Nova Atlantis

[ Mood: Cool ]
[ Currently: Reading my iced-coffee carton ]
Yesterday, I tried to mix things up a bit. Most of the con, I’ve been attending academic-stream panels, and most of those presentations have been just as much fun, by the way, as the less-rigorous panels. But I thought I should feed my inner nerd and go to stuff that’s more "fun," like panels on anime and the like.

And so the anime panel turned out to be a very serious fan paired up with a German PhD student, and it was pretty much an academic panel after all. THe nice thing about it was getting introduced to a number of really interesting anime. As I’ve written before, I binged on anime shortly after arriving in Japan 15 years ago, and made myself sick of it. I watch very little of it for someone in Japan. And trying to discover good stuff out of a sea of crap is very difficult. So it’s nice I’ve found some stuff that I can order on DVD.

The panel on "Great Women in SF" was also nice for a similar reason. Well, it was nice to see Lucy Sussex again–she’s an Australian writer who was a guest of honor at the 3rd Monash Utopias Conference last time I came over, and I really enjoyed her collection of short stories. The panelists and the audience brought up numerous woman writers, some of whom I hadn’t read before, so again, some books to track down.

I read that there would be a signing line for both Charles Stross and George RR Martin, so I bought one of each of their books (The Fuller Memorandum and Dreamsongs II) and had lunch in the room where the signings are held. Then just before I thought that I ought to get in line, I checked the schedule and discovered that it wasn’t a signing but a kafeeklatsch. Doh! I was able to get Charlie Stross’ signature at an unscheduled signing at the Orbits booth later, but so far have been unable to get Martin’s. (My goal for today.)

So then I got in late to what seemed like an interesting presentation on models of time travel in movies, and then Evie Kendal’s presentation on how the bioethics debate uses (and misuses) the language of SF, which was fascinating in how it sparks ideas for improving the debate by reasserting control over that language.

I got hold of some friends, and it turned out that that evening was the last chance to see each other…and it was the evening of the Hugo Awards Ceremony. What to do, what to do? Well…it’s not like it’s an awards ceremony with banquets tables and black ties and the like. It’s just sitting in a plenary room. And the MCs might’ve been the same guys who did the Masquerade, and though they were intermittently funny, they had excruciatingly slooooow timing. So…I opted to spend time with friends. Heck, I wouldn’t have gotten to see Erin at all if I hadn’t gone out with them.

Thus, I admit here, that my Hugo Awards reporting was taken from the internet. I hang my head in shame before you all. But I’m glad I went out with friends who I may not see again for a long time.

Then lots of packing…my suitcase actually does seem lighter than it was on the way here, despite having three big stonking books in it. Excellent! I still need to buy presents for home, though…hm, must get lightweight stuff…plush animals, I suspect.