NorWesCon 32 Itinerary

I have received my itinerary for NorWesCon.

Saturday, April 11

The Blogger Effect      11:00 AM      Cascade 5
Has blogging ruined the fine art of editing? What do we gain with publishing spontaneous writing? And what do we lose? There is a growing network of SF/F professional and aspiring writers connected via LiveJournal and other blogging communities. Is it breaking down the barriers between pro, amateur, and fan-ficcer? Does it function as an informal online writers’ workshop, as a support group, or a black hole of cat-vacuuming?
Josh Palmatier, Mark Henry, Michael Martinez, Gordon Van Gelder

Comparative Study: Elves     1:00 PM     Cascade 8
Delicate, beautiful, graceful…deadly. Light Elves versus Dark, Night versus Blood, what is it about these diametrically opposing forces that draw us to them? Is it simply easy storytelling or is it representative of the dichotomy within each of us? Or both? Come ready to discuss elves in context of opposing sides in literature and gaming.
Dave Butler, Michael Martinez, Ciandi Stephens

On the Fringe    3:00 PM    Cascade 10
Have the creators of Lost created a new winner?
Chris Nilsson, Ryan K. Johnson, Michael Martinez

Using Fantasy and Science Fiction to Engage the Next Generation    4:00 PM    Cascade 7
With the competition presented by computers, TV, and the myriad of animated gaming devices, K-12 educators are intensely interested in finding new ways to engage their students’ interest. Members of SF&F fandom, are invited to take part in brainstorming ways to improve educational approaches for the future using Science Fiction and Fantasy themes as a jumping-off point.
Spring Shoenhuth, Craig Figley, Eva-Lise Carlstrom, Miki Garrison, Michael Martinez

Comparative Study: Orcs    5:00 PM    Cascade 5
They are easily recognizable by their green, grey or brown skin, tusks and fangs…not to mention the fact that they are almost definitely trying to kill you. Orcs have haunted our nightmares (and therefore, our stories) for decades, but what do these creatures have in common with each other? Comparing Tolkein, Salvatore and other literary works with games such as Warhammer and Warcraft, this panel analyzes the origins and history of Fantasy’s favorite barbarian horde.
Dave Butler, Michael Martinez, Chris Pramas, Dylan S.

Tolkien Has a Lot to Answer For    7:00 PM    Cascade 4
With Lord of the Rings, Tolkien established the fantasy genre and many of the current fantasy traditions. Has this now hindered the growth of the fantasy genre?
Michael Martinez, Jeff Grubb, Eric Mona

Sunday, April 12

The Fannish Community On Line    10:00 AM    Cascade 8
From parsing every detail of every sci fi and fantasy script out of Hollywood to debates on production stills for movies that don’t come out for another year, on-line fandom has become a force to be reckoned with and even courted. With threats of boycott of Twentieth Century Fox over Watchman as an example, how will fandom use its online power to advance the cause of science fiction and fantasy?
Ryan K. Johnson, Michael Martinez, Amanda Cherry, Leo Roberts

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SF-Fandom is a fan-run moderated Web discussion community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. Founded in 2001, SF-Fandom is part of the Xenite.Org Network of science fiction and fantasy Web sites.

Scientists prove Anastasia Romanov died with family

The story of Princess Anastasia has inspired several books, at least two movies, a broadway play, and innumerable newspaper and magazine articles. There are many Web sites that also speculate on the fate of Czar Nicholas II’s daughter.

Thought by many researchers to have survived the massacre of the Imperial family in 1918, Anastasia Romanov has been the subject of numerous rumors, myths, and a few attempts at identity theft (or maybe simply of mistaken self-identity). One or two of the women who claimed to be Anastasia were considered by many people to be credible claimants.

Alas! It appears that her remains have at last been identified in a forest in the Ural Mountains. Princess Anastasia did not survive the massacre after all.

Her father’s career as a monarch may not be exemplary in the eyes of historians and human rights activists but Princess Anastasia’s mystery has elicited a great deal of sympathy for the Czar’s children, who were murdered by Bolshevik revolutionaries to prevent them from leading a counter rebellion against the Communist regime of Vladimir Lenin.

The Romanov’s were tied by blood to virtually all the ruling families of Europe. The current English royal family, for example, claims a relationship with Nicholas’ wife Alexandra, who was a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria. The First World War, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people, arose in large part from the mistrust between the ruling families, who arranged secret treaties for mutual defense.

Nicholas’ cruel policies (including anti-Semitic pogroms) culminated in Russia’s entry into the First World War in a state of near-complete unpreparedness. The Russians lacked the logistical and industrial base to support a large war effort, which was required in order to challenge the combined might of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Nicholas’ mobilization of the Russian people left too few men to work the inefficient farms and the economy eventually collapsed as millions of people starved.

While this tale of woe has no direct connection to science fiction and fantasy it certainly has influenced science fiction and fantasy in many ways. Stories of noble families facing military and economic disaster have appeared from time to time, with perhaps Frank Herbert’s Dune being the most notable. In fact, there are several parallels between the story of the Atreides family and the Romanov family (it turns out that Duke Leto Atreides was building an army capable of challenging Imperial power, which is why the Atreides were betrayed by the Emperor).

Science met fiction in recent years as researchers uncovered the truth about what happened to the Romanovs. Their story will no doubt inspire many other tales to come. And, who knows? Perhaps Anastasia’s memory will live on in tales of princesses who escape family tragedies. Perhaps Nicholas’ bad judgement will be echoed by stereotyped villain rulers.

Maybe some good will come of the bad if people use the Romanov story to teach future generations of monarchs to be careful how they wield their power.

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SF-Fandom is a fan-run moderated Web discussion community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. Founded in 2001, SF-Fandom is part of the Xenite.Org Network of science fiction and fantasy Web sites.

Video looks at multiverse paradoxes

The Things You Ought To Know Web site has published a neat video lecture about the Multiverse theory and why it really doesn’t solve the time travel paradox.

The time travel paradox stipulates that you cannot travel back in time because if you do you risk altering events that led to your ability to travel back in time. Some people try to show that an existence can loop back upon itself in some way that doesn’t alter the time traveler’s destiny (to travel back in time).

It’s all very confusing, a lot of fun, and this has all happened before — or not. Maybe it’s happening elsewhere — or not. You won’t know much of anything for sure after watching this video except that you will have seen the video — maybe.

Time Traveling The Multiverse

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SF-Fandom is a fan-run moderated Web discussion community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. Founded in 2001, SF-Fandom is part of the Xenite.Org Network of science fiction and fantasy Web sites.