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2015 SF Marathon - 38th Annual Event.
Photos taken at Duboce & Guerrero with a Nikon D7100 using a 18-105mm lens. Photos in order by time stamp.
comments by CR:
Skirmish - Clifford D. Simak [589 2014-02-11]
"Skirmish"(1977) is a collection of ten stories by the noted science-fiction author Clifford Simak (1904-88). The stories were all previously published during years 1944-75.
In addition to the stories there is a very informative 5-page author's forward. Simak details the themes he uses, the type of characters that appeal to him and his use of southwest Wisconsin as a local for many of his stories.
The following are comments on the stories in the order they appear in the book:
"Huddling Place"(1944) and "Desertion"(1944) may be familiar to some readers since they are chapters from the author's future history novel "City". The stories can be enjoyed individually but interested readers should read them again in the context of the book "City".
"Skirmish"(1950) originally published under the title "Bathe Your Bearings in Blood" features a newspaper editor as the protagonist - interestingly that was author Simak's day job for most of his working life. Alien beings animate machines - typewriter, sewing machine etc. prior to an outright invasion and the subjugating of mankind. This 60 plus year old story has not aged well.
"Good Night, Mr. James"(1951) a vicious alien being is let loose in a Midwestern city and must be apprehended before they reproduce. A nasty twist of fate for the protagonist awaits readers in the stories last sentence.
"The Sitters"(1958) the location for this thoughtful story of human aging and benevolent alien beings is the town Millville - a local used frequently in Simak's fiction and the name of the town where he was raised.
"The Big Front Yard"(1958) this story won the Hugo award for best novelette published during 1958. I found this story just too cute and overflowing with SF stereotypes and full of logical impossibilities but many Simak fans think this is one of his better stories.
"All the Traps of Earth"(1960) one of the best stories in the collection in my estimation. The two themes that permeated much of Simak's fiction, robots and mankind's intellectual evolution, are thoughtfully parsed out in this absorbing tale.
"The Thing in the Stone"(1970) a man retreats to a dilapidated farm in southwest Wisconsin to heal from an accident that killed his family. In this geological pristine location he become aware that a head injury gives him a view into the ancient past where he discovers an enigmatic mystery.
"The Autumn Land"(1971) an old town in a hidden Midwest valley serves as a metaphor for an indeterminate rest stop after death. In his introduction to this collection Simak states he was very pleased with this story - and so was this reader.
"The Ghost of a Model T"(1975) another metaphoric story of life after death. A model T automobile drives two presumably dead individuals around reliving some prior life experiences.
If you are curious or new to the writings of Simak this collection is well worth reading.
I review sf. The stuff on the floor is pending. The stuff on the wall is background reading. More details at overnighttomanydistantcities.blogspot.com
Evening falls upon San Francisco
Notes: This panorama is six images (two three image HDR images stitched together)
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2015 SF Marathon - 38th Annual Event.
Photos taken at Duboce & Guerrero with a Nikon D7100 using a 18-105mm lens. Photos in order by time stamp.
The past & present of coffee in today's Chronicle that I got for free at the train station this morning.
I can sit back, relax and read the paper while I commute to work; can you?
Catalog #: SF-17
Notes:
Four Thunderbird F-16s performing one of their aerial maneuvers.
Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive