David G. Potter (April 3, 1947 – June 13, 2001) was a computer technician at

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

who was widely known for acerbic, scathingly humorous and knowledgeable postings to

Usenet Usenet () is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979, and it was ...

science fiction newsgroups. He assumed the name of Gharlane of Eddore, a character from the ''Lensman'' series, as a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

for Usenet postings and carefully guarded his true identity for many years before his death. He is best known for authoring the ''Lensman'' FAQ and voluminous Usenet postings. He died on June 13, 2001 following a heart attack. Porter, Andrew I. (October 2001). "Other obituaries", ''

Science Fiction Chronicle DNA Publications was an American publishing company that existed from 1993 to 2007 and was run by the husband-and-wife team of Warren Lapine and Angela Kessler. Initially based in Massachusetts, DNA Publications relocated to Radford, Virginia. A ...

'' 22 (10): 48.

Reputation

The Register ''The Register'' is a British technology news website co-founded in 1994 by Mike Magee, John Lettice and Ross Alderson. The online newspaper's masthead sublogo is "''Biting the hand that feeds IT''." Their primary focus is information tec ...

'' said "no one will doubt that he was not backward in coming forward, the fact remains that he was a witty, well-read, traveled and caring man. In short, a good human being."

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...

wrote in ''Ansible'' that he was a "knowledgeable and opinionated... fan who posted copiously on Usenet as Gharlane of Eddore." He posted as Gharlane from gharlane@nextnet.csus.edu and gharlane@ccshp1.ccs.csus.edu. Up until 1992 he often posted as "potter@csusac.ecs.csus.edu (

Carl Kolchak ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974–1975 season. The series followed wire service reporter Carl Kolchak ( Darren McGavin) who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, p ...

)". Gharlane made his first appearance Sep 25 1992 in a posting to rec.arts.sf.written about the movie

Sneakers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

. On May 7, 1993, he announced his Lensman FAQ in rec.arts.sf.written. His pseudonyms in print publications included E. K. Grant and Gordon F. Shumway (the real name of the character A.L.F.). Fantasy author

Tom Holt Thomas Charles Louis Holt (born 13 September 1961) is a British novelist. In addition to fiction published under his own name, he writes fantasy under the pseudonym K. J. Parker. Biography Holt was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel H ...

has dedicated two books to him. ''Alexander at the World's End'' (1999) is dedicated to "Gharlane My Imaginary Friend." ''Falling Sideways'' (2002) is dedicated "In memory of David Grant Potter (1947-2001) --And thanks for all the fish." In 2001, after Gharlane's death, Holt wrote: "A request for information usually produced an immediate and definitive answer. As for his opinions, he fired them like cannon-shells; they were incendiary, capable of piercing the toughest armor, and they scattered their shrapnel right across the group, often starting flames that would flicker on for weeks after the original salvo. A point-blank broadside from the Eddorian was devastating. Return fire seemed to glance harmlessly off him, or else it overshot the mark and sailed harmlessly into the distance. ..he lives on in the minds he opened, the people who came to fight and stayed to debate, listen and learn. Correspondences that started with anger and outrage from some victim of Eddorian grapeshot mellowed into long, fruitful correspondence. Hundreds of people swapped mails with him, part of a network of friendship that reached right across the world. The centre of that network is silent now, we can no longer draw from it the information, wisdom and joy we've become accustomed to. But Gharlane survives in each member of that network as a perspective, a way of seeing things, an ability to notice things of value that previously were overlooked or not recognised for what they are. We are no longer one, but at least we're many."

Personal life

Potter earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

and

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

from

Immaculate Heart College Immaculate Heart College was a private, Catholic college located in Los Angeles, California. The college offered various courses including art and religious education studies. By June 1906, six young women had become the first graduates of the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

; and another in

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

from the

State University of New York at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

, New York; and a degree in

Electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

and

Electronic Engineering Electronics engineering is a sub-discipline of electrical engineering which emerged in the early 20th century and is distinguished by the additional use of active components such as semiconductor devices to amplify and control electric current ...

from

. Potter continued to take graduate courses until his death. Potter was employed by CSU Sacramento as a computer technician for many years prior to his death. Upon his death he was reportedly still driving the 1966

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

he got for his high school graduation.

Bibliography

*"The Man Who Hated Cadillacs" (as by E.K. Grant) in *"The Swords and the Stones" in *"Phantom Helicopters and UFOs" (as by Gordon F. Shumway) in ''INFO Journal'', issue 58, p. 20.

Notable Usenet postings

* First posting as potter@csusac
“HOGAN/Inherit The Stars”
May 23, 1990. * First posting as

“Bradbury/Dark Star”
Nov 22 1990. * First posting as Gharlane of Eddore: “

Moral Confusion? (SPOILERS)
” Sep 25 1992. * Lensman FAQ
''Gharlane of Eddore'' post - May 7 1993
* On th
correct spelling
of ''

Gray Lensman ''Gray Lensman'' is a science fiction novel by American writer E. E. Smith. It was first published in book form in 1951 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 5,096 copies. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine ''Astounding'' in 1939. G ...

'' (see footnote). Mar 23 1996.

References

External links

Gharlane of Eddore. "Lensman FAQ"Eulogies of Gharlane from the rec.arts.sf.tv Usenet newsgroup
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gharlane Of Eddore 1947 births 2001 deaths American science fiction writers California State University, Sacramento alumni Usenet people American male novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers University at Buffalo alumni