Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/answers/alt/pern-intro/part2

Internet Message Format | 1994-04-15 | 15KB

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From: [e-mail] (Taki Kogoma)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pern,news.answers,alt.answers
Subject: Welcome to alt.fan.pern (Semi-monthly posting) (Part 2 of 2)
Followup-To: alt.fan.pern
Date: 15 Apr 1994 08:45:04 -0600
Organization: Nit-Pickers for a Better Tomorow Afternoon
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Expires: 05/04/94
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Reply-To: [e-mail] (Taki Kogoma)
NNTP-Posting-Host: vesta.unm.edu
Summary: Introductory material for the alt.fan.pern newsgroup
Keywords: Pern FAQ Intro
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu alt.fan.pern:5340 news.answers:18085 alt.answers:2442

Posted-By: auto-faq 2.4
Archive-name: pern-intro/part2
Last-Modified: 14 Apr 94

Version: 2.2

WELCOME TO ALT.FAN.PERN!  (Part II.)

CONTENTS OF PART 1:
1.  Introductory Material
    1a.  What is this group?
    1b.  Introduction to Pern
    1c.  Appropriate subject matter
    1d.  Other newsgroups of interest
    1e.  Common abbreviations
    1f.  Fan Fiction
2.  Pern in Print
    2a.  Book List  (McCaffrey-written)
    2b.  Suggested reading order
    2c.  Chronological order of books/stories
    2d.  'References'
    2e.  Obtaining hard-to-find books (NEW)

CONTENTS OF PART 2:
3.  Frequently Asked Questions about Pern
    3a.  Pronunciation of various words/names
    3b.  Rider behavior during Mating flights
    3c.  Queen dragons and firestone
    3d.  Where do dragons/firelizards deficate?
    3e.  Who/What does Aramina 'hear' in _Renegades of Pern_?
4.  On-line Simluations of Pern
    4a.  Accessing Pern-type MU*s
    4b.  List of Pern-type MU*s
5.  "Real Life" Fan Organizations

Note: Starting 1 November 1992, these articles are being cross-posted
to the news.answers and alt.answers newsgroups for extended expire times
and archival on rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/alt.fan.pern
                     or      /pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/alt/fan/pern
                     or      /pub/usenet/news.answers/pern-intro

To obtain these files (assumes UN*X environment with FTP capability):
---
%ftp rtfm.mit.edu
Connected to <etc.>
Name (rtfm.mit.edu:<foo>): [anonymous]
331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
Password: [your e-mail address]
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
ftp> [cd pub/usenet/alt.fan.pern
    (or) pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/alt/fan/pern
    (or) pub/usenet/news.answers/pern-intro]
250 CWD command successful.
ftp> [get Welcome_to_alt.fan.pern_(Semi-monthly_posting)_(Part_<X>_of_2).Z]

(Where <X> is the part number.  If you have chosen the
pub/usenet/news.answers/pern-intro path, then just get part<X>.)

200 PORT command successful.
[Some stuff]
ftp> (get any other parts you may want)
ftp> quit
%
---
The files are UNIX-compressed but have no other encoding.

=-=-=-=
3. Frequently Asked Questions about Pern

   From time to time, the same questions come up as new people
discover this newsgroup and pose the questions that have cropped up
during their reading of the series.  [I expect this section to grow
considerably as time passes.  Suggestions - and more importantly,
documented answers - are welcome. -Quirk]
===
3a.  Pronunciation of various words/names.

[ This pronunciation guide is based on the audiotape of Anne McCaffrey
reading an abridged version of _All the Weyrs of Pern_ and the
editor's hearing/pronunciation prejudices. ;-) ]

First off, let's get the big one out of the way: ;-)

     weyr    -   WEER     [This is hinted at in _Dragonflight_ where it
                           is implied that 'Weyr' rhymes with 'adhere'.]

Others of mild interest

     wher    -   (A cross between 'where' and 'whir')
     Piemur  -   PIEmur   [Yes, first syllable is pronounced like that
                           filled pastry thing.]
     Sebell  -   SEEbell
     Groghe  -   GROWgee  [hard (e.g. Golf) g's in both cases.]
     F'lar   -   FLAHR    [No glottal stop that I could detect.]
     Ruth    -   ROOTH    [Y'know...like the 20's baseball player? ;-) ]

[There are, of course, more names on that tape,  I'll add more names
on request.]
===
3b.  Rider behavior during Mating Flights.

    The behavior of the riders of mating dragons (and to a lesser
extent firelizard 'owners') has generated considerable controversy in
this newsgroup in the past.  During one particularly vehement flamewar
sparked by the topic, someone queried the Dragonlady, Anne McCaffrey,
herself:

---[begin included text]---
From: [e-mail] (Sharon Fisher)
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 18:26:59 GMT

Presumably this will settle the issue?

---
Date:  23-Sep-92 02:07 PDT
From:  Anne McCaffrey
Subj:  Pern question
Well, now, it's like this...when the dragons mate, their riders are so
consumed with their dragons' passions, that there's really only one way to
vent it:  enjoying the sexual act themselves.  The double whammy is
something incredible.  Since most green riders are male, and most blue,
brown and bronze riders are also male, the obvious need not be stated.
However, it is permissible within the Weyrs for the less-enthusiastic
about this pairing having an alternate of the opposite sex available.  The
green rider will also have someone of his preference available so that the
double charge is not lost...if you don't mind me being a tad bawdy.
Actually, many of the Candidates are weyrbred and accustomed to such
demands and think little of it.  It's the main bone of contention between
the hidebound Halls and Holds and the the Weyrs for the Halls and HOlds
don't really `like' such innovations.  Still, the rider is always
compelled by concern for his dragon and THAT consideration makes the
difference in such a sexual situation.  And it is ALSO an incredible
experience, one to be treasured.
And yes, there could be more female riders of green dragons to relieve
that dilemma but after the early Plagues, women were needed more as
mothers to increase the population (something men still haven't been able
to do on their own <G>) and flying constantly between is how to abort on
Pern.  (Queen dragons are not always as horny as the greens and as they
are low-level Thread fighters, their pregnant riders could generally
manage without constantly going *between* in the performance of their
duties.)  Anyway, I thought homos deserved a place in the elite social
structure on Pern.
---
Does that answer the question completely?  Or do you need <g> diagrams?
---[end included text]---

    Some people feel that Ms. McCaffrey wimped out in this
declaration, but still, this is the best answer we have.
===
3c) Firestone and Queen Dragons

   It is stated about 1/3rd through _Dragonflight_ that Queen dragons do
not chew firestone because it would render them sterile.  (To support
this contention, the example of the overly amorous green dragons and
their lack of egg-laying activity was brought up.)  This idea is
reinforced throughout the later books - Except for _Dragonsdawn_ where
it is implied that queen dragons had been designed by Kitti Ping Yung
to be incapable of chewing stone.  This could also lead one to
conclude that green dragons had been engineered to be infertile.

   A popular theory (although certainly not the majority opinion) is
that the 'firestone -> sterility' theory had formed over the turns to
explain green infertility.  Since no goldrider in her right mind woulD
risk her queen to test this theory, it is self-consistent.

3d) Where do dragons/firelizards deficate?

   In a mostly joking response to this question at a convention in the
distant past, Ms. McCaffrey stated that 'Dragons go *between*.' (i.e.
take care of bodily functions while transiting *between*.)  Although
this has been perpetuated throughout fandom and has even found its way
into the _Dragonlovers Guide to Pern_, it is still regarded by many as
just a joke, since it blatantly violates the laws of Conservation of
Mass/Energy.  (Of course, much in the Pern universe doesn't hold up to
scientific scrutiny. ;-)
===
3e) Who/What does Aramina 'hear' in _The Renegades of Pern_?

   Toward the end of _Renegades_ Aramina tells Less that asside from
dragons and firelizards, she also hears something else; a 'sad'
presence.
   Queries to Ms. McCaffrey revealed that it was the 'shipfish' (dolphins)
- last heard of in "The Dolphins' Bell" - that she is picking up.  They
are sad because it's been so long since they've been able to communicate
with humans.

=-=-=-=
4. On-line Simulations of Pern

   Some people have gone to the extent of attempting to duplicate Pern
with a multi-user program designed to allow people to assume the roles
of dragonriders, harpers, holders, etc.  While the most frequently discussed
is PernMUSH (See the 'What is PernMUSH?' Mimi-FAQ' for more details),
it is by no means the only one.
   Just about all of the on-line Pern simulations are based on
derivatives of a program called 'TinyMUD'.  These programs (TinyMUSH,
TinyMUSE, etc.) are collectively referred to as MU*s.

[Note to readers in Australia: My understanding is that the authorities
there have banned overseas MU*ing for the foreseeable future.]
===
4a.  Accessing Pern-type MU*s

   The quick way of doing it is to use the 'telnet' program to connect
to the appropriate machine specifying the port listed - e.g. 'telnet
<machine> <port>' for most Unix systems.  If the name doesn't work,
try the numeric address.  For more info, look at the rec.games.mud.*
newsgroups.  (rec.games.mud.tiny and rec.games.mud.misc primarily.)

Note: MU*s require access to the internet.  BBS systems with only
email/usenet cannot take part.
===
4b.  List of Pern-type MU*s

NOTE: This information is accurate so far as the author is aware.  If
there is a change, it won't be reflected here unless I'm informed of
it.

  Pern-themed MUSHs:
    PernMUSH (cesium.clock.org or 130.43.2.43) port 4201
    SouConMUSH (beechnut.enmu.edu or 192.94.216.86) port 4201

        [These two are set during start of the 10th pass and are
          considered in parallel.]

    DragonsDawnMUSH (almond.enmu.edu or 192.94.216.77) port 2508

        [Set during the start of the second pass.]

        ShardsMUSH (vesta.unm.edu or 129.24.14.68) port 7777

        [Set prior to the 7th pass.]

  MUSHs with Pern areas:
    TinyTIM (yay.mdc.com or 129.200.149.200) port 5440
        TinyCWRU (caisr2.caisr.cwru.edu or 129.22.24.22) port 4201

  MUSE with Pern area:
        TimeMUSE (murren.ai.mit.edu or 18.43.0.179) port 4201

  Pern-themed MOO
        Harper's Tale (netman.widener.edu or 147.31.1.51) port 8888.

        [Set about 20 turns prior to the 10th pass; no-AIVAS timeline.]


    DragonsFireMOO (moo.eskimo.com or 162.148.13.31) port 7777

        [Set before the 11th pass.]

=-=-=-=
5.  "Real Life" Fan Organizations

There is an email list for discussion of Pernese craft issues.

To subscribe to this mail list, send email to
[e-mail]. Just include your email
address in
the body.

Chris Croughton <[e-mail]> maintains a mailserver which
contains, among other things, a list of Fandom Weyrs.

---[Start note from Chris]---

                     MAILSERVER @ KERIS.DEMON.CO.UK

                            ABOUT THE SYSTEM

I have provided a number of files on this system for general
distribution.  For each of them I have had permission to distribute the
file; however, if you wish to distribute them further I would advise you
to seek explicit permission, unless stated otherwise in the file.

Please note that this system is running over a dial-up telephone line,
not a continuous connection.  This has two consequences:

(a)     There may be a delay between the time I receive the message and
        the time the system sends the requested files.  This could in
        extreme cases be several days, if the host system is down or
        very busy, or if I'm away and the system crashes.

(b)     I get the telephone bills!  This may make it necessary for me to
        restrict the transmission of large amounts of data.  In
        particular, large files (over 50 Kb) will sometimes be placed in
        a separate queue to be sent at weekends when the rates are lower
        - a line in the log message saying "File has been placed in <x>
        queue" will indicate this.  Don't worry that the file hasn't
        arrived until a week or so has gone by.

Being my own private system, there will probably be times when it does
not work properly.  Please be patient with this, and if you have
problems send mail to [e-mail], as I may not be
aware of the problem.

If you can't get through to this system at all, please try one of my
other email addresses:

    [e-mail]
    [e-mail]

or on CompuServe, ID 100014,3217.



                       HOW TO USE THE MAILSERVER

The mailserver takes a message (ignoring the subject line, and the other
headers) and reads the body of the message as lines.  Each line must
start with a command word (a 'word' is any text surrounded by spaces or
tabs - multiple spaces or tabs are treated as a single space), or be
blank (no non-space characters on the line).

Commands supported by the mailserver:

HELP        gives the list of currently supported commands

DIR name    replies with a list of the available files, and descriptions

GET name    these three will reply with the file as a separate message
DOWN name   - they all do the same thing...
SEND name

END         use before your signature so my software doesn't get
            confused <g>

REPLY address   sets a different address to reply to from the one in the
                message.  This is provided for people who receive EMAIL
                on a different machine from that on which they send it.
                If this facility is abused (i.e. I get complaints from
                people who receive files they didn't request) it will be
                withdrawn.

INDEX, LIST and LS do the same as DIR.

The name (for both DIR and GET) will be matched on the first characters
given, so doing DIR FILK would give you all the files starting with
FILK, for instance.

The mailserver will respond with a log message telling you what has
happened, and the output from the DIR and HELP commands etc.

Note that only one copy of any file will be sent in a session, so if you
request (say) FILK.PERN and PERN.FILK only one copy of each file will be
sent, even though the files appear under both names.  The message
"Duplicate file - not sent" will appear in the log file for each file
requested that has already been sent.

At the moment there is no binary mode (UUENCODED ZIP files, for
instance) supported - that will be in version 1.0, which I'll be
developing RSN...

(Note - version 1.0 has been threatened for a long time - currently it's
at version 0.20).
---[End note from Chris]---

--
Capt. Gym Z. Quirk                   | "I'll get a life when someone
(Known to some as Taki Kogoma)       |   demonstrates that it would be
[e-mail]                       |   superior to what I have now."
Veteran of the '91 sf-lovers re-org. |       -- Gym Quirk