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Monday, November 16, 2009
Philcon Schedule
Here's my draft Philcon schedule--no reading this time.
Fri 6:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
WHY CALL IT A "SINGULARITY"
IF THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM? (142)
[Panelists: John Ashmead (mod), Tom Doyle, Christopher Weuve,
Catherine Asaro]
The "Singularity" is a theoretical point in the future where
something happens beyond which we cannot imaging what life will be
like. Artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, virtual reality,
and genetic engineering
have all been suggested as possible
triggers for this supposed future event. But is the singularity
even feasible, and if so, will it be in a form that we can even
recognize
Fri 7:00 PM in
Plaza I (One) (1 hour)
FANTASY BASED ON NON-EUROPEAN SOURCES (92)
[Panelists: Victoria Janssen (mod),
Stephanie Burke, James L.
Cambias, Christine Norris, Tom Doyle]
You don't have
to go ""all medieval on me"" to write fantasy. What
are the best examples of fantasy not based on European
backgrounds to date
Sat 10:00 AM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)
THE NEW FEUDALISM (43)
[Panelists:
Tom Doyle (mod), Gail Z. Martin, Stuart Jaffe]
Why does there seem to be very little Science
Fiction about labor
unions in the future? Is this a good or bad thing? What will
industry look like in the future
Sat 12:00 PM in Plaza VII (Seven) (1 hour)
"OUTSIDER" FICTION (72)
[Panelists: Stephanie Burke (mod), Robert Jeschonek, Tom Doyle,
John Grant, Jim Stratton]
Outsider Art
is art created by those with no formal training or
those with mental disabilities. Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright,
an author who created his world as a hobby and never intended to
publish it may be an example in the
genre. The novels of Patience
Worth are supposed to have
been written entirely by Ouija board.
Our panelists discuss examples of their own.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Capclave Schedule
Capclave (our DC area SF/F con) is this weekend at the Hilton Washington
DC/Rockville, Executive Meeting Center,
1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. Here's the list of my panels and
reading:
Friday, 7 PM: Alternate Dogcatchers
What makes a good alternate history work and
bad ones fail? What points of departure do you change? How do you build a good alternate history? What alt histories aren't
done that we would like to see?
Saturday 11 AM: Reading
Saturday 9 PM: WSFA Small Press Award Ceremony
Sunday 11 AM: What Is
Human?
Exobiology panel. How will cloning, genetic engineering, and cyborg technology affect what it
means to be human?
Sunday 12 PM: Why the Civil War?
Why are Americans still fascinated
with the civil war? In an America with a black president is the civil war still relevant? Is there room for new civil war
alternate histories or is it all tapped out? Do civil war books sell outside the U.S.?
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