All posts by Keith Braithwaite
February Club Meeting, Closing Post
4) THANK YOU
We thank for their contributions to this afternoon’s programming Josée Bellemare, Danny Sichel, Cathy Palmer-Lister, and Keith Braithwaite, as well as all of our contributing participants. And, of course, we thank all of you who joined us on ZOOM; don’t forget to comment on today’s get-together.
5) NEXT MONTH’S CLUB MEETING
MonSFFA meets again on Saturday, March 10, from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. Details will be forthcoming; check in with us at www.MonSFFA.ca for updates, the next issue of our club news bulleting, Impulse, and for additional content.
See you next month!
6) SIGN-OFF
Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone; until next we gather, keep well and safe!
February Club Meeting, Opening Post
1) INTRODUCTION
Welcome to MonSFFA’s February 2024 meeting! This afternoon’s proceedings are soon to get underway. Our Lachine Legion meeting hall booking for this month remains unconfirmed at this time, unfortunately, so we will be getting together exclusively on ZOOM, today! See the instructions, below (at the end of this post), to join us online and participate.
Our programming agenda begins at 1:00PM; the meeting will conclude at 5:00PM. This opening post has gone up about an hour in advance of the meeting’s start time to allow folk to gather online at their leisure. A second, concluding post will go up at 5:00PM to officially thank today’s presenters/discussion moderators, and to publish the date of our next meeting, which we expect will return us to our hybrid model of live-and-in-person and virtual.
THEME: We’ve chosen to attach a Mardi Gras theme to this month’s meeting! Mardi Gras celebrations are now ongoing in New Orleans, and conclude on February 13. SF/F cosplayers can certainly appreciate, and perhaps derive inspiration from the colourful, exquisite costumes of Carnival!
2) THIS AFTERNOON’S AGENDA
Today’s programming agenda is as follows:
Please note that, while we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda. Please also note that all programming is subject to change!
1:00PM
COLOURFUL, CRAZY MARDI GRAS!—As our meeting theme this month is Mardi Gras, we’ll offer a quick primer on the celebrations, focusing on the colourful, exquisite costuming and decorative flair of New Orleans’ famous Carnival. SF/F cosplayers may well find inspiration here, for everything from a fantasy Masquerade gown to a new Batman villain!
1:30PM
WORST MONSTERS!—We’ll discuss and debate which are the genre’s worst monsters! From the giants of Kaiju to those slimy, slobbering horrors from outer space, from the creations of mad science to the supernatural demons of the underworld, which do you believe are the most frightening, the most feared, and those to be avoided at all costs? In other words, which are the worst monsters? But we’re asking, too, which are the most laughably ridiculous, B-movie examples brought to the screen by cheap, poor-quality special effects? In every sense of the word “worst,” which do you rate as the genre’s worst monsters?
2:30PM
SCI-FI’S LOVABLE ROGUES, AND WHY WE LOVE THEM!—We ask who are the Han Solos of the genre, and why are they so damned compelling, interesting, and appealing, often more so than the ostensible hero of the piece? Are we naturally drawn to the bad boy, or girl, and if so, why?
3:30PM
BREAK!—We’ll take a quick break for refreshments at this point, hold our raffle, then immediately following, dive into a brainstorming session on programming ideas for future meetings.
4:00PM
PROGRAMMING IDEAS!—We’ll be polling MonSFFA’s membership for programming ideas; we want to hear from you, the members of this club, as to the kinds of topics you’d like to see on future meeting agendas! Your suggestions are encouraged and welcome!
Club members have received via e-mail the pertinent information needed in order to join in the conversation on ZOOM. Those details are also posted right here!
3) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON’S VIDEO-CHAT ZOOM!
To join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours, simply click here and follow the prompts: This Afternoon’s MonSFFA e-Meeting on ZOOM
If you’re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here: Call-In Numbers
Also, have this information on hand as you may be asked to enter it:
Meeting ID: 811 1208 8455
Passcode: 153624
Sci-fi fun begins at 1:00PM! Thanks for joining us today, and enjoy the meeting!
FEBRUARY CLUB MEETING IS TOMORROW ON ZOOM!
The club’s next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, February 10! We’ll be meeting exclusively on ZOOM from 1:00PM-5:00PM!
THEME: We’ve chosen to attach a Mardi Gras theme to this month’s meeting! Mardi Gras celebrations are now ongoing in New Orleans, and conclude on February 13. SF/F cosplayers can certainly appreciate, and perhaps derive inspiration from the colourful, exquisite costumes of Carnival!
ATTENTION! IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please note that, regrettably, we were unable to secure confirmation of our requested booking of the Lachine Legion’s meeting hall sufficiently in advance of our selected meeting date this month.
Rather than cancel the meeting outright, we have opted to instead hold our get-together entirely on ZOOM! The meeting will proceed as intended, but only online, as a video-chat on ZOOM.
So then, we will not be gathering, this month, in our usual physical meeting hall in Lachine. We will be getting together on ZOOM! 
OUR AGENDA INCLUDES:
COLOURFUL, CRAZY MARDI GRAS!—As our meeting theme this month is Mardi Gras, we’ll offer a quick primer on the celebrations, focusing on the colourful, exquisite costuming and decorative flair of New Orleans’ famous Carnival. SF/F cosplayers may well find inspiration here, for everything from a fantasy Masquerade gown to a new Batman villain!
WORST MONSTERS!—We’ll discuss and debate which are the genre’s worst monsters! From the giants of Kaiju to those slimy, slobbering horrors from outer space, from the creations of mad science to the supernatural demons of the underworld, which do you believe are the most frightening, the most feared, and those to be avoided at all costs? In other words, which are the worst monsters? But we’re asking, too, which are the most laughably ridiculous, B-movie examples brought to the screen by cheap, poor-quality special effects? In every sense of the word “worst,” which do you rate as the genre’s worst monsters?
SCI-FI’S LOVABLE ROGUES, AND WHY WE LOVE THEM!—We ask who are the Han Solos of the genre, and why are they so damned compelling, interesting, and appealing, often more so than the ostensible hero of the piece? Are we naturally drawn to the bad boy, or girl, and if so, why?
PROGRAMMING IDEAS!—We’ll be polling MonSFFA’s membership for programming ideas; we want to hear from you, the members of this club, as to the kinds of topics you’d like to see on future meeting agendas! Your suggestions are encouraged and welcome!
So join us on ZOOM tomorrow, February 10. The meeting starts at 1:00PM, but our ZOOM-chat will be open a little in advance for those who wish to log on early.
Club members have received via e-mail the pertinent information needed in order to join in the conversation. Those details will also be posted on our Website (www.MonSFFA.ca) at noon tomorrow, well in advance of our 1:00PM official start-time.
We hope to see you all online tomorrow afternoon, February 10!
ONLY THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL NEXT CLUB MEETING ON ZOOM!
The club’s next meeting is scheduled for this Saturday, February 10, on ZOOM from 1:00PM-5:00PM!
THEME: We’ve chosen to attach a Mardi Gras theme to this month’s meeting! Mardi Gras celebrations are now ongoing in New Orleans, and conclude on February 13. SF/F cosplayers can certainly appreciate, and perhaps derive inspiration from the colourful, exquisite costumes of Carnival!
ATTENTION! IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please note that, regrettably, we were unable to secure confirmation of our requested booking of the Lachine Legion’s meeting hall sufficiently in advance of our selected meeting date this month.
Rather than cancel the meeting outright, we have opted to instead hold our get-together entirely on ZOOM! The meeting will proceed as intended, but only online, as a video-chat on ZOOM.
So then, we will not be gathering, this month, in our usual physical meeting hall in Lachine. We will be getting together on ZOOM!
OUR AGENDA INCLUDES:
COLOURFUL, CRAZY MARDI GRAS!—As our meeting theme this month is Mardi Gras, we’ll offer a quick primer on the celebrations, focusing on the colourful, exquisite costuming and decorative flair of New Orleans’ famous Carnival. SF/F cosplayers may well find inspiration here, for everything from a fantasy Masquerade gown to a new Batman villain!
WORST MONSTERS!—We’ll discuss and debate which are the genre’s worst monsters! From the giants of Kaiju to those slimy, slobbering horrors from outer space, from the creations of mad science to the supernatural demons of the underworld, which do you believe are the most frightening, the most feared, and those to be avoided at all costs? In other words, which are the worst monsters? But we’re asking, too, which are the most laughably ridiculous, B-movie examples brought to the screen by cheap, poor-quality special effects? In every sense of the word “worst,” which do you rate as the genre’s worst monsters?
SCI-FI’S LOVABLE ROGUES, AND WHY WE LOVE THEM!—We ask who are the Han Solos of the genre, and why are they so damned compelling, interesting, and appealing, often more so than the ostensible hero of the piece? Are we naturally drawn to the bad boy, or girl, and if so, why?
PROGRAMMING IDEAS!—We’ll be polling MonSFFA’s membership for programming ideas; we want to hear from you, the members of this club, as to the kinds of topics you’d like to see on future meeting agendas! Your suggestions are encouraged and welcome!
So join us on ZOOM this Saturday, February 10. The meeting starts at 1:00PM, but our ZOOM-chat will be open a little in advance for those who wish to log on early.
Club members have received via e-mail the pertinent information needed in order to join in the conversation. Those details will also be posted on our Website (www.MonSFFA.ca) at noon on the 10th, well in advance of our 1:00PM official start-time.
We hope to see you all online this Saturday, February 10!
Next Club Meeting is Set For This Saturday, February 10, on ZOOM!
The club’s next meeting is scheduled for this Saturday, February 10!
ATTENTION! IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Regrettably, we were unable to secure confirmation of our requested booking of the Lachine Legion’s meeting hall sufficiently in advance of our selected meeting date this month.
Rather than cancel the meeting outright, we have opted to instead hold our get-together entirely on ZOOM! The meeting will proceed as intended, but only online, as a video-chat on ZOOM.
So take note, we will not be gathering, this month, in our usual physical meeting hall in Lachine. We will be getting together on ZOOM!
THEME: We’ve chosen to attach a Mardi Gras theme to this month’s meeting! Mardi Gras celebrations are now ongoing in New Orleans, and conclude on February 13. SF/F cosplayers can certainly appreciate, and perhaps derive inspiration from the colourful, exquisite costumes of Carnival!
OUR AGENDA INCLUDES:
COLOURFUL, CRAZY MARDI GRAS!—As our meeting theme this month is Mardi Gras, we’ll offer a quick primer on the celebrations, focusing on the colourful, exquisite costuming and decorative flair of New Orleans’ famous Carnival. SF/F cosplayers may well find inspiration here, for everything from a fantasy Masquerade gown to a new Batman villain!
WORST MONSTERS!—We’ll discuss and debate which are the genre’s worst monsters! From the giants of Kaiju to those slimy, slobbering horrors from outer space, from the creations of mad science to the supernatural demons of the underworld, which do you believe are the most frightening, the most feared, and those to be avoided at all costs? In other words, which are the worst monsters? But we’re asking, too, which are the most laughably ridiculous, B-movie examples brought to the screen by cheap, poor-quality special effects? In every sense of the word “worst,” which do you rate as the genre’s worst monsters?
SCI-FI’S LOVABLE ROGUES, AND WHY WE LOVE THEM!—We ask who are the Han Solos of the genre, and why are they so damned compelling, interesting, and appealing, often more so than the ostensible hero of the piece? Are we naturally drawn to the bad boy, or girl, and if so, why?
PROGRAMMING IDEAS!—We’ll be polling MonSFFA’s membership for programming ideas; we want to hear from you, the members of this club, as to the kinds of topics you’d like to see on future meeting agendas! Your suggestions are encouraged and welcome!
So join us on ZOOM this Saturday, February 10. The meeting starts at 1:00PM, but our ZOOM-chat will be open a little in advance for those who wish to log on early.
Club members have received via e-mail the pertinent information needed in order to join in the conversation. Those details will also be posted on our Website (www.MonSFFA.ca) at noon on the 10th, well in advance of our 1:00PM official start-time.
We hope to see you all online this Saturday, February 10!
February 2024 Impulse Now Available!
The February 2024 issue of Impulse is now available!
To view or download this latest issue of Impulse, click here: February2024IMPULSE
Impulse is the monthly new bulletin of the Montreal Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (MonSFFA). The electronic version is available on this Website, and past issues are archived, here, as well (see Impulse page). Print copies are available at the club’s in-person meetings, and are distributed by postal mail upon request.
Club’s Website Disrupted!
Regrettably, MonSFFA’s Website began experiencing numerous intermittent disruptions on the very day of our January 2024 meeting, Saturday, the 13th!
The site went down for much of that morning, preventing us from posting material related to our meeting, as is our custom. Only one post was put up before the site went down for a good stretch, effectively disrupting the online part of the meeting. Fortunately, we were still able to live-stream proceedings on ZOOM for our online participants.
Note that we have posted, below, some of the links and information on solar eclipses that our two guest speakers had on hand at the meeting, including this map of the Montreal area showing the path of the solar eclipse expected on April 8 of this year—scroll down for more related information.
As for the Website disruptions, we initially speculated that the problem might be connected to local power failures, or the far-reaching winter storm blanketing Ontario, Quebec, and the Eastern U.S. that day. But the disruptions have continued since, and the issue has not yet been resolved.
If you are reading this, obviously the site is up and running, but we caution that it may well go down again at any moment! If it does, try again in 20 minutes.
In the meantime, we have contacted the appropriate technical support services to report the problem so that a remedy may be found and implemented as soon as possible. We eagerly await word, and a return to normal functionality!
Astronomy specialists David Shuman and Paul Simard guested at our January meeting, presenting their documentary short, “Shadowchasers.” If you missed the meeting, find the film here:
Here are links to other resources that our guests recommended. Astronomy sites will be updating as the April solar eclipse date draws near.
https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-simulator/2024/1504?elevation=47
Safe, approved solar-eclipse viewing glasses may be purchased at these sites:
EclipseGlasses:
https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-stock
Daystar:
https://www.daystarfilters.com/glasses/Glasses.shtml
Rainbow Symphony:
https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-safe-solar-viewers
Here, also, is a NASA link showing how to build a safe pinhole viewer:
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/
Eclipse glasses may also be found at astronomy stores in our region:
LA MAISON D’ASTRONOMIE (Montréal)
ASTRONOMY PLUS (Longueuil)
DAVID ASTRO (Boucherville)
January 2024 MonSFFA Meeting, Post 1 of 5, 12:30PM; Introduction
1) INTRODUCTION
We’ll open 2024’s programming on the topic of the upcoming solar eclipse in April!
Welcome to both those present here in our meeting hall, and those participating from home via ZOOM!
If all has gone well, our ZOOM participants are now viewing a live-stream of MonSFFA’s January 2024 Meeting. As previously stated, it is our aim to live-stream all or most club meetings, thereby creating hybrid events in which participation may take place both in-person and virtually.
This afternoon’s proceedings are shortly to get underway. Those of you joining us online may follow along, and participate, by way of our ZOOM-chat.
This is our first meeting of the New Year and we’re kicking off with not one, but two special guest speakers, the RASC’s David Shuman and Paul Simard, who will provide their expertise on solar eclipses, and tell of their many adventures “chasing shadows.” As an added bonus, they’ll host a screening of their documentary short, “Shadowchasers”!
We will also hold our AGM and Executive-Committee Elections this afternoon. And, we’ll continue where we left off in November with Part II of our presentation on Air Shows and Aviation Museums, tapping into the aviation industry, which often inspired early SF and made aviation fans, too, of many sci-fi devotees!
Today’s programming agenda will begin at 1:00PM (next post); those online are invited to connect via ZOOM now…
2) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON’S VIDEO-CHAT ZOOM!
To join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours, simply click here and follow the prompts: This Afternoon’s MonSFFA e-Meeting on ZOOM
If you’re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here: Call-In Numbers
Also, have this information on hand as you may be asked to enter it:
Meeting ID: 838 2459 4309
Passcode: 761217
3) TODAY’S AGENDA
1:00PM: Guest Speakers David Shuman and Paul Simard on the Upcoming Solar Eclipse, plus a Screening of their Documentary Short, “Shadowchasers”
3:00PM: Break; AGM and Club Elections
3:30PM: Air Shows and Aviation Museums, Continued
4:45PM: Wrap-Up, Sign-Off, and Clean-Up
Please note that, while we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda. Please also note that all programming is subject to change!
Upcoming Solar Eclipse Main Topic of Club Meeting This Afternoon!
On April 8, 2024, weather permitting, Montreal will witness one of the most exciting events on the astronomical calendar—a total solar eclipse!
We open 2024’s programming joined by two special guest speakers, plus a screening of their documentary short, “Shadowchasers”!
MonSFFA has invited astronomy enthusiasts David Shuman and Paul Simard to speak on the upcoming eclipse, and of their many adventures chasing shadows. Safety when viewing a solar eclipse will be covered, and David and Paul will screen their 2017 documentary short “Shadowchasers: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse,” which was presented at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s 2019 AGM.
David, a graphic designer by trade, is an avid amateur astronomer and photographer, and has been a long-standing member and board member of the RASC’s Montreal chapter. His fascination with, and extensive knowledge of spaceflight and launch vehicles has seen him travel several times to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch of unmanned spacecraft. He has held NASA press credentials and in 1994, photographed the Space Shuttle. In 2001, he visited the Keck, Gemini, and Subaru telescopes in Hawaii.
Paul, who has been passionate about astronomy for some 30 years, has also developed an interest in video-editing over more than a decade. Combining these two specialties, he seeks to educate and help people appreciate the night sky, and universe in which we all live.
David and Paul have teamed up on numerous passion projects, like a 3-D photographic tour of Mars and their “Shadowchasers” film. They have given talks and film presentations at the North East Astronomy Forum (NEAF), Montreal’s own ConCept sci-fi convention, and at MonSFFA.
We are thrilled to have them back on the subject of the April eclipse.
We will also hold MonSFFA’s AGM and Executive-Committee Elections, and continue with our PowerPoint presentation on air shows and aviation museums, aviation often having inspired early SF, making of many sci-fi fans devotees, too, of aviation!
DIRECTIONS TO THE LACHINE LEGION BRANCH
Easily accessible via public transit, the Lachine Legion is located at 3015 Rue Henri-Dunant, between Provost and St-Antoine, just east of 32nd Avenue (see map).
The 191 bus, among others, stops on 32nd Avenue, near the Legion. Those travelling from Montreal, for example, can board the 191 at the Lionel Groulx Metro Station; the ride to 32nd Avenue takes about 35 minutes. From neighbourhoods west of Lachine, the 191, as well as the 195, depart from Terminus Dorval and take roughly 25 minutes to reach 32nd. Consult the STM (www.stm.info/en) for best bus routes.
Those travelling by car may exit from Autoroute 20, whether eastbound or westbound, at 32nd Avenue (Exit 60). Drivers may also access 32nd from Autoroute 13. It’s a short couple blocks drive south on 32nd to the intersection with Provost. Turn east onto Provost, then promptly south onto 31st Avenue, which lets out onto Henri-Dunant. Turn east again and find the Legion Hall about 50 metres from the intersection on the south side of the street.
The Legion maintains a parking lot adjacent the building; there is no charge to park one’s vehicle. Free parking is also available on Henri-Dunant.