Ansible makes me laugh

From the latest Ansible:

Ursula K. Le Guin laments the passing of the squid: ‘[L]ast night on the Lehrer news hour Margaret Atwood did not say she did not write science fiction because she did not write about talking squids, but said that she did not write science fiction because she did not write about talking cabbages. I am pondering the significance of this change from sea beast to land vegetable, but so far it escapes me. She was otherwise charming, and I do think The Year of the Flood is good science fiction even though its cabbages are speechless.’ (23 September) Those eloquent cabbages presumably live on Planet X: the indefatigable Ms Atwood told the New York Times that her work is not sf since ‘I don’t write about Planet X, I write about where we are now.’ (21 September)

Also Eddie Izzard has an encounter of the SF kind. And a Booker prize judge makes some interesting comments about SF living in ‘special rooms’. I often do think the SF ghetto is a self-perpetuating thing. Though I understand this view upsets people who damn well *enjoy* their persecution complexes & don’t like me spoiling their fun!

So I’ll refrain from saying more.