Tag Archives: Carl

Announcement, Appearances, Local Conventions

Carl’s Arisia Schedule

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For anyone who might be in Boston MLK Day weekend, I’ll be doing several panels at Arisia

Popular Logical Fallacies         Sat 1:00 PM
Rhetoric, logic, and (proper) argument appear to be rare commodities (as recent presidential campaigns have amply demonstrated). From “ad hominem” to “No True Scotsman”, find out what argument styles just plain don’t wash, and learn how to avoid making these mistakes yourself.

The Technology of Star Trek         Sun 11:30 AM
Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek by discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly about the depictions of technology on screen and paper: communicators, tricorders, hand-held computers, and dozens of things you remember that the panel forgot.

How We Learn                Sun 8:30 PM
How does the human mind absorb, retain, and recall information? What psychological and biological processes are involved? Does one learning method work for all, or do some learning styles suit certain types of people better?

Read All the Things!              Mon 10:00 AM
Sure, we have limited reading time, but there are some authors whose works clamor to be read in their entirety! Which authors? Come to this panel and find out! Each panelist will discuss the author whose complete works they deem absolutely essential. Come develop your reading list for the next year!

I Hate the Hero                 Mon 1:00 PM
Is there a story with a protagonist that you dislike or maybe is just not likeable. I don’t mean, ‘The heavy is cooler than the hero,’ which is common. I mean you loathe the hero, to the point of rooting for the antagonist just to see them fail. What makes a hero likeable and do they have to be likeable for fans to be interested in the story?

I hope to meet some of you there!

Appearances, Non-Convention ICON Event, Sci-Tech, Uncategorized

Review the Year in Science and Technology

ICON, our parent company, sponsors many events other than LI-CON. This coming January 22 (Thursday), we’re holding a special benefit dinner. Our host will be John Rennie, who you may remember as a guest at the first LI-CON. John is a former editor-in-chief of Scientific American, as well as the host of several TV shows for the Weather Channel. He’ll be reviewing the year 2014 in science. Everyone gets a nice meal at Domenico’s restaurant in Levittown as well.

This is a benefit dinner, which will raise money for ICON Science Fiction, Inc. We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, meaning donations are tax-deductible. If you would like a charity receipt for your donation for tax purposes, just ask. Remember that any money raised goes directly back into throwing these events, or other charitable activities. We have no paid staff.

To register, click here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/icons-science-technology-year-in-review-benefit-dinner-with-john-rennie-tickets-14991796868

Of course, I, your LI-CON Chair, will be discussing the Year in Bad Science at Arisia in Boston, on January 18. (The event runs all of Martin Luther King Day weekend.) Arisia’s schedule is subject to change.

If you attend both, you win a special prize to be revealed later. Come and introduce yourself to me at both events. This offer does not apply to ICON volunteers and I’m not promising the prize is expensive.

I hope to see you at both events.

Carl

Appearances, Local Conventions

Carl’s Philcon Schedule

If you’d like to say “Hi.” I’ll be on these Philcon panels:

Fri 7:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
NATURE, RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW? (1789)

[Panelists: Lisa Adler-Golden (mod), Carl Fink, Jay Wile, L Hunter
Cassells, JJ Brannon]

Recent scientific findings indicate that chimpanzees are violent in
nature, committing acts that look like murder and even war. Does
this mean that intra-species violence is inevitable? Does it depend
on the species? And what could it mean for humanity to learn that
some of our closest relatives in the animal world are, like us,
inclined to violence

Sat 10:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
STEM EDUCATION INSPIRATION (PT. 1) (1782)

[Panelists: Inge Heyer (mod), Earl Bennett, Carl Fink, John Monahan,
Robert C Roman, Katie Gardner]

American schoolchildren famously lag behind some of their
international peers in math and science knowledge. What are some
ways of making up this gap and enabling American children to be
global competitors in science and technology

Sat 12:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
THE SCIENCE IN EVERYDAY LIFE (1788)

[Panelists: Carl Fink (mod), Brian Gray, John Monahan, Jay Wile,
Inge Heyer, Muriel Hykes]

Sun 1:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
MARKETING SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTIONS (1869)

[Panelists: Carl Fink (mod), Gary Feldbaum, Savan Gupta, Inge Heyer,
Lynn E. Cohen Koehler, Sue Ellen Colter]

Science Fiction conventions must keep seeking and attracting new
members if we’re going to not only survive but thrive. This panel
will discuss the various ways in which we can reach out beyond those
who already attend conventions and to bring back those have not
wanted to return

Appearances, Local Conventions

Come say “Hi” at Pi-Con

LI-CON Chair Carl Fink (that’s me!) will be a Program Participant at 8Pi-Con June 27-29 in Enfield, Connecticut. My schedule is:

Fri 9:00pm     How to Think Good (mod)
Sat 10:00am   Who Isn’t a Fan? (mod)
Sat 12:00pm  How do Cons Happen?
Sat 3:00pm     Your Monkey’s An Uncle
Sat 4:00pm     Biology is Weird (mod)
Sat 7:00pm     The Year (and a half) in Science (mod)
Sun 12:00pm Telling Science from Nons(ci)ense

Alert congoers may spot another LI-CON exec or two at Pi-con.

I hope to see you there.

Carl

Appearances, Local Conventions

Come see us at Arisia

A team from LI-CON will be at Arisia this month.

Come to our party after the Masquerade and enjoy hand-made New York Egg Creams, along with a variety of other beverages, snacks, and fascinating conversation.

Also, our chair (that’s me!) will be doing 8(!) panels. Come say hi and watch me try to seem eloquent. Continue reading Come see us at Arisia →

Appearances, Local Conventions

Meet the LI-CON Chair at Philcon

I will be a Program Participant at Philcon next weekend (Nov. 8-10). Please come to some of my programming, and if you’d like to say “Hi” or ask any questions about LI-CON or I-CON or ICON, I’ll be manning the ICON table some of the time and co-hosting the ICON party Saturday night as well.

Here’s my programming schedule:

Fri 8:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
GOOD SCIENCE FICTION SPOILED BY BAD SCIENCE (1405) [Panelists: John Monahan (mod), Gina Martinelli, Carl Fink, Inge Heyer, JJ Brannon] The plot, the writing, the characters were great. The story was gripping, pages were turning, but then a massive scientific mistake thuds down into your suspension of disbelief. How big an error can be overlooked? What’s a deal-breaker? What are some examples

Sat 10:00 AM in Grand Ballroom A (1 hour)
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO RUN A SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION (1617) [Panelists: Michael J. Walsh (mod), Jeff Warner, Carl Fink, Joe Foering] There are a hundreds if not thousands of tasks to be performed in order to have a successful science fiction and fantasy convention. Let’s talk about what is needed

Sat 4:00 PM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)
WEB COMICS FOR EVERYONE! (1439) [Panelists: Tony DiGerolamo (mod), D.L. Carter, Phil Kahn, Carl Fink] But exactly WHAT is out there/ Come find out what you’re missing. Comic Strips aren’t disappearing, they’re just migrating to the web. Find out why you should be browsing to get your Sunday Funnies Fix.

Of course, the schedule is subject to change at the Philcon Programming team’s discretion.

-Carl