Archive for the ‘Conventions’ Category

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making the rounds

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
  • ReConStruction was a damn fun time, but notable for having rather desolate overall attendance and some interesting fan dynamics. Autopsy notes will be forthcoming.
  • I did not attend Otakon, having little direct investment in things otaku at the present time, but passively got a taste of event while out with friends in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor two weekends past. Costume watching proved to be rather brilliant, and I had not been aware that the con is nearly as big as Dragon*Con in terms of overall attendance. Given that the masquerade is likely to be insanely over the top, and is held in the First Mariner Arena, that may be worth checking out next year for the spectacle alone.

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Posted in Conventions, Libations, Medical | No Comments »

NASFiC, incoming

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
ReConStruction, The 10th Occasional North American Science Fiction Convention, image via reconstructionsf.org

ReConStruction, The 10th Occasional North American Science Fiction Convention, image via reconstructionsf.org

When Worldcon leaves the sacred earth of North America for a year, we United-Can-Mex-Americans get all uppity and insist on still having a big literary-focused sci-fi convention on our own soil. Thus, the North American Science Fiction Convention was born, and I will be puffing out my chest in continental pride with other attendees this coming weekend. I have the pleasure of being a science guest, and have been recruited on to the following group activities:

  • Science Which We All Know Is Wrong – Friday, 11am, RCC 306A
  • What Podcasts Can Do For You – Saturday, 10:30am, RCC 203
  • Health and Today’s Fandom – Saturday, 3pm, RCC 305B
  • Where Are The Next Mad Scientists – Saturday, 8pm, RCC 306B

Laura is also joining in the science guesthood fun, and will be enriching these panels:

  • So You Want To Be An Astronaut – Thursday, 7pm, RCC 306B
  • Space Law – Friday, 3pm, RCC 306B

ReConStruction is running from August 5-8, 2010, in Raleigh, NC at the convention center and associated hotels. As always, I will be intermittently Tweeting the oddness, and feel free to say hi if you stop by!

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the Kessel Run nominees for 2010

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
parsec, a cc by-nc-nd image from kurt_eh on Flickr

parsec, a cc by-nc-nd image from kurt_eh on Flickr

It is of interest that the shortlist nominees for the 2010 Parsec Awards were released today:

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form)

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Novella Form)

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Long Form)

Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Short Form)

Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form)

Best Speculative Fiction Video Story

Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast

Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team

Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (Specific)

Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (General)

Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation

Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast

Best Speculative Fiction Comedy/Parody Podcast

Hearty congratulations to all the nominees, and much luck! While my jaunt to Worldcon means I’ll be unable to reprise my emcee duties from years previous, I have it on good authority that things will be in good hands. And I’ll be watching… oh, yes, I shall.

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Posted in Conventions, Podcasts | 2 Comments »

weekly rounds

Monday, July 26th, 2010
Matt Wallace and Mur Lafferty, cc by-nc-sa image from nlowell on Flickr

Matt Wallace and Mur Lafferty, cc by-nc-sa image from nlowell on Flickr

  • That shift in the universe you felt this past weekend? Yup. That was reality taking a moment to revere the birth-anniversaries of Matt and Mur, as is only right and proper.
  • Even though Balticon feels like it ended only a few days ago, ReConStruction and Aussiecon 4 loom ever closer. I must prepare. You may tremble if you choose… it is recommended.

Posted in Conventions, Friends and Family, Libations | No Comments »

Balticon, again? I need a drink…

Thursday, May 27th, 2010
BaltiCon 2009 The Culprit, cc by-nc-nd image by sheiladeeisme on Flickr

BaltiCon 2009 The Culprit, cc by-nc-nd image by sheiladeeisme on Flickr

As is my wont, I will be attending Balticon this coming weekend. I have been pulled bodily into the following events:

  • Lessons From the Influenza Pandemic of 2009 (Saturday, 6pm, Salon A) – While it seems that the recent influenza pandemic is long past us, the truth is that we’re in the midst of post-outbreak data analysis, and new insights are hitting the news almost daily as a result of research being done on the 2009 pandemic. I’ll be changing this presentation up a bit from what I’ve given over the last few months, so even if you’ve heard me talk about this recently, be sure to stop by. (Note that this was just moved from it’s original timeslot of Sunday at 6pm.)
  • Baltimore Fan Culture (Saturday, 9pm, Derby) – I… really have no idea. Whatever we talk about, I’m sure it will be entertaining. And, perhaps, involve “refined libations.”
  • The TRUTH About the Universe (Sunday, 2pm, Chesapeake) – In which myself and Jared Axelrod will speak the truth, and nothing but the truth, for an hour, with the audio-visual assistance of Laura Burns and J. R. Blackwell. No lie. Except for the stuff we make up… which, uh, we won’t.
  • Story Improv (Sunday, 5pm, Chesapeake) – There will be authors, and me with a mic, and stories will be created on the fly. ’nuff said.

Laura has her own plate full as well…

  • Explorers: NASA’s Small and Medium Class Missions (Saturday, 2pm, Salon A) – Lo, there will be a discussion of space SCIENCE.
  • Podcasting Science (Saturday, 4pm, Derby) – Lo, there will be a discussion of SCIENCE and how to podcast it.
  • Baltimore Fan Culture (Saturday, 9pm, Derby) – The more I think about this, the more I’m sure “refined libations” may be required.
  • The TRUTH About the Universe (Sunday, 2pm, Chesapeake) – All truth. No lies. We swear.
  • Astronomy Cast Live! (Sunday, 3pm, Chesapeake) – Lo, there will be a discussion of space SCIENCE and it will be podcasted.
  • The Heinlein Panel (Sunday, 4pm, Belmont) – Lo, there will be a discussion of, uh, HEINLEIN.

When not participating in the above, I’ll be wandering about and checking out some of the other excellent events going down. A sampling of the awesome on tap – the live recording of the final episode of Variant Frequencies (Sunday, 9pm, Chesapeake), the live I Should Be Writing with guests wondrous and plentiful (Sunday, 8pm, Chesapeake), the launch of Jared Axelrod’s Fables of the Flying City (Saturday, 2pm, Chesapeake), and a talk by Julia Lunetta of the Ig Nobel Prizes (Friday, 7pm, Salon B). As always, I’ll be offering random thoughts on the proceedings, and I look forward to seeing you there!

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fortnightly rounds

Monday, May 24th, 2010
Janet Biggs: Nobody Rides for Free, via Janet Biggs on Facebook

Janet Biggs: Nobody Rides for Free, via Janet Biggs on Facebook

  • Laura and I had the chance to meet up with my never-before-met cousin Bob and his wife Janet last weekend, among other Cmar relations. Janet has a damn cool solo video and photography exhibit at Connor Contemporary Art in Washington DC entitled Nobody Rides For Free. From the announcement:

    Conner Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Janet Biggs’ first solo exhibition with the gallery, Nobody Rides for Free.

    In new video and photographs, Biggs delves into the desire to explore remote lands. To create this work, the artist embarked on an expedition in the high Arctic, traveling aboard an ice-class, 2-masted schooner, built in 1910. During the voyage, Biggs filmed Fade to White, focusing on a crew member as he navigated the ship through iceberg filled seas, and paddled a kayak past glacier walls and polar bears.

    As she photographed the explorer, Biggs tested her own will and endurance. The visual tension of her uncompromising imagery bespeaks their mutual struggle to maintain balance and purpose. Yet, the video also reveals the use of extensive rigging, exposing the myth of the solitary white male explorer. Biggs explains, “The desire to hold onto the notion of the ‘great white north’ as a blank space awaiting interpretation only reinforces the idea of the colonial polar hero. The ‘virgin’ north has now been mapped, surveyed, and mined, but increased knowledge has not replaced endless fantasies of discovery.”

    Loss and change are implicit in the video’s title, Fade to White, which refers to an editing technique used to evoke death or transcendence. Biggs integrated her Arctic imagery with sound and video footage of counter tenor John Kelly, whose age, androgyny, and mournful voice parallel the vanishing Arctic landscape and signal the waning of male dominance.

    Vanishing Point, the artist’s recent video featuring biker Leslie Porterfield and the Harlem Addicts Rehabilitation Center Choir, will be on view in the media room.

    The exhibit will run through July 30, so if you are in the DC area, be sure to swing by Connor and check it out.

  • Balticon approacheth this weekend. You have been warned. And will likely be warned again in more detail, within the next couple of days.
  • Over on the GLF, I note two soon-to-open beer establishments in the area – the Biergarten Haus, DC’s first traditional German beer garden, and De Kleine Duivel, a “classic Belgian brasseire” in Baltimore.

    • Posted in Cmar, Conventions, Friends and Family, Libations | No Comments »

    Dr. Space Baby rounds – Johncon, NASA Tweetup, et al.

    Friday, April 16th, 2010

    Dr. Space Baby from Awesome Hospital, awesomehospital.com

    • I’ve been deriving great succor from Dragon Age of late, hence the reduced posting schedule. That’s right – I like Dragon Age better than you.
    • In-hospital rounds would be vastly improved if I could make them with Awesome Hospital’s Dr. Space Baby, for obvious reasons. Also, if you’re not reading Awesome Hospital, then consider this a STAT prescription to do so.
    • Ravencon provided a sleep-deprived, shambling weekend of amusement. I owe you con recaps. I’ll get on that shortly.
    • On Sunday, the Moon Ranger has used her Top Secret Contacts to get me on the list for the NASA Earth Day Tweetup on the Mall in DC. As always, I will be providing pithy commentary on my feed, and hoping against hope for a mention of space syphilis. I know it’s out there…

    Posted in Conventions, NASA, Science | 2 Comments »

    Ravencon 2010 schedule

    Friday, April 9th, 2010
    American crow - corvus brachyrhynchos, a creative commons image from jpmckenna on Flickr

    American crow - corvus brachyrhynchos, a creative commons image from jpmckenna on Flickr

    Today, the shadows of dire corvids loom over the hunched skyline of Richmond, and Ravencon begins. I will be there fighting their syphilitic intent, as well as joining in the following panels:

    • Making the Science Fit the Story, Friday 6pm (Anna) – …I’m moderating this, which should make for an interesting discussion, at least.
    • Everything You Didn’t Want To Know About The H1N1 Flu, Friday 7pm (Anna) – …so, influenza, we meet again.
    • The Brain is Steampunk, Saturday 10pm (Anna) – …I really have no idea about this.
    • What Does the Future Hold for Space Travel?, Saturday 10pm (Cove) – …from a medical perspective.

    Ravencon runs from today through Sunday at the Holiday Inn Koger Center in Richmond, VA. You can follow events of note with me on Twitter, or better yet, I hope to see you there!

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    weekly rounds

    Monday, March 1st, 2010
    • That noted, my interview on KXDJ with Chris was great. His questions were keen, and getting a chance to give a more meaningful answer to the not-so-simple question of “is the H1N1 pandemic overhyped?” is always refreshing. (Easy response – “yes” from a lay media public fear angle, and “no” from a vaccine and preparedness standpoint. That discussion is worth a post or 10… or a few convention talks, as the case may be. :) )

    Posted in Conventions, Libations, Medical | No Comments »

    weekly rounds

    Monday, February 15th, 2010
    • Farpoint was simply brilliant fun, and some notes on the proceedings will be coming shortly. Those of you who didn’t go (yes, you) missed a seriously good time. And Viking midgets.
    a tad more snow, image by John Cmar

    a tad more snow, image by John Cmar

    • We received just a tad more snow. One upside of being trapped in the house for several days was the enhanced opportunity to actually cook (my brother contends that most of what I do is more “heating” than “cooking,” while I contend that “heating” is, in fact, “cooking”). While nothing recipe-sharing-worthy emerged, I gained enough XP to level up in the Culinary class.
    the start of a great meal, image by John Cmar

    the start of a great meal, image by John Cmar

    Posted in Conventions, Libations | No Comments »

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