Time for June

[doc]

The June issue will launch shortly. Get your quill pens sharpened.

[Robert_Moriyama]

Jeez ...<br><br>Hey, now we can have a whine and jeez party!<br><br> ::)<br><br>Robert M.

[Megawatts]

I wonder if my front wheel bearing will stop<br>whining when June comes out!<br><br> ::)

[Robert_Moriyama]

Please hurry - each day without a new issue is a day in the cold swirling mists of hell.

Kate

<br><br>Weather on the Left Coast been a bit foggy?<br><br>Robert 'Try living in Canada!' M.

[kailhofer]

Assuming the next issue was actually aimed at Midnight May 12, it would now be over 834 hours late.<br><br>Kate must have been staring at her screen ever since, waiting for the next issue to magically appear... and that's a long time to stare!<br><br>No wonder everything looks foggy to her. :)<br><br><br>Nate

[Robert_Moriyama]

Is that Nate or George Clooney?  Hard to tell in these swirling mists....

<br><br>And the resemblance is uncanny to start with. They're both bipedal humanoids exhibiting (more or less) bilateral symmetry, both carbon-based, oxygen-breathing, ... I could go on, but it's no wonder Kate is confused. ::)<br><br>Robert M.

[kailhofer]

Oh, c'mon. As soon as Clooney gets 9 years younger, dies his hair brown, grows a big beard, and then lets himself go, we may be practically identical twins. :D<br><br><br>Nate<br><br>P.S. Now 854 hours late, and counting.

[Robert_Moriyama]

Robert, Robert, is that you?  

I - I can't see, swirling mists, feel faint, oh, Robert! That *is* you! Oh, Robert, oh, Robert, oh, baby, oh!

WAIT A MINUTE!  You're not Robert Moriyama!  Mr. Redford, you should be ashamed of yourself! Now go get the June issue and I won't tell anyone!

<br><br>Damn it, I told Redford that the identity-theft thing was only funny once. And to use it to score with Hot Chicks is going TOO FAR.<br><br>Robert 'Brad Pitt is often mistaken for me, too' M.

[Robert_Moriyama]

Isn't that Robert 'missed my meds this morning' Moriyama?

Iain 'Orson Who?' Muir

<br><br>I did NOT miss my meds. Harvey always reminds them to take them. Have you met Harvey? He's a puka (or pookah). Invisible (unless he wants you to see him), about six feet tall, fur, long ears, whiskers? (Don't call him 'Bugs', by the way. He hates that.)<br><br>Robert M. (and friend)

[Robert_Moriyama]

Robert!  Why does everyone call Harvey the 'invisible' rabbit?

There he was on the screen with Jimmy Stewart.  .  .plain as day.  

Of course, mine is named Eustace Phenerbackerton, but that's another story.

Bill (bet nobody gets that literary reference) Wolfe

<br><br>Bill?  There's a Dr. Chumley here to see you ...<br><br>Robert M.<br><br>PS  I couldn't find anything about Eustace Phenerbackerton at google ... Unless you really murdered the spelling, maybe you imagined HIM too!  ::)

[Robert_Moriyama]

Robert,

The space monkeys who live in my toaster assure me that I didn't imagine my Eustace.  But they can't spell any better than I can.  .  .although if they keep pounding on those typewriters.  .  .

But oddly enough, I too tried to google Eustace Phenerbackerton to see if I spelled the last name correctly and I couldn't find it, either.  

Oh, I could find the reference (because I've actually read the book), but it is entirely possible that this fictional character cannot be Googled (GASP!!)  You may have to go out and actually read the paper & print version.  

I read this decades ago and for some reason the whole thing really stuck with me.  The author was Eric Frank Russell and the book I read was his 1959 Next of Kin.  However, I also understand that it was published in England under The Space Willies.  The Eustace character is--IMHO--brilliant and I have always maintained that if I am ever abducted by aliens I am going to use him.  .  .just gotta see if it works.

In any case, Eustace has a last name and I think it's spelled 'Phenerbackerton,' but I can't find him anywhere.  Now since when could you not find a character's first and last name on the internet?

Mr. Gore, you've let us all down.

Bill (too dang old for this) Wolfe

<br><br>Hey, one of the first non-Young People's Shelf of Books (or something like that) things I remember reading was 'Sentinels from Space' (one side of an Ace Double) by Mr. Russell.  I think I may even have (or have had) 'The Space Willies' (or something to that effect) 'mongst the books in boxes (or books in boxes I had to abandon) ... but alas, whether I've read the book or not, I can't recall Eustace P.<br><br>Robert (not exactly young myself, dagnabbit) M.<br><br>PS Googling "Eric Frank Russell willies" brought up references to the short story and the later novel in which the protagonist convinces his alien captors that Earthlings all have invisible companions named "Eustace". Presumably, adding a surname would allow Joe Smith to distinguish between HIS Eustace and John Brown's Eustace in conversation ...)

[kailhofer]

FYI. Now 920 hours late, and counting. <br><br>Scotty, now would be a good time.<br><br><br>Nate

[Robert_Moriyama]

Russell is hardly semi-blah!  Unfortunately, having a 'cult' following wouldn't pay the bills, if Mr. R. was still with us.<br><br>"Next of Kin" is the ONLY Eric Frank Russell title that Chapters-indigo.ca (the largest Canadian-based bricks-and-mortar / online books/music/movie retailer) lists as "In stock" (and at a bargain price, too).  Amazon.ca (presumably feeding off Amazon.com's inventory) lists several others, although some are used volumes from the 70's at $100 or more Canuck bucks.<br><br>(Sigh) Fading to obscurity except in the hearts of genre afficionados.  Mind you, even in obscurity, Russell's more famous than I'm ever likely to be (sob).<br><br>Robert M.<br><br>PS  Time for June?  It's damn near time for JULY! And how sad is it that this topic has 28 posts, while the April issue (online for 6 weeks or more?) has 48 in total?

[Daniel_Sosa]

I know the editorial board is very busy, but this disappointing spring publication period seems to come on the heels of general tardiness from the past few issues.<br><br>Action point?<br><br>Maybe Aphelion should sell ad space.  You get xx many visits a month?  Maybe the editors could share the profits.  More reliable publication dates would increase web traffic; it might provide more incentive to get issues in on time. ::)<br><br>Or, more drastically, maybe, like many other multinationals, use the profits to outsource the tedious, time-consuming tasks to India for pennies on the American dollar.  How's about it Aphelion?  Are you ready to go corporate?

[Robert_Moriyama]

I know the editorial board is very busy, but this disappointing spring publication period seems to come on the heels of general tardiness from the past few issues.

Action point?

Maybe Aphelion should sell ad space.  You get xx many visits a month?  Maybe the editors could share the profits.  More reliable publication dates would increase web traffic; it might provide more incentive to get issues in on time. ::)

Or, more drastically, maybe, like many other multinationals, use the profits to outsource the tedious, time-consuming tasks to India for pennies on the American dollar.  How's about it Aphelion?  Are you ready to go corporate?

<br><br>Hey, Dan -- do I smell a volunteer?<br><br> ;D<br><br>Robert M.<br><br><br>