4Pi-Con 2009 (August 21st - August 23rd, 2009) Crown Plaza Hotel, Pioneer Valley, MA

The last convention that I had the pleasure of covering was 4Pi-Con. This was marked as a smaller convention, with a total member count of 220, with 79 preregistrations and 42 at-door. That means there were a total of 99 comped memberships between staff and other attendees (e.g. panelists and event participants).) Focusing on this fosters a greater sense of community and friendship. There is nothing better than meeting people at a con that you know you are sure to see again over the weekend. Aside from that, does a smaller scale also benefit the panels and events? Let's see!

Unfortunately, I was unable to get confirmation as press until the Tuesday before the convention, so I wasn't able to get the rest of my friends to attend as well. Work schedules can be annoying. Either that, or my friends just hate me... I'm hoping to remedy this for next year's con by planning well in advance.

Arriving around 3:30 pm on Friday August 21st, I wanted to show my appreciation by helping with convention setup. I met most of the staff but the con chair, Michael Leuchtenburg (Known as Lucky at the con), was away at the moment. It turns out that there was a problem with the con booklets, so he had to run to secure another set. It says a lot about 4 Pi-Con when they easily outclass AnimeBoston in an area as important as schedules. Keep it up!

This was the first year for Pi-Con to be featured at the Crown Plaza Hotel. Not having attended previous years, I was told that this hotel was a big improvement. The design and layout of the floor plan was well thought out, with many panels and events easy to navigate to. The location of the One Desk (registration) was ideal. Overall, I feel that this hotel greatly befit Pi-Con's small convention nature.

The first panel I attended was at 5pm - Sci-fi before 1939. This was a very interesting discussion due to audience interaction via Q and A. I can't imagine that a lecture on the whole history before 1939 would have been as interesting. The first use of the term sci-fi was in 1851 and was later associated with the works of Jules Verne most of all authors. It should be noted that Verne and Edgar Allan Poe's use of science in these stories was based on the stories of the day. Later on, it was revealed to be ironic that that one of the science fiction genre highest awards, The Hugo, was named after a book by Hugo Gernsbeck, Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660, considered by many to be a horrible tome.

Other highlights of the panel include a philosophy professor (whose name I didn't overhear) argued that Plato was the first sci-fi writer. Overall, this panel was well attended, an interesting discussion, and just a taste of the unique flavor of the events to come.

7 pm saw the panel of Swine Flu - The Psychology of Mass Panic, hosted by Micah Schneider and Chelsey Cayer among others. These hosts were exuberant, a lot of fun, and ones I would see throughout the weekend. Chelsey joked a lot about her youthful appearance and how it tied a lot into how her career has played out, both the good and bad. As a male teacher who was once shunned by uppity preschool female volunteers, I can definitely relate. She was interesting to talk to, which led me to speak to her throughout the weekend.

I guess I should discuss the panel as well...

The panel focused on the subject of the title and other instances of mass hysteria, both valid or not. Being in a convention environment, where con plague is a well-known concern, due to the massing of different kinds of germs from many different areas of the country. Conventions are not to blame for disease, but the factors that come together at such events.

We also discussed the potential of new strains of AIDS and swine flu, its potential effects for the fall season, and how they could make current problems seem minor by comparison. Delving into the history of disease, we talked about the history of the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death. I had known that the nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie" was based on the effects of the plague, but it was interesting to learn all the details. Ashes, Ashes was originally Achoo to indicate the coughing up of blood associated with the disease. A "pocket full of posies" referred to herbs used to mask the smell of rotting flesh, an obvious sign of infection. Finally, "falling down" is an obvious euphemism for dying.

Having some knowledge of this rhyme, it was surprising to find out the full truth of it. It's definitely a good thing that medieval people decided that just throwing the bodies into drinking water WASN'T a very good idea... eventually...

It is always fun to discuss foibles of society in a like-minded setting, as you don't have to mince words. This panel summed up the spirit of the con very well. A gathering of fans of many genres having fun and discussing topics that one doesn't usually see at most anime/sci-fi conventions.

The 8 pm panel on Religion in Science Fiction was surprisingly average, mostly because it was limited to contemporary TV shows and other mediums. There wasn't much on the history of religion in sci-fi, but it was claimed that there were no mention of it before the 1960's. I offered the suggestion of C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet as counter-proof, but the hosts considered that to be fantasy more than science fiction. I disagree, as that book is quite similar to elements of Stargate SG-1 in the mixing of science fiction with religion, and I don't think anyone describes that show as fantasy.

10 pm saw the silliest panel of the day in the Great Debate: Who would win in a fight: Superman VS Batman, Xena VS Buffy. The guest of awesome, Genevieve Iseult Eldridge made this already funny discussion a total gas, made even better by fan suggestions. The discussion about the morality of Superman and Batman as well as the nature of the powers of Dr. Manhattan and Dr. Who were great back-and-forth bits.

I offered so many suggestions, Micah asked how I think up these ideas, half of which the panelists hadn't heard of. I took it in stride, but was kind of surprised that Micah was unaware of Lamont Cranston, John Murdoch from Dark City, or the Reapers from Blade II. I really think most people know that the Aliens from the films are called Xenomorphs. Regardless, the discussion and audience participation made this a great time. The ultimate question: Ice Cream VS Pizza, which I believe remains a stalemate...

12 am (technically Saturday) had Anatomy of Monsters, moderated by my favorite guest of all, Mr. George Claxton. The discussion dealt with realistic takes on the possibilities of fantasy and science fiction, like how dragons can fly despite their weight, the problem of matter redistribution in shape-shifters (the matter has to go somewhere according to Newton's Laws) and other interesting tidbits. The best part was how bumblebees break the laws of physics - their wings are too small and not wide enough to produce enough lift for their wider bodies. There are exceptions in nature, it would seem.

1 am was the first of three vampire-centered panels. The panel focused on the history of the vampire myth, what Dracula and Bram Stoker added (and took away from), Anne Rice, and of course Twilight. Some of the panelists admitted to liking Twilight as a guilty pleasure, so it definitely wasn't negative on the level of the anti-Twilight panel at Connecticon 2009. Despite the late time, there was still a full crowd. This plus the 18+ restrictions ensured a lively discussion, which it definitely was.

Here's a link for Part II, chronicling Days 2 and 3!

Part II!

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