Oolite Bulletins

Disembodied wrote:

If we rely on people actually knowing the answers all the time we'll never get anywhere!

A motto for humankind?

El Viejo wrote:

A motto for humankind?

It works for me! I don't know about the rest of you – but that's never stopped me before ...

Clue the second: this tale of 'first contact' is something of a prequel, and provides some important background for a major series of sci-fi novels set hundreds of years later. The aforementioned celery thief and his six-limbed species are at the heart of this background.

Clue the third: the 'frontier' world in question is one of two habitable planets which orbit the primary star of a binary system, located nearly 500 lys from Sol.
A third habitable planet orbits the secondary star, and all three planets are named after mythical beasts from Old Earth.

Clue the fourth: the 'lionhearted' hexapedal celery thief and his kind are sentient, tool-using mammals, who use telepathy to communicate among themselves.

With recourse to Google (there aren't that many celery-themed scifi novels out there, despite the best efforts of the Fifth Doctor), I think I've got it: is it A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber?

How a few sticks of celery came to influence the interstellar affairs of the Star Kingdom of Manticore!

A Beautiful Friendship has recently been expanded (I’ve not read the newly-written second part) and re-issued as 'young adult sci-fi' (with a sequel planned). If you have a 'young adult' in the house, I’d recommend this... it’s a charming tale of 'first contact'. The Honor Harrington series itself is ripping naval sci-fi, most probably inspired by the Hornblower novels... but set in space, of course.

Definitions of 'young adult' fiction vary... I remember reading Heinlein's 'juveniles' sci-fi when I was 9/10!

Over to you, D!

OK, a picture quiz: who is this, and – for a bonus point – what's he drinking?

Clue time: this comic-strip character's creator has appeared (as himself) on The Simpsons ...

It's Abelard Snazz, otherwise known as the Man with the multi-story mind. No idea what he's drinking, though.

Smivs wrote:

It's Abelard Snazz, otherwise known as the Man with the multi-story mind. No idea what he's drinking, though.

It is indeed ... he's drinking a Sirian Sentient Milkshake, the perfect pick-me-up for the genius on the go.

Another picture clue for you.

This damaged spaceship is crashing to Earth, with one of the crew still aboard. What is his name and occupation, and who rescued him.

You have altered the picture. TinEye draws a blank.

A wild guess... Rick O'Shea, the DJ, is rescued by International Rescue (aka Thunderbirds)?

F.A.B.
El Viejo is go!
For a wild guess that's absolutely right.

Commander McLane, the image hasn't been altered. I actually couldn't find one of this ship anywhere, so the image above is a videograb taken from a DVD.