News Story x - Beacon Villages Journal

I thought I would see if anyone in the Antarctic might be bored enough to want to look at our site. I went to Google and entered "Antarctica", feeling very smug, as I remembered to put in that extra 'c' in my spelling. The first result I got was mainly from what appear to be either geography teachers or travel agents, trying to tell me all about the place.

I refined my search to "Antarctic camps" and then "Antarctic teams". One of the first sites I found was headed "Is there a career for me?", so I knew I must be on the right track.

Finally I hit upon a site called Big Dead Place, "edited by F. Scott Robert , a pseudonym for an enthusiastic lackey at an Antarctic station who enjoys his or her job and has an excellent work record". Well, I thought, anyone who can so obviously lie about him/herself (enthusiastic? excellent?) can't be all that bad, so I e-mailed him (or her). I was honestly delighted with her (his) reply -

Hello Pete,

Thanks for the link. Dartmoor looks like a beautiful place I should like to visit sometime.

Take care,

F. Scott Robert
South Pole Station

(P.S. Attached are two photos from Pole: the first by Dana Hrubes, the second by Ethan Dicks.)

Well, I expect they lose the power of conversation (not to mention their sexuality) after all that time with no one to talk to! Have a look at the photos and then, what you should do. is visit his/her web site and write to her/him in the hope that hearing from other real human beings might help to unfreeze its writing hand. Mind you, i am not fully confident that it is not a hoax. Look at the panorama - not a penguin to be seen! Suspicious huh?

Apology: If anyone looked at the photos before 11.00 gmt 4th Sept - I got the photograhers names round the wrong way - below is correct!

by Dana Hrubes

I haven't quite worked out if that is snow falling but I rather suspect that those white spots might be stars. It seems that they have the same problem there as we do, with light pollution spoiling the view.

Anyway, do get in touch with her/him. Looking at the panorama again, it makes you think. If you thought Sticklepath was a bit quiet, look where (s)he lives. The only puzzle is why (s)he calls it the BIG dead place?

by Ethan Dicks

fscott@bigdeadplace.com

http://www.bigdeadplace.com/about.html

ps If you find out if it is She or He let me know, as it saves an awful lot of parentheses!

... and they did! Here's what Robin from the Sun Life had to say :

"Hi Folks,
In your article on the most excellent Big Dead Place:

http://www.bigdeadplace.com/about.html

you seem unsure as to the gender of F Scott. A little further reading of the letters pages there would have revealed this telling quotation:

"That bias would be different were I female, Russian, or in the upper levels of
management rather than a lowly grunt"

So as you can see F Scott is either male or neuter, not Russian, and not in a position of authority, I'm sure there may be further clues lurking and can only recommend that you read absolutely everything there carefully.

I have to agree with F Scott's opinon of Dartmoor though having been there many a time.

Hope this helps,
Robin. "

Warning!
Reading the following disclaimers is likely to cause general dysphoria and possible feelings of numbness around the eyes, it's not the words that kill you it's their order and quantity.

The above is not an expression of the views of any entity that admits to any responsibility in any matters whatsoever, howsoever embodied or expressed by whatever means. Your mileage, however, may vary.

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