2016 Worldcon schedule
This year we're in Kansas City. My panels are particularly cool this time around
Below's my (current, and subject to change) schedule for the 2016 Worldcon. Note that this is only the panel schedule--kaffeeklatsches, signings, readings etc. are not settled yet so don't freak out if you don't see them here.
It's a great bunch of topics this year--I get to talk about almost everything that currently obsesses me, and I get to be on panels with some amazing people. Check it out:
An Idiot's Guide Revisited, circa 2000
Friday 13:00 - 14:00, 2208 (Kansas City Convention Center)
It's circa 2000 and authors Cory Doctorow and Karl Schroeder just published The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction. Fast-forward 16 years later, and the world of publishing has evolved, but how much has it really changed? Cory and Karl take a look back and discuss what they got right, what they got wrong, and how things have changed over the years.
Karl Schroeder, Cory Doctorow
Futurism vs. SF
Friday 18:00 - 19:00, 2209 (Kansas City Convention Center)
Science Fiction explores the future. Futurism explores the future and tries to relate it to the real world. What causes someone to be a Futurist rather than a science fiction author? Where are the overlaps and the differences between the two practices?
S.B. Divya (M), Karl Schroeder, Ramez Naam, Andrea Phillips, David Brin
"Ellie's Last Line". Scriptwriting and Narrative for Video Games
Saturday 11:00 - 12:00, 2209 (Kansas City Convention Center)
Some of today's most popular video games are based upon narrative storytelling, but that's only part of conveying the tale implicit in a videogame. What does it take to develop a game script? Participants discuss the ins and outs of building a quality gaming script.
Seth Dickinson, Karl Schroeder (M), Carol Wolf, Brianna Spacekat Wu, Richard Hescox, Naomi Novik
The Future of Government
Saturday 17:00 - 18:00, 2208 (Kansas City Convention Center)
As part of "The Future of" series we look at Government.
Americans like to think that US democracy is the ultimate and best form of
government. But the world has seen many different forms of government over the
centuries and through to today. What will governments in the US and other
countries be like in the next 10, 50, or 200 years? How will changing
technologies and world conditions (e.g., climate change) affect those forms?
Are there forms of government that have been proposed that have never existed
in the real world, but might?
Cat Greenberg (M), Matthew Johnson, Dr Jamie Metzl, Karl Schroeder, Ada Palmer
Societal Aspects of Technology
Saturday 13:00 - 14:00, 2208 (Kansas City Convention Center)
If your cellphone died would you be late for work? When your power goes out, would you dispair for entertainment? In a world where people are digitally dependent, what will happen when energy fails us? Downton Abbey dramatized the advent of home electricity, the telephone and the radio. How did those advances change social lives? Instead of bringing us together, have phones increase our isolation? Join us for a discussion on how technology changes the way people communicate and relate in society.
Mike Shepherd Moscoe, Andrea Phillips, Edward M. Lerner (M), Karl Schroeder, David Brin
Is Mining the Asteroids Feasible?
Sunday 11:00 - 12:00, 2204 (Kansas City Convention Center)
Once the province of science fictiion, Asteroid mining is moving into the realm of venture capital, with startup efforts from here to Luxemberg. A number of approaches exist, none of them downselected by experience yet. For instance, does it make more sense to bring raw material back or process it in situ? What might the near term, mid term and far term of asteroid mining look like?
Karl Schroeder, Dr. Jordin Kare, Courtney Schafer, Les Johnson (M), Jennifer Brozek