Errors-To: ecto-owner@ns1.rutgers.edu Reply-To: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu Sender: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu From: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu To: ecto-request@ns1.rutgers.edu Bcc: ecto-digest-outbound@ns1.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto #937 ecto, Number 937 Sunday, 26 December 1993 Today's Topics: *-----------------* Re: A Mainiac revealed Telnetting to the ecto IRC Re: new to Ecto.. Yet Another Tep Ton list.... :) IRC fun Re: Yet Another Tep Ton list.... :) Year-End Recap Birth Certificates Happy Holidays to all! The Ecto MOMA IRC & telnetting, etc. bzzzzzt The days are getting longer again! to Philip Sainty Re: IRC & telnetting, etc. unsubscribe Maestro & Mathilde Pea Green Straight from Uncle Ho Ho Ho's victory garden ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 10:43:59 PST From: dixon@physics.berkeley.edu (David Dixon) Subject: Re: A Mainiac revealed Neal asked about the buzzers on Jeopardy.. (my text editor isn't working) When you get right down to it, Jeopardy is a reflex race. You *must* wait until the end of the question before you can buzz in; a pair of neon tubes on either side of the game board light up when you can ring in. Getting the hang of the buzzer system is the key to winning (well, *besides* knowing all that esoteria, but for most people who get on the show, that's a given). On almost every question where both I and the returning champion knew it, she beat me to the buzzer almost every time. I shall remember Lord North and the Grand Army of the Republic forevermore. :) D^2 ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 12:54:20 CST From: Subject: Telnetting to the ecto IRC I have lately read Vickie's squib on the fun going on on the Ecto IRC, but the system here has no documentation on how to connect to such things. Anyone have any idea what place I could telnet to to connect to our real-time talk offshoot ? Mitch ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 14:02:32 EST From: WretchAwry Subject: Re: new to Ecto.. DeeTwo is kind: > Steve said: > >... Vickie (our wonderful Ecto moma) ... > > That's funny.. she doesn't look like a museum to me... :) I not gonna say it...(Neile, aren't you proud of me?) :-) DeeTwo ok'ed the gif thingy! Jess should have them in her possesion now. She'll probably post when she gets them in the archives. Hallloo to freeform & the good Doctor! Welcome to Ecto! Chris and I are getting ready to leave now. We're going to go see the new WIM WENDERS film! Yes! The sequel to "Wings of Desire" which my poor IRC'd-out brain can't remember the title of which is it called. Or something like that. A room full of lost goodies! I *like* that too Meredith! Will all my repressed memories be in there too? :-) Remember the song "Inky Bloaters" by Danielle Dax? That's about these pesky little critters who steal things when you're not looking, things you just *had*! I love that song! Time to go be real. Bye! Vickie ======================================================================== From: brianb@netcom.com (Brian Bloom) Subject: Yet Another Tep Ton list.... :) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 11:05:39 -0800 (PST) Well, since I don't want to be the last person on *my* block to post of "Best of 93", here's my list: 1. Orlando s/t - very cool tunes with the bonus of Jimmy Somerville crooning to a great chill beat. 2. Kate Bush - Eh. As everyone points out. Mediocre for her, miles above the masses. 3. Doctor Death's Vol. 5 and 6. Not sure which of these are 93 releases but both feature amazingly cool artists from the C'est La Mort label. 4. Jane Siberry - WIWaB. I'm new to her, but found that it was great match. Any album featuring a track of just bells pealing *has* to be cool. :) 5. Moon 7X. - I miss Area, but the new lineup still works well. Down the same alley as Curve, Belly, and other 4ADish groups. 6. Cocteau Twins- 4 calendar cafe. Primo. Eerie to actually understand lyrics (of course HoLV foreshadowed that) but delicious anyway. 7. Orbital-2. Yummy organic ambient trancy swirly synth programming. Worth checking out if only to hear the fun to be had with Star Trek samples. 8. 50 Years of Sunshine - A tribute to the discovery of LSD. You don't even need the drug to get lost on this mind-expanding 2 cd set. 9. Dark Side Of The Moon - 20th Anniversary Reissue. Nice new packaging and improved sound quality make this a staple for many peoples' DID list. 10. Happy Rhodes- RhodeSongs. An interesting emotional tour through Happy's early stuff. Bonus points for including the "secret" track! Honorable Mentions: One Dove Equipoise (not as strong for me as Warpaint) Excursions In Ambience-same vein as 50 Years but only 1 disc. :) and others that I can't remember sitting at work... *sigh* Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Happy Channukah/[your photo here] Peace to all.. br!an the moo-man -- __ ____ __ ____ __ __ (__==__) /\ \ / \_\ / /\ / \ \ / |\ / /\ (oo) ( moo.) / \_\ / /\ |_| / / /| /\ \ \ / ||/ / / /-------\/ -' / /\ | |\ \/ /_/_ / / / \ \/ \ \ / |/ / / / | U.T.|| / \/ |_| \ __ \_\ /_/ / \ /\ \_\ / /| / / * ||----|| / /\ ./_/ \ \ \/_/_\_\/ \ \ \/_// / | / / ^^ ^^ \ \/ |_| \ \_\ /_/\ \ \_\ /_/ /|_/ / Br!an Bloom \__/_/ \/_/ \_\/ \/_/ \_\/ \_\/ brianb@netcom.com .. but music hides me so well, ..and reveals me.. oh well - HR ======================================================================== From: dcwalter@tomservo (Christian Walters) Subject: IRC fun Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 13:25:51 CST Hey! Well, the IRC hugfest was quite a hoot :) I was posing as mild-mannered Olias, with no one realizing that I was secretly REVERSE VIDEO MAN :) Don't tell anyone, either... my arch-nemesis, Underline Man, might find out... Ah, most of you have no clue what I'm talking about :) I wish I knew a telnet site for IRC, but the only ones I've heard of are in Taiwan and are far too slow from here to be practical. Most of us load the software directly on to our systems. If anyone wants to do this, let me know and I'll send ya the FAQ. At least, I will after Xmas. The boss just gave me the rest of the day off! :) YES! I am OUTTA HERE! Merry Christmas, everyone! If you see Underline Man, give him a shock to the shammies for me, okay? :) See ya next week! -- Christian Walters * "Scientists have made progress in cracking the Tech Writer * genetic roots of some truly nasty diseases, but Intergraph Corporation * they can't cure them yet. It's like finding the Huntsville, AL * TV tower responsible for broadcasting "Full House" dcwalter@ingr.com * but being unable to tear it down." - James Lileks ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 11:23:46 PST From: "John Relph" Subject: Re: Yet Another Tep Ton list.... :) >8. 50 Years of Sunshine - A tribute to the discovery of LSD. > You don't even need the drug to get lost on this mind-expanding 2 cd set. I was given this as a wedding present. In fact, a friend of mine is part of The Ultraviolet Catastrophe, one of the contributing groups. He was also a Love-Hounds subscriber and is still a Chalkhills subscriber. There's a bit o interesting stuff on here, but there's also some utter crap. -- John ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 12:00:29 -0800 From: Michael G Peskura Subject: Year-End Recap Hmm, let's see ... Last Recording Purchased for Me (today) ------------------------------- Mekons: _I (heart) Mekons_ CD Some Musical Discoveries ------------------------ Heather Nova (thanx, Tim C) Things That Make Me Happy ------------------------- A new KaTe release (and enjoying some of the songs more than i hear i should :) Being friends with Neile Graham and Jim Gurley E-mail from ectophiles Seeing pictures of ectophiles Fun New Skills -------------- Adding 'Closer' to the list of songs i can play in my head Things That Made Me Sad ----------------------- Losing Frank Zappa Losing Mia Zapata Bands I Enjoyed Seeing Live --------------------------- Stereolab Come Records I Want to Play Loud --------------------------- Belly: _Star_ The Breeders: _Last Splash_ Stupid Thing I Am Proud I Bought -------------------------------- Nirvana: _In Utero_ on clear vinyl ----- Michael Peskura -- University of Washington -- Seattle USA ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 15:18:12 -0500 (EST) From: MMCQUAD1@ithaca.edu Subject: Birth Certificates Missing birth certificates... Did you look under your bed? Michelle, who's just felling silly. ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 12:22:47 PST From: hanson@ast.saic.com (Jeffrey Hanson) Subject: Happy Holidays to all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All! Hope everyone has a special time this year, whether they are spending it with loved ones or on their own. I'm leaving for Denver to see my family tonight! Be back after New Year's. I'll probably need to spend about 3 hours catching up on ecto when I get back :) . Happy Holidays! Jeff Hanson (P.S., I hope Santa brings everyone lots of good new music!) ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 12:28:15 PST From: Neal Copperman Subject: The Ecto MOMA Steve Fagg called Vickie (our wonderful Ecto Moma), which brought a smile to my face, as the only MOMA I know is New York's Museum of Modern Art, which actually works fairly well too, as Gaffa Central is certainly a modern museum of some sort. Neal ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 14:19:23 CDT From: Chip Lueck Subject: IRC & telnetting, etc. I have discovered that there are more people with telnet access than with IRC access, wouldn't it be cool if we found a place where we could start an Ecto MUD (or MUSH or MOO -- i'm not up on these things these days)? What do the rest of you think? Does anyone have the facility to start such a thing? For those not-in-the-know (not that *I* am, mind you) a MUD is a multi-user dungeon. It's a place where you can interactively communicate with other people and/or build objects and rooms. I've only been involved in it for the communication part. One major distinction that I know of between a MUD and IRC is ease of connectivity. For IRC you need client software (which is usually pretty easy if you are running on a unix platform). For MUDding, all you need is telnet access, regardless of the platform. After reading Mitch's request, it made me think of it. An Ectopic for discussion.... *Happy* Holidays to y'all! -chip ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 12:40:24 PST From: Neal Copperman Subject: bzzzzzt OOPS, looks like I was slow on the buzzer for the Ecto MOMA joke - n. ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 16:53:25 From: dbburke@mit.edu (Diane Burke) Subject: The days are getting longer again! I decided to check out some music I'd heard of thru ECTO. I looked at Tori Amos, but the CD I was most interested in had that awful mushroom cover. ;) I can't bring myself to touch it. ;) I liked the new DCD CD, but I don't know what they're saying. Does anybody? Are they saying anything? Call me a control freak, I like to know what I'm listening to. What would people recommend of theirs? What else? _La Messe Des Fous_ Berry Hayward sounded interesting. I can't remember who mentioned it. Anyways, hiho hiho, back to work. Diane . *. * . * . * . * . * . * * . * . * . * . * . * * . * . * . * . * . . . * . * .* . * . * . * . * . . * . * * . * . * * * * . * . . * . . * . . * * * . . * * . . * . * . * * . * . * . . * * * . * . * . * * . . * * . * . * . . . .* . * . * . * . * . . * . * * . * . * * * * . * . . * . . * . . * * * . . * * . . * . * . * * . * . * . . * * * . * . * . * * . . * * . * . * . ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 17:33:18 From: dbburke@mit.edu (Diane Burke) Subject: to Philip Sainty Hi Philip. I tried to send you a personal e-mail to request the Maori mythology, but for some reason it doesn't work. Anyway...please, can you send it to me. Thank you. I'm very interested. Diane Burke ======================================================================== From: brianb@netcom.com (Brian Bloom) Subject: Re: IRC & telnetting, etc. Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 13:51:38 -0800 (PST) I like the MUD idea! As a former MUD addict, I can vouch for how wonderful it is to immerse yourself in a virtual world. I suggested a few times that we invent a rrom in #Ecto but a MUD would be even better. As long as there's room for my sofa and fridge... :) I can't set up a MUD on Netcom, but would love to help program one somewhere if we could find a site. (Doesn't hardees already have a MUD on it?) Anyway.. if anyone knows a possible site, I say let's do it. The first MUD ever that's non-game and based on a musician. Go figure. Hohoho to all... * moo-man rolls his eyes. br!an -- __ ____ __ ____ __ __ (__==__) /\ \ / \_\ / /\ / \ \ / |\ / /\ (oo) ( moo.) / \_\ / /\ |_| / / /| /\ \ \ / ||/ / / /-------\/ -' / /\ | |\ \/ /_/_ / / / \ \/ \ \ / |/ / / / | U.T.|| / \/ |_| \ __ \_\ /_/ / \ /\ \_\ / /| / / * ||----|| / /\ ./_/ \ \ \/_/_\_\/ \ \ \/_// / | / / ^^ ^^ \ \/ |_| \ \_\ /_/\ \ \_\ /_/ /|_/ / Br!an Bloom \__/_/ \/_/ \_\/ \/_/ \_\/ \_\/ brianb@netcom.com .. but music hides me so well, ..and reveals me.. oh well - HR ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 16:52:20 -0500 (EST) From: Julie scott Subject: unsubscribe Please unsubscribe me until further notice. J. scott ======================================================================== Date: 23 Dec 93 17:57:57 EST From: Mike Mendelson Subject: Maestro & Mathilde Pea Green Remember Beautiful Pea Green Boat? They made a big splash in gaffa a few years back when they came out with a CD called Still Life. One of the prettiest songs on that CD was Too Much. Well, guess what? I just got a CD by European singer Mathilde Santing which has, shall we call it, the original (1985) version of this song, among a bunch of other songs written by the same guy (and of course the CD is in my car so I can't tell you his name at this time). Anyways, this pretty much freaked me out completely yesterday. I also have another CD by Mathilde on which she covers 2 Todd Rundgren songs: It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference, and Torch Song. A couple of years ago I went on this really bad Todd trip as I quickly bought almost all of his stuff (well, maybe about 1/2, cos there's so much of it). He is one of the great songwriters, producers, engineers, he does it all. Very prolific and innovative. I haven't heard the latest album yet, but the last really great one he had was A Cappella, which has some brilliant tracks (Hodja comes to mind the quickest, though others are more -- etherial?) and shows what one person can do if he has no friends and locks himself in his basement recording studio for too long. :-) Well, anyways, Todd has produced tons and tons of bands, but you don't often (I don't often) hear his songs covered and I like his songs a lot so to have the Mathilde covers is great. And I still can't get over that Too Much song. Wow. The real point of this post however, for those who've made it this far, is to say that for those of you who have never checked out, or who've never *heard* of Maestro Subgum and the Whole, you don't know what you're missing. They are a local Chicago group, that write amazingly offbeat, theatrically-inclined songs in a very wide range of style and formats... almost like performance art. I **Finally** got to see them last night, after almost two years of wanting to and missing them over and over again. It was at Schubas (already a familiar locale for readers of ecto) in Chicago, and boy, were they great (and boy was it empty). Playing to about 15 people, in front of which I was sitting (i.e. there were no other audience-members between me and the stage, so it felt like the 7-8 piece band was playing for me and only me!!!), they went thru a good 2-hours worth of music from early to recent in their repertoire. The one CD that I'd had (and listened to over and over before seeing them) is called Lost Lost Lost. Ahhhh, buggers this crappy mail system just deleted 2 paragraphs from this message. I hate DOS and computers and microsoft and and and..... well, you'll never see that great description I just wrote because I'm too pissed to make it up all over again. You can get this cool music too. They have a new CD called At the Warthog Museum. The range of musicality and performance these guys cover is huge... and they are virtually guitar free. 3 lead vocalists, 2 horns, 1 keyboard, a cello, an electric bass, drums, flute. They play loud and soft, dreamy and lyrical, energetic and energized, tell anecdotes and stories and they even do spontaneous a cappella numbers. Its almost like performance art half the time. I have described their music before (and even typed in some lyrics) so let me say that FOT Records, PO Box 505 Bloomingdale, IL 60108 distributes their music. They gave me a free vinyl EP that isn't on any CD when I bought the new one for $12. Which is what FOT charges. FOT also distributes Amy Denio's new one, Tongues, which based on recommendations here I'll probably order. They also have compilations. Other artists they sell include Henry Kaiser, Steve Horowitz, Frank Pahl, Hugh Hopper, none of whom I've ever heard of, and Tiny Tim. It says: All orders placed before 1994 get extra free stuff. Order before dec.31 and get special pricing: any 3CDs/cassettes for $29 plus $3 postage or 5CDs for $50 (includes postage) Past Normal (the samplers) 6&7 counts as 2 (overseas add $8) for airmail. Write to keep up to date. Their description of Maestro: "Captain Beefheart takes over a bohemian cabaret and forces it to do his will... [The little of Capt. Beefheart I've heard is garbage compared to these guys, but what do I know, even Kate Bush likes Beefheart-- she'd *love* Maestro -mjm] It's an exceptionally deep pool of vocal talent... The jazzy, funky horns pick up on the melodies, spitting them back and forth, transmuting them, playing off them, providing blasts of energy." "YOW! These guys are weird. And a hell of a lot of fun!" - Option Mag. Well I think they're more fun than weird (though one guy had his hair in random bands and was wearing a bathrobe). Unfortunately, in mid-Jan. they are losing the trumpet guy and a vocalist. (Big Bummer) Their seminal lieu was the now defunct Club Lower Links, at which they were the de facto house band. This was more like a cave or dungeon with the stage at audience level, and I can see how this would be perfect for them. Anyways, I cannot recommend these guys enough... I don't know if Lost Lost Lost is available thru FOT, but I would recommend it as a first acquisition. If you can't find it, let me know and I'll either mail you one, or find out how you can get one via mail. That's it for now folks! -mjm MUSIC WITH TEETH FOR PEOPLE WITH GUMS! ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 16:42:23 CST From: "Boston Charlie (not on the MTA)" Subject: Straight from Uncle Ho Ho Ho's victory garden Apologias to Walt Kelly and Tom Paxton respectively. Having seen a documentary on 1968 on the tube yesterday can do things to one's thought process, when one is actually old enough to remember history :-). (Hopefully a separate and distinct phenomenon from being it.) This morning I finally finalized what all I shall give for Christmas. It then occurred to me that some of you might still be fumbling, not so much towards ecstasy, as for what to get whom. In the spirit of "help is on/in the way," I am pleased to present the following array of suggestions taken from that admit- tedly inadequate substitute for the late, lamented Sears catalog, the Ecto Product File: EAU de DREARS perfumes and fragrances WALKING TOAST outerwear and other cold-weather apparel (some electrically heated, batteries not included) DEEP-SWEEP vacuum cleaners CRANIUM KEEP carrying devices (sort of a fanny pack for the head) H.A.P. BOX bedside entertainment centers COME HERE (I WANT TO FEEL YOU IN THE DARK) luminescent sex toys CRYSTAL ORBS energy efficient, multiyear light bulbs HAPPY CAMPER recreational vehicles and motor homes FUZZY BLUE VICKIE lingerie/underfashions/intimate apparel in blue velvet (produced in association with the Victoria's Secret chain of finer lingerie dealerships) WARM FUZZY BLUE thermal lingerie/underfashions/intimate apparel (a joint venture of the Walking Toast and Fuzzy Blue Vickie divisions) POETIC JUSTICE (MY EARS HAVE PARASITES) flea sprays and related pet-care products (_not tested on animals_) MOONBEAM FRIENDS Oxy and Nitro Blend Shampoo X-ECTO hobby knives I'M GOING BACK Kitty Windows (a household ingress/egress device for cats) The FUZZY BLUE pre-mix cocktail (sometimes also referred to as the "Fuzzy Blue Navel"), a mix of blue curacao and an as yet indeterminate list of other liqueurs, which has yet to be perfected but is included here for completeness. The WARM FUZZY BLUE [NAVEL] pre-mix cocktail, a heated variant of the above with certain liquors traditionally served hot added to the formula FUZZY BLUE MOLD FARM starter kits for home penicillin-making. At the time that I originally wrote the foregoing during the 1991 holiday season, _Warpaint_ was still the latest entry in Happy's discography. Approx- imately 14 months later, however, I had the good fortune to run into Vickie in the doorway of the main Chicago Public Library, and together we spontaneously cobbled together the following list of items that one might give to celebrate _Equipoise_'s first Christmas: RUNNERS antidiahrreal medication [Vickie's idea] RUNNERS magazine on issues in environment, health, consumerism, and perhaps running [my idea] HE WILL COME pre-mix aphrodisiacs for men [mine] GABRIELLE DANCING ON THE ROCKS another entry, albeit of indeterminate formula at this point, in the ecto school of mixology [mine] THE FLIGHT magazine for airline seat pockets [mine] OUT LIKE A LAMB high-speed movers [mine--she may also have thought of something on this, but I forget what it was, if anything] TEMPORARY AND ETERNAL burial vaults [hers] COHABITANTS roommate referral service--for people with strange quirks, and people willing to put up with them (cf. Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh in _Single White Female_ :-) ) [mine] PLAY THE GAME advertising agency for state lotteries [mine] MOTHER SEA flotation tanks [mine] I SAY answering machines [hers, if I remember correctly] and, of course, EQUIPOISE scales for the bathroom, doctor's office, produce section, etc [mine] Happy last-minute shopping! :-) I just remembered WRT someone's query the other day about the pronunciation of "Anais" that in idiomatic French, it's spelled with an umlaut over the I. WRT Neal's missing birth certificate: I'm sure that there's not a one of us who would not be delighted, if asked, to vouch for Neal being 100% postpartum in his current developmental stage :-). WRT Vickie's musings on a possible name change a considerable distance down the pike: Why not just change it to Vickie Vickie, in the great tradition of Lisa Lisa, Lola Lola, Meyer Meyer, Humbert Humbert, New York, New York and, of course, the inimitable Berry-Berry (as portrayed by Warren Beatty in _All Fall Down_). On the other hand, that could render her a sitting duck for a life course like the one described long ago in _Mad_ magazine: >This pedestal honors the memory of Charles Charles. Born in Walla Walla in >1919, Charles Charles (or Chuck Chuck, as he was known to his friends) discov- >ered the importance of repetition in advertising. He killed himself with a >dum-dum bullet after contracting beri-beri in Bali-Bali. His friends erected >a statue on this site in his memory, which was later discovered missing, miss- >ing, missing.... The whole thread about sundry official documents reminded me of the time when the guidebooks I consulted prior to my trip to Canada in 1981 advised carrying a birth certificate across the border. I ordered one up from the county clerk at the time, which arrived in the mail a day or two before my departure date. As fate would have it, I never actually needed it, and the wet-chemical photo- copy eventually faded almost competely. Ah, bureaucracy :-('. Der Kluge relates: >This reminds me of something somewhat related. Super, one of our >european TV channels, has just been bought by NBC who plan to >broadcast some of their shows in Europe now. Is there something >interesting on NBC we should look out for? Depends on how you feel about LA Law and Seinfeld. I enjoy them, but they do have their detractors. My best advice is to sample from the new additions to the schedule. I checked WBEZ's recorded list of special holiday programming, and they don't list the concert Vickie was at in Toronto. On the other hand, I did end up getting the new Holly Cole CD when I was in Rose Records looking--without success--for _Mr. Santa's Boogie_, the CD on the Savoy label that features "Santa Claus Is Smokin' Reefer." So at least I shall get to hear some of the latest from HC this season in any case. Thanks to Meredith for the offer of an Utne Reader, but I managed to score not only a copy of the issue with the cover story on Food Guilt, but a magazine whose title I forget, but which has an interview with Toni Halliday of Curve (wonder if it's the same one Anthony has?). The spectacle of braille keypads on a drive-up ATM, IMHO WIVH, illustrates the folly of making a single model of machine for all applications. The industry should have known that sooner or later, some motorist would freak over the presence of this feature from the walk-up model :-). The description of the British game show, with its questions on Beatrix Potter minutiae, somehow reminds me of some of the infamous big-money American ones of the 50s, in which people often were grilled on specialized matters about which they professed to be knowledgeable. (Dr. Joyce Brothers, _e.g._, first rose to fame and fortune answering boxing questions on _The $64,000 Question_.) Between this thread and D^2's appearances, at last, on the small screen, it may be apropos to rent _Champagne for Caesar_ over the long weekend. It deals with how Ronald Colman, as the smartest man in the world, threatens to run away with the purse and the ratings on a big-money game show, until the producers take a calculated risk and ask him about the only thing he doesn't know--his social security number. A little while ago, I noticed that my chair as I write this is perched atop a carpet square whose loose edges used to get in the way, but are now held down with duct tape. Seems a very apropriate spot from which to write an ecto post. >too much pressure on the hipbones. The result: the dogs get hip dysplasy >(spelling?? word???). That means that the socket does not hold the bone I think Ilka means hip displasia. From time to time, I wonder if I have a hip displasia in my hurt shoulder, inasmuch as in certain positions, something seems to go out, than in again (cf. Mel Gibson in _Lethal Weapon 2_). I may end up cashing in on this month's HMO premium after all :-('. (At least one needn't have displasia to be hip :-). ) The gaffa thread about whether Kate is a wiccan reminds me most of all of people who believe that the Procter and Gamble is satanist, because of their man in the moon logo. (I've read other evidence that P&G is The Company From Hell, but that's neither here nor there :-). ) >Vickie (who doubts that Kate is "into" incest just because she wrote >"The Kick Inside") Not remembering the lyrics to that, I would have thought at first glance that it would be more likely to give the impression that Kate got off big time on pregnancy :-). >From: S.L.Fagg@bnr.co.uk (Steve Fagg's Mac) (Steve Fagg's Mac) The mac so nice, they named it twice :-). (cf. discussion _supra_ of Vickie Vickie, _inter alia_.) Our Sarah Ferguson, as opposed to the other Sarah Ferguson over by The Mac So Nice, was quoted: > And I was just talking to someone about intelligence. > Some define it as the ability to make connections. In grad school, one of the dimensions the students were evaluated on was "ability to see connections in related materials." I don't remember how I stacked up on that. But I've always regretted that they didn't evaluate the ability to see connections in unrelated materials--judging from my body of writing in these pages, I'd have been off the scale :-) All of which reminds me of how when the International Network for Social Network Analysis was established, they named their journal _Connections_, after having decided not to call it _Ties and Bonds_. Some years later, however, they did use the latter title for a column of short items. Go figure. (Wonder if any INSNA members read ASB? :-) ) For the benefit of those into such things: Browsing in Crown Books yesterday in search of an Utne Reader (which it turns out they don't even carry), I noticed the new book display had one copy of a Mercedes Lackey novel. I forget the title, except that it has a subtitle ending in 'Volume II' or words to that effect. Yesterday, _The Midnight Special_ ran the BBC's sendup of the 12 Days of Xmas. Since the 12 Days (not to be confused with 12-step programs :-) ) will still be in progress next week, I'll have to remember to try to include a transcription in my output. Miraculously, I have now managed to respond to everything in the day's ecto incoming that I felt moved to respond to. This mission having been fully accomplished, I can now turn with equanimity to the task of figuring how I'm going to lug home, on the bus, the rather large cardboard house I'm getting my cats for Christmas, on the theory that it was marked down by $20 and doesn't seem to duplicate the operation of anything that's already around the house. I shall be taking a vacation from the net until next week, when I shall look forward to the backlog of email. Some of you I'll be encountering at Gaffa Central on St. Stephen's Day (perhaps I should bring my tape of Elvis Costello doing "St. Stephen's Day Murders" :-) ). Otherwise, Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Happy Kwanzaa, etc. Mitch ------------------------------- "Q=(AD-BC)/(AD+BC)" --G. Udny Yule ======================================================================== The ecto archives are on hardees.rutgers.edu in ~ftp/pub/hr. There is an INDEX file explaining what is where. Feel free to send me things you'd like to have added. -- jessica (jessica@ns1.rutgers.edu)