Minicon45 Programming

Minicon 45 - Programming Brainstorm Page

Minicon is dead; long live Minicon! It's the Monday night Dead Dodo party and time to start brainstorming for next year.

Links

Science

Space Borne Life

(Chas) From Aliens without eyes to intelligent balloons, the next step is ...

Bio-Engineering as Art

Rabbits that glow in the dark, flowers infused with the artist's DNA...

Science Fiction

Wheel of Time from the Younger Point of View

Younger fans of Wheel of Time talk with the GoH.

The Wheel of Time: a Feminist View

Writing in Somebody Else's Universe

Keeping the facts straight, getting the voice right.

Managing a Cast of Thousands

How does a writer keep track of a huge number of characters with intertwined stories that extend over multiple books?

Revenge of the Screaming, Helpless Vixens

In a genre known for forward thinking, women are still often depicted as brainless and braless. Galaxy Quest tackled the issue with humor, The Stepford Wives approached it with horror. What are some of your favorite examples of positive and negative genre depictions of women characters? Aside from investing in some sensible shoes, what would we like to see our heroines do differently?

Female Villains Done Well

Creating a female villain can be tricky. There are too many examples of stereotypical, unsympathetic female antagonists out there. But where has it been done well, and how can we do it well ourselves?

My Mind, It’s Going: Memory Loss in Science and Fiction

From Flowers For Algernon to the popular pre-teen video game Kingdom Hearts, memory loss has a place in SF and fantasy. Sometimes it’s just a plot device, and badly researched at that. But sometimes, intentionally or not, it taps into our deepest fears of loss of self. We will discuss stories that deal with memory loss, and why they are important in an age when Alzheimer’s seems to always be on the news.

Censorship and Science Fiction

If Seven wants to do this panel, she needs to come up with a description.

Who Wants to Live Forever?

Extending the human lifespan for centuries, even to the threshold of immortality, is an eternal human dream and a popular subject for speculative fiction. But there's always a catch, isn't there? The difficult implications of extended lifespans range from boredom to loneliness to raving insanity. On the other hand... you don't have to die!

Borges as Science Fiction

Jorge Luis Borges wrote some wonderful, mind-bending fiction. One of his stories was an inspiration for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Where have his stories taken us?

Fannish & Miscellaneous Panels

Geek Love Through the Ages

Once, "sexy" was synonymous with predominately physical attributes, today it's much more trendy to admit that geek is sexy. Pop culture still idolizes the bold, fist-fighting daredevil surrounded by explodeyness, but the sexy geek is less anomalous than in previous years, and "genius" doesn't always go with "evil" anymore. How has the intellectual appeal of the protagonist character changed over the ages in movies and in literature? Are smarter characters a sign of a cultural shift, or just that brainy writers like for the intellectual characters to get some once in a while.

Stuff that's about stuff

Neil Gaiman writes fiction about the nature of fiction, Fluxx is a card game about the nature of card game rules. What fannish stuff (besides this panel) is about itself? What attracts us to examine the nature of our fandom just by enjoying it?

The Evil Librarian Panel

Our author GoH has written a book called "Alcatraz vs.the Evil Librarians," so this seems like as good a time as any to do a librarian panel.

Secrets of the Sheraton Bloomington

Some of us have been attending conventions at the ~~Rad South~~ Sheraton Bloomington for decades. We've played hotel tag in the stairways, made friends, gotten married, experienced life-changing firsts. Some of our younger members may even have been conceived here. Let's celebrate this architectural fixture in our fannish lives. Remember watching the sun come up from Mr. C's on the 22nd floor? Does anybody know where the time capsule is hidden? What is the weirdest place we've ever found a sleeper?

Books You Don't Expect to Get Back

What books do you buy over and over to give away to your friends? What's the best gift book you have ever received?

How to Get Laid at Minicon

Our traditional neofan panel.

The Whole World as "The Village"

Number 2's dream voiced to Number 6 in the 1967 Prisoner episode "Chimes of Big Ben". While we might not be numbers, as a series of database entries that risk theft of identity & individuality, spyware in communications technology & cameras everywhere, among other things we've come to accept, yet guard against invading our privacy today, how well did McGoohan predict this New Global Village in which we live?

Booze and Science Fiction

Alcohol has a special place in s.f. fandom (smoooooth) and has also played a key part in a surprising amount of classic s.f. and fantasy. Anybody remember "A Bicycle Built for Brew?" Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster anybody? An associated workshop or lab for this panel has also been suggested. There are several directions that this could take: a workshop on creating (and more important, naming) new mixed drinks; serious discussion of single malt scotch (preferably with samples); or a panel of con bartenders sharing their favorite stories.

The Fannish Community Center

The suggestion has been made: Should we have a fannish community center in the Twin Cities? What could we use such a thing for? What are the next steps, if we want to take them?

Arts and Crafts

Arts vs. Crafts

For those who produce works of both sorts, what distinguishes art from craft? when does craft transcend its defining characteristics to be counted as art? Why do we distinguish art as a separate category? For those who specialize in one area or the other, how does craft improve art, art inform craft?

Popup Books

Come and see some resplendent examples of the popup book art form, and learn what goes into the construction of these little masterpieces. Yes, we've done this several times before, but it gets bigger and better every year!

Paper Engineering

This year the paper-folding workshop gets its own time slot. Learn a little origami, cut out a snowflake, or make a folded-paper fortune telling machine customized for Minicon.

Gaming

The Social Contract: Making It Explicit

We've had a lot of discussion about the social contract -- the rules by which our gaming groups operate, whether unspoken or not. Too often, though, they remain unspoken until someone blows up, or stinks up, the game. How can we go about making sure everyone is on the same page regarding how we game together? Is such a thing even desirable?

Not Really Panels

Yoga for the Old and Decrepit

A workshop to teach yoga techniques adapted to make them accessible to people with physical limitations.

Costuming

Costume Doctor

Bonnie and Seven help you deal with good costumes gone bad, wardrobe malfunctions and other costuming problems.

Easter Parade

In your Eeeeaster bonnet, with all the squids uponnnnit... miscellaneous finery, costumes, kazoo bands.

Kids and Family Programming

Tool Time

Take apart a computer.

Children's Concert

Music for children by Minnstf musicians.

Create a Costume in Two Hours

We'll provide the raw materials and you have two hours to whip it into a costume for the Easter Parade. Photographers will be on hand to immortalize your new persona.

Minicon45 Programming