Evelyn C. Leeper's Home Page: Books, Travel, and More

This week's MT VOID contents :

For Best Results (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
You Control the Powers of Ten (comments by Greg Frederick)
Lost in the Dark (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
The Globalization of Electrical Adapters (comments 
     by Evelyn C. Leeper)
THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2011 film and London stage play) 
     (film and theater reviews by Mark R. Leeper)
PHYSICS OF THE FUTURE by Michio Kaku (book review by Greg Frederick)
Slime Molds, the Reset Button, and Subtitles and Dubbing 
     (letter of comment by Kip Williams)
THE WASHING OF THE SPEARS and Sid Coleman (letters of comment by 
     Guy Ferraiolo and Gregory Benford)
Passwords (letters of comment by Jay E. Morris, Keith F. Lynch, 
     and David Dyer-Bennet)
Gestalt Creatures (letter of comment by Steve Milton)
This Week's Reading (Trollope's SOUTH AFRICA, "The No. 1 
     Ladies' Detective Agency" series, BEETHOVEN WAS 
     ONE-SIXTEENTH BLACK AND OTHER STORIES, LOOT AND OTHER 
     STORIES, DISGRACE, and southern African films) (book comments 
     by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Quote of the Week

Featured articles, trip logs, and convention reports:

• Philcon 2011 (November 2011) (8K) (no panel descriptions yet)
• Anticipation (August 2009) (160K) (with panel descriptions)
• Nevada, California, and Oregon (August 2011) (54K)
• Italy (October-November 2010) (124K)
• Civil War Films Being Shown on TCM in April 2011
• Wit and Humor in Moby Dick
• The International Legacy of Jorge Luis Borges (my class notes on a Comparative Literature course given at Penn State in 2007) (104K)
• El amor y el espanto (film review of film based on Borges's life and works)
• Jorge Luis Borges 101 (May 2010)
• The Atlantic Provinces of Canada (July-August 2009) (124K)
• Denvention 3 (August 2008) (139K)
• The Connectivitiy of Jorge Luis Borges's Library of Babel
• Why Jorge Luis Borges Is Not a Magical Realist
• Review of Leopoldo Lugones's Strange Forces
• Canadian Rockies Trip (June-August 2007) (217K)
• Ten Tips on Travel to Japan (updated for use by Nippon 2007 Worldcon attendees)
• What Is a Western?
• Time Travel on Television: The BBC/PBS "House" Shows
• Museum of Jurassic Technology (July 2005)
• Photo of restroom signs at L.A.con IV (trust me, you'll like it!)
• Commentary on Jorge Luis Borges's Book of Imaginary Beings
• Commentary on Jorge Luis Borges's "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"
• List of books read by the Old Bridge (NJ) Public Library's "Original" Book Group
• List of books read by the Old Bridge (NJ) Public Library's Science Fiction Book Group

Mark and I were Fan Guests of Honor for Windycon XXIX, November 8-10, 2002. Here are:

• My convention report
• A brief co-biography written for the Program Book by friend and seven-time Hugo nominee Bob Devney
• Further information on Windycon

What I do:

• I am currently one of the judges for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.
  • Click here for "AH 101," a quick introduction to alternate history.
  • Click here for a list of Jewish-themed alternate histories.
• I read books and write book reviews.
• I travel and write travelogues and science fiction convention reports.
• I maintain various lists and pages:
  • Lists of bookstores throughout the world
  • A Magical Realism page of discussion and links
  • A Harry Potter page: differences between the British and American editions of the first book (work in progress)
  • A Sherlock Holmes booklist
  • The rec.arts.books FAQ
  • The rec.arts.sf.written FAQ
  • The rec.arts.movies FAQ
  • The rec.arts.sf.movies FAQ
  • Recommended DVD commentaries

If you want to get some idea of my philosophy, check out my .sig quotes.

I have been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer twelve times, most recently in 2001.

The MT VOID is a publication of the Mt. Holz science fiction club.

To subscribe, send mail to mtvoid-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mtvoid.

Table of Contents

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• 02/10/12, Vol. 30, No. 34: Comments on use-by dates, on the powers of ten, on film reviewing, and on electrical adapters; film review of The Woman in Black; book review of Physics of the Future; letters of comment on slime molds, on the reset button, on subtitles and dubbing, on The Washing of the Spears, on passwords, and on gestalt creatures; and comments on books (Trollope's South Africa, "The No. i Ladies' Detective Agency" series, Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black and Other Stories, Loot and Other Stories, Disgrace, and southern African films).
• 02/10/12, Vol. 30, No. 33: Comments on dinosaurs and babies, on slime molds, on passwords, and on Jinnah; television review of Blake's 7; book review of Absolution Gap; film review of Ethos: A Time for Change; letters of comment on serial killers, on Afrikaners and Western pioneers, on subtitling and dubbing, and on bad science; and comments on books (Crossing the Line: A Year in the Land of Apartheid, The Washing of the Spears, and Shaka King of the Zulus).
• 02/03/12, Vol. 30, No. 32: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; Comments on mailing the MT VOID, on serial killers, and on zombies; letters of comment on free will and on Forbidden Planet; and comments on books (The Mind of South Africa, Long Walk to Freedom, South Africa Belongs to Us: A History of the ANC, and My Traitor's Heart).
• 01/27/12, Vol. 30, No. 31: Comments on The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, on bad science in movies, on romance, on pan and scan, on Turner Classics Movies in February, and on free will; letters of comment on translations, on subtitling versus dubbing, and on omnipotence; and comments on books (Embassytown and An Urchin in the Storm).
• 01/20/12, Vol. 30, No. 30: Comments on Philcon 2011, on old TV horror and SF shows, and on omnipotence, and on UNHAPPY FEET; film review of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; and comments on books (Is That a Fish in Your Ear? and translations).
• 01/13/12, Vol. 30, No. 29: Comments on our publishing schedule, Friday the 13ths, on free audio programs, on the brink of understanding, on airplane travel, and on impossibilities; television review of Three Inches; film review of The Forgotten Bomb; book review of War Made New; letters of comment on top ten lists, on Hugo, and on Tintin; and comments on books (Labyriths of Reason).
• 01/06/12, Vol. 30, No. 28: Comments on low overhead and on Mark Leeper's top ten films of 2011; television review of Terra Nova; book review of Children of the Sky; film review of Sleeping Beauty (2011); letters of comment on singularities, on automata, on Tintin, and on the Mundane Manifesto; and comments on books (Selected Stories of Theodore Sturgeon).
• 12/30/11, Vol. 30, No. 27: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Worldcon 2009, on charity, on Turner Classics Movies in January, on resolutions, and on the Singularity; film review of The Adventures of Tintin; letters of comment on top movies; and comments on books (Mundane SF).
• 12/23/11, Vol. 30, No. 26: Comments on identity, on holiday music, and on seedpod intelligence; film reviews of The Artist, Burke and Hare (2011), Miss Minoes, and My Week with Marilyn; book reviews of The Dreaming Void and the "Secret Histories" series; letters of comment on Manoel de Oliveira and Eliot Carter, on Polymaths, on Hugo, on Tintin, and on Henry IV, Part 2; and comments on books (The Hidden Life of Dogs and A History of Domesticated Animals).
• 12/16/11, Vol. 30, No. 25: Comments on science fiction inventions and on upcoming movies; film review of Hugo; television review of Falling Skies; letters of comment on Armed Services Editions, on Gannibal and Hannibal, and on young people and books; and comments on books ("All about Emily" and The Clockwork Rocket).
• 12/09/11, Vol. 30, No. 24: Comments on hammers and nails and on Ray Bradbury; film reviews of The Strange Case of Angelica and Now & Later; book review of Quantum; and comments on books (The Fifties and Alexandr Pushkin).
• 12/02/11, Vol. 30, No. 23: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on The Law, on mathematics in the movies, on the answer to last week's puzzle, and on an inconstant constant; on a mathematics puzzle, and on Thanksgiving traditions; film reviews of The Last Circus, J. Edgar, and Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie; and comments on books (Who Is Mark Twain?).
• 11/25/11, Vol. 30, No. 22: Corrections; comments on the psychic discussions, on Stanislaw Lem, on Saran wrap, on a mathematics puzzle, and on Thanksgiving traditions; book review of The Flooded Earth; film review of The Descendants; letters of comment on words, on The Winds of Dune, on Project NiM, on The Story of One Hundred Great Composers, on mathematics, and on Tree of Life; and on The Story of One Hundred Great Composers; and comments on books (Coriolanus).
• 11/18/11, Vol. 30, No. 21: Comments on number fun with 11/11/11, on caveats, on the answer to last week's puzzle, on Spielberg's War of the Worlds, and on psychics; film reviews of Tree of Life and Project NiM; letters of comment on words, on The Winds of Dune, on regression analysis and cheap ballplayers, and on The Story of One Hundred Great Composers; and comments on books (How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe).
• 11/11/11, Vol. 30, No. 20: Comments on Costco, on decimal patterns, and on words we need in English; book review of The Winds of Dune; film review of The Way (1935); letters of comment on naked mole rats, and on Moneyball and sabermetrics; and comments on books (Henry IV, Part 2 and The Story of One Hundred Great Composers).
• 11/04/11, Vol. 30, No. 19: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups, a stop-motion film for book-lovers, and an interactive guide to NPR's top 100 SF&F; comments on an animation checklist and regression analysis; film retrospective of Cosmic Voyage (1935); television review of Torchwood: Miracle Day; book reviews of The Final Key and Einstein's Heroes; letters of comment on predator vs. prey, on the number shortage, on Mark Twain's autobiography, and on science museums; and comments on books (existentialism).
• 10/28/11, Vol. 30, No. 18: Comments on the Victorian Hugos, on Cosmic Voyage, on the numbers shortage, and on Turner Classics Movies in November; film reviews of Moneyball and Imagine It!; book review of Seeing Further; letters of comment on Mark Twain's autobiography; and comments on books (So Many Books).
• 10/21/11, Vol. 30, No. 17: Announcement of trip logs; comments on the space shuttle, on the Radio Drama Archive, on optimism, and on predators and prey; letters of comment on Socrates and on 50/50; and comments on books (Autobiography of Mark Twain: Volume 1).
• 10/14/11, Vol. 30, No. 16: Comments on the Science Fiction Encyclopedia, on Socrates, and on a short break; film review of 50/50; letters of comment on "Superthunderstingcar"; and comments on books (Death of a Salesman).
• 10/07/11, Vol. 30, No. 15: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on NPR's top hundred science fiction and fantasy books, on Tales of Tomorrow, on "Superthunderstinger", on Pontypool, on the Pepper Mill, and on movie trailers; film reviews of Trollhunter and Drive; television review of Space Precinct; letters of comment on faster-than-light neutrinos and on Patty Duke, Alphas, on nozzles, on War of the Worlds and other 1950s media; and comments on books (The Hacker and the Ants and From Here to Economy).
• 09/30/11, Vol. 30, No. 14: Comments on 1984, on entropy, and on Turner Classic Movies in October; film reviews of Little Senegal and Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone; letters of comment on Alphas, on nozzles, on War of the Worlds and other 1950s media, on Heckle and Jekyll, on movie availability, and on Agatha Christie; and comments on books (Crazy U and The Annotated Sense and Sensibility).
• 09/23/11, Vol. 30, No. 13: Puzzle; comments on film firsts, on nozzles, and on The War of the Worlds; television review of Alphas; letters of comment on giant ants, on Shakespeare's authorship and undecidability, and on Turner Classic Movies; and comments on books (The Last Unicorn and A Murder Is Announced).
• 09/16/11, Vol. 30, No. 12: Comments on bargaining with God and on giant ants; film review of Contagion; letters of comment on "Virtual Iraq" and on Shakespeare's authorship; and comments on books (Memory Book and Coming Up for Air).
• 09/09/11, Vol. 30, No. 11: Comments on card games, on movie trailers, on Turner Classic Movies Halloween schedule, and on the Beloit College Mindset List for 2015; and comments on books (The Best Science and nature Writing 2009 and The Word of God, or, Holy Writ Rewritten).
• 09/02/11, Vol. 30, No. 10: Excuses; comments on tweeting, on hurricanes, on analogies, on Earth at one billion, on Turner Classics Movies in September, and on the presumed neutrality of technology; letter of comment on The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet; and comments on books (Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations, One of Our Thursdays Is Missing, and The Whole Five Feet).
• 08/26/11, Vol. 30, No. 9: Comments on Jimmy Sangster; list of Hugo awards; travelogue to Maple White Plateau; book review of The Dervish House; letters of comment on reversability and on Rise of the Planet of the Apes; and comments on books (The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet).
• 08/19/11, Vol. 30, No. 8: Travelogue to Maple White Plateau; comments on assumptions; and comments on books and films (The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party and War of the Worlds).
• 08/12/11, Vol. 30, No. 7: Comments on geometry, on cats and sugar, and on Journey to the Far Side of the Sun; letter of comment on animation errors and on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2; and comments on books (From the Earth to the Moon).
• 08/05/11, Vol. 30, No. 6: Announcement; announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on lightning, on geometry, on Turner Classic Movies in August, and on fables; film reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, West of Zanzibar, and The Hands of Orlac; letter of comment on Colossus: The Forbin Project; and comments on books (101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived).
• 07/29/11, Vol. 30, No. 5: Comments on impressions, on appropriateness, and on Colossus: The Forbin Project; film retrospective of Test Pilot Pirx; letters of comment on 3D printers, on Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day, on a culinary wasteland, on Blackout/All Clear, and on Colossus: The Forbin Project; and comments on books (Doomsday Book and The Riddle of the Compass).
• 07/22/11, Vol. 30, No. 4: Comments on soothhearers, on 3D printers, on Colossus: The Forbin Project, and on a culinary wasteland; book review of All Clear; letters of comment on submarines, on Worldcon book discussions, on the pi/tau controversy, and on princesses; and comments on books (When Angels Wept and God Is Not One).
• 07/15/11, Vol. 30, No. 3: Comments on Scottishness and on relativity; television review of Alphas; book review of Deep Future; letters of comment on Disney princesses, on mathematics and the pi/tau controversary, on Hugo-nominated novellas, and on Midnight in Paris; and comments on books (Hugo-nominated novelettes and short stories).
• 07/08/11, Vol. 30, No. 2: Comments on The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, on a short film, on quantitative generosity, on Disney princesses, and on the Norman Rockwell Museum; Book review of Feed; film review of Midnight in Paris; letters of comment on tuna, on the ISDC, on Super 8, on Green Lantern, on The Best Science and Nature Writing 2009, and on birthers; and comments on books (Hugo-nominated novellas).
• 07/01/11, Vol. 30, No. 1: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on volume numbers, on spicy food, on natural disasters, and and on Turner Classic Movies in July; film review of Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish; letters of comment on detritus, on Green Lantern, and on closed captions; and comments on books (The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2009).
• 06/24/11, Vol. 29, No. 52: Comments on spring cleaning, on Robur the Conqueror, and on streaming content; film review of Green Lantern; letter of comment on X-Men: First Class; and comments on books and films (The New York Review of Science Fiction and The Last Man on Earth.
• 06/17/11, Vol. 29, No. 51: Comments on a point of law, on e-books, on copyrighting tattoos, and on Starbucks; film reviews of Super 8 and X-Men: First Class; book review of Fuzzy Nation; letters of comment on X-Men: First Class, on numbers, on the International Space Development Conference;, and on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; and comments on books and films (Pebble in the Sky and Word Play.
• 06/10/11, Vol. 29, No. 50: Announcement of policy on politics; problem of the week (solution); comments on best hard SF books and on numbers; film reviews of X-Men: First Class, and Queen of the Sun: What the Bees Are Telling Us; book review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; report on the International Space Development Conference; letters of comment on 3D movies, on coffee, , on Sholem Aleichem, and on Dr. Demento; and comments on books and films (The Chess Machine and The Adventures of Menahem-Mendl.
• 06/03/11, Vol. 29, No. 49: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; problem of the week; comments on the Five-Book Worldcon, on coffee, on organ donation, and on 3D movies; book review of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms; film reviews of Sholom Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness, and One Lucky Elephant; letters of comment on Superman, on tuna brands, on "Skulking Permit", on UFOs, and on U-571; and comments on books and films (Citizen in Space and The Lives of the Artists.
• 05/27/11, Vol. 29, No. 48: Comments on the Nebula Awards winners, on the CDC and the zombie apocalypse, on tuna brands, on Turner Classic Movies in June, and on state quarters; letter of comment on Superman; and comments on books (Citizen in Space and The Lives of the Artists.
• 05/20/11, Vol. 29, No. 47: A riddle, comments on science fiction authors' choices for the best science fiction, on time machines, and on the Rapture; film reviews of Thor andHello Lonesome; book review of Schism; letter of comment on Thor; on WWW: Wonder, and on late middle age; and comments on books and movies (Feed and The Nun's Story.
• 05/13/11, Vol. 29, No. 46: Comments on vengeance, on the future, and on symmetries; film review of Thor; letters of comment on cubicles, on mammals, on the willing suspension of disbelief, on WWW: Wonder, and on late middle age; and comments on books (Cryoburn and A History of Histories.
• 05/06/11, Vol. 29, No. 45: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on the undiscovered country and on libels; book review of WWW: Wonder; film reviews of Meeting Spencer and Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead; letters of comment on cubicles, on brain teasers, and on truth, justice, and the un-American way; and comments on books (How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming , On Top of the World, The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz, Fixing My Gaze, and Snow Crash.
• 04/29/11, Vol. 29, No. 44: Comments on Walpurgis Night; on an inconvenient truth, on books and families, and and on Turner Classic Movies in May; film review of Hanna; book review of The Palace of Love; film/television review of La Femme Nikita; list of Hugo and Campbell Award Nominees; letters of comment on astronomical eye candy, on This Island Earth, Girl Scout cookies, Planet of the Apes, and "The Last Dangerous MT VOID"; and comments on books (Montano's Malady and The Great Book of Mind Teasers & Mind Puzzles).
• 04/22/11, Vol. 29, No. 43: Comments on astronomical eye candy,on Alice, and on This Island Earth; book reviews of Year's Best SF 15 and The Most Powerful Idea in the World; letters of comment on Sleep Dealer, Planet of the Apes, First Life, and Source Code; and comments on books (book sales, Everything I Know I Learned from TV and Gettysburg).
• 04/15/11, Vol. 29, No. 42: Comments on Second Life, foreign-language spy films, and on King Kong; film reviews of Paul and Johnny Be Gone; letters of comment on Source Code, Sleep Dealer, Planet of the Apes, and Mark Twain; and comments on books (Nightmares of Eminent Persons, Naming and Necessity, Vintage Season, and In Another Country).
• 04/08/11, Vol. 29, No. 41: Comments on Second Life, on the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and on Fukushima; film reviews of Limitless and Source Code; letters of comment on intentional errors on maps, on names, and on Blackout; and comments on books (Packing for Mars, Martin Chuzzlewit, and names in fiction).
• 04/01/11, Vol. 29, No. 40: Correction; announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on names, on Second Life, and on Turner Classic Movies in April; book review of Judas Unchained; film reviews of The Lincoln Lawyer, Cat Run, and Ivan the Terrible; letters of comment on comforting news, on efficient sports, on Mars Needs Moms, on Fukushima, and on Blackout; and comments on books (The Philip K. Dick Reader, Worldshaker, The Rise and the Fall of the Bible and Beowulf on the Beach).
• 03/25/11, Vol. 29, No. 39: Comments on comforting news, on Mars Needs Moms, and on exo-planets; book review of Blackout; film review of Cannes Man; letters of comment on efficient sports, on Fukushima, and on the Alexander Awards; and comments on books (Kraken and The Invention of Morel).
• 03/18/11, Vol. 29, No. 38: Comments on the history of science fiction, on golf, on Fukushima, and on technology; film review of Nostalgia for the Light; television reviews of science fiction shows; letters of comment on Hugo nominations, on Rango, on Barney's Version, on True Grit, on and All Clear, and on the Constitution; and comments on books (The Cardinal Points of Borges and The Buntline Special).
• 03/11/11, Vol. 29, No. 37: Comments on names, on scientific studies, on the Musical Instrument Museum, and on the Constitution; film reviews of The Adjustment Bureau, Rango, Barney's Version, and The Desert of Forbidden Art; letters of comment on Inception, on The Human Resources Manager, on True Grit, on the Oscars, on puzzles, on The Turn of the Screw, and on dinosaurs and birds, and comments on books (Blackout and All Clear).
• 03/04/11, Vol. 29, No. 36: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on book publication, on the Academy Awards, on puzzles, on getting on in the world, on Inception, on travel and Arizona, and on the movies of the '00s; film review of The Human Resources Manager; letters of comment on space travel, on man versus machine intelligence, and on Hugo recommendations; and comments on books (Wandering Lands and Animals).

Older back issues are available here and at fanac.org.

Here are some links to sites of interest:

• the incomparable Mark R. Leeper's Home Page
• The Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase
• SF-Lovers Archive
• Uchronia Alternate History List, Overview
• Steven Silver's Jewish Science Fiction Bibliography

Also available are: