The Monotreme #2

The Monotreme – the Aussiecon 3 Newsletter – Thursday Sept 2 pm: Number Two

being a single A4 sheet, printed double-sided. Our copy is bright blue. The front page contains assorted news, rules for good writing, and a request for volunteers. The back page has a new trivia quiz, the answers for the previous trivia quiz, details of parties/other events, and details regarding site selection and bidding.

Straczynski Delayed

John Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5, has been delayed because his plane had engine trouble and had to turn back.

However our special guest is still on his way and is now expected to land at Tullamarine some time on Friday morning. Some of his planned sessions will need to be cancelled or rescheduled. Fans will need to watch program announcements carefully.

The ten rules of good writing

• Always avoid any and all alliteration.
• Prepositions are not words you should end sentences with.
• Avoid clichés like the plague.
• Try to never split an infinitive.
• The use of foreign words and phrases is not de rigeur.
• No-one should ever generalise.
• The passive voice is to be avoided.
• Who needs rhetorical questions?
• Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
• Inveterately substitutive diminutive asseverations for sesquipedalian circumlocutions.
• Proofread carefully to make sure you haven’t anything out.

DAVE LANGFORD is trying desperately to give away copies of the Hugo-shortlisted fanzine ANSIBLE – #145 (August ’99) and #146 (September, produced specially for Aussiecon). Stop and ask for one …

Stop Press: Mark Protection Committee meeting now 6:00pm Thursday (not 5:00pm)

Women of other Worlds

The launch of a new book which examines the intersection of popular literature and feminist thought will take place tomorrow (Friday) at 7:00pm in You Yangs 1. The book, Women of Other Worlds, edited by Helen Merrick and Tess Williams, has been described by Van Ikin as “exciting as it is challenging”. It presents an international sampler of work from all aspects of feminist SF: fiction, poetry, criticism, fan-writing and even a recipe.

Evening Childcare – the childcare centre will be open on Friday night 3 Sept from 6:30-10:30pm. Cost $10 per hour [It is also open Friday morning and afternoon]

15 Volunteers Urgently Required

15 good-natured people are urgently needed to fill day membership processing shifts (of 2 hours) at the registration desk.

Skills Required

• Basic computer skills
• Customer service

Duties Include

• Membership liaison
• Handling of money and Electronic Funds Transfer
• Initial consultation for problems that arise
• Escalation of problems to Day Managers

If you can help, please contact Rose Mitchell or leave your details at the Volunteer Desk.

Trivia Quiz

Q 06 What do these sf writers have in common?
Hengry Kuttner; Jack Vance; Murray Leinster; Ron Goulart; Isaac Asimov

Q 07 In which books did the following dedications appear?
(a) “By special request this book is dedicated to everybody in the world, except Viv.”
(b) “In Memory of Scottie, Who was Nathaniel.”
(c) “This book is for Bill Butler and Harrods of Knightsbridge for entirely opposite reasons.”

Q 08 How old was George Turner when he published his first sf novel?
32? 42? 52? 62? 72?

Q 09 What record of Robert Silverberg’s did Ron Ellick break in 1959?

Q 10 Complete these titles with one each of the four season.

The Door into XXXX (Heinlein)
XXXX Among the Ice (Verne)
Helliconia XXXX (Aldiss)
The XXXX People (Bradbury)

Answers to Q01-05

(Monotreme 1)

Note: These answers have been compiled from totally unreliable sources, therefore no complaints will be accepted nor correspondence entered into.

A 01 They are all pseudonyms for female writers

A 02 Isaac Asimov – Janet Jeppson
James Blish – Virginia Kidd
Avram Davidson – Grania Davis
Edward Hamilton – Leigh Brackett
Henry Kuttner – Catherine Moore
Frederick Pohl – Judith Merrill

A 03 (a) Solaris (Lem)
(b) Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)
(c) Inverted World (Priest)

A 04 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien; Catherine Lucille Moore; Alfred Elton van Vogt; George Raymond Richard Martin; Edwin Charles Tubb.

A 05 They have all collaborated with Gregory Benford.

Parties and Other Events

Party On

Nieuw Amsterdam in ’04/Beaker People Liberation Front
6pm, Salt, Upper Deck Bar,
Centra on Yarra.

MFW+SFA, Inc

Executive Committee Breakfast meeting – 8am, Sat, Terrace Pacific Inn

Anime Party

The Melbourne Anime Society invites all anime fans to join them after 8pm on Sunday in Bridge Room 1 in the Centra for a bit of a party. Banzaii!!!

Minneapolis in (18)73

invites all attendees of Aussiecon 3 to celebrate our continuing bid. We will party in the All Seasons Grand Hotel room 501, starting at 10pm, Thursday, September 2, 1999.

Knock, speak “friend” and enter.

Decorations will be sold later during the fan fund auction.

co-sponsored by Fanac in support of Fanhistoricon 9.5.

Site Selection and Bidding

You may vote for the 2002 WorldCon in the You Yangs Exhibition hall (level 3) 10:00am – 6:00pm until Saturday. Since there doesn’t seem to be a Meet the Bidders/Fannish Inquisition on the program, you need to find them here (or at their parties).

A cafe has been set up in the You Yangs Exhibition Hall at great expense to the convention. Open 10:00am – 5:00pm

Robert Sacks