Captain's blog: 2003/08

Posted Saturday, August 30, 2003 at 8/30/2003 11:51:24 PM

Just got back from volunteering as an usher for 4 hours for the HUGO awards held tonight. The humourous Spider Robinson was the host (I think I first heard of him at the ideaCity conference last year). Enjoyed listening to the various backgrounds of awards presenters and the especially the way HUGO award recipients respond.. everything from one word "thanks", to "oh i didnt think I would get it so I didnt prepare but thanks".. to admiring the HUGO and then "f***, I got a HUGO!", "thanks to my publisher..thanks to my wife... thanks to..etc", "thanks a bunch". This year’s HUGO award is a gold coated rocket ship on an octagonal base with maple, and with half-maple leaf wooden leaf flanking the rocket representing the rocket’s blasting off.. very nice canadian association with the maple leaf imagery =)

There were also a lot of ppl who couldn’t come but nevertheless left entertaining/memorable thank-you letters that were read aloud. Lord of the Rings: 2 towers got the HUGO for best Long Form Dramatic Presentation, and since Peter Jackson himself couldnt come, he videotaped his speech beforehand just in case he won and he did so that was great. Also interesting was that amongst the nominations for Best Short Form Dramatic Presentation, 2 enterprise episodes , an anime , it was Buffy the vampire slayer: Conversations with Dead People episode that won the HUGO. I’ve never actually watched the show so I didnt know it was sci-fi... or maybe cuz its fantasy related? oh well. Factoid: one of the 2 writers for this episode and thus recipient of this HUGO, who didnt make it here, Drew Goddard is actually the grandson of the pioneering rocket scientist Dr. Robert Goddard, which the person picking up the award mentioned. For all the other HUGO awards I simply nodded and applauded when everyone else appluaded because I dont really consistently read sci-fi / fantasy/ know all the current/recent sci fi authors and the multitude of names so it was all new to me.

Also met one of my former T.A.’s who was in the audience.

Posted at 8/30/2003 04:46:53 PM

day 2 of Torcon3. Saw 3 people in brown jedi cloaks with hanging light sabers, 1 barefoot man, 1 witch and 2 robots (1 was an aibo moving around on the convention lobby, the other was an inflatable remote controlled version of the robot in Jetsons..).. no Klingons yet... saw 1 person from high school .. and because theres a Student Sci-Fi Fantasy awards ceremony there were actually younger faces at the conference today while I volunteered at the infodesk. The VOODOO board was moved downstairs.

The voodoo board:

A board and card system set up so that conference attendees can leave messages for each other. Its this big board with A-Z of conference attendees. You arrive, you circle your name so others know you’re here. Where the "voodoo" comes in, is when you want to leave a message for someone you take a red pushpin and stick it to their name on the board. Then you take the little slip of paper, write your message and then file it into the index file box right beside the board, so when the person comes by, checks and sees a red pushpin they know that theres a message left for them.

Again I dropped in casually for various workshops, visited the volunteers office for the first time to ask about reference letters, and then I went to the Anime Showings in the Crowne Plaza lower level (ballroom B) where the Toronto Anime club or something was playing various anime shows, movies, etc. I saw the ending of some police anime., then saw the whole of the film Escaflowne, then they were ahead of schedule so they filled with Samurai Deeper KYO ep 1 & 2 which I got bored of cuz my sister told me about it already (and the very smallville- like meteor-mutant monsters).

So now its almost 5, pm so I’ll start heading over to see the Student Sci-Fi Fantasy awards, and then maybe visit the Anime showings again before I eat, after which I meet up with someone later around 6:15 to let me upstairs so I can volunteer as an usher for the HUGO awards.

Posted Friday, August 29, 2003 at 8/29/2003 04:04:51 PM

First day for me volunteering at Torcon3. Surrounded by people who are at least 30+ with dominantly grey/greying or white hair - parents, grandparent- type folks (I heard one man say he was there at the first WorldCon before WW2!) . This was probably not what I expected of a sci-fi conf but oh well now I know.

This morning was quite hectic at the info desk where I was posted along with other more experienced volunteers. There was very little orientation, I just learned as I went along through the morning. Since jeff and jenny ( the 2 infodesk supervisors) won’t be here tomorow.. and since my sister is volunteering tomorow.. I will jot down the typical questions and their answers here before I forget when I go home:

where is the kaffeeklatsch signup?

you see the big line-up to our right? thats the sign-up for tomorrow..

where is the sign-up for such-and-such event/program/ something writing workshop?

check the programming desk, which is just on right of the registration desk (especially for all things programming..)

where/when is the autograph / signing area?

It starts at 10, upstairs in the exhibit hall , just follow these large escalators up...

where do I pick up my program souvenir book?

right behind you, you see the purple drapped table at the foot of the escalators? you pick them up there..

where is the updated program guide?

here it is (show them the stapled pink updated program guides on the desk) its for Today. Tomorow’s schedule should be finalized today. Ignore the schedule listed in the booklet.. its a work of fiction =) go with this updated guide

where is the green room (or any other room like fan lounge, gaming...etc)

(refer to the white sheet listing names and room numbers behind the info desk counter)

where has the (name of some program scheduled today) moved to? can’t find it..

its probably just moved to a different time.. (suggest they look through the updated guide, help look through it too)

where is the nearest CIBC/TD/etc bank ATM machine?

in the PATH, (show them the path and the various bank towers around Bay/Front etc)

where can I buy groceries?

(show them the way to Dominion down front street)

where can I find a map of the convention centre?

2 places: in your torcon3 booklet, but also on every floor near escalators theres the back-lit panel which is a map of the rooms

where is the lost and found?

check the Con office in the (look up room name) room of the Crowne Plaza hotel.. just follow the hallway..

where do i get / is there a restaurant guide i can pick up?

yes here it is (hand it / point them to it on the desk

where do we get the Movenpick restaurant coupons?

well its actually not coupons, you just show your Torcon3 badge and you get a discount.. (hand them the small green sheet/pamphlet)

where is the summit room/room 204?

it’s right behind us (pointing to the wall behind the info desk counter)

where’s an elevator( for handicap access)?

theres an elevator around the corner to the right of this info desk..

Where is the Merill collection (attraction #55 on the big board you have posted)?

It is in the Lillian Smith toronto public library branch around Spadina/College, 3rd floor or something..

So after a morning of happily responding to inquiries of all sorts from various old people, people dressed as witches/wizards, a lady all clad in leather, another 3 ladies wearing some revealing clinky-dangly costume, people wearing shirts with scientific equations, random people from the street, and the usual tourist questions about where such and such attraction is.... my infodesk shift eneded at 12 I got a volunteer hours tracking sheet, got it filled and signed by jeff and headed over to the Simcoe or something park across from the convention centre for lunch. Then I got back and started visiting the workshop rooms, just dropped in for 10-15 min then usually I lost interest or wanted to see some other room. Topics: character analysis or something of Buffy, "Intro to Alien Languages", "Heinlein 101", a book publisher ROC presenting their books.., discussions on dinosaurs, genetically engineered pets...anime.. and there were 2 children’s program rooms where there were activities for the wee little kids.. like science demos... so after it got boring I decided to head over to the Internet lounge with its Linux 2.4.18 machines and their Mozilla browser.. while I wait for the next few workshops to start.. or maybe I should just forget these workshops and go to the Royal York ball room where they’re playing various films.. right now I think they’re playing harry potter and the chamber of secrets ...

Posted Thursday, August 21, 2003 at 8/21/2003 10:19:34 PM

Looks like next week I’ll be volunteering for TorCon3* by doing mostly infodesk duty. As of today they say volunteers will have to do 3 or 4 shifts of 3 hours each from thursday to monday unless we can find more volunteers to ease the work load soo... if anyone wants to volunteer for infodesk at this science fiction conference this would be an opportunity, just fill out the volunteer form on the web site.

I think I’ll also be ushering for the Hugo Awards and the masquerade night events... that could be interesting ("Folks, please keep moving on over here... yes, the 2 big Klingons and the wizard over there included... thanks... ")

lets hope we don’t have another power failure during the convention. then I’ll be stuck downtown. On the other hand it may not be such a bad thing with the cool breeze from the Toronto waterfront and the multiple hot dog stands...

* TorCon3: aka WorldCon, aka The 61st World Science Fiction Convention August 28-September 1, 2003 , which will be in various rooms of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Royal York Hotel

heres a short article by Alex von Thorne on what’s WorldCon