ANSIBLE(R) 455
JUNE 2025
From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Website
news.ansible.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE
or a geometric model in concrete of the square root of minus one.
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### THE SUBLIMATION WORLD ###
J.G. BALLARD was in the news again when an April Coca-Cola ad cited a
mention of the drink in his alleged 1967 novel _Extreme Metaphors_. This is
in fact a 2012 collection of Ballard interviews whose co-editor Dan O'Hara
translated the relevant passage from a 1985 interview in French.
Coca-Cola's ad agency reassured us that although their initial search used
AI, this was followed by a 'manual scan of credible sources' that somehow
failed to detect any problem -- not even having Ballard misspell Shanghai,
where he was born. O'Hara: 'They didn't ask permission and certainly
haven't paid to use my translation.' The ad, also featuring Stephen King's
_The Shining_, has since been withdrawn. (Designrush, 15 May) [SF2C]
YOON HA LEE responded to the current Seattle Worldcon fuss (see 'Rumblings'
below) by withdrawing his young-adult novel _Moonstorm_ from the Lodestar
finalists on the Hugo ballot. (Bluesky, 2 May)
ALLEN STROUD will step down as BSFA chair at the AGM on 22 June.
ANDY WEIR's nonexistent (though see below) novel _The Last Algorithm_ was
recommended in a 2025 summer reading list from the _Chicago Sun-Times_, ten
of whose fifteen choices were such AI hallucinations. (_Guardian_, 20 May)
'I'm completely embarrassed,' explained Marco Buscaglia, the human
'creator' of the list. (_Ars Technica_, 20 May) The five real titles
included Ray Bradbury's hot new release _Dandelion Wine_.
Chuck Tingle seized the opportunity to publish the very short Kindle
ebook _The Last Algorithm: Pounded by the Fake Book that an AI Claimed I
Wrote and then the Chicago Sun-Times Printed as Fact_, whose baffled
protagonist Andy Weir was soon cautiously renamed as Andy Mirror. [MW]
### CONTRAPOSITA ###
6-8 Jun [] CYMERA: Scotland's Festival of SF, Fantasy & Horror Writing,
Edinburgh and online. See www.cymerafestival.co.uk.
7-8 Jun [] EM-CON (media), Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham. Weekend tickets
GBP30 (11am entry) or GBP40 (10am) at www.em-con.co.uk.
14-15 Jun [] WEIRD WORCESTER (film), U of Worcester Arena. GBP35; GBP45
early entry. See www.treasuredfilms.co.uk/weirdworcester.
19-22 Jun [] SCI-FI LONDON (film), Picturehouse Cinema, Finsbury Park,
London. Ticket sales still awaited at sci-fi-london.com.
21 Jun [] STARS OF TIME (comics), Steam Museum, Swindon. Tickets GBP17.50;
under-16s GBP13. More at www.starsoftime.co.uk/swindon.
22 Jun [] BSFA AGM online via Zoom. Link to be sent to members.
26-29 Jun [] ARCHIPELACON 2 (Eurocon), Mariehamn, Aland, Finland. Euro40
reg; under-26s Euro20; under-12s Euro5. See archipelacon.org.
27 Feb - 1 Mar 2026 [] UK GHOST STORY FESTIVAL, QUAD Centre, Derby. Also
6-8 February online. See www.ukghoststoryfestival.co.uk.
18-19 Apr 2026 [] SCI-FI SCARBOROUGH (multimedia), The Spa, Scarborough.
Ticket sales awaited at scifiscarborough.co.uk.
2-3 May 2026 [] PORTMEIRION STEAMPUNK event, Portmeirion. Ticket sales
awaited at steampunk.wales.
2-3 May 2026 [] PORTSMOUTH COMIC CON, Guildhall, Portsmouth. Tickets GBP33;
concessions and day rates at portsmouthcomiccon.com.
11-12 Jul 2026 [] FRANCES HARDINGE conference, Aston University,
Birmingham. GBP130 or GBP90 concessions at tinyurl.com/fh-conf.
27-31 Aug 2026 [] LACON V, Anaheim Convention Center and hotels in Anaheim,
California. $200 adult reg, _rising to $230 on 15 June. Other rates
unchanged:_ $175 first Worldcon; $125 YA (18-24); $100 teen (13-17); $50
child (6-12); infants free. $50 WSFS only. See
www.lacon.org.
RUMBLINGS. _Seattle Worldcon 2025:_ all fandom was plunged into war, or so
it seemed, by the admission on 30 April that Seattle had vetted potential
programme participants with ChatGPT (to the especial annoyance of creators
whose work was used without permission or payment to train this Large
Language Model). An apology from con chair Kathy Bond followed on 2 May,
and a much longer statement on 6 May. The latter revealed that rather than
asking whether applicants were good speakers or moderators, the prompt fed
to ChatGPT began: 'Using the list of names provided, please evaluate each
person for scandals. Scandals include but are not limited to homophobia,
transphobia, racism, harassment, sexual misconduct, sexism, fraud.' LLMs
were also mentioned, perhaps not incidentally, in a public resignation
statement by WSFS division head Cassidy and Hugo administrators Nicholas
Whyte and Esther MacCallum-Stewart (Bluesky, 5 May). In Bluesky comments,
Nicholas Whyte quasi-explained: 'Frankly one can get tired of fighting all
the bloody time.'
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS OTHERS ARE INSPIRED BY US. 'Each toilet is individually styled -- no
templates, no repetition. Drawing inspiration from sci-fi, retro-futurism,
and art deco, they've become part of the storytelling. These aren't pit
stops. They're visual moments. And they've been built to be remembered.'
(Press release for the new Ibiza nightclub UNVRS) [PE]
AWARDS. _Clarke Award_ shortlist: _Private Rites_ by Julia Armfield,_The
Ministry of Time_ by Kaliane Bradley, _Extremophile_ by Ian Green, _Annie
Bot_ by Sierra Greer, _Service Model_ by Adrian Tchaikovsky, _Thirteen Ways
to Kill Lulabelle Rock_ by Maud Woolf.
_Kurd Lasswitz_ for best translation into German: _Monk & Robot_ by
Becky Chambers. [F770]
_Otherwise Award_ (formerly Tiptree), now presented to a shortlist (of
four this year) rather than a single winner or tied pair: _In Universes_ by
Emet North, "Kiss of Life" by P.C. Verrone (_Fiyah_), _Rakesfall_ by Vajra
Chandrasekera, _Walking Practice_ by Dolki Min translated by Victoria
Caudle.
R.I.P. _Denise Alexander_ (1939-2025), US soap-opera actress whose early
credits include _Tom Corbett: Space Cadet_ (29 episodes 1951-1955), died on
5 March aged 85. [AIP]
_Joe Don Baker_ (1936-2025), US actor in _Edge of Darkness_ (1985),
_Leonard Part 6_ (1987), _Congo_ (1995), _Mars Attacks!_ (1996) and three
James Bond films, died on 7 May aged 89. [LP]
_Robert Benton_ (1932-2025), US director and screenwriter whose script
credits include _It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!_ (1975) and
_Superman_ (1978), died on 11 May aged 92. [LP]
_John Boardman_ (1932-2025), US fan active since 1950 in cons, clubs
and APAs, and treasurer of the 1967 Worldcon, died on 29 May aged 92. [AIP]
_Ruth Buzzi_ (1936-2025), US comedian and actress in _The Lost Saucer_
(1975-1976), _Freaky Friday_ (1976) and _Fallen Angels_ (2006) plus much
animation voice work, died on 1 May aged 88. [LP]
_Greg Cannom_ (1951-2025), Oscar-winning US make-up artist whose films
include _Dracula_ (1992), _Bicentennial Man_ (1999), _The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button_ (2008) and _Watchmen_ (2009), died on 9 May aged 73. [AIP]
_Aidan Chambers_ (1934-2025), Carnegie-winning UK young-adult novelist
who edited and contributed to many ghost-story anthologies, died on 11 May
aged 90. [GC]
_Aurora Clavel_ (1936-2025), Mexican actress whose genre films include
_Dr. Satan y la magia negra_ (1968) and _Chanoc contra el tigre y el
vampiro_ (1972), died on 19 May aged 88. [SJ]
_Mara Corday_ (1930-2025), US actress in _Tarantula_ (1955), _The
Black Scorpion_ (1957) and _The Giant Claw_ (1957), died on 9 February aged
95. [AIP]
_Peter David_ (1956-2025), prolific US author of many comics scripts
(including a long stint on Marvel's _The Incredible Hulk_ for which he
shared an Eisner Award with artist Dale Keown), novels, novelizations --
especially in the _Star Trek_ universe -- and tv scripts, died on 24 May
aged 68. [GVG] He received the 2021 Grandmaster Scribe Award for life
achievement in tie-in books.
_Jean-Francois Davy_ (1945-2025), French director of _Le seuil du
vide_ (1972) and co-producer of _Le secret de Sarah Tombelaine_ (1991),
died on 2 May aged 79. [SHS]
_Leslie (Les) Dilley_ (1941-2025), UK production designer and art
director who won Oscars for his work on _Star Wars_ (1977) and _Raiders of
the Lost Ark_ (1981), died on 20 May aged 84. Other films include
_Superman_ (1978), _Alien_ (1979), _The Empire Strikes Back_ (1980) and
_The Abyss_ (1989). [AIP]
_Stephen Fabian_ (1930-2025), noted US sf/fantasy artist active from
the late 1960s, best known for interior illustrations but with many cover
credits too, died on 6 May aged 95. [BE] He received nine Hugo nominations
(two as fan artist, seven as pro artist) and the 2006 World Fantasy Award
for life achievement.
_Samuel French_, US actor in _Pegasus: Pony with a Broken Wing_
(2019), died on 9 May aged 45. [AIP]
_Ed Gale_ (1963-2025), 3' 4" US actor/stuntman who starred in _Howard
the Duck_ (1986) and played the killer doll Chucky in _Child's Play_ (1988
plus sequels), died on 27 May aged 61. Other films include _Spaceballs_
(1987). _Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey_ (1991) and _Lifepod_ (1993). [SJ]
_Jane Gardam_ (1928-2025), noted UK author whose work includes ghost
stories and the children's fantasy _Through the Dolls' House Door_ (1987),
died on 28 April aged 96.
_Mollie Gillam_ (1923-2025), long-time UK fan, partner of SF
Foundation co-founder George Hay (1922-1997, still remembered by the annual
George Hay Lecture at Eastercon) and _Ansible_ reader, died on 27 April not
long before her 102nd birthday. [SGi] It was always good to hear from her.
_Gawn Grainger_ (1937-2025), Scots actor in _A Christmas Carol_ (1999)
and genre tv series including _Doctor Who_, died on 17 May aged 87. [SJ]
_Jackson 'Butch' Guice_ (1961-2025), US comics artist whose early work
for Marvel included _X-Factor_, _New Mutants_ and adapting _Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom_, died on 1 May aged 63. 1990s work included
_Superman_, _The Terminator_ and _Aliens/Predator_; he became a regular at
both Marvel and DC. [SH]
_Kathleen Hughes_ (1928-2025), US actress in _It Came from Outer
Space_ (1953) -- for which her 'screaming in terror' publicity still became
iconic -- died on 19 May aged 96. Other credits include _The Golden Blade_
(1953), _Cult of the Cobra_ (1955) and _The Spell_ (1977). [SJ]
_Jack Katz_ (1927-2025), US comics artist and writer who worked for
various publishers including Marvel but is best remembered for his long
independent sf/fantasy sequence _The First Kingdom_ (1974-1986) -- a
significant precursor of the graphic novel boom -- died on 24 April aged
97. [AIP]
_Yevgeny Klyuyev_ (1954-2025), Russan absurdist author whose work
includes six fantasy novels and a new translation of the _Alice_ books,
died on 9 May aged 71. [AM]
_Peter Kwong_ (1952-2025), Asian/US actor in _Big Trouble in Little
China_ (1986), _The Golden Child_ (1986), _Theodore Rex_ (1995), _Cooties_
(2014) and many more, died on 27 May. [SJ]
_David Lazer_ (1936-2025), US producer whose credits include _The
Muppet Show_ (120 episodes 1976-1981, plus many spinoffs), _The Dark
Crystal_ (1982) and _Labyrinth_ (1986), died on 10 April aged 89. [AIP]
_Peter Lovesey_ (1936-2025), noted UK detective/thriller author whose
sf novel was _Goldengirl_ (1977) as by Peter Lear, died on 10 April aged
88. [SGa]
_James McEachin_ (1930-2025), US actor in _The Dead Don't Die_ (1984)
and _2010_ (1984), died on 11 January aged 94. [LP]
_Race Mathews_ (1935-2025), Australian fan and politician who was a
founder (and member number 1) of the Melbourne SF Club in 1952 and opened
both Aussiecon 1 (Worldcon 1975) and Aussiecon 2 (Worldcon 1985), died on 5
May aged 90. [BRG]
_Jim Morley_, UK fan and membership secretary of the Birmingham SF
Group, died on the weekend of 10/11 May. He is survived by his wife Lou, to
whom all sympathy. [BSFG]
_Peter Morwood_ (Robert Peter Smith, 1956-2025), UK author whose
fantasy series include 'Horse Lords' 1983-1989, 'Prince Ivan' 1990-1993 and
'Clan Wars' 1993-1994, died on 9 May aged 68. [DD] Other work included
sf-novel and tv-script collaborations with his wife (since 1987) Diane
Duane, to whom all sympathy.
_Jayant Narlikar_ (1938-2025), Indian astrophysicist and author of
several sf novels and collections, died on 20 May aged 86. [AM]
_Yuri Nikitin_ (1939-2025), prolific Russian author active since 1965,
whose almost 200 books are mostly sf or fantasy, died on 23 May aged 85.
[AM]
_Rosanna Norton_ (1944-2025), award-winning US costume designer whose
film credits include _Phantom of the Paradise_ (1972), _Carrie_ (1976),
_Tron_ (1982), _Gremlins 2_ (1990) and _RoboCop 2_ (1990), died on 7 May
aged 80. [SJ]
_Steve Pepoon_ (1956-2025), US screenwriter who co-created and
scripted many episodes of _The Wild Thornberrys_ (1998-2004 plus spinoffs)
died on 3 May aged 68. [SH]
_Sofia Prokofieva_ (1928-2025), Russian author of 26 fantasy novels
for children and two for adults, died on 5 May aged 97. [AM]
_Kimble Rendall_ (1957-2025), Australian director of _Cut_ (2000),
_Bait_ (2012) and _Guardians of the Tomb_ (2018) -- plus second unit work
on _The Matrix Reloaded_ (2003) and others -- died in April. [GC]
_Charley Scalies_ (1940-2025), US actor in _12 Monkeys_ (1995), died
on 1 May aged 84. [SHS]
_Ella Mae Smith_ (1932-2025), who lived close to the farmhouse where
_Night of the Living Dead_ (1968) was filmed and was conscripted along with
her husband for the zombie horde -- also appearing in subsequent
documentaries -- died on 21 May aged 93. [SJ]
_Jim Smith_ (1954-2025), US animator/artist whose credits include
_Dinosaucers_ (1987), _The Real Ghostbusters_ (1987), _Cool World_ (1992)
and _Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur_ (2011), died on 2 May aged 70.
[SHS]
_Tod Smith_ (1952-2025), US comics artist who worked for both DC and
Marvel on titles including _The Green Hornet_, _Omega Men_, _The Punisher_,
_Spider-Man_ and _Wolverine_, died on 4 April aged 72. [SHS]
_Andrew M. Stephenson_ (1946-2025), UK fan, author and (as Ames)
illustrator whose sf novels are _Nightwatch_ (1977) and _The Wall of Years_
(1979), died in mid-May aged 78. [IM] He was a founder member of the UK
Pieria sf writers' group. Another old friend gone, alas.
_Charles Strouse_ (1928-2025), Tony-winning US composer and lyricist
whose musicals include _It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman_ (1966),
_Flowers for Algernon_ aka _Charlie and Algernon_ (1979) and _Charlotte's
Web_ (1989), died on 15 May aged 96. Film credits include _The Worst Witch_
(1986) and _Deadpool 2_ (2018). [LP]
_Jim Walker_, long-time UK fan, convention-goer and short film maker
who published many Eurocon reports in _SF2 Concatenation_, died on 30 April
aged 81. [SF2C]
_George Wendt_ (1948-2025), US actor in _House_ (1985), _Alien
Avengers_ (1996 plus sequel), _Space Truckers_ (1996), _Aliens, Clowns &
Geeks_ (2019) and others, died on 20 May aged 76. [LP]
_Billy Williams_ (1929-2025), Oscar-winning UK cinematographer whose
credits include _The Magus_ (1968), _The Mind of Mr Soames_ (1970), _The
Exorcist_ (1973), _Saturn 3_ (1980) and _Dreamchild_ (1985), died on 21 May
aged 95. [SJ]
THE WEAKEST LINK (Alternate History Dept). _Bradley Walsh:_ 'Oliver
Cromwell fought a civil war against which English king?' _Contestant:_
'Canute.' (BBC1, _Celebrity Mastermind_) [PE]
COURT CIRCULAR. In April, Games Workship simultaneously sued 280 games
dealers worldwide for alleged _Warhammer_ copyright infringement, using 'a
controversial Florida legal tactic called the Schedule A Defendant Scheme'
whereby multiple defendants' online stores and funds can be frozen without
a cease-and-desist request or any other prior warning of the lawsuit. It
soon emerged that the hammer of doom had struck dozens of businesses that
shouldn't have been on the list. GW followed up with a form-letter apology
('I have noted that your store has been misidentified and included in the
claim') which of course offered no compensation for lost sales during the
freeze period. (Spikeybits.com, 22 May) [SB]
DEEP PROFIT FROM THE DAWN OF TIME. On 22 May the Royal Mail marked the 75th
anniversary of _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ with twelve Narnia
stamps -- four Pauline Baynes line drawings with added colour, eight new
illustrations by Keith Robinson -- plus postcards and assorted tat costing
up to GBP150 (for a signed and framed Robinson set).
THE DEAD PAST. _30 Years Ago_, a report on the launch party for _SFX_
magazine 'in Jim Henson's The Creature Shop, Camden Town, inside a
disco-lit and smoke-clouded indoor marquee decorated with special effects
from _Doctor Who_, _Alien_, _Neverending Story_, _Dark Crystal_, etc. Here
a Robocop clone prowled the huge crowd firing a VERY NOISY gun, while lady
guests complained that the wandering Dalek was taking personal liberties
with its plunger. Thanks to a mysterious sponsorship deal, there was a wide
choice of either bottled Czech lager or Smirnoff vodka served by drag
queens. Millions of famous media folk went unrecognized by me; my one brief
chat with _SFX_ deputy editor Dave Golder was rapidly broken up by a PR
person dragging him away to -- as he later put it -- "do my duties with
Peter Davison (which was hideous -- he was in a foul mood)." Ever-watchful
Mary Branscombe also names names: "I saw Jon Pertwee leave with a full
bottle of vodka very early on, after he told the Dalek to sod off."'
(_Ansible_ 95, June 1995)
_20 Years Ago_, Terry Pratchett mused in _The Times_: 'I think about
the literary world like I think about Tibet. It's quite interesting, it's a
long way away from me and it's sure as hell they're never going to make me
Dalai Lama.' (_Ansible_ 215, June 2005) I recently found a 1987 letter from
Terry with a similarly modest handwritten PS: 'Thanks for the Milford
invite, but my stuff isn't up to that kind of thing -- Milford is for
writers who know how to use long words like "corrugated iron" and
"marmalade". TP.'
_10 Years Ago_, 'John Scalzi's $3.4 million deal with Tor, for 13
books to be written over ten years (_Washington Post_, 28 May), caused much
comment online. Various puppy-aligned pundits indicated that this was a
terrible calamity, signalling the imminent End Times for both author and
publisher; Vox Day deplored Scalzi's failure to take the wiser course of
self-publishing.' (_Ansible_ 335, June 2015) Tor and Mr Scalzi still seem
reasonably nonchalant about this debacle.
MAGAZINE SCENE. Story contracts from MustRead Inc (new owners of _Analog_,
_Asimov's_ and _F&SF_) have included 'problematic' clauses that grab media
and merchandising rights. Questioned by SFWA, the company said this was
'either an editorial error or a holdover from an outdated contract', which
authors can negotiate to have removed. (SFWA, 22 April) As the Bard almost
put it, 'I can negotiate spirits from the vasty deep....'
FANFUNDERY. _Fan Fund Books:_ the GUFF trip report anthology _GUFF: The
Incomplete Chronicles_, published as a free ebook earlier this year, now
has a smart trade paperback edition with all proceeds going to GUFF. See
ae.ansible.uk/?t=GUFFanth. This will soon be followed by a similar though
much fatter paperback of the ebook _TAFF Trip Report Anthology_.
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'He arranged the muscles of his
eyes and began to rake the place methodically with a narrowed glance.' 'His
eyes rounded. In fact, they popped.' 'Mr. Josef rolled himself a glance of
dark warning in the mirror.' (all from Charlotte Armstrong, 'Three-Day
Magic', _F&SF_, September 1952) [CG]
_Feminism Dept._ Our hero Dominic Flandry has a Kingsley Amis moment:
'He watched her, shrugged, sighed -- _Women! The aliens among us!_' (Poul
Anderson, _A Circus of Hells_, 1970)
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
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### ENDNOTES ###
PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. Donate to support _Ansible_, cover website costs and
keep the editor happy! Or just buy his books.
https://ansible.uk/paypal.htmlhttps://ae.ansible.uk/https://ansible.uk/books/index.htmlGROUP THEORY.
19 June 2025, evening: London Zoom meeting, third Thursday of each
month. 'Please share this with people who you know typically come to the
Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.'
https://bohemiancoast.medium.com/first-thursday-london-sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961fEDITORIAL. Gosh, I'm already getting tired of AI/LLM stories....
R.I.P. II -- LATE AND LAST-MINUTE REPORTS. _William Hayashi_ (1955-2024),
US author of the 'Darkside Trilogy' (2009-2015) and sf podcast host, died
on 24 October aged 69. [SHS]
_Eric Charles McConnell_ (1972-2025), US comics writer/artist who
worked for DC amd Marvel and created his own independent comic _Remnant_,
died on 12 May aged 52. [SH]
_Turtel Onli_ (1952-2025), US artist who created the comics superhero
_NOG [Nubian of Greatness], Protector of the Pyramids_ and founded the
Afrocentric 'Black Age of Comics' movement, died on 15 January aged 72.
[SH]
_Stanley Pottinger_, (1940-2024), US author of the sf novels _The
Fourth Procedure_ (1995) and _A Slow Burning_ (1999), died on 24 November
aged 84. [JC]
_Anatoly Yershov_ (1932-2023), Uzbekistani author who wrote in
Russian, died in January 2023. His two sf novels, both written with Bors
Zubkov, are _Tayna Tsentavra_ (_The Mystery of Centaur_, 1976) and
_Krushniye proyekta Gledis_ (_Collapse of Project Gladys_, 1978). [AM]
SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
_Locus_ Awards finalists
https://locusmag.com/2025/05/2025-locus-awards-top-ten-finalists/ Seattle Worldcon vets programme participants with LLM; Seattle Chair
apologizes; a further Seattle statement/apology; more from the Chair
https://seattlein2025.org/2025/04/30/statement-from-worldcon-chair-2/https://seattlein2025.org/2025/05/02/apology-and-response-from-chair/https://seattlein2025.org/2025/05/06/may-6th-statement-from-chair-and-program-division-head/https://seattlein2025.org/2025/05/13/message-from-the-chair-may-13/ Seattle Worldcon Hugo admins and WSFS division head resign
https://bsky.app/profile/nwhyte.bsky.social/post/3loh4ukgm7s2u Sturgeon Award finalists
https://locusmag.com/2025/05/2025-sturgeon-award-finalists/THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 215, June 2005. _Revisionist
Paleontology Dept._ 'The megatherium, the ichthyosaurus have paced the
earth with seven-league steps and hidden the day with cloud fast wings.'
(George Bernard Shaw, _Man and Superman_, 1903)
_Genealogy Dept Revisited:_ 'I died to keep you alive, and one day you
will die to feed my ancestors.' (Larry Niven and Steve Barnes, _The Barsoom
Project_, 1989)
_Astronomy/Cosmology Dept._ 'If his calculations and instruments were
correct, he was now outside the home galaxy of the Milky Way and in an
entirely new universe, the universe known to him as the Crab Nebula.'
(David Whitaker, _The Dr Who Annual_, 1965)
_Dept of Preternatural Rigidity._ 'He raged and shouted at them from
behind the bars which, as she shook them, held as firm as though a fly's
feet were touching them.' (_Ibid_)
_Ansible_(R) 455 (C) David Langford, 2025. Thanks to Sandra Bond, BSFA,
John Clute, _File 770_, Gary Couzens, Diane Duane, Bob Eggleton, Stephen
Gallagher, Sarah Gillam, Bruce R. Gillespie, Carl Glover, Steve Green,
Steve Holland, Andrey Meshavkin, Ian Millsted, Lawrence Person, Andrew I.
Porter, _Private Eye_, _SF2 Concatenation_, SFWA, Steven H Silver, Gordon
Van Gelder, Michael Ward, and as always our Hero Distributors: Durdles
Books (Birmingham SF Group), SCIS/Prophecy and Alan Stewart (Australia).
30 May 2025
-- David Langford | http://ansible.uk/ | http://news.ansible.uk/
Ansible 455 -- June 2025
Re: Ansible 455 -- June 2025