usually skip it until I've had 
>time to watch the programme on tape), but is that really all
>there is to SF in Aus?  Come on, people  -  what happened to 
>all the discussion of favourite authors, pulling plots apart
>and so on?

I'll bite.

Just finished reading _The LaNague Chronicles_ by F. Paul Wilson.
Paperback, October 1992, ISBN 0-671-72139-9.

F. Paul Wilson is perhaps better known for his work in the horror genre
(_The Keep_ especially), but he has been resposible for some top notch,
if not well marketed, SF.

_The LaNague Chronicles_ is a collection of two novels (_Enemy of the State_,
and _Healer_) and a novella (_Wheels within Wheels_). All of these have
seen previous publication, but I doubt that many people have seen them.
While the entire book is extremely well written (as is usual for Wilson),
I'm going to concentrate on _Enemy of the State_ in this article.

Wilson states in the first sentence of the introduction:
    "Galactic empires are a joke."
His reasons are fundametally economic, with a good dash of individualist
idealism thrown in for measure. _Enemy of the State_ is set within a
democratic empire (ie. the emporer is elected for life), and it examines
the true stability of such a system.

The empire consists of colony worlds which have seceeded from Earth's
control. Classic stuff. The twist is Peter LaNague, a man who intends
to bring down the empire by purely economic means. Through the medium
of this character, Wilson examines the dynamics of State, targeting
inflationary monetary monopolies, the lack of a gold standard, the
problems of having a majority of employment funded by the government,
and other simpliar issues.

Put simply, this is an eloquent Anarchocapitalist manifesto. It is a
credit to Wilson, however, that the ideology never dominates the plot
which is always well paced and absorbing. Neither does he try to force
feed the ideas to the reader, he just puts forward cogent, logical
arguments.

The result is a novel which has immediate relevance to our own tottering
government; a novel that presents an alternative to replacing one party of
criminals with another.

Not only that, but it's a good read.

Michael
From: raeram@kittyhawk (Richard A. Muirden)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: ST:TNG Booby Trap (yeah, spoilers probably)
Date: 29 Dec 92 05:30:41 GMT
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre
NNTP-Posting-Host: kittyhawk.aero.rmit.oz.au

sseaton@iisesun.iise.CSIRO.AU (Mr Scott Seaton) writes:

>No, Picard told Worf to destroy everything... I seem to remember seeing the
>torpedoes hit some of the asteroids. Anyone with it on video care to check ?

Picard said (i watched it again on video) "Set torpedos to detonate when
they hit the ship" not the generators...

>Scott

> _________________________Scott Seaton, CSIRO IISE,_______________________
>/    ___ ___   __   ___                                                   \
>|    | | | |  /  \  |       PO Box 93, North Ryde, NSW, Australia 2113.   |
>|    | | | |  \__   |_      Phone: +61 2 887 8170  Fax: +61 2 887 2736    |
>|    | | | |     \  |       E-mail: sseaton@iise.CSIRO.AU                 |
>|   _|_|_|_|_ \__/  |__                                                   |
>\_________________________________________________________________________/

-richard, who loves big sigs and inculding them in text ;-)

-- 
Richard Muirden, System Administator, RMIT.Aero. Engineering.. Office: 10.12.26
raeram@kittyhawk.aero.rmit.OZ.AU --- IRC: GA --- 'phone: +61 3 660-3142    LL&P
---------Hopeless Romantic, Fanatic of Shostakovich and "Star Trek" -----------
Newsgroups: aus.sf
From: fraser@munta.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Fraser Wilson)
Subject: Re: Valhalla (Melb) 24hr Sci Fi coming REAL soon
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 02:05:37 GMT

zaph@torps.apana.org.au (Kevin Burfitt) writes:

>   More details when someone gets the calendar near a computer.

Just from memory, it seems to be a James Cameron special:
Terminator 1&2, Abyss and the other one.  Also, The Andromeda Strain,
Dark Star, there might be Alien, and I can't remember the rest.

Well, that was useful, wasn't it?

Fraser.
From: bongo@DIALix.oz.au (John Bongiovanni)
Newsgroups: aus.sf
Subject: Re: Isn't anyone READING anymore?
Date: 28 Dec 1992 10:52:33 +0800
Organization: DIALix Services, Perth, Western Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.dialix.oz.au
X-Newsreader: NN version 6.4.19 #1

For my opinion on "not reading" -

One of my beefs about reading in Australia is how expensive the exercise
is here. If you want to guarantee yourself access to a book, you have to
be prepared to fork out bonzo bucks. Otherwise, you have to hope it will
turn up in your local book exchange or library.

I certainly don't buy NEARLY as many books here as when I lived in the U.S.

OK, now it's time for "why don't you go back home, Yank" ;->

Newsgroups: aus.sf
From: 10726446@eng2.eng.monash.edu.au (LAU WAI KUEN)
Subject: Re: ST:TNG  Booby Trap (yeah, spoilers probably)
Organization: Faculty of Engineering, Monash University 
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 01:42:14 GMT

In article <Ps24VB4w165w@xocolatl.com> eoin@xocolatl.com (John F. Snyder) writes:
>From: eoin@xocolatl.com (John F. Snyder)
>Subject: Re: ST:TNG  Booby Trap (yeah, spoilers probably)
>Date: Sun, 20 Dec 92 18:22:48 PST
>speednut@werple.apana.org.au (Mark Jose) writes:
>
>-> >I still can't figure
>-> >out why Picard destroyed the derelict ship; putting a warning beacon
>-> >would have sufficed, long enough for the Feds to get a demolition team
>-> >in to plant explosives on the generators, destroying them.
>->  
>-> How would the team have got in. They would be unable to use energy and
>-> also they would have been exposed to radiation. Not worth the risk.
>-> <<stuff deleted>>
>-> Blowing it up was the safest and quickest
>-> way of preventing another vessel falling into the same trap.
>
>But they only blew up the ship, NOT the generators.  They are still
>there, and still dangerous.  Do you believe they just shut down
>completely when their prey was destroyed?
>
>
>
>
> eoin@xocolatl.com  |      Practice Random Kindness   /~~~~~~~~~~~~~\  /
> GEnie: J.Snyder18  |  *             and             <  D A R W I N  >< 
> CI$:   70313,3111  | \|/  Senseless Acts of Beauty   \_____________/  \
> Prodigy:  NOT!!!!  |           PGP 2.0 User            _l _l _l _l

  The generators were powered by the energy source drain from whatever
ship was within the trap.  Approached from outside, or by spacesuited
men in freefall, they would be harmless, and easily deactivated/destroyed.

halcyon
Newsgroups: aus.sf,aus.tv