Minicon 45
Yes, it was Easter weekend, and time for my annual trip to Minicon. Once again it was held at the Sheraton Bloomington, even though to be honest it could fit in a much much smaller hotel. (450 memberships, of whom 430 actually showed up for at least a little while.)
The Sheraton had a couple of new twists to their service this year; one was the option of not having housekeeping clean your room for the day--for which you could get a $5 discount in the hotel restaurant (or extra points on the frequent stayers' club.) You can bet I took advantage of this. The other was a new entertainment lounge for guests, where you could have up to 90 minutes a day of free internet access per room. (More if you brought your own computer.)
I would like them to bring back the airport shuttle though, that was more immediately helpful.
The good thing about small conventions is breathing space--you can actually talk to someone without having to squeeze against the wall to let an endless stream of people get by...or ignore those people as you block the hall. Plus the chance that you'll actually run into the guests outside of formal panels or signings--and not be competing with a score of other people who also need to speak to that person right now.
As I think I mentioned before, this year's Author GoH was Brandon Sanderson, the fellow who's been tapped to finish the Wheel of Time series. Apparently, the second of three books is on its final draft and may be out by the end of the year. He also brought along his editor, and the artist GoH was Dan Dos Santos, who among other things did the cover to Mr. Sanderson's "Warbreaker" book. Lots of previous guests also came back (Minicon is small, but welcoming), including Ben Bova and Baron Dave Romm (who brought along his mother for her first ever SF con...she seemed to be having a ball, and learning a lot.)
So, panels I attended: The Snob in Every Fan (what parts of fandom do fans look down on as even more pathetic than their own?), Opening Ceremonies (always a treat), Recursiveness in Science Fiction that's About Recursiveness (stories about stories, stories that eat their own tails, stories about the process of writing a story....), Who Wants to Live Forever? (The up sides and down sides of immortality, and the comparative virtues of the different ways to achieve it), The Editors' Panel (Ben Bova said he owed his editorial career to the tobacco industry, as John Campbell smoked himself to death), Avatar-Cinema Event of the Year or Festival of Plagarism? (Yes), Do I Know Enough Science to Write Science Fiction? (Maybe, but research and fact-checking are key), Playing the God Card (Not about Yu-Gi-Oh! but about the hazards and challenges of using gods in your stories), How Brandon Got the Gig: Finishing the Wheel of Time (short version: Robert Jordan's widow really liked his writing.)
I saw bits of "Thunderbirds are Go!" and "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" in the film room--it will probably be in a smaller space next year as it tends to be lightly attended.
And yes, there was a huckster's room/artshow/science room. (The convention is small enough that all three and puzzle tables could fit in one large room.) I...picked up a few things, some of which will be surprises for the appropriate people.
I left early, as with no shuttle I could not rely on the bus to arrive in time to get me to the transfer point, and I walked from the Sheraton to Fuddrucker's. Lovely day for a walk, but I'm getting too feeble for long marches. (And sure enough, after I made it to the transfer point, the suburban bus showed up, I would only have had to wait an hour.)
The Sheraton had a couple of new twists to their service this year; one was the option of not having housekeeping clean your room for the day--for which you could get a $5 discount in the hotel restaurant (or extra points on the frequent stayers' club.) You can bet I took advantage of this. The other was a new entertainment lounge for guests, where you could have up to 90 minutes a day of free internet access per room. (More if you brought your own computer.)
I would like them to bring back the airport shuttle though, that was more immediately helpful.
The good thing about small conventions is breathing space--you can actually talk to someone without having to squeeze against the wall to let an endless stream of people get by...or ignore those people as you block the hall. Plus the chance that you'll actually run into the guests outside of formal panels or signings--and not be competing with a score of other people who also need to speak to that person right now.
As I think I mentioned before, this year's Author GoH was Brandon Sanderson, the fellow who's been tapped to finish the Wheel of Time series. Apparently, the second of three books is on its final draft and may be out by the end of the year. He also brought along his editor, and the artist GoH was Dan Dos Santos, who among other things did the cover to Mr. Sanderson's "Warbreaker" book. Lots of previous guests also came back (Minicon is small, but welcoming), including Ben Bova and Baron Dave Romm (who brought along his mother for her first ever SF con...she seemed to be having a ball, and learning a lot.)
So, panels I attended: The Snob in Every Fan (what parts of fandom do fans look down on as even more pathetic than their own?), Opening Ceremonies (always a treat), Recursiveness in Science Fiction that's About Recursiveness (stories about stories, stories that eat their own tails, stories about the process of writing a story....), Who Wants to Live Forever? (The up sides and down sides of immortality, and the comparative virtues of the different ways to achieve it), The Editors' Panel (Ben Bova said he owed his editorial career to the tobacco industry, as John Campbell smoked himself to death), Avatar-Cinema Event of the Year or Festival of Plagarism? (Yes), Do I Know Enough Science to Write Science Fiction? (Maybe, but research and fact-checking are key), Playing the God Card (Not about Yu-Gi-Oh! but about the hazards and challenges of using gods in your stories), How Brandon Got the Gig: Finishing the Wheel of Time (short version: Robert Jordan's widow really liked his writing.)
I saw bits of "Thunderbirds are Go!" and "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" in the film room--it will probably be in a smaller space next year as it tends to be lightly attended.
And yes, there was a huckster's room/artshow/science room. (The convention is small enough that all three and puzzle tables could fit in one large room.) I...picked up a few things, some of which will be surprises for the appropriate people.
I left early, as with no shuttle I could not rely on the bus to arrive in time to get me to the transfer point, and I walked from the Sheraton to Fuddrucker's. Lovely day for a walk, but I'm getting too feeble for long marches. (And sure enough, after I made it to the transfer point, the suburban bus showed up, I would only have had to wait an hour.)