I'll be in Albany, New York, this weekend for Albacon. The schedule has been finalized, so I know what I'll be doing. If you're going to be there, look for me at:

Friday at 5PM: "Self Publishing Pros and Cons" with Carl Frederick, Peter Huston, and Eugene Mirabelli.

Saturday at 1PM: "Can Hollywood do thoughtful SF?" with J.A. Fludd, Allen Steele, Alan F. Beck, jan howard finder, and Ron Drummond.

Saturday at 4PM: "Is SF Becoming Mainstream?" with David Hartwell, S.C. Butler, and Chuck Rothman.

Sunday at 11AM: "The Future of Magazine Publishing" with Susan Hanniford Crowley, Carl Frederick, and Alan F. Beck.

Sunday at 2PM: "Characters vs. Science" with S.C. Butler, Chuck Rothman, and Andre Lieven.

I'll also be at the Ice Cream Social Friday at 8PM. And since I don't have a dealer table at this con, I'll be at loose ends the whole rest of the con. So look me up, entertain me, keep me company, and let me tell you about my business ventures, and how you (yes, you) can be a part of them.

Got my schedule for Readercon, this coming weekend in Burlington, Massachusetts.

I'm scheduled to be part of a discussion at 12N on Friday, but don't expect to be able to be there in time, so don't look for me there (sorry, Carl).

I am planning to be there in time for my panel at 3PM on Friday, in Salon B: "Apollo 11 and Science Fiction", with Michael J. Daley, Paul Di Filippo, Carl Frederick, Barry N. Malzberg, and Allen Steele. Description: "Forty years ago a week from next Monday man first walked on the moon. Apollo 11 can be regarded as a triumph of the science fictional imagination, even if virtually no one foresaw that it would come as part of a massive governmental program motivated more by global politics than by scientific or commercial interests. That we haven't been back there since 1972, though-that would have been unthinkable in 1959 (to us) or 1969 (to everyone). Arguably, the moon landing was precisely the moment that sf became irrelevant, the moment where the real world overtook us and our ability to discern the future better than others collapsed. We'll talk about the strange and unforeseen history of the manned exploration of space-and its relationship to sf."

I'm also scheduled to be part of a discussion on Sunday at 2PM in RI: "Lasers, Death Rays, and the Quest for the Ultimate Weapon", led by Jeff Hecht. Description: "Nature invented lightning bolts first, but the ancients put them in the hands of their mythical gods, and ever since we've had dreams of destruction in fiction and in fact. H.G. Wells armed his Martian invaders with heat rays; Nikoka Tesla and others tried to build real death rays. In 1958, the director of the then-new DARPA said his agency would be interested in far-out ideas like death rays, and a few months later Gordon Gould arrived at their door with a plan to build the laser. Hecht will talk about the real (and the questionable) science, the fictional visions, the bizarre history, and the quest for the ultimate weapon of directed energy."

If you don't see me there, look for me in the dealers' room (Readercon calls it the Book Shop), or wandering around having a good time.

You know how, after you go on vacation, you get home, and then you need a vacation to recover from your vacation?

That's why I woke up early this morning, and then again this afternoon.

Now I'm at the computer, trying to catch up. The first thing I found was that the new server is doing nice things to my incoming SFScope e-mail, sorting and categorizing. The only problem is that it won't give me the e-mail from the other sfscope.com address. Funny, that. To the outside world, the site looks precisely the same as it did last week, which was the idea of the move. Unfortunately, I've just discovered a hiccup in the new system, which won't allow me to post a new article. We're working to get it fixed ASAP, but it does mean it'll take me just that much longer to get new news posted. Stay tuned.

On the previous hand (that is, the five-day sojourn to Pittsburgh), it was great! After the miserable traffic getting there, and the wonderful signing at Joseph-Beth (see previous entry), we made it safely to the Omni William Penn (which is a gorgeous, nearly 100-year-old hotel), and to the convention. To go into detail on the hundreds of wonderful people I spent time with (whether it was several hours, or only a few seconds) would be too long to write, and I wouldn't do it all justice. But that's the key to a Mensa Gathering: seeing and talking with lots of fascinating people, some of whom I've known for years (and see either frequently or rarely), others of whom I've only just met this weekend. I was surprised to see, and get to spend some time with, several science fiction authors (remember, this wasn't a sf convention), including Diane Turnshek, William Tenn, Paul Shuch, Bill Keith, and Fran Cartier.

My two talks were extremely well received. It was a great ego boost for me (not that my ego needs boosting, but still…). On Friday, I gave a talk entitled "Stupid Authors Tricks" which was all about how to make sure you, as a writer, do NOT get published. The room was packed, and the audience laughed at all the right points. I had a great time. On Saturday, the talk was "A Random Verbal Walk Through the Presidency" (it was pretty much the keynote talk I gave at Central New Jersey Mensa's convention in March). And again, the audience seemed very appreciative and very into the subject. Both times, I spent nearly as much time talking with people after the talk (and signing books) as I had spent "on stage". It's such a kick for me, public speaking like that, and this time, the founders of my fan club (aka Mom, Dad, and Kit) videotaped both of them. I haven't seen the tapes, but it's time to find a lecture agent to see if I can get some more speaking gigs. Suggestions welcome.

I only saw a few speakers who weren't me (too often, I was talking with people until well after the talk I wanted to hear had started, or was nearly finished), so I can't really recap them.

All in all, I got way too little sleep, and had lots of fun and intellectual stimulation. If you get the chance to attend a Mensa Annual Gathering, I recommend you take it.

On the way home, I realized I'd been in a hotel, in a city, all week, and was coming back to the city, and that next weekend, I'll again be in a hotel all the time (I'll be at Readercon), and that I really needed a dose of trees, grass, and country. So we pulled off the highway somewhere in Pennsylvania (well, yeah, 80% of the trip was in PA), and just wandered through the countryside for about an hour. I stopped on one road by a big fenced-in field, and got out of the car. As I walked to the fence, the five horses hanging out on the other side of the field galloped over to greet me. It was a great pause on a long road-trip through the country: a chance to be in the country.

Now I'm back in New York, and looking at like three weeks of work that has to be done by Thursday. Add in an out-of-town funeral we'll be attending Tuesday-Wednesday, and I'm thinking "swamped". Oh well, that's life.

In my ongoing quest to live as unplanned and confused a life as possible (note, that was sarcasm; I don't actually enjoy it), I've just realized I haven't sought a roommate for Readercon.

Anyone going and looking for a roommate? I don't smoke, pay for my half of the room, and I'm not terribly messy.

Thanks,

Well, I'm nearly caught up with everything from that missing week (great trip, other than I tried to maintain SFScope while on the road while enjoying what we were ostensibly there to do, and wound up tiring myself out, rather than resting).

Of course, being caught up means I get to fall behind again. Specifically, this weekend is Book Expo America, so I'm going to spend the next three days in the Jacob Javits Center, looking at all the pretty books coming in the coming months, grabbing what I can that's of interest, and generally running myself ragged with the walking and carrying and acting professional and (coincidentally) trying to sell some ads on SFScope. Unlike the last trip, however, I'll be sleeping in my own bed at night, so that's a plus.

Of course, I'm going into the weekend, once again, dragging, because I've been spending a lot of late nights on the manuscript for the new book. The end is really, truly in sight now. If I could devote one or two complete days to it, without interruption, it would be done. But if I could do that, I wouldn't be a freelancer with half a dozen projects hanging over my head. Nevertheless, I'm really really looking forward to getting it finished and off to the agent (so he can tell me what I left out and have to go back to fix).

Anyway, that's my nutso life. How's with you?

I've just confirmed that I will be at Lunacon this weekend. I've also confirmed that Kit will not be able to join me. So I have a room in the hotel, and I'm looking for a roommate to split the costs. Anyone interested?

Oh, and for those who won't be rooming with me, but will be looking for me, my tentative schedule as of now is:

Friday at 7PM: "How to Avoid Publishing Scams" in Brundage B, with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sean P. Fodera, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Joshua Palmatier

Friday at 10PM: "Health in Space" in Odelle, with Amy Chused, Bill Engfer, Daniel Hoyt, James Prego, and Kathryn Richards. (Damn! They've actually got programming running opposite the Battlestar Galactica finale. Grr.)

Saturday at 1PM: Autographing in Westchester Assembly.

Sunday at 11AM: "Intercepting NEOs (Near Earth Objects)" in Odelle, with Bill Engfer, Charles Gannon, and Edmund Meskys.

Sunday at 12N: "A Tribute to Arthur C. Clarke" in Grand South, with Carl Frederick, Edmund Meskys, and Susan Shwartz.

In this special edition of "Sometimes, I just don't get people," I draw on this past weekend. I was at a Mensa convention in New Hampshire (of which, more anon), and got to bed way too late both nights. Sunday morning, just after 9, there was a knock at the door, along with the cry of "Housekeeping!" I snarled something unpleasant at the door, having been asleep a scant four hours, and then rolled back over for a little more sleep. But why, why did whoever it was feel the need to wake me? We were there for a convention which ended Sunday, and we were scheduled to check out of the room on Sunday (along with just about every other room on that floor). Quite aside from the fact that there's no reason to be pounding on the door so early on Sunday morning, there's no reason to make up the room at that hour. Check-out time was noon, and I assume they clean the room after a guest has checked out, so that the incoming guest is guaranteed a clean room (had she done the room at nine, she would have had to come back after we checked out to make sure it was clean anyway). Doesn't the hotel bother to tell the cleaning staff which rooms will be vacated when? Grrr (and yawn).

I know it's been way too long since I've posted anything (here, that is. Busy busy busy on SFScope, and keeping things up on uspresidents).

But I completed a proposal this weekend and sent it off to my agent last night, so fingers are crossed that 1) he thinks it's good, and then 2) he can find a publisher who agrees.

Friday I spent the day at the New York Comic Con. I have to write it up for SFScope, although I still haven't written up Arisia there, so, as you can see, I'm kind of slipping on the non-news parts of it.

And today I got final confirmation of my speaking appearances this weekend. I won't be able to make it to Boskone because New Hampshire Mensa has invited me to speak at their convention (In Mensa-speak, RG). I'll be speaking at 1PM on Saturday about the Presidents (my book), and then at 4:30 I'll be giving my "Stupid Author Tricks" talk. I'll also be speaking at the Central New Jersey Mensa RG in a few weeks (I'm the keynote speaker there), and at the American Mensa Annual Gathering this summer, but more on those later.

For now, I hope to see at least some of you this weekend.

I just saw this week's episode of Battlestar Galactica (relax: no spoilers here). I realized just how little dialogue they're using this season (lots of long stretches with no words spoken), but it had a greater impact watching the program by myself. Last week, I watched it in a room with about a dozen people at Arisia (most of whom I'd just met). It was great to able to dissect the episode on the commercial breaks; I had no one to do that with tonight.

Hmm, television as a communal experience. Sort of like movies in theatres. Am I experiencing a flashback to the birth of television?

I'm still in Massachusetts, due to car trouble. I should be back in New York late tomorrow.

Arisia was a very good time, productive and fun. I met some interesting people, and saw a bunch of people I already knew. All in all, I'm very glad I went (and sorry I wasn't able to get back to the convention for Monday). I'll write more about it on SFScope, but I want to write briefly about something I realized about fandom.

Over the last few years, I've noticed that parties at conventions seem to be getting more sedate, and the fans in general older, and I've worried about the future of sf fandom because of that. Saturday at Arisia I met someone who told me about a party that night, and though we didn't manage to meet up there, I did get to the party… and was very pleasantly surprised. The party was packed with people (most of whom were younger than me, which was kind of a depressing thought, but still…) who were loud, having a great time, drinking from open bars (which may or may not be good, but does speak to the party atmosphere, and reminds me of parties when I started attending cons). "Fandom is reinvigorated!" I thought. I mentioned this to a friend there, and I was told "These parties have been going on every year at Arisia." And I remembered that, after the elevator problems the first year at this hotel, I stopped going to the top of the Hyatt. So I wouldn't have noticed these big parties. This year, however, the elevators seemed to work fine. I went to two of these big blow-outs, and had a really good time (I missed the one in the middle).

Then I had my Animal House moment: I had to go downstairs for something, ran into someone I've known forever, and we chatted, and he said "Hey, the party's over here," and led me down a hall to a plain white room with scant decorations, a few snack foods, and a few people standing around, all of whom I knew (and who I like: don't take this analogy too far). At that moment, I felt like I was in the early scene in Animal House, when Larry and Kent are at the popular fraternity's rush party, and keep getting shunted back to the few guys who are obviously unacceptable. "No, dammit! I want to go to the cool party!" I screamed in my mind. I chatted with my friends a few more minutes, and then took the elevator back up to the loud packed suites.

Arisia has always been a very broad convention, covering all aspects of fandom, and attracting people who don't go to other conventions. And these parties, apparently, run every year at Arisia, but not at other conventions. And though my con experience is almost exclusively northeast US, I was relieved to see that there are younger people coming up.

Almost (really! almost!) back. Quick post, since I recently got my schedule for Arisia. I'll be at the Hyatt in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the weekend of 16-19 January. My schedule at the convention includes:

"Addams Family vs. The Munsters" (Friday at 7PM in William Dawes A) with Don Sakers, James Zavaglia, and two others. This is a debate-style panel (like last year's "Star Wars vs. Star Trek"), but this time around, I really do have a side in the debate (last year, I was on the Star Wars side, but I could have debated either side equally well). Come to the debate if you agree with me that it's the Addams Family, all the way.

Book signing (Saturday at 4PM in Crow's Nest 1A)

"How Do We Pay for the Future?" (Saturday at 5PM in Crispus Attucks) with Charles E. Gannon, Hugh Casey, and two others.

"Presidential Election Post-Mortem" (Sunday at 12N in William Dawes A) with John H. Costello, Terry Franklin, Joe Ross, and one other. this one, too, will be debate format. But for this one, they've got me listed as the moderator (which should be… interesting).

"Science on the Big Screen" (Monday at 11AM in Paul Revere B) with two others.

This weekend, for the first time in several years, I'll be at Philcon. And this weekend, for the first time in a long time, Philcon won't be in Philadelphia (they've moved the convention across the river to Cherry Hill, New Jersey).

The entire schedule, in various formats, is available on this page. Here is my own schedule, so if you'll be at Philcon and want to meet up with me, these are the best times/places to try (well, other than hanging out in the dealers' room, or parties at night, or…):

Friday at 8PM: "The Economics of Empire" in Crystal Ballroom Two, with Walter Hunt, Charles E. Gannon, and Tom Purdom.

Friday at 10PM: "The SF Quiz Show" (their take on Jeopardy!) in Crystal Ballroom Three, with Oz Fontecchio, Hildy Silverman, Roman Ranieri, Stephen C. Fisher, and Chris Logan Edwards.

Saturday at 11AM: "Science Fiction Had a Lot More Freedom in 'The Good Old Days'" in Plaza II, with Diane Weinstein, Alexis Gilliland, Andrew Wheeler, and Gardner Dozois.

Saturday at 12N: "Does Science Fiction Inspire Invention?" in Plaza II, with John Ashmead, Mitchell Gordon, Jack McDevitt, and Jay Wile.

Saturday at 5PM: "Topicality in Science Fiction" in Plaza V, with Judith Moffett, James L. Cambias, Ellen Asher, and Larry Hodges.

Sunday at 11AM: "When Did Heinlein Go Bad?" in Plaza VII, with Michael F. Flynn, Tom Purdom, Judith Moffett, and Kimberly Ann Kindya.

Should be a busy weekend for me. Hope to see some of you there. Incidentally, this also looks to be the first weekend of four in a row when I won't be home: busy busy busy. Keep watching this space for upcoming announcements.

I'll be at Albacon this weekend (a science fiction convention in Albany, New York), and I've got my schedule. In addition to hanging out in the dealers' room, I'll be on these panels:

Friday at 6PM in the Beverwyck room: "In a Flash", a panel about short-short stories, with Melissa Mead, Jennifer Schwabach, and K.A. Laity

Saturday at 4PM in the Beverwyck room: "How important is science in sf?" with Carl Frederick, Geoffrey Landis, Ryk Spoor, and Chuck Rothman

Sunday at 2PM in the Ballroom: "Are Heinlein and Asimov Still Relevant?" with Butler, Todd McCaffrey, Peter Halasz, Eric Flint, and Andre Lieven

If you're in Albany, be sure to stop by and say hi.

I'm kinda bummed. WorldCon is getting started right now (it officially starts tomorrow) in Denver, and I'm not going. Of course, I haven't made it to the past several WorldCons, but for some reason, this year I feel like I really ought to be there. Maybe it's that SFScope is growing, and I ought to be there telling everyone about it (and reporting on WorldCon for SFScope), or maybe I've just not been going to enough conventions of late. Of course, I know that, though SFScope is doing well and growing nicely (and did you visit to make sure you're entered to win a Masters of Science Fiction DVD? If not, see this page. Go on, I'll wait. OK?), the budget isn't there yet to send me to Denver for about a week at a cost of nearly $1000. So instead, I'll stay in New York and keep doing what I'm doing (well, if I'm lucky, I'll get a little more sleep than I've been getting, but that's a whole other topic).

In an attempt to be less bummed, though, I appreciate suricattus's post on considering conventions as part of the business of being a writer (but in my case, it really does make sense to go!). Oh well.

Guess I'll be enjoying the con vicariously through others' comments and such (actually, I'm setting up WorldCon comment streams each day on SFScope, for those who care to share their reactions). And we're going to a wedding Friday, so at least I'll be kind of away from home and seeing people.

Just found out I've got a last-minute (well, last-couple-of-days) addition to my schedule at Readercon: I'll have a kaffeeklatsch on Saturday at 1PM. If you want to have a scheduled, quiet, sit-down conversation with me about SFScope, writing, editing, publishing, Presidential trivia, or pretty much anything else, sign up for my kaffeeklatsch at the information table.

And if you're at the con, but miss that hour, you'll be able to catch me in smaller chunks of time throughout the weekend.

Readercon writes to tell me that the schedule is pretty much finalized (the convention starts Thursday, so this is a good thing). I've got two panels:

Friday at 5PM in Salon G: "A Tale of Two Disciplines" with Louise Marley, Geoff Ryman, Robert J. Sawyer, and Vandana Singh. Description: "The scientific world of the future will be pairs, or connections. Everybody is going to be a bridge between specialties."—Donald Knuth. Combining ideas from two or more disciplines is not just a fresh approach to doing science, it's a great way to generate thought-provoking hard sf. We especially want to talk about stories where the ideas don't just co-exist as separate elements of an extrapolated future, but combine in interesting or unexpected ways.

Sunday at 11AM in ME/CT: "The Fermi Paradox Paradox" with Michael A. Burstein, Jeff Hecht, Steven Popkes, and Robert J. Sawyer. Description: The Fermi Paradox—the absence of any evidence of extraterrestrial civilization despite the huge size and age of the universe—seems like it should be the basis for much hard sf. The paradox has numerous solutions(e.g., that nearly all civilizations quickly leave this reality and go somewhere else, or they destroy themselves as quickly, or they're consciously hiding from us), and all the solutions seem to be storyable. What sf writers have explored the paradox, and why are there so few of them? Is it because the vision of a galaxy essentially devoid of extraterrestrial intelligence is just a downer?

I'm also be at the Meet the Pros(e) Party Friday at 10PM, and manning a table in the dealers' room (Book Shop) throughout the weekend. So if you're there, stop by and say hi.

As may have been obvious, not much posting today. The reason is: not much brain today. Last night there was a nap, no sleep, merely a nap. That's because nearly all of the index for The Presidential Book of Lists was created (with the able help of carrenstrock aka Mom, Dad, and Kit). Of course, that creating turned a full night's sleep into about two hours. Tonight, another two hours should suffice to turn that accumulation of data (in five computer files and two stacks of index cards) into a mono-file of index. And, when combined with the introduction which was completed earlier in the week, I'll have the final pieces of the revised manuscript ready to go to the editor, and will do so before seeking out that bed which is starting to think of me as less of a resident and more of a temporary visitor (foolish bed).

Then tomorrow, it's off to Lunacon for the weekend (see earlier post on schedule). If I'm lucky, I'll get a chance to swim in the pool. If I'm really lucky, I'll get a chance to catch up on the missed sleep (of course, it will be in an alien bed, and mine will probably consider subletting my usual sleeping space). If you're at Lunacon, seek me out and greet me (and give my addled brain a moment to recognize you, as I'm sure the nametag will once again suffer from can nametagitis, and have the name of the convention printed in letters visible from across the ballroom, while have the personal name nearly invisible in "how small can we make it" microtype).

It seems like all my friends are posting their schedules for Lunacon, 14-16 March. I didn't get mine e-mailed, but I've discovered that I'm currently scheduled for three panels:

Friday at 8PM: "The Art of Criticism" in the Poplar Room, with John Joseph Adams, Peter Heck, Kim Paffenroth, and Steven Sawicki.

Saturday at 11AM: "Photography as Art" in the Boston Room, with Scott Lefton and Lenny J. Provenzano

Sunday at 12N: "Breaking into Magazines for Novice Writers" in the Bartell Room, with Christopher Cevasco, Douglas Cohen, Andrew Porter, and Hildy Silverman.

I'll also have a table in the dealers' room, and probably be at the David Honigsberg memorial on Saturday. I'll be there; if you are, make sure you say hi.

I'm looking for a little help from the con-going public (you know who you are).

I've got this nifty web site up and running (SFScope.com), which is publishing the news of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror fields, and growth is slow. I'm trying to spread the word farther faster, and toward that end, I'm looking for people who are going to sf conventions that I won't be attending, and who would be willing to accept a pile of hand-outs in the mail from me to put on the freebie table at the con. That's it; very simple for you, very helpful for me (of course, if you want to tell your friends about the site, that'd be great, too).

At the moment, my con schedule is very thin: Capclave this weekend, and World Fantasy Con in three weeks. I usually hit the northeast conventions, so I'd be especially happy to find people in other parts of the country. Let me know (either a comment here or an e-mail would be great).

And sort of along those lines, since I am going to World Fantasy, but decided kind of late, I'm looking for someone who's got a room there and is looking for a roommate. Again, let me know. And thanks,