Penguicon 12.3 -- Afternoon
Wednesday, 7 May 2014 21:39![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_phil_physicsWorst part about maneuvering through the throngs of people was the edge between tile and carpeted floor. It was thick enough that the lead wheel on the walker mostly missed the jump up. Annoying, as the edge was curved in an arc and had to be traversed several times to get through people.
I didn't try bellowing RAMMING SPEED! to see who got out of the way.
1400 How Did We Get Cool? The SFF Explosion on Screen Windover
Ernie Cline, Sean M. Davis, Michael Cieslak, Nicole Castle, Jim Leach, John Scalzi
--In a world where some of the most watched shows deal with SFF themes or have been adapted from SFF material (Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, The Avengers et. al.) where does the "mainstream" line get drawn? Why is it suddenly acceptable for the SFF genre to be viewed? Has this translated over to the written word? Side question: why has mystery always been more or less accepted but SFF is a more recent explosion?
I came back into Windover just about 2pm. Alas, the obvious parking places for a bulky Dr. Phil and his widebody 777 of walkers were taken. So I wheeled up front, hoping to adjust a chair in the second row when someone graciously insisted I take the right side first row seat, where I could put my walker in front of me, out of the way.
Previously I had found that people were generous with space to a man with a cane. A walker? Man, you could write your ticket if you were a jerk -- I was just grateful. And happy to be able to be there at all.
Scalzi is an amusing host and an effective, if a bit hyper moderator. Pretty much ran a tight ship, trying to give everyone on a large panel time and reining in the talkative Ernie Cline. (grin) For a man who in the past has been obsessed with Coke Zero, what WAS in that green bottle with the label removed? Diet Dew? Well, it IS a LINUX Open Source con in part, and Mountain Dew IS the programmer's choice. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
A shared moment of levity. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Nichole Castle is an English professor. She's about to teach a course in the fall where the reading list is The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale. Oooh COOL! Which is, I suppose, the point of this panel. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Jim Leach pointed out he has a philosophy degree to counter Nichole's English degree. Here he pleads his case on a point to Scalzi, who I should point out was a philosophy major at The University of Chicago, so can hold his own, when not being amusing or charming. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Ernie Cline excitedly talking about everything. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
1500 Why Do We Love The 80s? Windover
Ernie Cline, Ferrett Steinmetz, Angie Rush
--Our GoH Ernie Cline discusses the Greatest Decade Ever, its role in his creative work, and why we still have a soft spot for it, 30 years later.
Ernie made it back in time (grin), having run out just before the panel because of some pictures with his Delorean. (double-grin) I wonder if I could even FIT in the driver seat of a Delorean. Anyway, the author of Ready Player One was talking about his growing up in the 80s, ages 7-17, and how he thought only people from the 80s would love his book. Instead, kids today read it as an ebook with a browser open to pick up all the references. Ah, living in the future. And Ernie talks with his hands. (double-handed-grin) (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
I hadn't taken any audience shots, partly, as you could see here, I was still fighting the lighting. Partly because with my mobility issues, hard to turn around. All the panels I went to were well attended. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
1600 What About The Happily Ever After? Hamlin
Jim Leach, Ferrett Steinmetz
--There was an insane Internet reaction to the Red Wedding from those who were watching Game of Thrones but hadn't read it (to the reader's delight). Is this indicative of an expectation among television and movie audiences that established characters survive? Has Hollywood created the expectation of a happy ending, even in the harshest of fictional environments? Is it more acceptable to kill off a character in print? How do these expectations differ amongst genre fiction?
Up to the second floor for the last session of the day for me -- I figured 5-ish was a good starting time for the drive home. Keep it mostly in daylight.
So... Game of Thrones Red Wedding episode on HBO, ending Season 3 as I understand things, was the Wedding Guests From Hell. Sort of like the evil emperor in Heavy Metal, "The boy dies, the girl dies, everybody dies. Die, die, die." Or something like that.
Do we need happily ever after? (I am NOT going to say, "Do we need happy endings?" Nope. Not going there.)
Small room, Jim Leach and Ferrett Steinmetz sitting comfortably apart, kicking back and having a great late afternoon panel. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Though the panel wasn't all about Game of Thrones, the majority of the audience was familiar with books, show, both -- or in my case, much of the buzz and at that point, half of book one. (grin) Ferrett warned that there'd be spoilers abound -- we had been warned.
Ferrett making a point, while munching a cookie, looked like. He asked two questions at different times. First, how many were upset that Joffrey bought it in the Purple Wedding at the opening of Season 4? No hands raised. Uh-huh. Second, how many people think George RR Martin is going to neatly finish the series -- books or TV? Zero. Oh, interesting. (Click on photo for larger***.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
And then it was time to hit the bathroom, then the road. After hours in dark rooms, the sun was pouring into the west glass wall of the front of the Westin.
Dr. Phil
*** Ferrett had posted that his pretty princess nails for Penguicon were awesome -- they were Spiderman. And they were. Enlarged grainy/noisy B&W doesn't do them justice. (grin)
I didn't try bellowing RAMMING SPEED! to see who got out of the way.
1400 How Did We Get Cool? The SFF Explosion on Screen Windover
Ernie Cline, Sean M. Davis, Michael Cieslak, Nicole Castle, Jim Leach, John Scalzi
--In a world where some of the most watched shows deal with SFF themes or have been adapted from SFF material (Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, The Avengers et. al.) where does the "mainstream" line get drawn? Why is it suddenly acceptable for the SFF genre to be viewed? Has this translated over to the written word? Side question: why has mystery always been more or less accepted but SFF is a more recent explosion?
I came back into Windover just about 2pm. Alas, the obvious parking places for a bulky Dr. Phil and his widebody 777 of walkers were taken. So I wheeled up front, hoping to adjust a chair in the second row when someone graciously insisted I take the right side first row seat, where I could put my walker in front of me, out of the way.
Previously I had found that people were generous with space to a man with a cane. A walker? Man, you could write your ticket if you were a jerk -- I was just grateful. And happy to be able to be there at all.
Scalzi is an amusing host and an effective, if a bit hyper moderator. Pretty much ran a tight ship, trying to give everyone on a large panel time and reining in the talkative Ernie Cline. (grin) For a man who in the past has been obsessed with Coke Zero, what WAS in that green bottle with the label removed? Diet Dew? Well, it IS a LINUX Open Source con in part, and Mountain Dew IS the programmer's choice. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
A shared moment of levity. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Nichole Castle is an English professor. She's about to teach a course in the fall where the reading list is The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale. Oooh COOL! Which is, I suppose, the point of this panel. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Jim Leach pointed out he has a philosophy degree to counter Nichole's English degree. Here he pleads his case on a point to Scalzi, who I should point out was a philosophy major at The University of Chicago, so can hold his own, when not being amusing or charming. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Ernie Cline excitedly talking about everything. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
1500 Why Do We Love The 80s? Windover
Ernie Cline, Ferrett Steinmetz, Angie Rush
--Our GoH Ernie Cline discusses the Greatest Decade Ever, its role in his creative work, and why we still have a soft spot for it, 30 years later.
Ernie made it back in time (grin), having run out just before the panel because of some pictures with his Delorean. (double-grin) I wonder if I could even FIT in the driver seat of a Delorean. Anyway, the author of Ready Player One was talking about his growing up in the 80s, ages 7-17, and how he thought only people from the 80s would love his book. Instead, kids today read it as an ebook with a browser open to pick up all the references. Ah, living in the future. And Ernie talks with his hands. (double-handed-grin) (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
I hadn't taken any audience shots, partly, as you could see here, I was still fighting the lighting. Partly because with my mobility issues, hard to turn around. All the panels I went to were well attended. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
1600 What About The Happily Ever After? Hamlin
Jim Leach, Ferrett Steinmetz
--There was an insane Internet reaction to the Red Wedding from those who were watching Game of Thrones but hadn't read it (to the reader's delight). Is this indicative of an expectation among television and movie audiences that established characters survive? Has Hollywood created the expectation of a happy ending, even in the harshest of fictional environments? Is it more acceptable to kill off a character in print? How do these expectations differ amongst genre fiction?
Up to the second floor for the last session of the day for me -- I figured 5-ish was a good starting time for the drive home. Keep it mostly in daylight.
So... Game of Thrones Red Wedding episode on HBO, ending Season 3 as I understand things, was the Wedding Guests From Hell. Sort of like the evil emperor in Heavy Metal, "The boy dies, the girl dies, everybody dies. Die, die, die." Or something like that.
Do we need happily ever after? (I am NOT going to say, "Do we need happy endings?" Nope. Not going there.)
Small room, Jim Leach and Ferrett Steinmetz sitting comfortably apart, kicking back and having a great late afternoon panel. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Though the panel wasn't all about Game of Thrones, the majority of the audience was familiar with books, show, both -- or in my case, much of the buzz and at that point, half of book one. (grin) Ferrett warned that there'd be spoilers abound -- we had been warned.
Ferrett making a point, while munching a cookie, looked like. He asked two questions at different times. First, how many were upset that Joffrey bought it in the Purple Wedding at the opening of Season 4? No hands raised. Uh-huh. Second, how many people think George RR Martin is going to neatly finish the series -- books or TV? Zero. Oh, interesting. (Click on photo for larger***.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
And then it was time to hit the bathroom, then the road. After hours in dark rooms, the sun was pouring into the west glass wall of the front of the Westin.
Dr. Phil
*** Ferrett had posted that his pretty princess nails for Penguicon were awesome -- they were Spiderman. And they were. Enlarged grainy/noisy B&W doesn't do them justice. (grin)
