Picocon

[ffutures]

Picocon was interesting today, but for one reason and another I had very little sleep and got there very tired, and the move of most of the speakers and panels from the original lecture rooms in Imperial College Student Union to the Burt Lecture Theatre make it a lot less enjoyable, at least to me, because they are uncomfortably warm and have very dry air. At the same time there is nowhere there you can get a drink, not even a drinking fountain as far as I know. Lots of people seemed to have bottled water, unfortunately I wasn't one of them, and the drinks machine back at the students union seemed to be out of order when I tried it.

This ended up with me feeling so dehydrated that by the end of the last programme item there I went back to the Students Union, intending to get a cold drink at the bar, found a huge queue, and ended up deciding that I could probably get home faster than I could get a drink at the bar - possibly a slight exaggeration, but since I didn't want to stay for the pub quiz it's what I ended up doing. And still managed to miss the first half of Primeval...

Anyway, apologies to anyone who wanted to have a word, and especially to major_clanger for bailing before we talked.

Comments

[frostfox.livejournal.com]

I hate really dry atmospheres, makes me feel hung over.

But was the rest of the con good?

FF

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was a pretty good program. Liz Williams did a Q&A session which I missed, the there was Paul Cornell who gave a very good talk about his work etc., which was extremely funny. Destruction of dodgy merchandise in the quad (throwing action figures into liquid nitrogen etc.), then lunch.

After lunch there was Cory Doctorow reading some of his new book and talking about various things, then a panel called Futurism Sucks about the problems of trying to predict the future in SF etc. with Liz, Paul, and Cory, which went pretty well. After that turkey readings with Brian Ameringen and Roger Robinson which rised quite a few quid, and a round of Just a Minute followed by a game of Mornington Crescent. Then, as I say, things went back to the students union for a pub quiz, but I was fading so I went home instead.

[frostfox.livejournal.com]

I fangurl Paul Cornell loads (and you know me, I don't fangurl anyone!) if only because both Paul and I love the same stuff (Alan Garner & The Xmen for starters) we haven't run out of things to talk about yet. Of course, it helps that he's an interesting chap too.

FF

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

You can see the Primeval episode with the 'catch up' feature on the website.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I'll take a look. Only missed 20 min or so, I think.

[mymatedave.livejournal.com]

I almost went to that today, but when I got up it was 3pm and Saturday is my lazy day. Glad you enjoyed it.

P.S. Did you see Cory Doctorow's Q&A?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was pretty interesting.

[trinfaneb.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, dry air sucks. I'd be in bad shape if we didn't have water fountains in my library.