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==Minicon 47 Programming Ideas ==
=Minicon 47 Programming Panels=


What we already have:
==Unknown Category==


===The Death Panel===
===The Tragical Historie of Guidolon, The Giant Space Chicken===
Despite modern medicine and the promises of science fiction, immortality continues to elude us.  Instead of bringing salvation, advances have made it possible to hang onto life well past when some would consider it desirable.  Sarah Palin criticized the growing need for end of life decisions, but perhaps "death panels" are just what we should have.  We will examine dying in American hospitals, options for end of life care, and how decisions should be made.  How do you want to die?
This panel was suggested during a programming brainstorming session and the description was accidentally left out.  I don't understand.  Seriously, what is this panel about?


===Let's Play God===
===What's it like to live in a World With Rampant Unemployment?===
Scientists and doctors are often accused of "playing God," but no one seems to have specified what, exactly, God does that can so easily be imitated.  Or what is wrong with imitating it. What sorts of things are considered godlike behaviors or experiments?  What are the potential rewards or punishments?  Are there any lines that should not be crossed, or slippery slopes that we are standing too close to?  Should God be worried?
The future of employment.  Needs description.


===Futurists and Futures===
==Art, Crafts, Costuming==
Futurists (futurologists) are professionals; not mere fiction writers. But they've also been known to get the future wrong. How do they compare with sf writers? Do they make the same mistakes, for the same reasons?


===Believable Antagonists===
===Costuming Connection===
Why does Lex Luthor on Smallville, or Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica work better than Anakin Skywalker in Episode III?  Is the antagonist more about motivations, or contrast with the protagonist? What makes an antagonist believable?
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. 


===Practical Applications of D&D Alignments===
===Make your own Minin.===
What's the benefit of D&D alignments when applied to real world situations like politics or workplace interactions?  If the 700 Club is Lawful Evil, then Westboro Baptist is Chaotic Evil. What characteristics define people who are "Chaotic Neutral," and how are they best handled in the workplace? 
Build Your Own Minion Puppet.  Donated materials provided.  This event may include time at the end for puppets to discuss whether Scott Adams is merely brilliant or a true genius.


===Make Your Own Minion===
===Puppetry===
Build Your Own Minion Puppet. Donated materials provided. There may be time at the end for the sock puppets to discuss whether Scott Adams is merely brilliant or a true genius.
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?  What are our thoughts on the Muppets re-boot?
 
===Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?===
===Spinning Your Yarns===
Up to five panelists talk about their interesting careers.  Description will be based on panelists.  
Many fans like working with our hands to create things, sometimes while we're participating in other activities.  How does creating things keep us engaged?  What are some of our favorites?  Is it difficult to knit in a dark movie theater?  
 
===Folklore and Fairytales===
Description forthcoming


===Electronics Demonstration===
==Fandom and Fannishness==
Cool technology toys that do cool things.  Including demonstrations and discussion of how they can be used in the real world.  What will these tools do to change the world we live in?


===An introduction to fanzines===
===Convention T-Shirts===
What makes a good fanzine? What kind of writing works and why? How does the history of fanzines inform the present?  Panelists will read from and discuss the best of the best.
What are convention T-shirts for? What do we use them for?  What are some of the best ones we've gotten?


===Appending Our Cultural Heritage===
===Defined by Marketing===
Public domain works such as Dracula, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Alice In Wonderland and Tarzan inspire new stories.  How does an author make a topic uniquely their own, and still respect the original story? How does fan fiction fit into this?
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?
===Fat Acceptance In Fiction and Fandom===
How is size acceptance treated in fiction and fandom?


===Defined By Marketing===
===Hectograph to Podcast:  An Introduction to Fanzines===
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 to vote for what we want, or is this intrusive?  What are the implications of this concerning privacy?  How about when the marketers get it wrong?
What is a fanzine?  What makes a good fanzine?  What kind of writing works best?  How have fanzines changed over the years?  How does the history of fanzines inform the present?


===She Wrote It.  The Life and Works of Joanna Russ (1937-2011)===
===Minneapolis in 2073===
Joanna Russ is perhaps best known for her 1975 work "The Female Man," the 1972 short story “When It Changed,” and her 1983 writing guide "How to Suppress Women's Writing." The dialogue regarding sexism in the field of science fiction and fantasy benefited from her voice, and her contributions still influence and impact how that discussion is carried out.
A convention whose time has come, and will come again in about 61 years.  Minneapolis in xx73!


===ASL Music Performance===
===Rune Publication===
ASL interpreters perform lyrics some of their favorite songs.
We publish an issue of Rune at Minicon.  Those interested in participating must let the programming department what sort of space and time you'll need.


===Crossing over from SF to Mystery===
===Steamdrunk===
What are some of our favorite authors who successfully navigate the blending of the two most popular pulp styles? Needs better description. 
The mashup of Science Fiction, Alternate History and Speculative Fiction is probably best known for its visual style.  There are those who've declared Steampunk thoroughly over and done with, yet it soldiers on like a pre-Sumerian brass android. How have those who work with Steampunk tropes -- authors, costumers, animators, all -- dealt with the criticisms, and how have they managed to keep Steampunk fresh?


===Convention T-Shirts===
===The State of the Fanzines Address===
What are con T-shirts for? What do we use them for? What have been the best ones we've gotten?
How are Fanzines doing these days? Do Podcasts count as Fanzines?


===Rocky Horror Reading===
===What Had Happened Since "Is There A Fannish Accent?"===
A reading, in costume if possible, of the Rocky Horror Show. With singing if possible, too.
A follow up panel about how fans talk and communicate.  How has the wisdom from the previous panel entered into the fannish imagination?  Has more research been since then?  Attendance at previous panel is not necessary to enjoy this discussion, and maybe we could ask Callie Soukup to read her description of the original panel.


===Current State of Fanzines===
===Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?===
Do podcasts count as fanzines? How are fanzines doing these days?
Ask a... ? Up to five panelists talk about their interesting careers.  Description will be based on panelists. 


===Steamdrunk===
==Gaming==
Are we sick of steampunk yet? Isn't it just apologia for imperialism?
===Let Me Tell You About My Character!===
What gaming conversations make you want to flee in terror? Why are these conversations so fascinating to the storyteller, and so horribly boring for the listener?  What is unique about RPGs that cause this phenomenon?


===History Stranger than Fiction===
===Never Enough Rules===
Weird stuff we've found in our researches that actually happened. No, really. You think we could make this stuff up?
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 insufficent?  What methods work for finding agreeable methods of modification?  Does this discussion need to be limited to only board games or only RPGs?


===What has happened since "Is there a Fannish Accent"?===
===Practical applications of D&D alignments===
A few years ago, we had a panel about how fans talk and communicate. How has wisdom from this panel entered the fannish imagination? Has more research been done since then? Perhaps we could ask Callie Soukup to read her description of the original panel.
What's the benefit of D&D alignments when applied to real world situations like politics or workplace interactions? If the 700 Club is Lawful Evil, then Westboro Baptist is Chaotic Evil. What characteristics define people who are "Chaotic Neutral," and how are they best handled in the workplace?  
 
===The end of the shuttle program===
 
===The Chinese Space Program===
 
===Life after Steve Jobs===
 
===Life After Jobs===
What it's like to live in world where no one's employed anymore.
 
===After the Tevatron===
 
===Science Reporting: Threat or Menace?===
Why is science reporting so often so wrong?
 
===Ted Chiang panels===
A panel about every single story Ted Chiang has written.
 
===Where do I find your work, Ted?===
Our Author Guest of Honor's work is published in a variety of venues. How has he chosen where to publish them?
 
===Failing the Turing Test===
What's our current definition of intelligence, how have AI surpassed that and what do we do when humans don't pass it?
 
===Talking Back to Creationists=== 
How to discuss fundamental issues with fundamentalists.
 
===How Intelligence Works===
Related to Ted Chiang's "Understand" -- what does it mean to be intelligent? What ''is'' intelligence? What would it mean to be super-intelligent?
 
===Jo Walton's ''Among Others''===
An annotated bibliography of the books mentioned in ''Among Others''.
 
===A love letter to Jo Walton's ''Among Others''===
 
===Fanfic as a Training Ground for Professional Writers===
How does fanfic train you for pro writing? How many fanfic writers view themselves as pros in training?
 
===Fanfic: the Language of Critique===
How do fanfic authors critique each other's writing? What can fanfic writers teach other?
 
===The explosion of fanfic===
Fanfic isn't new, but it's become a lot more accessible recently. Where is it growing? How can we find the kinds we like?


===Spinning Your Yarns===
==Krushenko's==
A lot of fans like working with our hands to create things. How does creating things keep us engaged during other activities?
===Clifford D. Simak - Alien Life In The Heartlands===
Clifford D. Simak Simak set much of his SF in rural Wisconsin where he grew up and Minnesota where he worked as a journalist.  Join this discussion of the work of Clifford D. Simak.


===Minneapolis in 2073===
===The Life and Works of Joanna Russ (1937-2011)===
A con whose time has come and will come again in about 61 years. Minneapolis in xx73!
Joanna Russ is perhaps best known for her 1975 work "The Female Man," the 1972 short story "When it Changed," and her 1983 writing guide "How to Suppress Women's Writing."  The dialogue regarding sexism in the field of science fiction and fantasy benefited from her voice, and her contributions still impact how that discussion is carried out.  What do we think about all of this? 


===Subatomic Galaxies: Was Horton Right?===
==Lit Reader==
 
===Fantasy Without Swords or Vampires===
===The Science Fiction of Dr. Seuss===
 
===Publishing a ''Rune'' at Minicon===
 
===Hectograph to Podcast: How have fanzines changed over the years?===
 
===Fantasy without swords or vampires===
Gee, is that even possible?
Gee, is that even possible?
 
===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."  Wertham argued that comic books negatively influenced children in many was, including portrayals of 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 genre has improved.  How do these formats get it right and wrong?  How can they improve?
 
===Guilty Secrets of Your Booklist===
===Guilty Secrets of Your Booklist===
What other things do fans also read?
What other books do fans also enjoy?  What are some of our new favorites in non-fiction or non-genre?


===Hands-on Intro to Pop-ups and Cardmaking===
===A Love Letter to Jo Walton's "Among Others"===
A celebratory discussion, along with an annotated bibliography of the books mentioned in "Among Others."


===The Tragical Historie of Guidolon, the Giant Space Chicken===
===That Reminds Me Of A Book I Read!===
If Frank Wu is  
A dramatic reading of the 2012 panel list in which the audience is encouraged to blurt out titles of books of which they are reminded.  Just like some other Minicon panels, except on purpose. 


===Be Careful What You Wish For===
===Where Do I Find Your Work, Ted?===
We might all wish for our flying cars and jetpacks, but a lot technology we've actually gotten has just made life more complicated.
Our Author Guest of Honor's work is published in a variety of venues.  How has he chosen where to publish them? 


===Yoda Said There'd Be Days Like This===
===Wookies Need Extra Legroom===
Things science fiction taught you that you had to learn the hard way anyway.
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?


==General Topics that don't have completely formed ideas==
===Young Children's Fantasy Books===
Needs description.


===Something about Jewlerymaking===
==Lit Reader or Movies/TV==
===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? 


===Something about Costuming===
===Appending Our Cultural Heritage===
Public domain works such as Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland inspire new stories.  How does an author make a topic uniquely their own, and still respect the original story?  How does fan fiction around non-public domain works fit into the discussion of derivative work?  When, if ever, does something become part of the cultural landscape and no longer the sole property of the original creator?


===Something about linguistics===
===New Ideas in an Old Universe===
Fanfiction isn't new, though the internet has made it much more accessible in the last two decades.  Where is it growing?  What is there to know about the explosion of fanfiction?  How can we find fanfiction that we like?  How can we find communities to help us develop our work? How do fanfic authors critique each other's writing?


===Big Bang Theory Panel===
===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.


==Worth Repeating==
===The end of the vanity publisher===
What are some of the options in self-publishing these days?  What should writers be aware of?


===Guest of Honor Interviews===
===Crossing over from SF to Mystery===
Can SF and Mystery successfully co-exist in the same book?  What qualities do the respective genres have that play nicely together, and which elements squabble bitterly?  How do their respective backgrounds in the niche market of pulp make them unique?  What are some of our favorite authors who successfully navigate the blending of these two popular styles? 


===Ask a Scientist===
===Folklore and Fairytales===
Or The Year in Science. But not "Boxing with Scientists".
Description forthcoming


===The Art of the Snapshot, part II===
===Believable Antagonists===
 
What makes a good antagonist?  Why does Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica work better than Anakin Skywalker in Episode III?  Is the antagonist more about motivations, or contrast with the protagonist?  What makes an antagonist believable?
===What's new in YA===
 
==Movies/TV==
==The following Events will happen at Minicon 47, but are already staffed or otherwise not taking panelists.==
===A Big Bang Theory Panel===
 
A discussion of the television show, with a description to be provided by the panelists.
===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? 


===Art Show Reception:  Meet the Artists===
===Superman===
Cheese, art, and a minimal amount of snootyness*.  This is a chance to meet the artists involved in the Minicon Art Show, and get answers to your questions about the art on display.
A discussion of America's most popular illegal immigrant.  What are some of the more interesting developments in the recent Superman comics and screen adaptations?  Who are our favorite writers for these stories?  What do we think about the upcoming Henry Cavill movie?  Why is Superman so much more awesomeer than Batman?  If the panelists and audience are willing, the last 20 minutes of this panel will be devoted to Smallville spoilers.
(The Minicon Art Show makes no guarantees as to frequency or amplitude of snootyness.)

Revision as of 19:37, 2 December 2011

Minicon 47 Programming Panels

Unknown Category

The Tragical Historie of Guidolon, The Giant Space Chicken

This panel was suggested during a programming brainstorming session and the description was accidentally left out. I don't understand. Seriously, what is this panel about?

What's it like to live in a World With Rampant Unemployment?

The future of employment. Needs description.

Art, Crafts, Costuming

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.

Make your own Minin.

Build Your Own Minion Puppet. Donated materials provided. This event may include time at the end for puppets to discuss whether Scott Adams is merely brilliant or a true genius.

Puppetry

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? What are our thoughts on the Muppets re-boot?

Spinning Your Yarns

Many fans like working with our hands to create things, sometimes while we're participating in other activities. How does creating things keep us engaged? What are some of our favorites? Is it difficult to knit in a dark movie theater?

Fandom and Fannishness

Convention T-Shirts

What are convention T-shirts for? What do we use them for? What are some of the best ones we've gotten?

Defined by Marketing

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?

Fat Acceptance In Fiction and Fandom

How is size acceptance treated in fiction and fandom?

Hectograph to Podcast: An Introduction to Fanzines

What is a fanzine? What makes a good fanzine? What kind of writing works best? How have fanzines changed over the years? How does the history of fanzines inform the present?

Minneapolis in 2073

A convention whose time has come, and will come again in about 61 years. Minneapolis in xx73!

Rune Publication

We publish an issue of Rune at Minicon. Those interested in participating must let the programming department what sort of space and time you'll need.

Steamdrunk

The mashup of Science Fiction, Alternate History and Speculative Fiction is probably best known for its visual style. There are those who've declared Steampunk thoroughly over and done with, yet it soldiers on like a pre-Sumerian brass android. How have those who work with Steampunk tropes -- authors, costumers, animators, all -- dealt with the criticisms, and how have they managed to keep Steampunk fresh?

The State of the Fanzines Address

How are Fanzines doing these days? Do Podcasts count as Fanzines?

What Had Happened Since "Is There A Fannish Accent?"

A follow up panel about how fans talk and communicate. How has the wisdom from the previous panel entered into the fannish imagination? Has more research been since then? Attendance at previous panel is not necessary to enjoy this discussion, and maybe we could ask Callie Soukup to read her description of the original panel.

Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?

Ask a... ? Up to five panelists talk about their interesting careers. Description will be based on panelists.

Gaming

Let Me Tell You About My Character!

What gaming conversations make you want to flee in terror? Why are these conversations so fascinating to the storyteller, and so horribly boring for the listener? What is unique about RPGs that cause this phenomenon?

Never Enough Rules

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 insufficent? What methods work for finding agreeable methods of modification? Does this discussion need to be limited to only board games or only RPGs?

Practical applications of D&D alignments

What's the benefit of D&D alignments when applied to real world situations like politics or workplace interactions? If the 700 Club is Lawful Evil, then Westboro Baptist is Chaotic Evil. What characteristics define people who are "Chaotic Neutral," and how are they best handled in the workplace?

Krushenko's

Clifford D. Simak - Alien Life In The Heartlands

Clifford D. Simak Simak set much of his SF in rural Wisconsin where he grew up and Minnesota where he worked as a journalist. Join this discussion of the work of Clifford D. Simak.

The Life and Works of Joanna Russ (1937-2011)

Joanna Russ is perhaps best known for her 1975 work "The Female Man," the 1972 short story "When it Changed," and her 1983 writing guide "How to Suppress Women's Writing." The dialogue regarding sexism in the field of science fiction and fantasy benefited from her voice, and her contributions still impact how that discussion is carried out. What do we think about all of this?

Lit Reader

Fantasy Without Swords or Vampires

Gee, is that even possible?

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." Wertham argued that comic books negatively influenced children in many was, including portrayals of 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 genre has improved. How do these formats get it right and wrong? How can they improve?

Guilty Secrets of Your Booklist

What other books do fans also enjoy? What are some of our new favorites in non-fiction or non-genre?

A Love Letter to Jo Walton's "Among Others"

A celebratory discussion, along with an annotated bibliography of the books mentioned in "Among Others."

That Reminds Me Of A Book I Read!

A dramatic reading of the 2012 panel list in which the audience is encouraged to blurt out titles of books of which they are reminded. Just like some other Minicon panels, except on purpose.

Where Do I Find Your Work, Ted?

Our Author Guest of Honor's work is published in a variety of venues. How has he chosen where to publish them?

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?

Young Children's Fantasy Books

Needs description.

Lit Reader or Movies/TV

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?

Appending Our Cultural Heritage

Public domain works such as Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland inspire new stories. How does an author make a topic uniquely their own, and still respect the original story? How does fan fiction around non-public domain works fit into the discussion of derivative work? When, if ever, does something become part of the cultural landscape and no longer the sole property of the original creator?

New Ideas in an Old Universe

Fanfiction isn't new, though the internet has made it much more accessible in the last two decades. Where is it growing? What is there to know about the explosion of fanfiction? How can we find fanfiction that we like? How can we find communities to help us develop our work? How do fanfic authors critique each other's writing?

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.

The end of the vanity publisher

What are some of the options in self-publishing these days? What should writers be aware of?

Crossing over from SF to Mystery

Can SF and Mystery successfully co-exist in the same book? What qualities do the respective genres have that play nicely together, and which elements squabble bitterly? How do their respective backgrounds in the niche market of pulp make them unique? What are some of our favorite authors who successfully navigate the blending of these two popular styles?

Folklore and Fairytales

Description forthcoming

Believable Antagonists

What makes a good antagonist? Why does Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica work better than Anakin Skywalker in Episode III? Is the antagonist more about motivations, or contrast with the protagonist? What makes an antagonist believable?

Movies/TV

A Big Bang Theory Panel

A discussion of the television show, with a description to be provided by the panelists.

Superman

A discussion of America's most popular illegal immigrant. What are some of the more interesting developments in the recent Superman comics and screen adaptations? Who are our favorite writers for these stories? What do we think about the upcoming Henry Cavill movie? Why is Superman so much more awesomeer than Batman? If the panelists and audience are willing, the last 20 minutes of this panel will be devoted to Smallville spoilers.

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