C James

AH-HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So THAT'S the meaning behind the title of the story!!!!

ARGH! I hadn't heard that! That's, well, I'm just speechless. I'm so sorry that one of my countrymen did something so vile to your country, by validating a fraud. :wacko: Those are (basically) how I felt reading that... I really don't get this religious "intromission" on political things up there, what happened to one of the fundamental pillars of the Republican System (the separation of church and state)? This is why the so-called Religious Right presents such a grave threat to Freedom in the US: They are delighted to trample the "separation" issue into the dust, as it stands in the way of their pet agenda: Using the force of law to ram their beleifs down everyone else's throats. In this regard, they are the ideological compatriots of Osama Bin Laden. BTW, Arizona is far worse than most of the US in this regard. I'm becoming more and more convinced that absolutely everyone in this state is completely insane.

Either that, or he used his time machine again... Welcome to GA! I originally registered here due to DK's stories too. IMHO, this was very much a "stage-setting" chapter, as a great many new circumstances appeared. I'm very curious to see what Marko wants to discuss with Garret, as I'll bet it's critical. It may be totally in character, but it's still heart-wrenching to see him denied after being so loyal. Personally, I think it's great that so many people feel so "attached" to Garret (especially this early in the story) that they feel for him to this extent. I'm intrigued by the anti-academy movement, and the purging of the most skilled and professional officers in the Fleet. I'll bet I'm not alone in being reminded of Josef Stalin's purges of the Soviet Officer Corps in the 1930's (one of the things that enabled the Germans to nearly defeat the USSR a few years later). Stalin did this to forestall a feared coup attempt, and targeted those officers best able to lead. This could be what the ruling elite of the Republic is doing, and it might just come back and bite them if the SOL empire attacks again. Speaking of Sol, I'm intrigued by the battle mentioned, the one that the war ended just after. I wonder what, exactly, happened in that battle that we haven't been told yet? My hunch is that it's a key to why the war ended, some sort of a nasty surprise that the Sol empire experienced. Perhaps Clones of Garret's series have some sort of power over other clones, including enemy clones?

Congrats on the job prospects! I hope you pick whichever one you would prefer, both for the short term and the long term.

WOW! The beginning of rapprochement with his father, and then Kyle shows up! That was great!! Thanks Vance!!

Welcome, Eddie!! Sounds like you have some very interesting stories to tell about you-know-who...

I don't disagree with you here, but I still think it was very commendable of Connor to do this, as it IMHO shows character and a lack of selfishness on his part. I think this is very meaningful: On what grounds, EXACTLY, is Connor criticizing Maggie in regards to her parenting of Toby and Ryan? To me it looks like he criticizing her lack of involvement, which would IMHO be very significant as he seems to strenuously object to that very same involvement. I'm reminded of the old saying "You can't have it both ways." That's a good point! One thing that I wonder about though: The story is as seen from Connor's POV, so, are we really getting a clear picture of Maggie's parenting of Ryan and Toby? I agree with all of the above, except for one minor nit-pick: What divorce? Maggie is widowed, not divorced. However, IMHO, that's an even stronger argument for your contention. Thank you, Altimexis!

CONGRATULATIONS, NICK! On both your GA anniversary, and on becoming GA's newest Shared Hosted Author!

Yes, but you have to admire my technique for never misplacing one; I over-use them, to such a degree, that no one, would, ever, notice a missing one! It's sort of analogous to not noticing a single grain of sand, if it goes missing from your local beach. BTW, speaking of misplaced things, I have a theory based on the following exchange:

There certainly were some unexpected and unpleasant twists for Garret in this chapter!! The anti-academy push sounds like major trouble, and so does Garret's being denied permission to leave. The reunion with Billy was NOT what I was expecting! Poor Garret! I hope that either changes, or Garret finds a way to move on. As for this being a "depressing" chapter, I disagree. After the excitement of Ch 7, there basically had to be some bad news to follow. A story that is all "good news" IMHO gets boring in a hurry. I liked that the AI had picked a name, "Ada", for herself. I also liked that her attitude is beginning to show. One of the things that really caught my eye: The naming of many of the combat groups, such as TF 38, which are famous designators from the WWII era. (TF 38 was part of Halsey's 6th fleet, and was alternately known on several occasions (even though consisting of mostly the same ships) as TF 56, (just as the 5th and 6th fleet were composed of mostly the same ships, and the fleet designator altered). I got a chuckle from the "dead Admiral class" of ships, too: some things never change, even in the future! On a far more somber note, there appear to be an error. An error of monumental proportions! An error so jarring that I nearly fell off my chair, so glaring that I needed far darker sunglasses to even approach my computer. Oh, the disgrace! Oh, the humanity.... Yes, it's true; there is a misplaced comma in the chapter! I'm not sure I'll ever recover from this blow...

Ouch! Yes, they are indeed a pain. I won't buy HP anymore for that reason. I went the refill route on a different brand, and had good luck, except that I found out that the six colors of ink I used would NOT come out of my skin. For a couple of days I had hands that were all the colors of the rainbow. I wouldn't have mined so much, except I was being introduced to the dang governor (and would have to shake hands) the following day!!!! Much bleach and painful scrubbing made me a bit more presentable, but it took a week for the colors to fully go away. ARGH! So, I share your pain. Good luck on the refill. BTW, make sure the ink isn't running out of the cartridges before you put them back, or you can really make a mess of the printer.

Maybe there are some as-yet unexplained effects of the FTL drive, like it causing the number of lasers to change? OK, now, the big question is: Who do we tease for this, Emoe or DK? Or both?

Bob, sorry it took me a while to get back to this. I've always read your posts with interest, but if you had mentioned being the first radar officer in Switzerland or founding the Jr. Chamber of Commerce, the culprit is my bad memory. You mention family members in Russia, have you been there? I've only been once, but loved it. How is the story-writing going? That does sound like a challenge! I know what you mean about sleep. In my case, I often have insomnia, which is why I am often at GA at weird hours.

Even manual voting can be tampered with, but it's harder, and takes more effort and risk of detection, and usually can't be done on the same scale. So IMHO it's much better than any form of paperless voting. I've always disliked Jimmy Carter, but the fact that he took it upon himself to certify your election, under those circumstances, absolutely repulsed me. Here is a direct quote from the people behind the measure: "God says, 'Do what you're supposed to do, and I will reward you with eternal life in heaven,'" "That's what we're saying: 'Do what you're supposed to do and vote, and we will reward you with a chance to be a millionaire.' "If incentives are good enough for God, they're good enough for the voters of Arizona." They are indeed buying votes! BTW, Arizona is noted for it's political lunacy. For example, my local state rep (at the time) is noted for claiming, in public, that Homosexuality causes bestiality and cannibalism. I love Arizona (I live there) but things like this sometimes make me wonder why.

OK, this story now has me intrigued! I think I can also guess who the preacher's kid, Danny, is based on! DK! I love the chemistry between the two. Very well done. I'm guessing Silver Springs, Nevada, for the setting? I found the rural/urban dichotomy very well done, especially the surprise that a 15 yr old can't drive. The method for teaching Danny to drive was hilarious, and probably quite effective as well. Thanks, DK!

This must be incredibly difficult from both the editing and writing standpoints! It's hard enough in far simpler storylines, but in sci-fi you don't just have characters to worry about, but your whole "universe", including the abilities and limitations of all the tech you create. For example, what if you forget and have Garret's ship do a "jump" from a relative standstill instead of the previously stated 1/2 C limitation? Ouch!

CONGRATULATIONS NICK!!!!!! This is great news!!! I'm very happy for you!

I see you are up to your usual type of predictions here I guess I did predict that one both ways, didn't I? ROFL! Hey, when you are wrong as often as I am, you need every edge you can get. Seriously though, I do see this one as having the potential to play out either way, depending on how the story is spun by their media. (hmmm, does Tremere own any media outlets?) Not really: I thought it was all part of the plot, not a minor continuity issue (which didn't even really affect my theory). Had I thought it was a minor continuity issue, I would, of course, have initiated another round of editor-teasing.

Welcome, Graeme!! It's great to see you here! Falls Creek Lessons is one of my all-time favorites!

OK, I've just re-read Ch 25, and I thought I'd quote a few perts that were meaningful to me, and why. OK, not meaningful perhaps, but I really liked the visual imagery here! This, to me, shows that Connor still has a deep emotional attachment to Ryan, and Ryan for Connor. I'm still on the fence as to whether I think they will get back together or not, but this to me is the strongest indicator that they will. Now we come to what was really a very evocative scene for me: Maggie and Connor's chat. IMHO, it's perhaps the most significant and meaningful of the chapter: I'm going to just quote a few snips from the conversation that really caught my eye: I don't get Connor's reaction at all. I don't see anywhere where Maggie was treating him like a little kid. I think that, under the circumstances, Maggie was well justified to be a bit sarcastic. I was however VERY glad to see Connor acknowledging what Maggie has done for him. That was great! Interesting. Connor had just criticized Maggie for "talking down" to him, but does he realize that he's doing the very same thing? Now this shows real character on Connor's part IMHO. Very commendable IMHO, and perhaps a good way of alleviating some of his discomfort as well. Now this exchange fascinates me. Connor seems to be simultaneously criticizing Maggie for being too controlling AND being and absentee parent?!?!?!?! I think this is very meaningful: On what grounds, EXACTLY, is Connor criticizing Maggie in regards to her parenting of Toby and Ryan? To me it looks like he criticizing her lack of involvement, which would IMHO be very significant as he seems to strenuously object to that very same involvement. I'm reminded of the old saying "You can't have it both ways." Connor certainly seems to still have deep issues with Maggie, which due to his treatment by his mother and his childhood I can understand. However, understanding something and accepting it are two different things. It's hurtful and harmful to both of them, so I hope that they find a way to bury the hatchet at some point, for both of their sakes. I fully agree with the "respect" issue, though. It must be a two-way street. The issue to me, though, is that I don't recall Maggie being disrespectful of Connor. I do however recall Connor disrespecting Maggie (both in this conversation and previously). OK, now THIS I find very significant and portentous! It looks to me like Connor is have a realization regarding his own feelings for Ryan. Now, the question is, will Ryan have a similar realization? There is after all still the big, unresolved question of WHY Ryan acted the way he did. Now this is something that rings very true to me, because Connor, Ryan, Toby, Ben, Cody, etc, ARE all teens, and teens do indeed act that way sometimes. I find that it's very, very easy to forget this detail and view them as adults, which is a mistake I make with real-life teens, too. Hmmm! Something about that one? I have a hunch that this is very significant. One theme to TOU was Quinn having trouble accepting his sexuality... Perhaps that's Ryan's issue? And that is what real life is like. My hunch is that there may be a lot of things that we don't have answers for at the end of SOOTB, just as in real life, we often don't know the hows and whys of the way people behave. I love the depth and complexity of the characters. It's very evident to me that, just like real people, they have their good points, and a few bad ones, and thus IMHO are much easier for people to identify with, or see aspects of themselves in. Beautiful writing, and superbly crafted to, as LB once said, "Push buttons" (Elicit deep emotional responses and opinions).

Best wished for a speedy recovery!!! Ahhh! I don't think it really changes anything though? I think (just guessing here) that it must be very significant and portentous if the Pirates are broadcasting (as well as possibly putting on their ships) a symbol. I'm also guessing that the symbol itself is very meaningful. Hmmmm.....

My first question from Ch 7: How did the Virus get aboard all four ships? By broadcast (which I would assume there would be safeguards against) or by onboard sabotage? Well, I'm just assuming that infecting four ships with a virus would not be easy, but for all I know they might be using "Windows for Warships".

Speaking as someone who has been a consultant on electronic security, my opinion is that, based on your description, it is not safe at all. The idea of a personal code linked to a name probably wouldn't work in the US, as voting is by "secret ballot". The system you describe has the potential to link the Voters ID with the actual vote. Even if the above system was acceptable here, it has some security achilles heels. The key problem is in line #3, specifically the word "software". Any time you have computers involved, you run the risk of tampering on a vast scale. In times past voting machines were sometimes rigged, but software and networks give the ability to rig them in unprecedented numbers. There are further vulnerabilities, including data alteration during Internet transfer. The other (and bigger) problem with the above system is that there is no paper record that is machine-independent, so if the validity of the data is ever called into question, there is no chance of a recount. The final problem with the above system is that there is no reason to do it. I have never seen a justification for either electronic or Internet voting that makes sense. It's simply not worth the money it's claimed it would save (and I have serious doubts on that). The other justification is the even more dubious quest for higher voter turnout via "convenience". I am opposed to that as its fairly clear from many studies that the more informed and interested a vector is, the more likely they are to vote. Pushing the uninterested and uninformed to the polls is counter-productive, as it merely dilutes the informed votes further. If a person does not care enough to inform themselves on the issues, I would certainly prefer that they stay away from the voting booth, as their uninformed opinion is by definition based on little or nothing, and thus near worthless. For an example of what might be the worst idea in modern politics, I'll site Arizona's (My own state) new law that turns the voting booth into a lottery: Voters who vote are entered into a lottery to win huge amounts of money. The result is easy to predict: many people who haven't got a clue voting, just to try for the cash prizes. Ugh... EDit to add: I am not criticizing normal "get out the vote" type drives, or most forms of encouraging people to take an interest and voting, but the idea of in effect handing people lottery tickets to get them to vote is IMHO horrible. Why am I not surprised that it is happening in Arizona? Ugh.

It sounds intreguing! As for sequals.. Do you have any plans (that you are willing to share or mention) to do more with Cody and Tatyana at some point? I will probably make enemies by saying this, but as this is our last chance to have a between-chapter discussion of SOOTB, I rather like that idea! I can't do so right now due to work, but within the next two hours I'll re-read Ch 25 and see if I can come up with some meaningful thoughts.

How the hell did you know? Because I'm close to psychic.. Psychotic is close to psychic, isn't it? According to the author, Rhawes, we should find out in the next few chapters. This one sure has me scratching my head. I'll make a point of it! The person below me knows whether Dec 25th 2006 is before, or after, Camy's 100th birthday!