MidameriCon II Thoughts
Aug. 24th, 2016 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chris_gerribMore thoughts on The Con That Was:
1) I drove to this con. It's an 8-hour drive, but driving is cheaper than flying, even when paying $24/day parking. Having said that, if I drive again, I'm definitely taking I-80 through Des Moines. Mapquest had routed me via I-72 and US-36. Those roads are fine, but desolate, with little in the way of services. That's not surprising, since I-72 in Illinois runs through Pike and Scott counties - the later being the 4th least-populated county in Illinois.
2) I was amazed at the number of Big Name Writers (Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle) who seem completely incapable of using a microphone. During a conversation with Mary Robinette Kowal, voice actor and writer, she stated that at the SFWA business meeting she took a moment of personal privilege and held a quick course on the use of a microphone.
3) Based on a glancing analysis of the Hugo Award stats (PDF), it appears thatWile E. Coyote's Vox Day's minion count is down - around 150 or so of his little buddies paid to vote. This is less than half ~400 who voted to nominate. Apparently paying $40 for two years running was a stretch.
4) The Sans won - San Juan for NASFIC and San Jose for Worldcon 2018. I'd like to go to San Juan (Tobias Buckell is Guest of Honor) but that will make 2017 a damned expensive travel year.
5) Not con-related, but a nice interview of me by Ellie Maloney. Worth a read, if I do say so myself.
1) I drove to this con. It's an 8-hour drive, but driving is cheaper than flying, even when paying $24/day parking. Having said that, if I drive again, I'm definitely taking I-80 through Des Moines. Mapquest had routed me via I-72 and US-36. Those roads are fine, but desolate, with little in the way of services. That's not surprising, since I-72 in Illinois runs through Pike and Scott counties - the later being the 4th least-populated county in Illinois.
2) I was amazed at the number of Big Name Writers (Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle) who seem completely incapable of using a microphone. During a conversation with Mary Robinette Kowal, voice actor and writer, she stated that at the SFWA business meeting she took a moment of personal privilege and held a quick course on the use of a microphone.
3) Based on a glancing analysis of the Hugo Award stats (PDF), it appears that
4) The Sans won - San Juan for NASFIC and San Jose for Worldcon 2018. I'd like to go to San Juan (Tobias Buckell is Guest of Honor) but that will make 2017 a damned expensive travel year.
5) Not con-related, but a nice interview of me by Ellie Maloney. Worth a read, if I do say so myself.
