Conference noted::sf

    I think it's a novelette by Murray Leinster, part of the "Med Ship"
    series.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    Ring around the sun is written by Simak. Have had it in my bookshelf
    for three years, without time to read it (sigh)...
    
    Paul.

    I seemed to have missed this note earlier.
    
    Simak is correct. The Clarke title you might be confusing it
    with is THE WIND FROM THE SUN (a collection, the title story of
    which was originally published in BOYS' LIFE as "Sunjammer").
    
    --- jerry

    	What is Simak's RING AROUND THE SUN about?

    
    (Here there be spoilers)
    
    A series of new products come on the market. They last forever,
    so they're called "forever" razors, "forever" lightbulbs, "forever"
    cars, etc. This, of course, ruins the world's economy.
    
    The devices are manufactured by robots on a series of pararell worlds.
    There's a subplot about the main character finding the lost love of 
    his childhood.
    
    E.

    Ah, Yes! I remember this now!  Wonderful story.
    Spoilers:
    
    	There exist alternate universes, other Earths, in an endless
    procession. Some alternate Earth developed the technology to move from
    one to another, and in researching our Earth, decided that it was far
    too crowded. Many Alternate Earths are unpopulated. So they decide to
    offer our population the option to move to one of these unpopulated
    Earths. But how to induce enough people to go? Ruin the economy.
    A journalist on our Earth sees the introduction of Forever Cars - the
    hoods don't open - just add gasoline and they go. No maintenance,
    lifetime guarantee, price: $500.  Forever Corp. also introduces other
    products: The forever Light Bulb - never burns out. The forever razor
    blade - never dulls. The forever House: generates it's own solar power,
    recycles it's water, guaranteed for a lifetime.
      Meanwhile, journalist goes home to the family farmhouse in Wisconsin
    - long abandoned. Finds a spinning top from his boyhood with a pump-up
    knob on top. Spins it - wonders where the painted stripes go -
    mesmerized, he disappears, and ends up on the alternative Earth.
    
    Like most Simak, this is pastoral, cleanly written, good plotting,
    very sane and reasonable - and has strong gut-level emotional
    foundations.  Simak is (I believe) highly underrated - his stuff is
    very powerful, particularly this book and my favorite - WAY STATION.
    He died last year, I believe, and despite a HUGO or two, I don't think
    he ever got the recognition he deserved.  I would pay endless $ to see
    movies of some of these stories, and instead I have to put up with crap
    like Hardware and Dune (errch.)
    
    There's no justice.
    
    Max (back after a long absence)