RIP Hef

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

The Lost City of Mars (1967) novelette by Ray Bradbury
Nine Lives (1969) novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
Deathwatch (1965) short story by Norman Spinrad
Masks (1968) short story by Damon Knight
Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The Dead Astronaut (1968) short story by J. G. Ballard
The Schematic Man (1969) short story by Frederik Pohl
Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1969) short story by Robert Sheckley
Transit of Earth (1971) short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Report on the Threatened City (1971) novelette by Doris Lessing
Leviathan! [Svetz] (1970) short story by Larry Niven
All the Birds Come Home to Roost (1979) short story by Harlan Ellison
The Apotheosis of Myra (1980) novelette by Walter Tevis
Frozen Journey (1980) short story by Philip K. Dick
Gianni (1982) short story by Robert Silverberg
The Word Processor (1983) short story by Stephen King
Interstellar Pigeon (1982) short story by Donald E. Westlake
Heirs of the Perisphere (1985) short story by Howard Waldrop
Earth Station Charlie (1986) short story by Billy Crystal
Slow, Slow Burn [Budayeen] (1988) short story by George Alec Effinger
More Than the Sum of His Parts (1985) short story by Joe Haldeman
Sen Yen Babbo & the Heavenly Host (1987) short story by Chet Williamson
Fire Zone Emerald (1986) novelette by Lucius Shepard
The Ghost Standard (1994) short story by William Tenn
An Office Romance (1997) short story by Terry Bisson

etc

[Quadibloc]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Transit of Earth (1971) short story by Arthur C. Clarke

Ah. So you *do* mean _that_ Hef.

John Savard

[Peter Trei]

Post by Quadibloc

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Transit of Earth (1971) short story by Arthur C. Clarke

Ah. So you *do* mean _that_ Hef.

Which other?

Hefner's Playboy was a not-insignificant outlet for short SF, back in the
day. It also paid quite well, iirc.

The interior illos were also good.

pt

[Quadibloc]

Post by Quadibloc
Ah. So you *do* mean _that_ Hef.

In coverage of his death, I read the remark by Gloria Steinem that "What Playboy
doesn't know about women could fill a book."

Also, being interviewed by Gloria Steinem, he responded to a query with:

"I'm all in favour of women being able to vote, own property, and all that. But
I want women to be attractive to men."

...rather weakly, according to his obituary on the CBC website.

I could criticize Gloria Steinem's statement quoted above in a literal sense.
Women, like anything else in the real world, are so complex that what is unknown
about them of course vastly exceeds what is known. One could say the same about
stars or galaxies.

And then there's the question of what one expects of Hugh Hefner. He founded a
magazine that was intended to appeal to men's tastes, so he needed to know about
men. He wasn't a psychiatrist who specialized in women's problems, so he didn't
need to know a lot about women: he knew enough to be able to successfully seduce
a number of them, and that's all he needed.

Of course, though, I know what she _meant_. In my opinion, what Playboy "didn't
know" about women in that sense can be *found* in a book, that book being (the
first edition of) _The Descent of Woman_ by Elaine Morgan (herself a woman).

As for the quote from Hefner: well, in a society where women don't have rights,
they wouldn't be in a position to say "Yes" - however, given his impact on our
culture, it wouldn't be fair to say "save your rage for John Norman" either.

There is indeed something about Playboy that can be challenged, but in general
the challenge has tended not to be phrased accurately enough to be effective.

Sexual repression... _is_ a problem. But it is not a problem that... is best
addressed *in isolation*.

It indeed is merely a male fantasy, and a harmful and misleading one, to think
that if we got rid of the old-fashioned lies our society was buried under, then
we could all get laid as much as we wanted and live happily ever after.

What women want... may not be exactly the same as what *men* want.

Sex... makes *babies*. Who require a considerable amount of care and attention.
The burden of which falls disproportionately upon women - and changing social
attitudes can change that only in part. Thus, it is entirely proper and
appropriate that our society should view sex as a serious matter to be engaged
in _responsibly_.

From "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches", it is noted at one point that certain
religions developed an absolute prohibition on eating pork... because:

a) They served people living in desert areas, and pigs require a lot of water to
raise, and compete directly with people for food; and

b) It's easier to ensure compliance with a rule that is an absolute taboo than a
regulatory rule that just limits pork consumption.

This basic principle explains, as well, why social customs designed to promote
responsible sexuality - which is, at least initially, of benefit to women - took
the form they did, becoming something extreme that harmed women perhaps
(perhaps? Almost certainly is more like it - but then, what else is to be
expected of rules developed by an overwhelmingly male-dominated society.) even
more than they did men.

John Savard

[m***@sky.com]

(Trimmed)

Post by Quadibloc
And then there's the question of what one expects of Hugh Hefner. He founded a
magazine that was intended to appeal to men's tastes, so he needed to know about
men. He wasn't a psychiatrist who specialized in women's problems, so he didn't
need to know a lot about women: he knew enough to be able to successfully seduce
a number of them, and that's all he needed.

I'm actually impressed that somebody both made a large amount of money advertising and living a sybaritic lifestyle and also managed to live to 91 on it -
ObSF I think it is the introduction to Ringworld Engineers where a couple of assassins ambush Larry Wu, expecting to deal with a Tasp-addicted wastrel and find to their cost that he has found a way of living with his addiction that leaves him more than functional enough to deal with the assassins.
(trimmed)

[Dorothy J Heydt]

Post by Quadibloc
In coverage of his death, I read the remark by Gloria Steinem that "What Playboy
doesn't know about women could fill a book."

No, just a story. The story being "The Wife of Bath's Tale," aka
"Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady."

There's an episode of the webcomic _Two Lumps_, which I have
bookmarked somewhere but couldn't find in the time available
It's about two cats who mostly behave like cats, except one reads
books and the other watches television.

Smart cat, dressed up as Gandalf or maybe Merlin: "You task is to
find out what women really want."

Stupid cat: "GOOSHYFOOD!"

Smart cat: "Uh, no, it's the ability to choose how to live their
own lives."

Stupid cat: "I'll never understand women."

[Gene Wirchenko]

On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 09:53:36 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
<***@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:

[snip]

Post by Quadibloc
From "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches", it is noted at one point that certain
a) They served people living in desert areas, and pigs require a lot of water to
raise, and compete directly with people for food; and
b) It's easier to ensure compliance with a rule that is an absolute taboo than a
regulatory rule that just limits pork consumption.

c) Your people are not going to be able to eat with "those
foreigners". It is a form of social control.

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

[Titus G]

Post by Gene Wirchenko
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 09:53:36 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
[snip]

Post by Quadibloc
From "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches", it is noted at one point that certain
a) They served people living in desert areas, and pigs require a lot of water to
raise, and compete directly with people for food; and
b) It's easier to ensure compliance with a rule that is an absolute taboo than a
regulatory rule that just limits pork consumption.

c) Your people are not going to be able to eat with "those
foreigners". It is a form of social control.
[snip]

Fascinating. Based on my scientific medical background of old wives
tails and other SF conclusions, I had the vague idea that because the
digestive system of live pork is similar to that of long pig, diseases
from diseased pork were easily transferable and that was the reason for
the prohibition; (Warning: read no further), with the appointment of
government trained and approved meat inspectors in non-apartheid
non-religious-based states the opposite of which the remnants of the
Iraqi army together with the Iraqi resistance, (ISIS), are trying to
create with violence but without assistance from a bought superpower,
not affecting such a prohibition being, perhaps, a hint.

[h***@gmail.com]

Post by Titus G

Post by Gene Wirchenko
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 09:53:36 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
[snip]

Post by Quadibloc
From "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches", it is noted at one point that certain
a) They served people living in desert areas, and pigs require a lot of water to
raise, and compete directly with people for food; and
b) It's easier to ensure compliance with a rule that is an absolute taboo than a
regulatory rule that just limits pork consumption.

c) Your people are not going to be able to eat with "those
foreigners". It is a form of social control.
[snip]

Fascinating. Based on my scientific medical background of old wives
tails and other SF conclusions, I had the vague idea that because the
digestive system of live pork is similar to that of long pig, diseases
from diseased pork were easily transferable and that was the reason for
the prohibition;

Pigs have the Trichinella spiralis parasite which can cause problems for humans
That's an explanation I've seen for the ban

http://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/product-water-footprint/water-footprint-crop-and-animal-products/ suggests that the water usage of pigs isn't a good explanation as it's decidedly lower than cattle...
(of course it may be that they're more affected by desert conditions)

[Butch Malahide]

Post by Titus G
Fascinating. Based on my scientific medical background of old wives
tails and other SF conclusions, I had the vague idea that because the
[snip]

Was "tails" a typo?

[Titus G]

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Titus G
Fascinating. Based on my scientific medical background of old wives
tails and other SF conclusions, I had the vague idea that because the
[snip]

Was "tails" a typo?

No. An attempt at humour with the coupling of c-o-n-c-l-u-s-i-o-n-s.

[Robert Carnegie]

Post by Titus G

Post by Gene Wirchenko
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 09:53:36 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
[snip]

Post by Quadibloc
From "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches", it is noted at one point that certain
a) They served people living in desert areas, and pigs require a lot of water to
raise, and compete directly with people for food; and
b) It's easier to ensure compliance with a rule that is an absolute taboo than a
regulatory rule that just limits pork consumption.

c) Your people are not going to be able to eat with "those
foreigners". It is a form of social control.
[snip]

Fascinating. Based on my scientific medical background of old wives
tails and other SF conclusions, I had the vague idea that because the
digestive system of live pork is similar to that of long pig, diseases
from diseased pork were easily transferable and that was the reason for
the prohibition; (Warning: read no further), with the appointment of
government trained and approved meat inspectors in non-apartheid
non-religious-based states the opposite of which the remnants of the
Iraqi army together with the Iraqi resistance, (ISIS), are trying to
create with violence but without assistance from a bought superpower,
not affecting such a prohibition being, perhaps, a hint.

If it was reasonable then it wouldn't be religious.
See also: cutting bits off people. Token human sacrifice.

[Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy]

Post by Robert Carnegie
If it was reasonable then it wouldn't be religious.

That makes your hatred of religion a religious belief.
--
Terry Austin

Vacation photos from Iceland:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QaXQkB

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek

Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

[Robert Bannister]

Post by Gene Wirchenko
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 09:53:36 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
[snip]

Post by Quadibloc
From "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches", it is noted at one point that certain
a) They served people living in desert areas, and pigs require a lot of water to
raise, and compete directly with people for food; and

But don't forget the Gadarene swine. I don't think the Jews ever lived
for any length of time in a desert area before or after their time in Sinai.

Post by Gene Wirchenko

Post by Quadibloc
b) It's easier to ensure compliance with a rule that is an absolute taboo than a
regulatory rule that just limits pork consumption.

c) Your people are not going to be able to eat with "those
foreigners". It is a form of social control.
[snip]
Sincerely,
Gene Wirchenko

[Butch Malahide]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
The Lost City of Mars (1967) novelette by Ray Bradbury
Nine Lives (1969) novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
Deathwatch (1965) short story by Norman Spinrad
Masks (1968) short story by Damon Knight
Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The Dead Astronaut (1968) short story by J. G. Ballard
The Schematic Man (1969) short story by Frederik Pohl
Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1969) short story by Robert Sheckley
Transit of Earth (1971) short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Report on the Threatened City (1971) novelette by Doris Lessing
Leviathan! [Svetz] (1970) short story by Larry Niven
All the Birds Come Home to Roost (1979) short story by Harlan Ellison
The Apotheosis of Myra (1980) novelette by Walter Tevis
Frozen Journey (1980) short story by Philip K. Dick
Gianni (1982) short story by Robert Silverberg
The Word Processor (1983) short story by Stephen King
Interstellar Pigeon (1982) short story by Donald E. Westlake
Heirs of the Perisphere (1985) short story by Howard Waldrop
Earth Station Charlie (1986) short story by Billy Crystal
Slow, Slow Burn [Budayeen] (1988) short story by George Alec Effinger
More Than the Sum of His Parts (1985) short story by Joe Haldeman
Sen Yen Babbo & the Heavenly Host (1987) short story by Chet Williamson
Fire Zone Emerald (1986) novelette by Lucius Shepard
The Ghost Standard (1994) short story by William Tenn
An Office Romance (1997) short story by Terry Bisson
etc
--
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

Did Isaac Asimov publish anything in Playboy?

[Peter Trei]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
The Lost City of Mars (1967) novelette by Ray Bradbury
Nine Lives (1969) novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
Deathwatch (1965) short story by Norman Spinrad
Masks (1968) short story by Damon Knight
Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The Dead Astronaut (1968) short story by J. G. Ballard
The Schematic Man (1969) short story by Frederik Pohl
Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1969) short story by Robert Sheckley
Transit of Earth (1971) short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Report on the Threatened City (1971) novelette by Doris Lessing
Leviathan! [Svetz] (1970) short story by Larry Niven
All the Birds Come Home to Roost (1979) short story by Harlan Ellison
The Apotheosis of Myra (1980) novelette by Walter Tevis
Frozen Journey (1980) short story by Philip K. Dick
Gianni (1982) short story by Robert Silverberg
The Word Processor (1983) short story by Stephen King
Interstellar Pigeon (1982) short story by Donald E. Westlake
Heirs of the Perisphere (1985) short story by Howard Waldrop
Earth Station Charlie (1986) short story by Billy Crystal
Slow, Slow Burn [Budayeen] (1988) short story by George Alec Effinger
More Than the Sum of His Parts (1985) short story by Joe Haldeman
Sen Yen Babbo & the Heavenly Host (1987) short story by Chet Williamson
Fire Zone Emerald (1986) novelette by Lucius Shepard
The Ghost Standard (1994) short story by William Tenn
An Office Romance (1997) short story by Terry Bisson

Off the top of my head (no google)
Playboy and the Slime God
I'm in Marsport without Hilda

I'm sure you can find more through

http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/playboy

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

On Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 11:40:56 PM UTC-5, Ted Nolan

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
The Lost City of Mars (1967) novelette by Ray Bradbury
Nine Lives (1969) novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
Deathwatch (1965) short story by Norman Spinrad
Masks (1968) short story by Damon Knight
Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The Dead Astronaut (1968) short story by J. G. Ballard
The Schematic Man (1969) short story by Frederik Pohl
Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1969) short story by

Robert Sheckley

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Transit of Earth (1971) short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Report on the Threatened City (1971) novelette by Doris Lessing
Leviathan! [Svetz] (1970) short story by Larry Niven
All the Birds Come Home to Roost (1979) short story by Harlan Ellison
The Apotheosis of Myra (1980) novelette by Walter Tevis
Frozen Journey (1980) short story by Philip K. Dick
Gianni (1982) short story by Robert Silverberg
The Word Processor (1983) short story by Stephen King
Interstellar Pigeon (1982) short story by Donald E. Westlake
Heirs of the Perisphere (1985) short story by Howard Waldrop
Earth Station Charlie (1986) short story by Billy Crystal
Slow, Slow Burn [Budayeen] (1988) short story by George Alec Effinger
More Than the Sum of His Parts (1985) short story by Joe Haldeman
Sen Yen Babbo & the Heavenly Host (1987) short story by Chet Williamson
Fire Zone Emerald (1986) novelette by Lucius Shepard
The Ghost Standard (1994) short story by William Tenn
An Office Romance (1997) short story by Terry Bisson

Off the top of my head (no google)
Playboy and the Slime God
I'm in Marsport without Hilda
I'm sure you can find more through
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/playboy

[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]

This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

[Ahasuerus]

On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
wrote:
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.

But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Yes, that was what I was looking for. Click Asimov then ctrl-f "playboy"

[Ahasuerus]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Yes, that was what I was looking for. Click Asimov then ctrl-f "playboy"

I wonder if a listing of author's works grouped by publisher would be a
good first step...

[Butch Malahide]

Post by Ahasuerus

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Yes, that was what I was looking for. Click Asimov then ctrl-f "playboy"

I wonder if a listing of author's works grouped by publisher would be a
good first step...

That would sure help. Meanwhile, do you happen to know if Asimov published
anything in Playboy?

[Ahasuerus]

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Ahasuerus

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Yes, that was what I was looking for. Click Asimov then ctrl-f "playboy"

I wonder if a listing of author's works grouped by publisher would
be a good first step...

That would sure help. Meanwhile, do you happen to know if Asimov published
anything in Playboy?

Not that I know of. You could download our publicly available database
backups
(http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/ISFDB_Downloads#Database_Backups),
review the database schema
(http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Database_Schema) and experiment
with various SQL queries, but it's probably easier to check all of our
_Playboy_ issues (http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/seriesgrid.cgi?24780)
manually.

Speaking of _Playboy_ and SF, Bill Patterson wrote in _Robert A.
Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: 1948-1988_:

"Playboy promptly rejected it [All You Zombies], the editor saying the
implied sex made him queasy." (p. 160)

"Playboy bounced _Glory Road_ as "too romantic", and Robert concluded
that *some*body was confused about their editorial policy (the same
editor had rejected "All You Zombies--" as too sexy)." (p. 229)

One wonders if perhaps Playboy objected to Asimov on moral grounds...

[Robert Carnegie]

Post by Ahasuerus

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Ahasuerus

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Yes, that was what I was looking for. Click Asimov then ctrl-f "playboy"

I wonder if a listing of author's works grouped by publisher would
be a good first step...

That would sure help. Meanwhile, do you happen to know if Asimov published
anything in Playboy?

Not that I know of. You could download our publicly available database
backups
(http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/ISFDB_Downloads#Database_Backups),
review the database schema
(http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Database_Schema) and experiment
with various SQL queries, but it's probably easier to check all of our
_Playboy_ issues (http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/seriesgrid.cgi?24780)
manually.
Speaking of _Playboy_ and SF, Bill Patterson wrote in _Robert A.
"Playboy promptly rejected it [All You Zombies], the editor saying the
implied sex made him queasy." (p. 160)
"Playboy bounced _Glory Road_ as "too romantic", and Robert concluded
that *some*body was confused about their editorial policy (the same
editor had rejected "All You Zombies--" as too sexy)." (p. 229)
One wonders if perhaps Playboy objected to Asimov on moral grounds...

It doesn't seem that Asimov objected to "Playboy".

[Titus G]

There have been rumours allegedly emanating from the Coroner's Office
declaring the sleazy pimp's death was caused by myxomatosis.

(Jealous? Me?)

[Quadibloc]

Post by Titus G
myxomatosis.

He was neither a Bunny nor a rabbit...

John Savard

[D B Davis]

Post by Ahasuerus

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Ahasuerus

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan
[snip-snip]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[Above trims the part about looking for Asimov in Playboy..]
This seems like it would be a good use case for isfdb.org, but the
story lists on the author pages there don't give the original
appearance details making it non-obvious how to do so without
clicking on every story. It seems there is plenty of room to the
right and that it would be a good thing to put the info there..

Even if it doesn't kill performance (the data retrieval logic behind
author pages is already massively complicated and highly optimized to
improve performance), I suspect that it would make author pages look
exceedingly busy.
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Yes, that was what I was looking for. Click Asimov then ctrl-f "playboy"

I wonder if a listing of author's works grouped by publisher would
be a good first step...

That would sure help. Meanwhile, do you happen to know if Asimov published
anything in Playboy?

Not that I know of. You could download our publicly available database
backups
(http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/ISFDB_Downloads#Database_Backups),
review the database schema
(http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Database_Schema) and experiment
with various SQL queries, but it's probably easier to check all of our
_Playboy_ issues (http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/seriesgrid.cgi?24780)
manually.
Speaking of _Playboy_ and SF, Bill Patterson wrote in _Robert A.
"Playboy promptly rejected it [All You Zombies], the editor saying the
implied sex made him queasy." (p. 160)
"Playboy bounced _Glory Road_ as "too romantic", and Robert concluded
that *some*body was confused about their editorial policy (the same
editor had rejected "All You Zombies--" as too sexy)." (p. 229)
One wonders if perhaps Playboy objected to Asimov on moral grounds...

A manuscript of "Stay, Oh, Fleeting Moment" (Asimov, 1963) was submitted
to _Playboy_. They rejected the manuscript in 1964.

Americana is a staple of _The Man in the High Castle_ (PKD). Perhaps
part of the allure of PKD is the manner in which he captures reality.

_Playboy_'s rejection of Asimov is Americana. The whole episode is
captured in a series of fourteen letters, which were auctioned off at
Christie's in 2003:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/asimov-isaac-fourteen-typed-letters-signed-4204791-details.aspx

Lot 149

ASIMOV, Isaac (1920-1992). Fourteen typed letters signed ("Isaac") to Murray
Fisher (7), James Goode (6) and A.C. Spectorsky (2), West Newton, Mass., 22
August 1962-15 December 1967. Together 23 pages, 4to. A very interesting
correspondence from Asimov to Playboy relating to his writing and articles
for the magazine.

Price realised USD 1,792
Estimate USD 2,000 - USD 3,000
Add to Interests

ASIMOV, Isaac (1920-1992). Fourteen typed letters signed ("Isaac")
to Murray Fisher (7), James Goode (6) and A.C. Spectorsky (2), West
Newton, Mass., 22 August 1962-15 December 1967. Together 23 pages,
4to. A very interesting correspondence from Asimov to Playboy
relating to his writing and articles for the magazine.

14 September 1964: "I must warn you, though--and there is no point
in not being completely honest--that I cannot be sure that anything
I write will 'appeal to a wide readership.'"

20 March 1963: Forwarding a 7-page typed manuscript of "Stay, Oh,
Fleeting Moment" (with several corrections in Asimov's hand): "I
have tried to write it understandably, yet accurately." With
another copy of the typescript with several corrections.

23 May 1964: Regarding the article, which Playboy editors felt did
not reach their expectations, Asimov responds to the idea of
rewriting the article: "I am not really an expert on computers or
robotics. I have written a dozen stories or so and a couple of
novels dealing with robots and computers but my practical
experience in the area is absolutely nil. I can get away with it in
fiction because I am (if I say so myself) a skillful writer... Even
if I write the article and even if I were satisfied with it, it
would have none of the Playboy cachet. None of the gay bachelor in
his pad atmosphere because I have no way of thinking in that
fashion."

18 May 1965: "I have spent considerable time gathering tales of the
stupidity of the machine..."
[With:] Related carbon correspondence to Asimov from Murray Fisher.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you,

--
Don

[Quadibloc]

Post by Butch Malahide
That would sure help. Meanwhile, do you happen to know if Asimov published
anything in Playboy?

I recall that an interview with him appeared in another magazine of that general
nature, possibly "Oui", published by the same people as Playboy.

John Savard

[Butch Malahide]

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Maybe. The "publication in which it first appeared" might not be what we're interested in; it might be an obscure non-genre publication, or in a foreign language.

What would *really* be useful would be the ability to display the (concise) table of contents of a given magazine for *a whole year* on one page, instead of having to click through issue by issue. Especially when it takes two clicks and some scrolling to get from one issue to the next. How many times have I tried to find a story that I thought was in Astoundalog, and I don't recall the author or the title, but I might recognize the title if I saw it.

[Ahasuerus]

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Ahasuerus
On Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 9:50:53 AM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan>
[snip-snip]
But let's take a step back and consider the functional requirement first.
Basically, it's to create a list of author-specific works where each
work would have the name of the publication in which it first appeared
displayed, right?

Maybe. The "publication in which it first appeared" might not be what
we're interested in; it might be an obscure non-genre publication, or
in a foreign language.
What would *really* be useful would be the ability to display the
(concise) table of contents of a given magazine for *a whole year* on
one page, instead of having to click through issue by issue. Especially
when it takes two clicks and some scrolling to get from one issue to
the next. How many times have I tried to find a story that I thought
was in Astoundalog, and I don't recall the author or the title, but I
might recognize the title if I saw it.

Hm. That's ... different. I haven't seen this requirement mentioned
before. Anyone else who would be interested in the proposed
"consolidated" view of magazine issues?

[Butch Malahide]

Post by Peter Trei
Off the top of my head (no google)
Playboy and the Slime God
I'm in Marsport without Hilda

I wasn't looking for Playboy-type stories by Asimov,
I meant stories by Asimov which were actually published
in Playboy magazine. Haven't found any yet.

Post by Peter Trei
I'm sure you can find more through
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/playboy

I checked that article before posting here, but thanks anyway.

[J. Clarke]

On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 15:34:15 -0700 (PDT), Butch Malahide

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Peter Trei
Off the top of my head (no google)
Playboy and the Slime God
I'm in Marsport without Hilda

I wasn't looking for Playboy-type stories by Asimov,
I meant stories by Asimov which were actually published
in Playboy magazine. Haven't found any yet.

Post by Peter Trei
I'm sure you can find more through
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/playboy

I checked that article before posting here, but thanks anyway.

"Eyes Do More Than See" was written for what appears to be a
competition or challenge offered by Playboy but was not selected by
them for publication.

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by Butch Malahide

Post by Peter Trei
Off the top of my head (no google)
Playboy and the Slime God
I'm in Marsport without Hilda

I wasn't looking for Playboy-type stories by Asimov,
I meant stories by Asimov which were actually published
in Playboy magazine. Haven't found any yet.

Well, mea culpa. I remember seeing authors notes mentioning
the second in relation to Playboy, and the first clearly has
some reference.

As I said, I was working off Mark I neurons here, not
electronic memory.

pt

[Quadibloc]

Post by Butch Malahide
Did Isaac Asimov publish anything in Playboy?

This article on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov_short_stories_bibliography

lists Isaac Asimov's short stories, and their place of first publication.

Now, Arthur C. Clarke published several non-fiction essays in Playboy - which later became chapters in "Profiles of the Future" - so this doesn't totally answer the question.

But the following entries show up:

Strike!
1979

The Ten-Second Electron
1984

first published in Omni (published by the same people as Penthouse)

Getting Even
No Refuge Could Save/To Spot a Spy
The Telephone Number/The Winning Number
The Men Who Wouldn't Talk/Pigeon English
A Clear Shot/Big Shot
Irresistible to Women/Call Me Irresistible
He Wasn't There/The Spy Who Was Out-of-Focus
The Thin Line/Taxicab Crackdown
...

and a pile of others, all first published in Gallery
an imitation and rival of Playboy

So I suspect that Playboy didn't consider Asimov, unlike Clarke and Bradbury, to
be in their league, so Asimov gave up on them and made money selling to their
rivals instead.

John Savard