Live! From Montreal! It's WorldCon!

pshrynk · 08-05-2009, 06:58 PM

(Add yer own damn accents.)

Well, here I am at Anticipation, the 67th World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, PQ. I'm going to try and keep up a running commentary on the proceedings and pay special attention to the electronic book reader aspects. There are a few offerings specific to the e-reading process that I will be sure to attend. There is a Rob Sawyer session, but it is taking place at teh same time as the Montreal Meet-up, so I'll be skipping that. Some of the authors who frequent MR have readings and autograph sessions, so I'll try to swing by and get to know them.

Amongst all this, I'm also going to be trying to get some Harv and Vera written, as well...

zelda_pinwheel · 08-05-2009, 06:59 PM

hiya !! glad to hear you made it ! we'll be eagerly waiting for all the juicy details, so don't spare the posts. i'm sure you'll have nothing better to do than hang around online, right ?

Verencat · 08-05-2009, 07:04 PM

He's here! He's in my hometown! We're basically breathing the same air!

Now I just want to jump in the metro!!!

How was your trip, you made it ok? How do you find Montréal? Will you be at the Worldcon all along or you'll visit a bit? Need anything?

(Excited, me? Nah...)

edit: I could've swear this was in the lounge, sorry! :backingawayslowly:

pshrynk · 08-05-2009, 07:09 PM

I'm going to be doing mostly Worldcon, because, well, I'm a geek. I'm currently looking at the restaurant guide, trying to decide on supper.

Verencat · 08-05-2009, 07:23 PM

Suggestion sent!

pshrynk · 08-06-2009, 11:37 AM

Well, it's just a few hours from now and WorlCon 09 will open it's doors. The excitement is palpable. Well, truth be told, the palpable part is the croissant I boosted fromt he breakfast buffet that is turning into a soggy mess in my pocket, but something is definitley palpable around here.

Today, the convention starts at noon and runs until all the old geezers who seem to comprise fandom these days say, "You kids get off my lawn!" and go to bed. Probably around 8-ish.

First up for your intrepid reporter -- Bio ethics. something about wheter or not we should actually be writing about mass destruction of humanity when we set a story in the far future after an apocalyptic event. My main question is going to be, "If we're writing a post apocalyptic story wherein everyone survived and is getting on happily just like before, then where's the pathos?" I'm planning on asking that toward the end, since getting thrown out of a panel at the beginning tends to cut down on the information one gets from it. In most cases.

Then it's on to "EBooks from the Reader's and Writer's Perspective". I plan to ask about the perspective of the Reader's Owner's perspective, as well...

After that it's a lively round of "The Editing Gam: America vs Europe." I'm going to enter as the Pinwheel faction if that's okay with the Queen.

Then, I'm going to check out "Fantasy: The French Touch." Not having VR along with me to be the babelfish, I may skip it if it's in actual French...

Then I plan to wander the Huckster Room for a while and go to "Canid Ethology and Evolution" just because of all the evolved dogs here at MR.

After that, Opening Ceremonies and then "How to Get to Alpha Cenaturi." (Step one, build an actual working Spacde Program...)

So far, I've seen about a dozen Smart Cars here in Montreal. I'm sure Steve will be happy to hear that. The food is French, even when it's Italian, so it's all good. This seems to be a very European city with narrow little streets that have actually interesting architechture, rather than steel and glass every where.

So, if you're at teh Convention, look me up. I'm the fat guy with the goatee carrying a bag with a computer in it... I'm also on the Voodoo board. Pshrynk is pencilled in next to my IRL name, which is close to pshrynk alphabetically...

Dr. Drib · 08-06-2009, 12:10 PM

What?!

Only Moderators are contributing their comments?

Don

Donnageddon · 08-06-2009, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

What?!

Only Moderators are contributing their comments?

Don

Makes us civilians uneasy to see such a large group of moderators gathered together. Don't want to be on the receiving end of Moderator Riot.

wayspooled · 08-06-2009, 12:18 PM

Color me jealous. :P I want to go to a Worldcon

pshrynk · 08-06-2009, 03:48 PM

I just went to a panel on e-publishing. There were a few members there, but mostly ones who "pop in every now and then." The discussion was lively and centered around wht it's like to publish in e-format and the hurdles there as well as the rewards.

Main hurdles: DRM, piracy, and the hide-bound attitudes of publishers. It seems that the independent publishers are the most agile and eager e-publishers out there right now.

Main rewards: Not having to go through the NY publishers to get started. Flexibility. Ability to correct typos and push them out right away. Flexibility.

I plugged the Meet-up and told them to let Verencat know if they are going to be there...

Right now, I'm in the US vs European publishing panel, which is concentrating mostly on translations. Mostly from English to Australian...

I have also met TomPe, completely by chance. he has a cold and may not make it to the Meet-up. But I did get to see his CyBook as he was looking at my Kindle2.

Donnageddon · 08-06-2009, 03:55 PM

pshrynk, was there any discussion regarding the use of DRM and how it effects the "ability to correct typos and push them out right away"?

zelda_pinwheel · 08-06-2009, 04:01 PM

it sounds like you are having a brilliant time.

those conferences sound really interesting. feel free to register as the "pinwheel faction" anytime you like.

thanks for the updates ! i've never been to a convention and it's fun to hear what's going on. so just how long did you keep that croissant in your pants ? you know they're really not meant to take that kind of abuse.

pshrynk · 08-06-2009, 09:52 PM

Well, the concensus at the meeting this morning was that DRM is misguided and only harms those who wish to legally purchase content. There were several examples given of sellers who prospered by not having DRM and that putting up barriers is not such a good idea. even the publishers there were not in favor of using it. I shoule mention that Karen Wester-Newton, an MR member was on the panel. The other two panelists were Kathryn Sullivan and Traci Castleberry, who are not.

The Editing Game was mostly about the lack of translators for non-English works into American English. Apparently, only about 2% of published works in the US are translations. Sort of sad, really.

I got my picture taken to be a part of a crowd montage for a graphic novel that a group called P-Brane Publishing is doing. They take an SF script, photograph actors in various scenes, then Photoshop the Hell out of them to make the graphic novel. They have taken on the idea that if you photograph people at conventions and stick them into crowd scenes that they'll sell more books. Worked for me. I bought a copy of the first edition and will buy one of the second when it comes out...

zelda_pinwheel · 08-06-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Well, the concensus at the meeting this morning was that DRM is misguided and only harms those who wish to legally purchase content. There were several examples given of sellers who prospered by not having DRM and that putting up barriers is not such a good idea. even the publishers there were not in favor of using it. I shoule mention that Karen Wester-Newton, an MR member was on the panel. The other two panelists were Kathryn Sullivan and Traci Castleberry, who are not.

very encouraging ! i'm glad to hear that.

Quote:

The Editing Game was mostly about the lack of translators for non-English works into American English. Apparently, only about 2% of published works in the US are translations. Sort of sad, really.

wow, seriously ?? only 2% ??? that's really not very much.

y'all are missing out on a lot of good stuff.

Quote:

I got my picture taken to be a part of a crowd montage for a graphic novel that a group called P-Brane Publishing is doing. They take an SF script, photograph actors in various scenes, then Photoshop the Hell out of them to make the graphic novel. They have taken on the idea that if you photograph people at conventions and stick them into crowd scenes that they'll sell more books. Worked for me. I bought a copy of the first edition and will buy one of the second when it comes out...

so are they going to photoshop you into an alien, for this graphic novel ?

and more importantly, can we see the result ?

yvanleterrible · 08-06-2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

it sounds like you are having a brilliant time.

those conferences sound really interesting. feel free to register as the "pinwheel faction" anytime you like.

thanks for the updates ! i've never been to a convention and it's fun to hear what's going on. so just how long did you keep that croissant in your pants ? you know they're really not meant to take that kind of abuse.

Oh! My spleen... how can you say things like that on a family blog?

08-05-2009, 06:58 PM	#1
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Live! From Montreal! It's WorldCon! (Add yer own damn accents.) Well, here I am at Anticipation, the 67th World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, PQ. I'm going to try and keep up a running commentary on the proceedings and pay special attention to the electronic book reader aspects. There are a few offerings specific to the e-reading process that I will be sure to attend. There is a Rob Sawyer session, but it is taking place at teh same time as the Montreal Meet-up, so I'll be skipping that. Some of the authors who frequent MR have readings and autograph sessions, so I'll try to swing by and get to know them. Amongst all this, I'm also going to be trying to get some Harv and Vera written, as well...

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08-05-2009, 06:59 PM	#2
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	hiya !! glad to hear you made it ! we'll be eagerly waiting for all the juicy details, so don't spare the posts. i'm sure you'll have nothing better to do than hang around online, right ?

08-05-2009, 07:04 PM	#3
Verencat Wizard Posts: 2,615 Karma: 96491 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Device: xxx	He's here! He's in my hometown! We're basically breathing the same air! Now I just want to jump in the metro!!! How was your trip, you made it ok? How do you find Montréal? Will you be at the Worldcon all along or you'll visit a bit? Need anything? (Excited, me? Nah...) edit: I could've swear this was in the lounge, sorry! :backingawayslowly:

08-05-2009, 07:09 PM	#4
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	I'm going to be doing mostly Worldcon, because, well, I'm a geek. I'm currently looking at the restaurant guide, trying to decide on supper.

08-05-2009, 07:23 PM	#5
Verencat Wizard Posts: 2,615 Karma: 96491 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Device: xxx	Suggestion sent!

08-06-2009, 11:37 AM	#6
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Well, it's just a few hours from now and WorlCon 09 will open it's doors. The excitement is palpable. Well, truth be told, the palpable part is the croissant I boosted fromt he breakfast buffet that is turning into a soggy mess in my pocket, but something is definitley palpable around here. Today, the convention starts at noon and runs until all the old geezers who seem to comprise fandom these days say, "You kids get off my lawn!" and go to bed. Probably around 8-ish. First up for your intrepid reporter -- Bio ethics. something about wheter or not we should actually be writing about mass destruction of humanity when we set a story in the far future after an apocalyptic event. My main question is going to be, "If we're writing a post apocalyptic story wherein everyone survived and is getting on happily just like before, then where's the pathos?" I'm planning on asking that toward the end, since getting thrown out of a panel at the beginning tends to cut down on the information one gets from it. In most cases. Then it's on to "EBooks from the Reader's and Writer's Perspective". I plan to ask about the perspective of the Reader's Owner's perspective, as well... After that it's a lively round of "The Editing Gam: America vs Europe." I'm going to enter as the Pinwheel faction if that's okay with the Queen. Then, I'm going to check out "Fantasy: The French Touch." Not having VR along with me to be the babelfish, I may skip it if it's in actual French... Then I plan to wander the Huckster Room for a while and go to "Canid Ethology and Evolution" just because of all the evolved dogs here at MR. After that, Opening Ceremonies and then "How to Get to Alpha Cenaturi." (Step one, build an actual working Spacde Program...) So far, I've seen about a dozen Smart Cars here in Montreal. I'm sure Steve will be happy to hear that. The food is French, even when it's Italian, so it's all good. This seems to be a very European city with narrow little streets that have actually interesting architechture, rather than steel and glass every where. So, if you're at teh Convention, look me up. I'm the fat guy with the goatee carrying a bag with a computer in it... I'm also on the Voodoo board. Pshrynk is pencilled in next to my IRL name, which is close to pshrynk alphabetically...

08-06-2009, 12:10 PM	#7
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,748 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	What?! Only Moderators are contributing their comments? Don

08-06-2009, 12:18 PM	#9
wayspooled Crab In The Dark Posts: 486 Karma: 2328180 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Device: Tablet PC until a 10" comes out that I like	Color me jealous. :P I want to go to a Worldcon

08-06-2009, 03:48 PM	#10
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	I just went to a panel on e-publishing. There were a few members there, but mostly ones who "pop in every now and then." The discussion was lively and centered around wht it's like to publish in e-format and the hurdles there as well as the rewards. Main hurdles: DRM, piracy, and the hide-bound attitudes of publishers. It seems that the independent publishers are the most agile and eager e-publishers out there right now. Main rewards: Not having to go through the NY publishers to get started. Flexibility. Ability to correct typos and push them out right away. Flexibility. I plugged the Meet-up and told them to let Verencat know if they are going to be there... Right now, I'm in the US vs European publishing panel, which is concentrating mostly on translations. Mostly from English to Australian... I have also met TomPe, completely by chance. he has a cold and may not make it to the Meet-up. But I did get to see his CyBook as he was looking at my Kindle2.

08-06-2009, 03:55 PM	#11
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	pshrynk, was there any discussion regarding the use of DRM and how it effects the "ability to correct typos and push them out right away"?

08-06-2009, 04:01 PM	#12
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	it sounds like you are having a brilliant time. those conferences sound really interesting. feel free to register as the "pinwheel faction" anytime you like. thanks for the updates ! i've never been to a convention and it's fun to hear what's going on. so just how long did you keep that croissant in your pants ? you know they're really not meant to take that kind of abuse.

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08-06-2009, 09:52 PM	#13
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Well, the concensus at the meeting this morning was that DRM is misguided and only harms those who wish to legally purchase content. There were several examples given of sellers who prospered by not having DRM and that putting up barriers is not such a good idea. even the publishers there were not in favor of using it. I shoule mention that Karen Wester-Newton, an MR member was on the panel. The other two panelists were Kathryn Sullivan and Traci Castleberry, who are not. The Editing Game was mostly about the lack of translators for non-English works into American English. Apparently, only about 2% of published works in the US are translations. Sort of sad, really. I got my picture taken to be a part of a crowd montage for a graphic novel that a group called P-Brane Publishing is doing. They take an SF script, photograph actors in various scenes, then Photoshop the Hell out of them to make the graphic novel. They have taken on the idea that if you photograph people at conventions and stick them into crowd scenes that they'll sell more books. Worked for me. I bought a copy of the first edition and will buy one of the second when it comes out...