Library menu iconPost Office menu iconObservatory menu iconPaint Factory menu iconTown Crier menu iconCovered Way menu icon
Observatory header image

Observations from the Observatory

In which Frances Hardinge peers at the Universe and admires the Shiny Bits

Picocon 32

Posted in Sighted At Large, Splendid Things - 19 February 2015 - 2 comments

Picocon (so named because it is fairly small) is a science fiction and fantasy convention run annually by the Imperial College Science Fiction and Fantasy and Gothic Horror Society (ICSF). It’s designed to be handy for students and fans based in the London area, but in practice quite a few people seem to travel long distances in order to attend, and come back year after year.

Picocon t-shirts-small

I was the first act on the Saturday, and since the theme of this year’s con was ‘duality’ I decided to focus upon Cuckoo Song, and held forth about doppelgangers, doubles and changelings.

Here I am with my best 'buy this books or I'll set wolves on you' expression

Here I am with my best ‘buy this book or I’ll set wolves on you’ expression. Photo by Chad Dixon.

I was followed by the fearsomely eloquent Cory Doctorow, who talked about digital securiy, cryptography, surveillance and ways that one might lose personal control in a world based upon the Internet of Things. It was a fascinating talk and very entertaining.

Picocon’s fearless agents had hunted down some particularly reprehensible examples of tawdry merchandise. Such items were then paraded before the attendees, who could bid to save or condemn them (all money to charity). Those objects deemed irredeemably ugly or tacky were ceremonially frozen using liquid nitrogen and then smashed with a sledgehammer. Very satisfying.

Destruction of Dodgy Merchandise2-small

I also ran into Autun Purser, and was childishly excited to find that his Fantastic Travel Destinations collection now includes a poster based on Caverna!

Caverna poster (2)-cropped-small

In the afternoon I appeared on a panel with Cory, discussing dystopias, the benefits or dangers of writing groups, audience avatars, writing YA and how to be a subversive aunt/uncle.

With Cory Doctorow. Photo by Chad Dixon.

With Cory Doctorow. Photo by Chad Dixon.

On the Sunday, the guests of honour were Kari Sperring and Ian McDonald. As it happened, their speeches worked well as a pair (which fitted the theme of duality). Kari’s talk was about new ways of regarding history, challenging the accounts written by the ‘winners’, and avoiding mindless repetition of the dominant narrative when writing historical fiction. Ian’s speech was about new ways of regarding the future, the Long Now Foundation, and their desire to move away from mankind’s disastrous short-termism.

Both talks were very interesting, and their panel in the afternoon covered a lot of ground, including gender and the emergence of fictional futures shaped by cultures that weren’t American or European.

With Ian McDonald and Kari Sperring

With Ian McDonald and Kari Sperring

All in all, Picocon is a warm, friendly, welcoming convention, and they look after their Guests of Honour very well. Many thanks to Stephen Ingram and the other organisers. Thanks in particular to Noor Mulheron for chaperoning me throughout the con, and making sure that I was fed and watered and didn’t fall down any holes.

Noor with Academic Cthulhu in the splendid ICSF library

Noor with Academic Cthulhu in the splendid ICSF library

Tags: london, panel, Picocon, public appearance
← Shortlists and Longlists! World Book Week 2015 →

2 Responses to Picocon 32

  1. Anna says:
    February 20, 2015 at 5:13 am

    That photo of you and Cory Doctorow looks like you’re sizing each other up in preparation for declaring some sort of duel. Tea dueling, if your record is any indication. My money’s on you.

    And speaking of violence, I’d wager you’ll get better results if you sic Saracen on non-book-buyers rather than mere wolves.

    Wish I could’ve been there!

    Anna

    Reply
    • Frances says:
      February 20, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      It did strike me that in the photo the we seem to be engaging in the world’s most relaxed Mexican standoff.

      Ideally I need my own attack squad of killer geese. Unfortunately I suspect that approaching killer geese and attempting to recruit them one by one might prove difficult and painful. Perhaps I should try to rear my feathered warriors from the egg…

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Anna Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Nine Worlds Schedule
  • YALC Schedule
  • The Cake is Not In Fact a Lie
  • Mini-Tour for The Lie Tree
  • Eastercon/Dysprosium 2015

Recent Comments

  • Frances on Nine Worlds Schedule
  • Andrew Brooks on Nine Worlds Schedule
  • Frances on World Book Week 2015
  • Holly on World Book Week 2015
  • Lucy Hutchinson on YALC Schedule

Archives

  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Blogroll

  • Documentation
  • Plugins
  • Suggest Ideas
  • Support Forum
  • Themes
  • WordPress Blog
  • WordPress Planet

Meta

  • Log in

Archives

  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012

Pages


FacebookPlus this on Google+!TumblrContact Frances
This website and its contents copyright © Frances Hardinge 2012 except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Entries (RSS). Clean Simple White Theme by Mazznoer. Powered by WordPress.

In which Frances Hardinge peers at the Universe and admires the Shiny Bits