So, this September, Liz and myself are shipping off to DragonCon, the geekiest convention ever created. If a comedy is slagging off geeks, this is the convention they use as a backdrop. That is how awesome this thing is going to be.

So, this whole mad story started back in my 4th year, when I attended the last New Media Expo to be held in California. This was a pretty much 100% business conference, with multiple talks going on all the time about how to make money out of your show, how to sell your show to listeners and how to “monetize the user experience”. While it was great fun, and VERY informative, I found that I got little chance to hang out with people I only knew online, such as Scott Sigler, Tee Morris and the likes. (In fact, I 100% blame my short time and inability to buy Siggy a drink on Tee, but that’s another story, for another time.) Dragon*Con, however, will be 100% about the fandom side of sci-fi and such, and thus I hope to get more hangout time, and less getting glared at for being a teenager in a “Big Boy Conference”. Which happened.

Originally, there were meant to be three of us going on the trip. Liz, Girl X and myself. So we got in touch with John Merlin, who was also attending the conference (with me… We are planning something, and YOU can’t know what it is! Yet!) and booked us a nice roomy 4 person bedroom, two kingsize beds, breakfast and all. Then, all of a sudden, Liz and Girl X seemingly dropped out on me, leaving me pretty screwed over, in terms of that hotel that Zard had booked. It didn’t take long, however, for Zard and I to work something out, and I soon rebooked a two person room in the Swanky (and much closer to the event) Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel (second-tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere)

One thing that people may remember me for from the last conference I was at was my signed microphone, which I handed around the New Media Expo and got people to sign, resulting in people remembering me to this day. I may be pulling a similar gag this year, just with my new MXL V67 microphone, but I shall have to consider it. It has slightly less body space, as far as I can see, so I may have to let people sign the grill.

So, I have a few questions for you.

If you have ever been to Dragon*Con, or a similar huge conference, what sort of gear should I bring with me? I am aware of the 3-2-1 rules (three hours slate, two square meals and one shower per day) but what else should I know?

Should I book restaurants long in advance?

Last, but not least, who else will be going? I wanna meet you all at some point!

Tags: con, convention, Dragoncon, geek

I’m in the middle of watching Warehouse 13, and just needed to vent a bit.
This show is terrible. I mean seriously terrible. Terrible dialogue, terrible acting, terrible direction, terrible story.
I predicted all the baggage that came with the two totally predictable main characters. The sub-main character, a fat geek type person, just annoys me. All attempts at foreshadowing were utterly useless.
This is terrible fantasy pretending as Science Fiction. All the stereotypical glances, clichéd lines and silly McGuffins won’t change that.

That is all. Maybe now I can go watch the remaining half hour without smashing my screen.

Update

That’s not how a car crashes! In order for a four by frigging four to do a few flips IN THE FRIGGING AIR, you are going to need to put a LAND MINE under it. Not drive it at moderate speed INTO A DITCH! And for FRAK’S sake, after a carcrash of EPIC proportions, your character, who has been “out for two days”, should sport a bit more visable harm then three minor scratches on her face!

Update #2

Oh, and she can still walk. Fan-frigging tastic. Also, it was all a dream. Wonderful.

Update #3

Oh! Right. An ALCHEMIST made it! This is no longer terrible Sci-fi. I’m sorry, we have moved into the realm of TERRIBLE FANTASY. Also, removing a badge embedded in your fraking TUMMY should cause a LOT more bleeding then that.

Update #4

Did I see that right? Two victims of a HORRIBLE car crash, one of which had a GOD DAMN FBI BADGE stuck in his stomach just WALKED AWAY, not even LIMPING? What’s next? The car will drive off? Possibly intact?

Update #5

Sir, I don’t know what sort of beginning-of-play parties YOU get to go too, but they are most certainly different then mine. Also, outside. In freaky areas.

Update #6

I dunno. Maybe I have been spoilt by Heroes Season 1 for good fantasy. Maybe the countless TV shows that had pilots that blew me away but never got picked up have put my expectations slightly higher then they should be. But that zombie-schoolkid scene made me want to tear my eyes out, set fire to my computer, and dance around it in some sort of ritual to the god of nasty tv shows. I will let “Show’s Over” slide though.

Update #7

Please make it almost be over… “I’m sorry. Nobody is dying here tonight.”

Tags: rant, Television