• Re: "Amazon Pulls Paperback Edition of Controversial 1973 Novel, Sparking Censorship Debate"

    From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Sun May 3 22:22:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Sun, 03 May 2026 13:02:50 -0700, The Horny Goat wrote:

    How can you possibly write a book about the nuclear destruction of
    mankind and NOT have it involve politics in some way?

    Things it would be too crazy to contemplate:

    * A future political party which takes the position that people should
    be free to kill themselves with nuclear bombs -- itrCOs an individual
    decision.

    Though I suspect that seems fractionally less implausible than it did
    ten years ago ...
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Nuno Silva@nunojsilva@invalid.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Sun May 3 23:54:10 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 2026-05-03, Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 07:05:45 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 03:00:08 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

    Note that the European concept of rCLgraphic novelrCY (rCLbande
    dessin|-erCY) is a bit different from the American rCLcomic bookrCY.
    TheyrCOre not obsessed with rCLsuperheroesrCY, for a start.

    Tintin isn't a superhero? What about Asterix?

    In a conventional fictional narrative, we have the concept of a rCLprotagonistrCY -- a central character, or characters, that tie the
    story together. Insofar as bande dessin|-e follows such a narrative,
    you will find the concept there, too.

    The USian rCLsuperherorCY genre involves protagonists with powers beyond those of ordinary humans, going up against rCLsupervillainsrCY who also
    have similar powers, but use them for evil rather than good.

    So Ast|-rix would be exempt from this classification because his side is
    the only one which has access to le potion magique?

    (The concepts of rCLgoodrCY and rCLevilrCY usually being defined in rather simplistic, almost caricatured, terms.)
    --
    Nuno Silva
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Sun May 3 22:29:17 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 07:05:45 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 03:00:08 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

    Note that the European concept of rCLgraphic novelrCY (rCLbande
    dessin|-erCY) is a bit different from the American rCLcomic bookrCY.
    TheyrCOre not obsessed with rCLsuperheroesrCY, for a start.

    Tintin isn't a superhero? What about Asterix?

    In a conventional fictional narrative, we have the concept of a rCLprotagonistrCY -- a central character, or characters, that tie the
    story together. Insofar as bande dessin|-e follows such a narrative,
    you will find the concept there, too.

    The USian rCLsuperherorCY genre involves protagonists with powers beyond
    those of ordinary humans, going up against rCLsupervillainsrCY who also
    have similar powers, but use them for evil rather than good.

    (The concepts of rCLgoodrCY and rCLevilrCY usually being defined in rather simplistic, almost caricatured, terms.)
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jay Morris@morrisj@epsilon3.me to rec.arts.sf.written on Sun May 3 21:33:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/2/2026 7:15 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    On 4/30/26 9:02 AM, Jay Morris wrote:
    On 4/30/2026 9:09 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
    On 4/26/26 5:56 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
    The crackers did not crack the 1024 bit public key / private key
    encryption in my software.-a In fact, one of them actually sent me an >>>>>> email about how hard it was to crack.-a Instead, they managed to
    find the
    public key in my software and replace it with their own public key >>>>>> for
    supplying their own passwords with their own private keys.-a That path >>>>>> will not happen again.

    Kevin Mitnick says that one out of every three office whiteboards
    has a
    password on it.

    That was 40 years ago?

    Probably around then.-a Two-factor systems have improved things some, but >>> not very much.

    And if you call someone and tell them you're from the IT department
    and you
    want him to click on this web form, they will invariably do it.

    It's not a computer problem, it's a people problem.
    --scott


    Back in the early 2000s at the Air Force base where I worked the
    cybersecurity folks created a fake base IT support address and sent
    the standard "Hi! We're your friendly IT folks and we need your
    password." email and sent it out to 30,000 plus folks. All of whom had
    taken the annual cybersecurity training of course. Over 2000 replied
    with their passwords.


    Were these passwords tested to see if they were
    real or fake?-a That makes a big difference and
    would prove security noncompliance if it were
    real.


    They did not state so in any the report nor any IT department meeting
    but knowing them I believe they probably sampled a few.

    Do you see a special security problem with
    sending a fake password insecurely (as in
    an email)?

    No, but having worked IT help desk and system support I find it more
    likely that they replied with the actual password rather than attempting
    to screw with the sender.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From scott@scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) to rec.arts.sf.written on Mon May 4 01:46:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca> writes:
    On Sat, 2 May 2026 18:10:09 -0700, Bobbie Sellers ><bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    Unless it's something like On The Beach that description says
    "political screed" to me though it doesn't definitely say which wing
    it favors

    "On The Beach" is political but its aim is to point out the suicidal nature
    of nuclear warfare to all sides in any political side-taking.

    How can you possibly write a book about the nuclear destruction of
    mankind and NOT have it involve politics in some way?

    Alas, Babylon
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Mon May 4 18:25:07 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 04/05/2026 10:29, Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:
    On Sun, 3 May 2026 07:05:45 -0400 (EDT), Scott Dorsey wrote:

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 03:00:08 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

    Note that the European concept of rCLgraphic novelrCY (rCLbande
    dessin|-erCY) is a bit different from the American rCLcomic bookrCY.
    TheyrCOre not obsessed with rCLsuperheroesrCY, for a start.

    Tintin isn't a superhero? What about Asterix?

    In a conventional fictional narrative, we have the concept of a rCLprotagonistrCY -- a central character, or characters, that tie the
    story together. Insofar as bande dessin|-e follows such a narrative,
    you will find the concept there, too.

    The USian rCLsuperherorCY genre involves protagonists with powers beyond those of ordinary humans, going up against rCLsupervillainsrCY who also
    have similar powers, but use them for evil rather than good.

    (The concepts of rCLgoodrCY and rCLevilrCY usually being defined in rather simplistic, almost caricatured, terms.)

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people living
    as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich, living in luxury. I
    can't recall the context.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 00:14:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan@tednolan to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 00:18:48 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came
    first. If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Mon May 4 22:51:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came
    first. If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan@tednolan to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 02:58:15 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    In article <10tblve$4l0i$1@dont-email.me>,
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came
    first. If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?


    Well, if you want to go there, probably Gilgamesh.
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Bobbie Sellers@bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Mon May 4 21:06:48 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written



    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    Sorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on the Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival. Later would come spinach
    and super strength.
    The Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants
    all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    Written yes but not Drawn. I think drawing is essential
    and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    bliss

    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 17:00:58 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 05/05/2026 12:14, Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    No. It was a drawn comic strip and one picture frame is still vividly
    imagined despite not being seen since I was a teenager. The picture is
    simply of four or five scruffily dressed people sitting against a plain
    wall and conversing. As well as balloon dialogue there was also
    commentary on each frame.
    Once upon a time, I thought that I could easily picture a Monty Python
    sketch from an outline but no longer. Using your sentence above, I have
    found it, Mystico and Janet, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujRE2IkEIo
    Only two minutes. Thank you.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Dimensional Traveler@dtravel@sonic.net to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 06:46:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on the Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing her he gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants
    all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential
    and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?
    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Bobbie Sellers@bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 09:27:46 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written



    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician,
    though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were
    hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on the
    Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants >> all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in >>>>> blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential
    and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    Can you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    bliss
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 12:55:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/5/2026 12:27 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician, >>>>>>> though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people
    living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were >>>>>>> hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich,
    living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on the >>> Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing her he >>> gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come spinach >>> and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants >>> all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in >>>>>> blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came >>>>> first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential
    and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    -a-a-a-aCan you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    Impressed on clay good enough?

    https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1881-1109-1

    pt

    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Bobbie Sellers@bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Tue May 5 10:11:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written



    On 5/5/26 09:55, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 12:27 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician, >>>>>>>> though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people >>>>>>>> living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were >>>>>>>> hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich, >>>>>>>> living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on the >>>> Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing
    her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come
    spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants >>>> all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were living in >>>>>>> blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of
    hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel came >>>>>> first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential
    and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    -a-a-a-a-aCan you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    Impressed on clay good enough?

    https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1881-1109-1

    pt

    Well it is an illustration of story often told but not especially narrative in itself.

    bliss
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 8 08:18:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/5/2026 1:11 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 09:55, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 12:27 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician, >>>>>>>>> though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people >>>>>>>>> living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were >>>>>>>>> hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich, >>>>>>>>> living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on the >>>>> Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing
    her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come
    spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants
    all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were
    living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of >>>>>>>> hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel >>>>>>> came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential
    and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    -a-a-a-a-aCan you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    Impressed on clay good enough?

    https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1881-1109-1

    pt

    -a-a-a-aWell it is an illustration of story often told but not especially narrative in itself.

    -a-a-a-abliss
    Speech balloons hadn't been invented yet.

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Bobbie Sellers@bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 8 09:31:15 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written



    On 5/8/26 05:18, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 1:11 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 09:55, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 12:27 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician, >>>>>>>>>> though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people >>>>>>>>>> living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were >>>>>>>>>> hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich, >>>>>>>>>> living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on >>>>>> the Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing >>>>>> her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come >>>>>> spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix who grants
    all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were
    living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of >>>>>>>>> hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel >>>>>>>> came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom.

    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential >>>>>> and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    -a-a-a-a-aCan you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    Impressed on clay good enough?

    https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1881-1109-1

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWell it is an illustration of story often told but not especially >> narrative in itself.

    -a-a-a-a-abliss
    Speech balloons hadn't been invented yet.

    pt

    Speech ballons are un-necessary to Narrative art.
    "He done her wrong" and some Japanese manga dispense with
    spoken narrative altogether.
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Done_Her_Wrong?>
    It was from 1930 and I read it in paper back in the 1950s to
    the best of my recollection.

    As for the time of the invention of word ballons I think that must
    have happened more than once but due to the nature of the medium
    we might never find a trace. But first we had to invent writing.

    bliss



    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan@tednolan to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 8 17:35:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    In article <10tl34l$312r8$1@dont-email.me>,
    Bobbie Sellers <blissInSanFrancisco@mouse-potato.com> wrote:


    On 5/8/26 05:18, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 1:11 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 09:55, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 12:27 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician, >>>>>>>>>>> though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people >>>>>>>>>>> living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were >>>>>>>>>>> hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich, >>>>>>>>>>> living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on >>>>>>> the Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing >>>>>>> her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come >>>>>>> spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix
    who grants
    all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were >>>>>>>>>> living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of >>>>>>>>>> hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel >>>>>>>>> came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom. >>>>>>>>
    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential >>>>>>> and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    -a-a-a-a-aCan you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    Impressed on clay good enough?

    https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1881-1109-1

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWell it is an illustration of story often told but not especially >>> narrative in itself.

    -a-a-a-a-abliss
    Speech balloons hadn't been invented yet.

    pt

    Speech ballons are un-necessary to Narrative art.
    "He done her wrong" and some Japanese manga dispense with
    spoken narrative altogether. ><https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Done_Her_Wrong?>
    It was from 1930 and I read it in paper back in the 1950s to
    the best of my recollection.

    As for the time of the invention of word ballons I think that must
    have happened more than once but due to the nature of the medium
    we might never find a trace. But first we had to invent writing.

    bliss


    The classic work on the comic form is

    Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
    by Scott McCloud
    https://archive.org/details/understanding-comics/mode/2up

    which addresses all those issues, and has the best definition I
    have ever seen for "art" on pages 164/165.

    Not quite sure how archive.org has the whole book up, but it does.
    To actually buy it: https://amzn.to/4wjA6e2
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 8 21:34:27 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 8 May 2026 17:35:57 GMT, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:

    The classic work on the comic form is

    Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
    by Scott McCloud
    https://archive.org/details/understanding-comics/mode/2up

    Not the only one. Those rCLwavy linesrCY have a bit more to them, too.

    <https://archive.org/details/lexicon-of-comicana>
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 8 21:06:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/8/2026 1:35 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tl34l$312r8$1@dont-email.me>,
    Bobbie Sellers <blissInSanFrancisco@mouse-potato.com> wrote:


    On 5/8/26 05:18, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 1:11 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 09:55, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/5/2026 12:27 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/5/26 06:46, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 9:06 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 5/4/26 19:51, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 5/4/2026 8:18 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <10tbcpc$1nih$9@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|+Oliveiro-a <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 4 May 2026 18:25:07 +1200, Titus G wrote:

    The original such superhero may have been Mandrake the Magician, >>>>>>>>>>>> though I remember nothing about it except a parody where people >>>>>>>>>>>> living as the worst of the impoverished homeless imaginable were >>>>>>>>>>>> hypnotised by Mandrake into believing they were extremely rich, >>>>>>>>>>>> living in luxury. I can't recall the context.

    -a-a-a-a-aSorry the original superhero was Popeye who imprisioned on >>>>>>>> the Sea Hag's
    ship was tossed in the same space as the Lucky Hen and by rubbing >>>>>>>> her he
    gained the basic super hero power of survival.-a Later would come >>>>>>>> spinach
    and super strength.
    -a-a-a-a-aThe Lucky Hen was one of the disguises of the Phoenix
    who grants
    all super powers to all superheroes.


    The Monty Python skit where large numbers of families were >>>>>>>>>>> living in
    blocks of council flats that only existed through the power of >>>>>>>>>>> hypnotism ... ?

    Philip Jose Farmer would have said Zorro & The Scarlet Pimpernel >>>>>>>>>> came
    first.-a If you want to pick a Falk, it would be The Phantom. >>>>>>>>>
    Hercules?

    As written by the Ancient Greeks and Romans?

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWritten yes but not Drawn.-a I think drawing is essential >>>>>>>> and before him perhaps the hero of the epic who sought
    immortality, Gilgamesh, then Hindu Gods and Godesses and
    their avatars.

    So you don't consider chiseled into stone to be drawing?


    -a-a-a-a-aCan you show the photos of the alleged depictions?

    Impressed on clay good enough?

    https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1881-1109-1

    pt

    -a-a-a-a-aWell it is an illustration of story often told but not especially
    narrative in itself.

    -a-a-a-a-abliss
    Speech balloons hadn't been invented yet.

    pt

    Speech ballons are un-necessary to Narrative art.
    "He done her wrong" and some Japanese manga dispense with
    spoken narrative altogether.
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Done_Her_Wrong?>
    It was from 1930 and I read it in paper back in the 1950s to
    the best of my recollection.

    As for the time of the invention of word ballons I think that must
    have happened more than once but due to the nature of the medium
    we might never find a trace. But first we had to invent writing.

    bliss


    The classic work on the comic form is

    Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
    by Scott McCloud
    https://archive.org/details/understanding-comics/mode/2up

    which addresses all those issues, and has the best definition I
    have ever seen for "art" on pages 164/165.

    Not quite sure how archive.org has the whole book up, but it does.
    To actually buy it: https://amzn.to/4wjA6e2

    Amazing book, I strongly recommend it.

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jay Morris@morrisj@epsilon3.me to rec.arts.sf.written on Wed May 13 22:12:19 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/2/2026 7:15 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    On 4/30/26 9:02 AM, Jay Morris wrote:
    On 4/30/2026 9:09 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
    On 4/26/26 5:56 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
    The crackers did not crack the 1024 bit public key / private key
    encryption in my software.-a In fact, one of them actually sent me an >>>>>> email about how hard it was to crack.-a Instead, they managed to
    find the
    public key in my software and replace it with their own public key >>>>>> for
    supplying their own passwords with their own private keys.-a That path >>>>>> will not happen again.

    Kevin Mitnick says that one out of every three office whiteboards
    has a
    password on it.

    That was 40 years ago?

    Probably around then.-a Two-factor systems have improved things some, but >>> not very much.

    And if you call someone and tell them you're from the IT department
    and you
    want him to click on this web form, they will invariably do it.

    It's not a computer problem, it's a people problem.
    --scott


    Back in the early 2000s at the Air Force base where I worked the
    cybersecurity folks created a fake base IT support address and sent
    the standard "Hi! We're your friendly IT folks and we need your
    password." email and sent it out to 30,000 plus folks. All of whom had
    taken the annual cybersecurity training of course. Over 2000 replied
    with their passwords.


    Were these passwords tested to see if they were
    real or fake?-a That makes a big difference and
    would prove security noncompliance if it were
    real.


    They did not state so in any the report nor any IT department meeting
    but knowing them I believe they probably sampled a few.

    Do you see a special security problem with
    sending a fake password insecurely (as in
    an email)?

    No, but having worked IT help desk and system support I find it more
    likely that they replied with the actual password rather than attempting
    to screw with the sender.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to rec.arts.sf.written on Thu May 14 13:39:47 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 22:22:08 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D|Oliveiro
    <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On Sun, 03 May 2026 13:02:50 -0700, The Horny Goat wrote:

    How can you possibly write a book about the nuclear destruction of
    mankind and NOT have it involve politics in some way?

    Things it would be too crazy to contemplate:

    * A future political party which takes the position that people should
    be free to kill themselves with nuclear bombs -- itAs an individual
    decision.

    Though I suspect that seems fractionally less implausible than it did
    ten years ago ...

    An individual decision? Besides the high Arctic where else in the
    world is the population density such that a nuke would only kill one
    person?
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to rec.arts.sf.written on Thu May 14 13:41:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 22:29:17 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D|Oliveiro
    <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    The USian rCLsuperherorC? genre involves protagonists with powers beyond >those of ordinary humans, going up against rCLsupervillainsrC? who also
    have similar powers, but use them for evil rather than good.

    That sounds like the Legion of SuperHeroes who were constantly
    fighting super-villains.

    (To be fair I last read those in my teens which was before some of you
    here were born)
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to rec.arts.sf.written on Thu May 14 13:43:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Mon, 04 May 2026 01:46:57 GMT, scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal)
    wrote:

    How can you possibly write a book about the nuclear destruction of
    mankind and NOT have it involve politics in some way?

    Alas, Babylon

    OK you've got me there (and I have read it). I thought of The
    Canticles of Leibowitz but the last chapter describes the run up to a
    nuclear war which DOES involve politics though not anything that the
    readers would have heard of before (since it's 1500-2000 years in the
    future)
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to rec.arts.sf.written on Thu May 14 13:44:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Sun, 3 May 2026 21:33:21 -0500, Jay Morris <morrisj@epsilon3.me>
    wrote:

    Do you see a special security problem with
    sending a fake password insecurely (as in
    an email)?

    No, but having worked IT help desk and system support I find it more
    likely that they replied with the actual password rather than attempting
    to screw with the sender.

    I probably WOULD respond to such a request telling them my password
    was UOYKCUF
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Paul S Person@psperson@old.netcom.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 15 08:59:11 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Thu, 14 May 2026 13:41:12 -0700, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>
    wrote:
    On Sun, 3 May 2026 22:29:17 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D|Oliveiro
    <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    The USian rCLsuperherorC? genre involves protagonists with powers beyond >>those of ordinary humans, going up against rCLsupervillainsrC? who also >>have similar powers, but use them for evil rather than good.

    That sounds like the Legion of SuperHeroes who were constantly
    fighting super-villains.

    (To be fair I last read those in my teens which was before some of you
    here were born)
    I once read a comment that, in the 50's, the crime most of the "master criminals" Batman focused on was -- knowing Batman's secret identity.
    Otherwise they weren't criminals at all.
    Note that this was someone else's comment, I can not vouch for it's
    validity.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jay Morris@morrisj@epsilon3.me to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 15 20:42:43 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/14/2026 3:44 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:
    On Sun, 3 May 2026 21:33:21 -0500, Jay Morris <morrisj@epsilon3.me>
    wrote:

    Do you see a special security problem with
    sending a fake password insecurely (as in
    an email)?

    No, but having worked IT help desk and system support I find it more
    likely that they replied with the actual password rather than attempting
    to screw with the sender.

    I probably WOULD respond to such a request telling them my password
    was UOYKCUF

    I might also, but I'd suggest we're not examples of the average user.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Fri May 15 22:10:34 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 5/14/2026 4:39 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:
    On Sun, 3 May 2026 22:22:08 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D-|Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On Sun, 03 May 2026 13:02:50 -0700, The Horny Goat wrote:

    How can you possibly write a book about the nuclear destruction of
    mankind and NOT have it involve politics in some way?

    Things it would be too crazy to contemplate:

    * A future political party which takes the position that people should
    be free to kill themselves with nuclear bombs -- itrCOs an individual
    decision.

    Though I suspect that seems fractionally less implausible than it did
    ten years ago ...

    An individual decision? Besides the high Arctic where else in the
    world is the population density such that a nuke would only kill one
    person?

    Well, the smallest American nuclear weapon, the w54 warhead, could
    be dialed down to 10 tons (not kilotons) of TNT. But assume a more
    reasonable size one, 1 kt. That will have an blast/heat related fatality
    rate below 5% when you get beyond 1.8 miles.

    So, lets call it 2 miles. Where could you drop a 4 mile diameter
    disk without someone being inside it?

    You mention the high arctic. Of course, there's also the Antartica,
    and wide stretches of ocean.

    I suspect there are plenty of desert areas available as well.

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2