My Panel Schedule at Lunacon 2016

It's that time of year again, when I usually go to Lunacon, New York's longest-running science fiction convention, and then blog about my trip!

I say "Usually" because: a) I don't always blog about it, and b) last year, there was no Lunacon because of reorganization (to put it kindly). Part of that reorganization saw me getting involved with the con that I've enjoyed for a quarter-century now. And that meant eventually volunteering for something, some committee or other. Well, they also needed people to appear on the panels. I've had others (not committee members) suggest to me that I should, and I've been reluctant to. Who, me?

Well, this year, I volunteered. I have to remind myself sometimes that I am, in fact, a published author, even if I'm not as prolific as those I usually go to see. Hey, at least my bio won't be boring.

In case anyone can make it to Rye Brook this weekend, here is my schedule (barring the unforeseen):

• Fan Interest Welcome! Is this your first Lunacon? Bartell, Fri 5:00 PM
• Literary Travelling in time Westchester Ballroom D4, Sat 10:00 AM Edit: Maybe not
• Comics Happy Anniversary Captain Marvel Bartell, Sat 1:00 PM
• Literary Natural History of Barsoom? Westchester Ballroom A2, Sat 2:00 PM
• Media TV Shows you love even after cancellation. Birch, Sat 5:00 PM Edit: Maybe not

No "web comics" panel, but there is always the option to "make your own panel". Maybe on Sunday morning, since Saturday is so crazy. We could call it Webcomics for Fun and ... Well, Just Fun, Really.

If I'm not mistaken "Westchester Ballroom D4" has been part of the Dealers Room for the past bunch of years. I don't remember that designation for any panels. That would mean that they've shaken things up a bit, or at least rearranged things.

But Change is Good! (Like volunteering after all these years!)

EDIT: It turns out that I misunderstood my email because of the way it was formatted. It listed a couple that I was interested in, but was not included in. I didn't realize this until I viewed the program. I doubt I'm needed as an alternate -- both of those panels have 4 or 5 panels on them already.

Back From Lunacon

No comic today because I had too much fun at Lunacon and too little time when I got home and started grading papers. And had I left sooner (and avoided the two traffic accidents), I still wouldn't have finished.

A report on some kind will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, I've added two new blogs to my blog list because of people I met this weekend:

Monster Haiku is a daily strip where the dialogue is a haiku. Topical, given my recent contest, but even moreso in that the author, Jason Deeble, knows his math and tries to work calculus into some of his strips. I bought his first collection and had it autographed. He has almost as many strips as I do and should overtake me shortly. If I buy a book a year, I'll be current ... hmmm, set up a system of equations ... hmmmm, I'll do it later.

Genre-related, in that sense that math geeks and sci-fi geeks generally like movies (and many of us like redheads), another blog to check out is A Redhead at the Movies, which bills itself as Film and entertainment reviews, essays and lists from a ginger who loves pop culture (especially horror)! Sara, the redhead in question, is a Film Studies and Media & Communication double major at Muhlenberg College in PA, so you'll get a young person's perspective. She's also the daughter of a Facebook friend, whom I finally met in person this weekend. (I've met the friend before -- this year, I met the daughter. I'm a math teacher, not an English major, you know.) Great reading for entertainment news.

Lunacon Promo-Page

Every March, I go to Lunacon, a great science-fiction convention held in Rye Brook, NY. For the past few years, I have printed out a sheet or two of comics from this site. Nothing too fancy: just four or five (x, why?) comics, along with a logo and the URL for the blog and the comics-only site. Simple little promotion, and cheaper than bookmarks. (Actually, I looked into bookmarks once, but apparently, my comic dimensions and resolution are all out of whack.)

Are there any recent favorites, say, from the past year or two, that I should use? I'd lean toward the standalone jokes, not requiring background knowledge of the characters. And because it's a science fiction convention, the geekier or more "science-y" the better -- but only if the science is right. And, of course, there has to be some math and logic because that's the focus of the strip. I don't want to give the wrong impression.

Ideally, I would have to include my main characters, both human and numeric. Maybe the shapes as well, but there aren't any who stand out as characters.

I'm throwing the door open to suggestions. Either list them in the comments or email me or tweet me.

Lunacon 2012 Report

Time for my annual report about Lunacon, the New York Science Fiction convention that's been running for over 50 years. "Annual" may be the wrong word because I noticed that I didn't get around to writing up a report last year, and there's a strong possibility that there may not be a convention next year. More on that in a bit -- but if you like science fiction and good times in general, think about helping out.

I drove up there for only the second time ever, and got there without much of a problem, even without a GPS. I wanted to beat Friday rush-hour traffic, but I didn't really. There weren't any panels or presentations that were "must-see" for me on Friday night, but it's nice to be settled in early and just explore. Plus, it gives time to order out. The Rye Town Hilton's restaurant (shifted off to where the bar used to be because of construction) is just overpriced and the buffet has gone downhill drastically. I was glad that the renovations, while annoying, didn't pose the disaster it could have been (as happened a few years back at a New Jersey hotel). Minor inconveniences, mostly. The worst part was that Hilton wants everything to look the same and take out, beat out or just kill any of the charm the lobby or the pool used to have.

The gaming room was obligatory for the simple reason that the Gaming Guest of Honor was Andrew Looney of Looney Labs. (I confess that until recently I was not aware that the company was named for a person -- their games, like Fluxx are just crazy!)

I got to play a few rounds of a couple of playtest editions. One was Cthulhu Fluxx, announced for later this year. The other was a fun and deceptively simple educational edition, but I don't know if I should be mentioning the name of games in development. I'd hate to see them beaten to the market by a knock-off.

Oz Fluxx was on sale in the Dealers Room, but with only a dozen copies, I was too late to snap one up.

Speaking of the Dealers Room: it was less crowded this year. Some merchants didn't come back. Not a single T-shirt to be bought anywhere -- usually there's 2 or 3 dealers -- nor did I see any of the annoying buttons, which I loved back in my youth but got over after 20 or 30 of them. The woman with the Steampunk costumes and accessories didn't return from last year, but she told me then that she might not. On the other hand, that made room for another company, Night Shade Industries, which I'm happy to plug because Rose and Dion are friends. I bought a black hip flask with brass gears, which I wore for most of the con despite the fact that it was empty. (No, really.)

I had hoped that with the rise of Steampunk in the past few years, that more costumes would be available, and, hopefully, some of it cheaply. I don't need a $200 coat that gets worn for a half-hour once per year until it gets unbearably hot from wearing indoors in a crowd. No such luck. For that matter, no one was selling cloaks for the old medieval fantasy settings of the past, either. Just a few light, flowery things.

Maybe my new choice of costume wasn't such a great idea. Maybe it's time to go back to the Dracula/Phantom Stranger/Victorian British gentleman that I've been overdoing for 20 years so I could wear a cape. And then there's the Joker...

But I digress.

I spoke to a couple of authors and artists. Briefly said "hi" to Tamora Pierce, the Young Adult Writer Guest of Honor, when another friend was getting an autograph. Saw a lot of the "usual crowd" -- and noticed some weren't around.

Like last year, Saturday seemed to be better populated. I'm wondering if the economy has stopped people from renting rooms on Friday night. It's a possibility. But on Saturday, the fun continues late into the night, so day trippers, while they'll have fun, are really missing out.

There were the usual Doctor Who/British Sci-Fi panels, of course, and plenty of anime. I got to see part of the live-action Star Blazers movie -- only it wasn't called that in Japan. And the Tom Lehrer-Allan Sherman showdown almost got me into the filk room. Almost.

It was nice to see an overflow area for the Masquerade, meaning that more people were attending, but it's still in a much smaller ballroom than in years past because of fewer entries. Kudos to the guys who set up the overflow area -- they had to clear out the Book Exhibit/Raffle, and set up a screen and speakers for the broadcast coming from the next room. Nice job.

My costume wasn't anything too special, as I was hoping to assemble parts at the con, and would have had there been any vendors. No cape. No one stopping me to ask for a picture, either, unless Rob was standing next to me. He looked good as the Airship Pirate.

(I hope I'm not scaring any new readers with any of this! But some of my newest readers found out about me at the con, so Welcome!)

Mostly the same old parties, and I mostly stuck to the Con Suite, avoiding the con version of the Pub Crawl, until I got invited to the Bronx Science reunion party, which is open to more than just alumni, but is still a private party. (My friends were all in a rousing game of Werewolves of Miller's Hollow, which went on for several hours. I passed: I didn't see the excitement in that game last year, and definitely not several hours worth.)

Overall, I didn't attend too many panels, but there were several I would have liked to have attended. Conflicts are always a problem, but they are better than running from one to the next through a crowded hotel. Some were at bad times, or just fell by the wayside when something else came along. My brother and I took our leave early because I hadn't slept as well as I should have, so I wanted to get home before the end-of-the-weekend traffic started. Besides, I hadn't bought any raffle tickets because I was afraid I'd win more books -- and I haven't read last year's yet!

One Important Final Note: Lunacon is in jeopardy. People bought special ribbons with donations to help defray costs, and some of the parties did their best to raise some money as well as awareness. But more than money, they need volunteers. There's a plea in the program book and the back of the badge, where the honorees for the following year's con are usually printed. They haven't arranged for a new Guest of Honor because, well, you know. If you like science fiction and you're in the Northeast, considering volunteering to spread the word about the next con. Volunteer to get it up and running. Most of that work happens well before the convention.

For more information, go to the Lunacon website. While it's still there.

Lunacon 2010 Report, part two

As this has been a week from Hell, I'm going to dwell on the events of last weekend instead. And that would be Lunacon 2010. Indulge me.

I attended the usual panel discussions on Lost, Doctor Who, Stargate and the Obligatory Harry Potter Panel. (Yes, that's what it was called.) I missed some of the humorous panels, the year in review for TV and movies, etc. I didn't make it to any with Josepha Sherman speaking or reading. (She's a hoot!) However, doing something completely different, I attended Putting the "Win" in Wine, out by the gazebo. I learned a few things about wine -- not from a Master of wine, but from someone well on her way to becoming one, Brandy Hauman. (Yes, the Wine Lady was named Brandy.) No free samples, but I got a free corkscrew.

I attended one reading by Laura Anne Gilman. She was one of the first people I saw on Friday (and she remembered who I was from last year), and I promised to be at her reading on Sunday morning. Ms. Gilman also provided Saturday's corkscrew's, which were inscribed The Vineart War.

The game room was busier than usual. We had to find someplace else to play Loot. There was a designated overflow area, but it wasn't game for card games. We were looking forward to playing a new game that involved mad cows and unexploded land mines (two birds, one stone?), but the directions couldn't be found, so the demo was postponed. I watched the end of a game of Kill Dr. Lucky, which is sort of like Clue in reverse. Interesting.

I skipped both the Regency Dance, which I usually skip, and the Steampunk Ball, which I attended last year, but wasn't up for this time because of a cold. Instead, we spent some time back in the room watching The IT Crowd. I'd heard of it, but hadn't seen it before.

The Dealers Room hadn't changed, but I guess I had. No T-shirts or buttons for me this year. I picked up a game supplement (Munchkin 6), a pocket watch, which reminded me of one I had back in college, and some accessories for a costume that may or may not ever be put together.

Speaking of costumes, the Masquerade didn't feature all that many and it was sparsely attended. We left before the judging, which usually takes forever, and skipped the previews.

The Con Suite was well run, and I spent quite a bit of time in there talking, relaxing and eating snacks and bagels. We managed to not eat in the hotel restaurant at all, choosing instead to drive to the Coach diner and the Burger and Brew (whatever it's called now).

This year, we came up with two solutions to walking back to the hotel from dinner in the dark while trying not to turn an ankle in a pothole or falling into a ditch. First, I brought small, cheap flashlights for everyone. Second, we decided this year to eat at four in the afternoon.

And that pretty much sums it up. Time to turn out the lights.

4 is the New 7: Lunacon 2010

I'm home again from my annual trek to Lunacon, the science-fiction fantasy convention held at the Rye Town Hilton for most of the past 20 years or so. I have no problem bringing this up in an educationally-themed blog for a couple of reasons: first, there are a number of science panels held over the three days, and the number of combined degrees held by the panelists would likely fill a circle, if not a decagon. Second, many youngsters have had their knowledge of mathematics broadened simply by asking, "Why is this hotel called the Escher Hilton?", followed by "Why is it called the Mobius Hilton?"

Following the floor plans -- or attempting to -- answers that question quickly, but only if you are aware of the works of M. C. Escher and Mobius strips. But that only adds to the charm. Regular con-goers are used to this, as well as knowing the location of the trans-dimensional corridor that manages to link the 4th and 7th floors.

Until this year.

Someone at Hilton, lacking a sense of humor, has renumbered the floors of the wing which formerly housed the fifth through eight floors. (Floors 1 through 4 are in the other wing.) Now, they are the second through fifth floors, and the two fourth floors are connected by the long hallway. That's all fine and well, but it results in the fact that the second wing has no first floor and the second floor is mostly underground. (The newly redesignated third floor has access to the parking lot where you can walk around to the lobby.) And let's not get started on the walking distance between rooms 410 and 4010.

Now you might wonder why I might carp on this so much. Well, three reasons:
- Because it's fun.
- Because I can.
- Because they lost my reservation.

(The last was resolved with only two followup visits to the main desk, which prevented this from being a real Rant.)

A good time was had, and a con report may follow in a couple days. Or not.

Lunacon 2009 Report

In brief: it was a good time. Saw some friends that I haven't seen since the last con, and got to talk to some people that I met briefly last year.

One of them was Laura Anne Gilman, who autographed my newly-purchased copy of THE SHADOWS BETWEEN, a Poltergeist: The Legacy novel, written under the name L.A. Liverakos. This was sometime after I mentioned the fact that I was trying to avoid buying more media tie-in novels. Sorry, but most of them are awful. However, I have hope for this one because I made a bit of a fool of myself when I discovered that she had co-written DEEP WATER, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel with Josepha Sherman, a book that I read within the past year. I remembered Sherman's connection to the book, but not Gilman's.

Okay, so I felt like an oxymoron minus the oxy. I was introduced by a mutual friend and stopped by one of her panels. Shame on me for spacing out on her name until this year. In my defense, she was introduced to me only as "Laura Anne" ... No, not much of a defense. Now I have to find my copy of Deep Water and ask them both to sign it next year.

In other news, I re-used my Joker costume from last Halloween. Not the Heath Ledger Joker, but the costume I had in 1989. It still fit 20 years later. (It was a little big on me back then.) One guy asked why I wasn't wearing a fake mustache covered in white face paint. Ah, maybe next year.

What Is This Thing Called 'Sleep'?

(Click on the cartoon to see the entire image.) (C)Copyright 2009, C. Burke. All rights reserved.


Sleep can be overrated. Then again, parties can be overrated, too.

Also, Hours of Sleep is inversely proportional to Number of Hours Late the Next Strip Will Be Posted.

Edit: Call it "irony" or whathaveyou, but I noticed that due to lack of sleep, I misspelled "convention" in the original posting. It's been fixed.

Lunacon 2008: Costumes and T-shirts

One of the things that I like about Lunacon are the costumes worn by fans and pros alike. The best costumes are saved for the Masquerade, but others, usually simpler costumes are worn throughout the day. For some, it's just a matter of wearing a cape or a hat or tail just for the chance to be a little different. And for the first time in a few years, I brought an outfit to wear Saturday evening while the masquerade was going on.

That said, the most attention I got was actually for two T-shirts that I wore. On Saturday, I had on the Speed Racer shirt that I picked up a year ago at Target. I must've been stopped about a dozen times to be asked about the movie, the trailer and the old series. On Sunday, I wore a "Thing 2" shirt and endured an hour of "Where's Thing 1?" and a couple of hours of "I just saw Thing 1 over there!" (My brother was wearing "Thing 1".)

None of this bothered me, mind you. In fact, the shirts served their purpose ever better than expected. They were great conversation starters even though I didn't really expect them to be. And even though I was surrounded by friendly people with similar interests, breaking into a conversation isn't always easy. Sure, I'm good at it once it starts moving, but that the trouble is getting it started.(*)

Funny thing was that this year no one started a conversation with "Nice cape."

(*)Obligatory math content for my students checking up on their teacher: This is true with math problems, especially the word problems. They are easy to solve once you can get them started. Knowing where and how to start is usually the hardest thing.
Also, you now know that once a year, your math teacher walks around a hotel wearing a cape.