The Journal of the Browncoat Cat

There are those who would vehemently disagree with me describing a Star Trek or Doctor Who based event as a Science Fiction Convention. There are those who only count Science Fiction as a written media, and only events that concentrate on the written form count as true Science Fiction Conventions. Well they can 跟猴子比丟屎¹ as far as I am concerned. Of course Star Trek and Doctor Who are Science Fiction, as are all the other visual media SF stories around. Besides, the first Star Trek convention was organised in the USA by people who went to book based Science Fiction Conventions.

Below is a list of most of the conventions I have attended in the past 18 years. Think it is complete, however, I did not maintain the list for a few years in the mid-1990’s so between 1995 and 2000 is a bit patchy. If anyone reading this knows of an omission then please let me know.

Science Fiction Conventions 1986 – 2005

1986
Novacon 16 : De Vere Hotel, Coventry
Santacon IV : Viking Hotel, York (Multimedia)

1987
Galactacon IV : Shepperton Moat House, Shepperton, Surrey. (Multimedia)
Novacon 17 : Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham.
Leisure Hive : Wiltshire Hotel, Swindon. (“Doctor Who“)
Necroninecon (Shoestringcon 9) : Hatfield Polytechnic, Hatfield.

1988
Honeycomb : Wiltshire Hotel, Swindon. (“Doctor Who”)
Falcon : Hilton National Hotel, Bath. (“Doctor Who”)
Concert : Stakis Regency Hotel, Edinburgh. (Multimedia)

1989
Elydore III : Shepperton Moat House, Shepperton. (Multimedia)
Carousel I : Holiday Inn, Cardiff. (“Doctor Who“)
Shang-ri-la : Reading. (“Doctor Who”)

1990
Carousel II : Holiday Inn, Cardiff. (“Doctor Who”)
Confiction (48^th World Science Fiction Convention) : Het Nationaal Congresgebouw, ’sGravenhagen, Nederland.
Concussion : Central Hotel, Cardiff. (Multimedia)

1991
Reconnaissance: Park Hotel, Cardiff.
Speculation (42nd National Science Fiction Convention) : Hospitality Inn, Glasgow.
Touchwood : Shepperton Moat House, Shepperton. (Multimedia)

1992
Lucon IV : Leeds University Students Union, Leeds.
Inconsequential : Aston Court Hotel, Derby. (Humorous S.F.)
Magicon (50^th World Science Fiction Convention) : Orange County Conference Centre, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

1993
Helicon (44th National Science Fiction Convention) : Hotel de France, St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands
SmofCon 10 : Hotel de France, St. Helier, Jersey, C.I. (Conrunning)
Panopticon ‘93 : Novotel Hammersmith, Hammersmith, London. (“Doctor Who“)
Con-Yak (Beneluxcon #19) : Hotel Mercure aan de Amstel, Amsterdam, Nederland.

1994
Inconceivable (Inconsequential II) : Tudor Court Hotel, Drayton, nr Long Eaton, Derbyshire. (Humorous SF)
Wincon III : King Alfred’s College, Winchester.
Armardacon : Astor Hotel, Plymouth. (Predominantly “Star Trek”)

1995
Confabulation (46th National Science Fiction Convention) : Britannia International Hotel, London.
Intersection (53rd World Science Fiction Society) : Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1996
Evolution (49th National Science Fiction Convention) : Raddison Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow, London
Inconsistent (Inconsequential III) : Quality Scotch Corner Hotel, Outside Darlington. (Humorous SF)
Novacon 26 : Ibis Hotel, Birmingham.

1998
Intuition (49th National Science Fiction Convention)

2000
2Con (51^st National Science Fiction Convention) : Central Hotel. Glasgow
ArmadaCon : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2001
Nocturnal 3K : Raddison Edwardian, Heathrow, London (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Armadacon : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2002
South : Raddison Edwardian, Heathrow, London (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Armadacon : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2003
The Harvest : Paragon Hotel, Earls Court, London (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Construction : Hanover International, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff (World Con Planning)
Armadacon 15 : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2004
Concourse (55^th British National Science Fiction Convention) : The Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
Armadacon 16 : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

Future Conventions

2005
Interaction (63^rd World Science Fiction Convention) : Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.
Armadacon 17 : Plymouth Novotel Hotel, Marshmills, Plymouth (Multimedia)2005
Nippon2007 a bid to hold the 65^th World Science Fiction Convention in Yokohama, Japan.

Notes
¹ gen hou ze (bi) diu shi
gun HOE-tze bee DIO se
Start a shit slinging contest with a monkey

Comments

Chris Tregenza /Website (14.12.05 17:43) Hi John, I found your site whilst I was looking to see if there was anything about Incons I or II on the net. I was doing this because of the new convention I’m chairing: Year of the Teledu. Check out the webpage or the Live Journal community: http://www.livejournal.com/community/yearoftheteledu/ Cheers Chris

Vorcampbel /(14.12.05 22:19) My first thought was a convention dedicated to Welsh Language Television, no twhat really is obscure, and organised by a bunch of Saes as well (apart from Fran Dowd). Then I googled “Teledu” and found that it is not just Welsh for Television. Count me in.

I am not best pleased. Lord Hutton’s extra thick whitewash has lead to the resignation of the man widely regarded as the best Director General the BBC has had in many a long year. Greg Dyke is a 100% bona fide programme maker, and during his time at the BBC, the output of Auntie has improved markedly. He is the sort of person you need running an institution like the BBC, someone who knows how to entertain people, not a bland bean-counter or management type. Today is definitely a bad day for broadcasting. Yet, the man who should be clearing his desk at the BBC, Mr. Andrew Gilligan is still working for the Corporation, if it had not been for his sensationalist piece, this whole mess would never have occurred.

Teflon Tony has survived this week. On Tuesday, the Labour backbenchers who know deep down in their hearts that Top-Up Fees are wrong, and at odds with their basic Socialist principles cravenly voted with the Government. Then on Wednesday, his Lordship issued a bland report that managed to shift all the blame for the death of Dr. David Kelly from the government to the BBC.

God, when are we going to get a real Labour Government, not this sad right wing parasite that has been feeding off the Labour Party for far too long. I blame Neil Kinnock, for whilst he did stirling work getting rid of the Trotskyite, he missed the right wingers who were using exactly the same trojan horse methods to get control of the party. Unfortunately, by the time Tony Blair came along, the party was so desperate to get into power, it did not see the danger. I mean, getting rid of the old Clause 4 of the Labour Party Constitution should have been a massive wake up call to the faithful. And yet the only way we will get rid of the curse of New Labour is by losing a General Election, and I am terrified at what effect that would have on the country, with Michael Howard as Prime Minister.

Comment

(2.2.04 21:06)
Something’s obviously not working here, but while we await today’s entry, can I just say that you are by far the smartest dressed person I have so far seen on 20six? I can’t? O.

The most repugnant, sickly sweet cloying confection in the World has to be the Violet Cream. I was offered one today, and took a bite out of it. Soon regretting my haste. Ach-y-fi. If you could imagine someone taking a whole pack of Palma Violet sweets, crushing them up into a paste and then covering it in dark chocolate. A waste of good chocolate that is still making my eyes water, even after a Ducat d’Or to try and take the filthy taste from my mouth.

So, my short break has come to an end, and I am back to work. It does not take long to get back into the rhythm of things. It feels as if I have never been away. Although to be perfectly honest, I was glad to come back. Being at home with nothing to do is boring.

One thing I have not missed is using the PCs, as I said earlier today, I use RISC OS at home, and it is so much better than Microsoft Windows. People came into the Library to use the computers, and if Wendy has gone home, or is busy, then it is down to me to help them out. It is usually a problem caused by the word processor MSWord, which is utter rubbish. A few days ago, old Bill Gates was being interviewed by BBC News, and he said that his company made great software that made life so much easier. Dream on Bill, your company on the whole produces rubbish software that makes life more complicated than it needs to be.

*****

The weather forecasters are predicting a cold snap for next week, with temperatures dropping down to -15°C, and with the wind chill it will feel like -24°C. I really hope that they have got it wrong. I hate the cold so much. If I could afford to live in the Tropics during the winter, then I would, and only come back to this country for the summer. I would put up with the cold and wet, and come back to this country for a traditional British Christmas.

*****

Having seen the result of the Democrat Party’s Caucus in Iowa, I am of the opinion that they would be quite happy to see the Idiot Son actually win this time. The candidates on the Democrat side are a bunch of losers and has-beens. Let’s face it, the Republicans in power now are the same bunch who were at the top when Reagan was puppet in chief. They are not getting any younger, and by 2008 even if they find another moron to act as their front man, they will be they will be to decrepit do hold onto power.

Prediction, the first female President of the United States of America will have the surname Clinton, but it wont be Hillary, and it wont be for another thirty years. Yes, by the time the US of A is ready to be lead by a woman, Chelsea Clinton will be the highest ranking woman politician, and will win by a landslide.

It is now ten years since I finally admitted that my BBC Master computer was past it, and bought an Acorn A3010 to replace it from Rumbelows. (Remember them, I must have been one of the last people to buy anything from their shop in Cardiff). Thus began my decade long enchantment with RISC OS, which at its best is the finest operating system available. At the present, things seem to be very much in flux for the OS. Ever since Acorn fell victim to the asset strippers in 1998, the ship has been rudderless. Now however, Castle Technology has taken control of Hardware development, OS development and marketing, the future is looking a good deal brighter. A lot of interesting software is on its way, which will provide functionality that has been missing from the OS for far too long. Not that everything is rosy in the garden, there is still some catching up to be done, with no clear direction from the top, the development of drivers that allows RISC OS machines to run with the latest peripheral hardware has been held back. Hopefully all that will now change. The dark days are over, long live RISC OS.

Title: Lord of the Rings – Return of the King
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Viggo Mortinsen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davies, Elijah Wood etc

After I left the cinema when I saw The Two Towers, I wondered how Peter Jackson could possibly top the greatest motion picture ever made. Last night I found out how, by making the greatest motion picture ever made, again. Jackson’s mighty adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkeins trilogy drew to a close with three and half hours worth of The Return of the King. It started with the Smeagol/Gollum story. After this interlude, it cuts into the main action with the defence of Minas Tirith from the forces of Sauron; Frodo and Sam’s quest into Mordor to destroy the One Ring, and end the Dark Lord’s power forever. This film really was an epic. Everything about it was on a grand scale.  You could believe that the Hobbits had scaled a precipitous mountain.  You knew that the Giant elephants trampling towards Minas Tirath were a deadly threat to the city.  Is it just me, or did Viggo Mortensen looked at least ten years older when he was cleaned up for his coronation as King of Gondor.  It must be better explained in the novels why Eowyn and Faramir are suddenly so friendly at the conversation, or maybe this is something that will be included in the extended DVD release of the film.

This film also had more homoerotic sub-texts than you could shake a stick at, could Elijah Wood look any gayer than when he was lying paralysed and bound up by the giant spider Shelob.

Over all, I loved this movie.

When you are young, you do not notice the youth of Medical Students, as you are also a youth. I must be getting old, because the Medical Students at The University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff did not look old enough to be in the Sixth Form, let alone doing Post Graduate medical training.

The reason I was at the hospital was an appointment at the Epilepsy Unit. Before I started taking Epilim, I was constantly lethargic and drowsy. I was always sleeping, even after a solid night’s shut eye, I would wake up tired. It has been nine years since I started taking the current medication. The Doctors want to check that it is effective, mainly because it has not completely removed the problem. Instead of being lethargic 24/7, I get periods of extreme drowsness, where I cannot keep my eyes open. So, they are reducing the dose by 200mg/day over the next six months. At the end of that time, I they plan on doing tests such as an EEG to see if the lethargy is actually caused by epileptic seizures. In two months I have an appointment to see the Epilepsy Unit’s nurse, to monitor progress, by which point, I will be well on the way to being a zombie again.

In the final weeks of the Financial Year, I have to use up all my annual leave, or lose it. According to the records, I have sixteen and a half days left to burn. I cannot possibly have that much leave left. I was sure that I took a week off in June, and that would have knocked it down to 10 days, but they cannot find any records of that in Admin. So, what to do with all this free time. I plan to use it all relieving the pressure on Wednesdays, so that I don’t have to rush down the University of Glamorgan in time for lectures. Yes, I know, a really boring thing to do, but I honestly don’t care, it will make my life a lot easier.

******

It appears that the DVD release of the complete series is doing much better than the suits at FOX Home Video were expecting. The people at Mutant Enemy Productions who actually made the show knew how well it would sell, and are now moving onto the next project to be taken from the “failed” TV series. According to www.fireflyfans.net M.E. are planning on releasing a CD of Greg Edmonson’s music from Firefly. One of the things I really loved about this series was the music, so I have been hoping that this would happen. The question is, how will they go about it? Will it simply be lifting musical cues from episodes and put them as 30 second chunks on the disc, or will they take the cues, and get Mr. Edmonson to integrate them into cohesive pieces of music? I hope that they go for the second option, listening to a collection of short musical cues is very disjointed. Also, they must include the theme song, that Joss Whedon wrote, maybe even an extened version, with a second verse and chorus, if he can find the time.

Why do people rave about Little Britain? It is not funny, not even remotely humorous. In fact it is offensively crass and boorish. (more…)

A plaintive request, if ever I decide to walk to the Chapter Art Centre from Cardiff City Centre in the freezing fog again, please shoot me. I was so cold by the time I arrived at this month’s meeting, I thought I was never going to warm up. It is strange coming back to Chapter for a science fiction group meeting again, the old Cardiff group SFFC used to meet at Chapter.

Rob, the USAmerican was getting people to volunteer time to advertise the K1. I reaaly cannot imagine living and working so far from my family and place of birth. Even when I was in college I was only a few hundred miles from Home, and it was easy to get to. Rob has to cross an ocean before he even gets close to home. I have no objections to handing out flyers in Cardiff, as long as I don’t have to wear a Star Trek uniform, costumes are strictly for conventions. There was quite a good turn out for this month’s meeting, but it is not good to rest on your laurels, and anyway, new faces stop things going stale.

Watched some fun episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise at K1 last night. This entry is going to contain spoilers, so if you want to stay fresh with the new season of ST: E, look away now. It is nice to see that the makers of Enterprise have finally seen some sense and are including the Star Trek in the title.

First episode was Twilight in which Captain Archer loses his ability to form new memories, and is replaced by T’Pol.

• It looked odd seeing T’Pol in a Starfleet uniform. When she told the Vulcan High Command to take a running jump, did she defect and become an Earth Citizen, as far as I remember, at this point it is still the United Earth Starfleet.
• Vulcans are bastards. If I hated them before, I loathe them now. After seeing that the Xindi had a weapon capable of destroying planets, did they raise of finger to stop this weapon reaching Earth, after it had destroyed a number of Earth colonies. No, they simply blamed the Humans for leaving Earth, before they, the sanctimonious bastards had given them permission.
• It says a lot that twelve years after the attack on Earth, the rest of the Galaxy hasn’t united to toast the Xindi, possibly the most xenophobic cultures ever seen on Star Trek.
• Treknobabble ending. Destroying the nanites that were affecting Archer’s brain wiped them completely from history, so the episode never actually happened is such a lame plot device.

Second episode was Similitude.

• This story that start with what appears to be the funeral of Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III, Chief engineer aboard the starship Enterprise. It then jumps back two weeks and we see the events leading to this solemn moment.
• Trip has been experimenting with the warp engines, and when things go pear shaped, Trip is in a coma. The only way to save him is for Dr. Phlox to grow a clone, that will live the normal human life cycle in just two weeks. When the clone is the same apparent age as Trip, the brain cells needed to revive the chief engineer will be harvested. Unfortunately, this will kill the clone.
• If this episode had existed twelve months ago, I would have had at one thousand more words to add to my dissertation. This is the sort of moral and ethical problem that I was discussing. It is all very well growing spare parts in a vat, and transplanting them into a sick person, but how do you cope with a the creation of a living creature, no mater how short its life might be, if that creatures only purpose is to sacrifice its life. This episode had a bit of a cop out ending. In addition to having all the memories of its progenitor (how?), it also had Trip’s Deep South sense of honour, duty and sacrifice, so it gave up its life for the good of Humanity. Complete hokum.

At the December meeting of K1, the request was issued for people to think of things to keep the meeting entertaining. My reply to this is volunteering to run a game of Playdoh Charades. I discovered this game at last year’s ArmadaCon. If you can’t be original, borrow someone else’s good idea. Playdoh  Charades is a very silly game, and I hope that it works well at K1. With K1 being a predominantly Star Trek group, I am going to have to make it as ST orientated as possible.