SFSurplus-2008-07-22 #058 [42:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Thank you for taking your valuable time to listen to us. This is show number 058 on the feed July 22nd, 2008. Our big topic today is Conventions. In the news is The Dark Knight, Caprica, the New Trek poster, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

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I’m Casey and joining me on the show today is

Randy
Girl Friday
Jeromy

Mur Lafferty’s Playing For Keeps - Buy it on Amazon Monday, August 25th

…Now that the introductions are out of the way, Let’s get our geek on! [News Sounder]

The Dark Knight now holds the record for the largest opening weekend bringing in more than 155 million dollars. The previous record was held by Spider-Man 3 at 151 million. Thanks to the superhero film, Hollywood brought in a record 253 million dollars for a weekend, a new record. It’s possible that after taking into account higher prices, Spidey 3 may have actually sold more tickets than the newest Batman.

Click here for the link to the Terminator: Salvation trailer.

Click here for the link to the Watchmen trailer.

The Battlestar Galactica spin-off, “Caprica” has an online promo trailer. The story takes place 40 years before the events of the previous show. It is billed as a drama that focuses on two families: the Adamas and the Graysons. When a daughter from each family is lost in an accident, perfect copies are made.

SciFi Surplus is presented to you by Audible.com. A-U-D-I-B-L-E. The Internet’s leading provider of spoken word entertainment. Audible has over 40,000 audiobooks available– tons of Science Fiction and Fantasy titles– and more are being added every week. The beauty of audiobooks is that you can take them anywhere you take your iPod or mp3 player. The gym, the garden, your commute to work. You listen to the stories the same way you listen to us. Just for signing up with Audible using our special web address, you get a free audiobook of your choice. It can be anything. Simply go to audiblepodcast.com/scifi. I’ll repeat it for you but you can always get the link from our website as well. Go to audiblepodcast.com/scifi and get your free audiobook today!

J.J. Abrams Star Trek is giving us our first look at the characters. There are four movie posters that can be combined to make the large “A” shaped Starfleet insignia. Kirk, Spock, Uhura and presumably the villain, Nero. There is word that the posters will be available at San Diego Comic-Con.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 1 will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, August 19th.

Council of Great Relevance or Interview (20:00)

One of the staples of geek fandom over the past several decades has been the convention. Since the 1930s fans in both the US and UK have been gathering to celebrate all things Sci-Fi. Today conventions serve as a way for fans of all kinds to gather in mass and revel in their favorite indulgences, whether that be dressing as a Storm Trooper, meeting their favorite television stars, or taking a workshop on the writing techniques. Today in the council we’re going to talk about the different types of conventions, things to do at conventions and even give you the best advice we can on how to survive a convention
Host - To start with, let’s talk about the various types of conventions out there

Types of Conventions (five minutes for this segment)

* General - a mix of different genres and events (Dragon*Con, BaltiCon, Comic-Con, MegaCon,
* Furry - people dress as animals with human characteristics (Cali-fur, Anthrocon, Further Confusion)
* Show Specific - These are related around a specific TV show or Movie (BotCon - Transformers, Shore Leave - Star Trek, Regenerations - Doctor Who, Browncoat Cruise - Firefly, Sectus and Portus - Harry Potter)
* Genre Specific - These are related to a specific genre (FaerieCon - fantasy, Texas Frightmare - Horror, Convergence - Goth)
* Theme Specific - These conventions focus on a specific fan form or theme (Big Apple Con - Comics, Origins - Gaming)
* Literature Con - Focus on literature (ConDFW, ReaderCon)
* Filk - Music focused on anything related to fandom (ConChord, Filk Ontario)

Host - What types of activities can you participate in at a convention
Host - What kind of social events are there?

Things to do at a convention (about a minute on each point)

* Programming Tracks
* Panels
* Meet Authors/Podcasters - Attend readings
* Meet TV/Movie Celebs - Autograph Sessions
* Cosplay/Costuming
* Attend musical performances and dances
* Participate in gaming
* Shop the various vendors
* Make new friends

Host - Ok, whats some good advice for those listeners who have not ventured out to a convention

General Con Advice

* Try and purchase your tickets in advance, and pick up early if possible.
* If you are buying your tickets the day of. arrive early and prepare to wait in long lines. (Randy waited for 4 hours in line at D*C)
* Realize the age appropriateness of the convention. For instance, at D*C if you are taking the kids, arrive early and leave early. The amount of skin covered decreases and the amount of alcohol imbibed increases
* Know when and where the big costume contests are and avoid them, unless you are in said contests (or interested in seeing them)
* Know your way around the convention facilities, especially at the larger conventions. Sometimes there are only a few minutes between different tracks and events
* Have a plan. Know where you want to be and when. Do not get distracted by shiny objects or half naked fairies. And at some larger Cons there WILL be half naked fairies.
* Realize that there will be people in all different kinds of costumes and various states of undress. (Randy will make a joke about never modeling speedos here)
* Please adhere to the 3-2-1 Rule: Each day you need a minimum of 3 hours of sleep, 2 meals and 1 shower. Everyone around you will appreciate these hygiene tips.
* Casey: People at Cons get a bad rap. Crazy costumes, high temperatures, and thousands of people packed into small spaces is a recipe for BO.
* Obey all local laws. This applies to consumption of semi-legal vices as well as traffic laws.
* Pay attention to the local events. Do not assume that the Con you are attending is the only event in town. Parties, pub crawls, and other extracurricular activities can spring up, so pay attention to the publicity for a specific personality you want to hang out with to see if they are organizing a gathering outside the official con.
* Pam to read: Advice from listener Scott: “Don’t irritate the Klingons”
* If you can, bring your own food. Restaurants might be in short supply or have long lines or be extremely overpriced.
* Be flexible. Cancellations WILL happen. The event you want to attend might be standing room only.
* Don’t bring more money than you can afford to spend, as you WILL spend it. And make sure it is cash.

Advice from Dave attending Comic-Con itself:

* YES! THE 3-2-1 RULE! LIVE IT, LOVE IT, LEARN IT!
* As per Scott’s comment: Bring bottled water (since it will cost 500% more at the show itself) and either granola bars or Powerbars. Hydrate often.
* Keep your cell phone on but ringer off.
* Do not stop short to take pictures, since it’ll likely cause a pile-up on the already-crowded show floor.
* Use either anti-bacterial spray or wash your hands frequently. One person with a cold or flu can wipe out a third of the attendees in such a large space.
* Given the sometimes-unkempt state of the lavatories and the above comment, bring a packet of tissues for personal use.
* Be respectful of the creators and the booth-workers. Unless it’s a specifically employed “booth babe,” try not to gawk or star unduly as it is creepy and makes them want to do these shows less and less. (And, if you do need to stare at a scantily clad person, do it briefly and move along, as there will be plenty more to come.)

If you want to help spread the word about SFS, make yourself a fan at Facebook. We have a SFS group and a page. I’d like to get all of the people that are part of the group to also mark themselves as a fan.

Message from Kyle in our Facebook Group:
The Dark Knight was awsome to say the least. It still has my brain in knots thinking about it. But one question rises to the top….. Where do they go from here? in some ways I’d almost want them to stop makeing movies in this series rather then push it with a third film.

New Feature: Randy’s Podiobook Disussions (or a better name???)

* The last Tuesday of every month Randy will bring up a Podiobook as an “assignment” for the group and the listeners to discuss.
* First Up - J.C. Hutchins “7th Son: Descent” the first book in the three novel trilogy
* Due date for Q&C: August 23rd
* Recorded in Council on August 25th

Family Guy

* Randy - excited about seeing this come to fruition.
* Randy’s wish list: Peter Griffin - Kirk, Stewie - Khan, Lois - Dr. Marcus, Quagmire - Spock, Chris - David Marcus, Brian - McCoy, Cleveland in drag - Uhura , Joe - Khan Henchman

Thank Yous and Close (01:00)
Casey: Thanks go out to Randy, Jeromy and Girl Friday. Great job everyone! If you like SciFi Surplus and you’d like to help out, please take the time to make a donation at SciFi Surplus dot com. Even a dollar or two helps. We want to keep this ‘cast on the feed as long as possible and we need your support. Just find “Support SciFi Surplus” on our website. For everyone here, I’m Casey and we’ll talk to you next time!