Åcon 5: Thursday

As usual, Åcon Thursday started very early. Went to pick up our Guest of Honor Cat Valente at the hotel and headed for the ferry terminal. Had a cup of coffee. Joined the cattle drive wandering to the ferry. Breakfast, Ölcon, a short Finncon meeting, some shopping, quick lunch.

Arrived in Mariehamn and checked in the hotel, then sat at the registration desk for most of the evening. Got lots of oohs and aahs from the more technologically-oriented persons about the credit card reader I brought that connects to the iPad (it also proved very handy since the nearest ATM is at the town center).

This is the largest Åcon ever—92 registered members, most of them present (some arriving tomorrow, a couple that couldn’t make it). There wasn’t much programming today: the opening ceremony, a squee panel (where the panelists and the audience talked about things they are enthusiastic about, in the style of the SF Squeecast) and the traditional Do not disturb sign workshop. This year added the Please disturb signs in the mix. There were some very imaginative entries, including a zombie Moomin one.

Some people have now gone to see the special screening of Iron Sky organized for Åcon members at the local movie theater. The rest are having a sugar rush party at the hotel, with a selection of candy Hanna and Mika brought, and of course some nice beers from the hotel bar.

Åcon 5 Ready to Go

The Guest of Honour Catherynne M. Valente has arrived in Turku safe and sound. All is ready for Åcon to start tomorrow!

If you’re not able to attend and want to follow what’s going on at the convention, the best way is probably on Twitter. There should be some updates on the convention web site during the weekend as well.

The convention program book has been published in an electronic version; you can download it from the web site in epub format.

PS If you arrive in Turku already today and want to meet people, the word on the street is that some Åconites will gather at Cosmic Comic Café today (probably around 7 PM).

Summer Meetings; Reverse Time Trek

At the pub meeting yesterday it was decided to once again go to the restaurant Koulu for the summer meetings. So from June 7 onwards you can find the Turku sf pub meetings at the Koulu terrace (or somewhere inside if the weather is too cold or wet to be outside). Welcome!

We also decided to go on a Time Trek some time after Finncon (late July/early August). More specifically, we’ll take the Time Trek walking tour (an outdoor route that symbolizes the history of the Universe, with 1 km representing each billion ears in the age of the Universe). To make things more interesting (or more convenient if you want a more practical explanation) we’ll do the trip backwards, starting at the University of Turku and ending in Piikkiö, where there will be a barbecue at the journey’s end. More details will follow later; everyone is welcome to walk with us for either the whole 13.7 km route or just a part of it!

Finncon 2012 Wants You

Finncon 2012 (in Tampere in July) has begun their gopher recruitment. If you feel you could contribute to the convention, go sign up and let them know you’d like to help!

BaCon on Saturday

FUI and Tutka will organize the BaCon 5 minicon this Saturday at Terrakoti. The theme this year is race. The program starts around 2 PM and looks as follows:

• 2 PM Unofficial program starts with the movie Shaft
• 4 PM Official program: meaty music video, followed by ST: TNG episode “Darmok”
• 5 PM Dinner break (bring your own food)
• 6 PM Ritual eating of cabbage and bacon, socializing
• 7 PM video program

URS on Tour

The wildly active Uusrahvaanomainen spekulatiivinen fiktio (“new pulp”) movement goes on tour around Finland to celebrate the publication of their latest anthology, Huomenna ne tulevat (“Tomorrow They Come”). Members of the movement will be appearing in Helsinki, Tampere, Espoo, Turku, and Jyväskylä to advertise (and sell) the new book and talk about new pulp sf.

The tour dates are available at the link. The tour will visit Turku on two occasions: at the next pub meeting on May 3, and also at the Kirja irti event on May 26.

IronSky Awarded at BIFFF

Iron Sky received a couple of awards at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival: The Silver Méliès Award and The Pegase Award (an audience prize). Congratulations!