[Circleofjanusnewsletter] March 2009 Circular

[Lynette R. F. Cowper]

Circle of Janus Science Fiction Club of Indiana
  The Circular of Janus
  Feb 27, 2009
  Volume 30, Issue 3

Contents:
  Presidential Ponderings - Kathie Thompson
  Minutes of the February Meeting - Stephen Kendall
  March Meeting Agenda - Kathie Thompson
  New Books - from Locus
  Happenings in our Members' Lives
  A Few Cool Things to Do in Indy - Lynette Cowper
  Mark Your Calendars
  Meeting Info & Club Officers

*****

Presidential Ponderings
  by Kathie Thompson

We had a great time last month. Jeff was able to show us how to update our 
information in the members only section of the web page as well as how to 
look up other members. Thank you so much, Jeff.

For the month of March Laura Hohman is going to do a presentation on SAR 
(service and rescue) dogs. There will also be membership cards to pass 
out.

I look forward to seeing you at both the non-meeting meeting and the 
regular meeting.

Kathie Thompson, CoJ President

*****

Minutes of the February Meeting
  by Stephen Kendall

February 7, 2009, 7:30pm at the location:
    Seventh & Eighth United Christian Church, 2916 W 30th St, Indianapolis, 
Indiana 46222.

Board members in attendance:
    Andy Andrews, Chairman of the Board
    Kathie Thompson, President
    Lynette Cowper, Vice President
    Stephen Kendall, Secretary
    Tony Patterson, Treasurer
    Jeff Thompson, Sergeant-at-Arms
    Ellen Patterson, InConJunction 29 ConChair
    Kat Robertson, InConJunction 30 ConChair
    Mike Cowper, InConJunction 31 ConChair

Board members not in attendance:
    none

Circle of Janus members in attendance (if attendance was taken):
    not taken [I counted about 34 people, including board and guests -- 
LRFC]

Guests introduced:
    Matt Greenwood (guest of Melissa Kocias)
    Kaleb Jester (guest of the Vice-President)

Call the meeting to order:
    The meeting was called to order at 7:30pm.

Reading of the last meeting's minutes:
    Correction to the January minutes, in the InConJunction 30 report: The 
2010 hotel contracts were to be signed the following week, not the guest 
contracts.
    The January business meeting minutes approved as amended.

Treasurer's report:
    The Treasurer's report for the club and InConJunction were submitted.
    There are now 56 members.

InConJunction 29 Convention Report:
    We have signed contracts from Spider and Jeanne Robinson, and Tom 
Smith.
    Robin Wood will probably be added as Artist GOH.
    Room nights sold stands at 16, which hasn't changed since January.
    Thanks to Mike Cowper for rebuilding the ConCom list.
    The Programming Head will be sending out a list of ideas looking for 
people and further ideas.
    We are considering room parties as convention advertising.
    Flyers will be going out; if you put flyers out, please email 
flyers at inconjunction.org so that they can be kept track of.
    We are looking for someone to coordinate the Thursday night pitch-in at 
the convention; Drew Happli volunteered to do so.

InConJunction 30 Convention Report:
    We have a signed contract for the hotel. The Treasurer requires a 
signed physical contract.
    We still have Ed Beard and Wild Mercy.
    ConCom members are needed.

InConJunction 31 Convention Report:
    Send ideas to ConChair2011 at inconjunction.org

Member Services Report:
    The members of the Member Services committee were introduced.
    The committee will stay in touch with the members, including sending 
birthday cards.
    The Webmaster will create a coj-memberservices at inconjunction.org 
address.

Member Activities Report:
    A Non-business meeting is scheduled for February 28, 2009 at Kat 
Robertson's house from 3pm to 10pm.
    The meeting speaker schedule from the Board Minutes was read; 
additionally in October there will be a procrastinator's Halloween Party.
    It may be necessary to switch the March and April speakers.

Other communications:
    A thank you card from Kim Huff was read:
       "Dear COJ Members- I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for 
your donation to my mom's sorority. All my life she volunteered her time 
to help those less fortunate and I know that organization meant a lot to 
her. Thank you for thinking of me and my family during such a difficult 
time in my life."
    A thank you letter from Delta Chi Sigma Sorority was received.

Old Business:
    Membership Cards:
       The membership card design was presented and examples were passed 
around.
       Gamerz on the Southside will give a 10% discount when our membership 
card is shown.
       Books & More at Southport and Emerson will give a 10% discount when 
our membership card is shown.
       Member Services was asked to send thank you cards to these 
retailers.

    Newsletter:
       The newsletter editor has requested that that artwork be 
contributed.

    Bylaws:
       Bylaws are now up on the website. Hardcopies are available.

New Business:
    Newsletter:
       The newsletter went out a week early this time. The agenda was 
included.

    Memberships:
       The members were asked to consider lifetime memberships and tiered 
memberships.

    Audit Committee:
       The audit committee needs to meet.

    Website and Internet Presence:
       Domain names purchased during the board meeting were discussed.
       The Webmaster has established a Facebook account for us.
       He is setting up bulletin board software for us.

    Meeting Time Change:
       Changing the meeting time to 7pm was approved. ConCom will start at 
5pm.

Announcements:
    Lynette Cowper: Feed the kitty. Submit suggestions about food.
    Mike Cowper: A new webpage called publicdomaintorrents.com is up. 
Approximately 900 old public-domain movies are available.
    Randy Porter: Gen Con is changing its registration system. Everyone 
will have to reregister.
    David Herrington: He has an uncorrected proof of a David Weber book.
    Wendy Carson: There is a Reel pirates exhibit in Chicago. There will be 
a science of Harry Potter exhibit in Chicago.
    Jeff Thompson: See Repo: The Genetic Opera.
    Kat Robertson: Her older son Alex has been offered a teaching assistant 
position in architecture.

A ten-minute chaos was declared.

Speaker:
    Webmaster Jeff Thompson spoke about the Circle of Janus' website.

Chaos was resumed.

Respectfully submitted,
    Stephen Kendall,
    Secretary

*****

Meeting Agenda

The Circle of Janus
  March Meeting
  March 6, 2009

  Opening of Meeting (7:00pm)
  Approval of the Minutes of the February Meeting (with changes if 
necessary)
  Communications
     Board Report
     Treasurer's Report
     Convention Report, InConJunction 29
     Convention Report, InConJunction 30
     Convention Report, InConJunction 31
     Member Services Report
     Member Activities
         Scheduled Speakers or activities so far
             April - Rob Pyatt - Weird Science
             October - Laura Hohman - Bats
         Non-meeting meetings
             Who wants to host?
     Other communications
  Old Business
     Bylaws Grammar and Spelling
     Audit Committee met for the first time
  New Business
     Lifetime memberships
  Speaker - Laura Hohman - Search and Rescue dogs
  Announcements - one per person please
  Close of meeting - Chaos

*****

New Books
  From locusmag.com

March 2009
  Baxter, Stephen * Starfall * (PS Publishing, nva, hc)
  Beagle, Peter S. * We Never Talk About My Brother * (Tachyon 
Publications, cln, tpb)
  Bear, Elizabeth * Seven for a Secret * (Subterranean Press, nva, hc)
  Bishop, Anne * The Shadow Queen * (Roc, hc)
  Bisson, Terry * Billy's Book * (PS Publishing, cln, hc)
  Bould, Mark, & Andrew M. Butler, Adam Roberts & Sherryl Vint, eds. * The 
Routledge Companion to Science Fiction * (Routledge, nf, hc)
  + Brett, Peter * The Warded Man * (Ballantine Del Rey, hc)
  Brooke, Keith * The Accord * (Solaris)
  Carey, Mike * Thicker than Water * (Orbit)
  Castro, Adam-Troy * The Third Claw of God * (Eos)
  Cobley, Michael * The Seeds of Earth * (Orbit, tpb)
  + Dahlquist, Gordon * The Dark Volume * (Bantam, hc)
  de Lint, Charles * The Mystery of Grace * (Tor, hc)
  Duncan, Dave * The Alchemist's Pursuit * (Ace, tpb)
  Gaiman, Neil, & Charles Vess * Blueberry Girl * (Bloomsbury, nvl-ya, hc)
  Gaiman, Neil, & Charles Vess * Blueberry Girl * (HarperCollins, nvl-ya, 
hc)
  Graham, Jo * Hand of Isis * (Orbit US, tpb)
  Graham, Jo * Hand of Isis * (Orbit, tpb)
  Harrison, Kim * White Witch, Black Curse * (Eos, hc)
  Mann, George, ed. * The Solaris Book Of New Science Fiction Volume Three 
* (Solaris, anth)
  Mann, George, ed. * The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Three 
* (Solaris US, anth)
  + Meaney, John * Black Blood * (Bantam Spectra, hc)
  November, Sharyn, ed. * Firebirds Soaring * (Firebird, anth, hc)
  Paul, Frank R. * From the Pen of Paul: The Fantastic Images of Frank R. 
Paul * (Shasta-Phoenix, art, hc)
  Pratt, T. A. * Spell Games * (Bantam Spectra)
  Steele, Allen * Coyote Horizon * (Ace, hc)
  Sterling, Bruce * Caryatids * (Ballantine Del Rey, hc)
  Strahan, Jonathan, ed. * The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year 
Volume Three * (Night Shade Books, anth, tpb)
  Valente, Catherynne M. * Palimpsest * (Bantam Spectra, tpb)
  Watson, Jules * The Swan Maiden * (Bantam Spectra, tpb)
  Weber, David * Storm From the Shadows * (Baen, hc)
  Wexler, Robert Freeman * The Painting and the City * (PS Publishing, hc)
  Williams, Walter Jon * This Is Not a Game * (Orbit, tpb)
  Williams, Walter Jon * This Is Not a Game * (Orbit US, hc)
  Wolfe, Gene * The Best of Gene Wolfe * (Tor, cln, hc)

April 2009
  Blaylock, James P. * Metamorphosis * (Subterranean Press, cln, hc)
  Bova, Ben * The Immortality Factor * (Tor, hc)
  Butcher, Jim * Turn Coat * (Roc, hc)
  Clare, Cassandra * The Mortal Instruments, Book Three: City of Glass * 
(Simon & Schuster/McElderry, nvl-ya, hc)
  Datlow, Ellen, ed. * Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 * (Roc, anth, tpb)
  Datlow, Ellen, & Terri Windling, eds. * Troll's Eye View * (Viking, anth, 
hc)
  Gribbin, John * Timeswitch * (PS Publishing, hc)
  Griffin, Kate * A Madness of Angels * (Orbit US, hc)
  + Hamilton, Peter F. * The Temporal Void * (Ballantine Del Rey, hc)
  Horton, Rich, ed. * Science Fiction: The Best of the Year: 2009 Edition * 
(Prime Books, anth, tpb)
  Hunt, Stephen * The Rise of the Iron Moon * (HarperVoyager, hc)
  Irvine, Alexander C. * Buyout * (Ballantine Del Rey, tpb)
  Jessup, Paul * PS Showcase #6: Glass Coffin Girls * (PS Publishing, cln, 
hc)
  Lake, Jay, & Nick Gevers, eds. * Other Earths * (DAW, anth)
  Langan, John * House of Windows * (Night Shade Books, hc)
  Lee, Sharon, & Steve Miller * Longeye * (Baen, hc)
  McKenna, Juliet E. * Irons in the Fire * (Solaris)
  McKenna, Juliet E. * Irons in the Fire * (Solaris US)
  Mendlesohn, Farah, ed. * On Joanna Russ * (Wesleyan University Press, nf, 
hc/tpb)
  Monette, Sarah * Corambis * (Ace, hc)
  Palmer, Stephen * Urbis Morpheos * (PS Publishing, hc)
  Robins, Lane * Kings and Assassins * (Ballantine Del Rey, tpb)
  Sawyer, Robert J. * WWW: Wake * (Ace, hc)
  Scalzi, John * The God Engine * (Subterranean Press, nva, hc)
  Stross, Charles * The Revolution Business * (Tor, hc)

*****

Happenings in Our Members' Lives

Bella Rollison, daughter of new CoJ member and longtime InConJunction 
volunteers Tracey and Doug Rollison, traveled with an ensemble from her 
ballet school, the Russian Ballet Academy, to Chicago for the Chicago 
Regional of the youth America Grand Prix. They got the top score of any 
ensemble, and all 5 ensembles from her school were within .02 of a point, 
so the judges awarded the school the grand prize instead of just one 
ensemble. In addition, partly because of this phenomenal finish, the 
school was again awarded Outstanding School, and one of the teachers 
Outstanding Choreographer. As a result, they are going to the 
international finals in New York in April where Bella will stay a week for 
Master classes with teachers from all the major ballet companies. 
Congratulations, Bella!

*****

A Few Cool Things to Do in Indy
  By Lynette Cowper

How to Get Published: Advice from the IHS, Hawthorne and IU Presses: March 
is Small Press Month, and those interested in learning more about 
publishing opportunities in Indiana should plan to participate in this 
informative program at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History 
Center. Ray Boomhower and Teresa Baer from the Indiana Historical Society 
Press, along with Nancy Baxter (Hawthorne Publishing) and Janet 
Rabinowitch (Indiana University Press), will give their insights on small 
press trends. Participants will learn the focus of these three distinct 
presses and what they and other small presses have to offer writers in 
general. They will also explore how the publishing process works and what 
they need to consider when pitching a book idea or manuscript. All in 
attendance will receive complimentary magazine and book copies, and will 
be entered to win additional prizes! Cost: $15 ($12, IHS members). 
Reservations required. March 7, 9:30am-12:30pm. Indiana History Center.

Who's Yer Con: This is a FREE convention held by Who's Yer Gamers, Inc to 
allow the community to get an experience with hobby gaming. This is a 
501c3 status pending organization to bring communication and family unity 
through gaming. It is held for 3 days with NO charge to attend or to game. 
We hope that product support will be vast so that we can keep these people 
gaming and in turn support local game stores and the companies that supply 
them. Mar. 13-15. Hilton North, 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN.

Renaissance Faire: Come visit the LEGO Castle Adventure Exhibit and 
participate in a 'faire' with a twist. Make your own family crest, find 
out about daily life and learn about the art, music and science of the 
Renaissance. The Museum Apprentice Program (MAP) youth volunteers will 
share activities and demonstrations based on the Renaissance era and the 
popular culture it inspired. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, March 
14.

Murder in the Museum: Mystery Dinner Theatre: A murder in the museum will 
disrupt an elegant social evening. Is the guilty party one of the museum 
staff, a descendant of one of the original owners, a donor, or someone 
else? Test your whodunit knowledge, while enjoying a delicious meal. Cost: 
$50. Reservations required. Morris-Butler House, March 20 and 21.

Indianapolis Boardgamers Convention: Last year we had 75 people come for 
two straight days and ran out of room! So this year we've got a brand new 
hotel, 24 hour gaming, and should have 600-800 games available for play! 
We are expecting 100-125 people, capping out at 130. There will be a 
variety of board games, including Euros, American games, and war games. 
Convention starts at 10am on Friday and finishes at 8pm on Sunday! Mar. 
20-22. Drury Inn & Suites, 8180 N Shadeland Ave, Indianapolis, IN, 46250.

Stop-Motion Animation Pioneers: Stop-motion animation is as old as film 
itself, and a key technique for special effects until computer animation 
arrived. View 10 rare, early-20th-century "stop-mo" shorts made by three 
animators: Willis O'Brien, Ladislaus Starevitch and Charley Bowers. Total 
program length: 90 minutes. Indianapolis Museum of Art, March 22.

Comic Book Heroes Featuring the Max Simon Comic Book Collection: We can't 
promise visitors will be able to leap tall buildings at a single bound 
following a visit to the new Comic Book Heroes Featuring the Max Simon 
Comic Book Collection exhibit. But rest assured that this is a can't miss 
opportunity to view-- for the first time ever-- a collection of more than 
19,000 comic books amassed by the late Max Simon, son of Mel and Brenda 
Simon. The new 7,000-square-foot exhibit created by the Children's Museum 
highlights the people who bring comic books to life and those who preserve 
them while demonstrating that anyone be a comic book hero just by 
harnessing their creative talents. Through May 3, 2009, the Children's 
Museum of Indianapolis.

LEGO Castle Adventure: Builders of all ages are invited to explore, build 
and play in our newest traveling exhibition -- LEGO Castle Adventure! In 
this exhibit kids and their families are transported to a LEGO kingdom 
where they too can become master castle builders, using one of the 
greatest building materials of all time -- LEGO bricks. Build, explore a 
giant castle, aim a catapult, defend the castle walls, see a LEGO dragon 
and design and build topiaries. Through May 31. The Children's Museum.

*****

Mark Your Calendars

March 2009

  1: Ash Comic Show - Holiday Inn East

  4: Robert Hubbard's birthday

  5: NASA's Kepler Mission launched.

  6: Watchmen (conventional theaters and IMAX)
  6-7: Fear the Con - St. Louis, Missouri
  6-8: MarsCon - Bloomington, MN
  6-8: Technicon - Blacksburg, VA

  7: CoJ meeting

  8: Comic Book Con - Urbana, IL

  11: Eric Payton's birthday

  12: Randy Porter's birthday

  13: Race to Witch Mountain
  13-15: A & G Ohio - Cincinnati, OH
  13-15: Daigacon - Cave City, KY
  13-15: Madicon - Harrisonburg, VA
  13-15: Naka-Kon - Kansas City, MO
  13-15: Starcon - Rochester, MI
  13-15: Stellarcon - High Point, NC
  13-15: Who's Yer Con - Indianapolis Hilton North

  14: IAS General Meeting - Holcomb Observatory
  14: Green Bay Comic Book Con - Green Bay, WI
  14-15: MomoCon - Atlanta, GA

  15: IAC Meeting - Glendale Library
  15: Comic Book Con - Gurnee, IL

  19-22: Furry Weekend Atlanta - Atlanta, GA

  20: Knowing
  20-22: FantaSciCon - Chattanooga, TN
  20-22: Gorilla Con - Pittsburg, KS
  20-22: Indianapolis Boardgamers Convention - Shadeland Ave Drury Inn & 
Suites
  20-22: MidSouthCon - Memphis, TN
  20-22: Millennicon - Cincinnati, OH

  21: Mike & Lynette Cowper's anniversary
  21: Comic Book Con - South Bend, IN
  21-22: M-Con - Milwaukee, WI
  21-22: Toronto AnimeCon - Toronto, ON

  22: X-trava-con Comic Book Con - Livonia, MI

  24: Dave Herrington's birthday
  24: CoJ Board Meeting

  25: Neil Thompson's birthday
  25: Venus is both an Evening and Morning Star

  26: Chris Canary's birthday

  27: Monsters vs. Aliens
  27: The Haunting in Connecticut
  27-29: Ad Astra - Toronto, ON
  27-29: Anime St. Louis - St. Charles, MO
  27-29: CogCon 17 - Rolla, MO
  27-29: GamerCon(r) - Moline, IL
  27-29: GamersCon - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
  27-29: ImagiCon - Birmingham, AL
  27-29: Recruits - Lee's Summit, MO
  27-29: Simcon - Rochester, NY

  28: Animarathon - Bowling Green, OH
  28: WASFEn Con 3 - Wausau, WI

April 2009

  2-5: The 100 Hours of Astronomy begins

  3-5: Anime Detour - St. Paul, MN
  3-5: FilkON (Filk Ontario)- Mississauga, ON
  3-5: Middle Tennessee Anime Con - Nashville, TN
  3-5: Tekkoshocon - Pittsburgh, PA
  3-5: WillyCon - Wayne, NE

  4: CoJ meeting
  4: Comic Book Con - Bettendorf, IA

  5: Comic Book Con - Omaha, NE

  8: Dragonball Evolution

  10-12: Anime Punch! - Columbus, OH
  10-12: ConGlomeration - Louisville, KY
  10-12: Frolicon - Atlanta, GA
  10-12: Minicon - Bloomington, MN

  11: NashiCon - Columbia, SC
  11: Comic Book Con - Madison, WI

  17-19: Codcon - Glen Ellyn, IL
  17-19: JordanCon - Alpharetta
  17-19: UBCon - Buffalo, NY

  18: IAS General Meeting - Holcomb Observatory
  18: Shinboku Con - Elyria, OH
  18: Comic Book Con - Chesterfield, MO

  19: IAC Meeting - Glendale Library
  19: Peoria Comic Book Con - Peoria, IL

  23: Jeff Thompson's birthday

  24: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and LCROSS impactor launched
  24-26: No Brand Con - Eau Claire, WI
  24-26: Odyssey Con 9- Madison WI
  24-26: Steel City Con - Cheswick, PA

  25: CHS Otaku Fest - Ellicott City, MD
  25: Tora-Con - Rochester, NY
  25-26: Cape Girardeau Comic Con - Cape Girardeau, MO
  25-26: Kami-Con - Tuscaloosa, AL
  25-26: 2009 Spring Gaming Hoopla - Lake Geneva, WI

  28: Brian Davidson's birthday

May 2009

  1: Battle for Terra
  1: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
  1-3: DemiCon - Des Moines, IA
  1-3: OUTLANTACON - Atlanta, GA
  1-3: Penguicon - Romulus, MI
  1-3: PointCon - Stevens Point, WI
  1-4: Costume-Con - Timonium, MD

  2: CoJ meeting
  2: IAS New Astronomers Group - McCloud Park

  3: Ash Comic Show - Holiday Inn East
  3: Comic Book Con - Springfield, IL

  8: Star Trek
  8-10: Anime Central - Rosemont, IL

  12: CoJ Board Meeting

  14: Deb Hunt's birthday

  15-17: AnCon '09 - Hudson, OH
  15-17: MOBICON - Mobile, AL

  16: IAS General Meeting - Link Observatory

  17: IAC Meeting - Glendale Library
  17: Comic Book Con - Gurnee, IL

  18: Mike Wickliff's birthday

  21: Terminator Salvation

  22: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
  22-24: Animazement - Durham, NC
  22-24: Anime North - Toronto, Ontario
  22-24: Marcon - Columbus, OH
  22-24: ConQuest - Kansas City, MO
  22-25: Play On Con - Birmingham, AL
  22-24: TIMEGATE - Atlanta, GA
  22-25: WisCon - Madison, WI

  25: First of three in a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune

  27: Lynn Ciurej's birthday

  29: Drag Me to Hell

  30: IAS New Astronomers Group - McCloud Park
  30: Rockford Comic Book Con - Rockford, IL
  30-31: GarasoNoShiCon - Perrysburg, OH

  31: Milwaukee Comic Book Con - Milwaukee, WI

*****

Meeting Info
    The next meeting of the Circle of Janus will be held at the 7th and 8th 
United Christian Church at 2916 West 30th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222. 
Doors open a little before 7:00 pm on Saturday, March 7, 2009. There will 
be a ConCom meeting preceding it at 5:00.

Officers
  Board Chairman - Andy Andrews
  President - Kathie Thompson
  Vice President - Lynette Cowper
  Secretary - Stephen Kendall
  Treasurer - Tony Patterson
  Sergeant at Arms - Jeff Thompson
  InConJunction 29 ConChair - Ellen Patterson
  InConJunction 30 ConChair - Kat Robertson
  InConJunction 31 ConChair - Mike Cowper

The Circular of Janus is a publication of the Circle of Janus Science 
Fiction Club of Central Indiana. Subscription is included with membership, 
$15.00/year. For information write to Circle of Janus, P.O. Box 68514, 
Indianapolis, IN 46268-0514.
  Lynette R. F. Cowper, Editor