Panels
Updated panel times and descriptions. If this conflicts with the schedule, this is correct.
Saturday:
10-11am: World-Building for Dummies. So you've always wanted to design a world, whether for an RPG or a science fiction novel. Only problem is, you can't decide whether those six-legged beasts of burden could survive in the harsh climate, or why precisely two great nations are at war. Come find out!
11-11:30am: Meet Allen. Sit down with author Allen Steele and get to know him a little better.
11:30am-12pm: Meet Jeph. A chance to chat with Jeph Jacques, author of the webcomic www.questionablecontent.net .
12:30-1:30pm: Terraforming. How do you take a barren wasteland of a planet and make it fit for human habitation? When will Venus become the tropical dream destination of the Solar System? And what, if any, are the consequences?
1-2pm: Creating a Webcomic. What does it take to have a successful strip? Elaborate story arcs? Brilliant sense of humor? Incredible artistic skills? Sexual tension? Regular updates?
1:30-2:30pm: Folklore in Fantasy. Fantasy's roots lie deep in the heart of folklore. See how the original stories influence the new, and what things never change from story to story.
2-3pm: Why We Play the Characters We Do. The con chair once played a hermaphroditic gnome in a D&D game. Why? The answers you seek may lie here. But I wouldn't bet on it.
2:30-3pm: Evil Laughter Workshop. So you want to be an Evil Overlord. First, you need to learn to laugh like one. Our experts show you how.
3-5pm: SF/F Writing 101. Learn from the pros what it takes to write a science fiction or fantasy novel. And then what it takes to promote it. (Hint: it involves going to a lot of conventions. Tough, huh?)
5-6pm: I Vant to Suck Your Blood: Vampire Myths modern and ancient. From Vlad the Impaler to Lestat, vampires have always been a part of our mythology. What do they have in common, and what changes from era to era?
5:30-6:30pm: Science of SF. How close are we to the technology of your favorite SF story? Will wars ever be fought with phasers or turbolasers? Will AI ever take over the world? How does a hyperdrive work? All this, and more.
6-7pm: Webcomics as Art. The webcomic may very well be the most prolific and flourishing of all the art forms introduced by the Web.
7-8pm: Comic Book Movies. What distinguishes the good from the bad? Why does everyone hate Daredevil? Find out, immediately following a screening of a comic book movie.
7-8pm: Tengwar Workshop. Learn how to write your name in Elvish script! You might even pick up a few words of the language.
8:30-9:30pm: Music in Film. Music is a powerful part of filmmaking. Why does the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack make you long for the open seas, and the Lord of the Rings sountrack inspire such rich imagery?
8:30-10:30pm: Storytelling. Drop by the Red Room for a storytelling session with master storyteller Josepha Sherman. Her stories are not for children.
9:30-10:30pm: Birth of a Subculture. What exactly is a subculture, and why do people join them? Is fandom a subculture (or several)?
Sunday:
10-11:30am: All Things Harry Potter. 'Nuff said.
11am-12pm: Duct Tape Construction Workshop. How to make nifty stuff out of duct tape.
12:30-1:30pm: Feminism in SF. Why do the women on gaming manuals always have very little in the way of clothing? Clearly the answer lies in hormones, but there is so much more to talk about.
1-2pm: SF Playwriting. What are the special challenges involved in writing a science fiction play?
2-3pm: How to Survive a Zombie Attack. An interactive powerpoint presentation on surviving the undead hordes. Immediately following a screening of a zombie film.
2:30-4pm: Fanfic. Some love it, others hate it. What's it all about, anyway?
3-4pm: Anime RPGs. Because we love BESM and Exalted. And so should you.
4-5pm: Wrap-up. Final raffle drawings, and a chance to tell us what you liked about this year's ConDuct, what you didn't like, and what we should do next year.