Kudos to the Wiscon programming team

[firecat]

I got round 2 of my panel schedule. Round 1 had me on a panel at 8:30 am. Ah ha ha, no. Round 2 fits perfectly within my parameters.

I've tried to schedule one track of programming at a tiny convention and I know what a PITA it is. Wiscon has multiple tracks of programming and hundreds of prospective panelists. The programming committee is working on software that will let a computer do a lot of the crunching. There is software in place to let people suggest panel topics. The idea of letting the con attendees create the panel topics is already pretty unusual in the cons I know of. So for Wiscon you can use the computer to (1) suggest panel topics (2) indicate interest in participating in programming (3) specify your availability (4) receive your panel schedule (5) reply to your panel schedule. I think this is awesome.

Comments

[redbird]

They kindly moved my panel to a slightly earlier slot (from one that might have run past my bedtime). I am pleased.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Round 1 had me on a panel at 8:30 am. Ah ha ha, no.

Heh. Can I have the brain back when you're done with it? I made it thru 4 years of college with no 8:00 classes, because I know how functional I'm not at that hour.

[firecat]

Yeah, I made the mistake of taking beginning German at that hour. Did I learn any German? Not a heck of a lot.

[men-in-full.livejournal.com]

Cool ... what are you going to talk about?

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Such software is increasingly common -- the package developed for Conjecture was also used by LACon IV (and I think Conzilla, the most recent San Diego Westercon), and other groups have similar software. Developing it is one thing; keeping it maintained and maintainable is harder, though tools that make that easier are becoming more common.

[firecat]

These are the panel topics:

Romancing the Beast
Paranormal Romance almost always features the hero as a paranormal being and the heroine as an ordinary human. How does this resonate with gender relations and power relationships in our society? And is it emblematic of women seeing men as Other?

Dealing with Your Male Answer Syndrome
Although it's not absolute, there's a strong tendency among masculine people to always want to have the definitive answer for everything, even if they don't necessarily know. In panels and elsewhere in life, it can be hard for men to admit they don't know things. Why is this? How can men deal with the pressure (either internal or external) to always have the right answer? How do women and other non-masculine folks deal with Male Answer Syndrome? If you think the answers to all these questions are obvious, then you need to come to this panel!

Wish Fulfillment in Fiction
What is the role of wish fulfillment in fiction? If you're a writer, what personal wishes do you want your stories to fulfill? Are they the same ones you want to read about? How do our fictitious wishes affect our everyday dreams?

[men-in-full.livejournal.com]

The first one sounds especially interesting. I've had a longstanding interest in Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, Cupid & Psyche, etc.

[firecat]

I would love to know your thoughts on the subject.