Redemption '11: overall
I had a great time at Redemption '11. I ran some panels, I sat in the back for some other panels. I planned to go to yet more panels, then changed my mind and went to different ones instead, or had food, or blobbed in the hotel room or hung out in the bar with friends…
…basically, I went to the con, which is a little different from my experience for the past few Redemptions, where I only had time to attend items I was programmed for.
I'd also scaled down my activities: no wall quizzes, no workshops, no cabaret entry (I was looking forward to seeing the cabaret, instead) - I didn't even take along the guitar for filking.
Bliss.
It wasn't all relaxation; the book panels required quite a bit of advance reading, and despite spending quite a bit of time doing this in the months before the con, I still had a lot to catch up on, so chunks of Friday and Saturday were devoted to sitting in a bar, coffee shop or hotel room reading through SF Shorts or Ghost Stories, and making notes. But that was it, for work.
I thought the Book Thread panels all went well - many thanks to altariel , communicator and the audience - whether casual attendees or the Usual Suspects who've been turning up religiously since we started these at Redemption '05.
The Panel panel was also good, not to mention worthwhile, and I have some additions for next time already planned.
In terms of other items I attended, I'd like to give a big thumb-up to Keith Smith's talk and workshops on How to Make Songvids. The Friday evening panel needed some pre-con agreement with Jane on the direction, but Keith's individual workshops on Saturday and Sunday were a joy to behold. Hey, steverogerson - more like this, please! And by "like this", I mean: a presenter who knows his material, has prepared in advance, and knows how to present it well. Lots of well-chosen material, and a very relaxed atmosphere. The only downside was that Keith had to cut short the Sunday presentation due to scheduling a costume change - so he'd spent time the night before re-editing the presentation to address that! Devotion beyond the call of duty.
(And to anyone else doing a talk: this is where the bar is, now. It's certainly given me something to aim for.)
Another sidebar: despite my best efforts, I yet again failed to get along to gaspodex 's How to watch it item. But in my head, it was just as smooth as Keith's songvids workshop. So if gaspodex is doing it again at '13, there are two years to live up to that. :-)
I had fun with Piers and others in the pub quiz (we came second! How did we manage that? We were rubbish!), and managed to join in almost all of the ceilidh dancers (but where were all the other kilts?). katlinel and I enjoyed much boogying during yet another great Marwen disco (though I wish he'd give up on Star Trekkin', etc. Sigh.)
I was impressed with Jane's moderation in the Future of Feminism panel, and with the general level of restraint all round (fewer bodies dragged out of there than expected), and similarly with the How Good Is Matt Smith? item - I've come to expect an XOR response from fandom: I like X, this is not X, therefore this is Not Good. But there was none of that. Smith wasn't universally popular, but he definitely had the vast majority behind him. And interesting points from the guests in the audience. Some of the panellists seemed a bit confused, though.
I caught the second half of the Favourite Gadgets item. Since folks like Tony, Raj, Gryphon and _36 were talking about how easy gadgets were to carry around a con, I pointed out I was wearing one of my favourites: a SWAT vest (see an Army Surplus store; alternatively, get the moral equivalent from a fishing shop). Lots of pockets, no sleeves, and no bag. Combined with a fully-loaded Utilikilt, and you've got more pockets than you could ever want, as you stride (slowly) round the con, clanking as you go…
The Worst SF Show of All Time and Disaster Movies items were okay, but suffered mainly from being in the main hall, and therefore falling foul of both the added formality that comes from using microphones, and being unable to see hands raised in the audience. Yet again, I'd suggest using question-wranglers with microphones and torches for main hall items. Starfury manages - why can't Redemption?
The Future of Comics item was a lot of fun, and quite interesting, but it did need a stronger moderator. And gaspodex left the con before I could have a play with the Marvel Comics app on his iPad. :-(
I spent quite a bit of time talking to folks, about previous cons, about this con, about comics, about ProgDB, about Doctor Who, about rum, about ghost stories, about Edinburgh - lots of things. gaspodex , Piers, selenay936 , altariel , fifitrix , glitterboy1 , steverogerson , the_magician , communicator , plus a bunch of others whose LJ names I forget, plus a bunch of others I've no doubt forgotten.
There were quite a few people who weren't at Redemption '11, for one reason or another, who'd originally planned to go. Their absence was keenly noted. :-(
And due to one reason or another, my scheduling collapsed, and I still didn't get to see the cabaret or masquerade. :-(
But these are minor things. I still had a blast. My thanks to all who worked hard to make it go so smoothly.
…basically, I went to the con, which is a little different from my experience for the past few Redemptions, where I only had time to attend items I was programmed for.
I'd also scaled down my activities: no wall quizzes, no workshops, no cabaret entry (I was looking forward to seeing the cabaret, instead) - I didn't even take along the guitar for filking.
Bliss.
It wasn't all relaxation; the book panels required quite a bit of advance reading, and despite spending quite a bit of time doing this in the months before the con, I still had a lot to catch up on, so chunks of Friday and Saturday were devoted to sitting in a bar, coffee shop or hotel room reading through SF Shorts or Ghost Stories, and making notes. But that was it, for work.
I thought the Book Thread panels all went well - many thanks to altariel , communicator and the audience - whether casual attendees or the Usual Suspects who've been turning up religiously since we started these at Redemption '05.
The Panel panel was also good, not to mention worthwhile, and I have some additions for next time already planned.
In terms of other items I attended, I'd like to give a big thumb-up to Keith Smith's talk and workshops on How to Make Songvids. The Friday evening panel needed some pre-con agreement with Jane on the direction, but Keith's individual workshops on Saturday and Sunday were a joy to behold. Hey, steverogerson - more like this, please! And by "like this", I mean: a presenter who knows his material, has prepared in advance, and knows how to present it well. Lots of well-chosen material, and a very relaxed atmosphere. The only downside was that Keith had to cut short the Sunday presentation due to scheduling a costume change - so he'd spent time the night before re-editing the presentation to address that! Devotion beyond the call of duty.
(And to anyone else doing a talk: this is where the bar is, now. It's certainly given me something to aim for.)
Another sidebar: despite my best efforts, I yet again failed to get along to gaspodex 's How to watch it item. But in my head, it was just as smooth as Keith's songvids workshop. So if gaspodex is doing it again at '13, there are two years to live up to that. :-)
I had fun with Piers and others in the pub quiz (we came second! How did we manage that? We were rubbish!), and managed to join in almost all of the ceilidh dancers (but where were all the other kilts?). katlinel and I enjoyed much boogying during yet another great Marwen disco (though I wish he'd give up on Star Trekkin', etc. Sigh.)
I was impressed with Jane's moderation in the Future of Feminism panel, and with the general level of restraint all round (fewer bodies dragged out of there than expected), and similarly with the How Good Is Matt Smith? item - I've come to expect an XOR response from fandom: I like X, this is not X, therefore this is Not Good. But there was none of that. Smith wasn't universally popular, but he definitely had the vast majority behind him. And interesting points from the guests in the audience. Some of the panellists seemed a bit confused, though.
I caught the second half of the Favourite Gadgets item. Since folks like Tony, Raj, Gryphon and _36 were talking about how easy gadgets were to carry around a con, I pointed out I was wearing one of my favourites: a SWAT vest (see an Army Surplus store; alternatively, get the moral equivalent from a fishing shop). Lots of pockets, no sleeves, and no bag. Combined with a fully-loaded Utilikilt, and you've got more pockets than you could ever want, as you stride (slowly) round the con, clanking as you go…
The Worst SF Show of All Time and Disaster Movies items were okay, but suffered mainly from being in the main hall, and therefore falling foul of both the added formality that comes from using microphones, and being unable to see hands raised in the audience. Yet again, I'd suggest using question-wranglers with microphones and torches for main hall items. Starfury manages - why can't Redemption?
The Future of Comics item was a lot of fun, and quite interesting, but it did need a stronger moderator. And gaspodex left the con before I could have a play with the Marvel Comics app on his iPad. :-(
I spent quite a bit of time talking to folks, about previous cons, about this con, about comics, about ProgDB, about Doctor Who, about rum, about ghost stories, about Edinburgh - lots of things. gaspodex , Piers, selenay936 , altariel , fifitrix , glitterboy1 , steverogerson , the_magician , communicator , plus a bunch of others whose LJ names I forget, plus a bunch of others I've no doubt forgotten.
There were quite a few people who weren't at Redemption '11, for one reason or another, who'd originally planned to go. Their absence was keenly noted. :-(
And due to one reason or another, my scheduling collapsed, and I still didn't get to see the cabaret or masquerade. :-(
But these are minor things. I still had a blast. My thanks to all who worked hard to make it go so smoothly.