Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1992 15:10:19 -0500
  Subject: a half-real, half-imagined SWILnews

Sorry about the lack of SWILnews of last week. [See what happens when 
"the responsible one" goes off-campus? --D] But we're back, and we're 
beige.

The Massacree is about to occur. Some will eat. Coincidentally, those 
same ones will die. (Good thing we're dumping Morrison's Custom 
Management.) Some will kill. They also stand who only serve and wait. 
Waitrons meet in Sharples by 5. Diners meet in Parlours at 5. Thugtrons 
meet in Beardsley at 5:45. This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

Live Chess. 2:30 pm on Saturday of Parents' Weekend. It'll be on 
Parrish Lawn, or Lang Lobby if it rains, or, as is usually the case, 
snows.
Talk to Josh Smith about Live Chess. Nothing else, just Live Chess.

Discussion table has been moved to Parrish Parlours apres-SWIL (i.e. 
1:00 PM-ish Saturdays.) This week's topic is "Hi, fantasy! How's the 
wife and kids?" or something like that. [Get out of my mind, you 
nastified pointified beardy man! --D] High Fantasy, actually, with 
LeGuin's Earthsea in focus and anything else you want out of focus. [A 
Kodak moment, as 'twere. --D]

blah blah blah blah BEM blah blah blah. Please.

For anyone who cares/remembers, Alex Weirich '90 is crawling back on to 
the face of the earth. He has no email at the moment, but I, 
Discipline, Apostle to the - naah, have his snailmail address and phone 
#. Dig. ["We have to try to be hip, you see - appeal to the younger 
generation," says Bondage. You are the younger generation, bucko. 
Creaka creaka. --D]

REVIEW BY JED HARTMAN '90
_Islands in the Net_, by Bruce Sterling. Reviewed by Jed Hartman. When I
read _Vacuum Flowers_, it occurred to me that that book could almost be 
a sequel to _Neuromancer_. _Islands in the Net_ is, in the same sense, 
a prequel. The year is 2023; nations still exist, but corporations are 
coming
into their own. The book starts slow, but soon becomes hard to put 
down; though Sterling can't resist the occasional jab at organized 
government or religion, this is much more complex and less clear-cut, 
politically and personally, than any of his short stories I've read. 
The characters occasionally come across as a little naive (they 
obviously haven't read any cyberpunk); and Sterling appears to have 
bought his metaphors wholesale from a
discount house. But on the whole this is a gripping and thoroughly 
convincing
novel. Though the book was written in 1988, much of its future history 
matches with today's headlines; I can believe that, with minor changes, 
this
is how our world will be in thirty years. Or maybe sooner.


ATTENDANCE FOR 1 FEBRUARY
David "I admire Charles' new socks!" Randall; Josh "High trump can only 
kill" Smith; Neil "Seven Chinese Bros. swallowing the ocean? wallow in 
the ocean? Michael Stipe is muttering" Banas [no, no: Allah's in the 
ocean -- D]; Andrea "I was here at 11. Were you?" Hall; Geoff "Why 
don't they even have non-breakfast food on Sat. brunches?" Noer; 
Charles "Thanky David" Danforth; A variety of Fine a.m. delicacies; 
David "Gondolier" Auer; Peter "not leaving a quote as a symbol of 
non-violent civil protest" Wong; Kendra "I feel naked without my watch. 
Sigh" Eshleman [I say nothing...NO-thing... --B]; Josh "so you want to 
read a book" Burdick [WHAT?!?!!?? --B]; Sherry "I feel naked without my 
_clothes_!" Levi; Jeff "Still the SMOS heh heh heh" Hildebrand [Senile 
Master of SWIL --D]; Jen "chlorine in my nose" Setlow; Beth "I don't 
know what time it is without my watch" Bruch; David "Time loop" 
Randall; Kathy "It's a jungle out there" Davis; Robert "there are lots 
of jungles out there, and they all are in line for trays" Richardson; 
Topher "it's 3 degrees out there, with the windchill" LeRoy; Dan "What 
the heck's going on out there" Wells

ATTENDANCE FOR 8 FEBRUARY
Kendra "ally with me and die" Eshleman; Laura "lime jello" A. [};)= 
--B]; Jeff "how could I go down on 8 straight hands of O Hell?" 
Hildebrand; Neil "wakka wakka. Really." Banas; Andrea "Generic 
Statement Maker" Hall; Robert "RhombicuboctaheDragon" Richardson; Dan 
"what the _heck_ does Robert's quote mean" Wells [I'm sensing a theme 
of incomprehension here. Sort of like the disciples in Mark. But less 
important to church history. --D]; Geoff "no, not another Sat. brunch" 
Noer; Beth "injury twin one" Bruch; Jen "Injury twin two" Setlow [Form 
of...a Band-Aid! --D] [Shape of...a colostomy bag! --B]; Kar-yee "Gone 
for a year but never forgotten, Natasha" Wu; Luke "Fred I (911)" 
Hankins [And the LORD demandeth of him, "Doth this be thy card?" --D]; 
Lindy Farneth; Josh "zzz9z" Smith; David "Elvis is God" Randall; Peter 
"_" Wong; Charles "horned1 @ devil.satanvax.hell" Danforth; Josh "lucky 
charms" Burdick; Jacob "savior of soul" Mattison; ANDY "WE'D BE 
WORKING-CLASS IF WE HAD ANY WORK" PERRY; Peter "Send Lawyer, Guns, & 
Money, Dad!" Wagner; Deb "Better late than never" Sam

- Boxed and
Delivered