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January 1, 2000

The Start of Something New

Well, here we are in the year 2000, the long-anticipated "Y2K"—either the last day of the last year of the 20th century or the first day of the first year of the 21st, depending on your particular opinion about such things.

Either way, it's definitely the start of something new. There's all sorts of great things to look forward to, anticipating what will transpire during the next one hundred years. Can you see yourself at the start of 1900, trying to imagine what events would transpire in the 20th century, the wonders, the tragedies, the evolution of our society?

It's daunting to think how much has changed just in my own lifetime, and how rapidly the pace of change continues. Daunting, yes, but also exhilarating—as long as we work together to make sure that more good comes out of it than bad. In some ways, it feels as if we have a fresh start now, to continue to strive to make things better everywhere.

But not everything we do has to be related to world peace, cures for cancer, or other global issues. There's something to be said for anticipating the little things that make our lives pleasant, keep our minds occupied, and connect us to each other.

So I also look forward in this new beginning to a lot of Stargate-related little things. We will (finally!) start seeing the remaining new episodes from Season Three this month. We will hear news on the beginning of filming of Season Four. We will soon have a revised/revamped MGM web site to provide us with behind-the-scenes and other information on the show. We can expect the start of an official fan club sometime in the near future, the release of episodes on video tape and DVD, and the start of merchandising for the series.

And maybe, hopefully, we can each carry over our delight at these little things into the rest of our lives, treating each other with more kindness, helping each other with more joy, observing our world with more wonder, and really turning this bigger Something New into something wonderful.

-- Meli

The Book Nook

Two nonfiction selections this month, both of which provide delightful information on Something Old: historical cities and cultures. Nice references for fans interested in more background on some of the locations mentioned in the series, as well as for fan fiction authors looking for ideas. Both would also make fine coffee table books!

The Atlas of Archaeology by Mick Aston and Tim Taylor (January 2000)

The Atlas is full of pictures, drawings, and diagrams on "the location, history, and significance of the world's most important archaeological sites and finds." Divided by historical period (hunter-gatherers, bronze age, etc.), it covers broader concepts in archaeology ("a neolithic town," "typology," "pottery," etc.) as well as individual sites.

DK Publishing, Inc. / ISBN 0789439085
Lost Cities by Paul G. Bahn (January 2000)

Subtitled "50 Discoveries in World Archaeology," this book provides brief but intriguing overviews of actual digs around the world, with information on their history, discovery, and findings, and with plenty of full-color pictures to supplement the text.

Welcome Rain / ISBN 1566490022