I'm at Dublin 2019 for the Worldcon, which means I traveled from Orange County, CA, USA to Dublin, Ireland.
I forgot to take a picture of OC before I left, but it's just going into fire season and basically looks like this:
In Dublin it's raining and looks more like this:
That's the famous Samuel Beckett harp-shaped bridge over the Liffey
This is the convention center, next to the bridge.
After a snooze we went for a walk in Dublin to get our bearings.
Above: Iguana Mural in the city center
Above: There's a LOT of construction around in the docklands, but the city center still looks mostly like this.
They have a street named for Rory Gallagher - well, a corner, which I can approve of. This appears to be in the designated Rock area, so I'll come back here later.
Temple Bar Inn. I failed to get a good picture of it. This area is basically Dublin's Soho, but we were there at like 7 am, so the swaying crowd of tourists is not present.
Above: Temple Bar Inn from the side
On the walk, we went for a Full Irish Breakfast at the Bittersweet coffee bar. It was very moreish and much like a Full English Breakfast except it had White Pudding as well as Black Pudding. White Pudding is (as far as I can tell) just pale Black Pudding. The Black Pudding isn't as spicy and salty as it is in Yorkshire, but it's tasty. I was glad to have it again after all these years.
We walked back to the convention center for our first panel discussion. (We got our steps in on this trip, but given the size of the breakfasts and breakfast pastries, there was no chance of losing weight.)
Retro Hugos Discussion
Robert Silverberg, the dapper and long-winded "only living recipient of a retro Hugo", Jo Walton, Heidi Lyshol and Jukka Sarkijarvi.
Biggest issue seemed to be - what are we voting *as*? As a person in 1944 would vote, or as we would have voted on the first day we read these old stories, or as a 2019 person assessing these stories from a modern perspective? The upshot seemed to be that Silverberg thought these stories would not have been popular in 1944, and Sarkijarvi seemed to think these stories shouldn't be popular in 2019 (problematic) so we would probably go with Jo Walton, who thought these stories would have been popular when we were 12 (the Golden Age of SF).
I did think Silverberg and Sarkijarvi were going to come to blows over whether "an armed society is a free society" would have been an acceptable slogan to a Finn in 1944.
Actual winners (announced that evening)
Best Novel
Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber, Jr. (Unknown Worlds, April 1943)
Best Novella
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Reynal & Hitchcock)
Best Novelette
“Mimsy Were the Borogroves,” by Lewis Padgett (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner) (Astounding Science-Fiction, February 1943)
Best Fanzine
Le Zombie, editor Wilson “Bob” Tucker
Best Fan Writer
Forrest J Ackerman
More Panels:
Invasion and the Irish Imagination
Ruth Frances Long | Jo Zebedee | Ian McDonald | Dr Jack Fennell | Peadar Ó Guilín
I thought this might be a victim-fest with various people vying for the title of most invaded victim in history, but it turned out to be very interesting and without a touch of identitarianism. In fact the book referred to in the programme, the Book of Invasions (Lebor Gabala Erenn) is the story of the *Irish* invading Ireland and making it theirs - as one panelist put it, pushing the Sidhe, the previous mysterious inhabitants, out to the fringes, from where they've been raiding ever since. The others mentioned in the programme - the Normans and the English - just got shrugs. It seems everyone is welcome over time, assimilates and joins in. One panelist pointed out that the Statutes of Kilkenny were written to prevent the Normans from being assimilated into Irish life, but they had to be translated into Irish, because the Norman/English no longer spoke any other language.
We had lunch at a Sushi place called Musashi which was okay.
Liking Problematic Things
Sarah Gulde | Leo Adams | A. T. Greenblatt | Sam Hawke
Short answers seem to be:
1. Don't like problematic things
2. Tell your friends not to like problematic things, but break it to them gently because they might mourn the loss of whatever artist/artwork and be bummed.
I can't say I agree, but I do realize that at least some of the panelists felt that certain artists were trying to erase their (the panelist's) existence, which is obviously painful, or portraying their identity badly or incorrectly, which I can see could be an issue.
AI and the Myth of Singularity
Klaus Æ. Mogensen (Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies) | Lettie Prell | Hadas Sloin | Martha Wells
This was mildly interesting but the audience seemed to already know as much as the panelists, which meant it resembled a sort of live-action twitter thread. The Paperclip Maximizer got a lot of exercise.
How to Manage Finite Natural Resources
Vincent Docherty | Sazib Bhuiyan (Can With Candle) | Nigel Quinlan | Annalee Newitz | Cliona Shakespeare
Another live-action Twitter thread, though I thought Annalee Newitz could have done a Cory Doctorow and brought major knowledge and erudition to the thread if she's been afforded more time.
Dinner was Chinese was take-out from the local take-away, which was delectable. Duck, prawn crackers, sesame toast, lightly gingered chicken, not too sweet. It's a hole in the wall called Starry Night and I recommend it.
Friday August 16th
Invasion and the Irish Imagination
Ruth Frances Long | Jo Zebedee | Ian McDonald | Dr Jack Fennell | Peadar Ó Guilín
I thought this might be a victim-fest with various people vying for the title of most invaded victim in history, but it turned out to be very interesting and without a touch of identitarianism. In fact the book referred to in the programme, the Book of Invasions (Lebor Gabala Erenn) is the story of the *Irish* invading Ireland and making it theirs - as one panelist put it, pushing the Sidhe, the previous mysterious inhabitants, out to the fringes, from where they've been raiding ever since. The others mentioned in the programme - the Normans and the English - just got shrugs. It seems everyone is welcome over time, assimilates and joins in. One panelist pointed out that the Statutes of Kilkenny were written to prevent the Normans from being assimilated into Irish life, but they had to be translated into Irish, because the Norman/English no longer spoke any other language.
We had lunch at a Sushi place called Musashi which was okay.
Liking Problematic Things
Sarah Gulde | Leo Adams | A. T. Greenblatt | Sam Hawke
Short answers seem to be:
1. Don't like problematic things
2. Tell your friends not to like problematic things, but break it to them gently because they might mourn the loss of whatever artist/artwork and be bummed.
I can't say I agree, but I do realize that at least some of the panelists felt that certain artists were trying to erase their (the panelist's) existence, which is obviously painful, or portraying their identity badly or incorrectly, which I can see could be an issue.
AI and the Myth of Singularity
Klaus Æ. Mogensen (Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies) | Lettie Prell | Hadas Sloin | Martha Wells
This was mildly interesting but the audience seemed to already know as much as the panelists, which meant it resembled a sort of live-action twitter thread. The Paperclip Maximizer got a lot of exercise.
How to Manage Finite Natural Resources
Vincent Docherty | Sazib Bhuiyan (Can With Candle) | Nigel Quinlan | Annalee Newitz | Cliona Shakespeare
Another live-action Twitter thread, though I thought Annalee Newitz could have done a Cory Doctorow and brought major knowledge and erudition to the thread if she's been afforded more time.
Dinner was Chinese was take-out from the local take-away, which was delectable. Duck, prawn crackers, sesame toast, lightly gingered chicken, not too sweet. It's a hole in the wall called Starry Night and I recommend it.
Friday August 16th
Nothing about us without us: disability in YA
Marieke Nijkamp | Peadar Ó Guilín | Fran Wilde | Victoria Lee (Skyscape)
As usual, different things seemed to be problematic to different people, but the title of the panel seemed to sum up how to approach the issue.
Problematic favourites and the death of the author
Kathy Bond | Maquel A. Jacob (MAJart Works) | Kate Heartfield | Val Nolan (Aberystwyth University)
Less prescriptive than the previous panel on problematicity
Writing great alternative histories
Yasser Bahjatt (Yatakhayaloon Co. Ltd.) | Ian Watson | Alan Smale | Ginjer Buchanan (Penguin Random House) | Dr Theodora Goss (Boston University and Stonecoast MFA Program)
Can't remember a thing about this.
Can't remember a thing about this.
The Vikings are coming!
Emil Hjörvar Petersen | Dr Stephan Grundy | Kari Sperring | Annie Bellet
Nope, not a damn thing.
Nope, not a damn thing.
Hammer Horror
Genevieve Cogman | The John Vaughan | Tim Major (Titan Books) | Helena Nash | Mr Grzegorz Aleksander Biały (Atelier Improwizacji)
Hammer people are always funny and well-informed, so this was a lot of fun. Can't remember any specifics, but it seems the intersection of Hammer and Nigel Kneale is the motherlode.
Hammer people are always funny and well-informed, so this was a lot of fun. Can't remember any specifics, but it seems the intersection of Hammer and Nigel Kneale is the motherlode.
Is Hari Seldon’s project becoming achievable?
Tomasz Kozłowski (Atelier Improwizacji) | Shmulik Shelach | Dr. Sara L. Uckelman (Durham University) | Marina Berlin
Spirited discussion of Big Data and what it could be used for. I'd say "no" for the programme's question, but the movement of crowds is definitely understood,
Spirited discussion of Big Data and what it could be used for. I'd say "no" for the programme's question, but the movement of crowds is definitely understood,
Introduction to grimdark
Devin Madson | Elliot Craggs | Kim ten Tusscher | Cameron Johnston | Jenn Lyons
What it says on the tin.
What it says on the tin.
Saturday August 17th
NASA astronaut training
Dr. Jeanette Epps (NASA)
Wonderfully uplifting presentation by Dr Epps on how she studied and trained to be an astronaut. Not much use to me - I'd fail at several points - but I hope people younger than me get a chance to hear her and follow in her footsteps.
Wonderfully uplifting presentation by Dr Epps on how she studied and trained to be an astronaut. Not much use to me - I'd fail at several points - but I hope people younger than me get a chance to hear her and follow in her footsteps.
Rural pagans, haunted forests: folk horror revival
Tim Major (Titan Books) | Ramsey Campbell (Select Title) | Lisa Tuttle | Neil Williamson
Can't remember a damn thing about it, but enjoyed everyone's contribution.
Can't remember a damn thing about it, but enjoyed everyone's contribution.
Art Show
Huckster Room
Eugene Doherty
Eugene was literally the first person (except from NASA) who knew what a screen was for and had slides. Funny and informative presentation.
Eugene was literally the first person (except from NASA) who knew what a screen was for and had slides. Funny and informative presentation.
The early history of computer music
Christopher Garcia (Computer History Museum)
Masquerade
Sunday August 18th
The Bare Bones of Worldbuilding: Archaeology in SFF
Ehud Maimon | Dr Katrin Kania (pallia - Mittelalter hautnah) | Alyc Helms | Marie Brennan
Archaeologists are a lively and well-informed bunch, so this was informative.
Archaeologists are a lively and well-informed bunch, so this was informative.
The Politics of Horror
F. Brett Cox (Norwich University) | Rosanne Rabinowitz | Charles Stross | Cristina Alves (Rascunhos / Voz Online / The Portuguese Portal of Fantasy and Science Fiction)
Today's politics are horrible and we hate the other, so blah blah blah
Today's politics are horrible and we hate the other, so blah blah blah
How National Identity is Portrayed in SFF
Dr. Bradford Lyau (Globosocks LLC) | Anna Gryaznova LL.M. (National University of Science and Technology MISiS (Moscow, Russia)) | Ada Palmer (University of Chicago) | Francesco Verso (Future Fiction) | Kate Sheehy
What Has Art Ever Done For Science?
Ariela Housman (Geek Calligraphy) | Dr Tiffani Angus (Anglia Ruskin University) | Dominic Riemenschneider MA (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) | Dr. Estelle Blanquet (University of Bordeaux)
2019 Hugo Awards
Monday August 19th
Jocelyn Bell Burnell in Conversation with Norah Patten
Shoot for the Moon: Lunar Depictions in SFF
Ian Sales | Ian McDonald | Joey Yu | Hester J. Rook | Jeffery Reynolds
Really Big Telescopes
Dr Inge Heyer (Loyola University Maryland) | Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell (University of Oxford) | Dr David L Clements (Imperial College London) | David DeGraff (Alfred University)
Forty Years of the Force: Fab or Fail?
Dr Boaz Karni-Harel (Hemda Center for Science Education) | John Coxon | Claudia Fusco | Jackie Kamlot
Closing Ceremony
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