Michael's Meanderings

So it's been a week since the convention ended, what do I still remember?

The first thing was that it was a very good convention, with a very strong programme, and a good convention hotel. The hotel was well laid out, had a good sized main hall and dealers room, there were at least 3 areas where you could sit and read, drink or chat, there were even three bars with real ale available. The dining area provided reasonable cost meals for both lunch and dinner, and both were available for a wide time slot.

In fact there were only two faults that I can recall. And both faults were worked around.
1) The overflow hotels were rather a long way away, and required the con to provide a free bus service
2) The cost of WiFi in the con was excessive, but it was free at my hotel (the Midland)

The big events were also cool, but mostly different. The silent movies with live music was new, as was the full orchestra (though I personally would have preferred more SFnal music e.g. the Dr Who theme) and the Dave Wake play, was well performed (if not original)

Then there was the science program The George Hay Lecture was an excellent presentation on the RepRap project a very cool idea.
The other one I caught was the Search for Dark Matter (in a salt mine).

I even caught a few media items. The one thing I didn't get to see were any programs with both fan guests, maybe next year.

LX also decided to go the route of a memory book, rather than a program book. I look forward to seeing it.

Down to breakfast at 8:10 and had fruit salad and yogurt rather than my normal cereal. Had a few baked beans with my scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and mushrooms. I also had two serving of toast and marmalade with three cups of tea (and very good tea it's been too).

I took my eee pc to the lobby to check my LJ and upload when I realised I hadn't got any notes or program so couldn't write anything! Anyway I discovered amazonfail from a number of LJ friends links all over, where gay material is being de-listed. Checked "Ethan of Athos" which didn't appear to have been. Decided to take the netbook to the Cedar Court Hotel so I could actually write stuff even if I couldn't upload. but the lack of power sockets is a bit of a problem all over.

First item I went to was the revised titled "The Search for Dark Matter in Boulby Mine" by Sean Paling who provided a history of why Dark Matter should exist and then how they are searching at the bottom of a working Potash and salt mine for it! Their new experiment, starting next month will either prove the existence of Dark Matter or will make this small team the best at not finding Dark Matter!

I then sat down to update my notes and then spent 15min listening to a talk on Punch and Judy. I should had got there before the start, as it was very interesting. I had to leave early (just as the performance was due to start) as I wanted to see Absolom Daak: Dalek Killer, which was a half hour 3D animated fan movie. Afterwards I had lunch, pasta in tomato sauce for only £2.95

I finally got to see Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog on the big screen, though not with sub-titles so we couldn't sing-along. I sat with Valerie and Kate and chatted after, apparently neither had seen the whole thing before.

Then at 3:30 the closing ceremony where the co-chairs thanked everyone they could, and made a collection for the hotel, they finished just over an hour later, I was sitting with Kate and Andrew ands said a heartfelt au revoir, until Constitution.

Then for the first time at Cedar Court I had to wait for a coach, then we went first to Campanile, so I didn't get back to the Midland until 5:30 when I finished my LX notes and uploaded two days to LJ, before going looking for food.

Before getting home
So just after six I went looking for somewhere to eat. When I wandered around the city on Thursday I spotted a fish and chip shop with eat in for only £3.99 including tea and bread and butter. So I aimed for the shop only to discover they were only selling take away food!

My other reason for walking that way was that I decided that I wanted to see "Monsters vs Aliens" on the big IMAX screen in 3D so I went over to the National Media Museum and got my ticket for £8 and then discovered they were selling food, so I had some bread and soup, and a large slice of cake, to tide me over until after the movie.

It was a totally different experience from seeing it on a normal screen (a ninth the size) and in 3D too. In some scenes you could (like a hologram) look to either side, the sound was impressive too. There were a few 3D tricks but mostly it had the 3D reality of a theatrical performance.

It finished at about 9pm and I found my way past a McD and got a chicken sandwich, fries and drink to be eaten before I got back to the hotel, where I decided to net surf (and update my notes).

Got up 7:15 so I could go to the 8:00 service at the Cathedral.However as it's less than ten minutes walk from the hotel I got there 20min before the service started. There were 14 others in the Lady Chapel and the service used the BCP style (Common Worship Two) which I haven't used for years (but it all came back). Back for breakfast by 8:50 after which back to wifi on the eee pc!

Out for the bus about 10:00 and the sun was shining! so waiting ten minutes or more was not a hardship.

Visited the dealers room and bought a Vogon T-shirt from ZZ9. Also got my first alcoholic drink of the w/e a half of Murphy's stout!

Caught up with Andrew and had a quick chat, then upstairs to the meeting rooms area. Where I caught the end of the Oliver Postgate tribute; the end of a Clangers episode and all of a Bagpuss one.

Lunch was an unexciting burger a fries (the fries being potato wedges). There was then supposed to be an Eastercon bid session for 2011 but when i got there a few minutes late, it was already finished,there had been no bids, so currently no convention! Then after 50min to Tim Powers (GoH) being interview, this was surprisingly his first visit to England, given the very accurate sense of London that e has managed in some of his books This was followed by an illustrated talk by David Lloyd how he started in comics through to the development of V for Vendetta as both a comic and eventually a film.

I did start in the Urban Fantasy panel but bailed after about 15 min

I returned to the Dealers room and finally broke down and got a book from Richard (Sign of the Dragon) then saw the4 very short tribute to V for Vendetta with mild explosions scenes from the movie and masks for everyone!

This was followed by EU1415 a feasibility study on the possibility of a Worldcon in Europe. 6 sites were looked at 3 in Holland (all were too small or otherwise unsuitable; thee Hague had been downsized since 1990. Three in the UK the front runners were Glasgow (SECC site of 2 worldcons) and London, which would only be viable due to the new facilities generated by the Olympics in 2012.

I finally got to hear some filk, but the "concert" only had 6 performers and they sang twice. It was more like a circle with microphones.

The main event was Dave Wake's new play "Insidious" a sequel to "Inveigle" where the question what if memes became intelligent, and you could kill with words. It was very professionally put together and ran for less than an hour, and left a lot of questions unanswered. Perhaps a third play could finished the story and the trilogy be put on at Worldcon 2014!

"Who Watched the Watchmen" was a very lively discussion with both pro and con panelists, and one who had seen the movie then read the graphic novel. Though that sales of the book declined after the movie's release was an interesting fact.

The last item I stayed for was a panel on ebooks which was quite interesting but had been done before the conclusion being that the iPhone is more likely to popularise ebook reading than the kindle. I think I read my first ebook over 10 years ago, I'll have to check my reading list from back then. The hotel has been selling butties (chip, bacon, egg and sausage) but i've been leaving before they went on sale. This time I was late enough so get a bacon buttie, for only £2 before leaving and finding the coach waiting. Got back to the Midland by 11:20 and in bed by 11:40! the earliest night since Thursday.

Down to breakfast at 8:00 full breakfast now served buffet style which meant I ate hot toast before getting eggs, bacon, sausage and mushrooms. Marcus joined me and we talked about old movies and photography pre 1910.

Finished typing in my room, off to the lobby to upload via free wifi. Ceder Court is charging £12 for 60min usage in a 24hr period! You could get a GSM stick for that price and use it anywhere!

After checking LJ and posting yesterday's details. I got my bag and decided not to take a coat, one thing less to lug. A wise decision as the weather has been mild. Only had a 10 minute wait for the bus this time! Got to Ceder Court in plenty of time for the first thing I wanted to see, so had another look around the Art Show. The George Hay Memorial Lecture was by Dr Adrian Bowyer who talked about the RepRap project. This is a GNU licensed 3D printer or fast prototyper commercial machines of this type cost thousands of pounds this one can be built for less than 500. It was one of the most interesting, accessible but cutting edge science talks I've ever heard.

I followed that by listening to some of the crew of The Hunt for Gollum a fan film project based on the appendices of the Lord of the Rings, in the style of Newline's films. With permission of newline and the Tolkein estate.

I had chilli for lunch not that hot but filling. Then the GoH Interview with Jon Courtenay Grimwood by John Jerrold. After met minstrel and talked about the morning lecture.

I skipped back to the media stream to watch "Star Wrek" another fan film, this time by the Finns, with English sub-titles. If you have ever wondered what Star Trek would have looked like if the Russians had founded the Federation rather than the Americans, and who would win B5 or ST this answers those questions. It's over an hour an a half long, and is a parody rather than a serious drama, but the production values are still high.

Time for dinner before the evening stream started. I had a chicken and mushroom pie with chips, and it was very tasty but from my low salt diet perception it was very salty. (The following day I heard some one else say this too, so not just me.)

I did manage to see Kim Newman and Paul McAuley co-present the BSFA awards and then the first of the big events. The new episode of Doctor Who, which was great, the flying bus was terrific.

And then finally, Symphonic Fantasy: the live concert. The National Festival Orchestra performed classical material that has been associated with SF with a couple of original SF themes from TV and Film. Finished just after 10pm and the bus was waiting so I got in only it went to the Campanile and then back to Cedar Court before leaving for town at 10:30pm

Wrote up my days events and then to bed. (didn't get to spell check until Monday evening)

Got up at 7:40 after a fairly good nights sleep, the double bed is nice and firm. I tried to print out from maps.google.com walking route to the con with out success. Went for full English breakfast, one sausage, two strips of bacon, a fried egg and fried tomato and mushrooms. I also had 3 cups of tea and marmite on toast, with cereal to start. Why do they always bring everything at the sam time, so something is bound to get cold?

I checked LJ and did a minor updated from the lobby, which has free wifi in public areas (ie not in your room) chatted with Marcus re the best mini laptop alternatives, then left for the National Media Museum, and arrive just before opening time at 10:00.

I started at the fifth floor and worked my way down. the 5th floor dealt with animation in all it's forms including some Jerry Anderson duplicate puppets. 4th floor was the Magic Factory where playing with light was on the agenda. 3rd floor was TV Heaven where archival material of past TV shows were available to watch. Also Experience TV a history of tv broadcasting from Baird to BSkyB. I skipped the 2nd, 1st and Ground floor and went next to the basement for the Kodak Gallery a display of cameras from the mid 1800s to mid 2000s.

Then back to my room to sort out what to take with me. Outside the hotel I met Smitty and we waited in the drizzle for nearly a half hour, when a few more fen turned up and a few minutes later so did the bus!

No queue to speak of a registration, and got a goodie bag that included a book and a t-shirt. The badges have your name in a large font the are laminated and have your name on both sides. Since the opening ceremony (which began with the Bugs Bunny short"What's Opera Doc?" AKA kill the wabbit!) didn't start for 2 hours, I got a plate of chips to tide me over till dinner. Then I looked around the Art Show, met Kate and chatted, then read for a bit.

Had a chat with Wilf and Ed then to get a rice and curry before David Lloyd's GoH interview with co-chair James Bacon with a rolling slideshow of his comics work (inc V for Vendetta)

Then I went to "SF Music in popular culture" followed by "Dr Horrible's Internet Phenomenon, The moderator came in a bit late dressed in Dr H costume!

The last program item I went to, was the LX Cinema Phantasmagoria (with live music) featuring Georges Melies 1904 film "The Impossible Journey" and Edison's 1910 film of "Frankenstein" both short with piano accompaniment followed by the 68 minute long "Der Golem" with a new score composed for LX2009. It finished just before 11pm and I went looking for the bus back to my hotel. Imagine my surprise to find it waiting! So no wait this time.

Got to my room and started updating my notes but was too tired to continue and lights went out at ten past midnight!

I finished packing this morning and caught the 9:53 ThamesLink to St Pancras International, since I was booked on the 12:35 to Leeds I had over an hour to wait so I wandered around the station. St Pancras International has the feel of an airport rather than a train station all glass and chrome and wide walkways. It even has multiple layer of train track (ThamesLink, Eurostar and mainline trains. I bought some lunch and then walked over to Kings Cross and discovered that platform 9 3/4 has moved while renovations occur!

I finished my previous post on the train, writing this up on my Asus EE PC plugged in mains power and then uploaded it via free on-board wifi. I'd also written this up to the last sentence, but since the day wasn't near done I didn't upload.

We got to Leeds between 10 and 5 minutes early so I was able to catch the 15:08 to Bradford rather than the expected 15:22, while waiting another half a dozen fen turned up and we all got on the same train. We arrived in Bradford at about 15:30, I went looking for a map at the info booth as I intended to walk to my hotel (only five minutes away). I arrived at the Midland Hotel and had checked in and walked up to my room 232 by 15:55!

I took the lift down and all the walls are mirrored so whichever way you look you can see multiple copies of yourself! Anyway I went for a walk to the cathedral, and as it was drizzling wen in for a look around and to check service times. After leaving I discover a Cineworld multiplex with 15 screens! And on looking through their play-list discovered the "The Boat that Rocked" was starting in 20 minutes, and since it was before 18:00 the tickets were £2 cheaper. It was delightful more Notting Hill than Hot Fuzz and amazingly lasted nearly two and a half hours, and the time flew by.

By this time I was peckish and stopped at a KFC for a meal then found the
National Media Museum which is open 10am-6pm it's free so I hope to go in the morning before the con starts.

Then back to my hotel to write up my day and then to bed!