Copyright 1998
The Electronic Edition
David Henninger, Editor
Robin R. Brunner, Publisher
The Circular of Janus is a publication of the Circle of Janus Science Fiction Club of Central Indiana. Subscription is included with membership, $10/year. For information, write to Circle of Janus, P.O. Box 68514, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0514 or e-mail davidhenninger@cs.com
IN THIS EDITION:
CALENDER
SEC'S NOTES by Lynnette R. F. Cowper
BYLAWS AMENDMENTS
LATE WORD by Randy Porter
BOOKS: SF & FANTASY
BOOKS: SCIENCE & NATURE
MOVIES
HUMOR: ONLY IN AMERICA
CALENDAR
The next regular meeting of The Circle of Janus will be Saturday, October 3, 1998 at the Children's Museum. Doors open about 6:30 PM. Enter via the group entrance as usual.
Linda and Greg Dunn will host a Holloween party at their house Saturday, October 31.
Details are not yet available.
SECS NOTES
The October meeting of the Circle of Janus was held on Oct 3rd, 1998, at the Children's Museum. The meeting opened at 7:35 PM. 17 adults and 2 children were present. We had two guests-- Jim "Bear" Roysdon, a member of the ConSept convention committee, and sysop of the Forest BBS; and Kathy Watnes (sp?), a long-time InCon attendee. All officers except treasurer Linda Dunn were present. ConChairs for '99 and 2000, were also both absent.
The Secretary's report for August '98 was read and approved. As the treasurer was absent, there was no treasurer's report.
In convention reports, Andy reported on InCon '98. While attendance was down, so were expenses, so we at least broke even and may have even made money. We are waiting on the final tally.
There were no con reports for '99 or 2000.
In old business, Dave still needs pictures and information for the Club Directory. Mike established the Anniversary/Christmas party as being the deadline for getting this in to Dave.
Andy reported on the matter of the meeting location that the Children's Museum has changed its policy back. We *can* meet there and all meeting dates are free. However, the price has been raised from $40 to $75 a meeting. Various people discussed advantages and disadvantages of staying there. The main disadvantage is the cost. The advantages mentioned are the lighted parking lot, it's guaranteed, there is security present, it's on a bus line, it's centrally located, it is well-known and established as our meeting site. Kat reported on her investigations that Sahara Grotto is booked on Saturday night through the year 2000. With the exception of the Garfield park location, which requires either sweat equity from the club members, which would require a great deal of organizing or a few club members doing all the work, or $35 an hour, there are no other viable locations. Lynette ended the discussion by moving, if it needs club approval, that we sign a contract with the Children's Museum and continue looking into alternatives as they are mentioned. Bob McGillem seconded the motion. Brooks moved that it be amended to mention pending approval of the contract by Club officers, which was seconded. The amended motion carried. The club officers will be going over the current contract.
Mike mentioned on the business of the club domain name and server that he could get a co-located server at IndyNet for $100 a month, his cost. A domain name would cost an additional $30 a year. If he were to do this, he would allow the CoJ and a couple of other non-profit clubs he is associated with to split his cost. As well as giving us a domain name, this would also allow the use of CGI scripts, larger and more Web pages, special addresses and mailing lists. No decisions need to be made at this time. Mike was merely bringing it up for our information.
The amendment to the bylaws, raising dues from $10 to $15 a year was read and tabled.
The amendment to the bylaws from the executive committee that, "The board of directors shall consist of the members of the executive committee, headed by a chairbeing elected every two years from among the current membership who have previously held office. The sitting chairbeing of the board shall not concurrently hold any other club office," was read and tabled.
The October non-meeting will be the 24th at the Dunn's. The last newsletter said the 31st. This will be clarified and detailed in the October newsletter.
In new business, there will be a ConCom meeting for InCon '99 on October 10th, at 1 PM, in the Riley Room at the Marriott.
In other announcements and reviews:
Ken mentioned that the new Babylon 5 comics will be collected into a trade paperback in November.
He also mentioned that there will be a gaming con, Pentacon, in Ft. Wayne on the second weekend of November. He commented that it is a good con averaging 600 to 700 attendees.
Chris Canary reviewed the new Fantasy Island, commenting that it was cool, but a lot darker than the original.
He also mentioned Highlander, the Raven, is still establishing its plotline, so he is waiting to make a review of it and that The Crow, Stairway to Heaven still has him ambivalent, but he's giving it more time.
He further mentioned that the TV show 7 Days premiers Wednesday. It's a time travel show and sounds interesting.
Finally, he mentioned Bitin' Off Hedz and other Cheapass Games. These are excellent games which are very cheap, running only $4 to $10 apiece.
Brooks then mentioned that next weekend is the Carmel Library booksale. Since they are moving locations, they are getting rid of a lot of their books, so this promises to be a large one.
He also mentioned that 2 weekends from now is the Indianapolis Military Collectors Show and that the Babylon 5 Model Kit is now out.
Kat mentioned two items of possible interest to a few club members-- next Friday is Eroticon and Sunday the 11th is the AIDS walk.
Chaos was declared at 8:53 PM.
The after-the-meeting gathering was at Flakey Jakes, as usual.
Further note: There should have been nominations made at the meeting, but it was overlooked. Those wanting to nominate club officers-- President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, or Sergeant at Arms-- or the Chairbeing of the Board or the ConChair for 2001 may do so at the November or January meetings or via email or proxy.
Respectfully submitted,
PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENTS
President Mike Cowper, Vice-president Vicki Merriman and committee have been working on the amendments to our bylaws required by our recent incorporation. Any proposed amendment must be published in the newsletter for inspection before they can be voted on.
There are two proposed amendments to the Circle of Janus bylaws:
1) The bylaws shall be amended to change the yearly membership dues to $15.
2) The bylaws shall be amended to add a paragraphs that states: There shall be a board of directors consisting of the members of the executive committee and headed by a chairbeing elected every two years from among the current membership who have previously held club office. The sitting chairbeing of the board shall not concurrently hold any other club office.
LATE WORD
There will be the 1st ComCon Meeting at the Marriott on Oct. 10, 1998 1:00pm in the Riley room.
Things that will be discussed ,office responsiblies ,time line, etc.
Action items: Flyer hhhhelp, I need help with this, this item is late and we need to get one asap. Jobs, I have talked with many of you on what role you are taking at InCon, but I didn't write it down. So If we talked about it, or you want to volunteer for something give me a hollar.
Extra Special News: I was talking to Gaming Guest of Honor 97 Dave Arneson at GenCon this August when he asked me if we had a GGoH for 99, I told him we were having Steve Jackson again. He then said he was tired of Origins and might want to come to InCon. Delight I replied that if he want to come to InCon that we get him a free room and membership. Is that not way cool I let you all know more when I know more.
Rev Randji Portajonni
BOOKS From Amazon.com
Full Tide of Night by J.R. Dunn
Long ago, Lady Julia Amalfi fled Earth to escape the diabolical, machinelike Erinye. She seeded the icy planet Midgard with genetic stock brought from Earth, hoping to re-create human society with the assistance of an immature artificial intelligence named Carion. Now Cary and her children are rebelling against Lady Julia, and the Erinye are speeding toward Midgard. Inspired by John Webster's classic revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi, J.R. Dunn's Full Tide of Night weaves a tale of loyalty and betrayal among the stars. Dunn blends philosophy, worldbuilding, politics, and good old human nature to tell a gripping and tragic story.
Mockingbird by Sean Stewart
Sean Stewart's Mockingbird is one of those delightful books that is hard to categorize, but easy to love. Toni Beauchamp's mother could work magic; in fact, she used magic the way other people use credit cards, ringing up huge bills to get the things she wanted. But the debts had to be paid off sooner or later. By way of pure atmospheric magic, Stewart transports us to the Deep South where a woman and her gods must put things right after the mysterious death of her mother.
Deepdrive by Alexander Jablokov
What if alien races set up home on the planets and moons of our solar system? In this tale of interplanetary secrets and lies, ragtag human clans play catch-up with mysterious beings transforming Mercury, Venus, and even Earth. Humanity would love to join these far-flung adventurers in their travels, but without the secret of the faster-than-light deepdrive, we can't level the playing field. A few years ago, an alien by the name of Ripi crash-landed in our system, and he may have brought an intact drive with him.
SF&F BESTSELLERS
Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
Although it's part of Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, the satisfyingly hefty Temple of the Winds can be enjoyed on its own. Fighter-wizard Richard Rahl and his beloved Kahlan Amnell must battle a deadly magical plague unleashed by the Imperial Order.
Roads Not Taken: Tales of Alternate History edited by Gardner Dozois and Stanley Schmidt
At the heart of each one of the stories in this fantastic collection lies the question What if...? What if the Chinese had colonized America before the Europeans? What if Joseph McCarthy had become president? Highlights include stories by Harry Turtledove, Gene Wolfe, and Robert Silverberg.
NEW SF IN PAPERBACK
Jupiter Project by Gregory Benford
Jupiter Project was written 25 years ago as Gregory Benford's tribute to Robert Heinlein. In true Heinlein style, it's got a smart, brave young protagonist and lots of exciting space action.
Twice Seven by Ben Bova
Twice Seven features 14 fantastic tales from SF master BenBova. From time travel to cosmic annihilation to JFK's assassination, these stories offer far-flung adventure and great ideas.
Sky Trillium by Julian May
Now available in a mass-market paperback edition, this third volume in the Black Trillium universe (created by superb fantasists Julian May, Andre Norton, and Marion Zimmer Bradley) tells a tale of three princesses, each of whom possesses a talisman. All three talismans are needed to create the Sky Trillium, upon which rests the fate of the world.
BOOKS From Amazon.com
My Brain Is Open by Bruce Schechter
We love Paul Erdos! On the heels of The Man Who Loved Only Numbers comes Bruce Schechter's biography of the mathematical folk hero. This eccentric genius used to show up to meetings, clutching the two small suitcases containing everything he owned, and announce to a group of waiting mathematicians, My brain is open! Schechter opens that famous brain for us in this superbly focused book, revealing an Ali Baba's cave, glittering with mathematical treasures.
Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs by Sue Hubbell
Beekeeper and nature writer Sue Hubbell examines the small world of bugs. An Amazon.com customer writes: Perhaps the best way to understand the human condition is to examine what we think of as most alien--that is the beauty of Sue Hubbell's Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs. Throughout her close examination of the world that surrounds us--and that we too often would rather not see-- Hubbell gives us a glimpse of how we see.... You will never look at a moth or a daddy longlegs the same way again.
Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce by Douglas Starr
What liquid is both beautiful life essence and carrier of feared disease? Blood has in it the cells that replenish oxygen-starved tissues and fight off bacteria and viruses, making it the most valuable liquid on earth to each and every one of us. Science writer Douglas Starr takes a look at the history, uses, and meanings of blood in society. A huge worldwide trade has developed in the stuff, which represents lives both saved and lost. Read this uniquely compelling book and understand why a barrel of blood is worth far more than a barrel of oil.
Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock
Author Graham Hancock is noted for his explorations of the fringes of science, especially archaeology. In Fingerprints of the Gods, he uncovers evidence of an advanced civilization that was destroyed long before modern human society.
Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers by Jan Gullberg
There's no question in our minds that Amazon.com customers love mathematics. Here's a tour of math that'll keep even the more numerophobic reader interested. You'll find quotations, problems, stories, and even poems about the joy of mathematics.
NEW SCIENCE IN PAPERBACK
Stuff: The Materials the World Is Made Of by Ivan Amato
Everything is made of something, and Ivan Amato gives you a quick look at some of the more interesting natural and man-made building blocks. Find out what scientists are stirring up in their test tubes--buckyballs, self-healing materials, and nanotech medical machines.
Yes, We Have No Neutrons: An Eye-Opening Tour Through the Twists and Turns of Bad Science by A.K. Dewdney
From cold fusion to Biosphere 2, science has occasionally suffered some sucker punches. Yes, We Have No Neutrons will have you looking for bad science in today's headlines!
By Lynnette R. F. Cowper
Lynette R. F. Cowper
by Randy Porter
Grand High Mufftee of the tri-county region
Church of the Subgenius, Holacoastian
SF & FANTASY
SCIENCE & NATURE