Were I a more dedicated blogger, I would have posted regularly from Loscon instead of treating it as a vacation. But if Instapundit can occasionally take time off, so can minor participants in the blogosphere like me. Belatedly, then, I present a few notes and comments from last weekend’s convention going.
Loscon was the second convention in a row I’ve attended that has this year exchanged a long-standing home for new digs. Windycon had been 20 years at the Woodfield Hyatt, Loscon eleven at the Burbank Airport Hilton. The former’s transition was smoother. The new Loscon hotel is the LAX Marriott, an imposing structure that seemed to have a little trouble adjusting to the peculiar demands of a science fiction convention. The most visible blunder was Catering’s refusal to believe that fans would really consume the quantities of ice cream ordered for the Friday Night Social. Less than a third of the required amount showed up, leading to a long delay while convention staff raided nearby supermarkets. I was lucky enough to get in early and thus was one of the few to savor the macadamia ice cream provided in honor of Fan Guests of Honor James and Kathryn Daugherty (residents of Maui and other locales). In fact, I was able to eat to satiety and leave while most of the con as still waiting patiently (sort of) in line. Now I know how it felt to be a French aristocrat gazing contentedly upon the starving mob.
The concomm, too, seemed in need of time to adjust its habits. Signage was initially inadequate, though the deficiencies were corrected quickly, and the program book was less useful than it should have been. Among the more conspicuous absences were descriptions of the program items; only not-always-informative titles were printed. Also left out were the locations of the Art Show, Dealers’ Room and Con Suite.
These teething pains did not prevent the convention from being a success, and next year will doubtless be better. We’ll have to see whether the con settles in for as long a run as it enjoyed at the Hilton.
My personal convention was dominated by the Prime Time Party (see below), which came off with only a handful of hitches. The worst was post eventum: the loss of John Hertz’s absinthe spoon. Attendance and the consumption of food and drink were down marginally from last year, probably because some other parties remained open later than in the past. Given that our hidden agenda is to revive the fannish tradition of late night party going, we won’t complain about that development.
Two bits of the rest of the con stand out. One was Mike Glyer’s interview of Author GoH Tim Powers, one of the best sessions with a writer that I have ever seen. Powers’ description of his meticulous approach to constructing a novel, which involves spreading hundreds of note cards across his living room carpet, was hilarious, even if the method is unlikely to be adaptable to households with children, pets or unsympathetic spouses. His current work in progress is set in Pasadena in 1987 and involves the consequences of Einstein’s residence there half a century before. He seemed fascinated to learn during the discussion that the Pasadena Hilton was the site of that year’s Loscon.
A second highlight was a chance to view Finding the Future, an independently produced documentary that was largely filmed at Chicon 2000. After watching the director and his crew swarm about for days, I heard nothing further and had wondered what had become of the project. It was a pleasant surprise to run into the producer at Loscon and be told that there would be a screening Sunday afternoon. (I’ve since learned that it was also shown at Noreascon, but I missed it there.)
The movie melds two subjects: SF fandom – portrayed with more emphasis on its intellectually pioneering spirit than its oddball denizens – and contrasting visions of the future, from the extravagant optimism of Ben Bova through the gloom of Global Warming alarmists. While there are a lot of heads talking (including, for about fifteen seconds, my own), they generally say succinct, interesting things, and the visuals are first rate. The footage gives a good sense of what a Worldcon looks like and is supplemented with inter alia photos of early conventions, rare movie clips and montages of pulp magazine covers.
A number of threads weave ongoing debates. For instance, several clips make a point of the SF community’s fearlessness of the rapid pace of change. Later, a writer avers that a warmer climate wouldn’t be so terrible per se, but it’s just happening too fast.
Although most of the wordage comes from big names – Bova, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Brin, Forrest J. Ackerman et al., there is also screen time for rank-and-file fen. Columbus fan Jim Green, to take one example, gets a couple of appearances, as do Bandit and a fellow I don’t know called “Orange Mike”.
Finding the Future doesn’t yet have a distributor, rendering its Hugo prospects negligible. Still, it’s worth any fan’s while if it shows up at a local con.
Contrary to my wont, I have nothing much to say about Worldcon races this time. The only bid party was for Chicago in ’08. It seemed to go well. At least, Dave McCarty and Helen Montgomery got rid of all of the dozens of hot dogs that they brought along. Any real developments for 2008 or any other year will doubtless come next week at SMOFCon, from which I shall send back a report unless this week’s travel schedule (I’m on the road except for two half days in the office) leaves me too weary to blog.
Addendum: Joe Major informs me that “Orange Mike” is Michael Lowrey, a Midwestern fan and editor of Vojo de Vivo
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