Planet Magazine No. 27–28

Originally published as Planet Magazine No. 27–28 (September/December 2000) on the classic Planet Magazine site.

Planet Magazine

September/December-Quarters 2000 * Issues No. 27 & 28 (Vol. 7, Nos. 3 & 4)
Wild Science Fiction & Fantasy on the Web —
Price: 2 chickens or 2 eggs (whichever comes first)

Painting of a man in a long coat holding the hand of a small girl in a red dress on cracked ground, beneath a starry purple sky with a moon
Cover art by Steve Cook

Table of Contents

Editorial & Letters · About the Authors · About the Artists · About this Magazine

Fiction

Poetry

Editorial & Letters

Planet Magazine: The jacket-belt for your leisure-suit life!

FAKE MONEY FAST

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! By God, YES!!!

Are your tech stocks tanking? Your dot-coms dying? Forget all that, and blissfully reenter Internet nirvana through the mood-elevating deal that we at Planet Magazine are offering exclusively to our beloved readers. To paraphrase Mr. Terminator in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”: Come with us, if you want a great stock tip; or stay here, and be shredded to death by a bearish all-metal cyborg from a future where the economy is in a deep recession!”

With this issue, Planet Magazine proudly announces the debut of CompanyAboutNothing.com, a wholly owned subsidiary whose stock price, according to our “gut-feel” analysis, will definitely reach a price of $Infinity — that’s right, Infinity Dollars! While our prediction might be flamboyant and promissory, perhaps even reckless, to paraphrase Mr. T (no relation to Mr. Terminator) in “The A Team”: If you don’t buy this stock, you’re a fool! And I don’t mean a Motley Fool!.

In fact, as Buzz Lightyear might say: This stock will go to $Infinity, and beyond that, and then even further, and, incredibly, beyond that again!

CompanyAboutNothing.com is a company that is openly about nothing. We are pushing the “Internet niche business model” to its extreme. To those who would foolishly scoff, we point out that a similar idea worked very well for the “Seinfeld” TV show, one of the most popular TV series ever, which is now in profitable reruns (hey, did you notice that the real-life Jerry Seinfeld and his wife had a baby not long ago? We find this a good omen, auguring that the stars and the gods [not to mention The Galactic Emperor, an early investor in our idea] favor this freakin’ awesome company of ours).

And to those who question our timing in entering the “Tech sector”, we say, “Timing, Schmiming” and “Fight the Tape!” Anyway, since there’s nothing new under the sun, and you can surely put old wine in new bottles, not to mention a wolf in sheep’s clothing… then WOW! KA-ZAM-O! HOLEY MOLEY CRIPES!!! Y’know what I mean? Further, we have not seen this business model before, so, if we were you, we would buy a ton of this stock for our trading account. In fact, we order you to buy it! Look at our eyes — LOOK AT THEM! BUY THE STOCK! Anyway, this stock is guaranteed to make everyone a trillionaire!!! YEEEAHHHHH BABY!!!!

The management team of CompanyAboutNothing.com is young and tough, and quite easily drank us under the table at a local watering-hole a couple-few days ago. These guys were impressively able to get into B-school (historic Queens Community College), and have remained there till now! We expect co-CEOs Bill and Ted (we didn’t catch their last names) to graduate in 2002 with their MBA paper, assuming the recent arrests for hazing are dismissed. Our instinct tells us that these charges, which we haven’t had time to get the details on, will simply “disappear”, as if by magic. To liberally quote Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars” (wave one hand mysteriously as you read these words): These are not the hazers you’re looking for, Mr. Campus Policemen!

Did we mention that we consider this stock to be an “Ultra-Zango-Blammo Buy”? Well, anyway, we do, even if we are not an accredited investment firm. This is a new rating in the stock market that we expect the SEC Director to OK once he, or she, listens to our voice mail about it. Shares of CompanyAboutNothing.com will be sold directly to select clients, such as you, via science-fiction-oriented e-zines, such as this one.

We also will have more “humungo-rini” positive points to relate about the company, once we come up with them, which we fully expect to do, in the fullness of time.

Verbal-spreadsheet-wise, here are our forecasts for the company: $16 billion goodwill $14 billion non-cash reported net $42 EPS operating metrics also CQ1 670,000 Q/Q our 938, 576,000 cumulative network 2 trillion 447,000 Q/Q gross $401 billion loss $55 trillion estimate revenue $704 fatillion increasing $0.54.

To reiterate: $16 billion goodwill $14 billion non-cash reported net $42 EPS operating metrics also CQ1 670,000 Q/Q our 938, 576,000 cumulative network 2 trillion 447,000 Q/Q gross $401 billion loss $55 trillion estimate revenue $704 fatillion increasing $0.54.

Oh, one more thing: CompanyAboutNothing.com will acquire Microsoft, once our stock price reaches near-light-speed, as it absolutely will. We know this because that young North Korean guy who is president of Microsoft told us privately at a slammin’ fraternity party the other day/week — although, granted, the Eminem CD was cranked pretty loud and I wasn’t TOTALLY sure that’s what he said. Plus, he was “so high”, as he put it. Unfortunately the guy’s cell phone has been switched off since then, so we can’t yet confirm this rumor we’re starting — BUMMER! You still have to buy the stock, though.

It’s All Good,
Andrew G. McCann, Editor
December 2000

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Dear Editor: Just visited your site and enjoyed your haiku tremendously. They are an inspiration to SciFaiku writers. Thanks for the good “read”.
Chanadin

Dear Editor: In the past I have submitted several short stories to your magazine and you have published some of them. It’s because of people like you that I have become a successful writer. I am proud to announce the completion of my first feature-length movie, a teen action thriller, “Retribution.” More information about “Retribution” and some of my other projects can be found at http://hometown.aol.com/sharkhtr/index.html, the six dog productions homepage.
Respectfully
Steven R. Zellers

Dear Editor: Just wanted to let you know you have an outdated link to Gak-Art. The new one is:
http://www.feoamante.com/Gak/
Entrpy

Dear Editor: I would like to bring your readers’ attention to DO or DICE, a new sci-fi and fantasy store. Please visit us at http://www.DOorDICE.com.
Thank you
Simon

Dear Editor: Your magazine is cited in http://web.tiscalinet.it/lareteufo/rete254.htm,
Greetings,
Alfredo Lissoni
Italy’s National UFO Center

LETTERS TO PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS

Dear Al Gore: Yeeee-hawwww! I’m a-goin’ to the Karaoke finals! YesssssssssssssssssssssssSorry! (I fell asleep on the keyboard for a microsecond.) Y’know, most people wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about the Karaoke finals. (Hey, that reminds me of a funny story — funny as in odd, that is. Anyway, I once actually gave a rat’s ass to some guy. I handed the little ass to him, and this fellow said he didn’t know quite what to make of it. I pointed out you could make all kinds of things out of it — anything from a doll’s hat to a tiny stew to a funky finger ring to a replacement ass for an assless rat, assuming it’s still fresh! Anyway, this was all obvious, of course, but this stranger then dropped the ass and started to walk away, which I found to be quite willful. So I rectified him. I then went back to the rat and give him the ass of that willful backslider! You shoulda seen his little rat’s jaw drop as he crawled on his two remaining legs to get a closer look. “Butt”, the operation wasn’t a success, so let’s move on.). Now what’s interesting is that I actually don’t sing when I do Karaoke, I lip-sync! And for a special treat, I sometimes sing the orchestra part, rather than the words. Did you know that “Karaoke” is a Japanese word that means, literally, “with okra”? That’s because the original Karaoke singers were quite poor and would use a piece of okra as a microphone.
Thanks for Your Time(s),
Mike Roefone

Dear Dick Cheney: Why are good-looking teenagers like me so stupid? For example, me and my friends saw a haunted house and dared each other to explore it at midnight with our gorgeous girlfriends, who, like us, are essentially brainectomized. Even though a sign at the front door said “Caution: House is actually a giant meat thresher”, and even though we could hear the crazily whirring kshnik-kshnik-kshnik of the blades on the other side of the front door, we walked right in anyway! BTW, I’m writing to you, fully reconstituted from the thresher experience, from inside my tiny but handsomely wrought glass cell-cube, which is suspended inside a beautifully filmed void inside the mind of a serial killer, who actually is the aforementioned house, but transmogrified, or something like that. Anyway, I can see Jennifer Lopez’s character in her damn-sexy glass cube about a hundred feet away, although distances are hard to gauge in this lovely space we’re floating in. There! She just waved! Hmm, I wonder if her character is single? Better fire up the old sign-language skills!
Cheers,
Q. B. Dweller

Dear Hillary Rodham Clinton: Hey, how come you put in Letters to The Power Rangers in the last issue of Planet? The Rangers are like, so, 1990s! How could you not know that? It’s almost like you did it on purpose because you get some sort of sick satisfaction out of being annoying? Wait a sec…. I think I understand now.
All Hail Zordon,
Ed Smorfintime

Dear Monica: I’d like to announce the launch of a new, much-needed function for every community: The Proactive Emergency Medical Service. What my company offers is this: We will come to your town, set up a fleet of ambulances, and drive around town, running down people, picking up their (sometimes lifeless) bodies, and zipping them over ASAP to the nearest hospital emergency room. What this does is force the accidents that would likely happen anyway, and, as a side benefit, drain away some of the local negative karma, and thus actually save some people from ever being involved in accidents at all! We charge only a small fee to each Necessary Victim on a cash-only basis (if incapcitated, we will gladly go through your wallet or purse). We like to think of PEMS as a way to efficientize and happenstrate the Traffic Accident Process; in other words, we cut to the chase — and believe me, there IS a chase whenever the local gendarmes spot one of our distinctive unmarked Ford Taurus ambulances!
Gotta Run,
Axel Bender
President, PEMS

Dear Alec Baldwin: It was a hardfought electoral race, a close one, but it’s now time to unify and march together as one. Therefore, I now concede the election to Mr. Ralph Nader, our new President of Mars!
Noah Voht
Citizen of Mars

Dear Oliver Stone: I found a previously unknown slot on my body that accommodates my Palm V perfectly! I now can hotsync all of my data directly to my brain! This will go great with my new iMac SEX VD!
Beamingly,
Palme U. Zerr

Dear Martin Sheen: I just want to let readers know that Microsoft is looking for beta-testers for its new reality user inteface, or RUI (pronounced “Rue-eee”), which will enhance your living experience by adding a menu bar, recycle bin, quick-finger combinations, among other features, to your normal subjective experience of life. Just sign up at the Microsoft site — it only requires a quick visual download; however, please note that RUI will overwrite your DNA, so don’t forget to do a bio-backup first! (Since all betas can have undiscovered bugs with unknown effects, we recommend that all testers never try to have children for the rest of their days, even if they do a bio-restore.)
Thanks,
Coe de Jahkee

Dear Editor: I’m writing this letter to you while sitting here, gazing out the window of this flying fortress at the city far below — it looks just like a vast stretch of pitted concrete, the people like ants. Wait a minute! Those ARE ants! Ahh, looking out further, I see the reason for my confusion. We are still on the runway at JFK, becalmed, as it were by control-tower delays, no doubt. I shall unlatch my seat belt and head for the pilot’s quarters, that I may have a word with him. No need for anyone to become concerned, though, this is not Air Rage but a simple case of Air Peeve.
Airily,
Lang O. Lear

About the Authors

Gregory G. Barton (“The Bargain”) is a residential architect and writer. His stories have appeared in The Bridge, Shadow, Gotta Write Network, Twilight World, Mind’s Eye Fiction, The Royal Scribe, Twilight Times, Of Ages Past, and The Belletrist Review. He currently resides with his wife and two boys in Lafayette, California.

Adam Browne (“Ad Nauseam”) lives in Melbourne. He’s studied physiology, filmmaking, short-story writing, and editing. He’s had some stories published in Australia and won some literary awards. He also writes films — one called “Arcanum” should be in production in 2001. And that’s about it.

Warren Cook (“Business with Pappy Joe”) lives in a small Canadian town with his wife and two-year-old daughter and a dog and even a cat. He writes when he can, and that is never enough. Warren wishes there was more to say, but he is a simple-living man leading a simple life. There is nothing particularly special about him, rather than that which makes everyone special: his Individuality… Ya, corny, he knows.

Ray Dangel (“Luna Lost to Lust”) is a Colorado writer. He has been to the Moon seven times.

S.E. Eggleston (“A Shift of Power”) is not too far off the author’s real name of Samuel Edward Eggleston. He is currently a sports writer for the Escanaba Daily Press http://www.dailypree.net/. Sam is engaged to the most beautiful women in the world, Christie Plourde, and absolutely cannot wait until he gets hitched on June 15, 2001. He is 20 years old and a 1998 graduate of Mid Peninsula high school. He attended Northern Michigan University for two years before moving to Escanaba to work in news. Sam decided to become a writer because he has so many stories floating around in his head that he can either write them on paper or simply go insane.

Anthony R. Elmore (“Helloo Ms. Anderson-Lee”) believes the unexplainable compulsion to write is perhaps similar to the compulsion that makes pyromaniacs start fires. They both start with paper and some combustible materials. Anthony lives in Tampa with a pretty girlfriend, a fluffy cat, and three guinea pigs. He codes mail for the post office until a machine is built to replace him. Currently, the inventors of this device are perfecting the “taking long breaks” and “five minutes late” functions of the apparatus. Anthony lived in Prague for some time and lounged in Boho excesses until he got bored and became a real writer. He’s been at it for a year now, and links to his works are at his home page: http://www.geocities.com/unnatural_preserve/worksamples.html.

Michael Liska (“Memoirs of the Modern Prometheus”) has had fiction and poetry published in “The Anthologist” and “SPiA”, and has recently been included on an audio CD of Rutgers Poets reading their own material, which is available for free on mp3.com (www.mp3.com/RutgersPoets). He recently graduated from Rutgers College with honors in philosophy, which means (he thinks) that he is fully qualified to be nothing else but a science fiction writer or a street prophet. Michael lives in and writes from the poisoned swamp known as New Jersey, where he is hard at work on a novel titled “Taking a Ride on the Monkey Truck”, which he is quite sure no one will ever want to read. He has also never been mentioned in “The New York Times”, but if he were he is sure they would have only nice things to say about him.

Andrew G. McCann (Editor) is an Ideal Editor-Form living outside of the Time Continuum. Hence, deadlines cannot logically be applied to him/it. <editor@planetmag.com>

Andy Miller (“Is the Value of SF”) was born not far from the shore of Lake Erie. Spent most of his childhood growing up. Artist, writer, poet… he contributes to such magazines as The Martian Wave, Electric Wine, and… Planet Magazine!

Richard W. Novy (“The Neanderthal Swan Song”) works as a device engineer for a top-ten semiconductor company. When he’s not trying to figure out why microchips don’t work, he composes, plays clarinet, and fixes the things his children break. Richard is a published non-fiction writer, and “Neanderthal Swan Song” is his first published fictional work.

Hathno Paige (nothing in this issue) waters his garden in the raw, living in constant fear that the sun will burn his hose. <unwired>

Derek Robinson (“Mundane Ripples”) spends his days doing computer work for Lockheed-Martin in Valley Forge, PA, and tried to write in what little time he has in the evening. He is also working on his Masters in Computer Science. Derek is relatively new to writing and has had some work published in Aphelion, Quantum Muse, and Dark Moon Rising.

Barbara Spring (“Bonesounds”) has written a nonfiction book on the Great Lakes, so far unpublished, and has been invited to give a paper on the Great Lakes at a Conference in Duluth this September: “The Bonds Between Women and Water”. Barbara has taught Writing and Liberal Studies at Grand Valley State University. In August, she traveled to South Africa and Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls. She is also a travel writer and journalist.

Bruce Threatt (“Laugh Light”) doesn’t really have a bio. He is an engineer, according to his W-2 form, but he has enjoyed writing poetry of a very baroque and strange nature since he was a teenager. (That was a long time ago, it seems.) Bruce currently is working on his first book, called “The Circle Of Three”. It’s a sword-and-sorcery fantasy about three friends and an Orc. That’s about all he has at the moment. Damn Muses. Sorry.

Thomas Wagner (Keeper of Lore) communicates with Planet Magazine by telegraph from his ivory tower, where he is master of nothing he surveys.

Chris Wills (“The Catch”) is a self-employed private investigator with a background in law enforcement and the military. He served in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army. Chris lives in the high country of Colorado, and when not working or writing, he is fishing for trout in his back yard.

Planet Magazine: We put the “ff” in recaffeinated decaf.

About the Artists

Steve Cook (Cover Art, “Business with Pappy Joe”) has been involved in the arts for more than 15 years. A brief stint at art school persuaded him to change directions, and he is now a curator of Native American art at a museum on the East Coast, where he lives with his wife, two-year-old son and two cats. He has recently re-entered the fine-arts world and is currently involved in bulding an illustration portfolio. His work has been seen in numerous online fantasy and science fiction zines.

Sam Crowe (“Ad Nauseam”, “Bonesounds”, “Ode to a Venusian Lover”) has been creating digital artwork for over 10 years, starting with the Commodore 64 through the Amiga to the Mac and now to the PC. He has a bachelor of fine arts degree with concentrations in illustration and graphic design. He is also working a lot with 3-D, doing low polygon models for game MODS. Sam tries to read as much as he can about art and art techniques, as he believes “art” is a life-long learning process and is not something you stop learning once you finish school. He enjoys working with online magazines and not-for-profit organizations, as it’s the best way to gain experience and learn a whole lot, while being your own boss. Some of Sam’s favorite artists include: J.S.Sargent, Tissot, Rembrandt, and many of today’s Digital artists. When Sam is working on an illustration for a story, he tries to complete an illustration that will complement the story in some fashion, either by illustrating a scene from the story, or by creating an illustration that will grab the readers’ eye and make them say “Oh, neat, I wonder what that story is about?” Some of the tools Sam uses are Photoshop and Painter for painting, and also a Wacom tablet. Using a mouse is a lot like trying to paint with a brick, and believe him when he says he’s paid his dues trying to use a mouse to create what he wanted. It can be done, but for Sam, it’s more natural to use a tablet. He also does front-end design for websites when he gets the time. Sam is usually doing more than one project at a time, which is good as he’s usually up until late morning working on things or doing research. Website: http://www.pennygraphics.com/samdragon

Romeo Esparrago (“Memoirs of the Modern Prometheus” and “Is the Value of Science Fiction”) will be soon be departing with the traveling aliens of X-Files, Close Encounters, and the Abyss to see if they can help bring the Voyager back home from the Delta Quadrant. Be on the lookout this year for additions and announcements on his website at <www.romedome.com>

g.k. Senthil Kumar (Artist for “The Bargain”) is from India, where just about everything commands an artistic representation. He is currently working with Communication Design Group (Infosys Technologies LTD), a software company, as a senior creative designer.Homepage: http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/parklands/153/index.htm

Patrick Stacy (“The Catch”, “Hellooo Ms. Anderson-Lee”, “The Neanderthal Swan Song”, and “A Shift of Power”) hails from Germany, and like many before, started young. His main emphasis in childhood was comics and he soon became an excellent tracer. Never content, the challenge was then to illustrate freehand; now that would be talent. Early influences are still inspirational today, such as the legendary Frazetta, Vallejo, and Parrish. Classical influences were Rubens and Caravaggio. The goal of course is, with any luck, to break into the book cover and magazine markets. As mentioned earlier about never being content, currently in the process of learning to create webpages through HTML and Photoshop. In the process of updating website to include upgrades as well as new illustrations. Winner of the L.Ron Hubbard’s Illustrators of the Future contest in 1996 as well as two illustrations within the volume. Website: http://members.xoom.com/pstacyart

Honesty is the best policy — aside from Northern Galactic Spiral Arm Mutual’s term life insurance!

About this Magazine (Masthead)

“You can’t spell ‘Planet Magazine’ without L-A-T-E”

Planet Magazine, Vol. 7, Nos. 3 & 4 (the 27 & 28th issues, combined)

Home Site: http://www.planetmag.com

Mirror Site: http://www.etext.org/Zines/planet

Chief Wizard
Andrew G. McCann
editor@planetmag.com

Seer of Visions
Romeo Esparrago

Master of Runes
Ray Dangel

Keeper of Lore
Tom Wagner

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS PLANET MAGAZINE?
Planet Magazine is the free, award-winning quarterly Web-zine of short science fiction and fantasy by emerging writers and artists, whom we hope to encourage in their pursuit of the perfect tale or illustration. There could be other reasons we’re doing this, of course, motivations that are obscure and uncomfortable; instincts linked perhaps to primal, nonreasoning urges regarding power and procreation — the very same forces, no doubt, that sank the Atlanteans and their alabaster-towered oceanic empire. And the Dark Gods laffed.

Planet is available electronically via the World Wide Web (see the clickable links at the top of this page) and from various online services, such as America Online, CompuServe, and Tin-Foil-Hat Receptron. Total circulation is “thousands” per issue worldwide. Feel free to download this zine or make a single printout, as long as you don’t charge for it or alter it in any way. That would be not only illegal but also “not nice.” Submissions are welcomed (see below). Planet does not carry advertising or offer a subscription service, but issues are always available at our Web site. Letters to the editor are also welcome and are likely to be printed.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY & WRITER GUIDELINES
Planet accepts original, unpublished short science fiction and fantasy stories and poems, as well as digital art, from anyone famous or unfamous (use the lengths in any recent issue as a guideline). We are open to the experimental but will not publish anything we judge to be porno, gore, or in violation (as far as we are able to tell) of any copyrights (such as stories that use Babylon 5 characters). Since Planet is free and carries no ads, we can’t pay anything except the spirit-sustaining currency of free publicity and life-enhancing good vibes.

* E-mail text submissions as plain, unformatted files (either as an e-mail attachment or, if short enough, in the body of the e-mail message) to editor@planetmag.com. One submission at a time, please.

* E-mail illustration submissions separately as e-mail attachments, but Stuff or Zip them first. Alternatively, you could send the URL for an image, and we can go look at it. Images should be 256-color, 16-color, 16-gray, or B&W GIFs or JPEGs only. Send any questions about illustrations to .

DISTRIBUTION SITES
Planet Magazine is now distributed only in Web (HTML) format, which can be read best with any version 3.0 Web browser or above, such as Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Opera (currently PC only), NeoPlanet (PC only), or iCab (Mac only; mirror site). Earlier issues of Planet are also available at our Web site in four other electronic formats: TEXT-ONLY (for any PC or Mac word-processing program), ACROBAT .PDF (a full-color version for PC or Mac using the free Acrobat Reader), DOCMAKER (a full-color, self-running file with sounds for Mac only), and PALMPILOT .PRC (a text version that requires a PalmPilot PDA and a DOC reader like the freeware AportisDOC). The main place to find Planet is on the Web, either at our home page http://www.planetmag.com or our mirror site http://www.etext.org/Zines/planet.

COPYRIGHTS, DISCLAIMERS
Planet Magazine as a whole, including all text, design, and illustrations, is copyright © 2000-2001 by Andrew G. McCann. However, all individual stories and poems in this magazine are copyright © 2000-2001 by their respective authors or artists, who have granted Planet Magazine the right to use these works for this issue in both electronic form and any resulting print-outs by readers for noncommercial, individual use. All people and events portrayed in this magazine are entirely fictitious and bear no resemblance to actual people or events. This publication, along with every past issue of Planet Magazine, is registered with the Copyright Office of the U.S. Library of Congress. Since our first issue, dated January 1994, Planet Magazine has been freely available via the Internet and has consistently used the names “Planet Magazine”, “PlanetZine”, “PlanetMag,” and “McCann’s Planet Magazine” to refer to itself. You may freely distribute this magazine electronically on a noncommercial, nonprofit basis to anyone and print one copy for your personal use, but you may not alter or excerpt Planet in any way without direct, written permission from the publisher, who can be contacted at editor@planetmag.com. Any unauthorized access, reproduction, or transmission of Planet Magazine, in whole or part, is strictly prohibited by U.S. federal law and international copyright law. Planet Magazine is published by Cranberry Street Press, Brooklyn, N.Y., USA, Andrew G. McCann, publisher.

COLOPHON
These Web pages were cobbled together by someone whose initials are A.M. Some of the artwork was designed and created by Romeo A. Esparrago, Jr., using Adobe GoLive 4.0 and ImageStyler. The text is Arial/Helvetica/Geneva; the logotypes are Arquitectura. Illustrations were done in Painter 4. Equipment used: an iMac DV, an Apple PowerMac 6400, a Wacom ArtZ tablet, and a MicroTek ScanMaker IISP. Please visit the guest artists’ Web pages to learn about the tools they used for their illustrations. This issue of Planet is sponsored by The Friendly Race of Giant Yellow Lizards Who Would Like to Visit Earth Soon.

Planet Magazine ISSN: 1526-1840