C’mon, you’d look smug too if you had been standing there.
Anyway, finally, a week late, here’s my report from DragonCon 2006:
It rocked.
Oh, you want more? Well, it really rocked. There is simply too much that happened to tell you everything, but here’s a good list:
- I took about 100 pix. I loaded the best onto Flickr. Some are out of focus, and some are decidedly Not Safe For Work.
- I attended the con under the auspices of the Podcasting and Science tracks, so I thank John Nyx, Derek and Swoopy for inviting me!
- I finally met Swoopy and Derek from Skepticality in the flesh. They were running the podcasting track of the con, and were very, very busy. Still, I got a chance to hang with them briefly, and they are truly wonderful people. And if you aren’t listening to Skepticality, why the heck not?
- I sat in on two panels: one on skepticism as part of the Georgia Skeptics, and the other on science in science fiction. I had a fine time on both, and the only real problem was I wish there had been more time. Science fiction fans, in general, get it when it comes to science. I’d love to see that become more prevalent in the populace at large.
- I bunked with Fraser Cain, who runs Universe Today and is a good friend. We had a blast.
-
Folks I met and/or talked to:
- Michael Stackpole, who writes Star Wars books and has a great podcast.
- Billy West, voice of Fry and Zoidberg on Futurama, as well as Ren and Stimpy. We chatted for quite some time about astronomy, skepticism, and cartoons.
- Roger Bumpass, voice of Squidward on Spongebob Squarepants.
- Richard Hatch, from Battlestar Galactica.
- Kevin Grazier, now an old friend, who is the science advisor for Battlestar– I may have to assassinate him for his job, but other than that we get along well.
- Mark Goddard and Marta Kristen, from the original Lost in Space series. That was pretty cool. Mark is way into astronomy! I was going to give him a copy of my book, but couldn’t find him later when I had a copy. Oh well.
- Many, many podcasters: LeAnn, Sheila, Evo and Tee, Mur, and others I’m probably forgetting now.
I was hoping to get a few autographs, but I didn’t get any (with one exception, below). The celebrities had stacks of pictures you could buy for $20-25 each, which is fine, but they wanted money to sign something even if you brought your own swag. I had my "Firefly" DVD set to get Summer Glau and Alan Tudyk to sign, but they wanted $20 to do it. I can understand that; people get signatures so they can sell the stuff on eBay, but still. It seems, well, tacky to charge when you bring something. If you can argue against this, I’m listening.
The one exception was the lovely Kari Byron from MythBusters. I met her in January at The Amaz!ng Meeting, and we chatted for a while. When I told her I watch the show with The Little Astronomer, she immediately pulled out a picture and signed it for her. Kari– you’re cool. And I’ll add that Robert Picardo (the doctor from Star Trek: Voyager) did the same thing at WorldCon. I told him I’ve been a fan since he was The Cowboy in "Inner Space", and he whipped out a picture of him as The Cowboy and signed it. Very cool.
Good publicity costs nothing.
Still, it was fun. I chatted with many stars, some of whom are childhood heroes, others of whom are new to me. But it was pretty much all gold.
If you’re looking for more pictures than just mine, then here are a few links for you:
This one, and this one, and this one, and this one (Hi Leann!), and this one, and this one, and this one, and this one (phew!).
I’m planning on going next year, too. But I’ll have to come up with some costumes…
September 10th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Amazing!
The flickr link was great, my favorite being the company of storm troopers marching down the street. Now back to the daily grind, huh? How about Hot Jupiter simulations?
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/09/several_planetary_systems_may.php?page=1
September 10th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
It isn’t only Astronomers who find heavenly bodies of great interest! Thanks for the fun photos.
September 10th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
You are having wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much fun…and with wimmins to boot…your professional astro-geek membership is in jeopardy…
September 11th, 2006 at 4:14 am
I love the cephaloPod pic. In part because, well, I’m the Squid, but more because I’d love to see a 100′ tall ageless, flying squid demon from beyond the stars come down and pimp-slap some oblivious iPod users as they drive/amble down the road, utterly unaware of anything around them, with their iPods cranked up so loud they can be heard on Quaoar, and listening to bad music.
Looks like you had a good time! I haven’t been to a con in many years. I used to follow GenCon and Historicon pretty regularly
September 11th, 2006 at 5:20 am
What is bad astronomy about? You dont just make stuff up do you?
September 11th, 2006 at 6:24 am
Michael Stackpole is a hell of a guy. I’ve met him many times.
September 11th, 2006 at 6:42 am
You don’t look smug so much as “terrified”
September 11th, 2006 at 7:16 am
I was going to say Bemused.
Regarding the autograph thing, I’ll go ahead and jump in the shark pool.
In general, actors who come to conventions are there because they aren’t working regularly, and the autograph tables are their only source of income.
They charge for signing your stuff because that’s often the only way they can feed themselves and their families. Summer Glau for example has an occasional recurring gig for The 4400, but that’s on hiatus for the fall, and she’s probably between jobs right now. The autographs are how she puts food on the table.
People like Kari Byron, who have regular gigs, are probably less strapped for cash, or are new enough that they still see these things as an opportunity to mingle with fans instead of as employment. A show like Mythbusters is much more fan driven anyway, so that could explain some of the unexpected niceness toward a coherent, polite fan.
And Robert Picardo is just awesome anyway.
September 11th, 2006 at 8:54 am
Oooh, Kari Byron…..
September 11th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Re: the autograph thing.
Some cons make it a rule for the guests to charge, unless they are there to promote a specific project.
I.E. If The 4400 had a huge promotional booth that sold DVDs and posters, and featured the actors as draws to this booth – the actors would not charge for autographs. The parent company is paying for their time, and benefitting from their attendance.
If an actor attends a con just to sit behind a table covered in their 8 x 10 photos, they have to charge. In the past, there would always be one or two actors who were there for pure ego purposes, and who would sign for free. The fans would then expect everyone to sign for free (“Well, SHE signed this poster for free…why won’t YOU?). So the cons started the rule – everybody has to charge!
Hope this helps!
September 11th, 2006 at 9:19 am
I recall overhearing George Lowe at the Voiceovers panel saying that the guest were not allowed to sign except at the Walk of Fame by decree of the organizers. Of course, I do here that if you can catch one of the guest at some time while they are not at the Walk and willing to do so, you can still snag a free autograph.
September 11th, 2006 at 9:32 am
Hehehe, Phil, you don’t look smug, you look like you’re thinking: “Pleeeease don’t tell my wife about this!”
I’ll be checking out the photos when I get home from work tonight. Thanks for the nsfw warning.
September 11th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Here’s an idea for a costume. Get an egg. Walk around and when people ask you what’s up with it, you tell them that it represents the equinox egg myth, and it’s BAD ASTRONOMY.
(then proceed to give them your url).
September 11th, 2006 at 10:16 am
You don’t look smug, you look worried. The same look people get when I say: “Trust me, I know what I’m doing”.
September 11th, 2006 at 10:24 am
This used to be an interesting website about astronomy. Now it has become a vanity blog for Phil and all the celebrities he seems to think are so thrilled to meet him. The more you post photos of your goofy face and all of your celeb pals the more I am convinced that you see yourself as one of these celebs as well.
September 11th, 2006 at 10:51 am
Reader: golly, you got me. All the evidence is on your side.
Or you could go into the archives for the past couple of weeks, where I talked about the Shuttle launch, the LMC images, the planetary definition stuff (including a new Hubble image), the SMART-1 impact, the Republican War on Science, and so on.
As it happens, I spent a total of ten days at science fiction conventions recently, so that’s what I’ve been posting about– and I’ve been busy with other work, making it difficult to post as much as I’d like.
If you don’t like the blog, don’t read it. And if you have an honest problem with it, then the polite thing to do is send me a private note.
September 11th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Mike Stackpole is awesome. He was Guest of Honor at RadCon one year, and I managed to catch him headed toward the hospitality room. We chatted for a bit, about how much I liked his work and stuff especially. He helped settle a bet with a friend who then refused to pay up.
Mike, at least, is of the opinion that his autograph shouldn’t have any value at all, meaning that he will usually sign an autograph for anyone at no cost.
Speaking of Mike’s podcast, am I missing something, or has there not been a new “Think About This” since last December or so?
September 11th, 2006 at 11:00 am
Oh, it’s worth pointing out that Mike doesn’t /just/ write Star Wars (or, AFAIK, write Star Wars anymore.) He also has quite a few fantasy novels in original worlds, and he got his start with my peculiar obsession, Battletech.
September 11th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Sigh. Yet more evidence (if any was needed) that I REALLY messed up when I dropped out of Astrophysics at uni. Nowadays it seems like astronomers get all the chicks. Just curious though: are you posing with her or is she posing with you?
September 11th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
HOWDY!!! Awesome pictures!!!
And I have found very incriminating pictures of myself and my camelback!!
you better hide that one from Sheila!
HAHHAHAH!
September 11th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
HeLLLOOO?
ANYONE?
September 11th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
R2K:
http://www.badastronomy.com/intro.html#intro
September 11th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Yes, R2K, under the logo at the top of this page is a button that says “Bad Astro Intor” as well as another one that says “About me”. Those should do the trick.
September 11th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Just to continue for a moment about celebs asking for money for signing, there is the aspect of needing the money, but for some as well they are willing to accept a cheaper appearance fee (or possibly no fee at all) if they are allowed to charge for signings. This way the con can afford to have them (by and large…yay!) and the savings…er, charges get passed on to you…
September 11th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Okay, I guess I’ll be the first to comment on Robert Picardo. He totally MADE the movie Inner Space! Good score on the Cowboy autograph! Of course, I also remember him as the funeral director/ roast emcee in Amazon Women on the Moon.
September 11th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
Oh, right! I liked that movie.
Inner Space was a wonderful movie, and he really did shine in it.
September 11th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Now BA I wonder the Mrs. BA here the Mike and Evo podcast and Mur’s essay? Hmmm or is that why you have such a worried look on your face?
I hope to hear you speak at one of the big cons someday. My big hope will be TAM5 but if not I hope to see you in Atlanta next year.
September 12th, 2006 at 3:37 am
Sounds like you had a great time.
Autographs at cons are a touchy subject, because what TruFans (does anyone still use that?) expect is that the actors are there for love of the game, so to speak. It’s the same reaction when ballplayers are at shows and such.
It’s a shame, but I think you have the explanation: first, it’s probably cheaper for the promoters if part of the appearance fee is the signature charge, and second, it acts as something of a deterrant to people who just want stacks of autographs to sell.
You’re sweet to be bemused by the fee for signing your own stuff. Haven’t you seen all those people with sackfuls of items they want signed? *g*
September 12th, 2006 at 8:46 am
Larry Niven wrote a good essay about how to ask for signatures if you’re a fan, and how to give them if you’re an author– he says that the fans bought the books, so sign ‘em. It’s that simple. If they bring a lot, sign them. Of course, the fans should be aware that other fans are in line, and that an author’s hand gets tired…
As an author, I will sign books for free forever. I bring books along with me to meetings sometimes to sell, and I charge less than cover price, too. This makes me extremely smug and superior, though.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Smug, superior and somewhat bemused, as in,” I was driving down the road, when there was a flash of light and the next thing I knew I was at this wierd convention, with a beatiful babe standing next to me and people asking for my autograph,,,”
Yea, I know the feeling. Had that happen at a few Grateful Dead shows,,,,
GAry 7
September 12th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Get BA’s autographs was actually one of the two five highlights of the con for me. It was rather odd when trying to explain that one of the autographs that I got was from an astronomer…
September 12th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
Wow, you ARE the Bad
Astronomer aren’t you?
September 12th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
???
September 13th, 2006 at 8:31 am
Actually, Anthony Daniels (aka C3PO) commented about it during his session. He lamented the autograph sales business, as in people who get autographs on things and then sell them to other people.
I don’t quite understand the lure, myself. Yes, I like to get autographs. But I won’t buy an autographed picture from a third party, even if it comes with a “certificate of authenticity”. The whole point of the autograph is the personalization, the proof of meeting the person.
But some people are so eager to get some personal connection with their hero/admiree, they will happily buy a previously signed article from a third party just to have a signed object. And then you get the inevitable fraud.
Some people do use the charge for an autograph as a deterrent to those who just want to sell the autographed articles. Other ways include limiting the number of free autographs you can get per cycle through the line. This is to keep one person from bringing in all 12 books in the series and getting each personalized, and then 5 people at the end can’t get autographs because the signor runs out of time or gets a hand cramp. (See David Webber.)
There are a couple of other factors. One is the difference between Promotional “Cons” (i.e. commercial ventures promoting their own products – see Creation Con for example) and fan run Cons. Fan run cons are typically non-profit enterprises, set up and run by fans for the express purpose of catering to fans. Promotional Cons tend to treat you more like a wallet than a person.
I’m not quite sure of Dragon*Con’s status. It has become so large and inclusive it has somewhat lost the sense of a theme. I mean come on, Wrestling? What is that doing there?
September 16th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
When I first read this post I could not understand why people would queue up for an autograph.
Yesterday my wife saw an add in the Metro, announcing that Adam Ant, this Saturday, would be signing his autobiography in Waterstone’s on Piccadilly.
When she showed me the add I found myself; “Ooh ooh, we gotta go, we gotta go!”.
So today we queued up for three hours in front of a bookshop so that I could get my freshly bought book autographed by the man himself; Adam Ant.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I don’t know about the FF folks but I do know that Dragoncon doesn’t pay a lot of their guests to attend so the way that they pay for their stay is through selling autographs and whatnot.
I’ve met more than a few who were embarrased by it but at least it weeded out guys like Lamas. I’ve NEVER seen anyone ask him for an autograph at his table.