From: "Ted White" <twhite8 at cox.net>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Who said: SF is fantasy with nuts and bolts painted on?
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 18:49:32 -0500
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

----- Original Message -----
From: <MarkLFischer at aol.com>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 3:48 PM
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Who said: SF is fantasy with nuts and bolts painted on?

> In a message dated 4/1/2005 2:44:54 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> omni at omniphile.com writes:
>
> >Small quibble...teleportation does exist.  It's been done in the  lab.
Only
> >useful so far if you want to ship quantum particles  though.
>
> That's a reach.  One cannot step into a booth and be whisked  off to
another
> place, and it's highly unlikely that we will be able to do so  anytime
soon.
> Teleportation is a McGuffin, just like the Fairy Godmother's  magic wand.

No, no.  Not a McGuffin.  The actual Maltese Falcon was a McGuffin.
Elements of magic are not...unless they are the object of a quest.

--Ted White