It's A Binary Thing

I've been reminiscing the last several days about last year's marathon roadtrip to Wiscon with llcoolvad this time last year, and feeling sort of unhappy about not being able to go (albeit with no regrets as to WHY I couldn't go) but apparently there was some sort of super con-crud making the rounds that involved lots of public barfing. So suddenly I don't feel so bad -- a little spit-up on my shirt is more than enough for me!

(And to all my friends in Madison, here's hoping the crud passes you by.)

So, this weekend I was off to Boskone 44, a big science fiction convention in (you guessed it) Boston. (For my own safety I did not bring any blinky things with me.)

Here's the *long* and (hopefully not too) tedious report of what I did, who I saw, and what things I learned...
( the report )

It's my birthday that weekend, dammit, so the lovely llcoolvad, my daughter and I will indeed be going to -Wiscon-.

Thank you everyone for your advice and comments! (-:

Here's the schedule of panels I'm going to be on at Arisia in January:

Friday 9:00pm - The Annihilation of Distance
    Today, we may be closer to a person who lives halfway 
    across the globe than we are to our next-door neighbor.
    How does interactive technology change who we know and 
    how we talk? What impact does it have on community,
    volunteerism and local politics?  

Saturday 12:00pm - Creativity and the Physical World
    Making things by hand is a skill that many of us prize. 
    If you can imagine a thing, but don't know how to
    build it, how does that limit you -- or free your 
    imagination?  How does creating physical, tangible 
    objects affect more abstract creative pursuits as well?     

Saturday 3:00pm - Rosley Writer's Group Reading
    John Bowker, Suzanne Palmer, Charlene Brusso, JoAnn Cox, 
    and others would love to do another group reading.

I dunno who "others" are at the reading, since it's just the four of us, but maybe it's a sign that we're going to add a new member? That'd be neat. Anyhow, I guess I better get going on putting posters together. Oh, and there will be lots of chocolate to lure in the unwary.

I'm actually pretty excited about each of these, though of course I also feel nervous and vaguely unworthy, like it's going to be hugely egotistical to talk about my art and writing. Nor do I have any idea at all what I'm reading yet, though I guess I should try to figure that out soon. I'm not sure Spheres is easily read out loud.

I'll also be at the Viable Paradise brunch, if there is one.

If you're at the convention, come say hello!