/* ** ************************************************************************* ** ************************************************************************* ** ** NN NN SSSSSS XX XX ** NNN NN SS SS XX XX ** NN N NN SSS XX ** NN N NN SSS XX ** NN NNN SS SS XX XX ** NN NN SSSSSS XX XX ** The Non-Sequitur Express ** « an eclectic e-newsletter, e-published irregularly » ** Produced by Phillip Thorne ** nsx.underbase.org ** ** Volume 6, Issue 4: Thursday, 23 December 2004 ** Previous issue: Thursday, 1 April 2004 ** ** ************************************************************************* ** ************************************************************************* */ EDITOR: Merry Christmas. CON NEWS: Philcon 2004 introduction. CON NEWS: Philcon 2004 Stop-Motion LEGO Film Festival. TOY NEWS: Mega Bloks, LEGO. SOMNAMBULA: Philcon 2004: The Aftermath. http://www.underbase.org/nsx/ - back issues http://www.underbase.org/blog - NSX::Blogmode http://www.underbase.org/nsx/index_plus.htm - extra content /* *************************************************************************** ** FROM THE EDITOR ** ************************************************************************ */ Dear NSX Readers: may you have a happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus [1], Saturnalia, generic winter solstice holiday -- or Christmas. *I'm* celebrating that last holiday, so I'm going to wish you a good one -- even if you're an aggressive secular humanist like the ones in the comic strip "Mallard Fillmore." So neener neener. The most recent issue of NSX was in April, eight months ago. Since then, it's been one thing after another to delay the next. The most recent procrastination-excuse was my role in organizing PHILCON, the annual Philadelphia Area Science Fiction Conference; and this issue will be devoted mostly to that. --As will the next several. If we're all lucky, I may get another couple out during the last week of 2004. *** [1] A fake holiday invented by the characters of the TV series "Seinfeld." Its symbol is a bare aluminum pole, and a traditional activity is telling family members how disappointed you are in them. /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION NEWS ** Philcon 2004 ** Introduction to the con, Kids Prog, and LEGO sub-track ** ************************************************************************ */ The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS) was created in 1935, within a year of the appearance of the pulp magazine _Wonder Stories_. The Philadelphia Area Science Fiction Conference, or Philcon, was initiated in 1937, and thus counts as the world's *first* SF con. The 2004 edition is the 65th. (There was a hiatus during WWII.) http://www.psfs.org http://www.philcon.org Science fiction conventions are typically divided into parallel programming tracks by topic -- books, TV, film, art, costuming, etc. Many conduct a Children's Program for junior attendees -- partly to entertain them with age-appropriate activities, and partly to give their parents unencumbered time. (This past year's Worldcon ran *four* such tracks.) Philcon has operated a Kids Program for the past six years, for the six-to-twelve age group. I took control of it last year (2003) when no one else did -- albeit less than a month before the con. That was my overdeveloped volunteering instincts kicking in; but while I was a new member of PSFS, I had relevant previous experience with con-running (RPI's Genericon) and the age-group ("LEGO TC LOGO" at WCASD Summer Science). http://genericon.union.rpi.edu Last year I brought a fraction of my personal LEGO supply to the con, in addition to the limited other programming I pulled together on short notice. This year I decided to expand the presence of plastic building bricks with additional activities beyond the strict purview of Kids Prog. I considered this year a proof of concept, but apparently LEGO fandom has been trying to penetrate SF fandom for some time; so my efforts were fortuitous from both sides of the equation. I had assistance from Eric Sophie, a New Jersey resident and builder of truly astonishing large-scale LEGO mechs. (His largest is four feet tall, motorized, and contains 50,000 parts; but he builds several two-foot models annually.) The other relevant liaisons would have been DelVaLUG (the recently-founded Delaware Valley LEGO User's Group), GardenSLUG (Garden State LUG, the New Jersey group), and SciBrick (a group devoted to SF/F models) -- but for various reasons, they were unavailable. The activities comprised an exhibit of SF-themed LEGO models, an open build event, slide shows of spectacular mech and starship building, a stop-motion film festival, and brick gaming. A full report is available on LUGNET. Photos will be available shortly -- no, really; I'm working on them now. http://news.lugnet.com/events/?n=1491 /* *************************************************************************** ** CONVENTION NEWS ** ** Philcon 2004 ** Stop-Motion LEGO Film Festival ** ************************************************************************ */ LEGO bricks and mini-figures make ideal actors for stop-motion animation. This has been known for decades [2], but the recent surge in digital cameras and desktop video has made production and distribution easier; I first learned of it at BrickFest DC 2002. With this year's new LEGO sub-track, I decided to expose Philcon attendees to the form; so I selected a set of SF-themed shorts based on recommendations at BrickFilms.com. http://www.brickfilms.com For the film fest, I had a primary plan -- ambition, rather; but because my ambitions can be impractically grandiose I devised several backups. In order, the plans were: (1) Create VCD of selected films with new prepended introductory title cards. (2) Create VHS dump of films, without new cards. (3) Burn CD of video files for use with PC, each re-encoded into all the common formats to account for codec issues. (4) Burn CD of video files as-is. (5) Show the BrickFilms "HAT" DVD, a compilation of submissions to the "High Adventure Theatre" contest for BrickFest DC 2004. Plan (1) became less feasible when I was reminded of just how small the capacity of a VCD is, (2) and (3) when I became pressed for time, and (5) when I forgot to grab the "HAT" DVD. So it was Plan (4), which almost sank when the con's A/V department had to scrounge for appropriate cables to output audio from the PC to the projector. Moreover, that PC was equipped to play only Quicktime and Windows Media files, so my selection was reduced to eight films, from five of the thirteen studios. They were: * "2001: A LEGO Odyssey" by Marc Atkin. * "Really Deep Space Redux" by Jeff Leary. * "The Gauntlet," "Rapunzel," and "Rise of the Empire" by Jay Silver. * "One: A Space Odyssey" and "The Peril of Doc Ock" by Spite Your Face Productions (Tim Drage & Tony Mines). (The latter film was commissioned by the LEGO Company as a tie-in to the movie "Spider- Man II," and so has higher production values than the average brickfilm.) * "Great Inventors Part 1: The Wheel" by YellowHead Studios. The audience (a mix of children and adults) was suitably impressed by every film, but the crowd favorite was Jay Silver's one-minute "Rapunzel," with the Space Boogers of Jeff Leary's "Really Deep Space" a close second. One eight-year old was particularly vocal in her response: "Show some respect! Put your hands together." *** [2] Mike Jittlov's 1989 film "The Wizard of Speed and Time" features several scenes with LEGO sets. There's also a massed mech attack by a skirmish line of Zoids. /* *************************************************************************** ** TOY NEWS ** ** Mega Bloks _Enterprise-D_ kit. ** LEGO contest: get your micro-scale design produced as a set. ** Previews of LEGO kits for "Star Wars Episode III." ** ************************************************************************ */ Many a LEGO fan has built a replica of the _Enterprise_ from "Star Trek" -- but there's finally an official version. Earlier this year, LEGO-clone Mega Bloks (by Canada's Ritvik) marketed a 945- piece replica of the NCC-1701-D from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- complete with a rendition of Captain Picard. (A freakishly *deformed* rendition, true.) This is in addition to licensed sets of NASCAR, "Power Rangers Ninja Storm" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Mega Bloks has also introduced new line of sets called "Nano Bloks." These *might* possibly be inspired by the recent popularity of so-called "micro-scale building" among LEGO fans, but they're actually composed of new half-scale pieces. http://www.megabloks.com/eng/products/description.php?iID=347&subCat=1 http://www.megabloks.com/eng/products/browse.php?subCat=21 *** For twenty-five years, the LEGO mini-figure ("minifig") has dominated notions of scale with LEGO bricks, resulting in overbalanced monstrosities when ambitious builders create castles or starships with detailed interiors. As an alternative philosophy, "micro-scale" building is smaller -- typically scaling to people the size of a single 1x1 brick. (The term "nano-scale" is sometimes used for anything smaller.) This permits representation of larger structures with fewer bricks; but it forces clever parts-use to evoke shapes without excessive blockiness. The LEGO company is now running a 14-week micro-scaled contest, wherein the winning designs will be produced as real sets -- and the amateur designers will get a cut of the profits. The contest uses the free LEGO Digital Designer ("LDD") software, and is restricted to a space of 16x16 knobs. (Ie, four of a new 8x8 road- baseplate design.) The contest isn't perfect: LDD runs only under MSWindows, and the entrant-gallery images are too small to properly evaluate the models. http://news.lugnet.com/build/microscale/ http://www.legofactory.com *** The final "Star Wars" movie, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," hits theatres this May (19-may-2005), but pictures of the LEGO tie- in sets are already leaking onto the Net. I was apprised of this by my fellow DelVaLUG members, who pointed to fan site EuroBricks, which republished content from Rebel Scum. Highlights include: * Set #7263 with light-up lightsabers. The specialized minifig contains a lamp and battery; press the head to toggle. * Vulture Droid and Jedi Starfighter. A re-issue of the Ep I #7111 "Droid Starfighter" in a new color, and a third style of starfighter (now yellow) for Anakin. The droid's "#30382 wedge 2x12 triple" tri-slopes were previously made only in brown, and sometimes appeared as cut-log roofs in fan designs; but now they'll be available in blue-grey. * #7252 "Droid Tri-Fighter," which consists of a globular cockpit surrounded by three semi-circular ribs at 120 degrees. (Lots of structural hinges.) * #7255 "General Grievous Chase," with Grievous (the cyborg Sith general introduced in "Star Wars: Clone Wars") riding some sort of rolling/legged vehicle (reminiscent of the Droideka), versus Obi- Wan on a green beast. (Dino necks in dark green!) http://www.rebelscum.com http://www.eurobricks.com http://www.lego.com/starwars/home.asp?x=x&bhcp=1 -- Light-up saber http://www.peeron.com /* *************************************************************************** ** SOMNAMBULATIONS ** ** Philcon 2004: The Aftermath ** ************************************************************************ */ The consensus in my family is that my brain is entirely too active for its own good. For three nights after Philcon I suffered hypnopompic [3] delusions that Kids Prog hadn't yet ended, and was continuing *in my bedroom*, *even as I slept*. Holding two unshakeable yet mutually incompatible convictions is a recipe for much agonized thrashing. To wit: "Why are those hotel tables here at home? I'm absolutely positive I didn't load them into the car, but I'm *also* positively convinced they're here, so I'd better tell the hotel liaison anyway. Uh oh, I'm back at the hotel, and there are still tubs of LEGO here! Did I forget that other item? Did I did I oh no oh no. Uh oh, a program participant to be wrangled [5]. But -- here? In my cold, dark bedroom? Why is she [4] silent and invisible and doesn't react when I croak a greeting or swing my arms blindly through the space she's occupying?" After all *that*, I became convinced that a Philcon-promotional LEGO gaming event had been scheduled in Philadelphia, and I was expected to participate; but no one had told me. I couldn't decide why a promotion would be held *after* the con, but regardless, I began devising a better way to carry a useful selection of bricks on the train [6]. (Yes, and I suffer recurring nightmares that I've re-enrolled in college but have somehow forgotten to attend class all semester. For that matter, I still dream about missing the bus. The mind is a palimpsest indeed.) And that's *after* the con. *Before* it I suffered scheduling anxiety, in the profound and unshakeable belief that I'd received an email that one of my participants had canceled. *Despite* that facts that my PC is *outside* my bedroom, that it was powered down, that said personage wouldn't call himself "Lambda" and even if he did, my email client doesn't display Greek characters. (Logic! Who needs it?) *** [3] Hypnopompic: the semiconscious state preceding waking. The inverse state, of drowsiness approaching sleep, is called *hypnogogic*. [4] Guest wrangler: by analogy with the "animal wranglers" on movie crews. [5] Most of Kids Prog's participants were female. No, this wasn't one of those "girl flies in through the window" dreams (or the Waylon Smithers version, featuring Mr.Burns) -- stop thinking that. [6] For event/travel purposes, it would be sufficient to toss all the "space vitamins" in a single bin -- jets, thrusters, tail fins, radar dishes. The plates, bricks and slopes that comprise the bulk of any model could be more specifically separated. You can either store all your bricks in a single giant box, or split them into entirely separate boxes; but since there are 3000 types and 75 colors, that's a *lot* of boxes in your cellar. (It's the approach that Event Builders at the LEGO USA HQ in Enfield, Connecticut use.) Intermediate approaches involve combining all the colors of one type in one drawer, all the (colors, shapes, sizes) that can be easily distinguished by (sight, touch), related types, or distinguishable dimensions -- depending on how many of each you have. For instance, I keep my 1x1 bricks in one tub, 1x2 bricks in another, and 1xN (for 2>N>10) in a third. /* ************************************************************************ ** Legalese ** Acknowledgments ** Opt-in/out Instructions ** *********************************************************************** */ The original content {layout, text} of this newsletter is copyright 2004 Phillip Thorne. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted only as per applicable copyright law, if all copyright notices remain intact, and if citation trails (URLs or otherwise) are provided. That said, if you think colleagues would find an issue useful, please reproduce it -- but also suggest they subscribe. Those creative works {books, films, TV, websites, software, toys, etc.} referred-to {reviewed, synopsized, quoted, condensed, analyzed, etc.} herein are the property of their respective owners, are referred-to according to copyright law as interpreted in the U.S., and are cited whenever possible. No {endorsement, infringement, insult} is {expressed, implied, intended}, except where specifically stated. Other data sources: The Internet Movie DataBase www.imdb.com LEGO fan community LUGNET www.lugnet.com If you're receiving this newsletter, you've probably intentionally subscribed to it, or possibly you're interested in special topical coverage, or maybe I've sent you a teaser issue. To subscribe and unsubscribe, use the addresses below. NOTE: If you're replying to the author, make sure the address is *not* "nsx-l." That would be the entire *list*. Publisher: nsx@underbase.org (human) Newsletter: nsx-l@underbase.org (automated system) nsx-l-subscribe (to subscribe; blank subject) nsx-l-unsubscribe (to unsubscribe) /* *************************************************************************** ** *************************************************************************** ** The Non-Sequitur Express ** http://nsx.underbase.org/ ** Volume 6, Issue 4: Thursday, 23 December 2004 ** Copyright 1999-2004 Phillip Thorne, nsx@underbase.org ** *************************************************************************** ** ************************************************************************ */