Is this a question that has no answer from your perspective?

I suspect it is the case for me. Suspect in the best possible way.

Indeed, if it were not raining, thus serving the Nambucca Valley with the second week of local flooding, and filling the rivers with debris and mud that makes it dangerous to go boating, not to mention forcing us water babies to reconsider any vague notion of swimming in the ocean (let alone the river), or even walking on the beach — yes, damn it — there may indeed be nothing better to do but be here at my computer screen, writing. But, hey, even if the sun was shining, I'd be here anyway...I love this job.

And it's about time for one of these rambling word missions in the ionosphere anyway. An update. We are at a metre-stone.

But let's go back a bit, before going forward:

I'm the image of the editor that you imagine, minus some. Unclothed, because it's so hot, sipping de-caffeinated coffee because I do want to sleep tonight (although I will be rather well lulled by the sound of falling rain), alone but seriously considering it might be better not to be, and on the verge of publishing the fourteenth anniversary edition of this very magazine. That's right, AntipodeanSF first set off for the stars in February 1998.

That's a bunch of stories published, and an ocean of authors who have kicked off their writing right here at AntipodeanSF.

So, thanks to all of the contributors from then till now, with a special mention due to Edwina Harvey, who appeared in that first issue, and now appears again thirteen years later in yet another landmark issue — this one.

Apart from contributors, each and every one, including the oh-so-prolific Shaun A. Saunders, please also allow me to thank those who help me with this ongoing mission — reviewers (Jan, Sue, Beth), podcast readers and voices, including all of the authors who read their own stories, and those who dare to do justice to others (Marie, Mark, Beth, Daniel, Julie and many more), all of the crew at 2NVR, unsuspecting interviewees who probably really ought not be asked about SF, but play the game anyway (Gleny Rae and many other musical band members), and those who have contributed artwork over the years (Micheal, Christopher, and random others — you know who you are).

Don't panic, readers. You're here to receive thanks too — for repeatedly coming back to enjoy the short-short speculative stories published herein, for your stalwart support of AntiSF in written and spoken form.

May we have another fourteen years of this kind of success — right here where it belongs.

Ooroo for now,

Till next we all sip the heavy dark matter soup.

Nuke (editor).