Things I fancy at EasterCon
Apr. 5th, 2006 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrewduckerComplete list is here, but I'm going to list things that look cool, and a few notes on why I fancy them.
Fri, 1700-1800, Argyll 1
"There ain't no such thing as Free Speech. And a good thing too!"
Just where should SF writers avoid going, and what are the consequences when they go there anyway?
Because the limits of speech - whether self-imposed, or imposed by others - have been fascinating me for a few years now.
Fri, 1700-1800, Argyll 2
Panel to Screen
How faithful can a film adaptation of a comic be? What needs to change; what must be kept?
Because I want to annoy as many purists as possible.
Fri, 1700-1800, Argyll 3
Critical Movements
Can critical movements survive the Singularity?
Because there are two items with the word "Singularity" in them at the con, and I'm wondering what this one is actually about.
Sat, 1000-1100, Argyll 3
The New Calvinism: How Hardwired is the Soul?
Does posthumanism mean uploaded salvation for the lucky few?
Again - I can't resist the word "posthuman" and this looks likely to be one of those places where Gibson's quote "The future is here. It's just not evenly distributed yet." will be usable, no doubt leading into arguments about socialism/capitalsm.
Sat, 1100-1200, Argyll 3
The Enduring Call of Cthulhu
Nearly seventy years after HP Lovecraft died, why is Lovecraftiana so popular?
Good question. I'd like to hear the answer.
Sat, 1100-1200, Boardroom
Growing Up in the Virtual Village
From LiveJournal to World of Warcraft and instant message groups, teenagers and pre-teens are growing up online in their own groups which are no longer based on mere geography. Do these groups introduce them to more diversity, or will their very self-selecting nature lead only to reinforcement of existing attitudes?
Because The Distributed Society is another topic that fascinates me.
Sat, 1200-1300, Boardroom
True Names and Other Fannish Obsessions
Real Names, Badge Names, LJ Names: who are you today, Darth Sidious or Chancellor Palpatine?
Along, of course, with what people think of identity.
Sat, 1300-1400, Argyll 2
The Singularity: End of the Greens?
If it doesn't kill SF, will it kill environmentalism? Who cares about the Greenland ice cap melting if there's a prospect that posthuman intelligences will recycle the planet into nanotech?
There's that S word again. I'm not so sure there'll be much fascinating in this one, but if I'm not grabbing lunch...
Sat, 1800-1900, Argyll 2
"All Quest Fantasies are basically Pilgrim's Progress rewritten"
Is this true? If so, is there anything that can be done about it?
Which looks to be even more fun than "The Three Act Structure:- Necessity or plague upon mankind?"
Sat, 2000-2100, Argyll 2
Defining Sentience
How will we recognise self-awareness? Will it recognise us? And when does 'which is the real me' stop being a meaningful question?
I don't really believe in it in the first place, so this should produce some fun arguments.
Sun, 1000-1100, Argyll 2
Up Close and Personal
The Fantastic in the High Street: sf and fantasy about everyday life.
Mundane SF? Slipstream SF? Finding the fantastical everyday life? All fascinating stuff. And _nearly_ as cool as robots crashing giant black spaceships into suns.
Sun, 1100-1200, Argyll 2
"Why can't they just write it so people can understand?"
What makes writing inaccessible? Are challenging ideas enough to make a challenging work of fiction, or must they be matched by complex language and structures?
Aaah, the arguments between "Should we write for the lowest common denominator" and "You're just being pretentious to look smart."
Sun, 1200-1300, Boardroom
Philosophy and SF
SF often has pretensions to philosophical thought, but how rigourous is it really?
Damn good question.
Sun, 1700-1800, Argyll 1
Won't Get Fooled Again
"Why don't we just completely trash the whole tired sf genre and try to take the discourse somewhere genuinely new?"
Mostly because I want to see if someone can think of somewhere genuinely new.
Mon, 1000-1100, Argyll 2
It's Not Just D&D Any More
Role-Playing Gaming has come a long way since the early days of D&D. What does it offer now and what do modern gamers get out of it?
Experience points. And Phat Lewt, of course.
Mon, 1100-1200, Argyll 3
From Book to Game or Game to Book
How do you turn a role-playing game into a setting for fiction? What does it take to turn a book or comic into a role-playing game, and what does the process tell us about the original writer?
Should be interesting for the same reason that the one on converting comics into films is. Transforming works from one medium to another is always a tricky business.
Mon, 1200-1300, Argyll 2
V for Vendetta: Comics and Politics
The release of the film of V for Vendetta is highlighting the graphic novel as a serious political tract. How has the genre developed in the last 20 years?
And, indeed, has it at all?
Mon, 1300-1400, Argyll 1
Does Anyone Watch Broadcast TV Any More?
Between downloading episodes and buying the DVD compilation, does anyone actually watch the original broadcast of SF series any more? How might this change the culture of mutual appreciation of a show?
Common Culture or Freedom from the Tyranny of the Schedules? Should provide for interesting arguments.
In fact, it seems to me that I'm largely going to things that are likely to cause interesting arguments. Gosh, it's like being back in my philosphy tutorials again.
Fri, 1700-1800, Argyll 1
"There ain't no such thing as Free Speech. And a good thing too!"
Just where should SF writers avoid going, and what are the consequences when they go there anyway?
Because the limits of speech - whether self-imposed, or imposed by others - have been fascinating me for a few years now.
Fri, 1700-1800, Argyll 2
Panel to Screen
How faithful can a film adaptation of a comic be? What needs to change; what must be kept?
Because I want to annoy as many purists as possible.
Fri, 1700-1800, Argyll 3
Critical Movements
Can critical movements survive the Singularity?
Because there are two items with the word "Singularity" in them at the con, and I'm wondering what this one is actually about.
Sat, 1000-1100, Argyll 3
The New Calvinism: How Hardwired is the Soul?
Does posthumanism mean uploaded salvation for the lucky few?
Again - I can't resist the word "posthuman" and this looks likely to be one of those places where Gibson's quote "The future is here. It's just not evenly distributed yet." will be usable, no doubt leading into arguments about socialism/capitalsm.
Sat, 1100-1200, Argyll 3
The Enduring Call of Cthulhu
Nearly seventy years after HP Lovecraft died, why is Lovecraftiana so popular?
Good question. I'd like to hear the answer.
Sat, 1100-1200, Boardroom
Growing Up in the Virtual Village
From LiveJournal to World of Warcraft and instant message groups, teenagers and pre-teens are growing up online in their own groups which are no longer based on mere geography. Do these groups introduce them to more diversity, or will their very self-selecting nature lead only to reinforcement of existing attitudes?
Because The Distributed Society is another topic that fascinates me.
Sat, 1200-1300, Boardroom
True Names and Other Fannish Obsessions
Real Names, Badge Names, LJ Names: who are you today, Darth Sidious or Chancellor Palpatine?
Along, of course, with what people think of identity.
Sat, 1300-1400, Argyll 2
The Singularity: End of the Greens?
If it doesn't kill SF, will it kill environmentalism? Who cares about the Greenland ice cap melting if there's a prospect that posthuman intelligences will recycle the planet into nanotech?
There's that S word again. I'm not so sure there'll be much fascinating in this one, but if I'm not grabbing lunch...
Sat, 1800-1900, Argyll 2
"All Quest Fantasies are basically Pilgrim's Progress rewritten"
Is this true? If so, is there anything that can be done about it?
Which looks to be even more fun than "The Three Act Structure:- Necessity or plague upon mankind?"
Sat, 2000-2100, Argyll 2
Defining Sentience
How will we recognise self-awareness? Will it recognise us? And when does 'which is the real me' stop being a meaningful question?
I don't really believe in it in the first place, so this should produce some fun arguments.
Sun, 1000-1100, Argyll 2
Up Close and Personal
The Fantastic in the High Street: sf and fantasy about everyday life.
Mundane SF? Slipstream SF? Finding the fantastical everyday life? All fascinating stuff. And _nearly_ as cool as robots crashing giant black spaceships into suns.
Sun, 1100-1200, Argyll 2
"Why can't they just write it so people can understand?"
What makes writing inaccessible? Are challenging ideas enough to make a challenging work of fiction, or must they be matched by complex language and structures?
Aaah, the arguments between "Should we write for the lowest common denominator" and "You're just being pretentious to look smart."
Sun, 1200-1300, Boardroom
Philosophy and SF
SF often has pretensions to philosophical thought, but how rigourous is it really?
Damn good question.
Sun, 1700-1800, Argyll 1
Won't Get Fooled Again
"Why don't we just completely trash the whole tired sf genre and try to take the discourse somewhere genuinely new?"
Mostly because I want to see if someone can think of somewhere genuinely new.
Mon, 1000-1100, Argyll 2
It's Not Just D&D Any More
Role-Playing Gaming has come a long way since the early days of D&D. What does it offer now and what do modern gamers get out of it?
Experience points. And Phat Lewt, of course.
Mon, 1100-1200, Argyll 3
From Book to Game or Game to Book
How do you turn a role-playing game into a setting for fiction? What does it take to turn a book or comic into a role-playing game, and what does the process tell us about the original writer?
Should be interesting for the same reason that the one on converting comics into films is. Transforming works from one medium to another is always a tricky business.
Mon, 1200-1300, Argyll 2
V for Vendetta: Comics and Politics
The release of the film of V for Vendetta is highlighting the graphic novel as a serious political tract. How has the genre developed in the last 20 years?
And, indeed, has it at all?
Mon, 1300-1400, Argyll 1
Does Anyone Watch Broadcast TV Any More?
Between downloading episodes and buying the DVD compilation, does anyone actually watch the original broadcast of SF series any more? How might this change the culture of mutual appreciation of a show?
Common Culture or Freedom from the Tyranny of the Schedules? Should provide for interesting arguments.
In fact, it seems to me that I'm largely going to things that are likely to cause interesting arguments. Gosh, it's like being back in my philosphy tutorials again.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2006-04-05 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-06 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-06 07:54 am (UTC)(now, how do we stretch that out to an hour?)