SFLIS Minutes

SFLIS MINUTES - JANUARY 13, 1999

- Adopt a Highway:  no idea how that's going.  Should we table it for a
  while, wait until we have more people, wait until the spring thaw?
  Or should we get ourselves put on a waiting list for something close?
  We'll do that.
- Next Wednesday at 7pm at Barnes&Noble, there will be a discussion of
  Game of Thrones by George RR Martin.  They will also set the date of
  February's meeting and decide on March's book.  After the meeting, you
  can buy February's book - Clay's Ark, by Octavia Butler, for 30% off.
- There is some interest in starting another group to read "science
  fiction through the century," reading books from each decade, starting
  with 1900-1909, then the 1910s, on up to the present.  They're looking
  for suggestions for titles, especially from early in the century.
  Give your suggestions to Michele Maakestad.
- Demicon really has Spider Robinson this year.  How did they do it?
  Monthly reminders and talking to Jean.
- The movie thing - showing SF movies on campus:  We'll email the
  companies for permission and show movies from the ones that don't say no.
  If you have suggestions for titles, email Jeremy Hitchcock at
  jeremyhitchcock@hotmail.com
  We'd like to show classic or less well-known films, maybe bad ones or
  parodies.  Or even NASA videos.  If a movie gets enough votes, it will
  be shown, no matter how horrid it is.
  A few suggestions from the meeting:  Barbarella, Flash Gordon, Night of
  the Lepus, or that William Shatner one with the spiders.  But not
  Waterworld (unless it gets unanimous votes 2 or 3 weeks in a row).
- There are computer-generated bloopers at the end of A Bug's Life, with
  ad-libbing by the actors.
- There's a Gamicon, Inc. meeting at the Maakestad's on Sunday the 17th
  at 7pm.  Call 626-3153 for directions, or ask them now.  The meeting
  may or may not be in the basement.  It depends on how many people
  show up.
- On Feb. 6 at 2pm, one of the Star Trek authors (not sure which one)
  is doing a signing at Barnes&Noble.  Also on Feb. 6 is.....
- SIF Con:  The flyer is done (and a very nice one it is, too).  Flyers
  will be distributed soon.
  Bring food to share, fun stuff to do.  Pizza from Falbo's will be
  paid for by Gamicon.  There's still lots of room for panels, so if
  you want to do one, you can.
- Mindbridge:  They will have a board of directors meeting next Tuesday
  where they will set the date for the November '98 meeting.  Are there
  any dates they should avoid?  Pretty much everything in February.
  Looks like the meeting will be in March.
- Applause for Catherine for organizing SIF Con.
- ICON 23 pictures are on the website now.  If anyone has pictures they
  want added, send them.  Any kind of picture.
  If you see a picture there that you want removed, send them money.
- This Friday is Coming of Age day in Japan.  A day for those who are
  turning 20.  A day to dress up, have your picture taken, get drunk.
- Sources for grants for SFLIS.  Any ideas?  Anybody know where to look,
  who to ask?
- Officers:  It's been well over a year since the last election.
  But let's table that for a minute.
- Anime:  This semester's shows will be in room C125, Poppajohn
  Business Administration Building.  The schedule's on the webpage.
  Also on the webpage is a list of all the activities and conventions
  going on this spring, showing how carefully SWAMP has tiptoed around
  the events.

  Applause for Marty for doing such a good job of tiptoeing.

  There's an anime show on Sunday the 24th.  (looks like I neglected
  to write down the theme for that show.)
  The theme for the Feb. 7 show is "When Women Fight."  Come and "watch
  babes duke it out."
- A sort of vaguely anime-related item:  They're building Nuku Nuku.
  According to a post on ISCA, scientists are building an artificial
  brain that can learn, and they're putting it in a cat.  Or something
  like that.  The software's being written, anyway.
- Jeremy Hitchcock is in the midst of putting together a concom bid for
  next year's Gamicon.  If you're interested in being on the concom, talk
  to him.  He would like to have a group together, and have at least one
  meeting before this year's Gamicon.
- Supercon:  Rumor has it that there are no hotel rooms left in the con
  block.  Is this true?
- Human Rights Week is next week, and SFLIS is sponsoring a talk.
  "Future Times of Challenge and Controversy: Science Fiction as a
  Gateway to Human Rights Solutions."  It's Wednesday Jan. 20, 7-9pm.
  In the Grant Wood room of the IMU.
  It's supposed to be interactive, so be prepared to participate.
  Come early, like right after the SFLIS meeting, and help set up.
  And now, back to.......
- Officials, elections, and a possible reason why there are so many people
  here today: they were afraid they'd get nominated for something if they
  didn't show up.
  According to the new university regulations, a student organization
  must be student-controlled, so all (or at least most) of the officers
  should be students.
  After coaxing a few people into admitting they were students, we did
  some nominations.
     President:  Catherine Schaff-Stump
     Secretary:  David Leach
     Treasurer:  Pete Wezeman
                 Mike Alexander
                   (Mike Alexander was not at the meeting.  He will be
                    elected unless he gets in touch with the ICON 24
                    concom about the hotel.)
     Vice President:  Lynda Sherman
     Scapegoat:  Marty Milder
     Mascots:  The Ferrets
                  (Our current mascots.  They are too ferocious to
                    bring to a meeting and introduce to people.)
               Lynda's snake, Ohmu
                  (Ohmu was afraid of mice for a while, but now is
                   eating them again.)
               The mice that Ohmu eats
                  (to fit the spirit and philosophy of the group?)
     More to come?  There's still time to nominate someone.

  We will leave the ballot box at our desk in the SAC for 2 weeks and
  have the final vote at the meeting on Feb. 3.
- But where is the ballot box?  It was a very sophisticated piece of
  technology, with the word "vote" on the side, and a red belt wrapped
  around it for security.  Looks like we'll have to augment the security
  system.  The box is probably in our storage locker, or in some obscure
  part of the Student Activities Center.  We'll find it.
- We should probably be doing regular hours at the desk.
  Sit there, browse the SFLIS library, read about crop circles, eat lunch.
  A signup sheet was sent around.
- Boxloads of books from the Cedar Rapids library's book sale, some of
  which may be added to the SFLIS library at the desk.
  How about having a Mindbridge book sale?
- Movies, books, comics:  The UI web is slow because of all the downloads
  of the Star Wars trailer from ISCA.  And the University thinks it's
  because of people checking the news on Bill Clinton.
  Science Fiction Age magazine has a review of Star Wars websites.
  The Faculty - a fairly routine alien takeover story, but shows quite
  a bit of literacy about science fiction.
  Virus.  When does it open?  This weekend?
- According to the attendance sheet, Jules Verne will be at next week's
  meeting.
- Letter to SFLIS from Touch the Earth, an outdoor recreation
  organization.  There's a "high adventure challenge course" near Iowa
  City.  Should we go?  It's supposed to be good.  How much does it cost?
- Planet X, in Iowa City has mini golf (with terrain, not just a level
  floor), Laser Tag, batting cages, climbing wall.  Should we go?
- Who's going to Supercon?  Raise your hands.
- This meeting lasted an hour and fifteen minutes.  Wow!
- We adjourn.
- Wait!  Anyone want to register for Gamicon before they leave?