We'd like to apologize to everyone entering the IRTC for all the problems our
host site has been having with ftp and email.  We are also unable to update
our web pages.  These problems are beyond our control.

To try to compensate for these difficulties, we are going to extend the entry
period for the current (November-December 1996) round at least until the end
of the day on Sunday, the 6th of January 1997, and longer if the problems are
not fixed by then.  We would also like to remind entrants to submit via email,
to the temporary address of "bill@apocalypse.org".

Since we can't update the web page, we'll go ahead and announce the next
round's topic now.  The official topic for the January-February 1997 round of
the IRTC is "Glass".  That would include crystal forms, bottles, drinking
glasses, eyeglasses, reflections, refractions, labware, stained glass &
suncatchers, lightbulbs, CRTs, ornaments and figurines, windows, portholes,
mirrors, glass slippers, glass stones, glass houses, glass thrones, glass
people, anything shiny and mostly clear, any scene with glass as its major
focus.  The deadline for the next round will be the end of February, as
normal.

We expect to have all these problems resolved soon, and we're sorry for the
inconvenience.