MiniCon 44
April 10th-12th, 2009

Note: this item has a single presenter, not looking for panelists. This class is for parents or teachers looking for easy, cheap astronomy projects to do with children. Topics will include how to create a solar analemma on the ground in a sunny yard or on a ceiling in a sunny room; how to use the wonderful planisphere; and how to find a person's real sun sign; plus various types of telescopes, where to buy telescopes, and where to go for a free astronomy experience. I will also give my take on how to get into amateur astronomy (go to a free star party, join a club, before spending money!) Children accompanied by an adult are welcome.

Saturday at 11:30am.

Panelist: Michael Kauper.

Now that publishers are regularly collecting multi-issue story arcs into Trade Paperback & Hardcover editions, it is easier than ever to enjoy comics, without spending time looking for individual issues (& discovering you missed a chapter/issue) or trying to remember what happened last month. If you love comics, but gave up on the frustrating weekly pursuit of "floppies" (comic magazines) and just want to read a good stand-alone story of your favorite heroes with a minimum of confusion, find out which TPBs allow you to do just that.

Saturday at 11:30am.

Panelists: Greg Larsen (m), Steve Kempton, Bob Jackson.

How To Not Get Depressed When You Work Alone

There’s something about the writer’s life. For some reason, people are actually jealous. But working alone at home on your own schedule has its own special challenges.

Saturday at 11:30am.

Panelists: C.J. Mills (m), Rob Callahan, Jane Yolen, Adam Stemple, Rick Brignall.

SF has dealt more and more with the Singularity, Vernor Vinge's concept of the point beyond which we cannot predict, but which singularity is it? The post-scarcity singularity, when no one has less than they need? The post-scarcity singularity where everyone gets everything they want (an important difference)? Or the one where artificial intelligence is cheap and frequent? Or the one where we all upload ourselves and our intelligences are no longer limited by flesh and blood. Transhumanism is a kind of singularity -- humanity evolving to the next stage, whatever that is -- as are Christian "left behind" narratives. Which singularities seem likely, which ones do we actually hope for, and what does that say about us?

Saturday at 11:30am in Krushenko's.

Panelists: Greg L. Johnson (m), Karl Schroeder, Pat Scaramuzza, Rachel Kronick, Dave Romm.

How Antimatter Became a Plaything of Science Fiction

Antimatter, a bizarre family of particles first discovered by physicists in the 1930s, eventually became commonplace in science fiction stories. Bill Higgins traces the path from science to fiction, which passes through astronomy and the study of meteorites before falling into the hands of such SF writers as John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, and Jack Williamson.

Saturday at 1pm.

Panelist/Presenter: Bill Higgins.

What's New in Old Comics

Comics publishers have had to look beyond publishing periodicals to maintain their bottom line & have dug into the past to reprint classic material in collected volumes. From Marvel's Masterworks, Omnibus & Essential lines, DC's Showcase, Archive & Absolute lines to Dark Horse's reprinting of Gold Key classics (Magnus Robot Fighter, Doctor Solar, MARS Patrol, Tarzan, et al) and the Warren horror line, find out what's available at a fraction of the cost of the original back issues. Also: Titan Books' 007 newspaper strip collections, Gladstone's EC collections & various Irwin Allen & Gerry Anderson properties, 1960s Star Trek, Conan and more.

Saturday at 1pm.

Panelists: Greg Larsen (m), Steve Kempton, Bob Jackson.

Long Live Number 6!

From the wrap of production for The Prisoner until his until his recent death, Patrick McGoohan said little about his most influential work. Do Ice Station Zebra and the Columbo episode "Identity Crisis" tie in to The Prisoner? Was Number 6 actually Danger Man/Secret Agent John Drake? If so, some episodes of the earlier series reveal clues to the question, "Why did he resign?". Why would McGoohan never tie Number 6 to Drake? The answers may surprise you! Plus, news on the 2009 AMC/ITV mini-series with Jim Caveizel as Number 6 and Ian McKellan as Number 2, adaptations & homages of The Prisoner in books, comics and a place you never expected!

Saturday at 2:30pm.

Panelists: Greg Larsen (m), Steve Kempton, Bob Jackson.

Lady Poetesses from Hell

Ruth Berman, Jane Yolen, Elise Matthesen, Cassandra O’Malley, John C. Rezmerski, Eleanor ArnasonThe Lady Poetesses from Hell write about: Change, Futures, Pasts, Life, Love, Sex, Death, Violence, Manners -- all those volcanic urges. Their joint collection, "Lady Poetesses from Hell," will be published later this year

Saturday at 2:30pm.

Panelists: Ruth Berman, Jane Yolen, Elise Matthesen, K.C. O'Malley, John C. Rezmerski, Eleanor Arnason.

Steampunk: the Romance of Science

What is Steampunk? Attitude or merely fashion statement? Or is there something about the buoyant spirit of the late 19th century that speaks to our feelings about technology today? Who else is defining the genre? Check out this incredible video: Steampunk meets Maker Movement.

Saturday at 2:30pm in Krushenko's.

Panelists: Sharon Kahn (m), Karl Schroeder, Richard Mueller, Dorf, Ceridwen Christensen.

SETI Fact vs. Fiction

How does the real-world endeavor of SETI compare with how it is portrayed in speculative fiction? Many portrayals of SETI show us a highly dedicated (and maybe slightly obsessed) scientist that the public tends to write off as a little nuts. What is it like to really work for SETI? Do the SF writers get it right? Does the public perception of SETI really match what they do?

Saturday at 4pm.

Panelists: Kelly Strait (m), Seth Shostak, Pat Scaramuzza, Howard Davidson, Michael Kauper.

Science Fiction Westerns

These two film genres go back to the start of narrative film (SF to 1902, Westerns to 1903). What do they have in common and how do they differ? We'll focus especially on such hybrids as Westworld, Outland, Battle Beyond the Stars, Back to the Future III, The Postman, Firefly, and Serenity. Sponsored by Con-Sarnit, the Twin Cities Western convention.

Saturday at 4pm.

Co-moderators: David Christenson & Eric M. Heideman

Intelligent Balloons

Seems like one long-term science fiction meme is intelligent jellyfish-like creatures living in the atmosphere of a Jovian planet. How plausible are such creatures, and why are they such a fixture of xenology?

Saturday at 4pm.

Panelists: Chas Somdahl (m), Rachel Kronick, Mark Richards, Sue Smith.

Secret Underground Physics Labs

What's going on in the old Tower Soudan mine (and why does it look so much like a Half-Life game)? What's this DUSEL thing anyway? What else have scientists hidden under the earth, and what are they doing with it?

Saturday at 5:30pm.

Panelists: Bill Higgins, Howard Davidson, Matt Strait (m)

Vampires and Zombies and Werewolves, Oh, My!

The long standing popularity of these three fictional races argues that the stories we tell about them are more than just horror stories to scare children. Is there a cultural reason for this popularity? Can we mine any deep psychological meaning from our interest in these sorts? If vampires are a metaphor for forbidden sexuality (aren’t they?), then lets see what we can make of zombies and werewolves.

Saturday at 5:30pm.

Panelists: Lisa Freitag (m), Scott McCoy, Emily Stewart, C.J. Mills.