New Mars Forums
You are not logged in.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Announcement
#26 2002-05-10 03:08:01
- Shaun Barrett
- Member
- From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia
- Registered: 2001-12-28
- Posts: 2,843
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
Thanks Josh! And thank you Adrian for giving us all the opportunity to contribute.
Wouldn't it be a feather in the Mars Society's cap if we won?!! And the publicity for our cause would be great.
I'm sure we've all got our fingers and toes crossed!
Go New Mars!!!
The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down. - Rita Rudner
Offline
#27 2002-05-10 11:34:42
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
Our haiku got second place! Even though there wasn't even suppoed to be a second place prize in the competition, the organiser decided to introduce first, second and third place prizes. This means we get 8000 ad impressions at Kuro5hin to spend as we please, which is equivalent to $24. Not bad at all.
The comments on our haiku were:
The "whispering winds" in the first line will surely resonate with any science fiction reader and, cued by the title, immediately suggest terraforming and the possibility and promise of a fresh planet, empty of activity but tense with the knowlege of a future and a new beginning. This is borne out in the second line which offers a satisfying confirmation. The final line draws together the hope alluded to at the start, and the image of the snow which perhaps is the cold restraint of the current space exploration climate weighing down and freezing these buds of potential.
The ad is imbued with a sense of the conspicuous stillness of a yearning held tightly in check which perfectly captures the small but increasingly vocal efforts of Mars exploration proponents. There is a sense of action held back by stifling beauracracy, a tightly-wound coil ready to spring into action at any moment. Fine work.
Well done Shaun, and everyone at New Mars! I haven't decided what to use the ad impressions on - I think they should be split up so we can use some to point to these forums, some to point to the main index and some for new articles I've got lined up (notably, an interview with Greg Benford). Suggestions welcome.
Editor of [url=http://www.newmars.com]New Mars[/url]
Offline
#28 2002-05-10 17:34:46
- Shaun Barrett
- Member
- From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia
- Registered: 2001-12-28
- Posts: 2,843
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
SECOND PLACE !!! Fantastic news! Let's hope the publicity adds to the growing enthusiasm for Mars.
I just realised I failed to thank Bill White for his kind comments .... please forgive the oversight!
And hearty thanks to you again, Adrian, for your shrewd editing of the entries; instrumental no doubt in the success of the final draught.
One final thing that has had me thinking: How many syllables are there in the word "our"? It seems I've been labouring under the misapprehension there are two when, in fact, there must only be one. Is this true?
The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down. - Rita Rudner
Offline
#30 2002-05-10 19:23:36
- Phobos
- Member
- Registered: 2002-01-02
- Posts: 1,103
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
Congrats Shaun! I love that literary analysis they gave, how the snow is symbolic of the cold restraint of the space program. It's amazing what people can read into a mere five syllables. 
To achieve the impossible you must attempt the absurd
Offline
#31 2002-05-10 22:00:34
- Canth
- Member
- Registered: 2002-04-21
- Posts: 126
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
Good job everybody. Whoo!!! We won, sort of, fun fun fun. The begging of the road to mars through popular support. Space activists need more agressive activism. Ads are a great way to gain support.
Offline
#32 2002-05-11 01:40:05
- Peter Pevensie
- Banned
- From: Terceira Island, Azores, Portu
- Registered: 2002-05-03
- Posts: 39
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
This is great! Excellent work, all who participated!
There's an interview with Benford coming up? Woo hoo!
"When I think about everything we've been through together, maybe it's not the destination that matters. Maybe it's the journey..."
Offline
#33 2002-05-12 08:21:50
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
I let Maggie Zubrin know about our success in the competition, and she had this to say:
Gosh I wish I knew,
About the call for Haiku.
The form pleases me.
Editor of [url=http://www.newmars.com]New Mars[/url]
Offline
#34 2002-05-14 01:54:07
- Josh Cryer
- Moderator
- Registered: 2001-09-29
- Posts: 3,830
Re: Mars Haiku competition!
Awesome!
Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.
Offline