The 76th World Science Fiction Convention starts this week in San Jose, California, at the San Jose Convention Center. I am pleased to be a program participant. Here are the panels I've been invited to be part of.

The Myth of the Astronaut - Who Are the Space Cadets of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow?

Friday Aug 17 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (1 hour)
San Jose Convention Center - 210E

The current definition of an astronaut is someone who crosses the Karman line: 62 miles from the surface of the Earth. With Virgin Galactic selling trips over the line to more than 700 people already, let's start to ask ourselves: who have these idols of society been, really, and how are we going to re-shape our narrative of what an astronaut is and should be in the coming years?

Mary Robinette Kowal (Moderator), Wil McCarthy, Kjell Lindgren, Bill Higgins, Sheyna Gifford

So You Want To Build A Science Fictional Device

Sunday Aug 19 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM (1 hour)
San Jose Convention Center - 210G

Join us for an improv-technology panel - where the audience asks us to design a SFnal device, and the panelists have 5 minutes to come up with our best "non-handwavium" answers.

S. B. Divya (Moderator), Cory Doctorow, Sydney Thomson, Bill Higgins

[Challenging! This will get my adrenaline going, but I'm betting it will be fun.]

The Impact of Evolutionary Theory on Nineteenth Century Science Fiction

Sunday Aug 19 05:00 PM to 06:00 PM (1 hour)
San Jose Convention Center - 210A

A popular argument is that modern science fiction emerged as a consequence of the rise of modern science and the secular theory of progress, and rapid changes in human life brought about by technology and industry. But was evolutionary theory of equal, if not more importance, in triggering the development of modern science fiction in the nineteenth century? Was it only after Darwin and other key nineteenth century evolutionary writers that modern science fiction really blossomed? What important and essential themes and ways of thinking did evolution contribute into the creation of modern science fiction?


Tom Lombardo (Moderator), G. David Nordley, Bradford Lyau, David Brin, Bill Higgins

[Thomas Lombardo has recently published Science Fiction - The Evolutionary Mythology of the Future: Volume One, Prometheus to the Martians and this panel springs from that work.]

I regret to say that we won't be attending Loncon 3. We have two memberships for sale at $192 each.

They include voting rights for the Hugo Awards and 2016 Worldcon site selection. The right to download the Hugo Voter Packet is also included.

The 73rd World Science Fiction Convention is LonCon 3, in London, England, 14-18 August 2014.

If you know anyone who might desire a membership, please pass this along.

To contact me by e-mail: higgins at fnal dot gov.

In comments to recent news about 2010 Hugo Awards going to Frederik Pohl and Jack Vance, redbird asks an interesting question:

Does that make Vance the oldest person to win a Hugo?

Jack Williamson's Hugo for "Ultimate Earth," awarded at the Millenium Philcon in 2001, leapt to mind.

Williamson received this award 126 days after his 93rd birthday. Vance's award came 8 days after his 94th birthday. So indeed (unless there is another nonagenarian I have overlooked) Vance appears to win this contest.

If I am correct, Jack Williamson appears to be the oldest writer to receive a Hugo for a work of fiction.

It has become interesting to ask the age of Professional Guests of Honor at the World Science Fiction Convention. And how long they were working in the field before the Worldcon honored them.


Birth year vs. year of Worldcon for Professional Guests of Honor

Sources:

Wikipedia entries on individual World Science Fiction Conventions (Worldcons) and Guests of Honor and Internet Science Fiction Database (ISFDB) bibliographies of authors and editors.

Rules:

Science fiction, fantasy, and horror count.

From my graphs, I eliminated Pro GoHs not known as authors or editors (e.g. artists, an essayist (Ley), GoHs from TV and motion pictures). In the case of some artists, it was difficult to learn the date of their first work in the field.

I eliminated the Ballantines because I'm not sure of the date of their first SF or fantasy work.

Most GoHs primarily known as editors have also written stories; I used date of first sale to mark their entry into the field.

I'm not sure I have accurate figures on the first sales of Wolfgang Jeschke, Josef Nesvadaba, or Sakyo Komatsu. I did the best I could.

Ages are calculated hastily as the difference between birth year and Worldcon year, rather than scrupulously by looking at the calendar date of each. Think of them as estimates.

Goofs:

I left Elisabeth Vonarburg out when I made the graphs. Born 1947, GoH in 2009, first sale 1979. Sorry.


Years Since First Contribution to SF vs. Worldcon Year


Birth Year minus Year of First Contribution to SF vs. Worldcon Year
( Ugly text lists behind cut )

I've been given a tentative schedule for my program items at Noreascon 4, the upcoming World Science Fiction Convention. It's happening from Thursday, 2 September through Monday, 6 September.

Thought I might share, though all times, topics, and participants are SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE WHIM OF THE NOREASCON COMMITTEE-- so don't rely on my word alone. In fact, it's fairly likely that there will be further changes to my schedule. But this will give you some idea what I'll be doing.

Thursday 5:00pm Rocketship Talk (with the Reactor Brothers!)

Bill Higgins, Jordin T. Kare

Got a problem with your family spacecraft? The Reactor Brothers, Fiss'n'Fuse, will troubleshoot your "ride" and get you back on the spaceways. Unless they don't.

Friday 1:00pm The Cassini Mission

Jeff Hecht, Bill Higgins (moderator), Geoffrey A. Landis, Larry A. Lebofsky

Barring catastrophe, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which entered orbit around Saturn on July 1, will be exploring the Saturn system during Noreascon. This is the first spacecraft to visit the ringed planet since Voyager 2 passed through in 1981. What has it already learned? What more will it learn during its four-year mission to Saturn and Titan? What more do we want to know? What's next? It's another neat space stuff panel.

This should be good. Hecht is a science writer, Landis is a physicist, NASA experimenter, and SF author; Lebofsky is a planetary astronomer studying (among other things) ring systems.

Friday 2:00pm The MIT Media Lab: A Visit From the Future

Sandy Pentland, Bill Higgins (moderator), Marvin Minsky

What's cookin' at the Media Lab? MIT's well known research organization has garnered a reputation as a leading-edge center for developments in machine understanding, affective computing, advanced interface design, nanomedia, silicon biology and digital expression, among other fields, that may influence how we use technology in the years ahead - not to mention provide fertile ideas for science fiction stories. This panel features presentations from Lab researchers on a sample of current activities.

(I volunteered instantly to moderate this one. I don't have any connection to the Media Lab, but I hope I can ask intelligent questions.)

Friday 3:00pm Teaching Science With Science Fiction

Guy Consolmagno, Bill Higgins, Larry A. Lebofsky

Many of today's scientists were inspired to their careers by science fiction, but how effective is SF in introducing science to a non-science oriented student? How effective are SF conventions as venues for presenting science to the public? Which books work best in conveying not only the facts of science, but how science is done? What strategies work best in a typical college classroom? Which authors are most popular with the students? What books just "don't work?"

(It's highly likely this one will move to a different timeslot.)

Friday 6:30-7:00 pm Technobabble Quiz

Howard Davidson, Bill Higgins (moderator), Jordin T. Kare

We're going to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow of our panelists as they compete to (a) explain in their best technobabble just how to do some SF cliche, (b) catch science errors in published SF technobabble, and (c) determine whether a particular selection of technobabble is real science, published SF, or something made up just for the quiz!

Sunday 12:00 noon The Kids Next Door...in Space!

Bill Higgins, Jordin T. Kare

Building a Space Station!

This is a kids' track item, but I'm not sure what it entails. I imagine it will get a more detailed description soon.

Sunday 1:00pm Risky Business

Bill Higgins, Geoffrey A. Landis, Mark L.Olson

Risk acceptance vs. risk aversion in humans, and how it might affect things like evolution, scientific investigation, and (especially) exploration/manned space flight.

Monday 11:00am Obsolete High Technology

Bill Higgins, Jordin T. Kare (moderator), Robert A. Metzger, Charles Stross

What was the highest of tech in 1910? Radio and the Titanic. 1940s: Enigma, bombsights and fission. 1960s: IBMs S360 (and the Pill?), and a man on the Moon. Cutting-edge SF ideas quickly become relegated to background items in the next generation of SF (such as nanotechnology). What do you think will most quickly become quaint tomorrow?

Others who have posted their tentative schedules:

Mary Kay Kare and Jordin Kare

Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Cory Doctorow