Technicon 2005
I’ve always liked Niven’s Laws. I don’t slavishly agree with them, but they are an excellent source of topics to ponder.
This leads to the fact that I’ve just deleted a lengthy rant about SF/fantasy fans who, despite entreaties from their favorite authors that they start thinking for themselves, are still want to be told what to think and what to believe. The only thing we humans got that the rest of the animal kindgom didn’t is a more complex brain. It’s way past time that we as a race consider trying out some of its higher gears, just to see what happens, you know?
Ok, wow, Technicon report, cool.
Marscon and stuff
Got back from Marscon Sunday. It was an interesting weekend – all the rooms were taken over by a military group preparing for special training, so all the attendees had to drive back and forth to their hotels. Put a damper on things, that’s for sure. I wish I’d remembered that there would be a Rocky Horror show on Saturday night – maybe they’ll do it again next year.
Caught up with kittykatya, impink, tzel, Tom & Donna, Jesse, Suzanne, Dave & Jodi, Dwight, Helen, and a bunch of other folk. I got some cheap Discworld paperbacks, and another Steve Jackson card game; for $1, I also bought a memory – the two books of the 1978 D&D Basic set (4th or 5th printing). We also got some Deadlands modules, and raininva won an auction for a signed uncut sheet of WARS: Nowhere to Hide!
Screen-capture trivia: the men’s miniskirt Starfleet uniform from the early Season One episodes of TNG. Strange that this didn’t catch on. I mean, can’t you just see Worf running around in it?
There was something else on my mind, but it’s gone now.
Continuing the saga of the books I’ve read this year – just finished a re-read of Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy. I have to give Asimov credit for, in the space of a few short stories, giving me the feel of observing the fall of a Galactic Empire.
I am a Hero
The moon demons showed up last night and tried to turn the moon into caramel candy. But I played loud techno music at them and it disrupted their spells and chased them off.
For the first time, Rising Star was an out-of-town con for me! Thanks shrewlet for crash space. I have to say that the con seemed to go swimmingly from my perspective – every attendee seemed to have a good time, and no staff member melted down in my presence. Nicely done, rattrap! Next year I’ll bring more and cooler Decipher stuff.
I had fun in nius‘ skit, though watching the video yesterday, I was struck with a sense of “Did I really do that?” Hey – it got a laugh. Wonderful thing, stage buzz.
Lots and lots of blacktop
Feeling better this morning. Went to the pub last night with Tom and Donna and had a pretty good time.
Tom wants me to go up to the new National Air and Space Museum with him on October 10th. I like the idea – I’d hardly want to miss a chance to make a pilgrimage to the STS Enterprise – but October is loading up quick. The 22nd is a weekend trip to Salem for Rising Star, the weekend of the 29th includes a trip to Blacksburg for VTSFFC Halloween, and the weekend of 11/05 is another con I’ve always wanted to go to.
My poor car. The last months have been really hard on it.
Foamy Flash A-Kon
A little bit of Flash video, where Foamy the Squirrel of Ill Will Press opens the recent A-Kon 15 anime con.
(Parts of this may offend some folks. I think that’s what the animator was going for.)
Fandom ought to equal tolerance
Even though vt_komainu has already posted a link to this guy’s entry, I want to quote this paragraph from Lay Off the Furries, OK?
“Fursuiters aren’t hurting anyone. […] They’re role playing. I remember when more SF fans did this, and I miss it terribly. You know, maybe the fursuiters wouldn’t be so remarkable if there were more space pirates, jedis, elves, ninjas, wizards, androids, zombies, Vulcans, barbarians, Klingons, starship pilots, and bounty hunters running around, like we used to have in the old days. When I first attended my first science fiction convention over 20 years ago, it was explained to us newcomers that we didn’t have to create a fannish persona to attend. But we did have to do so if we were going to ever be accepted as one of the cool kids. Then fannish persona and consistent hall costuming declined precipitously, and now only the fursuiters and the anime cosplayers still do it. Well you know what? That doesn’t mean that they’re sick and weird. It means that the rest of us suck.”
Hear, hear!
Driving home every day, I drive past the Holiday Inn where they held a lot of Sci-Cons and at least one KatsuCon that I know of. Ahhh, memories.
Got home a lot quicker today, since my car was where I left it.
Today I met the art department, who gave me a nice welcome seeing as they’ll only see me when something’s wrong. Of course, I’ll be coming to fix it, so I guess I would be a welcome sight.
The mall a block away from work (where I park) is huge, four floors. I am trying to avoid going there because I don’t want to spend money, and don’t want to wish I could spend money.
That’s all for right now.
