Page:Astounding Science Fiction (1950-01).djvu/117

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

Extra-Sensory Perception and/or Psycho-Kinesis!

Immediately, I laid Locke’s article down for an instant and took off on my own speculations as to why we reputedly use only nine-tenths of the brain and why, as he says, the brain is apparently too large for efficiency already. I was considering a normally healthy brain, of course; psychotic brains are no more attractive to me than polio or cancer.

Now why, I mused, is the brain so darned inefficient? Well, maybe it isn't! I remembered how other parts of the human machine were considered inefficient until more was learned about their purposes and limitations, and the final conclusion seemed invariably that their only major inefficiency was man's ignorance. But here was, it seemed, undisputable physical evidence of the contrary, evidence that we're actually lugging around more brains than we could ever use!

Why should there be so few connectors? For engineering purposes, nature obviously had to accept some limitations—but Ol' Momma Nature is fiendishly adept at sidetracking limitations! Now, why couldn't it just happen to be that she had stuck in another entirely different system of communications when she made human brains, to compensate the necessarily few physical line-connectors? Something, say, so far out


SCIENCE & FANTASY FICTION: New Books:

  1. 1.
    The Kingslayer—by L. Ron Hubbard
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    $3.00
  2. 2.
    Gather, Darkness!—by Fritz Lieber, Jr.
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  3. 3.
    The Guide to Imaginative Literature. Ed. by Everett Bleiler. Selection of 1000 books in science fiction field, with review of each by an expert
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    6.00
  4. 4.
    The Castle of Iron—by L. S. De Camp & Fletcher Pratt
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  5. 5.
    Minions of the Moon—by Wm. G. Beyer
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  6. 6.
    What Mad Universe—by Frederic Brown
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  7. 7.
    Men Against the Stars—(Anthology) Ed. by Martin Greenberg. Intro, by Willy Ley
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.95
  8. 8.
    The Radium Pool—by Ed. Earl Repp
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  9. 9.
    Masters of Time—by A. E. Van Vogt
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  10. 10.
    Away & Beyond—by A. E. Van Vogt
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    4.00
  11. 11.
    Throne of Saturn & Others—by S. F. Wright
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  12. 12.
    Port of Peril—by Otis A. Kline
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  13. 13.
    Dwellers In the Mirage—by A. Merritt
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  14. 14.
    Earth Abides—by George Stewart
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  15. 15.
    The Star Kings—by Edmond Hamilton
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  16. 16.
    John Carstairs: Space Detective, by Frank Belknap Long
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  17. 17.
    Sixth Column—by Robert Heinlein
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  18. 19.
    Venus Equilateral—by Geo. O. Smith
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  19. 20.
    The Kid From Mars—by Oscar J. Friend
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  20. 21.
    The Blind Spot—by Homer Eon Flint
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  21. 22.
    The Planeteers—by Homer Eon Flint
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  22. 23.
    First Lensman—by E. E. Smith, Ph.D.
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  23. 24.
    Man Who Sold the Moon—by Robert Heinlein
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  24. 25.
    My Best Science Fiction Story (Anthology) 554 pp.
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.95
  25. 26.
    The Humanoids—by Jack William
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.00
  26. 27.
    The Big Eye—by Max Ehrlich
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  27. 28.
    The World Below—by S. F. Wright
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.50
  28. 29.
    The Incredible Planet—by John W. Campbell, Jr
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  29. 30.
    World's of Wonder—by Olaf Stapledon
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  30. 31.
    Science Fiction: Best of 1949
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.95
  31. 32.
    The Conquest of Space—by Willy Ley. Illust. by Chesley Bonestell
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.95
  32. 33.
    The Triton—by L. Ron Hubbard
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  33. 34.
    The Other Side of the Moon. Ed. by Derieth (Anthology)
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.75
  34. 35.
    The Omnibus of Time—by Ralph M. Farley. (Time Travel Anthology)
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.50
  35. 36.
    Lords of Creation—by Eando Binder
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  36. 37.
    Seven Out of Time—by Arthur Leo Zagat
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  37. 38.
    The Homunculus—by D. H. Keller
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  38. 39.
    Exiles of Time—by Nelson Bond
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  39. 40.
    Pattern For Conquest—by G. O. Smith
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  40. 41.
    Nomad—by George O. Smith
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  41. 42.
    Sidewise In Time—by Murray Leinster
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00
  42. 43.
    The Last Spaceship—by Murray Leinster
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    2.50
  43. 44.
    The Bridge of Light—by A. Hyatt Verrill
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    3.00

FREE with order for $3.00 or more:

A new copy of the current issue of "NEW WORLDS"—only British S. F. Magazine.

Send checks and money orders to:
STEPHEN'S BOOK SERVICE 45 Fourth Avenue (Cor. 9th St.)
NEW YORK 3, N. Y.
(Open 9:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.) Monday through Saturday.
(Phone GRamercy 3-6294)
BRASS TACKS
159