Worldcon programs * * Wednesday & Thursday * * Friday * * Saturday * * Sunday * * Monday
Open Filk
Filk Office Opens
Open Filk - No taping
Open Filk
Open Filk
Open Filk
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
Special showing for volunteers and early arrivals
Filk Office On-Call
Filk Office Closes
Registration Opens
Music
Concert (The Fibs)
Tom Fenton, Jim Iarocci, Carl William Thiel
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku TV #1 -4 [Dubbed] [12 +]
Filk Office Opens
Official Start of Noreascon 4 for WSFS Purposes
Childcare Opens
Munchkin
Learn to play Munchkin, SJ Games' award winning dungeon crawl card game. [6 players per game]
Ex Homo Machina: "For a Breath I Tarry" and the Digital Faust
Jason M. Taylor
Guessing Games: Does the Acceleration of Change Invalidate Extrapolative Fiction?
Is it getting hard to write of future worlds and technologies when change has become so rapid that our children won't recognize the world we grew up in? Can writers keep ahead of the curve? Should they even try? And if they guess "wrong" does that mean they've failed
Steve Carper, Laura Frankos (m), David Friedman, David Gerrold
Looking Back at The Matrix
The film series is over, the dust has settled, was it all worth it? What worked and what didn't? A look back and assessment of the series as a whole.
Chris Barkley, Colleen Doran, Daniel Kimmel (m), Joe Pearce
Archetypes in SF: First Contact
In culture clashes between aliens and humans, the humans aren't always the good guys.....discuss the archetype, the ways it's been used, and how to turn it upside down.
Jim Frenkel (m), Walter H. Hunt, Justine Larbalestier, Edward M. Lerner, Karen Traviss
Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction
Showing and discussion of the fan-created cable TV show about SF
Kathi D. Overton, Tom Schaad
Oh My Goddess #1 Moonlight and Cherry Bloosoms [Subtitled] [N/R]
Filk Concert
Mary Mulholland
Filk Concert 1
Grand Openings
Once upon a time ("in a galaxy far far away") So, how important is a good opening? What does it need to pull the reader into the story? How can it cast light upon mood, setting, character, tone, and still work as a hook for the reader? Discuss favorite openings, and tell why they work so well. And..... what actually is the "right" beginning for the story? How does a writer figure out if the story on paper's starting too early, too late, or at the right time
Phyllis Eisenstein (m), Carl Frederick, Karin Lowachee, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Karl Schroeder
Art Retro Exhibit Opens
Moving to Music [ages 1-7]
Clap and sing to the music of Jim Cosgrove, a Kansas City children's folk singer.
Out of the Box Games (7-12)
Sheila Oranch
Model Magic Sculpture [ages 3-12]
Model magic is an air-drying clay that can be colored using magic markers. We'll have a different theme for each day's creation.
Site Selection Opens
ConCourse Opens
The Real Lord of the Rings (7-12)
After a seven-year journey to Saturn, the Cassini probe has finally arrived. We'll take the kids on a field trip and join Cassini for a look at Saturn and the weirdness in some of its 31 moons. We'll conclude with a video preview of the Christmas Day landing on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Steven Hammond
Finding Nemo
2004 Long Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Music
Dealers Opens
Con Suite Open
Louie, The Rune Soldier #13 - #16 [Dubbed] [15 +]
Discworld: Wyrd Sisters
The Writer in the Walls: Forms of Satire in the SF of William Tenn
Jim Davis
Oh My Goddess #2 Midsummer Nights Dream [Subtitled] [N/R]
Filk Concert
Matt G. Leger
Filk Concert 2
Male Bonding in LOTR -- Seen Through 21st-Century Eyes
It has been noted that Sam and Frodo's relationship is reminiscient of that between a First World War army officer and his batman. But for comtemporary readers, the interactions of Sam and Frodo and of other dyads in the novels, such as Gimli and Legoloas, might be seen as homoerotic.This discussion is intended to explore LotR from that point of view. What elements, specifically, can be read as homoerotic? How do those elements conflict with the characters' futures as laid out by Tolkien in the appendices? And why did Frodo never marry
Victoria McManus
Reading
Delia Sherman
Examining Discworld from a Popular Culture Perspective
Brian Burns
Did We Win? SF and its Takeover of Popular Culture
Works that at least have SF&F trappings have taken over a large portion of TV, the movies, and the best-seller lists. Are we happy with this embarrassment of riches
Moshe Feder (m), Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Joe Siclari, Graham Sleight, Walter Jon Williams
Anime 101
Anime, in the last 20 years, has gotten more popular, and it's tough for non-otaku (i.e., baka) to keep track of everything. This will introduce you to this booming genre.
Christine Carpenito (m), Mari Kotani, Timothy Liebe, Neil Nadelman, Bill Todd
How Does the Magic Work
Magic needs its own rules, or it becomes a game where the author can do anything at any time. Discuss how to build and maintain a consistent and believable system of magic.
Susan Casper, P. C. Hodgell, Katherine Kurtz, Laurie J. Marks, Katya Reimann (m), Brandon Sanderson
Firefly Marathon, Episode 1-2
Oh My Goddess #3 Burning Hearts On The Road [Subtitled] [N/R]
Filk Concert
Roberta Rogow
Filk Concert 3
All About Hall Costumes
Panel/show and tell about what hall costumes are and etiquette regarding wearing and watching them.
Richard Hill, Sandra G. Pettinger
Luddites of Fandom
Why do some fans persist in doing things the old-fashioned way -- not getting an email connection, or publishing fanzines on paper instead of posting on the Web? Are the people who still use real *paper* a handful of misfit cranks who won't get with the program? Wait -- did we actually SAY that?. The real question may be what medium will serve best in a particular case: a phone call or a letter or a flower. (And maybe, too, how to get along while trying to figure that out.)
Alexis Gilliland (m), John F. Hertz, Fred Lerner, Erwin S. Strauss
They Should Make a Movie of That...
What SF/F/H short stories, novelettes, novels, trilogies, or series would make great cinema
Mike Conrad, Jim Mann, John Scalzi (m), Carrie Vaughn
Opening Ceremony
And so it begins, with not-so-solemn rites and rituals. Get a good look at the Guests of Honor, so you can spot them later amongst the adoring crowds.Also take your first opportunity (outside committee meetings) to see the ConChair braindishing a big hammer. Oh,and there may be a surprise. Featuring the fife and drum band: Bostonia Allarum Companie
Deb Geisler, William Tenn, Terry Pratchett, Jack Speer, Peter Weston
Open Playtime [ages 1-6]
We'll have tunnels, balls, blocks, and other kids to play with.
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream (7-12)
Ever wonder how fast you can freeze ice cream? Find out when we use a not so ordinary method to make a creamy treat. Taste the results!!
Kathi D. Overton, John Pomeranz
Origami for the Young [ages 4-6]
Japanese paper folding with big sheets of fun paper and a few simple folds.
Reading
Karin Lowachee
Paper Cutting and Folding (7-12)
Ever wonder how a few snips and folds can turn a flat piece of paper into a 3-D pop-up? This panel will teach you how to make a lantern and a pop-up card.
Persis Thorndike
Reading
S. M. Stirling
Deryni Adventure
Join Ann Dupuis, publisher of the upcoming Deryni Adventure Game, for a roleplaying adventure involving Sendai the Magnificent and his troupe of travelling performers.
Exploring Parental Death in Children's Fantasy Literature
Kelly Goodridge
Oh My Goddess #4 Evergreen Holy Night [Subtitled] [N/R]
Filk Concert
Terry Kitchen
Postcolonial SF/F
What is post-colonial SF/F? Who's writing it? Who's reading it? And just as importantly, why is it increasing in importance as the world gets "smaller" thanks to technology
Tobias Buckell
Reading
Laura Anne Gilman
Reading
Debra Doyle, James Macdonald
Orphen: Spell Of The Dragon (#1-3) [Dubbed] [12 +]
Sportsclix
An excellent baseball simulation from Wizkids. Steal bases, make double or even triple plays, make great plays, and even errors. This collectible figure game uses stats based on the real MLB players from last season for accurate representations of players abilities on the field. [2 players per game]
Sparking Creativity with SF
Donna Young, Jordan Raddick
How To Read For Pleasure
This isn't about being a "better reader" - but how to really enjoy what you're reading more!
Paul DiFilippo, Leigh Grossman (m), Ernest Lilley, Val Ontell, Pat York
Fandom...as a Way of Making Money
Have many fans actually achieved the foal of getting fandom to financially support the things they love to do? Our panelists talk about their own attempts to launch self- sustaining projects, give pointers, and warn about pitfalls. Fannish projects and charities will also be examined.
James Bacon, Charles N. Brown, Norman Cates, Bill Roper (m)
Welcome to the SF Community: Enjoying the Worldcon
An orientation seminar on the background of the World Science Fiction Convention and tips on making the most of the con.
Janice Gelb (m), Rich Lynch, Patrick Molloy, Sharon Sbarsky, Kevin Standlee
Oh My Goddess #5 For The Love Of Goddess [Subtitled] [N/R]
Concert
Rosemary Kirstein
All is not Bookcovers!
A long time ago when the moon was made of green cheese, you could define SF/F Art as art that appeared on SF/F bookcovers and illustrated SF/F stories in magazines. That's not true anymore -- if it ever way. Now with some SF/F artists working in 3-D and other media, how do you define SF/F art? What are some of the alternate possibilities
David A. Hardy, Karl Kofoed, Theresa Mather, Elise Matthesen (m), Martina Pilcerova
Where Do Elves Come From
Elves have their roots deep in European folklore, and have also burrowed deeply into modern fantasy literature. Why is this? What makes elves so interesting? What about them appeals to our psyches? Are there different kinds of elves? Are Tolkien's elves, beings who are almost preternatural humans, different in kind for the cute Victorian elves or from the grimmer elven folk of Andersons's Broken Sword"? And what about the modern elves that appear in the night in many urban fantasies"why are they there? What is the significance of a separate, magical or supernatural race of human-like beings
Esther Friesner, Theodora Goss, Kathy Morrow (m), Vera Nazarian, Terry Pratchett
Building a Better Fanzine
What kinds of things do you look for in a fan publication? What's the best way to get these things done? How do you get people to write for a 'zine, and how do you get them to write interesting things? What's a good use of money for a 'zine, and what's tempting but a better idea to avoid
Guy H. Lillian, Nicki Lynch, Joseph T. Major, Steven H. Silver (m), Geri Sullivan
Living in an SF World
In an episode of Firefly, Wash declaims that psychic powers are the stuff of science fiction. His wife Zoe points out that he lives in a spaceship. We are already beginning to live in an SF world - how are writers reacting to that? What will SF writers actually write about when we live and work in space
James Alan Gardner, Robert A. Metzger (m), John Moore, Robert J. Sawyer, David Stephenson
Great (New!) British SF and Fantasy
US readers on the whole are several years behind in discovering such major writers as Ken MacLeod and Alastair Reynolds, and even today the works of Iain Banks often come to the U.S. a year after they are available in the U.K. The panel looks at a number of the U.K. writers who many of us may be missing (allowing us to rush to the Dealers Room or to amazon.uk to find their works.
Jay Caselberg (m), Michael Rennie, Graham Sleight, Charles Stross, Liz Williams
How Possible is Time Travel
Physics suggests FTL travel may be possible under limited circumstances. Could this be a gateway to time travel? If we get time travel, will nature somehow contrive to preserve causality? Panelists will discuss these and other "timely" issues....
Dave Clements, John G. Cramer, Mark L. Olson, Jack Speer (m), Allen Steele
(Really) Hard Science for Beginners
So much of the current SF literature talks about quantum physics and other recent hard-to-understand concepts in modern science. An overview, in layman's terms, to help the fan without a heavy science background get more out of the new hard SF. String theory? Quarks? And (best of all), no math! Our panelists will answer the haed questions for you!
Susan Born, Michael A. Burstein (m), Keith G. Kato
The Art of Margaret-Organ-Kean
This Seattle-based fantasy artist shows you gymnastic jesters, literary fairies and toy unicorns in clean, modern watercorlors or pen-and-ink. Enjoy a classical style with a whimsical smile? Don't miss Margaret -- or her chess- playing zebras.
Margaret Organ-Kean
Designing Real Spacecraft
A look at what's involved in really designing and building something that's going to go into space. Spacecraft engineers spend a lot of time worrying about things that never make it into the movies or even the novels. Come find out what some of them are.
Henry Spencer
Alternate Ecologies
Describe how they work. If possible, discuss any truly alien places on Earth (that you might have visited or heard about) that have a fairly "alien" ecology as well!
M. M. Buckner, Janet Catherine Johnston, Larry Niven, Priscilla Olson (m)
Mind the plot holes dear, dear
Give examples of various discrepancies/problems with details from any piece of SF/F and try to categorize them (examples: temporal, silly, boneheaded, etc.!) How could the story be saved
Grant Carrington, Sharon Lee (m), Louise Marley, Tamora Pierce, Connie Willis
Tour of the Retro Art Exhibit (Jane Frank)
Autographing
Roger MacBride Allen, Colleen Doran, Michael F. Flynn, Karin Lowachee, Lee Martindale, Pamela Scoville
Movie [ages 1-8]
Movies will be announced on the Movie Board outside the room.
The Care and Feeding of Mythical Creatures (7-12)
Talk with a fannish vet about the various creatures in your care, or those you would like to have.
Karen Purcell
Make your Own Journal [ages 4-7]
Want to remember the special things about Noreascon 4? This fun journal will give you place to write, draw, or put a picture to keep those memories forever.
The Invention of the Laser
Real invention doesn't fit the standard plot line where a lone genius conceives an idea and carries it to completion, winning fame, fortune, and so on. Bell Labs claims it did. Charles Townes got the Nobel Prize, and Gordon Gould got the multi-million dollar patent. But it was Ted Maiman who actually designed and built the first laser. Learn the story behind it all.
Jeff Hecht
Reading
K. A. Bedford
Rounds Singing for Kids (7-12)
Lois H. Mangan
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2004 Long Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Reading
Walter H. Hunt
Brotherhood Without Banners (Al Mata)
Ah, My Goddess: The Movie [Subtitled] [N/R]
Concert
W. Randy Hoffman
The Folklore of New Orleans
James Cambias
Reading
Mike Shepherd-Moscoe
Reading
Phyllis Eisenstein
Good and Evil in Genre Literature
Do science fiction, fantasy and horror have underlying moral perspectives? What are they? Do they differ? If so, why
Craig Gardner, Nancy Kress, Paul Levinson, James Macdonald (m)
The Seven Deadly Myths of Creativity
Stephen P. Kelner
Must-See TV and Movies
Are you cineliterate? Can you call yourself a fan if you can't recognize "Klaatu berada nicto?" Do you know who Tom Corbett is? Why you should stay away from pod people? We'll talk about the classics, and even the good stuff, from Metropolis to Rocketship XM to Princess Monomoke....
Chris Barkley, Daniel Kimmel, Craig Miller (m), John Scalzi
Name Droppers
Our panelists tell their most colorful stories about their personal contacts with the field's departed giants. What were they really like
Harry Harrison, William Tenn, Mike Resnick (m), Robert Silverberg
Concert
Bill Roper
The Art and Science of Glamour
Looking at layers of reality, at "Lords and Ladies" -- elves (and humans) who bury their natures. How do they do it? Why do we love it
Greer Gilman, Simon R. Green, Terry Pratchett, Madeleine E. Robins (m)
HAL is not the artist: Creating Good Computer Art
A pixel-by-pixel discussion about using the computer to create art. When is it just fluff
Alan F. Beck, Joe Bergeron, Michael Whelan (m), Frank Wu
Best Buys....in Swords, Steeds, and Princes
What to look for? How to choose? What are the Best Buys
Zara Baxter (m), Esther Friesner, Karen Haber, Peter J. Heck
All That Gothic Stuff....
Doom. Gloom. Death. Destruction. Darkness (and despair!). Enough already! What.....why....and how long can it possibly last? (Alas! *sigh*)
Paula Guran, Bey King, Shariann Lewitt, Cecilia Tan, Teresa Nielsen Hayden (m), Liz Williams
Robots' Rights
The real reason we want AI is that we want perfect slaves. Whether they be butlers, bodyguards, intelligent sex toys, or whatever, we want Jeeves-like competence with hard- wired loyalty and obedience and without the moral issues involved in enslaving _people_. But is there a paradox in that? Is it possible for machines (i.e., any combination of hardware and software) to be smart enough to do what we really want them to do without also being self-aware enough to have "human" rights
David Gerrold, Alexis Gilliland, James Patrick Kelly (m), John Pomeranz, Jack Speer
Slide Show
Teddy Harvia
Fantasy Forensics
Real and imagined fantasy stuff -- do vampires get rigor mortis? Does Cthulu have fingerprints? Analyzing a crossbow wound, etc.
Jim Butcher, Stephen Dedman, Tamara Jones, Lisa J. Steele (m)
Writers We Don't Understand
Charlie Stross loads his stories with so much IT jargon it makes the head spin. A PhD in Physics is necessary to get full enjoyment out of a Greg Egan novel. China Mieville is best read with an open dictionary handy. Are these writers doing this on purpose? Are they that much smarter than the rest of us, or are we getting a year of painstaking research downloaded into us in a compressed format? Is there a good stylistic reason to confuse your readers
Paul DiFilippo, Carl Frederick, Eileen Gunn, Matthew Jarpe (m)
The Real Year
(Readercon) It has been said (Clute) that every SF text, regardless of the year it claims to be set in has an underlying "real year" which shines through, the secret point in time that fives the work its flavor. The real year of any Bradbury story, for example, is 1927, for any Spider Robinson story, 1970...Clute has also noted that as the real year of the book approaches the present, the harder it is to read or writer or understand....agreed? Which SF texts have been this cutting edge....and what happens to those texts as time passes by? Is the real year of the fiction something the writer can control (or even want to control?)
John Clute, Graham Sleight, Eric M. Van (m), Andrew Wheeler
Autographing
Jack L. Chalker, Scott Edelman, Bob Eggleton, Edward M. Lerner, Shane Tourtellotte, Karen Traviss
Video Games and Storytelling (7-12)
Michael Gilmartin
Magic Wands [ages 2-12]
Turn a chopstick into a magic wand to bring your imagination to life.
Science Writing
Good writing about science can nurture the science- fictional imagination, and in turn the imagery of SF often illuminates discourse about the frontiers of knowledge. How does the best science writing differ from the mediocre? How does it get past superficial and cliched ideas to convey a deeper insight into science and technology? Which nonfiction books have tickled our sense of wonder? How does SF influence good science writers
Guy Consolmagno, David Friedman (m), Jeff Hecht, Samuel Scheiner, W. A. Thomasson
Reading
Mary H. Rosenblum
WETA for Kids (7-12)
WETA did the special effects for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
Norman Cates
Reading
Walter Jon Williams
Klatchian Foreign Legion
Ann M. Caggiano
Crusher Joe: The Movie [Subtitled]
Village Tour (of the Worldcon)
Priscilla Olson
Filk Concert
Edward James
The "Mature" SF Reader/Writer
Pat York
Reading
James Killus
Reading
Sean McMullen
Deadline for Submission of New Business to WSFS Business Meeting
Mission of Gravity
A round-table discussion of the 1953 Retro Hugo nominated novel.
Anthony R. Lewis
Teaching Horror Literature (Carl Sederholm, Dennis Perry, Sally Taylor)
Science, SF, and Reading in the Upper Elementary Grades (David Michelson)
A hands-on worskhop of methods of incorporating SF into the classroom. The Challenger centers will also be introduced.
Tolkien's Techniques
It has been said that if Tolkien had been a professional writer (in the usual sense of the word) he would not have dared to do some of the things he did (such as tell large chunks of the story in flashback.) His techniques worked very well.....why? How hard is it to pull off, anyway? Discuss.
Daniel Grotta, Pete Grubbs, Elise Matthesen (m), Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Jo Walton
SF as an International Phenomenon
From Barcelona to Beijing, exciting SF is being written in tongues other than English. Our presenters will discuss recent efforts to break down the language barriers within the international SF community. This *is* the World Science Fiction Convention, after all, so let's talk about what's happening in our field around the planet.
James Morrow, Kathy Morrow
Your Dream Convention
Your wealthy great-uncle Willard has died and left you $20 million on the condition you spend it enjoying yourself! So you decide to hold the greatest SF con ever. What? (A super, exclusive, relaxacon, a convention that would dwarf the World Con) Where?, When?, Who would you invite, and who would you deliberately exclude...C'mon, it's your dream convention...! Now....ready-set-go!: starting from Opening Ceremonies (if there is one) and proceeding chronologically through the convention,. take turns making a one-sentence comment on each (waking) hour of *your* DreamCon....and feel free to comment on your co-panelists' dreams!
James Bacon, Mike Glyer, David R. Howell (m), Andrew Porter, Roger Sims
Masquerade's Greatest (Literary) Hits
Video presentation and commentary on a quarter-century of Worldcon costumes inspiored by science fiction and fantasy literature. . Enjoy them all!
Susan de Guardiola
Magical Knight Rayearth [Subtitled]
Filk Concert
Blind Lemming Chiffon
How to Lie With Statistics
Surely advertisers, activists, industry and government would NEVER abuse your trust by playing fast and loose with numbers. Especially after this ever-popular program arms you with the straight dope on scads of crooked digit tricks!
Michael F. Flynn
Artificial Intelligence, and How the Brain Works
Artificial intelligence in SF borders on the magical. How close are we to true AI, and what will it actually look like? How will we define/test for/recognize it? Will it work like the human brain? (And how does that work, anyway - is the "mind as software" model obsolete?) Are we Turing Machines.....or will AIs be us
Tom Galloway (m), David Gerrold, David McMahon, David Mumford, G. David Nordley
Writers' Tricks and Tips
How do you borrow from another culture? Make up an alien language? Describe something you've never seen? Authors discuss some of the tricks of the trade.
Steve Antczak (m), K. A. Bedford, Nicholas A. DiChario, Gavin Grant, Yves Meynard
Fantasy Motifs in SF Literature
Fantasy is about elves, and SF is about spaceships, and ne'er the twain shall meet, right? Or is it? It has even been noted that an "enchanted forest" exists in "Against the Fall of Night"àbut"butàthat's sf"not fantasy! So what happens when SF uses fantasy motifs? Is it no longer SF, or at least not "real" SF? Is Yoda Merlin? AKKA the One Ring? How does a writer take a classic fantasy motif and make it SF - or it more than just dressing it in hardware? Are there any fantasy motifs which have not been used"or cannot be used? Why do hard sf writers bother to play with folkloric images: What do they get out of this miscegenation, (and why?)
Laura Frankos, Rosemary Kirstein, Josepha Sherman, Sarah Zettel (m)
As You Know, Bob: The Positives and Negatives of Infodumps in Writing
Exposition can be quick or subtle, or straight, or with a twist. It can stop the story cold, or provide plot (and stylistic) impact. It can be smooth or lumpy, necessary or gratuitous. The panel will discuss expository theory and practice, and answer the eternal question: "What does Bob really know?"
Debra Doyle, Terry McGarry (m), Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Roger Rabbit, and Beyond
A talk.
Gary K. Wolf
Woe is me! I am the first woman ever to set pen to paper..."
Margaret Cavendish wrote "The Blazing World" in the late 1600's, Mary Shelley produced "Frankenstein" over a hundred years later. Come to a round table discussion of the early female fantasists, and find out whether they really had any influence -- and what it was, if so. And, why (oh, why!) they keep getting forgotten!
Elaine Brennan
A Horse is not a Motorcycle
Many writers treat horses like motorcycles. But actually they're more like aliens who we can mostly convince to take us where we want to go if we're nice to them. Horse people talk about what horses are really like and how to use them realistically in fiction.
Ellen Asher, Karen Purcell (m), Melinda Snodgrass
My Favorite Planet
What fictional (or, non-fictional?) world would you most like to visit or inhabit? Why? Describe it. (Past, future, or alternative Earths also gratefully appreciated.)
Edward M. Lerner, Larry Niven, Mary H. Rosenblum, Karl Schroeder (m)
The Singularity and the Eschaton: Compare and Contrast
Vernor Vinge has popularized the concept of the Singularity as a point in the (near?) future where advancing technology changes the human condition so radically that it becomes quite literally incomprehensible to anyone whose world-view was formed before that point. This sounds a lot like the religious concept of the Eschaton, the End of Time, when divine intervention destroys the world as we know it and replaces it with "a new heaven and a new earth." Without debating the validity of either concept (which would be futile and open-ended), let's discuss the points that these two ideas have in common and the points on which they differ. It might also be worthwhile to tie in some other arguably Eschaton-like ideas, such as "the withering away of the State" in classical Marxism or the "end of history" in some modern Neoconservative thinking.
Janice M. Eisen, Mark L. Olson (m), Timothy L. Smith, Charles Stross, Janine Ellen Young
Prejudices We Haven't Thought of...Yet
Will it matter how many eyes you have? What gender, if there are many? Whether you're black on the left of right side of the body? (OK, Star Trek did think of that!)
Jack Dann, Katherine Kurtz, Katya Reimann, Wen Spencer (m)
Autographing
John G. Cramer, Mike Shepherd-Moscoe, Tamora Pierce, Mark W. Tiedemann, Liz Williams
Playground Games [ages 4-7]
Play basic rule games in a more organized manner than open playtime (Duck, Duck, Goose; Animal Tag; Simon Says, etc)
Funny Stories (7-12)
Don Sakers
Shrinky Dinks [ages 4-12]
Wonderful plastic you can color and then shrink in to a permanent piece of jewelry.
Filk Lyrics Workshop
Your song from the heart needs a little buffing. Come work with an experienced songwriter to remove the trite and introduce the small touches that make your lyrics unique.
David Weingart
Reading
Theodora Goss
Stump the Scientists! (7-12)
We know you're smart. Here's a chance to test your skills against our panelists. Bring your questions and quiz these specialists.
Michael A. Burstein (m), Bridget Coila, Isaac Szpindel
Reading
Robert J. Sawyer
Knitting (and other crafts) Circle
Online Writing Workshop (James Stevens-Arce)
Pegasus Nominees Concert
Game-related Fiction
Janna Silverstein
Reading
Justine Larbalestier
Reading
Sharon Lee, Steve Miller
Ms Manners for RPGs
Managing problem players, RMs, and other social issues in RPGs.
Lisa J. Steele
Vampire Mysteries: A Dialog
Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner
How Bad Can a Bad Panel Get
Whose program is it, anyway? We'll discuss, model, and generally dissect the questionable (and sometimes outrageous) behaviors exhibited by program participants (and the audience!) at diverse conventions. Come prepared to be bored by speakers, experience the effects of panel hogging, see totally random subject changes, attacks on the other panelists and the audience, and all those other behaviors that make for poor panel participation. We'll share stories, advice, and solutions for same. (Note: while program participants certainly don't have to come to this, it wouldn't hurt to check it out, anyway!) Join us for the worst program item ever! (And -- oh yes! -- the audience gets to vote people off the panel every 10 minutes....)
Janice Gelb, John F. Hertz (m), Jim Mann, Craig Miller, Priscilla Olson, Edie Stern
Rocket Talk, with Fizz and Fuse, the Reactor Brothers
Got a problem with your starship? Attitude thrusters making funny noises? Can't agree with your spouse on which model light sail to buy? (And should you *really* change your dilithium crystals every 3000 light years?) Come ask Fizz and Fuse, who, like their ancestors Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers, will take questions from the audience and offer advice on repairs, purchases, and personal relationships, all unencumbered by the constraints of physics *or* common sense.
Bill Higgins, Jordin T. Kare
Masquerade's Greatest (Media) Hits
Video presentation and commentary on a quarter-century of Worldcon costumes inspiored by science fiction and fantasy film and television. Enjoy them all!
Susan de Guardiola
Chapter and Verse
Stories and the songs about them or which inspired them. Author meets songwriter. Panel, Permormance, and Reading.
Bill Sutton
Deconstructing Mary Sue
Could it be the most useful literary concept of our Me Millennium? We'll discuss myriad examples, from fanfic, flicks, and major SF works that should be ashamed of themselves. You see, in the classic Mary Sue story, a character happens to be amazingly like the author, except said MS is incredibly more attractive, accomplished, and most of all accepted nay beloved than anybody outside of a blatant wish fulfillment. The Audience is Warned, however, that the latter portion of the hour may turn into a rant on the subject of Ambient Misinformation about Writing and Publishing...
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Angel, the final episode
Did the final episode answer the questions raised in the 5- year arc? Was it a satisfactory conclusion
Ginjer Buchanan, Susan Casper, Bey King (m), Martha Wells
Welcome to the SF Community: Making Connections
Now that you're here, here's how to meet people, get involved, and learn to understand our eccentric community!
James Bacon, Elaine Brennan (m), Grant Kruger, Joel Zakem
Predicting the Next Ten Years
Our brave (or foolhardy) panelists each make five predictions about science or society or the SF community that they believe might well materialize within the next decade. We'll publish at least one of these predictions a day in the con newsletter. Keep copies, everyone, and see you for the panel's second half in 2014!
Justin Ackroyd, David Gerrold (m), Joe Haldeman, Chris Moriarty
The Klingon Language
An introduction to Klingon grammar. You WILL be able to speak thousands of Klingon sentences at the end of the hour.
Lawrence Schoen
It Came From The South - Bubba SF&f
Southern gothic is a recognized theme in literature. How does living in the South (U.S.., that is) affect writers' views, styles, plots, and outlooks? Is it more than just funny dialects
F. Brett Cox (m), Melanie Fletcher, Lee Martindale, Allen Steele
Fine Art and Filthy Pictures
Just where do we draw the line? Why, for instance, is full frontal female nudity usually OK, while male nudity is not? (And must all those bare bodies be "perfect" for it to be "art"?)
Laurie Toby Edison, Irene Gallo, Margaret Organ-Kean
Traditional Structures of Plays and Fiction
The traditional structure of a play is a build-up to a climax at the midpoint of the play (and how DO you achieve a perfect climax, anyway?) and then a slow draw down until the ending and denouement. Some works of SF and fantasy follow that model and others don't. What other models are there , and where would one of them best be used, versus the traditional isosceles triangle structure described here
Suzy McKee Charnas, Jim Grimsley, Martha Soukup, James Stevens-Arce (m)
Moods and Medications: Psychopharmacology
Psycho-pharmacology claims to have made great strides in the past decade or so in developing various medications. But most of these have side effects and many are controversial. Problems have emerged when they are given to teenagers and children. Have we really found an effective way to medicate mood disorders? What are the consequences? The outlook for the future? And who defines what moods are medicable
Charles Ardai (m), Matthew Jarpe, Michael Rennie, Eric M. Van
The Shadow of the Torturer: The Writer as God
Do you abuse your characters? Do you do this to further the story, or because it's necessary to make the story more believable...or, to exorcise your own demons? Writing's potential for self-revelation may be its most powerful and terrifying aspect. How do you cope when your story is telling you something you don't want to know about the dark shadow of the self...
Lois McMaster Bujold, Barbara Chepaitis (m), James Alan Gardner, Tamara Jones, Elizabeth Moon, Uncle River
The Art of Screen Writing: Big and Small
How does writing for TV and the movies differ from writing for print media? In terms of subject matter, polish, and creative freedom, which is more rewarding? Panelists will discuss these, and the differences between styles and intent when converting a short story or novel to a screenplay.
George R. R. Martin (m), Sandra McDonald, Melinda Snodgrass, Gary K. Wolf
Autographing
Norman Cates, Paul DiFilippo, Leigh Grossman, Eileen Gunn, Michelle Sagara West
Open Playtime [ages 1-6]
We'll have tunnels, balls, blocks, and other kids to play with.
Riddles in the Dark (7-12)
Reading from The Hobbit.
jan howard finder
Postcard to a Friend [ages 2-12]
Everyone loves getting a postcard from someone far away. Make one to send to your friend back home.
Art from the Someday File
If you could illustrate anything, what would you choose? Why? And what would you find most difficult? Muse aloud about the subjects you're itching to tackle, and the projects you're planning to get to real soon now....
Joseph DeVito, Ruth Sanderson, Michael Whelan, Janny Wurts (m)
Reading
John G. Hemry
HoverDisc Games [ages 7-12] (Steven Chalker)
Don't know what a Hover Disc is? Come and find out; you'll be hooked.
Reading
Paul Levinson
Memories [Subtitled] [PG 13]
On Clark Ashton Smith
A close look at the works and legacy of one of the neglected great writers of the genre.
Jack L. Chalker
The Fiction of Connie Willis
Janice M. Eisen
Reading
Gavin Grant
Music
Reading
Connie Willis
Childcare Closes
The Science of Chocolate
Learn about chocolate chemistry, the history of chocolate from prehistory to today, different types of chocolate, and how chocolate is made. Feed your cravings!
Susan Born
Tall Tech Tales
Panelists, with considerable audience participation, tell real life amusing anecdotes about the sciences. Example: at one point the MIT AI Lab built a robot to play ping-pong. Marvin Minsky, one of the founders of AI, happened to walk by and the robot almost decapitated him, since it mistook his bald head for a ping-pong ball.....Beat that!
Guy Consolmagno, Jeff Hecht (m), Robert A. Metzger
Fannish Eye for the Mundane Guy
Fans will give a total lifestyle remake to a mundane or two. ....
Esther Friesner, Lynn Gold, John F. Hertz (m), David R. Howell, Suford Lewis, Edie Stern
Filk Concert
Kathleen Sloan
Where Have All the Autos Gone
Why does SF rarely (if ever) include wheeled cars
Chris French
Cardboard Characters
Are they always bad? Old-fashioned SF used to be known for "cardboard characters," and being plot and action driven. But, having the cardboard characters wasn't necessarily only from a perceived lack of characterization skills or interest on the part of writers and authors -- spending the time and effort to attempt to have more fully-fleshed out, multidimensional characters, might have led to different stories, not necessarily appreciated by the audience, or longer, more complicated stories, again, not necessarily desired by the audience. Then again, a lot of it may have been because of shortcomings and short deadlines for writers and publishing. But with all that, are there times when cardboard characters -work-, and are the right way to go
Sharon Lee, Chris Moriarty, Steve Saffel (m), Laura Underwood
"Finishing" the Costume
Discusses the pieces needed to make a costume really "finished." Finding,, making, and decorating appropriate headpieces and footwear for costumes. Materials and methods to make stage props.
Janet Catherine Johnston, Pierre E. Pettinger (m), Carol Salemi
Riding the Slipstream
In between the genres is a new non-genre called slipstream. Can it really be defined? Should it be? How is it enlivening long-standing genres
F. Brett Cox (m), Theodora Goss, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Delia Sherman, Andrew Wheeler
Compulsive Collecting
What behavioral traits are shared by compulsive collections - and is there any good way of treating the disease (or even the symptoms?) Do you collect or just acquire? Panelists discuss the differences When does collecting become hoarding? Panelists share stories of collection mania, and explain some ways of controlling these compulsions (or, at least, storing the results)
Thomas Atkinson, Chris Barkley, Geary Gravel, Pamela Scoville (m)
Unlimited Access
Issues involving unlicensed access to spectrum.
Cory Doctorow, Harold Feld (m)
Well Played Fan
The basics of Gaming that EVERY fan should know!
Mary Crowell, W. Randy Hoffman, Tamara Jones, Wil McDermott, Bill Todd (m)
Language: Barrier or Bridge
Translations bring works to audiences who can't read them in the original, but how are the works affected when the words change
Nomi Burstein (m), Anna Feruglio Dal Dan, Sheila Finch, Yves Meynard, Vera Nazarian
Take the Blue Pill... no, wait
Ooops....giving antipsychotics to kids was, well, crazy...sorry, that new diet turns out to be fatheaded...OK, take those breast implants back out of the fridge, little lady.... When medical science keeps changing its mind, how (and why?) do we keep up
Bridget Coila, Perrianne Lurie, Ronald Taylor, W. A. Thomasson, Karen Traviss (m), Trish Wilson
The Quest
For what? Irregardless....how are quests really about a search for identity and "adulthood"
Mindy Klasky, James Macdonald, Madeleine E. Robins, Jeff VanderMeer (m)
Art Show Opens
Filking in Klingon
Mark Mandel, Lawrence Schoen
Site Selection Closes for Day
Developing On-Line Games
Jessica Mulligan
Reading
Grant Carrington
Fancyclopedia - Live!
Joe Siclari (m), Jack Speer, Milton F. Stevens
Pirates of the Caribbean
2004 Long Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Music
Dealers Closes
Reading
Wen Spencer
Village Tour (of the Worldcon)
Laurie Mann
Mechwarrior Tournament
Bring your army and put it to the test in this Wizkids authorized tournament. [1200 pts. Mech only]
Filk Singalong with Filthy Pierre
Erwin S. Strauss
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey have long fascinated writers and readers of speculative fiction. Learn more about them from someone who has studied them for more than thirty years and has used them extensively in his fiction. While geared toward writers who wish to become more familiar with raptors and owls, this talk will interest anyone curious about these marvelous creatures.
David B. Coe
Fiddle Concert (Roland Liu)
WSFS Mark Protection Committee Meeting
This committee manages the WSFS service marks like "Worldcon" and "Hugo Award" and consists of members elected by the Business Meeting and appointed by Worldcon and NASFiC committees. This meeting is open to all Worldcon members.
Reading
Matthew Jarpe
Reading
Toni L. P. Kelner
First Night Begins
The Ankh-Morpork Ball: Dancing Through the Ages, (Mark Waks, Justin du Couer, Larry Schoeder)
Catch an early dinner and dance through the ages with us.
The evening starts with Participatory Renaissance Dance:
Easy dances from the 16th and 17th centuries. Everything
will be taught, so come on in! Run by the Society for
Creative Anachronism (Justin du Coeur, dancemaster). Follow
this with Ballroom dancing of the ages; including Waltz,
Polka, One Step, Tango, Swing, Rock. Finally, the wind up
the evening with modern music.
Bring your dance shoes!
7pm - 8pm - Rennaissance dancing
8pm - 10:30pm - Vintage dancing
10:30pm - 2am - Modern dancing
Future House: a Tribute to PBS "House" Shows
We envision a mixed group of average folks from the USA of 2004 living for 3 months in a typical 2104 biopodplex. Imagine adjusting to IV plumbing and the 1000-hour workweek alone! How long till the sex, lies, and betrayals begin? OK....describe your experiences in the Future House.....
Rusty Hevelin, James Patrick Kelly, Ellen Kushner, Connie Willis (m)
Punday
A host provides topics to a set of contestants who must in turn make a not-yet-said pun on that topic within 30 seconds. When someone misses or repeats, they're gonged out and the topic changes.
Jordin T. Kare, Josepha Sherman
Godzilla: My Favorite Monster
Born in Japan as a nuclear allegory, now an American favorite in innumerable remakes and variants......The original "Gojira" was released in the U.S. only this year. What is the big guy's appeal? What will the next Zillagimmick be? Enjoy the discussion, and this collection of commercials, trailers, and other oddities. Happy Birthday!
Bob Eggleton
Ask Dr. Mike
What can you get for the man who knows everything? Science fiction's wildly acclaimed answer to Drs. Hawking, Ruth, Phil, and Laura asks only for the gift of your most challenging questions about science, philosophy, history, the meaning and origin of life, and that awkward con restaurant invitation thing....
John M. Ford
Filk Concert
David Weingart
Making Book
How can you produce your own fine art books? Today's printing technology makes it possible for an individual artist to produce bound portfolios and monograph books for an investment of hundreds of dollars instead of tens of thousands. In the past year Ctein has begun issuing a series of large-format, high-quality, hand-printed-and- bound art books. In this hour he will discuss his experiences with this novel publishing experiment and explain how others can do this for themselves.
Ctein
The Seven Deadly Sins of SF and Fantasy
Admit it -- some SF motions just don't make sense...and a lot of them become standard background elements in the genre. Discuss a bunch of them (well, at least 7 - and invent some new ones of your own, if you want!), why they're so terrible, and how they get established. Is it just that People Don't Think, or are there other reasons for these lousy ideas
Craig Gardner, Geary Gravel, Rosemary Kirstein, Justine Larbalestier (m)
Spintronics
Kevin P. Roche
Future of the Space Shuttle
Should we kill the shuttle (and space station) now? After all, they sounded good at the time, but these both seem to be turning into somewhat useless moneypits. (True or false?) Then, what should follow them? NASAs current directive is to go to the moon and then to Mars using a manned vehicles. Is that a good idea? What's going to work
Jeff Hecht (m), Allen Steele, Ian Randal Strock
The Return of 20 Panels an Hour...
A preview of the program? Using patented ThoughtSquasher compression technology, Boskone's barely tolderated "Sunday, Funny Sunday" crew flees to Noreascon's First Night. Watch with whimpering amazement as they whip through at least 20 complete panel topics (not including this one) in 55 minutes or less. Warning: do not apply directly to brain.
Michael A. Burstein, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Bob Devney (m), Leigh Grossman
Giant Icehouse
Try many unique games like Martian Chess played with giant pyramids!
Terry on Trial
...for such charges as "failing to stop at a trilogy," "writing with undue care and attention," "cruelty to animals," and "being a rich bastard!." Celebrity witness will include Death, Nanny Ogg, and others. Caselberg as prosecutor, Friesner as defender, Bacon as judge....
James Bacon, Esther Friesner, Jay Caselberg (m), Mary Kay Kare, Terry Pratchett
Reading
James Cambias
Reading
Thomas Harlan
First Night Kickoff
Featuring a fanfare by The Star Chamber
Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince Of Darkness [Subtitled] [15 +]
Filk Concert
H. Paul Shuch
Reading
Lee Martindale
How to Start a Magazine.....and Why You Shouldn't
So,you need a business plan and seed money, and (oh yean) readers. Plus you need to create? exploit? a new niche in the market, so youseem fresh and relevant , Are you sure you've got what it takes
George H. Scithers
Comedy Routine
Harry Harrison and Gary Davis ("World Citizen No. 1") do comedy!
Harry Harrison
Selections from The Filkado.
Ellen James, harpist
Edward James
Autographing
William Tenn, Peter Weston
Tavern Songs
Sean McMullen, Faye Ringel
Open Filk
Blindfolded Sculpting
Sandra Lira, Heidi Hooper, Susan Finley, Mike Ventrella, and two guest sculptors lead this demonstration -- with audience participation as well!
Open Filk - No taping
Reading
Cecilia Tan
TAFF/DUFF Reception
Reading
Katya Reimann
Deryni Guide
An old friend sent a cryptic message, might he have found a fabled treatise on Deryni magic? Where is he? And who else might be looking for the book, and the power it represents? A Deryni adventure featuring Sendai the Magnificent and his troupe of traveling performers. Katherine Kurtz is co-GM for this adventure.
X2: X-Men United
2004 Long Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Give Me Back the Rabbit, and Nobody Gets Hurt
Sharing the experiences and explaining ways of dealing with audience problems during magic shows
Daniel P. Dern
Ellen James, Harpist
Edward James
Set Phasers to Stun
A look at less-than-lethal weapons in fiction and reality.
Lisa J. Steele
Reading
Victoria McManus
Reading
Jim Butcher
Samurai X: The Motion Picture [Dubbed] [17 +]
The Precarious State of SF in Sweden
John-Henri Holmberg
A Scene a Minute?/Whose Line Is It
How well can our teams of participants act out well-known scenes in a minute or less.....and have the audience guess what they're doing!
Michael A. Burstein (m), Nomi Burstein, Solomon Davidoff, Michael McAfee, Michael Rennie, Josepha Sherman
Coming Attractions - What Films to see at Worldcon (First Night)
Readings from the Published Works of Absent Writers
The doorknob opened a blue eye....open mike reading of your favorite excerpts. Bring your own favorite 3-minute pieces (that are particularly meaningful to you) and read the, Join the read-in.
jan howard finder, Mary Kay Kare
Thomas the Rhymer
This performance interlaces portions of Ellen Kushner's award-winning novel "Thomas the Rhymer" with the traditional ballads that inspired it. Accompanied by fiddler Joe Kessler, she creates a living picture in words and song of the mortal minstrel taken by the Queen of Elfland to serve in her perilous kingdom.
Ellen Kushner
SFWA Musketeers
Information Closes
Open Filk
Rendezvous
Registration Closes
Open Filk
Cartoon Jam
Joe Bergeron, Alexis Gilliland, Teddy Harvia, Bill Neville, John Zakour
Fiddle Concert
April Grant
The Science Fictional Sherlock Holmes
Carl William Thiel
About "Silverlock"
Roundtable "footnoting" of the book....
Fred Lerner
Win Tom Galloway's Money
If you liked "Win Ben Stein's Money," you'll love the (very, very frelly adapted) SF version. After all, Ben's game just can't compete with trivia categories like "That's Why Delaney Is a Tramp," "Running with Edward Scissorhands," and "I'm a Gaiman Fan -- not That There's Anything Wrong With That."
Keith R. A. DeCandido, Tom Galloway
Hippocrene and Hyperspace: An Open Mike Poetry Reading
Named in honor of the poetry item at the 1963 Worldcon (Discon I), about which George Scithers later wrote "We were afraid that a bald announcement that we were going to have a poetry-reading session would scare off the audience....." Let's jam.
On Venus Have We Got a Rabbi
....with the original intonations....
William Tenn
Art Show Closes
Discworld Songs
Songs inspired by Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Performance and singalong.
28 Days After
2004 Long Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Blue Seed 1-5 [Subtitled]
"The Lord of the Piercing" and "Gollum's Acceptance Speech"
Concert
Rosemary Kirstein
First Night Ends
"The Very Secret Diaries": a Dramatic Reading
Gundam Movie 1 [Subtitled]
Filk Office On-Call
Rendezvous
Pictionary
Think of Charades, played by mute mental patients....it's somewhat (but not very) similar to water polo with scratchpads. It's the parlor game Satan makes Picasso play in Hell with Claude Degler. It's the shoulder-shaking epicenter of some of this con's largest laughquakes. Here -- wait -- let us DRAW you a description of that last one....
James Bacon (m), Mike Dashow, Joseph DeVito, Bob Eggleton, Teddy Harvia
Concert
Terry Kitchen
Concert by Bill & Brenda Sutton
Concert
Pete Grubbs
Concert by Pete Grubbs
The Earthian 1 - 4 [Subtitled] [13 +]
Encore Game
Join us in this challenge to remember as many disctinct songs with lyrics matching a particular word or theme within the alloted time. Contestants or teams take turns until only one is left, then it's on to the next subject.
Encore Game
Last Call at the Mended Drum
Open Filk
Hynes Closes
Pedestrian Overpass to Marriott Closed
Con Suite Closes
Reign: The Conqueror 1-4 [Dubbed] [16 +]
Filk Office Closes
Hynes Open for Setup Only
Hynes Opens
Registration Opens
Con Suite Open
Gatekeepers #1 - 4 [Dubbed] [13 +]
Childcare Opens
Rise Up Singing
Anglo-Saxon Influences on Modern Fantasy
The Rohirrim have a lot to answer for....
Debra Doyle
Moving to Music [ages 1-7]
Clap and sing to the music of Jim Cosgrove, a Kansas City children's folk singer.
Geometric Aliens [ages 2-6]
Fun foam, wiggle eyes, glue and you; what will be created?
Filk Office Opens
Reading
Tamara Jones
Shotokan Karate Workshop
Kenn Bates, Keith G. Kato
Masquerade Registration Open
X-Bugs
Learn to play X-Bugs, SJ Games' combat tiddlywinks game. Your bugs are represented by plastic pieces that you flip across the table to capture enemy bugs. [2 players per game]
Ogres and Klingons and Orcs, Oh My!: The Changing Role of the Ogre in Popular Culture
Whoa there, big guy! Stop and let's have a look at you. Why did we loathe and fear you, but now think you're kind of cute? Are we unlearning racism? Are we softening our archetypes of aggression? What are you doing with that hamm--
Josepha Sherman
New England in Science Fiction and Fantasy
The locale of SF stories is often an important element of plot and style. LA, New York, London, New Orleans - these and other cities have served as the distinct locations in many stories. What about Boston and other places around New England? A lot of writers live in this region, but how do they use it in their stories? Does locating a story in Boston, Providence, rural Maine and so on make a distinct contribution to the look and feel of SF & fantasy plots? Or would a story set in this region have the same grounding if it was located anywhere else
Elizabeth Hand, Faye Ringel (m), Allen Steele
A Group Reading from the Thackery T. Lambshead Guide to Eccentric and Discredited Diseases
Join Drs. Cory Doctorov, Jay Lake, Paul DiFilippo, Liz Williams, and presiding physician Jeff VanderMeer for a brief "medial conference" on outlandish and ridiculous diseases, including props and giant microbes.
Paul DiFilippo, Cory Doctorow, Jay Lake, Jeff VanderMeer, Liz Williams
Welcome to the SF Community
An orientation seminar on the background of the World Science Fiction Convention and tips on making the most of the con.
Gay Haldeman (m), Mary Kay Kare, Laurie Mann, Roger Sims
Firefly Marathon, Episode 3-5
Molediver #1 [Subtitled]
WSFS Business Meeting, Preliminary Session
Open to all Worldcon members, the WSFS Business Meeting is where you can participate in the process of making and changing the official rules for the Hugo Awards and the selection of future Worldcons. Today's meeting is where we hear reports from committees, consider changes in the Standing Rules, and go through an initial round of setting debate times for amendments to the WSFS Constitution, and also where you can make nominations to the WSFS Mark Protection Committee. If there are items of buseiness you want discussed at the main meetings later in the convention, make sure you attend today's meeting to prevent it from being dismissed from the agenda.
Self-promotion and Publicity for Artists
You can't sell anything if people don't know you have it. How can artists tell people "they got it"? How can they get into the cover business, or make a hit in the fan world? What are the secrets? The mistakes
Irene Gallo, Jael, Karl Kofoed (m), Margaret Organ-Kean, Frank Wu
A Remedy for Future Shock
How can SF serve as a guide for us to help solve future dilemmas
David Gerrold, Walter H. Hunt, Larry A. Lebofsky (m), Ernest Lilley, Jack Speer
You Can't Take the Sky From Me....
...but can they take (your?) Serenity. Talk about the series and the movie....
Ginjer Buchanan, James S. Hinsey, MaryAnn Johanson, Priscilla Olson (m), Michelle Sagara West
Dr. Seuss Appreciation Panel
The late Springfield, Mass. writer/illustrator Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, created fantastic worlds where the Grinch stole Christmas, the Cat in the Hat could disrupt a household, Horton heard a Who, and Sneetches worried about whether they had stars on their bellies. How do his surreal and amusing stories prepare young readers for the world of SF
Kathryn Cramer, Susan Fichtelberg, John F. Hertz, Beth Hilgartner, Kathleen Kudlinski (m)
Continuing the Series: A Dialogue
Suzy McKee Charnas, P. C. Hodgell
The Radio Play as an Ideal Form for SF (1.5 hours)
2 hours, allowing time for talk, listening, and discussion of same.
Paul Levinson
The Art of Alan Beck
Slide show.
Alan F. Beck
Highlights from the Hubble Space Telescope
A user of Hubble will report on the telescope's current status and explain the science behind the famous images. They're more than just pretty pictures.
Mike Brotherton
The Enchanted Apple: New York in SF and Fantasy
The very first history of New York City, written by Washington Irving (under the name ofDeitrich Knickerbocker) in 1809 was a work of fantasy. Since that time, NYC has appeared repeatedly in works of science fiction and fantasy. How has The City been portrayed? What makes it such a perfect locale for the fantabulist
Michael A. Burstein, Esther Friesner, George R. R. Martin, Madeleine E. Robins, Susan Shwartz (m)
SF Without Smiles
Is it possible to writegood or greaf SF/F/H that lacks an element of humor?. What examples come to mind? Or is deadly serious genre writing doomed to be just deadly
William C. Dietz, Scott Edelman (m), Barry N. Malzberg, Robert Sheckley, Gordon Van Gelder
Art Show Opens
Open Playtime [ages 1-6]
We'll have tunnels, balls, blocks, and other kids to play with.
Magic Show (7-12)
Daniel P. Dern
Kitchen Science [ages 2-7]
Fun with things from the kitchen and some explanation on why they work.
How to Train Tigers
Steven L. Lopata
Site Selection Opens
Working with Unusual (Costuming) Materials
Not everything you work with comes from a fabric store. What other itmes might be really useful to help produce a first-rate costume
Pierre E. Pettinger, Sandra G. Pettinger
Reading
Don Sakers
Mars or Bust! (7-12)
An elementary school-level look at Mars. What is Mars like and why would we go there? What are we looking for? How do we get there? These questions are discussed with pictures, video and a 3-D look at the Spirit and Opportunity missions.
Steven Hammond
Dealers Opens
Reading
Carol Berg
Kaffeeklatsch
Glen Cook, Beth Meacham, Steve Miller, Mary H. Rosenblum
Autism Spectrum Disorders Discussion Group (Eva Whitley)
Alienation: The Invisible Barrier in C.J. Cherryh's "Companions" (Stephanie Ryan Cate)
Selling Your Story to Hollywood
How do writers get Hollywood's attention? What is the process of trying to sell a story or novel to a film producer? And what happens when you d? Here's some insight into one of the more lucrative markets...and the most difficult to crack.
Sally Wiener Grotta
Molediver #2 [Subtitled]
The Beginning of Locus
Charles N. Brown, Anthony R. Lewis
April Grant, fiddler
April Grant
Only Two Sexes
Melissa Scott
Reading
Rick Wilber
Reading
James Morrow
Gunparade March #1 - 4 [Dubbed]
Kill Dr. Lucky
Welcome to Dr. Lucky's mansion. Your mission is to kill a feeble old man named Dr. Lucky. Alas, you have to catch him first, but then you have to make sure there aren't any other witnesses. What's a guy with a grudge to do? Learn to play this hilarious game of strategy, deceit, and murder from Cheapass games. [6 players]
Filk Oldies Singalong
Sing songs from the NESFA Hymnals and other well-known filk sources with an experienced song-leader. Possibly your only chance to hear Banned from Argo at the Worldcon.
Lois H. Mangan
The Caves of Steel
A round-table discussion of the 1953 Retro Hugo nominated novel.
John F. Hertz
Running a Writing Workshop for Teens
As a set, teen writers are different from new writers. By designing and refining the Slpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers, we've reinvented the Clarion Model in creative ways certain to be of interest to workshop coordinators, new writers, teens, parents and teachers.
Diane Turnshek
Building the Buzz
What makes one novel merely successful, and another a blockbuster best seller? Is it he buzz the latter generates? What make one book have buzz and another not? Can you cite examples? What kinds of buzz are there - and what is most effective at promoting a book? What can a publisher do to generate or enhance the buzz for a particular book
Jim Butcher, Craig Engler, Andrew Wheeler (m)
39 (Plus) Years of the X-Men
Once upon a time they were confused and frightened teenagers, some lead along by their hormones (remember the Scott-Jean-Warren love triangle?). Although the cast has changed over the years, a couple of well-done movies have only added to the appeal of the mutant guardians of humankind.. Why does the story of people who are different still resonate? And, since we know the subjectés going to come up, which characters who have been sidelined would you like to see come back
Keith R. A. DeCandido, Karen Haber, Steve Saffel, Barry Short (m)
Which Comes First: Character or Setting
Where do you start when you create fiction
Elizabeth Hand (m), Jean Lorrah, Louise Marley, Wen Spencer, Jeff VanderMeer
Molediver #3 [Subtitled]
What is Genre
Ellen Kushner has informed us about the recently formed website of the Interstitial Arts Foundation A browse shows lots of great reading and fiercely intelligent discussion on a range of topics that span literature, art, music and performance which cannot easily be classified by conventional genre boundaries or any boundaries at all. We will skip the paradox of such "interstitial arts" forming its own genre and cut to the chase. What does it mean to be part of a "genre"? If you don't fit comfortably in SF or fantasy or horror or mainstream or fiction/nonfiction, where do they file you in the bookstore? What is the larger cultural significance of crossover material? What does it imply for the future of SF literature? Who is writing stories that fall between the cracks
Ellen Asher, Jay Caselberg (m), James Minz, Takayuki Tatsumi, Carrie Vaughn
The Future of Love
In homage to a panel of the same name from the 1953 Worldcon in Philadelphia. OK....so, what is it? And what about relationships.....marriages? Same-sex marriage, polyamory, Heinlein line marriages, Gor-type relationships ... Is there anything we haven't already tried? Are we a good enough sample to disprove the theory that these things will cause the collapse of civilization
Stephen Dedman, Bey King, Sue Krinard (m), Mary Anne Mohanraj, Mark W. Tiedemann
Remembering Seacon '79
The real truths behind the Brighton 1979 Worldcon, chaired by one of our fan guests 25 years ago.....
Peter Weston
Locus Awards
Charles N. Brown (m), Lois McMaster Bujold, Cory Doctorow, Gardner Dozois, Neil Gaiman, Michael Whelan, Connie Willis
How Workshopping Works/A Public Hanging
The Cambridge Science Fiction Writers Workshop, one of the oldest in the country, discussed how it works and does a live demo....watch them deconstruct a story in all their snarky splendor!
James Cambias, F. Brett Cox, Theodora Goss, James Patrick Kelly, Kelly Link, Vandana Singh
Social World Building
"World building" in SF usually connotes care paid to ecological, astronomical and biological factors influencing the nature of other worlds in which stories take place - in short, the physical backstory. But if other worlds are different from Earth, so are likely to be the social systems of sentient species on them, including future humans. What should you think about when considering the sociological background of stories set in the future or on other planets? SF writers traditionally took for granted that mid-20th century American norms would prevail everywhere, but we know better - don't we? The panel will consider matters of kinship, marriage, family, religion and other modes of relationship patterns that vary more widely than many realize here and now, let along then and there.
Carol Berg, Judith Berman, Robert J. Sawyer, Karl Schroeder (m), Martha Wells
Space Weather Forecasting
Space weather is already a concern, as solar storms disrupt communications. Will travelers to Mars have to predict radiation blizzards months in advance? What is the state of the art
Janet Catherine Johnston
They Gave It a Hugo: What on Earth Were They Thinking
Sure, it's easy to slam They'd Rather Be Right, but name a few more that fit the bill.....Why did they win
Justin Ackroyd, Moshe Feder, Gregory Feeley, Andrew Porter (m), Robert Silverberg
What Should Good Fantasy Do
Should it inspire, teach, intimidate, educate? How about divert, relax, amuse, or awaken? The panelists will choose their own verbs - and in the process, explain how good fantasy differs from not-so-good fantasy.
Daniel Abraham (m), John Clute, Justine Larbalestier, Laura Underwood
You want to do WHAT with my genes
What good and bad can come of genome editing and genetic engineering. Genome editing is the merging of natural and existing genomes with others and artificial genetic material, in order to create new species, Genetic engineering is the addition and changing of specific traits in individual species. imagine a tiny perfect Bengal tiger, or a miniature pet elephant. How about a dog as smart as a monkey. What types of genetic engineering may be applied to humans? What are the personal, social and ethical implications for people and animals
Catherine Asaro, Zara Baxter (m), Nancy Kress, Mary H. Rosenblum, Janine Ellen Young
Art Show Tour (Mark Ferrari)
Autographing
Elizabeth Caldwell, Suzy McKee Charnas, Laura Anne Gilman, Thomas Harlan, Laurie J. Marks, Deborah Ross, Darrell Schweitzer
HoverDisc Games [ages 3-6] (Steven Chalker)
Don't know what a HoverDisc is? Come and find out; you'll be hooked.
Alien World Building (7-12)
Discussion of alien environments and bodies. Then make your own alien and environment and describe them for the group.
Walter H. Hunt, Amy Thomson
Pudding Finger Paint [ages 1-5]
Cartoon Guilty Pleasures
Let's see some hands: Even though you talk knowledgeably about the latest episode of hip shows like "South Park" or "Justice League," do you furtively watch "Scooby Doo"? "The Wild Thornberrys"? "Recess"? Any show featuring Archie & his friends? What's appealing for adults in these shows aimed at kids? Is it a return to simpler times, positive actions, or something more
Blind Lemming Chiffon, Pam Fremon (m), Kimberly Ann Kindya, Pamela Scoville, Gary K. Wolf
Developing the Deryni Game: a Writer's Perspective
Katherine Kurtz
Reading
Rebecca Moesta
So, You Want to be a Rocket Scientist? (7-12)
The universe is a big, exciting place (at least scientifically speaking). Come share the thrill of it with other science-types, as they demystify relativity, and other sciences.
Carl Frederick, G. David Nordley
Reading
Simon R. Green
Kaffeelatsch
Joe Haldeman, Yves Meynard, James Stevens-Arce, Charles Stross
Ham Radio Discussion
Pagan Discussion Group
Angel: 1945
Village Tour (of the Worldcon)
Suford Lewis
Molediver #4 [Subtitled]
Psychological Aspects of the Babylon 5 Universe
David McMahon
Mary Crowell, pianist
Mary Crowell
Space Opera as Geopolitical Melodrama
Daniel Hatch
Reading
Janny Wurts
Music
Mary Crowell
Reading
P. C. Hodgell
Dinohunt
Learn to play Dinohunt, SJ Games' game of time travel and dinosaur hunting. [6 players]
Oldies Singalong
What's New From DAw
A presentation of the upcoming schedule and a Q&A with DAW editors and authors. Moderated by Debra Euler, Managing Editor.
Novel Educational Approaches
In the past three academic years, a group of second-grade students have been taught a mixture of karate and science. What was tried and how well did this mixed instruction seem to work? Student notebooks and other items will be available for view.
Keith G. Kato
Researching Your Story: When Do You Quit
The family tree covers three sheets; the glossary needs extensive cross references; the map has 16 color codes. Have you overdone it, or is this all necessary to provide verisimilitude? And haven't we all read stories where the writer go so involved with building the world that the story got lost? Learn when to drop the books and pick up the pen.
Lisa Barnett, Suzanne Alles Blom, Elizabeth Caldwell, Jack L. Chalker, Sheila Finch (m), Steven L. Lopata
The World Map of 2100 - what does it look like
The map of Europe has been redrawn several times in recent decades; many people have the experience of being born in one country, growing up in another and dying in a third without ever having moved. There is no reason to think this process will stop. If you could see a a world map of 2100, what's familiar, what isn't? united Europe? disunited US? Canada still there? rearranged Africa? internet/virtual communities more important than geographic ones? regional ecotopias? corporate empires
David McMahon, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, S. M. Stirling, Scott Westerfeld, Jim Young (m)
Welcome to the SF Community: Making Connections
Now that you're here, here's how to meet people, get involved, and learn to understand our eccentric community!
Norman Cates, Nicki Lynch, Bill Sutton (m), Toni Weisskopf
Molediver #5 [Subtitled]
Character Development for Everyone
It isn't just writers who develop characters. Artists, costumers and gamers also need these skills. People who use characters in different media discuss how they go about it.
Susan de Guardiola, Sharon Lee (m), Bill Neville, Laura Resnick, Melissa Scott
SF: Fun or Spinach
Is it good for you? A discussion of escapism vs. relevance in fiction.
Ellen Asher, John R. Douglas (m), Esther Friesner, Fruma Klass
Fandom in the Fifties
What was fandom like a half-century ago
Juanita Coulson, David A. Kyle, Hank Reinhardt, Roger Sims (m)
The Future of Forensic Evidence
DNA evidence proves the guy on Death Row didn't do it. On CSI, they finger a killer by the heat trace he left behind. But - can this evidence be tampered with? How do real everyday science advances change the way the criminal justice system works, and what's the outlook for the future? How far can forensics go before we have the Precrime cops from Minority Report stopping homicides before they happen? What comes in between - and is it all good
Genny Dazzo, Matthew Jarpe, Robert I. Katz (m), Paul Levinson
How to Become Invisible
From fairy tales to H.G. Wells, we have always loved stories about people becoming invisible. Our panel discusses a variety of ways, scientific and silly, that humans might accomplish this wonder. Join this exercise in creative thinking.
Michael A. Burstein (m), Dave Clements, Howard Davidson, Robert A. Metzger
Archetypes in Fantasy: The Princess, Alone
Who is she, and why is she alone? How can she ever find her way out of the Tower
Diane Duane, Justine Larbalestier, Michelle Sagara West (m), Jo Walton, Paul Witcover
Restoration Ecology
Ecology, and practical approaches to small-scale land and wildlife management....and why it matters
Elizabeth Moon (m)
The Art of Martina Pilcerova
Martina Pilcerova
Asteroids: Friends or Foes
Astronomers are now tracking hundreds of asteroids bigger than a kilometer which could potentially hit the Earth with minor changes in their orbits. They continue discovering new potentially hazardous objects, and sometimes their predictions warn of possible collisions within the next century. What does this mean, and how much should we worry about it? What kind of objects should we be looking for, and what can we do if we see one on its way toward us? How should astronomers keep the public and governments informed
Richard Binzel
The Future of Short Fiction (and the Magazines)
OK....it wouldn't be a Worldcon without this item, would it? The big pro magazines have been losing circulation steadily for many years. The original anthology market is a shadow of its former self. Yet new magazines keep popping up, and some publish a few impressive issues. Is short fiction becoming a hobby? And what does that mean when publishing short fiction is often considered a vital step on the way to publishing novels
John Betancourt, Nicholas A. DiChario, Gardner Dozois, Stanley Schmidt (m), Gordon Van Gelder, Sheila Williams
Modernism and Sf
Modernism -- Faulkner, Joyce, Eliot, Pound, Cabell -- was the dominant literary mode when modern science fiction had its formative period during the 1930s and early 1940s. What unappreciated influences did it exert over the evolving pulp genre
Gregory Feeley, Eileen Gunn (m), David G. Hartwell, James Morrow
Autographing
Tobias Buckell, Barbara Chepaitis, Peter J. Heck, Rosemary Kirstein, Larry Niven
Open Playtime [ages 1-6]
We'll have tunnels, balls, blocks, and other kids to play with.
Geometric Origami (Jenny Mosely, Elsa Chen) (7-12)
Learn origami with a master origamist. Jenny specializes in geometric shapes rather than animals, and has been a GOH at a Japanese origami convention.
Stamping [ages 1-12]
Stamping is so much fun. Paper and creativity will help you make a great card, stationary, or bookmark to take home with you.
The Artemis Project
Commercial space travel
Ian Randal Strock
Reading
Mindy Klasky
Making a Poly-Shrink Pin (Kids Only! -- 7-12)
Design and make a pin with the instruction of an expert.
Elizabeth Janes
Reading
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Kaffeeklatsch
Thomas Harlan, Tamora Pierce, George H. Scithers, Allen Steele
Mensa Discussion Group (Muriel Hykes)
Buffy: Chosen
Short Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Molediver #6 [Subtitled]
H.G. Wells: Plagiarist
Bradford Lyau
Working on Graphic Novels
Colleen Doran
Reading
Daniel Abraham
Reading
Kevin J. Anderson
The Special Duty Combat Unit: Shinesman [Dubbed]
The Two Cultures in F&SF: Science Confronts the Humanities
Decades ago, C.P. Snow defined the "Two Cultures" of technical intellectuals and literary intellectuals. The split is still with us. How does it influence our fantasy and science fiction? What works, what authors manage to bridge the gap? What works or authors make it deeper
Ctein (m), Matthew Jarpe, Nancy Kress, Justine Larbalestier
Interactive Fiction: The Nexus of Storytelling, Simulation and AI in Video Games
Video games have traditionally been abstract or linear. Games that use traditional storytelling media increase the immersion by providing the player with some kind of ownership or emotional attachment. However, the players themselves have had little choice in their storylines and a limited palette of emotional experience. That's changing. More recently, games have allowed users to create their own stories, or have been more open-ended with limited plots giving the player the ability to create his or her own narrative. Explore these ideas!
K. A. Bedford, Mike Dashow, Clarinda Merripen (m), Joe Pearce
The Two Sides of Gollum
Gollum is unique; there's nobody quite like him in fantasy. (Or, is there?) And in many ways, he's the true tragic figure of The Lord of the Rings, evoking at times anger, contempt, and pity from the readers. The panel looks at the character of Gollum (whether Stinker or Slinker) and how he fits into Tolkien's world and Tolkien's story.
Greer Gilman, Daniel Grotta, Darrell Schweitzer, Brenda Sutton, Ann Tonsor Zeddies (m)
A Worldcon Orientation for SF Professionals
Time was, most pros came out of fandom and therefore had long-standing links of friendship to a variety of fans, besides an understanding of fannish perspective. Increasingly, not only don't SF writers come out of fandom, but they're not very interested in it except as it affect their bottom line. This ignorance can hurt -- both the pro and the fan community. So, what should every pro know about fandom? Get the lowdown on how to get the most out of the convention circuit -- without harming your reputation. Learn how to find your way through the maze of publisher parties, conventions, fannish traditions, and more (even if you're painfully shy). Highly recommended for the "neo-pro," or for anyone wanting to reduce the widening gulf between pros and fans.....
Janice Gelb, Gay Haldeman, David Levine, Priscilla Olson (m), Toni Weisskopf
"Metal Tears" - Film and Discussion
Watch this short film, based on the Hugo-nominated short story "Robots Don't Cry" and discuss how it came about.
Mike Resnick
GunBuster Vol. 1 [Subtitled]
The Fannish Inquisition
Meet the bidders for the 2007 and future Worldcons.
Patrick Molloy (m)
15 Years of "The Simpsons"
It's now one of the longest-running TV shows, and shows no sign of slowing down. (Maybe that's because someone always seems to be chasing them, for something they shouldn't have done. There are *still* a few states that haven't yet run the family out.) How does the show manage to stay fresh? Is it the large number of characters? The loose sense of location? The fact that their family looks like ours? (Don't we *all* have a Homer and a Lisa?) What subjects would we still like them to cover? Should Skinner and Edna tie the knot? And do we think Bart *will* someday become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Michael A. Burstein (m), Pam Fremon, Daniel Kimmel
The Business of Screenwriting Big and Small
Is it true a writer can make more money and have more fun behind the screen? (And would that be the big or little screen?) If not, why are so many people drawn to screenwriting? Does writing for TV differ from writing for movies? In terms of money, time, censorship. and subject matter, which is more rewarding? Easier to break into? Easier to actually make a living out of
David Gerrold, Craig Miller (m), Nick Sagan, Steven Sawicki, Isaac Szpindel
Is your "First Novel" a First Novel
So, you think the first novel you finish is your first novel, but is it? Could it be a third or fourth novel as far as an editor is concerned. Come learn how to write a first novel from folks who've written several among their many novels.
Phyllis Eisenstein, Terry McGarry, Mike Shepherd-Moscoe (m), Scott Westerfeld
Looking Backward: the 20th Century
It was a time of terrible wars and great evils and unparalleled progress, ending with democracy triumphant, right? Well... It was also the time of Milton Berle and cheese Whiz, love beads and Elvis, andàOK, so will the writers and fans of the late 21st century look back on the 20th with nostalgia, with surprise, or with horror? How will people in far future times look at us? Imagine what things about the 20th century that those in the future will look back on in the same way as we view the Roman gladiators...
Esther Friesner (m), Craig Gardner, Terry Pratchett, John Scalzi
Adapting Traditional Japanese Garments to SF/F Costumes
Kimberly Ann Kindya
People for the Ethical Treatment of Mars
The Ethics of Terraforming...Do rocks have rights? Should we terraform Mars? Give it an atmosphere, five it life, make it a home for people. Is this something we ought to do? What would the impact of terraforming be on Martian extremophiles, if they exist? Should we change it to the detriment of the native life? (And, if it's lifeless, does a rocky Moon-like Mars have a claim that we can't brush aside?) What would a terraformed Mars provide to the human race, in general? Should the demands of a few determine the destiny of many
Guy Consolmagno, D. Douglas Fratz, James Killus, Mark L. Olson (m)
Recovering from Oops!
The Fed Ex man will be here in a hour -- but you just put a blotch in the middle of the painting -- what do you do? Like cats, artists are experts in making it look like that's what they meant to do all along. Find out how artists fix what seems unfixable
N. Taylor Blanchard (m), Mike Conrad, Ed Cox, Margaret Organ-Kean, Martina Pilcerova
Affectionate Technology: The Art & Science of David Durlach
Can technology development and emotions like grace and kindness be allies? That's the belief of David Durlach, who runs a high-tech design studio that combines his fascination with artistic expression, human emotion and human relations with technology. Durlach will explain his philosophy of "arffectionate technology" and how it is implemented in computer-controlled kinetic artworks, education exhibits, and commercial attractions that have been displayed around the country.
David Durlach, Dennis Livingston (m)
The Cassini Mission
NASA's Cassini spacecraft went into orbit around Saturn on June 30 and will continue exploring the Saturn system during Noreascon. This is the first spacecraft to visit the ringed planet since Voyager 2 passed through in 1981. What has it already learned? What more will it learn during its four-year mission to Saturn and Titan? What more do we want to know? What's next? It's another neat space stuff panel.
Jeff Hecht, Bill Higgins, Geoffrey A. Landis, Larry A. Lebofsky, Carolyn Collins Petersen
One Day in the Life of an Editor
An hour by hour account of what an editor actually does. It's 11:00 a.m. - do you know where your manuscript is
Tina Beychok, Ellen Datlow, Scott Edelman, Jim Grimsley, Sheila Williams (m)
My Worst Story - and why I wrote it
Stinkers can be therapeutic. Share!
William Tenn, Frederik Pohl (m), Robert J. Sawyer
Ellen James, harpist
Edward James
Autographing
Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Jay Caselberg, Vera Nazarian, Susan Shwartz, James Stevens-Arce, S. M. Stirling, Cecilia Tan
Literary Beer
Jeffrey A. Carver, Joe Haldeman, Lee Martindale
Playground Games [ages 4-7]
Play basic rule games in a more organized manner than open playtime (Duck, Duck, Goose; Animal Tag; Simon Says, etc)
Drawing and Painting (7-12)
Try your hand at creating an original cover for your favorite book.
Don Maitz
Make Your Own Journal [ages 4-7]
Want to remember the special things about Noreascon 4? This fun journal will give you place to write, draw, or put a picture to keep those memories forever.
Juried One-Shots
Sign up in the filk office. Four persons or groups willhave 13 minutes each to perform and get feedback from a panel of judges with various areas of expertise. Performances should be 5 minutes or less. Criticism will be constructive.
Fan History Tour
Laurie Mann
The Interstitial Arts Movement
Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman
Reading
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Make Your Own Rapiers (7-12)
Make and decorate the sword you'll use in the swordplay hour coming up next.
Persis Thorndike
Reading
Charles Stross
Shadowrun RPG: First Shot at the Big Time
Your chance at the big time: A friend has tipped you off about a job opportunity to do some bodyguard work for a group of exclusive clientele.. You have been trying to break into the Seattle shadow scene, and these are just the kind of people that can help. All you have to do is make sure that their meeting doesn't get interrupted. It's a simple walk in the park, natch! [Make your own character up to 10 Karma, or use a pre-generated character. 6 players]
Kaffeeklatsch
John Clute, Kathleen Kudlinski, Louise Marley, Walter Jon Williams
Alternative Housing Discussion Group (Dave Van Deusen)
Gollum's Acceptance Speech at the 2003 MTV Music Awards
Short Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Firefly: Heart of Gold
Short Form Dramatic Presentation Hugo Nominee
Cheapass Games Tournament
This tournament will feature the following games: Brawl, Gimme the Brain, Girl Genius: The Works, and Kill Dr. Lucky. Players will rotate between games. You must sign up by Friday, 1 p.m. Sign up at either game room. Each players plays each game once
How History is Filtered
Herb Kauderer
Airships: A Dialog
James Cambias, Thomas Kidd
Reading
Jim Frenkel
Reading
Elizabeth Moon
Slayers: The Movie [Dubbed] [12 +]
Blood and Cardstock Players Choice
Open demo session. Learn to play exciting games like Showbiz and Counting ZZZs.
Game Demo
Leigh Grossman
SETI Update
In the decade since Congress abruptly terminated the NASA SETI Program, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence has proved itself the science that refuses to die. This update on SETI privatization describes what thousands of ordinary SETIzens all over our planet are doing to hasten humanity's entry into the Galactic Community
H. Paul Shuch
Imagine That! Science Fiction as a Learning Motivation
Slide show
Val Ontell
The Rediscovery of Cordwainer Smith
A few years ago, Gardner Dozois observed that many of the hot new writers of the 1990s had never read the works of Cordwainer Smith. How is that possible? Why do Smith's stories need to be rediscovered -- and what makes them worthy of rediscovery? Cone by and discover (or rediscover) why "Smith's" unique voice sounds stronger, stranger, and more cotemporary than most SF published today -- or tomorrow.
Ellen Asher, Geary Gravel, Anthony R. Lewis (m), Jacob Weisman, Jim Young
Girl Power - Anime Style
Christine Carpenito, Kimberly Ann Kindya (m), Mari Kotani, Timothy Liebe
Storytelling Workshop
Storytelling plays a significant role in SF/fantasy literature, in the form of characters who gather you around the campfire, and at cons, where authors' readings could be considered a form of telling stories. Ah, but there's an art to it and here's the place to find out more - especially for fans who would like to specialize telling or performing SF/fantasy influenced tales, original or not. Discussion, demonstration, and workshop.
Barbara Chepaitis
Reading/Film
Resa Nelson
GunBuster Vol. 2 [Subtitled]
Filk Request Concert
The New Recycling Universe
An alternative to Big Bang cosmology....
John G. Cramer
Plot and Pace
A story needs to balance both the plot of the story and the pace of the revelation to keep the reader interested. Come learn how to do this critical balancing act in your own work.
Alison Baird, Stephen Dedman, James Alan Gardner (m), Jay Lake, Sean M. Mead, Uncle River
The Well-Read Fanzine Fan
Both paper and on-line, what should the well-read fanzine fan know about (both past and present)? Why'd you pick that one
Juanita Coulson, John-Henri Holmberg, Guy H. Lillian (m), Joe Siclari, Steven H. Silver
Kennedy Survives Dallas - Then what
It's Boston, it's 40+ years since Dallas, politics abounds - how can we not do this? This panel takes for granted an alternative past to explore an alternative present - what if JFK was not killed at Dallas? What does the present look like? For example: the base on Mars is now 10 years old. Bobby Kennedy was impeached for violating civil liberties. what Vietnam war? Who would the parties be nominating this year? Once you change one fundamental aspect of the past, how do you spell out the ripples through the near future? Oràis history so chaotic that thirty years later much of the detail of life would be unpredictably different?....or not much changed at all
Mitchell Freedman, Joseph T. Major, Mike Resnick, Shane Tourtellotte (m)
Mental Floss - Emotional Hygiene to Help Writers & Artists Stay Sane
Creativity takes a huge toll of the psyche, never mind the ego reeling from critiques and rejections. You'll last a lot longer if you learn to put it all in perspective, and tune out your critics when necessary.
Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Rebecca Moesta, Deborah Ross (m), Josepha Sherman, Martha Wells
Nukes on the Moon?!
What if Cold War US military plans (circa 1960) to place nuclear armed missiles on the Moon had been carried out? How would this have changed the course of space exploration in the Twentieth Century? Would there have been a Lunar Missile Crisis as well as a Cuban one
Robert Buettner, John G. Hemry, David McMahon, Mike Shepherd-Moscoe (m), Karen Traviss
Game Crack
Addicted to games to the exclusion of life...friends....bathing? How do you get your life back
Chris French, W. Randy Hoffman (m), David R. Howell, Joe Pearce, Lisa J. Steele
The Art of Karl Kofoed
Karl Kofoed
The MIT Media Lab: A Visit From the Future
What's cookin' at the Media Lab? MIT's well known research organization has garnered a reputation as a leading-edge center for developments in machine understanding, affective computing, advanced interface design, nanomedia, silicon biology and digital expression, among other fields, that may influence how we use technology in the years ahead - not to mention provide fertile ideas for science fiction stories. This panel features presentations from Lab researchers on a sample of current activities.
Bill Higgins, Marvin Minsky, Sandy Pentland
Cyber-Crime: Present and Future
A panel about the explosion of cyber-crime. Include the sophisticated Brazilian hackers, the Asian Virus makers spammers (porn, sex aids, medication, etc), and so on.. Bill Gates pledged to wipe out spam within two years and the big Internet companies are uniting to fight spam in the courts and cyberspace. What is the future of cyber-crime and the abuse of the Internet -- and what steps might be taken to control this? Will we one day have that massive cyber attack that literally brings the world to its knees
Charles Ardai, Michael Benveniste (m), Harold Feld, Charlie Petit
The Long and Short of It: Short Stories vs. Novels