Monthly Archives: April 2017

Eastercon: curating our collections

An urgent and personal interest in the dematerialization of material culture drew me to this one. The panelists and other audience members however were not especially interested in dematerialization. They included: – an officer of the Worldcon Heritage Organization, which stores … Continue reading →

Posted on 17 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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Eastercon: science and Brexit

Takeaways from Brexit and Science panel chaired by Nicholas Whyte, from memory and therefore fuzzy and consolidated. There were obvious concerns about EU projects, loss of personal freedom or movement, brain drain, possibility of closer relationship with US just as … Continue reading →

Posted on 16 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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Eastercon: twilight of the booksellers

Brian from Porcupine Books is making this his last con. He’s turning 65 and has had it with the schlepping. After Worldcon he was thinking of selling up, but now he’s planning to carry on online.“I imagine the driving back … Continue reading →

Posted on 16 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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Eastercon: AI panel

“The biggest intelligence booster is more communication between humans and the Internet does that very well.” “We have created a species of intelligence that could wipe us out one day and it’s called the corporation – it hasn’t so far … Continue reading →

Posted on 16 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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Eastercon: Geoff Ryman workshop on literary analysis

The text was “What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky,” Leslie Nneka Arimah, which I did not have, but the talk was crystal clear anyway. Geoff took this as an example of African writing generally and ponted … Continue reading →

Posted on 16 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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Eastercon: a post work future

(a tough call against SF Engineering and Infrastructure) This panel started with a bit of the usual blue sky. Jobs have been changing since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, nobody cries for the blacksmiths. (Anymore. As I post this, they … Continue reading →

Posted on 15 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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Eastercon: military panel

At this con I have seen a dozen people who are confusable with people I know back in Boston. That always happens. There is also a guy I would swear was Terry Pratchett if Terry Pratchett weren’t dead. Maybe he … Continue reading →

Posted on 15 April 2017 by Diana ben-Aaron
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