WorldCon, part the last -- Monday panels, etc.

[alexxkay]

Got up on Monday in time to go to the kaffeeklatch with Cory Doctorow, which was apparently his first ever. Was fun. Apparently, ever since Ray Bradbury blew a fuse over the title "Fahrenheit 9/11", Cory has been writing stories with the same name as other famous SF stories. He's already done an "I, Robot", and another I'm forgetting, and is currently working n "Jeffty is Five". At one point, the conversation turned to "things which annoy the Library of Congress", such as titling a story "0wnz0red". I mentioned that other noted LOC_annoyer, Daniel (aka Daniel Manus, aka D. Manus, aka Manus, aka Daniel M., aka D. M., aka Honest Dan'l, etc.) Pinkwater. Turns out that Cory is a huge fan of Pinkwater, which raises my estimation of Cory himself another notch :) Cory said that he was on a panel once where the question was raised "If you could collaborate with *anyone*, who would you pick?" Many panelists chose obvious, snooty answers like "Shakespeare", but Cory wanted to collaborate with Pinkwater. Another person at the kaffeeklatch pointed out that he is alive, still actively writing, and not exactlya recluse, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. I hope something comes of this, because I really want to read it :-) Before we left, kestrell dropped off an early draft of her eBook Manifesto with him.

12:00 "Eyetoy to the Holodecks: The Near and Far Future of Video Games"
jducouer and I kibbitzed on this one a lot. In the course of dicussing the growing ties between the military and the gaming industry, I pointed out that (at all but the very highest levels) what the army cares about most is results -- and the best paradigms for user interfaces and training are all coming out of gaming.

2:00 "How Do You Know When You're Dead?"
For all practical purposes, this was the Last Panel, featuring three of the big draws on the guest list, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, *and* Connie Willis. Larry Niven was also on the panel, but pretty much his only contribution was obsessing over the fact that "being dead means that Hollywood will finally make movies of your stuff." Connie Willis promptly announced that the ritual execution of Larry Niven would take place in the hall after the panel. I'm sure that other amusing stuff was said, but I don't remember much. Razzafrazzin head-cold...

In the week since, I've been taking things easy, in an attempt to cure said cold, hence my absence at Council, Dance, etc. I still feel like I've been repurposed into a mucus factory, however. Sigh.

Comments

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

I noticed all the Pinkwater books at your house, but I didn't know whose they were.

As a small child, my mother got me an armful of random brand-new assorted hardcover books out of a clearance bin at Target for a quarter each. One of them happened to be "Young Adult Novel". I credit that book with warping me for life.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

The vast majority of the "kid's bookcase" in the Melville Keep dining room is from my collection. Some of the Pinkwater (and Diana Wynne Jones) are still upstairs in the "read to kestrell pile". Coincidentally, I just read her "Young Adult Novel" over the past few nights :-)

I was already warped by the time I discovered Pinkwater, but he certainly helped confirm me in my warped-ness. He also inadvertently taught me an important lesson about the strangeness of reality. During High School, my mom would give me a ride to school every morning, and I got in the habit of reading to her during the drive, often Pinkwater books, which work well in small doses. I was quite surprised to discover that many of the oddest locations in his books were not only real, but my mom had grown up near them! Turns out that most of his books are set in a very thinly-fictionalized Chicago...

Are you aware that there are one and a half sequels to YAN?

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

One and a half sequels is a good way of putting it. I do in fact have a copy of Young Adults.

I was rather disappointed by the sequels, though, especially the half portion. YAN is one of those stories that, IMO, stood up better on its own.