Here’s an interesting article from the United Church Observer about the religious roots of science fiction.

While many of us were having a good time at ConVersion in Calgary, the Canadian Guest of Honor, Spider Robinson…wasn’t.

Back at work today after ten days’ break, and it’s a Monday, so today’s main writing task was the weekly science column. Today’s topic: xerography. It was 45 years ago that both I and the modern photocopying era were born, although the two things have nothing to do with each other–I assure you, I am …

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…should it be good enough for me? Wired has decided that henceforth, the Internet will be the internet, the Web will be the web, and the Net will be the net. Wired should know, I guess. They argue that these things are simply types of media, and just as we don’t capitalize radio, television or …

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Here I am singing “Me” from Beauty and the Beast in an impromptu concert in the hall outside the con-suite at ConVersion XXI in Calgary. That’s Hugo (and Nebula) Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer on the right.

On the job, that is; vacation over, Con attended, zoo visited, child swum, etc. Blogging will now resume its usual highly erratic “pattern.”

What do you call an event where costumers mingle with bestselling authors, artists hang out with scientists, the Arrogant Worms perform, and the sight of knights in chainmail whacking each other with swords draws scant attention? A science fiction convention, of course—specifically, Calgary’s ConVersion XXI. This year’s guest of honour was best-selling SF and fantasy …

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Too busy yesterday afternoon and evening to blog about the final day of ConVersion, but here I am now to fill you in on the finale. Sunday began with the brunch that all ConVersion members were encouraged to buy tickets for because it helped the con meet the food and beverage requirments set by the …

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I realize one is supposed to crawl back to one’s hotel room in the wee hours of the morning when one is attending an SF con, but that’s never been my style. It’s not even midnight yet, and here I am virtuously blogging before bed–although I did spend the last hour with Rob Sawyer and …

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ConVersion is off and running. Registration was only half an hour late opening today, which isn’t too bad by short-handed volunteer-run standards. I was second in line, and although the person-in-charge didn’t seem to have a clue that I was, in fact, a program participant, nor did my name appear on any list he had, …

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Which is not the same as waiting to be converted, thanks. ConVersion is the annual SF convention in Calgary, which is where I am now after a long drive yesterday (made less stressful than it might have been by the fact that my three-year-old daughter Alice was a wonderful traveller and didn’t whine at all, …

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Had a pretty productive day yesterday; no fiction, because I’m trying to get ready to go on vacation, but I wrote a new column (on a new technique for recovering old analog recordings) and finished Chapter 4 of the Orson Scott Card biography. Today I have to try to wrap up some exhibit copy for …

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