Now that the world is still here, I have some fun things to attend to. This weekend, I will be at the BayCon science fiction convention, generally talking astronomy, debunking bad guys, and shilling my book. Authors Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle will be there, which is cool, though I don’t have any official events with them (yet somehow I will manage to spend some quality time in the guest lounge at some point, I imagine). Actually, while rooting through my closet a few minutes ago, totally by coincidence I found my old old copy of the role playing game "Ringworld" based on a classic series of books by Niven. I’m bringing that with me to get signed.
So, there’s lots to do. Here’s a list of my official stuff:
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Saturday, 10:00 a.m.
Panel: "Just Where in Centaurus Does a Centauri Come From?"
G David Nordley (M), Cris Fitch, Phil Plait, Jim TermanUse and misuse of astronomical nomenclature in science fiction. There are real places out there, with real names–sometimes several real names. Nomenclature has evolved in the past and may keep evolving, but some names are taken. Phenomena have names too, and, well, there are subtleties and borderline objects that are just weird.
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Saturday, 4:00 PM
Panel: "Podcasts: The Next Generation"
Laura Majerus (M), Margaret Bonham, Hugh Daniel, Phil Plait, Scott Sigler, Seth Shostak, Martin YoungRadio to TV to Cable to Internet to Podcasts? Will Podcasts rule? Where will we go from here? It’s a new way of getting published and getting even closer to your audience, and there’s some wonderful stuff out there.
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Sunday, 2:30 PM
Kaffee Klatsch: Phil PlaitI’m guessing here I will drink coffee and debunk things that need caffeinated debunkings.
I’m planning on having fun. I’ll have internet access, so if I can I’ll do some live blogging while I’m there.
May 26th, 2006 at 2:06 am
“Just Where in Centaurus Does a Centauri Come From?” Here are some typical Centauri:
http://www.coalafilmes.com.br/olyntho/images/b5/londo.jpg
Sounds like it will be great fun!
May 26th, 2006 at 2:44 am
Interesting. Today it seems as the forum on savelivesinmay.com is unavailable.
Big surprise. Oh well, looks as if I’m gonna have to get on with studying for my exams after all, now that the world is still around.
May 26th, 2006 at 4:21 am
Will Podcasts rule?
No. I didn’t buy a big screen TV and surround sound for nothing
I can’t say I’ve ever listened to a podcast. Perhaps because, Luddite that I am, I don’t own an iPod.
May 26th, 2006 at 4:48 am
Ah, but according to the website, we have a 48 hour window. It could happen today. Or even tomorrow. Honest.
May 26th, 2006 at 4:51 am
Good luck, sounds like fun!
May 26th, 2006 at 5:05 am
Dude, do you have any idea how much that Ringworld RPG is worth? That’s one of those long out-of-print RPGs that is impossible to find…. And, if you get it signed by Larry Niven, well, heck, you could probably retire! (Well, maybe not quite.)
-Rob
May 26th, 2006 at 5:08 am
Ringworld rings a bell somewhere.. I remember an adventuregame called just that and found it listed as abandonware: http://www.the-underdogs.info/game.php?id=1347 It might require DosBox to play though..
May 26th, 2006 at 5:31 am
Heh, I was just looking at my Ringworld game last night. Box is looking a bit sad, but the books are still in pretty good nick.
I was looking up some planetary data on Plateau, and wondering if the existance of free oxygen at that height indicated some kind of biology going on in the depths of the atmosphere….
And, no, I’m not selling. The game is too pretty for me to give it up yet.
May 26th, 2006 at 9:06 am
Dammit! Phil Plait is giving talks about an hour from where I live, and I can’t really go! If I can make it on Sunday, I will. It will, of course, depend on if I have the funds and BayCon isn’t all sold out of day passes.
Otherwise I’ll just have to read about it here.
May 26th, 2006 at 9:07 am
Now that the world and human folly are still around, here’s one more for the pareidolia file. It might be even better than the Lenin in the shower curtain.
May 26th, 2006 at 9:22 am
I had to laugh when I discovered that savelivesinmay has (or had?) a link to “Sky and Telescope”. One click on that and I was looking at a beautiful picture of the comet. The one that didn’t hit Earth. You gotta wonder. Is this a gullability test? A joke? A sincerely deluded individual? A bunch of people who are actually sorry that they have to go back to work on Tuesday? Sigh.
P.S. Chatting with Larry & Jerry… I’m turning green with envy.
May 26th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
“Authors Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle will be there”
I too am turning green with envy. Larry Niven was the first “hard” sci-fi author I ever read. Loved his stuff — even the fantasy. Hey, ask him why he never finished the “Integral Trees” series. That was a fascinating setting and I wanted more!
May 27th, 2006 at 7:30 am
My (very shaky) link to fame: I didn’t graduate from the same University as Larry Niven!