Jan. 21st, 2008

ext_12246: (Default)
[identity profile] thnidu.livejournal.com
Correction to earlier post: seeking ride from Arisia for two toward western suburbs (Framingham/Natick) Monday afternoon.
[identity profile] donnad.livejournal.com
I am sure this will offend many people, and if it does I apologize, but I feel it has to be said.

I am disgusted and appalled at the rudeness and sense of entitlement I encountered from many of this year's staff members. And I am not the only person who noticed this.
ExpandRead more... )
[identity profile] thespian.livejournal.com
I can't find my programs (I think I packed them), and I'm currently in Pandemonium's room so I can't go find out. ;-) Anyone?
[identity profile] shadesong.livejournal.com
There was call for a continuation of this panel online, or at least a place for everyone to check in and get in touch with everyone they were talking to. :) Hi! I'm 'song; I was the moderator (short chick in the middle of the table with the Schrodinger's Cat shirt and the ponytail). My fellow panelists were [livejournal.com profile] bobquasit, [livejournal.com profile] thespian, and [livejournal.com profile] hughcasey.

Rather than recap the entire panel (which was lively and fun and just snarky enough, but also informative!),I'll take the lazy way out and let the participants and crowd do so. As we said in the panel, please identify yourself in comments so we can all say "oh, that guy!"

Also - thanks to everyone who took part, panelists and audience participants alike. Great panel, guys!


(I have Arisia Thoughts I'll post elsewhere, but I wanted to get this post up first; I promised y'all!)

EDIT: Panel Description: "Over the past year, the popular blogging site LiveJournal and its owner, SixApart, have made some stunningly boneheaded moves, from opening the site to commercial sponsorship to deleting fannish LJ accounts at the goading of a known white supremacist group. Their PR during this matter has been lacking, to say the least, and many formerly loyal LJers are fleeing to other blogging sites. What went wrong?"

Some links!
An article on Strikethrough '07: SixApart deletes over 500 LiveJournals.
Monitoring links: Here, here, and here.
Potential autotranscription debacle: SpinVox's patent application on farming out voice transcription to potentially remote humans.

Please do not jump in here spewing random crap. Read the description. Do your research. Actually read the comments. We value discussion and dissenting opinions, but trolling is right out.

To those who are actually contributing: Thanks!
[identity profile] dee-cee.livejournal.com
If you were a party host on Saturday night, I contributed two pitchers of punch to the party (leftovers from our party). However, I did not get the pitchers back.

They were plastic, one with a purple top, and one with a blue top.

If you know where these pitchers went, I'd sure appreciate them back! :)

daley 219 at gmail dot com
[identity profile] juniperthewise.livejournal.com
Just a short note to thank everyone at or associated with Arisia 2008 for making my 12 year-old niece's first experience such a good one. This includes, but is not limited to: the panelists and audiences for discussions of evil, Star Trek, history, polyamory, trends, and bad (and good) movie science; the people who put on the Tribble Bash and "whose Star Trek line is it" laugh-fest; the authors who read their own and others' work; all the great talent at the Masquerade, including especially our hero, the Ninja Nerd; the dancers and musicians at the Goblin Ball; the friendly and accommodating dealers on Dealers' Row; the invisible tenders of the Con Suite; the super nice and extremely well organized Art Show attendants, and all the other staff- and non-staff fans whom we encountered over the course of the weekend.

Y'all did good! ;-)
[identity profile] penk.livejournal.com
Recently there seems to be a spate of grumpy Arisia posts. I'd like to offer a counter-view.

Most folks know me as the guy who wrote the registration and badging system. For the last couple years, that's all I did at Arisia - either ran registration or was a co-manager. That meant spending 12 hours a day at the reg desk, all weekend - not to mention the hundreds of hours leading up to the event. My only experience outside of reg was walking to or from my room, usually in a zombie-like shamble.

This year, I was merely a tech support consultant for registration. While there was a lot of technical work in the leadup, registration was run directly by [livejournal.com profile] jiapa, [livejournal.com profile] jasra, and [livejournal.com profile] fibro_witch, plus an awesome cast of assistants and helpers. My job was equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, supplies, and logistics - the folks just mentioned were the real Masters o Reg.

What this meant was that, for the first time in probably 8 years, I was free to do as I wanted at Arisia, for 4 days. I did not have to get up at ungodly hours each day, and stay at reg until closing time, and I could, on a whim, stop into a panel or movie and hang for a while.

Sure I was called away on occasion for help, but mostly, the reg staff did a fantastic job of... not needing me.

So I attended this con, it's called Arisia. What did I find?

I found the fen. En masse, enjoying themselves, socializing, connecting, chatting, selling, buying, and just enjoying being around each other. I saw wonderful interractions between old and new friends. I saw many of my old tribe, but I also met some new ones. I in fact did not attend a panel, because in general I don't like them - it's not why I go to conventions. I don't go to listen to someone else talk, I go to interact.

I found the staff. By and large, committed, 100%, to the running of this convention. The staff are not this elite mysterious band of mountain gnomes that appear once a year on a special weekend in January. They're fen like us. They're people who are willing to put in the time and effort to make the con enjoyable for everyone else. I'm one of those. I went from 'attendee' to 'staff' about 8 years ago, attending another northeast convention, and seeing how they ran registration. "I can do that better." - and rather than whine and complain about how it was being done, I worked my ass off and built a better system.

This year I was still staff, but in a different bent. I was primarily at the con as an attendee. I spent a lot of time in gaming, reaquainting myself with some long lost games. I went to fast track, which I've never been to before, and saw an amazing group of people giving 60-80 kids (not all at once :) - a fantastic experience with the con. I went to the staff den, where other staff worked their tuchas' off making the con tolerable for those who were working like crazy. I went to dealers row, and talked with, shopped, and met the dealers. I went to parties, where I saw all my friends, and again, made new ones. I went to the video room(s), and saw a movie I had missed, and saw several shorts I would have NEVER seen outside of a con. I came away with some new titles to look to add to my collection. I saw a masquerade - where the TF crew puts on an amazing job of coordinating dozens of volunteers to build a stage, lighting, and sound system, run a show, and tear it all down again.

So what is this 'get back to our roots' thing I keep hearing about? This must have been it. A weekend of hanging with my tribe - people I don't have to worry about as coming across "too geeky" or "too weird". Folks who accept me for who I am, who I know share an interest, and in some, an obsession with the SF genre, in print, film, and audio. A group that I can apply my skills, my talents to, and help run an event a little better.

Was there a kink / poly bent? I guess. Arisia is not a golden bastion to Written SF Publishing. It is a social event thrown by the fen, for the fen. It's a big weekend getaway. Some of the fen are kink / poly. Should that be ignored? Hardly, but neither is it the focus of the weekend. It's noted, a panel or two is talking about it, and life moves on. If folks are more interested in the purist aspect of a traditional 'sf convention', that is why Boskone and Arisia split. Try Boskone.

To all the staff that work untold hours to make it all work, thank you. To all the fen that attended, making Arisia what it is, I thank you as well. I had forgotten what the con was like when I wasn't behind the reg desk for 3 days.

And I'll be back next year.

good con!

Jan. 21st, 2008 08:33 pm
gingicat: deep purple lilacs, some buds, some open (Joshua&Eva02 - with Mommy)
[personal profile] gingicat
[livejournal.com profile] teddywolf and our kids and I had a great time. (Wolf was there all four days; the kids and I just went during "awake" hours on Saturday and Sunday.)

The kids and I mostly wandered (many thanks to Daddy for taking them sometimes) but we all went to the midday filks on Saturday and baby Eva and I Climbed Mt. Arisia as well. (On Sunday she ascended again with our friend Fred, who delivered the stickers I had made while I parked the car.) My toddler Joshua loved running around and exploring (many thanks to the various attendees who listened to my warnings of "beware small child") and thought the comfy chairs in the con suite were fabulous. We also spent time on the first floor area behind the elevators where tables had been set up; this was terrific for nursing the baby and reading to the toddler and seeing friends go by.

I did try to attend the masquerade, but my 2.5-year-old son woke up and couldn't deal with the (deserved) thunderous applause for the Kamikaze Kids and the other Young Fans entrants. My apologies to those attending the Masquerade who had to deal with my taking the kids out down the center aisle.

Expandand a couple of things I might have said at the Gripe Session if I'd been able to go )

In general, it was a very nice con, and generally well-laid out; if only the Hyatt were the same size as the Copley Westin!
[identity profile] nippyfrog.livejournal.com
I loved it! Someone was taping it so please please please if you read this put it up on YouTUBE. I want to remember that forever. I was laughing so hard and the energy in that room was amazing. Panelists get a big thumbs up from me for being so down to Earth and energetic!
[identity profile] dda.livejournal.com
There were a handful of pieces that had winning bids but were never picked up (and paid for); I'll be contacting the winning bidders shortly but if you suspect you won artwork but haven't picked it up, please send email to artshow (at) arisia (dot) org saying which piece you bid on and contact information and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

If a piece isn't picked up, it will be sent back to the artist; since the artist will be expecting money, this will make them sad and eventually they won't display at Arisia and no one will be able to buy their art and they'll sink into a major funk and get thrown out of their apartment and end up living in the street unable to obey their muse.

And we certainly don't want that!
[identity profile] bridgetminerva.livejournal.com
I have read 75% of the post regarding how the con changed to something you liked or hated. I've read about how people thought that programing did or did not reflect what you wanted. Arisia is shaped by you. You want Dogs. You ask for dogs. You get Dogs. You want Ocelots. OK Ocelots

Tell us what you want. We will do our best to reflect your wishes. But do it now. In August it is late. Now when the con is fresh in your memory is the best time.



http://arisia.org/mailman/listinfo/brainstorm

wow you really love Ocelots I never knew there was such a strong Ocelot contingent
[identity profile] datascavenger.livejournal.com
I'm considering helping out at Arisia next year. Specifically, I'm considering helping with panels and a small chance of running a game or helping in the video room.

Who do I talk to about this? Is there a contact, a mailing list, etc.?

(For the record: This has nothing to do with the perceived changes in the con. I can see ways that I can help. I'm offering it.)

Thanks in advance.

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