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Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine
January 2002
This month's issue of Analog starts with an editorial by
Stanley Schmidt who wonders about the supposed "no assassination"
policy of the CIA. So, what do you do if you really want to get rid
of a dictator? Perhaps a 'magic bullet' like a targeted biological
weapon might do. Or will the consequences of using such a bullet
outweight the benefits?
A brief biography of
Poul Anderson
(1926-2001) is also given in this issue.
Stories featured in this issue are:
- "Hominids (Part 1 of 4)" by Robert J. Sawyer.
An interesting start to an interesting story. Deep in a mine in
Canada, an experimental heavy water container used to detect neutrinos
is suddenly destroyed. The source was found to be a man; but a very
different kind of man.
- "Perceptual Set" by James Van Pelt.
A story about the discovery of a strangely shaped and marked asteroid.
The team investigating it began to form their own opinions as to what
the various markings mean; are they welcome or danger signals or do
they mean something else?
- "A Deeper Rest" by Melissa Lee Shaw.
A fascinating, emotionally moving and thoughtful story set in the near
future. Dolphins have usually been friendly to man but here, they
have suddenly turned into an enemy of man. The key to finding this
sudden change in bahaviour may lie with a researcher who is
communicating with a group of dolphins. But will she have time to
discover the cause before the Navy takes matters into their own hands?
- "Choosing Life" by Brenda Cooper and Larry Niven.
This story (co-authoured by Brenda Cooper and Larry Niven) looks at a
person who is deciding whether she wants to be 'scanned' and
transferred into a digital self after death. She wonders whether the
experience will be 'real' or not and what will she miss if she does do
it.
- "Birch Glow" by Rosemary Claire Smith.
In a world where genetic engineering has given rise to things like
birch trees that glow in the dark, the protagonist regretfully goes
with a group of 'eco-terrorist' to vandalise a genetic engineering
plant farm. He later makes some discoveries about the genetically
modified trees that makes he re-think which side of the eco-movement
he should support.
- "Beyond the Periodic Table" by Wil McCarthy.
This Science Fact article looks at what at first sight
appears impossible: making artificial atoms. 'Quantum dots' that
capture and hold electrons can be made to behave just like normal
atoms do. Read this fasinating article to see what could be done with
such atoms.
- "Alternate Marketing" by Alan Lickiss is a
Probability Zero story which poses an interesting question:
how to you get lots of people to volunteer to shovel earth? The
answer may lie in how the task is marketed and advertised.
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