Saint Nickanuck of the Tundra

Dastardly work and events of this week have prevented me from finishing my Origins recap as of yet, although that will be up in the very near future, and be a wondrous thing to behold. Until then, feast on io9’s coverage of Origins, namely over some cool things that I didn’t have the chance to check out personally:

• Martian Chess - Yet another Looney Labs game that incorporates those darn Treehouse pieces. Like many of their games, it sounds simple, but appears to have some interesting tactical depth underlying it.

• Terrorwerks - I have heard about this before from the Gamer: The Podcasting folks. Run for the second year in a row, it is essentially an hour-long LARP of the space marines v. alien horrors variety, where players portray said marines. The production values are intense, the reviews are great, and as such, I may need to make time for this next year.

• Astrosmash - A massive tabletop tactical space battle game with deliciously detailed miniatures, based on a expanded version of Silent Death. It sounds completely over-the-top and a hell of a lot of fun.

• Car Wars: Rogue Arena - Vehicular combat. A 12-foot by 8-foot miniature city block. Wrecks and carnage. Yes.

For those of you in the US, have a fun and safe July 4th!

Laura and I will be headed out to Origins shortly. Or, for Natalie’s benefit, and as I’ve been intoning recently on Twitter:

“Going to Origins today! Squee! Squee! Squee! Squee! *duck* *WHOOSH* Missed me! Bahahaha! *zip*”

To say that I am vastly looking forward to Origins is a bit of an understatement. It is focused on “table top” gaming of all flavors, which is a favorite hobby of mine. Somehow, despite the fact that it has been held annually an hour and a half from my hometown since 1996, I have never gone, and this is a much belated opportunity to correct said serious transgression. And perhaps most importantly, this will be the first convention this year in which I won’t be “working” at all. While I love participating and speaking at cons in various capacities, there is something to be said for just kicking back and relaxing for a few days with friends, old and new, and focusing on having fun. What? This is something called a “vacation,” you say? Interesting concept…

Updates shall appear shortly after my return. Tardy convention recaps, as well as some podcast, movie, and novel commentary, have been lingering on the sidelines, and are clamoring to be unleashed. In the meantime, if you are anywhere near Columbus, OH, over the next few days, you owe it to yourself to stop by Origins, and see what it’s about.

This past week, I participated in a veritable trifecta of infectious diseases discussion in various media. Print, radio, and television, oh my!

1. I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the Baltimore Sun last week about the current Salmonella Saintpaul-tomato outbreak, which was a new experience for me. It was for their weekly Ask The Expert column, which is done in an interview format. In this case, a 30 minute phone conversation was boiled down to a several-paragraph article, with the intent being to have it be “my own words.” While serviceable, the final product had me puzzling at some of the edits, or lack thereof, that were made from our conversation. Lesson learned - next time, I’ll try to be a bit more precise with my diction, or even press for an email interview. Still, it is certainly worth a look.

• for the latest up-to-date information - the CDC’s site on the Salmonella Saintpaul raw tomato outbreak

2. The Ask The Expert show on WHFS this past Sunday was excellent. We spent the first half going over the facts behind Salmonell-icious tomatos, and the fallacies surrounding restaurant and public (over)reaction to the news. The second part of the show touched on tick prevention, and the basics of Lyme disease. Despite the early hour, we ended up with several calls, asking such questions as whether or not the Salmonella Saintpaul strain is somehow worse than other strains (it’s not), whether or not there’s a Lyme disease vaccine on the market (none currently, and an older vaccine was put on the market several years ago and then taken off shortly thereafter due to efficacy concerns and underuse), and whether or not a caller was treated correctly for a Lyme disease-related rash (which I was non-committal about, as the dispensation of person-specific medical advice over the radio in the absence of all the facts is what I call a Bad Idea).

• for further information - the CDC’s site on Lyme disease

3. My spot on Fox 45 yesterday morning was, as always, fun but brief. We discussed the still-present concerns over human West Nile Virus infections, despite the dwindling number of cases in Maryland recent years - there were only 10 reported in 2007. I also touched on various ways to mosquito-proof your home and property, as well as ideal insect repellent and personal measures to prevent mosquito bites.

• for the latest up-to-date information - the CDC’s site on West Nile Virus activity

I continue to be humbled by having media opportunities like this, and seriously enjoy taking them. Physicians often don’t do the best job of educating their patients or the public on the truth behind important medical matters, and the media often does a poor and inaccurate job of reporting them. As a result, much woo-woo and crazy thinking about medicine has crept into our health culture, which benefits noone. Hmmm… there are ideas brewing. Watch this space for more.

Some of my most favorite phone calls start like that, I assure you. (The preceding sentence is soaked in sweet, succulent sarcasm, in case that needs to be spelled out.) This particular call resulted in my being confirmed on Fox 45 Baltimore for tomorrow morning, at about 6:55 EST or so, to be asked about mosquitoes, West Nile, and other happy summer vector-borne plaguery and prevention. My challenge, as always, will be to get the most appropriate of my occupational catchphrases, “Wash Your Hands!”, in there somewhere.

If you happen to be both awake and in the area, be sure to tune in!

Don’t forget to check out the Ask the Expert show this Sunday, June 22, from 08:00-09:00 EST on WHFS 105.7 FM radio. I’ll be on talking about the truth and ridiculousness behind the current tomato-associated Salmonella saintpaul outbreak, as well as the regional in-season infection of choice, Lyme disease.

You can tune in directly if you are in the Baltimore area, or check out the live feed from their website.

Yeah, I’ve got a couple of con recaps pending, but I figure I’ll work backwards from a con that hasn’t quite, uh, happened yet - namely, Dragon*Con.

The Parsec Awards, now in their third year, are presented to honor the best in podcast-delivered speculative fiction. From the official website:

Dedicated to rewarding excellence in various aspects of Speculative Fiction Podcasting, the Parsec Award is available for Sci-fi & Fantasy Original Content, podiobooks and a variety of other categories dealing with the new frontiers of Portable Media.

The 3nd annual Parsec Awards will be held at the Dragon*Con convention held August 29 through September 1, 2008.

Mur Lafferty, Michael R. Mennenga & Tracy Hickman founded The Parsec Awards in 2006 to celebrate Speculative Fiction Podcasting, under the banner of Farpoint Media.

Podcast shows are nominated by fans, and finalists are chosen by a yearly steering committee. Those finalists are then voted on by an independent panel of judges from outside of podcasting. Awards are given in several categories ranging from content to audio quality.

Nominations are currently open to the public until June 15, so if you have a particular speculative fiction podcast that you would like to suggest, swing by the site and give them a nod. The official site has information on all aspects of nominations, the awards process and the people behind it, as well as the results from both the 2006 and 2007 awards. Video from the 2007 awards (in which, for the morbidly curious, I may be seen as a presenter for the Best Gaming Podcast) is here.

And finally, if you prefer to hear more about the Parsecs in audio format, check out the straight-up promo by 2008 steering committee head Doug Kress, or the hilarious promo done by J.C. Hutchins and Scott Sigler.

No, I haven’t forgotten about a RavenCon recap. There were several requests for me to make my presentation on “The New Red Deaths” available, which I intend to do once I get the citations in order, and the recap shall wait for that to be completed.

That noted, Balticon 42 starts in just a few short days! The new media track has grown once again this year, to be even more of a lumbering Elder God-spawn of a beast, which is definitely a good thing. Also in the “good things” category, the science track has also expanded to include two new members - Laura and myself! Clearly, you now have no arguable reason not to stop by the Marriott Hunt Valley Inn if you are in the Baltimore area this weekend.

Laura will be rocking out with a couple of space related talks, among other things. As to my own schedule:

• Meet the Scientists Social (Friday, 10pm, Salon A) - Really, there’s got to be a better title for this informal gathering. That said, there’s a damn fine mix of science-y types, from a paleontologist to a local mechanic who mods vehicles (including the Toyota Prius) to run completely on battery power, so the combination of characters and conversation is sure to entertain. And there’s always the Sexy Women In Sci-Fi panel (including Laura, for her “obviously” expert opinion - 11pm, Garden), or the 80’s Party/New Media Meet and Greet (11pm, Chesapeake Suite) to escape to, if things are slow…

• Live! Takeover! Audio Drama (Saturday, 1pm, Belmont) - This is the live debut of the first two episodes of Mur Lafferty’s new audio drama. What is it about, you ask? Check out a familiarly-voiced promo (guess who the other voice is there for bonus XP) and the freshly-launched website for details. I have the pleasure of voicing Phil, the boss. He cares. Really.

• Infectious Diseases (Sunday, 4pm, Salon A) - I need your help with this one, people. See that title? It’s a bit… vague. So here’s a question, for anyone interested and willing to answer - what should I talk about? Horrible emerging infectious diseases? A follow-up to my Red Deaths exploration? Or, should I just take the plunge and go with all things SYPHILIS? Let me know!

• Live! Mr. Adventure (Sunday, 8pm, Chesapeake Suite) - It’s the next episode after the live RavenCon recording! The dastardly villain I’m voicing, Michael Aztec, is setting his evil master plan into motion. What will our heroes do?!?

• Video Podcasting 102: What’s Out There (Sunday, 10pm, Chesapeake Suite) - I’m on this panel because I am a selective consumer of video podcasts. Or maybe, because I’m a clown and there to entertain. Yup. I’m betting on the latter.

It’s going to be a brilliant time - join us if you can! And, let me know - what infectious thing should I talk about?

Realizing that this will only interest me, and possible amuse someone else, I’ll post the long-neglected Balticon 41 recap “in my own words”: It happened, and was good. There was great fun, some chaos, but overall a wonderful time! w00t, and all that.

And if you really want to hear it in my own words, I’ll direct you to episode 41.48 of the Balticon Podcast, where Laura and I were interviewed on the final day of the convention about many things, both astral and infectious. It’s still quite the good listen, and just may whet your appetite for Balticon 42.

Mur Lafferty will be having a book signing event this coming Saturday, May 10, at Constellation Books in Reisterstown, MD. Festivities start at 3:00 PM, and will include a live recording of her award-winning podcast, I Should Be Writing. It looks to be an awesome time, so I heartily encourage anyone in the Baltimore and DC metro areas to stop by and meet Mur, and pick up a print copy of Playing for Keeps (if you have not already done so, for some negligent or shameful reason).

Frequent readers of this space will already have heard from me about Mur’s authorial excellence, as exemplified by her novel Playing for Keeps, and her Heaven series of novellas. Constellation Books is a great independent bookstore that has a particular love of genre fiction, and recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

Make plans to come out and join in the fun! Directions via Google Maps are here.

And as Mur said, if you stop by, you just may learn something cool…

It’s been quite a busy month, even by my own standards. Clearly, I’ve not been totally successful in keeping with my theme for the year. I have some more cogent ruminations on that coming down the pike in a few days.

In a brief bit of site news, I have resurrected the Gustatory Libation Front from a period of neglect (although it has suffered from the same update-paucity of late). While I’ve enjoyed putting my beery ponderings up on Saint Nickanuck, it has become evident to me that said commentary appeals to a slightly different audience, so having its own forum is worthwhile. I’ll be putting some culinary and beverage observations from my recent travel to New Orleans and Chicago there shortly.

But, first - this weekend is RavenCon at the Crowne Plaza West in Richmond, VA! The convention is in its third year, and I’m pleased to say that this will be the third year that Laura and I will be participating as guests on the science track. Past experience has shown this con to be well-run and an absolute blast, so if you aren’t already planning on attending and happen to be within striking distance, I encourage you to stop by and check it out.

Laura will be doing a number of panels relating to space science, including the latest on her work at NASA and the International Space University. As to my own schedule, it is as follows:

• Thirteen Dooms (Friday, 11pm, Potomac) - A multidisciplinary science panel addressing the various ways in which all life on earth might be eradicated. Bwa-ha-ha!
• Live Recording of Mr. Adventure (Saturday, 11am, James) - I’m uncertain as to what role I’ll be playing, but I understand it may be evil and nefarious. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
• The New Reds Deaths (Saturday, 2pm, Potomac) - In which I will consider many horrific and interesting diseases, from Poe’s Red Death to the latest modern day terrors. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

What? You sense a disturbing theme? No… I think not. But, that means you’ll just have to come out and see for yourself.

BWA-HA-H- uh… sorry.