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Welcometo Picocon 24! If sashes, and will be happy to you've attended a Picocon answer any questions about before,I'm delighted to today’s goings-on. welcome you back. If you haven't, I'll take a moment to In addition to the talks, there let you know whai's going will also be other events on: Picoconis ICSF's annual running through the day, convention, which has been including the (in}famous held (not quite!) every year Destruction of Dodgy since 1984. Merchandise Auction. For details; see the timetable on - Picocon has along tradition the next page. of receiving some of the best contributors to and Fantasy as As you may have already Guests of Honour, and this gathered,all guests are year we are proud to assigned on arrival to one of present Charlie Stross, Ken three teams. This year, the MacLeod and Farah teams are namedfor heroic Mendlesohn. The guesis will placesof origin: the Shire, give talks and brief Q&A Melniboné and Trantor. A sessions during the day, scavenger huntwill run all beginning with Mr MacLeod day, along with other team at 10:30am. All three will events. You don't have to take part in a discussion take part and win points for panel and Q&A at 3om. your team — but victory for your side will lead to not only imperishable glory, but also This year the talks and some prizes! other events will take place in the Clore Lecture Theatre Howeveryou decide to in the Huxley Building. Please spend the day, thank you for refer to the pull-out map and coming and | hope you directions for more thoroughly enjoy Picocon 24! information, or ask a committee member. — ‘Adventure’ Dave Committee members will be identifiable by their red Bartram, Chair Entity @-----_-— EO = —_"- °°

Timetable

10:00 am Doors Open

10:30 am Chair's Welcome and Ken MacLeod: Talk — topic TBA [Clore LT]

11:30 am Farah Mendlesonhn: Talk - "Writing SF whilst living through a singularity.” [Clore LT]

12:30 pm Destruction of Dodgy Merchandise [Beit Quad]

2:00 pm Charlie Stross: Interview and Q&A [Clore LT]

3:00 pm Guests of Honour Q&A and Panel Discussion - "Science Fiction and Politics." [Clore LT]

4:00 pm Turkey Readings [Clore LT]

4:30 pm Ministry of Silly Games- Just a Minute, What’s My Line and Mornington Crescent [Clore LT]

5:30 pm Absolutely and in No Way a Fish Duel. [Nowhere nearBeit Quad]

6:00 pm Quiz [Da Vinci's Bar]

7:00 pm Close

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Cwests Of Honour

Charlie Stross including the politically- Bornin charged postcyberpunkFall Leeds, Revolution series, beginning England, with ‘’, the Charles post-singularity knew he ‘Newton's Wake’ and the wanted to UFOlogical alternate bea history/space opera Engines science of Light series beginning with fiction writer from the age of ‘Cosmonaut Keep’. Ken's six. He madehisfirst . homeland of Scotlandis professional sale, the short portrayed in a variety of story ‘The Boys' to Interzone in forms in his science fiction. 1986. He began writing fiction in earnest again in 1998, including titles such as Farah is a the singularitypunk lecturer at '‘Accelerando’, the cross- Middlesex genre Lovecraftian SF spy University thriller ‘The Atrocity Archive’, in London, and the acclaimed space a critic opera ‘Singularity Sky’ andits and writer sequel ‘Iron Sunrise’. on science fiction. She has written and edited a Ken has numberoftitles on the studied subject, including The Zoology, Cambridge Companion to researched Science Fiction (co-edited in bio- with Edward James}, which mechanics won the 2005 Hugo Award and for Best Related Book. She is worked as currently the editor of a computer analyst. Now a ‘Foundation: The full-time writer, he has International Review of published several novels Science Fiction’. o----—_-—

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Map

Pull-Out Handy

Wheatis this Bodae Thing All ADoute

So, you've madeit to Most of the day's events, Picocon, and you've been with the exception of the given a badge. What does talks, have some points this mean? attached to them. The winner of the LAN Firstly, it identifies you as a competition will win 100 con-goer, so that the people points for his or her team, as on the Huxley Building door well as unlimited glory, (where the talks are being honour andstatus, and the held) will let you in. silly gamesoffer fame and Secondly,it identifies you as fortune, and 150 more house part of a team,for which you points. There will also be can score points throughout opportunities to earn points the day. This year our three through the day for teams represent the realms completing various of The Shire, Melniboné, and challenges. full list can be A Trantor. found at the front desk. For these, bring the item in question, or a sufficiently close approximation, to the front desk to claim your points.

The team with the most points will be announced at the end of the day at the same time as the winners of the quiz. And as we all know, points mean prizes... ==)

— Alex Trenchard, Picocon Sofa

—___sen_ms_men_m_ Destruction of Dodau Merchondise

Okay, you knowthe drill by now, Lots up for Destruction but this, as they say,is for you Lot#1: "The Ring-Bearers": We're new people. This is your chance starting off small this year, really to strike a blow,quiteliterally, small. You know,| always against the ruthless evil of those thought the best way to do people whothink all they have “Invisiole Frodo" would be an to do is stick a “Lord of the empty box. Now, with your Rings”sticker on it, and we'll help, and a little nitrogen, we buy anything!. This...is the ‘Destruction of Dodgy can makethis dream a reality. Merchandise Charity Auction! Lot#2: " Wind-up Wolverine": Eachlot, a shameless Usually, that would be foolish moneymaking abomination,will notion, ending onlyin be presented in turn, and disappointment... and bidding will begin. All the disembowelment. But now,in proceedswill go to charity, but his miniature, bobble-headed most importantly of all the incamation, you can safely treat winnerof each item will be him to a well-deserved soak given the choice of a lifetime - and smash. keep the travesty, or doom it to destruction! Lot#3: " Artoo-Potatoo”: I'll confess, | personally like this one, We've destroyed everything but even! can see when a from Jar-Jar Binks colls, to gimmick deservesto die. Darth Barney the Purple Dinosaur, and Tater? Yes. R22 That Nitrogen we've evenKilled Bill...Shatner. bath is going to feel far from Last year we raised a record good... sum for charity, putting other Lot#4: " Pirates of the societies to shame. Take up a Caribbean... talking pen”: The Sledgehammer,let the Liquid talking monstrosity is a tradition Nitrogen flow, and join us in our of DoDM,and with a repertoire holy crusade! of misquotes from a voice- acting college dropout, this year's is no exception. Aye,| betit’s a rubbish pen too...

Lot#5: "|ceman': Even ownits 1 Yes, before one of you pointsit own, an Icemanfigure would out, we recognise the fact that be tempting enough to we DID in fact buy these things. @----_-—

introduce to Mr. Liquid Nitrogen, powers for awesome, you come but when it advertises the ability to naming your supervillain alter- to change colour whenfrozen, ego...and comeup with“The how could weresist? More Spot". importantly...how can YOU resist? _ ICSF are dedicated to bringing you the best of the worst when it Lot#6: "The Spot": This has got to comesto supervillains. If you be my favourite lot ofthis year. missed the opportunity to Imagine, if you will, that you are hammer DC's worstin a scientist - nay, a “Respected “Combination Superman”, then Scientist!" Got that? Okay, now here's your chance to play hero imagine that while working against Spiderman's lamestfoe. alone one nightin the lab, you Even ignoring his terrible taste in stumble upon the powerfo tear names, the Spot's action figure openinter-dimensional portals in is a shameless re-colouring of the very fabric of the multiverse. the Spiderman actionfigure... | I'm guessing you've managed could go on - makesure this that much, but now try to put travesty does not! yourself in the position where, having decided to use your

ICSF ond Picocon: I977-20P?P

I've been asked to write a Horror society celebratesits short piece about ICSF and thirtieth birthday, and Picocon, with a brief that Picocon is about 24 years old runs ‘write about what we (quite how old is not all that have been, what we are clear). When it was formed, and where we are going’. all those years ago,the This is obviously a little society keptifs hundred or so difficult for someone who books in a cupboard ina has been here less than two room at the top of the Union years, but I'll give it a go: building, opened on Fridays so members could borrow In this auspicious year, The books. There was also a Imperial College Science strong tradition of showing SF Fiction, Fantasy and Gothic films of, well, varying quality.

t_mee_ o_omee .,lLe lO

(The recordsfor the year particularly the audio 1981-1982list a film called collection and our examples ‘The Wild Women of Wongo'. of Japanese manga and lrest my case). anime. But the Librarian and committee that comesafter Now,the societyis me will have their own plans ensconcedin its own room in and projects, so at least we'll the West Basement, where neverstagnate. we are towered over by a collection of books, Thereis one thing that I'm magazines, videos and DVDs fairly certain of: both ICSF that contains nearly 10,000 and Picocon have along items (making it the third future ahead of them. largest studentrun library in the world). The tradition of - Peter Mabbott, ICSF watching films on the big Librarian screen has passed with the years due to prohibitive cost, but the tradition of watching and reading total drek is, I’m glad to say, alive and well. We are also planning a second road trip to Hay-on- Wye and a team ofelite technicians! are working day and night2 on constructing our new Dalek mascot, Miranda.

As to the future, well, it’s difficult to make predictions, but we are always expanding. My personal projects, as current Librarian, are to improve someof our less flesned-out collections,

1 Well, just John actually 2 When he can find the time @------—