MIT Science Fiction Society

84 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139

MITSFS Meeting Minutes

Friday, September 26, 2003

MITSFS meeting called to order, 1700 SST, Ed Keyes, President and Skinner, presiding; Kat Allen, Onseck, recording.

Minutes read.

Motion: Approve the minutes as filling in ALC on what happened
Passes 8-0-2+Spehn

BING!

Committee Reports

War Council

Armenard says : We'd be in a better position to get space if we actually asked for it. The Star Chamber assures the concerned citizens that appropriate action will be taken in due time.

Motion: condemn the lateral thinking that requires you to ask for things you want
Passes 5-2-3+Spehn

LHE

Our funding appeal was denied, in total. There is no joy in MudVille. Many other people got money, especially the chocolatiers, but nobody got all that they asked for.

Pseudo Jourcomm

When asked ``Do you have a Jourcomm report?'', Andrew responded ``Wednesday''. We wonder which Wednesday, and what will happen then.

Clearly, TZ will be done when Jourcommm has made a sacrifice to Odin on his sacred day.

MobCommm

``The Star Chamber has rescued the books from UA tyrrany'' -- JFC. We may or may not have two mailboxes in the UA office. We got strange Canadian fiction, as well as British books.

Discussion of feminist apocolypse fiction.

``The book that's written in shorthand...'' -Andrew
``Emergence?'' -John
``Illegible?'' -Emily

We will be getting some replacements from the SCC: notably, American Gods and a Bujold book. ED suggests that we get ``Quicksilver'', the new Stephenson book.

Bluebellcomm

Covered some books. Yay!

(The Onseck takes this opportunity to note that there are *12* people at the meeting! 12!. No, wait, 13!)

Discussion of the FDA regulations on monitors, microwaves, and x-ray televisions going through Customs.
``There is always the magic word, 'wallet'''

Discussion of the correct pricing for black-market Russian nuclear reactors, and Customs stopping the exportation of nuclear technology to the Soviet Union.

``Two branches of the government got into a fight ...'' -- JFC

Note from Sam: ``If you're a visiting alien, you can bring crypto in to the country, but you can't take it back out. You can take your shotgun shells, though, leading to the conclusion that you should engrave your one-time pads onto the shotgun shells.

Coufcomm

We are about to trade some of our used books for some of their used books. ``Slow boat to Britain''
``No, it's Express Mail - it's just going through the UA office''

Discussion of using the UA for studying time dialation properties.

Motion: Commend Bluebellcomm and condemn Mobcomm for there being only a very few new books on the shelf.
Motion chickens 9-5-9+Spehn

BING!

Old Business

A guy who was a member in '56 sent us mail -- he is looking for the short story that he wrote a thesis on for Course 21, which is in a magazine that may have been accidentally donated by a friend of his.

ALGOL (inc. usual complaints about debate, despite the lack of Malcom) Discussion of how Malcom is nothing at all like Emily.

BING!

New Business

We got a catalogue from the people who make the ``Mammoth Book of Whatever'' series.

John has a description of a book about the conspiracy to deny Mary Magdaline's role in Christianity. Extensive argument and discussion ensues about the meaning of the word ``catechizer'', and books that reference themselves in one way or another.

Motion: condemn MobComm for not buying us any books about grasshopppers.
Fails for lack of a second.

Discussion of family feuds that begin by rejecting previous wedding dresses, elephants.

Motion: MITSFS get a banaelephant RIGHT NOW! Passes 11-9-4+Spehn

Once the Skinner was informedd that the previous motion contained the word ``banana''
Meeting adjourned, 1742 SST.

Respectfully submitted,

Kat Allen, Onseck