Today in history:

1944 - IBM dedicated the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).

Thanks Are Due!

Not going to write down the full list of people, since there are so many of them I'd overload the board, and anyway, I haven't got permission to list names - but for every single one of you who came to play, with money or love or both, on erika's birthday prezzie?

Mission accomplished. Looks like erika and Nilly get to meet in LA after all.

The FCC catches up, finally...

FCC Denies "Buffy" Episode Indecent

I have edited together and posted Nilly's new Firefly ep "Objects In Space" review and quotage. It resides at the Nilly Site that Gus set up on Shriftweb.

[link]

As of this point, the content is all there. Some tweakage may occur for some small formatting inconsistancies, especially in the quotes areas.

Every time I come by I have to run off for a phone call or some stupid crisis before I get to really say hello to everyone. So hello. I lost my address book during the sad demise of my last laptop, so I don't have anyone's email addresses anymore. I'd really appreciate it if you all could email me at hneal at marksmen dot com so I could add you back to my address book. I'm not here much, but Sumi keeps me up to date on the important things through email, and I'd like to be able to email you guys occasionally.

Hope you are all well. Email me!

Nilly mini-F2F shirts are here (nearly)!

We're experimenting with not going through Cafepress this time, as (a) Cafepress doesn't do black shirts, and (b) their sizes are often a little wonky and even their XLs are not really all that L. Deb has kindly passed on a recommendation for an excellent Bayista-local custom shirt company, and I'm gonna call them for a quote today at noon.

The shirts will be (each bit of text, beautifully designed and tarted up by Deena, is a separate little jpg so we unfortunately don't have a single image to show you):

Black tees, hopefully either short or long-sleeved

Front side (in the red/gold/white calligraphic Firefly font):

NillyTour 2004

Back side (again with the Firefly font):

NILLY PAN-AMERICAN TOUR 2004

Los Angeles, CA August 11-18
San Francisco, CA August 19-22
Boston, MA August 23-24
New York City, NY August 25-30
Washington, D.C. Aug 31-Sept 1

Big Damn Shindig, Sir.
A Minearverse/B.Org Joint Production

If you're interested in getting a shirt, please email me at my profile addy to say so and tell me what size. I'll call the shirt folks at noon and report back with prices and such, and hopefully they'll all be ordered and underway by the end of the day today.

Just a quick reminder the registration deadline for the Browncoat Ball in Chicago is just two days away (August 15th) and the special pricing deadline for the hotel is August 17th. Go to [link] for details.

Also there are threads on BCB forums dedicated to people looking for road trip partners and hotel room mates.

Just a reminder that Sunday, August 15th, is the start day for discussion in The Buffista Book Club thread on The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead. It's a relatively short book so there's still time to cram it in over the weekend if you haven't read it already. Or you can feel free to jump in late.

Also please note next month's selection will be My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok. Discussion is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 13, 2004.

And more on books...I'm paring down my library for moving, and the following are free to the first requester (I'll media mail):

Bloom and Rosenberg, The Book of J
Keon, The Durian Tree
Drinkwater, The Olive Farm
Dratfield and Coughlin, The Quotable Feline
Lamott, Traveling Mercies
Smith, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Balisteri, The Evasion-English Dictionary
Cameron, The Artist's Way
Simon, The Gypsy in Me
Shirley, Demons

Also available, but not a book: A black TKD-style gi that's been worn exactly once. Medium woman or small man. The jacket has a diamond pattern in white thread.

Profile addy good.