I had a good time, despite spending the entire con feeling like a zombie thanks to a dread lurgy that I am still recovering from. Apologies to anyone who attempted to be social with me and got little more than a grunt due to my advanced decrepitude.
This year's random thoughts, even briefer than usual as I failed miserably to take any notes:
Note to North West Trains: two-carriage trains are totally inadequate for the manchester to blackpool run on good friday.
Stuff-Your-Own con bag: fairly good plan. Pick-your-own freebie book: brilliant idea - I got to choose one I might actually want to read, and those of us arriving as a couple got to co-ordinate so we ended up with two different ones.
More signs around the function space would have been a really good idea. Especially ones pointing to what a space is being used for ("con lounge"), rather than what it's called ("spanish hall")
George Hay lecture by George Spufford: good fun. Also, that rare thing, a writer who seems to really get what makes many computer programmers tick.
Lionel Fanthorpe on The Templars: Mad. Quite, quite mad.
Overall, a good, broad, programme.
Games in the con lounge: stroke of genius. I play games a bit, but I've never done so at eastercon. Having the games in the lounge made the difference, and made for a few good doses of late-night entertainment.
The winter gardens: generally quite a good venue, shame about the whole Blackpool evening experience.
The masquerade: short, but funny. I've broken even! My participation/spectating ratio has reached 4½-4½!
Tartan Restrung: bloody brilliant. About the only thing all weekend that managed to take my mind off how terrible I felt.
Beyond Cyberdrome: The usual madness, though it seemd to go on longer and be even less audible than usual. Someone needs to get SMS an editor.
Due to a slight hotel-booking whoopsie and my advanced state of muddle-headedness, we actually ended up booked for four nights, so we stayed for Monday night, too. Then, a nice, relaxed car journey home (thanks, Steve, WINOLJ)
This year's random thoughts, even briefer than usual as I failed miserably to take any notes:
Note to North West Trains: two-carriage trains are totally inadequate for the manchester to blackpool run on good friday.
Stuff-Your-Own con bag: fairly good plan. Pick-your-own freebie book: brilliant idea - I got to choose one I might actually want to read, and those of us arriving as a couple got to co-ordinate so we ended up with two different ones.
More signs around the function space would have been a really good idea. Especially ones pointing to what a space is being used for ("con lounge"), rather than what it's called ("spanish hall")
George Hay lecture by George Spufford: good fun. Also, that rare thing, a writer who seems to really get what makes many computer programmers tick.
Lionel Fanthorpe on The Templars: Mad. Quite, quite mad.
Overall, a good, broad, programme.
Games in the con lounge: stroke of genius. I play games a bit, but I've never done so at eastercon. Having the games in the lounge made the difference, and made for a few good doses of late-night entertainment.
The winter gardens: generally quite a good venue, shame about the whole Blackpool evening experience.
The masquerade: short, but funny. I've broken even! My participation/spectating ratio has reached 4½-4½!
Tartan Restrung: bloody brilliant. About the only thing all weekend that managed to take my mind off how terrible I felt.
Beyond Cyberdrome: The usual madness, though it seemd to go on longer and be even less audible than usual. Someone needs to get SMS an editor.
Due to a slight hotel-booking whoopsie and my advanced state of muddle-headedness, we actually ended up booked for four nights, so we stayed for Monday night, too. Then, a nice, relaxed car journey home (thanks, Steve, WINOLJ)
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Date: 2004-04-23 05:33 (UTC)(no subject)
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