IN THIS EDITION:

PRESIDENTIAL PONDERINGS & INCONJUCTION UPDATE
by Jeff Thompson

ECCENTRIC ORBIT
by Don Dailey

LETTERS - ALCOR ON TV AGAIN
by Steve Bridge

NEXT MEETING

PRESIDENTIAL PONDERINGS AND INCONJUCTION UPDATE by Jeff Thompson

News Flash: Inconjunction Gets Demented! Well, more demented at least.

I've got GREAT news! Last night I talked with Dr. Demento's booking agent and he has confirmed that Dr. Demento will be coming to InconJunction!

For those of you not familiar with the doctor's work, Dr. Demento (AKA Barry Hansen) is the host of a nationally syndicated radio show featuring various "odd tunes." The show started twenty-five years ago as a local broadcast and has since expanded to it's national status of a sounding board for all things sublime. Who can forget such classics as "Dead Puppies," "Fish Heads," "Star Dreck," and "Purple People Eater." The good doctor has also launched the careers of quite a few talents, including Weird Al Yankovic. In addition to his "normal" programming, I'm attempting talk Dr. D. into being our "Guest DJ" for the first hour of each dance. I'm sure he'd put a new spin on things.

In other convention news, all else is going well and I may have word in a week or so about an author guest for the con. I've got some mini-flyers, which include all of our guests so far, so all of you convention surfers get with me about taking some to the cons with you. As soon as I can get an author I'll have work started on the official flyers and mailers as well.

As far as the convention committee goes, here's the tentative list for now. This may be subject to change, or for that matter it might be completely wrong. If your name's on this list, and you don't want it to be, just let me know and I'll kill...er...uh... I mean "remove" you. If you'd like to be on the committee, or would like to be an assistant, just get in contact with myself or Kathie. One note, "open" positions, with an asterisk, are positions that I've not officially filled, but for which I have someone in mind. The committee, so far, is comprised of:

    Co-Chair Beings .......... Jeff Thompson and Kathryn Hawkes
    Vice Chair-Being ......... Andy Andrews
    Programming .............. Kathryn Hawkes
    Dealers' Room ............ Andy Andrews / Full Time Assistant
     (open*)
    Play Director ............ Rob Pyatt
    AV Director .............. Mike Morey
    Program Book/Flyer ....... Shari Morey
    Promotions ............... Joanne Brooks
    Con Suite ................ Angalee Shepherd
    Security ................. George Starkey
    Anime Room ............... Chuck Stewart
    Children's Programming ... Filled, but I don't have the name
          on me
    Registration ............. open*
    Operations ............... open*
    Video Room ............... open*
    Art Show ................. open*
    Treasurer ................ open*
    Traditional Gaming ....... open
    Computer Gaming .......... open
    Masquerade ............... open

In other news, last week Dave, Andy and I were supposed to meet with the lawyer and discuss the possibility of incorporating the club. But, as you all probably know, the best plans are often... well, just screwed. Our lawyer had a late day in court and couldn't make the meeting. Hopefully we can get together sometime next week and get things worked out.

The Incon WEB page is still an active project. I know I still need to complete my portions of the page and others have expressed a desire to help as well. If you've got some content, or even some good site addresses, that you'd like to contribute, please let us know so that we can get it in as soon as possible. For all of you WEB heads that would like to help, contact one or more of the following persons:
Jeff Thompson at (jefft666@home.com)
Chuck Stewart at (zapkitty@yahoo.com)
Andy Andrews at (andya@indy.net)
.
We talked about this at the meeting, but I thought I'd remind everyone. The "non-meeting" meeting this month will be on Saturday, August 24th at the Greenwood Media-Play located at 8040 S. US Hwy 31 (US 31 and Stop 11 Road). The meeting is scheduled from 7:00pm till 10:00pm. They're providing the snacks and drinks. So all you have to bring is yourself.

They've also mentioned a club discount for purchases as well. I'd like it if as many of you as possible could make the meeting so that we can all check it out.

That's about it for me. I'm off to GenCon with Rob and Randy. If I'm not back by Monday, send in the Marines. Oh, the heck with that. Send anybody, as long as they bring beer!

Jeff Thompson

ECCENTRIC ORBIT by Don Dailey

Greetings from Southern Indiana. How southern is it? I've come across a few old timers who think Jefferson Davis is still President and Robert E. Lee the commander of the Army.

After mucking about for a few months, I discovered that there was a science-fiction club in the area that used to meet at the New Albany Library. Seems the group is currently defunct, but I've been in touch with the last club president and a couple of former members. It's just possible that I may be able to help the club become active again. I have already thought of a name for the group, the Southern Indiana Northern Kentucky Science Fiction Club, or SINK for short. I visualize our recruiting motto, "Don't let SINK go down the drain, join now!" Can't miss can we? And I really hope that the club can get re-activated.

Things down here have been so boring that I actually joined the local Optimists Club just so I would have something to do on a couple of nights per month. I even went so far as to volunteer to fry burgers at a fund-raiser for the group. Somebody help me please!

Anyone else besides me been watching that weird USA Network show "Reel Wild Cinema" on Sunday nights? I took a chance and sent in $5.00 for RWC club membership. Would you believe that I had my "membership kit" in less than a week?!? My membership number is in the 2700s, so there must be a few other strange people like myself staying up late on Sunday nights (or even later on Monday nights to catch the repeats). The best part of the membership kit is their catalog of videos and other merchandise. Some of the videos are fantastic (well, actually quite horrible) and I haven't been able to locate a source for them before discovering RWC. Great classics like "The Incredible Doctor Humpp" (don't ask), "The Brainiac," several Ed Wood titles and a selection of old-time, near X-rated "girlie" films of the 40s and 50s. And there are many "imports" like "Santos the Wrestler vs. the Vampire Women" and "The Aztec Mummy" series. Tons and tons of schlocky stuff. Are you listening Herr Pyatt and Herr Thompson?

I can't say that I have cared for hostess Sandra Bernhard's previous work in comedy and TV, but she does a decent job in her new role. And she has regular guests who have some association with the film bits on the show. Producers, directors, writers and actors who don't get much mainstream exposure have a chance to talk about their work with these B-to-Z flicks. Interesting stuff if you are into the genre.

Enjoyed seeing many familiar faces at InCon, and enjoyed vattending as well. Hard to believe that it was InCon XVI and the first one we've been to since moving from Indy. Oh well.

Angalee, you had the best room party of the con. Is it too late to see about getting some of the leftovers? And Mark Bischoff & Co. did a great job supplying the First Fandom suite. Where the heck did you find that Geritol Coca-Cola? I actually had money left when I left the Dealers' Room (mostly because I put it in the wrong pocket and forgot about it).

There was a lady in the Dealers' Room that was taking "aural photographs" and interpreting them. Near as she could tell a UFO stole my brain or something like that. (But most of you had already guessed that, hadn't you.) Then she read my palm and said that by the end of the year I would be rich and famous or back in school. I guess that means I shouldn't enroll in any classes and hope to win the lottery.

Enough drivel for now. If anything happens down this way I'll write up another Eccentric Orbit.

Till next time.. -Don Dailey

LETTERS FROM STEVE BRIDGE

(Here are two letters recently received from Steve. The first one should have been printed in the last issue. Sorry Steve. Highlighting was done by Andy, not Steve.)

To all my friends at COJ,

I want to thank everyone responsible for another good convention and for the fun time I had. It was great to be invited back (and to have my expenses covered!) I guess that means I'll have to volunteer again next year, though.

For those who did not hear during the weekend, I will be moving back to Indianapolis in February or March. That will be four years in my job as Alcor's President, and that's enough. I will probably go back with the library; but it's too soon to tell.

My next major TV appearances:
September 15 on "The Way Things Are" on the Discovery Channel.
October 20 in on: "Cryonics: Souls on Ice"(or similar title) on the Discovery Channel. Considering the quality of the people who made this (a lot of Emmys and other awards), I expect it to be the best TV program ever done on cryonics.

See you all next year!

Steve Bridge
72320.1642@compuserve.com or steve@alcor.org

Dear Robin and David:

"This will be the second trip into space for Gene Roddenberry since his death. His ashes were taken into orbit and returned on a recent shuttle mission." (From last issue)

No, it will be the second trip for Roddenberry's "ashes." Gene Roddenberry no longer exists. When he did exist, his identity was the information in his brain (from one viewpoint) or was his soul (from another). It was never his body. The essence of Roddenberry is either in some afterlife or completely obliterated. By either criteria, he is GONE. Roddenberry is not "his ashes" and I'm getting very impatient with reporters and fans who seem to think that something significant is taking place.

The only significant event is that some company is getting $10,000 each to throw a few ounces of meaningless ashes up above the planet to appease the feelings of fuzzy thinking survivors who can neither face the reality of death nor accept a religion beyond the cult of celebrity.

By the way, the ashes of Tim Leary and Jerry Garcia (but NOT "Tim Leary" and "Jerry Garcia" themselves) will be on the same flight, if it ever occurs at all.

This week club officers will be meeting with a law firm to study the idea of incorporating the club and con.

Holy Cow, I thought this was done years ago. Yes, if someone is injured at InConjunction and sues, the officers or the Con Committee would have personal liability (not all members of the club or attendees at the Con -- only Directors or the equivalent).

The concern over "Piercing the corporate veil" to sue individual officers or Directors of a corporation is misplaced. This can only be done where illegal actions have been taken, such as fraud or where officers are using a non-profit corporation to hide money. Believe me, as the President of a somewhat controversial nonprofit corporation, I have asked a LOT of questions about this.

Any judge who allowed personal liability for corporate directors and officers in a normal lawsuit would be out of a job very shortly, no matter how many fast-talking defense lawyers say otherwise. This is a foundation of the American economic system and will not be changed.

Incorporate, please.

Steve Bridge

CALENDAR

Non-Meeting at Media Play on the South side......August 24th. Greenwood Media-Play located at 8040 S. US Hwy. 31 (US 31 and Stop 11 Road). The meeting is scheduled from 7:00pm till 10:00pm. See Presidential Ponderings in this issue.

The After-The-Con Bash...... Saturday September 7, 3:00 PM to ?. Dave and Robin's house in Greenfield. The club is providing Subway sandwiches and pop. Bring a covered dish or desert. BYOB. The grill is available if desired and the telescopes will be out if weather permits. Badminton and (just maybe) Killer Croquette with Calvin and Hobbs rules. There will be no other meeting in September.