Gregory Benford c/o Challenger
Another fine issue. I especially liked the Resnick piece on his departed friend.
Joseph Nicholas is as usual insightful in the LOC column. He's right on about oil reserves the easily gotten is getting more scarce. New technologies will expand the reserve, but at some cost. We could make petrol from oil shale or even coal if we like, but at prices above $100/barrel. O think we'll do so, being energy gluttons, but the greenhouse problem will hem us in. It's a global form of the tragedy of the commons.
I recall Joseph's letter an issue back downplaying the chances for a manned exploration of the solar system. All seemingly plausible, until one notes that over 20 billion dollars goes into space programs already, the majority of it for manned. We're paying the price, just not with our Shuttle and Space Station that yield nothing getting the goods. Space tourism will loosen this further within about 5 years. So there is hope.
Jerry Page's insightful reminiscence on Jerry Burge took me back to that sole meeting of ASFO I attended as a snot-nosed 13-year-old. I think it was Jerry P's first meeting, too, and I was awed by the fmz and sophisticated talk. I stayed so late the buses stopped running and I had to take a cab home. A few weeks later we moved to Germany, Jim & I determined to start a fmz, Void. Jerry Burge and Ian Macauley (where he?) really turned me onto S.F. fandom, and ASFO was a crucial influence in US fandom, especially with their hardbound of Moskowitz's The Immortal Storm. I took it as the Old Testament, later deciding that Walt Willis was the Jesus sent to save us from error. Not far wrong! And Islam is...?
Joseph Nicholas is as usual insightful in the LOC column. He's right on about oil reserves the easily gotten is getting more scarce. New technologies will expand the reserve, but at some cost. We could make petrol from oil shale or even coal if we like, but at prices above $100/barrel. O think we'll do so, being energy gluttons, but the greenhouse problem will hem us in. It's a global form of the tragedy of the commons.
I recall Joseph's letter an issue back downplaying the chances for a manned exploration of the solar system. All seemingly plausible, until one notes that over 20 billion dollars goes into space programs already, the majority of it for manned. We're paying the price, just not with our Shuttle and Space Station that yield nothing getting the goods. Space tourism will loosen this further within about 5 years. So there is hope.
Jerry Page's insightful reminiscence on Jerry Burge took me back to that sole meeting of ASFO I attended as a snot-nosed 13-year-old. I think it was Jerry P's first meeting, too, and I was awed by the fmz and sophisticated talk. I stayed so late the buses stopped running and I had to take a cab home. A few weeks later we moved to Germany, Jim & I determined to start a fmz, Void. Jerry Burge and Ian Macauley (where he?) really turned me onto S.F. fandom, and ASFO was a crucial influence in US fandom, especially with their hardbound of Moskowitz's The Immortal Storm. I took it as the Old Testament, later deciding that Walt Willis was the Jesus sent to save us from error. Not far wrong! And Islam is...?
posted by ;-p at 1:00 AM
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