NORWESCON 2015 - Sunday and overview

On Sunday morning we ate at Dave's Diner, just across the corner of the hotel. I had the garden omelet and a blueberry milkshake. Very tasty and makes me wonder why I pay the same at the hotel for the better breakfast here. Of course the food at the diner takes time while at the hotel buffet its already made...more to think about for next year.

After breakfast it was once around the dealer's room. One table I passed by offered a free book signed by the author and two blue rays for five dollars. I said yes to both. Even though the table was for self-published authors, after reading The Martian by Andy Weir. Before I read that book I put self-published books down. After it, not as much because there still is a lot of bad self-published books out there. I promised the dude that if I like it, I'll buy one next year. There was some other little items I got but not the sales that I remember from years past.

Then it was the drive back to Canada. I always want to stay another day to take advantage of the five or so hours of panels but it would either mean another night of accommodations (expensive) or extra money for parking and bumper to bumper traffic (not as expensive but gruelling).

Overall this years NORWESCON was another great experience. Definitely will be back next year.

NORWESCON 2015 - Costumes

NORWESCON always has a great assortment of costumes. This year was no exception.

An anthropomorphic fox. He later travelled around with another group of different animals. Could be from the Redwall series.

A minion from the Despicable Me films.

He is not Groot but a rock golem.

Thundercats inspired outfit.

Star Trek costumes.

Steampunk Star Trek!

Masters of the Universe villain Skeletor on a cross genre jaunt to Game of Thrones. He was with a group of other Saturday morning cartoon characters like Carmen Sandiago and Cobra Commander. This throne was available for anyone to sit on and have their picture taken.

Elasta-girl from the PIXAR movie, Incredibles.

Princess Mononoke outfit.

A dressy Dalek costume. Very creative!

A costume to cover all the main faiths.

An inventive Fey like costume.

Excellent Romulan costume. Except for the smile it looks like he walked off a film set.

These ladies were around in these costumes last year. Always brings a smile to my face.

NORWESCON 2015 - Saturday

Saturday was another continental breakfast and off to panels.

First was Norse Sword, Spear and Shield Combat. Moderating was Bill Gruner with A.M. Brosius, V Whitlock, Norman K. Moss, GregRobin Smith, Joseph Malik, Michael Ormes, Mir Plemmons, Maj. James Franklin (ret). I participated in the Roman combat class last year and it was a hoot. This class was no exception. They are knowledgeable and make learning this kind of combat fun. For more info on this and Roman recreation groups, go to the Castra Ferrata site here.

Then The End is Night: Dystopian SF. Moderating was Martta Murvosh with Russel Ervin, Nancy Kress, Jason Bourget and Mir Plemmons. What I found an engaging idea was that a utopia for some inevitably means a dystopian for others, which leads into all kinds of great stories of social conflict. Also gone over was the types of dystopian fiction and how the root of the cause or future of the world the characters live in can be a strong plot motivator.

After a short lunch was Visit to a Comet. Moderating was Dan Dubrick with Cathy Plesko, Alan Boyle, Chris Vancil and Dana Andrews. Special guest was Science GOH, Amy Mainzer. Interesting tidbits were that only two papers have been published from the Philae and Rosetta craft around and on comet 67p but there are forty yet to come. Also talked about were ways we can go to and divert asteroids and comets if they pose a danger or we desire to mine/explore them.

Flawed Heroes and Well-Meaning Villains was next. Moderating was Phoebe Kitanidis with Frog Jones, S.A. Bolich, Chris Charish and Diana Copland. Lots and lots of information was shared by the panelists. Standouts include using your own flaws or virtues to give something you find gad/good to generate the empathy required. Another was to not write a cardboard character by getting into the characters head; for villains have them speak from a viewpoint that they think what they are doing is good. An exercises to do this is to interview the villain in order to get the motivation for what they do. Excellent panel.

I then wandered and chatted with lots of people. Its one of the fun time wasters. Another a friend of mine did a few years ago was to go to a panel they have no interest in and be pleasantly surprised.

The last panel of my day was Science Guest of Honor, Amy Mainzer who gave a slide show on asteroids and her work so far. Tons of great information and images. A great guest to have.

After supper at Roasters, I took pictures of costumes. Saturday at NORWESCON is always the masquerade and the other people who dress up but don't participate in the contest (to be posted next).

I then wandered, chatted and popped into the concerts. Molly Lewis was especially good.

NORWESCON 2015 - Friday

I started the day with having a continental breakfast in the hotel eatery.

Then it was onto Overlooked Horror Classics, moderated by Jorden B with Nathan Crowder, Jude-Marie Green and Bryan Syme. Lots of favorites of the panelists and audience were mentioned. Standouts I'd like to see is American Scream (documentary about late night scary movie hosts), Penny Dreadful tv series, Val Lewton films, Attack the Block, Wolfen, The Hitcher (original) and Yellow Brick Road.

Next was the entertaining Neutrinos Blast Right Through You talk, given by Corey L Lee. Her enthusiasm for the science of neutrinos was infectious. I knew a little about the particle and now I not only know more but have some RPG/story ideas.

Then it was a walking lunch with snacks and a banana.

First panel for the afternoon for me was What If's of Military History moderated by Russel Ervin with Bill Gruner, Joseph Malik and Alan Paulsen. Presented to the audience were three scenarios: How Rome could have not fallen, How could the Aztek nation repulse Cortez, What would happen if the 1434 CE Chinese Navy was not scuttled but instead sailed around Africa to Europe? The group split into three smaller groups and tacked these ideas by discussing politics, economy, social, science, religion and military changes or results from change. The round table discussion format was very interesting how it fleshed out the alternative world we were creating.

Then it was Do We Live In A Bad Neighbourhood moderated by Cathy Plesko with John Cramer, Stephen L Gillett, Loretta McKibben and Amy Mainzer. Very interesting and enheartining panel on world ending events from space borne materiel. It also was about what we have done to analyse past events and to detect space borne materiel. Using infa-red space telescopes to find the asteroids, in particular, was a standout. Check out one of their recommended sites, the Minor Planet Center.

Then was an hour in the dealers room where I met my wife and showed each other things that the other had missed in there.

Then it was Let's Playstorm an RPG Campaign moderated by Jorden B with Eric Cagle, Jeff Combos, Ogre Whiteside and Dylan S. Then group discussed how to engage your players to create an adventure. The rest of the panel then had the audience present the genre, setting and tone of an RPG game they would like. From there it was a coherent whirlwind of ideas and world building of the story were would tell. I can see myself using these techniques to jumpstart something different.

Lastly it was Intricate Worlds moderated by Brenda Carre with Carol Berg, B.D. Kellmer and Kim Ritchie. This panel discussed how to make your fantasy world that you are creating feel real and not forced. No information dumping. The main bit of advice was to make every person or thing have a purpose for being there, but only reveal to your audience what you want them to see to advance the story. Reminds me of the cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope. Every creature is doing something. Not standing/sitting there. Each feels like a character that you want to know more about but don't in the movie. The cantina convinces you it is a den of villainy. In the TV show Deadwood, all the extras in the town were given a list of things they were doing that day and they would do them as the shooting for that day progressed. They were not cardboard and made the feel of the town real to the viewer.

Supper was at Sharps Roasthouse. A great eating establishment for slow roasted meat carnivores.

Then I relaxed until the Burlesque show with Purple Devil Productions. They had a Game of Thrones theme this year and I thought lining up a half hour prior to would be enough but only got seats in the very back. I watched most of it but the stage was too low so I left towards the end. I have enjoyed watching burlesque shows because of the self-confidence and joy the women give off as they are performing. Its not about the nudity because for me, its the positive sense of self.

I retired to the hotel room to plan out Saturday and headed to bed.

NORWESCON 2015 - Thursday

I started the day with excersising in the Hilton Doubletree gym, working off last night's feast and a niggling cold i've been shaking off.

Then it was off to breakfast in the hotel with a friend. Halfway through George R.R. Martin, the writer guest of honour, came in and started drinking coffee. Is he stalking me? Har har. I went through my printoff of the NORWESCON schedule to firm up the panels I wanted to see today.

I greeted my wife, who arrived today just before noon, and we stood in line for registration. We chatted with some other people in line and it passed the fourty-five minutes quickly.

For lunch we ate at Seaport's in the hotel and met up with some congoers that we met in Bayeux France at a fantastic B&B. Small world! They intoduced us to some writer friends of thiers and passed the time in good company. The tomato and white bean soup I had was very delicious.

My first panel was Worldwide Dead, moderated by Nathan Crowder with Pat MacEwen, Jude-Marie Green, Arinn Dembo and Jeremy Zimmerman. It was a well done panel with all of the participants talking about different ghosts from around the world and how these little known stories in North America are entering into our entertainment. Also talked about was how when pre-existing culture/religion was pushed away for the conquering culture/religion there was a burst of ghost origins and stories about the supernatural. The treatment of the body after death and funeral rites in different cultures were discussed and how they became ghost stories was interesting.

Next was Writing the Other, moderated by G. Willow Wilson with Arinn Dembo, Luna Lindsey, Mir Plemmonds. This was a good writers panel on how to write from the viewpoint of people or cultures that are very different from ourselves without seeming forced. The key points were to be able to argue with yourself from the other viewpoint, project thier viewpoint so that you can feel thier motivation, listen to the directions the character you are writing about is taking you, and when getting someone to go over what you've written to get someone who is the other to review.

Then was supper at Mango Thai with my wife and some friends. See the post here.

I then went to attend a small concert by 9k1, Nerdcore music with Shubzilla, Lex Lingo and DJ Bill Beats, but I could not understand what they were singing/rapping so I left. There were many fun groups that performed last year and I find that I prefer the more humerous songs. Especially the more comprehensible ones.

I then wandered the convention gaming area and chatted with the game store owner who had some items for sale there about the Star Wars: Armada game and other game related things.

Seattle SEATAC - Mango Thai

We have ordered from Mango Thai last year during NORWESCON and enjoyed it. This time my wife and some friends decided to eat in and order a bunch of dishes and shore. Oh my word was there an elevated increase in quality when eating in. We liked it so much, when we cancelled our reservation at Copperleaf for an awesome panel on asteroids on Saturday we ate here again.

The first time we ordered the Spring Rolls, Pad Thai (chicken, bean sprouts, ground peanuts, rice noodles), Gang Ped (red curry, duck, pineapple) and Pad Thai Tofu (fried tofu, broccoli, carrot, cabbage, peanuts). The standout was the Gang Ped.

The second time we ordered the Cod Curry (pacific cod, red curry), fresh green beans with garlic, crispy duck (fried duck, ginger sauce, spinach), and another dish that eludes me.

We'd definitly come back to eat in again.

Seattle Seatac - NORWESCON 2015 - Copperleaf

I and some friends arrived at the NORWESCON hotel the day before it started and had supper at the nearby Copperleaf Lounge at the Cedarbrook Lodge. George RR Martin, the convention writer guest of honor also ate nearby.

I asked for my regular drink of Cinzano but they did not have it. Instead they had a product called Doulin. I gave it a try and it is the first vermouth other than Cinzano that I like. Great start!

To start we had an amuse bouche of fennel pannocota, mandarin and fried beet chips.

For an appetiser I had the foraged mushroom creme with “Rillette de Poussin” and garden thyme.

For my main I had the Anderson ranch lamb saddle with Palouse Green Lentils, Caramelised Fennel, Meyer Lemon, Charred Eggplant, and Piquillo Peppers.

For dessert, not shown, was the ever delicious Theo's hot chocolate hot pot for two with cinnamon donuts.

As always the atmosphere and service was excellent and the food was perfect. As well, during our meal the writer guest of honour of NORWESCON, George R.R. Martin sat down with what looked to be the convention heads for supper.

Everett - La Hacienda Resteraunt

On the way to SEATAC for NORWESCON, a friend and I ate here at La Hacienda for lunch. The setting very much let you know that this was a Mexican eating establishment. The menu was diverse and extensive. I ordered the albondigas (meatball) soup and it was delicious. It came with a basket of fresh tortillas and salsa and they served a free dessert of a sweet tortilla with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. I'd come back here again.

Vancouver - Ikoi Sushi

I wanted to stop off at a place to eat on my way to meet someone later in the afternoon and Ikoi Sushi looked interesting. The setting was unassuming, quiet and not fancy but very delicious. I had the sushi tempura combo and takowasabi (octopus in wasabi sauce). The takowasabi was particularly tasty. I'd recommend this place.

Liberty Cafe

Liberty Cafe is a little far from my normal routes downtown but I do enjoy this place. They serve great tasting chai latte's and food. Plus they have lots of comfy tables and chairs to relax on if you are waiting or lounging.

Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan

The history book, The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan, is one of the best history books I have ever read. It is a topic that has always interested me as I like ancient history and is also one of my resolutions for this year.

It is a condensed version of his four part series on the entire Peloponnesian war, a conflict that pitted Greek against Greek for almost thirty years. He has combined many sources, including the account made at the time by Thucydides, a great historian in his own right. The writing is fresh, engaging and made me put aside time for the next chapter. He also goes into the whys and wherefores of events and the greater impact on the region.

This book will be read several time over my life because of its excellent writing. Makes me wonder why someone hasn't made a multi-part documentary on this conflict.

I'm taking a break from Greek history but will get back into it with the Landmark  Thucydides soon.

For those that want to look at more Greek history from Donald Kagan, his free Yale course videos are available here.

Wisdom without Zealotry - Questions

One of the most powerful tools we have to determine truth, and therefore wisdom, is to ask questions. Not all questions are as useful as others and not all people you are talking to understand the topic you wish to know about.

When talking to someone with a logical viewpoint and rational way of talking about it, it is perfectly permissible to ask pointed questions. That way you come to an understanding of a subject. Questions could be: Why is X like Y? In what way did Z become that way? Explain the process of that?

This is true dealing with personal topics when talking with a logical and rational person: What is the history behind the writing of this religious text? Why does this stereotype exist? What are the cultural and historical reasons for behaving this way?

This changes when dealing with persons who speak from emotion and/or dogma. From a familiarity with a subject rather than an understanding of it. They feel something is a certain way. They believe it is a certain way. As mentioned in my last post on this topic, feelings and beliefs are not facts and also may be false. They do not mean an understanding on a subject but a familiarity on it. Familiarity, feelings and beliefs can get in the way of understanding and wisdom.

Since it is very hard to get an emotional person to speak on the root of a topic, they must be treated carefully. The background of their familiarity is based upon their gut or upbringing or basic knowledge, not their mind. It is reactive knowledge. For both of you to reach the point of gaining understanding and wisdom on a subject one is emotional about, you have to ask the right questions. There are two ways of doing this:

1. Why do you feel this way, and what are the steps that led to that belief? This sets up the conversation to start on the right foot. You are immediately indicating you want to learn why and are offering the other person to explain it to you and they will want to tell you. Just be sure to ask the other person to define things they talk about during their explanation: stereotypes, faith, racism, belief, death, soul, contrails, aliens... whatever. They might have a different definition than the commonly accepted one and you will better be able to understand their why if you know how they define things. Also never say that something said is wrong. You cannot say that a feeling is wrong because it is a familiarity with the truth, not an understanding of it. It will also shut them down to further conversation. By keeping things open and comfortable, you can determine the reason why they think their feeling and familiarity on a topic is right.

2. Don't allow the person to change topics. People who base their facts on feelings have a lot to say about related topics too. Wait for an opportune time to interrupt them, paraphrase what they have said (to let them know you have been listening), and tell them that you do not understand how it answers the original topic. Its a lot better than telling them they are avoiding the topic. Perhaps they are but don't want you to know they cannot answer. At least if they are doing this often, you know they are starting to realize that what they thought was fact is actually a feeling, not an understanding.

These two simple things can get to the heart of matters that a person believes is true and get to the root of the problem; why are not thinking for themselves, why are they empathizing what others want them to feel, why are they locking down their mind. Few organized groups who only have basic familiarity on a subject ask people to think for themselves why something is the way it is and fewer still ask them to think on how to make it better. This is especially true of religions where divergence from the status quo is a higher form of heresy than their basic rules.

One of my basic rules for when someone tells me something odd is "Trust but verify". Ask them why they feel this way and don't let them stray from the original topic. Perhaps pull out your cell phones or go to the library. There is a big world of people who are smarter than me if I have a want for understanding and wisdom. If I do have an understanding of the topic, then I try to use the above two methods to bring the person I am talking with to the realization that they were working on familiarity of a topic and not an understanding of it. Helping a person achieve understanding from within is always better than dictating to them.

Oh, and happy Eostre.