Tag Archives: conventions

Chicon 7 – Day 1

The next morning we discovered what would become the worst recurring aspect to this year’s World Science Fiction Convention, the beds at the Hyatt Regency. The hotel supplied the rooms with beds of extreme softness. Now there may be those who think that means a night’s rest is like sleeping on a cloud when on such a bed, but those are not the sentiments of my sweetie-wife and myself. Both of us suffered from back pains through the convention due to the bedding, my sweetie suffering more than myself. Continue reading →

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Chicon 7 T -1 day

So we left for Chicon on Wednesday August 29th, the day before the convention started. I used to fly to convention on the first day of a con, but after getting burned more than once and missing panels I really wanted to attend, I changed that up.

So, in order to get down to the airport for our 7 am flight, we had to be up at oh-dark-thirty. Luckily a friend was kind enough to drive me, my sweetie-wife, and another pal down to the airport saving us taxi fare.

Passing through TSA was relatively painless, as much as that process can be now days, and we waited for our flight, along with at least two other fans heading to Chicago. (Side note, the prohibition of small blades and knives on airplanes is really a pointless rule. No highjacker or set of highjackers are going to take an airliner that way again. As we have already seen passengers adapted to the new terrorism very quickly, tackling anyone they suspected of foul intentions, including their own pilots. The days of meekly sitting there while the plan is taken are over and they are not returning.)

The flight was pleasant and I watched Captain America: the First Avenger on my laptop to pass the time. We arrived on time at Midway airport and after a short taxi ride found ourselves at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Check in went quickly and before long we had our badges and were ready for the con to begin.

 

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I’ve Been Away

Howdy:

So for the last week I have been in Chicago attending the 70th World Science-Fiction Convention.

At many conventions I would have done nightly updates on the panels and my activities, but ChiCon 7 was far too busy for that. The panels were really good, and even on the first day I was in panels from noon until 10:15 at night. I am so glad we arrived the day before.

I got to meet a number of my fellow Writers of The Future contestants and they struck me as a talented and engaging group of writers. (What the hell was I doing there?) Honestly I had a great time and I will try to post a little more about it in the coming days. Unusual for me, I skipped out on the last day of the con to go to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Technology, because they had an actual WWII German U-boat there (number 505, captured by Americans) and that was worth seeing and touring.

I had a great time, saw old friends, made new ones, and I am jazzed about my writing again. All in all a success!

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Another General Posting

The frequent eye strain headaches have made the desire to sit and compose blog posts rather rare of late. After spending 8 hours at the computer for my day job I am disinclined to spend much more at home. Even bumping up the font only helps so much. However on Wednesday I had my annual eye exam, discovered that the axis of my astigmatism had shifted quite a bit. So while my visual acuity is about the same, I still require new lens. They have been ordered, 7-10 days which is like something from the last century, and when I get them I should be back to my old happy self.

Having just finished the Book of Job, I’m about halfway through my reading of the Old Testament. God has finished making he transition to a spirit above and encompassing the world, quite a change from the wrestling guy in Genesis or the dude who appeared, wrapped in smoke and flame like a Balrog, above magic boxes. I’m not sure if I will finish this read, it has been sucking up a lot of my time and I really shouldn’t waste too much.

Today, 5/25/12, the Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space station, opening a new era for spaceflight. Space X is going where only governments have gone before, and while I cheer this achievement should we consider where other corporations might go if given the chance? Is this is herald of a bright off-world future or the sign that the cyberpunks might have been right?

Paging Dr. McCoy, your hypo is ready.  Speaking as someone who despises the needle, I can’t even watch one on the movie screen, I truly cheer this invention.

The three day weekend is nearly upon us. I have plans, but hardly anything extravagant. Sadly I will not be going to BayCon this year. It was a choice between BayCon and WorldCon and in that contest WorldCon always wins. So tonight will be D&D, where I am a player. We’re in the middle of a fight, outnumber and fighting under hampered conditions. So far the gamemaster has been holding back, but we’ll see if this is the last game for my Arabic Paladin, Alladin. Tomorrow and Sunday will be board and card gaming with friends and my sweetie-wife, must resist buying the Game of Thrones board game, and on Monday I will be going toDisneyland. Sadly by myself, my dear friend who was going to go is under the weather health wise and that has caused quite a bit of financial stress. I already had paid for my ticket, so alone I go. I shall have fun in his honor.

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Condor Report – Day 3

It is not unusual that the final day of Condor is a partial day with light programming, but as this is the final year of existence, at least according to the all knowing Mayans, the committee decided to stuff in a lot of programming on Condor’s final day. Continue reading →

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Loscon post -Day Three

The first panel of the morning was Robert Heinlein’s Future History, what he got right and what he got wrong. This was a panel discussion of a number of fans and scholars of Robert Heinlein, including the author of the Biography, Robert Heinlein: In Dialog With His Century. It was very innteresting, but covered little new ground. Verdict: Okay

Next up was a panel on upcoming movies in the next 3-5 years, however audience members kept derailing the single presenter and we had progress very slowly. So slowly I bailed on the panel and went to another. Verdict: No good. I stepped into a video presentation about Nazi Germany’s flying wing fighter and tests of a full-scale model as to its stealth capabilities. Now a bad documentary, but it leaned on the hyperbole of what this fighter would have meant to the war so late in that conflict. Even in full production in late 44 or early 45 this would not have turned the tide of the war. Verdict: Alright

Next I went to GRAIL: A Mission of Gravity. This was a presentation about the recently launched unmanned lunar mission to map the interior of the moon by gravity. The probes, two, were launched in September but because they are taking a very odd low energy orbit to the moon are still in transit. The GRAIL spacecraft should start operating early next year and after a three month mission we should have a detail mass mapping of the lunar subsurface.  Verdict: Pretty good

Final panel was How Should Magic Work in a Story? This was a two person panel of Tim Powers and Harry Turtledove. It was s fast and far ranging discussion of fantasy and magic and how to work the elements of the fantastic without breaking disbelief. Whenever these two get together it’s usually very good and this was no exception. Verdict: Thumbs Up.

 

And that was my Loscon for 2011.

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