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Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine
March 1998
This month's issue of Analog features an editorial by
Stanley Schmidt where he discusses the purpose of the science fact
articles in the magazine. Schmidt feels the articles should be more
on the 'fringe' on science to alert readers that there are some
aspects of nature that may have been unfairly (or unjustly) ignored by
mainstream scientists.
Stories featured in this issue are:
- "Tourist Sam" by Ben Bova is a story featuring the
recurring character, Sam Gunn. In this story, Gunn takes leave from
NASA. Suspicious, his boss gets his niece (who is from the DEA) to
investigates and finds out that Gunn has set up a tour company that
offers tourist the feeling of space flight. Can it be for real or is
it a setup? The answer is both obvious and not obvious.
- "Epsilon Boötis Revisited" by Duncan Lunan is a
science fact article that looks at the idea of whether the
civilisations that set up the Pyramids and the various sections of
Stonehenge really had information of galactic alignments and
coordinates, possibly provided by extra-terrestrial visitors. It
makes for interesting and thoughtful reading.
- "Why Didn't You Think of that Before We Left" by
Jerry Oltion is the next episode is his tale about three disembodied
travellers who are travelling to the stars. After a long time in
space, they now discover that the central processor holding their
memories may have been 'merging' them together. Solving the problem
may require some combined thought on their part.
- "The Stones from which Meadows Grow" by Wolf Read is
set on a human colony on a world whose solar system is younger that
ours. As a result, the world is constantly threatened by asteroids.
There is a movement to deflect the larger asteroids from colliding
with their world, opposed by those who think nature should take its
course. An asteroid hit during a class outing may hold the key to
deciding the issue.
- "Tramp" by David Alexander is set on a cargo ship in
space who, upon making an emergency exit from 'Non-E' (non-euclidian)
space, is hailed by a ship in distress. When they meet the ship's
captain, they get suspicious and discover a possible threat. The
solution is uncomfortable but well-written.
- "Peculiar Plants" by Mia Molvray is a 'Probability
Zero' story about a search for missing people at a university. As it
turns out, some plants offer a hint as to where they went.
- "Pathfinders" by Jeffrey D. Kooistra is an
'Alternative View' article on the manned-vs-unmanned exploration of
the solar system. While agreeing that robots like the recent Mars
Pathfinder mission have gone well, he argues that manned exploration
has a part to play, despite its higher costs.
- "In Loco Parentis" by Edward H. Seksay is an
impressive story about an AI who is being tested as a welfare worker.
Using remotes, the AI visits cases. In one case, a man, who is dying
from cancer, asks for help to take care of his mentally-impaired son
whom he does not want put into a welfare-home. The AI's dilemma in
trying to obey the welfare rules while trying to find a foster home
for the child is nicely captured in this story.
- "Rules of Engagement" by Michael F. Flynn takes a
look at a future where soldiers now operate remotely-controlled
exo-suits. A police action is described by one man in a group who
meet to reminisce their experiences in this story, leading you to
think about a future where both sides of a conflict now have bigger
firepower and how rules have developed over their use.
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