M48 Programming Brainstorm
Art
Are Puppets Subversive?
What's so special about puppets? What can we do with puppets that live actors can't communicate? What makes for a successful puppet script? What are some resources for puppeteers? In December 2011, the Muppets were accused of being communist agitators. What are our thoughts on the Muppets re-boot?
CHOPPED Flash Artistry
Essentially a game show similar to CHOPPED on The Food Network. Contestants are given a time limit to come up with the best drawing (or other artistic endeavor) using three mystery ingredients (e.g. a shrubbery, a herring, and a European swallow). All three ingredients must be used, and the audience decides who goes on to the next round, and who gets CHOPPED. (See also CHOPPED Flash Fiction)
Creating Book Art
A roundtable DIY event about art made with books. Bring your own book to be re-purposed with scissors, X-acto knives, gluesticks and embellishments. Weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth will be allowed only in the hallway.
Costuming Connection
How do I get started with costuming? How do I improve my beginner skills? What can I do with a simple sewing machine? Which features are cool to have on a more expensive, gadgety machine? What are some good costuming resources?
It Leapt Right Off the Page
Live, interactive tutorial on making your own pop-ups.
Striking a Pose
Based on this post [1] by Jim Hines. Examining the way women are portrayed on SF/F book covers. In particular - Are these poses realistic? Can they be replicated by a male body? What do such images say about the portrayal of women (even in books with strong female protagonists) in SF/F?
Fandom and Zeitgeist
Book Tasting: Pairing your Favorite Teas with SF/Fantasy Novels
What if the the overall experience of reading a particular book could be enhanced or complemented by drinking a particular kind of tea? Join panel hosts for a discussion of classic SF/fantasy novels and tasting of their companion teas. (See www.book-tasting.com)
The Early Risers Panel
Few people want to be on the 10 AM Saturday spot, but the people that like to do morning panels are always enthusiastic and engaging. Sign up for "Early Risers Panel," and include a list of some of your interests. The Programming department will open a discussion with the panelists to come up with a great panel.
Fannish bags
What do you keep in your fanny pack, messenger back, laptop case or cargo beanie?
Geeks Always Want to Be Right
Admit it: you corrected the title as soon as you read it. Geeks often have a strong allegiance to getting the facts right, which can be constructive or destructive. (Or both or neither or sometimes one then later the other or...) When do we let this need assert itself? When do we resign ourselves to letting information stay wrong?
How to be Monogamous in a Poly Subculture
Fandom sometimes seems to be predominantly polyamorous. How do monogamous folks navigate? What awkward situations can come up, and how can they be resolved?
The Intersection of Fanfic and RPGs
Fanfic is often about trying to understand one character better. RPGs usually emphasize getting into character, too. How does writing for a fanfic resemble roleplaying? What can fanfic writers and RPG gamers learn from each other?
Living with Asperger's/Autism
It has often been suggested that Asperger's/Autism is more common among members of the fan community. Why is this so? What are some of the most common characteristics of this condition, what are some effective strategies for managing, navigating and communicating both for people with A/A and for their friends and families. Where is the line between disorder and different methods for organizing thoughts?
Not That Kind of Geek
I'm not a Star Trek geek, a Star Wars geek or a comic book geek, but I'm still a geek. Fans seem to have a unique perspective concerning their fascinations with things, and many of those things exist outside of fandom. Gardening geeks, combustion engine geeks and model train collectors rejoice! We'll examine the mind of the geek, and celebrate what we have in common.
Sports Outside Earth's Gravity Well
How would popular sports and hobbies differ in zero-gee or an other planet? What new sports might develop in such environments? What are your favorite (literary) works that feature baseball, mountain climbing, sailing, and other physical endeavors? [Compare/contrast media portrayals (e.g. Rollerball, The Running Man) to literary (Varley's "Blue Champagne" & "Retrograde Summer", KS Robinson's Mars]?
We'll Always Have 101 Panels
Some topics just never get old. Other topics get really old but we keep talking about them. Which beginner-level panels will we always need? Which ones used to always happen but now don't? Which ones do we wish we didn't need?
When Flamewars Took A Year
Social networks in the days of snail mail had a distinct smell: Ditto, mimeo or photocopy. The texture of communication helped pass the time between comment and response. What was it like in Days of Yore? Why do people still print zines when they could just post them online and ignore all blog responses? What has modern social media taken from zine culture?
Yoda Said There'd Be Days Like These
Things that science fiction taught us that we had to learn the hard way anyway. [description still needs work]
Gaming
Cooperative Board Games
Cooperative games seem to be getting more & more popular. What are some examples of good cooperative games? What makes a cooperative game work well (or not)? How do "traitor" roles influence cooperative gameplay? What role do cooperative games have in training young people for the future, particularly in our competitive society, where reality shows that feature backstabbing & tantrums are ratings-winners? Try to organize scheduled gaming (1-2 games?) to follow this panel in gaming room/space
Creating Good Characters, Settings and Plots for RPGs
A panel about the proper self-maintenance of happy players and a happy GM. [Needs work -- title and body don't correspond much]
House Rules - Clarifications or a Whole New Game?
A discussion about making up your own rules for existing games. At what point does a house-ruled system become a homebrew? What are some games that cry out for player enhancement? Is it "house rules" if the original RAW seems insufficient? What methods work for finding agreeable methods of modification?
Knights of the Dinner Table Readings
For our Gaming GOH, as we did at the early 4X Minicons.
Once Upon a Time - More Than a Card Game
Once Upon A Time is a card game where four (or more, or less, but four is ideal) players try to tell a story leading to one of their pre-determined endings using elements dealt to them on cards both at the beginning and throughout the game. Apart from being a very fun experience, Once Upon a Time is a wonderful writing exercise.
Practical Applications of D&D Alignments
Can we apply the concepts of D&D alignments to real world situations like politics or workplace interactions? If the 700 Club is Lawful Evil, then is Westboro Baptist Chaotic Evil? What characteristics define Chaotic Neutral, and how are such individuals best handled in the workplace?
Science-Fiction-Themed Board Games
A discussion of science fiction themed board games. What are the best ones, both historically and recently released. What sci-fi themes are scheduled for release this year? We will discuss whether these games have interesting stories and whether those stories are relevant to the gameplay. Try to organize scheduled gaming (1-2 games - maybe an old classic & a new one?) to follow this panel in gaming room/space
Literature/Writing
CHOPPED Flash Fiction
Essentially a game show similar to CHOPPED on The Food Network. Contestants are given a time limit to come up with the best short story using three mystery ingredients (e.g. a shrubbery, a herring, and a European swallow). All three ingredients must be used, and the audience decides who goes on to the next round, and who gets CHOPPED. (See also CHOPPED Flash Artistry)
The History of Terraforming in Science Fiction
Early ideas about terraforming emerged from 1930s-1960s hard science fiction, with Olaf Stapleton's Last and First Men, Arthur C. Clarke's The Sands of Mars, and Robert Heinlein's Farmer in the Sky, among other works. Beginning with a generally positive view of technology and the glorification of engineers, later terraforming stories split into two narratives, the technological narrative harnessing "wasted" natural resources as a natural extension of human activities, and the ecological narrative that "naturally" transformed the planet, and respected natural environments and life.
Id, Ego, Superego
How does psychology fit into fiction? When Characters represent facets of a complete persona, what does it say about what the author is trying to communicate?
Using Book Trailers for Promotion
Some authors/publishers have begun to use book trailers to promote their fiction (e.g. Orbit Books: Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy and Brent Weeks' The Black Prism), and the practice seems to be getting more popular. Supposing you wanted to make one of your own, what are the do's and don'ts? What resources are out there to help the novice (Animoto, iVideo Promotions, others)? How do you find audio and voice talent for a book trailer? And once you've done all that work, are they really all that necessary, or has the publishing industry already reached the point where they're essential?
Victorian Era Hugos
Before the Hugos existed there were some great works in the burgeoning field of SF/F. What about this time period was unique and called out for SF/F? What are some of our favorite stories of this era (e.g. 1885-1888) and why do we like them? What work(s) do we think would have won the Hugos had they existed and why?
When Pros Become Fans
We often talk about how fans sometimes become pros, but we rarely talk about the reverse process. How and when do professionals stop producing work for pay?* How do we negotiate the transition? What expectations need to change? (*Is this the only definition of "becoming a fan" that we should consider? Are there other changes in behavior that come with a pro discovering fandom?)
Wookies Need Extra Legroom
Many SF stories include the realization that reasonable accommodations are for many different types of "normal." By challenging the idea of normal in a format that includes different species, do we marginalize disability accessibility or do we make it more socially universal?
Media
Aliens Invade! (But Why?)
From "War of the Worlds" to the new TV series "Falling Skies," Earth is always getting invaded by aliens. But why? What, if anything, does Earth have that you can't get somewhere else? And, if you really wanted to get it from Earth, how would you go about doing it?
Beyond Bechdel
In 1985, comic strip writer Alison Bechdel invented the Bechdel Test to assess movies for sexism. For a movie to pass it had to have (1) at least 2 women, (2) who talk to each other, (3) about something other than a man. Since then, the discussion has expanded to include more categories. How are other marginalized groups represented? Which groups still don't even get to be real characters with definition beyond there status as outsiders?
GLBT Characters and Censorship in Comics and Manga
In 1954, The Comics Code Authority (CCA) came into being as a response to Fredric Wertham's "Seduction of the Innocent." In his book, Wertham argued that comic books negatively influenced children with images of violence and sexuality, including subliminal homosexuality. Wonder Woman's independence and background was an indication of her lesbianism, and "The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies." Manga and comics today still often contain unrealistic portrayals of sexuality, though it could be argued that the medium has improved. How do these formats get it right and wrong? How can they improve?
My Tivo Thinks I'm Gay
People are put into marketing categories based on credit card purchases, magazine subscriptions, browser history, Tivo viewing history, and countless other categories. Is this just a way of voting for what we want? What are the implications concerning privacy? How do publication and media companies decide what appeals to fans? What happens when the marketers get it wrong? What does it mean when we are defined (by others or ourselves) by what we consume?
The New Pony Phenomenon
A new fad has swept the internet, amassing a huge fanbase in an amazingly short time. My Little Pony has been retooled into a work of epic fantasy that appeals to both men (Bronies) and women (Pegasisters), with extensive fanfics that delve into science fiction, romance, and horror. How did all this happen and where is it going? What is the ponies' secret?
SF Prequels That Aren't As Bad as Phantom Menace
What makes a good prequel? What are some good origin stories? What are our favorite retcons? What retcons have we made up for ourselves to fill in the missing pieces?
Music
Music and the Mind
How does music affect the brain? How much of our reaction to music is hard-wired and how much is cultural? What is the relationship between music and memory? Did human beings sing before they spoke? What is the significance of the sacred geometry of music? What's so naughty about the Forbidden Interval?
Science and Technology
Communicating with the Animals ... and Aliens
How do human languages compare with other bioacoustic communication systems? How would other senses be used for communication, would such communication be considered language, and how might it shape alien cultures (e.g. if chemical messages like smell are used for communication, how might the persistence of odors affect a sense of privacy)? [A possible continuation of "Truly Alien Languages" from M47]
Disability in the Technological Future
In 2008, Oscar Pistorius was turned down as an Olympic runner because he was too fast. Pistorius, a double amputee with carbon fiber prosthetic legs, was deemed to have an unfair advantage. At the same time, Michael Phelps' high tech swim suit was the talk of the television. In 2012, Pistorius may possibly be the first disabled athlete allowed to compete in the able-bodied Olympics and the internet is abuzz. Is there a cultural bias to force disabled people to fit the mold as "less capable"? Is the bias embedded in the definition and usage of words like "capable" and "disabled"? How much influence will technology have on attitudes in the future?
Electronics Show & Tell
Show, tell, and discuss new and upcoming gadgets and gizmos. What will these tools do to change the world we live in? We might all wish for flying cars and jetpacks, but much of the technology we've got has just made life more complicated. Where is the line between fad and function?
Fairy Tale Physics
Could Thumbelina fly? Could somebody actually climb Rapunzel's hair without ripping her head off? And what do the laws of thermodymanics indicate about the lifestyle of the bears in the Goldilocks story? Discuss children's tales and the underlying science behind the story.
Farmers in the Sky: Growing Food in Space
Growing food in space is currently being researched by NASA. What plants might be best suited for space horticulture? And what animals might be initiated into an orbital or planetary colony?
The Geekiest Smartphone On The Block
What are some useful applications for iPhone or Android phones that appeal to geek interests? Where is the line between fad and function?
Stealth and Surveillance Among the Aliens
When the Redshirts of an away team are sent into a low-tech (or rural) environment, what tactics are used to move through the terrain silently and undetected? How do you lessen the likelihood that indigenous lifeforms decide that you are edible or threatening? What techniques (similar to what is used by military or law enforcement) can be used to keep the planetary investigators alive for the next assignment?