Like A Bad Penny

Why look, it's Ansible Time!

As Others See Us. 'Doctor Who ... has ... made sci-fi -- once the domain of pizza-faced speccy boys and middle-aged men named Timothy who iron their socks and still live with their mum -- acceptable, if not downright glamorous.' (Paul Connolly, Daily Mail, 10 January) [FS]

Sigh. Next thing you know they'll be saying the not-so-new Battlestar Galactica isn't really science fiction (yes, I am being sarcastic...because that has been a theme for years...)

Sector General Lives! Heart-warming public safety news from a writer who worked on a UK patient information leaflet for oxygen, as supplied in cylinders to hospitals: the regulator insisted that he include the words 'Do not use if you are allergic to oxygen.' [PM]

Hah. Good one. Let's hear it for James White!

As Others Summarize Us. Tower Books 'Publisher's Note' for Ringworld's Children by Larry Niven: 'When a powerful new weapon threatens the spherical planet of Ringworld, a protector, an exile with the ability to speak with animals, and a native with a mysterious past assist explorer Louis Wu on his quest to save Ringworld from interplanetary war.' (Not the blurb of the actual publisher, Tor, where they know Ringworld's shape and the meaning of Speaker-to-Animals.) [AL]

Ummmm...hoookay...