M46 Programming

Minicon 46 Programming Ideas - postmortem M45

Starting off the brainstorm with some ideas that came up at the Minicon 45 post-mortem.

Music and the Brain

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? I think that the sacred geometry of music and the Forbidden Interval should figure in here somewhere, but I'm not sure how. read about it here.

Music and Fandom

Musical traditions are very important in s.f. fandom, but fannish musical traditions are not all the same. Is Minnstf Music significantly different from the musical traditions in other fandoms (including other Twin Cities cons)? How has fannish music evolved over time?

Making Beer and Wine

Lots of fans like to drink beer, and quite a few of them like to make their own. So let's have a panel about home brewing. Ideally, this panel will have a range of experience and brewing styles. Who uses malt extract? Who does a full boil? What are the advantages and disadvantages of dry hopping? Bottling or kegging? How about fruit beers and ciders?

Shakespeare in the Bush

Suppose you were swapping stories with a group of friendly extraterrestrials. How hard would it be to come up with a story that resonated for an audience with a very different set of cultural expectations? Consider how well it worked for this anthropologist trying to share the story of Hamlet with an audience that agreed with her that human nature is pretty much the same everywhere, but somehow came up with a radically different interpretation of the bard's great play.

Fandom on a Budget

Share some thrifty tips for conventions, collecting, gaming, and just getting by - with or without resorting to ramen three times a day.