I'd have thought of Leiber as being a favorite author 40-odd years ago, but to tell the truth his work hasn't worn well with me and I believe I sold my Fafhrd and Mouser paperbacks many years ago. But I retain great esteem for his sf story "A Pail of Air."

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Leiber ... I retain great esteem for his sf story "A Pail
> of Air."

It is a good one, but really stretches the plausible. He was inventive with the use of tools and props in his stories, in entertaining ways.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Leiber was inventive with the use of tools
> and props in his stories, in entertaining ways.

There is a fascinating climbing staff in "Stardock". I have never seen a tool like that in real life, but I am sure it could be constructed. The staff contains a big screw inside, and by turning either end it will increase or decrease in length. It can be propped firmly between two spots, such as at a rock overhang, to aid in climbing past it.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Leiber was inventive with the use of tools
> > and props in his stories, in entertaining ways.
>
> There is a fascinating climbing staff in
> "Stardock". I have never seen a tool like that in
> real life, but I am sure it could be constructed.
> The staff contains a big screw inside, and by
> turning either end it will increase or decrease in
> length. It can be propped firmly between two
> spots, such as at a rock overhang, to aid in
> climbing past it.

Too late.

It was developed and marketed by shrewd speculators into a pull-up bar that fits into doorways.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Knygatin Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Leiber was inventive with the use of tools
> > > and props in his stories, in entertaining
> ways.
> >
> > There is a fascinating climbing staff in
> > "Stardock". I have never seen a tool like that
> in
> > real life, but I am sure it could be
> constructed.
> > The staff contains a big screw inside, and by
> > turning either end it will increase or decrease
> in
> > length. It can be propped firmly between two
> > spots, such as at a rock overhang, to aid in
> > climbing past it.
>
> Too late.
>
> It was developed and marketed by shrewd
> speculators into a pull-up bar that fits into
> doorways.


I used to have one of those! The staff in the story is however slimmer and much longer, and at either end two wings can be folded out to help screw it tight in place, and then unscrew it when you have reached the other end.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Knygatin Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Knygatin Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Leiber was inventive with the use of tools
> > > > and props in his stories, in entertaining
> > ways.
> > >
> > > There is a fascinating climbing staff in
> > > "Stardock". I have never seen a tool like
> that
> > in
> > > real life, but I am sure it could be
> > constructed.
> > > The staff contains a big screw inside, and by
> > > turning either end it will increase or
> decrease
> > in
> > > length. It can be propped firmly between two
> > > spots, such as at a rock overhang, to aid in
> > > climbing past it.
> >
> > Too late.
> >
> > It was developed and marketed by shrewd
> > speculators into a pull-up bar that fits into
> > doorways.
>
>
> I used to have one of those! The staff in the
> story is however slimmer and much longer, and at
> either end two wings can be folded out to help
> screw it tight in place, and then unscrew it when
> you have reached the other end.

Oh, no, mine was exactly like that.

I bought it from the Grey Mouser.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Oh, no, mine was exactly like that.
>
> I bought it from the Grey Mouser.


I see. Well, good luck with that.

HAH! ;^)

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~