My Capricon 32 Schedule

[beamjockey]

Capricon 32 is almost upon us.  I find myself participating in panels with some exciting people.  Also, I offered to give my Grote Reber talk, and Capricon agreed.  Here's my schedule.

One panel has been canceled: "In Search of the Higgs Boson," formerly scheduled for Thursday 6:30 pm.
 
How the Contraption in Reber's Yard Brought the Galaxy to Wheaton
Friday, 02-10-2012 - 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm - River AB (Programming - Media)
Bill Higgins

Radio sources in the sky were discovered in the 1930s, but nobody studied them until Grote Reber of Wheaton, Illinois tackled the problem. In his spare time, and on a shoestring budget, Reber assembled in his mother's backyard an enormous electronic contraption that would change astronomy forever. Eventually, radio astronomy would blossom into an important new discipline-- but for nearly a decade Reber was the only radio astronomer on Earth.

Pluto Is Still a Planet in Illinois
Friday, 02-10-2012 - 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm - Birch A
Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., Bill Higgins (Moderator), Jim Plaxco, Steven H Silver

Pluto got demoted. (We blame Neil DeGrasse Tyson). But here in Illinois, it's still a planet. Why are we still so invested in the classification of this distant object?

Does It Matter If Science Fiction Authors Are Bad at Predicting the Future?
Friday, 02-10-2012 - 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm - Willow
Cory Doctorow (Moderator), Bill Higgins, Kristine Smith, Gene Wolfe

Sure, we get some things right, like flip phones or going to the moon, but SF authors also get a LOT wrong when they predict the future. Does it really matter? What is the value of the exercise of making predictions?

Brother Guy and Bill Higgins Talk about Science Stuff
Sunday, 02-12-2012 - 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Botanic Garden A
Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., Bill Higgins

Brother Guy and Bill Higgins are fascinating. Hear them discuss fascinating things...about SCIENCE!

[Disclaimer: The Capricon committee's words, not mine.  Make up your own mind about just how fascinating I may be.  This is not the most informative of panel descriptions, but at least it has the virtue of brevity.]

Fanzines for Fun and Non-Profit  
Sunday, 02-12-2012 - 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm - Elm
James Bacon, Bill Higgins, Steven H Silver, Dick Smith, delphyne woods, Leah Zeldes Smith (Moderator)

Join us as we explore the vibrant world of fanzines. One of Science Fiction and Fantasy fandom's oldest means of communication, analysis, and community building, fanzines continue to flourish as they adapt to our changing times.



I think this is going to be a fun weekend.

Comments

[brooksmoses]

I hereby regret that I am not going to be at Capricon. I regret it a lot.

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

#3 sounds interesting: I doubt very much if 10% of what, say, Heinlein predicted has come to pass.

[le-trombone.livejournal.com]

Admit it. The Search for the Higgs Boson panel was cancelled because it's been found.

It's existence is kept secret by a consortium of physicists who want to corner the market. Er, or something like that.

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

So if Illinois still thinks Pluto is a planet, what is its attitude to Sedna, Makemake, Quaor and the other bodies in the outer solar system that are *bigger* than Pluto?

Yes - this is an astronomy troll ;-)

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I think the only Kuiper Belt object known to be more massive than Pluto is Eris. Eris may or may not be larger in diameter. Haumea may be wider than Pluto along its long axis.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

So if Illinois still thinks Pluto is a planet, what is its attitude to Sedna, Makemake, Quaor and the other bodies in the outer solar system that are *bigger* than Pluto?

As their discovery is not associated with Illinois, as far as I know, there may not be a prevailing opinion.

Perhaps I will ask the panel this question.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

Ask Brother Guy how the monks in Sicily feel about Ceres today. Are they over it?

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

It does indeed look like fun.

It would be nice to bring that first panel to ConFusion and some of the others too.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

The Reber talk? I've been focusing on giving it to local groups to celebrate his centennial (which was 22 Dec 2011) and never thought much about interest outside Chicagoland. I'll give it at Confusion if you want me to.

Occurs to me that this story-- a lone inventor, laboring on a strange device in his yard, cracking open previously-unsuspected secrets of the universe-- seems like the stuff of 1930s science fiction.

[samwinolj.livejournal.com]

Have a little extra fun for me, I'm working this weekend.

[acmespaceship.livejournal.com]

I bought some dulcimer fret marker stickers today (long story) and while browsing I came upon this:



Leaving aside for the moment the problem of Mars and Jupiter trading places (astronomy and fret spacing do not agree, proof that Pythagoras was wrong about the music of the spheres) and a giant infinity symbol where the asteroid belt ought to be, it appears they not only include Pluto, but also Eris.