Quanta is Copyright(c)1994 Daniel K. Appelquist.
From here, you can go to the contents by issue, or go to the Quanta home page.
Looking Ahead
Daniel K. Appelquist
Welcome to a new volume of Quanta. Before I get to the meat of this article, let me tell you a little bit about two of the stories I've lined up for you in this issue.
Despite the fact that he swore up and down never to write another Teletrix story, Christopher Kempke is back this issue with `Popping In', a story starring none other than Martin and June Kendall. (See the editor's note at the end of that story.) Chris says that Gremlins made him do it, but I think he really just can't bear to part with a set of characters and situations that really do work for him. I have a sneaking suspicion we may be seeing more of Martin Kendall in the future, despite Chris' protestations.
Secondly, heading up the `short fiction' section, you may have noticed a story called `Burning, Burning' by Tom Maddox. This story is actually an excerpt from Tom's upcoming book, _Halo_, which is due to be published in the US and Britain sometime later this year, by TOR Books and Century Hutchinson respectively. This is the first opportunity I've had to publish something by an already published and well respected author. Tom said he decided to send me `Burning, Burning' in an effort to "support electronic publication in particular, and alternative modes of publication/distribution in general."
On that subject, I'm about to do something rather nasty to you. Those of you who watch American television may be familiar with the concept of "Public Television." Those of you who work with computers may be familiar with the concept of "share-ware." Starting with this issue, Quanta is going to become a fusion of these two concepts. If you think Quanta is worth money to you, I ask you to send your donations to keep it going. Note that, like public television or shareware, Quanta will continue to be 100% free to all subscribers, and available for anonymous FTP (see below for current anonymous ftp sites). What I'm asking for is VOLUNTARY contributions on your part.
I'd like to continue producing Quanta way into the future. I'd like to be able to pull in more established writers, like Tom Maddox, by enlarging Quanta's distribution and thereby giving them more incentive to donate material. I'd also like to (eventually) be able to pay writers for their submissions. Now, up until this point, I've been able to produce Quanta because, as a student at Carnegie Mellon University, I have access to the kind of computer facilities that most small colleges only dream about. This rather fortuitous boon won't last forever. Next year, I will have graduated from Carnegie Mellon and will no longer have access to their facilities. In order for Quanta to continue, and to continue to grow, it's going to need capital (at the very least, a computer with a UUCP feed and a printer). Donations will go to a fund which will go specifically toward the purchase of computer equipment and the expansion of Quanta into the `paper' market.
If you like Quanta, and you happen to have five extra Dollars (Francs, Pounds, Yen, etc...), I encourage you to seal them in an envelope and mail them to the postal address given on the contents page of this issue. (Obviously, I'm being overly simplistic. Don't send cash through the mail, send a check, made out to "Quanta Magazine".) The point I'm trying to make is that no donation is too small. Only have a few dollars to spare? That's fine. Still want to receive Quanta but don't want to pay? That's fine too. The donation is entirely optional. Quanta is and will always remain entirely free to network subscribers. (Have I made this point enough?) I'm really beginning to sound like a public television announcer now, so I'll leave it at that. If you have any questions or comments about this, or anything concerning Quanta for that matter, feel free to send mail to me via quanta@andrew.cmu.edu.
Moving right along, let's talk about FTP servers. There are now two servers carrying current and back issues. One is located in the US (right here at Carnegie Mellon, actually) and the second is located in Sweden at the Lund Institute of Technology. The particulars are as follows:
Site: export.acs.cmu.edu (128.2.35.66)
Directory: /pub/quanta
Site: lth.se (130.235.16.3)
Directory: /Documents/Quanta
For both sites, use `anonymous' as a login name and type your email address as a password.
If you're located in Europe, using the site at lth.se would be the smart thing to do. If you're located somewhere in North or South America, using the other site would be better. Austrailians can take their pick (the American site would probably be better, actually.) If you have problems with either of these sites, please don't bother the administrators of the sites. Send your gripes to me, and I'll take check into them. Note that in both cases, the files on these servers are stored in UNIX compressed format, so make sure you set for BINARY transfers and make sure you have a version of DECOMPRESS at your site. Please do not over-use these sites. I'd like Quanta to remain available on anonymous FTP long into the future.
Some further news this month on Jason Snell's new magazine now definitely to be titled `Intertext': Jason's been tinkering with the format, and I think he's finally got it right, so we may see the first issue of that soon. `Intertext' will primarilly publish short fiction by amateur authors. From the samples that Jason's sent me, it looks good. If you want to subscribe, or just want more information, send mail to Jason at jsnell@ucsd.edu.
And with that, I must say goodbye. Enjoy this new issue. If you have material to contribute, I urge you to do so. Live in good health. #
Quanta is Copyright(c)1994 Daniel K. Appelquist.
From here, you can go to the contents by issue,
or go to the Quanta home page.