Interzone report of August 21st 1999

 

1. Two years of existence of Interzone :

Two years ago, some days after Burroughs' death, I was watching at Burroughs' memorial at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mal/MO/wsb, knowing I had to do something with it, but first did not know what. During the next night, I had a dream where I was at the computer, sending lots of mails. And the next day, the idea came to join the people writing there to propose them for free the dreamachine plans and work on Burroughs which had been rejected some days before by a magazine. I asked I Ching, which answered there was an opportunity to take here which would lead to a valuable experience at human level, and if I missed it, it could not happen. So I sent the mails the next day, thinking it would be great if 10 people would be interested. Three days after, the mailbox was packed with mails asking for the plans. About 300 in some weeks !!!

You can refer to the monthly reports at http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/infzone.html to follow the evolution of the group since august 97. Much thanks to all of you for making Interzone adventure possible.

2. Interzone Productions : inter-zone.org :

Today, thanks to Chiki in Japan who is really helpful for the different steps, and to Dean which hosts the site for free on kanza.net , we got a domain name, interzon.org, lots of stuff realized, and a whole bunch of opportunities .

Now opening a site to sell our productions confronts us to a number of questions : see the editorial at http://www.inter-zone.org/clarific.html and http://www.inter-zone.org/business.html, which contains the first reactions to it.

I have begun a list of the prices of the Zone productions : see the page : http://www.inter-zone.org/tarifs.html , which contains the first products ready for sale. Now this is just the start, and the list should get thicker and thicker, as there are still lot of productions to add (paintings, illustrations, post-cards, mainly).

If you got anything you want to add to the catalogue, just let me know the designation and the price you want for it, and I shall add it. I'll communicate the request to you when they come, and then you can manage directly with the buyers for the money.

3. Writings :

Printing of the anthology : After talking with people working in publishing and printing in Poitiers, it comes out that the cost of the printing I am making is much lower than anything we can find on the market. A printer proposes double, and publishers are much more expensive.

Presently, a book of hundred pages in black and white costs :

- Paper : 100 pages = 50 sheets => 500 sheets cost 20,50 => 20, 50 Fr / 10 = 2, 05 fr
- Ink : 25 ct per page : 25 ct x 100 = 25 fr
- Cover : 20 ct
- Time to print : 2 hours

So even if it takes time, it definitely is worth going on like this financially.

I'm studying some experiences of self-publication and diffusion of info we can experiment.

For the book of general semantics, Roger Lanteri proposes to print it for 15 Fr per sheet instead of 25 Fr, which would make a book at : 15 + 2,05 + 0,20 = 17,25 Fr. Concerning this book, which is the second French tome of the Time of thje Naguals, and where I have gathered the French articles on general semantics and philosophy http://www.inter-zone.org/tn2.html , I can add several English texts as well, or leave them in the English tome of the articles. So if you want to get it, you can ask for the contents you want : only French, or French and English.

 The third tome cut-ups in English is practicly ready : I can print it if you ask for it. See the contents in inter-zone.org soon.

We got many original pics of Burroughs, Gysin, and collages on them gathered in two years : I propose that we gather them in a book and sell it. As well as the illustrations, paintings, collages you have sent. With a good colour printer, we can get great results.

The cover making of the books has to be improved. I saw the covers the printer proposes : we can make better for cheaper : I'm gonna try to add a sheet of transparent washable plastic to stick on it, which would preserve it, as white cartboard is rather brittle and easy to catch spots. Then it would be really ok.

So I propose we keep on like this at the moment : no investment of money, we can produce as long as the request comes, it's a production at our scale and adapted to our means, which gives a correct result as far as the quality is concerned.

Now this is just the start, and the list should get thicker and thicker, as there are still lot of productions to add (paintings, illustrations, post-cards, mainly).

4. CD project :

The deadline for Pierre's CD is October : see at http://campus.ensba.fr/belouin/dtd. If you got texts on the dreamachine, you can send them to Pierre : apo33@hotmail.com . About Steve and Clam gathering the files , Clam says : " just email it on in to me if it's smallish (paul.sinclair@autotrader.co.uk), my server allows me 5mb limit emails (which ain't bad considerin') i rekon most isps only allow about 2mb tops so it depends on ya service
ftp is ya best bet (cuteftp i can email if ya want it 783kb or you can get latest version of the net )or wSFTP
Snail mail can do also , (but i be moving locality September 1st so needs to reach me by then)"

 

5. Dreamachine :

Brion Gysin's plan of the dreamachine are on line in the inter-zone .org site at : http://www.inter-zone.org/dreamachine2.html . I intended to use them in future for the dreamachine making, but came to realize that my plans at http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/dreamachine.html (in French at http://www.inter-zone.org/dmplanfr.html allow 5 different rythms in the alpha waves, while Brion's one only allow one. So I suggest to keep my plans, and change the shape of the wholes in taking Brion's one.

6. Hotel :

About the hotel , I am having a look at all the places available in Poitiers in different agencies, so I get an exact look at the market and can compare places. But the most of the hotels for sale in good conditions are not affordable. And anyway, we do not need such a place, as the aim is not to run a classical bar hotel restaurant, but to get a place which fulfills our respective expectations : getting a place to work, to gather, and make it a creative place, where we can sell our stuff as well, etc.

The place I visited several times, the hotel "Le Paris" got a lot of repair to make in it as the hotel rooms and kitchen are not in conformity with the law. The hotel rooms are gonna be closed very soon, because of this. So the price of the business is gonna fall down. The old lady does not earn money anymore but keeps it opened to find a buyer.

Now we could run the bar, which is ok as it is, and use the rooms of the restaurant for the bar as well, make a sort of cafe theatre, with a place for exhibitions. We can put a dreamachine, one computer, one TV and video, etc.

The hotel rooms could be use for people in pension, or for Zoners coming (there are 12 rooms). And we can see with the security services about making a quick food, not requiring the norms of a formal restaurant. So we can be only 2 people to run it, without employing extra staff.

At the moment we got 100 000 Fr ($17 000) to bring, and no bail. But the agent says that he is gonna make a file for the banks and present it with us : if one banker gets into our project, then he can lend us the rest. If any of you want to be part of this financially as some of you proposed for the hotel in Migne last year, let me know.

The hotel "Le Paris " is in front of the station, and it seems the whole street is for sale , the most of the hotels and buildings. The whole area will be renewed in 3 years, as it's rather old, and be changed into a commercial area, so the prices might increase in some times. The owners of the hotels did not make the repairs in time, so now, the places are all old and not worth much.

7. Health :

About medicines, there are some which are available in some countries and not in others : Koulin in Abidjan got malaria crises but no anti-paludean medicine, too expensive in Africa. A number of Zoners suffer from migraine, and the Zomig, very effective for it, is available in France, but not in US. The Cantor, very useful to get rid of depression, is available in Italy, but not anymore in France, and inexistant in US. As for apomorphine, it's only available in France and Canada.

Are there ways to get organized in this domain in the frame of the group ?

8. New sites :

9. The Zone's services :

Interzone doc : the_doc27@hotmail.com Interzone 23 : interzone23@hotmail.com

For the time of your chat appointments of the 23rd : see http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/Chat.html and the worldclock : http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/worldclock2.html . You can meet other Zoners all day in the chat of http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/theinterzonecoffeehouse (and the reste of the time too) I'm generally on line in the evening here and early night, between 10 pm and after midnight, in the Interzone Coffee House, Interzone in gay.com and in mIRC. My ICQ # : 3146693

This report will be on the web at http://www.inter-zone.org/reportaugust99.html

All the best to you . Hope you had great holidays, and you got a lot of energy to start again. Thanks for your involvement, creations, propositions, and critics.

Love

Izzy

P.S (August 22nd 99 ) :

I forgot to forward Edwin Johnston page Change Pacifica at http://mypage.goplay.com/stupido/changepacifica.html

As well as the news on the Interzone Coffee House http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/theinterzonecoffeehouse. All my apologizes for this : a huge number of E-mails there, really interesting exchanges on Burroughs and Gysin, and original arts done by the Zoners there, thanks to Grape who created the club in November an is animating it since the beguinning with Alchemikal.

Have a look at all the mails on Burroughs there, the post cards by Alchemikal and Grape at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Suite/9524/ (see message 326) and books covers at "Send a book" : http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Hall/2755/index.htm

See also Gutliss ' web page at : http://www.susqu.edu/students/p/prindle/default.html and Dean's page updated at : http://www.kanza.net/~dean/

Chad (assassin@darkelves.com ) sent this morning a mail through ICQ (675706) :

Dearest All:

As some of may already know, there is a hurricane moving in on the state of Texas. Amd as some of you may already know, I am in the Coast Guard. I have been assigned to be an evac crew member on one of our 41' UTBs. If Bret decides to plummet Galveston with his presence, I will be forced to relocate to safer waters. Sounds like fun, huh? Anyhoo, I'll be away from my pc for a few days if it does hit, so wish me luck:)

Chad

Good luck Chad, the Zone is with you. Take good care. Love.

Izzy

See the other reports at : http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/infzone.html