Notes on a Worldcon
James Nicoll
I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
Why were the travel-wanted notes thrown on the floor and replaced
with photos?
Had fun on both my panels. It is very, very intimidating to
look up at the fellow who is nodding off as I speak and see the name
"Mark Leeper" on his name badge, esp at that was the panel I was the
extreme odd duck on (Three published authors who are fans of Leigh
Bracket and one guy from the internet who had to go research Planet
Stories et al. Still can't finish Hamilton's stuff).
Had a lot of fun in the fan lounge. Met Canadian fans! I
have this huge gap in my experience where Ontario fandom should
go.
I am a bad usher. Again, my interaction with LMB was being an
impediment, which is one reason I generally don't purposely seek out
authors at cons.
Got more exercise than I expected to esp while roving. Wonder
where the blood came from on 21?
Must do an article: When Baptists Attack. Had a polite conversation
with an elevator load of the religious gathering people about religious
authors and sf, although none I thought of from their sect.
Also had a polite consersation with a mundane at the coffee
shop/bar about SF vs scifi, since she had been the target of a reaction
appropriate for use of the N word by a white person at an NAACP meeting
when she used sci-fi in conversation and was rather nervous about giving
further inadvertent offense.
Saw the religious people lining up to buy stuff as I walked through
their section of the hall. "Poor, exploited fools" I thought, heading down
to the dealer's room.
There are a lot of people at a worldcon.
Met the inventor of the propellor beanie. He also commented
in an informed way on the Great Expulsion at the first worldcon, which
he was at.
Got a book signed by William Tenn.
Gee, the opinion of text-based fandom is important to the
people in the other branches.
That cat looked terrified to begin with and later just extremely
perturbed.
Does not seem to matter what the topic, I can't sit through
awards ceremonies.
Elisabeth Riba
> Some notes on the Worldcon
> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
Agree 1000%
--
----------> Elisabeth Anne Riba * l...@osmond-riba.org <----------
"[She] is one of the secret masters of the world: a librarian.
They control information. Don't ever piss one off."
- Spider Robinson, "Callahan Touch"
Ailsa C. Ek
<l...@osmond-riba.org> wrote:
>James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>
>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>
>Agree 1000%
Me too. This Worldcon finally made me decide to make my own
permanent badge, such as I've noticed a number of older fen have.
Although, really, the main reason is that I wish _other_ people's
names had been bigger. I'm way too shy to walk up to everyone
who looks over 50 at the con to see if they're someone I've seen
mentioned in a fanzine and whom I have been dying to meet.
-Ailsa
--
New quote coming soon Ailsa C. Ek
Ail...@mac.com
Janet Kegg
> James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
> > Some notes on the Worldcon
>
> > I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> > perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>
> Agree 1000%
Me too.
I read in the multiple-times daily con newsletter that the business
meeting passed a resolution (or perhaps it was a proposed
constitutional amendment?) that henceforth all names on badges must
be no smaller than 24 point type.
-- Janet
Alison Scott
>Me too. This Worldcon finally made me decide to make my own
>permanent badge, such as I've noticed a number of older fen have.
>Although, really, the main reason is that I wish _other_ people's
>names had been bigger. I'm way too shy to walk up to everyone
>who looks over 50 at the con to see if they're someone I've seen
>mentioned in a fanzine and whom I have been dying to meet.
Ooh. I suppose I could start a small cottage industry. I could design
a raseff badge -- along the lines of the plokta.con badge, only, you
know, different, or possibly along the lines of the badges I did for
Victor's TAFF campaign -- and then produce namebadges for individuals
with the design, laminate them, and sell them for a small fee for some
fan fund or other. Hmm. Let me think about a design.
GREAT BIG TYPE GUARANTEED.
--
Alison Scott ali...@kittywompus.com & www.kittywompus.com
aRJay
<ali...@kittywompus.com> writes
(One for my real ID and one for the ID I use at work.)
--
aRJay
"In this great and creatorless universe, where so much beautiful has
come to be out of the chance interactions of the basic properties of
matter, it seems so important that we love one another,"
- Lucy Kemnitzer
David F Shallcross
>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>Agree 1000%
If I recall correctly, the WSFS business meeting passed a resolution
to deputize one of its standing committees to remind Worldcon committees
"early and often" that badge names should be readably large, at
least 24 point type.
- David Shallcross
Kate Schaefer
news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
> Some notes on the Worldcon
>
> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
[...]
> Met the inventor of the propellor beanie. He also commented
> in an informed way on the Great Expulsion at the first worldcon, which
> he was at.
[...]
I assume you mean Ray Nelson. I would certainly have liked to hear that
set of comments.
Jim Bailey
>
>James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>
>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>
>Agree 1000%
After the 2nd day, I walked around with a medium-point permanent marker in my
pocket and whenever I was in a group and saw people squinting at badges, I
whipped it out (get your minds out of the gutter), and passed it around. Not
only to enlarge the front name, but a lot of people wrote their name on the
back because of the propensity for the badges to flip around.
I heard that there was an official proposal that names on badges should be in
*at least* 24-pt lettering at future WC's.
Best,
Jim Bailey
--
Elysian Fiction (Fantasy short story e-zine)
http://www.elysianfiction.com/
First Issue now available
Avram Grumer
When Kevin told me he was planning to attend the business meeting to
argue for this very point, I practically grabbed him by the lapels and
shouted at him that font size isn't the appropriate metric, and x-height
is the Key Insight.
--
Avram Grumer | av...@grumer.org | http://www.PigsAndFishes.org
Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, lbh'er va ivbyngvba bs gur Qvtvgny Zvyyraavhz
Pbclevtug Npg.
Vicki Rosenzweig
It was a proposed constitutional amendment that turned into an
instruction that the Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee shall
remind each future worldcon early and often of the need to print
names in large, clear type.
I may introduce a resolution, next year, to rename it the
Nitpicking, Flyspecking, and Nagging Committee.
--
Vicki Rosenzweig | v...@redbird.org
r.a.sf.f faq at http://www.redbird.org/rassef-faq.html
Vicki Rosenzweig
>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>
>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>
>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
because they only got the database of names five days before the con
started.
Avram Grumer
Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>
>>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>>
>>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>>
>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember
>>to make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the
>>convention.
>
>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>started.
Well, sure. You think letters can be grown to that size overnight?
P Nielsen Hayden
Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>
>>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>>
>>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>>
>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
>
>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>started.
This has the quality common to all the best shameless non sequiturs:
it makes me dizzy, like I want to go lie down.
--
Patrick Nielsen Hayden : p...@panix.com : http://www.panix.com/~pnh
Weblog: http://www.panix.com/~pnh/electrolite.html
Anthologies: http://www.panix.com/~pnh/anthologies.html
Music: http://www.panix.com/~pnh/trouble.html
Marilee J. Layman
wrote:
>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>
>>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>>
>>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>>
>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
>
>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>started.
I heard it was because they were using a loaned labelmaker and it only
made that size.
--
Marilee J. Layman
Bali Sterling Beads at Wholesale
http://www.basicbali.com
Ed Dravecky III
> And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was
> impossible because they only got the database of names five
> days before the con started.
I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
(Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
an afterthought to be excused by late data.
Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
--
Ed Dravecky III (ed3 at panix dot com)
"I used to go with the six of spades!"
Kate Schaefer
news:6uvaptcs97cfn16dt...@4ax.com...
> Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>
> >"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
> >news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
> >> Some notes on the Worldcon
> >>
> >> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> >> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
> >
> >This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
> >make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
>
> And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
> because they only got the database of names five days before the con
> started.
What a weird claim. That is, I'm willing to believe that they got the
database of names only five days before the con, but that has no bearing
on what size the names are printed (as you know, Bob). One tests the
badge blanks with John Doe, Mary Roe, and William Affleck Asch Lowe (who
goes by a shorter sub-variant of this name these days, and went by a
longer version which I no longer recall back in the days when I had to
test badge blanks).
Ailsa C. Ek
>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>
>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers
>>remember to
>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the
>>convention.
>
>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>because they only got the database of names five days before the
>con
>started.
What does when they got the list have to do with how large they
printed it?
Andrew Plotkin
> It was a proposed constitutional amendment that turned into an
> instruction that the Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee shall
> remind each future worldcon early and often of the need to print
> names in large, clear type.
As I was SHOUTING about this issue in my post earlier today, I would now
like to say "thank you" to the business committee. (Or whatever their
official name is.) And all members thereof.
And this solution (a reminder of a simple goal) seems like a better
solution than a law requiring particular implementation (the original
"24-point type" proposal).
--Z
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
* Make your vote count. Get your vote counted.
Nancy Lebovitz
have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
For some reason, this useful custom went out of fashion--perhaps it's
time to bring it back.
--
Nancy Lebovitz na...@netaxs.com www.nancybuttons.com
Marilee J. Layman
>Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>> And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was
>> impossible because they only got the database of names five
>> days before the con started.
>
>I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
>badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
>(Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
>should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
>an afterthought to be excused by late data.
>
>Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
>problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
It wasn't just the size, the badge design had a line of clipart houses
below the con logo, and the houses were bigger than the names, so your
eye was always drawn to that line of houses.
Steven desJardins
>>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>>started.
>
>This has the quality common to all the best shameless non sequiturs:
>it makes me dizzy, like I want to go lie down.
Yes, it does, doesn't it? It reminds me of the folks in the business
meeting who claimed we need to split the Dramatic Presentation Hugo
into Long and Short Form because "this is a new medium". (Quote
approximate.) After somebody pointed out that movies have been around
for a while, someone else got up and insisted that movies really were
a new medium, although the justification of that claim trailed off
into an incoherence of babble.
Mary Kay Kare
> "Vicki Rosenzweig" <v...@redbird.org> wrote in message
> news:6uvaptcs97cfn16dt...@4ax.com...
> > Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
> >
> > >"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
> > >news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
> > >> Some notes on the Worldcon
> > >>
> > >> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> > >> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
> > >
> > >This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
> > >make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
> >
> > And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
> > because they only got the database of names five days before the con
> > started.
>
> What a weird claim.
There was a weirder one. A *great* many artists, writers, and general fen
were very unhappy about the small number of panelists used. There were
dozens and dozens of people who had no panels and could have been a real
addition while people no one had heard of had a couple dozen. The story
was that they were trying to limit the number of panelists so as to limit
the number of reimbursements. Think of 3 reasons why this is a stupid
excuse.
MKK
--
Lassitude: Scottish version of grrl power
LAFF
Bailey) wrote:
> After the 2nd day, I walked around with a medium-point permanent marker in my
> pocket and whenever I was in a group and saw people squinting at badges, I
> whipped it out (get your minds out of the gutter), and passed it around. Not
> only to enlarge the front name, but a lot of people wrote their name on the
> back because of the propensity for the badges to flip around.
Jim, where were you when I needed you? Or where was this idea when I was
within purchasing distance of a similar marker?
And I was one of the lucky (in this context) ones who, having purchased
zir membership late, had to have zir name printed on a label maker with
a larger typeface than everyone else's.
--
Lois Fundis lfu...@weir.net
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Cockpit/9377/handy-dandy.html
"I wanted to be a writer-performer like the Pythons. In
fact I wanted to be John Cleese and it took me some time to
realise that the job was, in fact, taken."
-- Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
Erik V. Olson
> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
We did. Damn near amended the constitution about that, settled (at Ben
Yalow's wise suggestion (and clever parlimentary hack) on having the MPC
remind the concom "early and often" that we want names.
> Does not seem to matter what the topic, I can't sit through
>awards ceremonies.
AOL. Unless I'm working tech.
--
Erik V. Olson: er...@mo.net : http://walden.mo.net/~eriko/
Erik V. Olson
>
>When Kevin told me he was planning to attend the business meeting to
>argue for this very point, I practically grabbed him by the lapels and
>shouted at him that font size isn't the appropriate metric, and x-height
>is the Key Insight.
Yes. I was going to have to vote against the amendment, since, as written,
it wouldn't do what it was supposed to do.
Erik V. Olson
>
>This has the quality common to all the best shameless non sequiturs:
>it makes me dizzy, like I want to go lie down.
You are a Worldcon Registration Head.
It is three weeks until open.
You have 4500 attending members.
You will likely get around 1000 at-door members of various kinds
(conversions, at-door, day members.)
How many badge pockets do you order to make badges (at the rate of 1 per
badge?)
Here's a hint....
....Not 3500.
(Stunning. The badges were simply stunning.)
Erik V. Olson
>Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
>problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
Not the only one -- N3 used similar trickery. Anyone interested in Randy's
badge software (which is bolted to his reg software) is more that welcome to
contact Randy Kaempen about it, who'd probably be tickled pink to help port
it to your convention.
Alan Winston - SSRL Admin Cmptg Mgr
>
>There was a weirder one. A *great* many artists, writers, and general fen
>were very unhappy about the small number of panelists used. There were
>dozens and dozens of people who had no panels and could have been a real
>addition while people no one had heard of had a couple dozen. The story
>was that they were trying to limit the number of panelists so as to limit
>the number of reimbursements. Think of 3 reasons why this is a stupid
>excuse.
>
Well, let's see:
1) Putting on a good Worldcon program should be a higher priority than putting
on a cheap Worldcon program. (Overworking the people you do have - really,
a couple of dozen panels? - isn't good for them or for the program, so doing
it sabotages your function.)
2) Don't you only give reimbursements if you can afford it, or set the terms
for reimbursements (three program items, six program items, whatever) based on
what you can afford after you know how much money you have? That's how
committee reimbursements, at least, have worked on conventions I've been
involved in running, although as a program participant at BayCon I just get a
free membership and they don't get any money from me. If true, that means
there's no merit to keeping reimbursements down - they'll shake out
automatically. You're not
trying to end up with _lots_ of money left over.
(3) This excuse doesn't actually explain why they picked who they picked, only
(badly) why they picked as many as they picked.
-- Alan
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WIN...@SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Physical mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 69, PO BOX 4349, STANFORD, CA 94309-0210
===============================================================================
David Dyer-Bennet
> Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
> > And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was
> > impossible because they only got the database of names five
> > days before the con started.
>
> I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
> badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
> (Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
> should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
> an afterthought to be excused by late data.
>
> Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
> problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
David Cargo solved this problem for Minicon back in the 80's; in the
form of an Icon program which directly creates Postscript :-). (You
tell it where the blank spaces on the page of badges are, it fits the
names into them. Also does badge numbers, but those are all the same
size.)
--
David Dyer-Bennet / Welcome to the future! / dd...@dd-b.net
Photos: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/
Book log: http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/Ouroboros/booknotes/
Anna Feruglio Dal Dan
> I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
> badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
> (Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
> should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
> an afterthought to be excused by late data.
This is a point I feel very much. :-)
I would have gone around feeling very guilty were it not that all my
memberships were bought at the door.
--
Anna Feruglio Dal Dan
substitute tin for nit to mail me
http://www.fantascienza.net/sfpeople/elethiomel
"Hello, my name is Anna, and I write trilogies." -- Anna Mazzoldi
Farah Mendlesohn
"Marilee J. Layman" wrote:
>
>
> It wasn't just the size, the badge design had a line of clipart houses
> below the con logo, and the houses were bigger than the names, so your
> eye was always drawn to that line of houses.
>
> --
> Marilee J. Layman
> Bali Sterling Beads at Wholesale
> http://www.basicbali.com
It was possible to get a stick on version from the solutions people, but
they insisted on placing it at the top of the badge so as not to obscure
the official name line. This meant people still didn't see it.
I'm also pretty sure they ignored the information they received from the
database. Because my surname is long (and easily misspelled, I always
request that cons use just my forename to avoid cramping. This con used
the whole thing.
Farah
Michael J. Lowrey
> In the early/middle 70's, it was a usual (though not required) thing to
> have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
> commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
> art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
>
> For some reason, this useful custom went out of fashion--perhaps it's
> time to bring it back.
I concur.
Cicatrice had one by Rotsler (until it took water damage),
mounted on permanent backing:
He-Rotsleroid: "What's your sign?"
She-Rotsleroid: "Do Not Provoke!"
When I first got into fandom, Phil Foglio would do custom
badges for the exorbitant price of $5 apiece, which I (alas)
could not afford. I think we can rely upon the certainty
that nowadays his price would be higher.
--
Michael J. "Orange Mike" Lowrey
his hue _is_ his badge
Mary Kay Kare
er...@mvp.net wrote:
> On 5 Sep 2001 03:22:46 GMT, Ed Dravecky III <e...@panix.com> wrote:
>
>
> >Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
> >problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
>
> Not the only one -- N3 used similar trickery. Anyone interested in Randy's
> badge software (which is bolted to his reg software) is more that welcome to
> contact Randy Kaempen about it, who'd probably be tickled pink to help port
> it to your convention.
>
Noted and filed. I swear to you all that next year's badges will have
LARGE CLEAR READABLE names.
Erik V. Olson
>> Not the only one -- N3 used similar trickery. Anyone interested in Randy's
>> badge software (which is bolted to his reg software) is more that welcome to
>> contact Randy Kaempen about it, who'd probably be tickled pink to help port
>> it to your convention.
>>
>Noted and filed. I swear to you all that next year's badges will have
>LARGE CLEAR READABLE names.
Then DON'T USE ALL CAPS. :)
Another Thing? Randy's a mac developer. You'll have no trouble with the
powerbooks running the software.
Bernard Peek
<e...@panix.com> writes
>Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>> And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was
>> impossible because they only got the database of names five
>> days before the con started.
>
>I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
>badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
>(Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
>should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
>an afterthought to be excused by late data.
>
>Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
>problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
I think UK fandom delegated the job of testing name printing to someone.
I think it was Neil Anthony Gerald Mittenshaw-Hodge, but I could be
mistaken.
--
Bernard Peek
b...@shrdlu.com
In search of cognoscenti
Linda McAllister
"Marilee J. Layman" wrote:
>
> It wasn't just the size, the badge design had a line of clipart houses
> below the con logo, and the houses were bigger than the names, so your
> eye was always drawn to that line of houses.
>
> --
I thought this was to remind (or reassure) us that the Philadelphia P.D.
didn't bomb the whole city. It was an, um, interesting choice.
Otherwise, I thought the badge art had a somewhat retro feeling.
Linda
Matthew Austern
> What a weird claim. That is, I'm willing to believe that they got the
> database of names only five days before the con, but that has no bearing
> on what size the names are printed (as you know, Bob). One tests the
> badge blanks with John Doe, Mary Roe, and William Affleck Asch Lowe (who
> goes by a shorter sub-variant of this name these days, and went by a
> longer version which I no longer recall back in the days when I had to
> test badge blanks).
Well, if they're using an inkjet printer, they'll have to print more
pixels if the font is bigger. So increasing the typeface might make
it take a fraction of a second more per badge.
Mary Kay Kare
er...@mvp.net wrote:
> On Wed, 05 Sep 2001 15:00:47 GMT, Mary Kay Kare <mar...@kare.ws> wrote:
>
> >> Not the only one -- N3 used similar trickery. Anyone interested in Randy's
> >> badge software (which is bolted to his reg software) is more that
welcome to
> >> contact Randy Kaempen about it, who'd probably be tickled pink to help port
> >> it to your convention.
> >>
> >Noted and filed. I swear to you all that next year's badges will have
> >LARGE CLEAR READABLE names.
>
> Then DON'T USE ALL CAPS. :)
Yeah, I was just yelling.
>
> Another Thing? Randy's a mac developer. You'll have no trouble with the
> powerbooks running the software.
>
Oh cool.
Arthur D. Hlavaty
<oran...@uwm.edu> wrote:
>Nancy Lebovitz wrote:
>> In the early/middle 70's, it was a usual (though not required) thing to
>> have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
>> commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
>> art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
>>
>> For some reason, this useful custom went out of fashion--perhaps it's
>> time to bring it back.
>
>I concur.
>
>Cicatrice had one by Rotsler (until it took water damage),
>mounted on permanent backing:
>
>He-Rotsleroid: "What's your sign?"
>She-Rotsleroid: "Do Not Provoke!"
>
Alas, I lost my Rotsler badge (name only).
--
Arthur D.Hlavaty hla...@panix.com
Church of the SuperGenius in Wile E. we trust
E-zine available on request
Kevin J. Maroney
>> because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>> started.
>
>What a weird claim. That is, I'm willing to believe that they got the
>database of names only five days before the con, but that has no bearing
>on what size the names are printed (as you know, Bob).
Her statements at the Business Meeting were greeted with hisses. I am
not proud to admit that I was one of the hissees, but it was such a
shameless burst of nonsense that it overwhelmed my Cosmic Mind.
--
Kevin Maroney | kmar...@ungames.com
Kitchen Staff Supervisor, New York Review of Science Fiction
<http://www.nyrsf.com>
Laura Burchard
>LARGE CLEAR READABLE names.
Hmm, I didn't realize I knew some of the people working on ConJose. Do you
guys still need volunteers? I've only worked non-sf conventions, but one
of my tasks there was namebadges -- I was a graphic designer at the time.
Laura
--
Laura Burchard -- l...@radix.net -- http://www.radix.net/~lhb
X-Review: http://traveller.simplenet.com/xfiles/episode.htm
"Good design is clear thinking made visible." -- Edward Tufte
Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604
> It was possible to get a stick on version from the solutions people, but
> they insisted on placing it at the top of the badge so as not to obscure
> the official name line. This meant people still didn't see it.
Hm, on Wednesday, I quite successfuly had the Solutions desk replace
my original name tape with the new larger one, and punch two holes near
the outer edge of the badge, so my badge seldom flipped, and was
obvious to me when it did.
I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge, taking
up otherwise useful space.
73, doug
Dave Locke
>
> Nancy Lebovitz wrote:
>> In the early/middle 70's, it was a usual (though not required) thing
>> to have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
>> commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
>> art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
>>
>> For some reason, this useful custom went out of fashion--perhaps it's
>> time to bring it back.
>
> I concur.
>
> Cicatrice had one by Rotsler (until it took water damage), mounted on
> permanent backing:
>
> He-Rotsleroid: "What's your sign?"
> She-Rotsleroid: "Do Not Provoke!"
Mine is in color on permanent backing, and I even had it copied once
or twice for using in my fanzines (in black & white). And for some
time now I've been using it in the "Keywords" section of my headers
(where probably no one notices it): "It's no sin to be a fan. A
shame, maybe..."
--
Dave Locke | dave...@fan.com | "Jesuits, or as my high school
sociology teacher called them, "the shock troops of Christ.""
-- Jim Hill
Janice Gelb
>
>There was a weirder one. A *great* many artists, writers, and general fen
>were very unhappy about the small number of panelists used. There were
>dozens and dozens of people who had no panels and could have been a real
>addition while people no one had heard of had a couple dozen. The story
>was that they were trying to limit the number of panelists so as to limit
>the number of reimbursements. Think of 3 reasons why this is a stupid
>excuse.
>
This was *not* the reason. There was not a small number of
participants used. Worldcon draws a ton of potential program
participants and who gets used depends on their ability to
speak on a specialized topic, their ability to speak well
and entertainingly on a panel, or their name draw. The
programming staff definitely tried to do research on volunteers
whom they did not know. However, no programming staff can
possibly know everyone, and even the specialists whom they
ask to contribute to various specialty areas of programming
can't although I know from the email aliases that there was
definitely an effort to include participants who were not known
to the programming staff.
*****************************************************************
Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with
janic...@eng.sun.com | this message is the return address.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8018/index.html
The thing about having been around as long as I have is that you
can't fit your hearing aid over your earring. - Quincy Jones
Janice Gelb
Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>
>>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>>
>>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>>
>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
>
>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>started.
>
My favorite reply to this was from John Lorentz, who proposed
that perhaps she needed one day for each raise of the point
size. Evidently this same person's computer illiteracy caused
the Registration Solutions Desk to move much more slowly than it
needed to because she had no idea there was a Find capability and
so was scrolling alphabetically through the names.
The mind boggles...
Mary Kay Kare
Burchard) wrote:
> In article <marykay-0509...@c797629-a.plstn1.sfba.home.com>,
> Mary Kay Kare <mar...@kare.ws> wrote:
> >Noted and filed. I swear to you all that next year's badges will have
> >LARGE CLEAR READABLE names.
>
> Hmm, I didn't realize I knew some of the people working on ConJose. Do you
> guys still need volunteers?
We sure do. Do you have a membership? If so, I'll set the flag on your
db record as someone who wants to volunteer.
James Nicoll
Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 <fa...@panix.com> wrote:
>Farah Mendlesohn <fa...@fjm3.demon.co.uk> writes:
>
>> It was possible to get a stick on version from the solutions people, but
>> they insisted on placing it at the top of the badge so as not to obscure
>> the official name line. This meant people still didn't see it.
>
>Hm, on Wednesday, I quite successfuly had the Solutions desk replace
>my original name tape with the new larger one, and punch two holes near
>the outer edge of the badge, so my badge seldom flipped, and was
>obvious to me when it did.
Say, that reminds me of something which has puzzled me for a while.
I noticed my name tag usually favoured one direction to flip in, slowly
garroting me with the chain. My phone cord does something similar, winding
itself up from about six feet to a few inches if I don't despin the cord
from time to time. Why is there a favoured direction for rotation of objects
like name tags and phone handsets?
Kevin J. Maroney
>Worldcon draws a ton of potential program
>participants and who gets used depends on their ability to
>speak on a specialized topic, their ability to speak well
>and entertainingly on a panel, or their name draw.
Or their willingness to be on panels on non-centrist topics: I was on
a panel about comics, a panel about gaming, and a panel about
reviewing.
Mary Kay Kare
jan...@marvin.eng.sun.com wrote:
> In article <marykay-0409...@c797629-a.plstn1.sfba.home.com>,
mar...@kare.ws (Mary Kay Kare) writes:
> >
> >There was a weirder one. A *great* many artists, writers, and general fen
> >were very unhappy about the small number of panelists used. There were
> >dozens and dozens of people who had no panels and could have been a real
> >addition while people no one had heard of had a couple dozen. The story
> >was that they were trying to limit the number of panelists so as to limit
> >the number of reimbursements. Think of 3 reasons why this is a stupid
> >excuse.
> >
>
> This was *not* the reason. There was not a small number of
> participants used.
That was the reason I was given, repeatedly.
Worldcon draws a ton of potential program
> participants and who gets used depends on their ability to
> speak on a specialized topic, their ability to speak well
> and entertainingly on a panel, or their name draw. The
> programming staff definitely tried to do research on volunteers
> whom they did not know. However, no programming staff can
> possibly know everyone, and even the specialists whom they
> ask to contribute to various specialty areas of programming
> can't although I know from the email aliases that there was
> definitely an effort to include participants who were not known
> to the programming staff.
>
Most of the people complaining to me about being turned down for
programming were hardly unknown. The second most asked question at our
table was the name/email address of the programming head because so many
people were so unhappy with the way things were done at MilPhil. In fact,
the vice president of SFWA stopped by the table to get same in order to
'help head of the unleasantnesses that happened this year.'
AW
> On 4 Sep 2001 14:22:31 -0400, James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>
> > I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> >perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>
> Yalow's wise suggestion (and clever parlimentary hack) on having the MPC
> remind the concom "early and often" that we want names.
>
> > Does not seem to matter what the topic, I can't sit through
> >awards ceremonies.
>
> AOL. Unless I'm working tech.
The name size was an irritant. When I read in the program book that
we should meet, greet, and treat with fellow fens, it can be annoying
that you have to stop in the middle of a conversation to lean over and
read someone's name badge. I hope that there will be a amendment
specifying a larger font size. A lot of us are growing older, not
necessarily growing up. :-)
Omega
<oran...@uwm.edu> writes
>
>When I first got into fandom, Phil Foglio would do custom
>badges for the exorbitant price of $5 apiece, which I (alas)
>could not afford. I think we can rely upon the certainty
>that nowadays his price would be higher.
>
fan fund or something. I know he was doing little quick sketches when
he was signing stuff at Conadian. OK this was seven years ago but...
--
Omega
"Don't Tell My Mother I Work In Advertising - She Thinks I'm A Piano-player In A
Brothel."
Title of a book by Jacques Seguela
Kris Hasson-Jones
[context tossed but it was about ConJose]
I'm very interested in coming to ConJose, but I have a question:
How do people whose children start school the day after Labor
day manage going to the con *and* getting the kids prepped for
school?
--
Kris Hasson-Jones sni...@pacifier.com
Both my sons (ages 15 and 11) will be at Orycon
First con for the younger one!
Alison Scott
>On Tue, 04 Sep 2001 21:29:10 -0400,
> Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>>started.
>
>
>This has the quality common to all the best shameless non sequiturs:
>it makes me dizzy, like I want to go lie down.
Depending on what sized font they used, I might be with at-con
registration on this one. If you get the names at the last minute, you
can't easily use a font larger than the largest that prints the
longest name in the database correctly. Say, Neil Anthony Gerald
Mittenshaw-Hodge.
If you have plenty of notice, you can do a label run that manually
tweaks the difficult ones. Steve used to have a program that
automatically selected the largest possible font for each name. But it
still had to be tweaked by hand for best results.
--
Alison Scott ali...@kittywompus.com & www.kittywompus.com
Beth Friedman
<9n49k3$8...@netaxs.com>, wrote:
>In the early/middle 70's, it was a usual (though not required) thing to
>have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
>commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
>art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
I may still have my Phil Foglio name badge somewhere. It says Beth
Friedman, Compulsive Filksinger on it, and I stopped wearing it when I
stopped being one. Though I was always as much or more a listener
than a player.
>For some reason, this useful custom went out of fashion--perhaps it's
>time to bring it back.
I was never terribly comfortable wearing two badges, which is the
other reason I stopped wearing mine.
--
Beth Friedman
b...@wavefront.com
Vicki Rosenzweig
>On 5 Sep 2001 02:58:27 GMT, p...@panix.com (P Nielsen Hayden) wrote:
>
>>>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>>>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>>>started.
>>
>>This has the quality common to all the best shameless non sequiturs:
>>it makes me dizzy, like I want to go lie down.
>
>Yes, it does, doesn't it? It reminds me of the folks in the business
>meeting who claimed we need to split the Dramatic Presentation Hugo
>into Long and Short Form because "this is a new medium". (Quote
>approximate.) After somebody pointed out that movies have been around
>for a while, someone else got up and insisted that movies really were
>a new medium, although the justification of that claim trailed off
>into an incoherence of babble.
*waving* The first somebody was me--I'd meant to speak to some other
point, but felt the need to mention that movies are *not* a new medium,
though it may be only recently that there's been enough good filmed
sf for us to be considering two award categories for it.
--
Vicki Rosenzweig | v...@redbird.org
r.a.sf.f faq at http://www.redbird.org/rassef-faq.html
Vicki Rosenzweig
-0400:
>On Tue, 04 Sep 2001 21:29:10 -0400, Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org>
>wrote:
>
>>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>>
>>>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>>>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>>>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>>>
>>>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>>>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>>>
>>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
>>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
>>
>>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>>started.
>
>I heard it was because they were using a loaned labelmaker and it only
>made that size.
Then how did the Solutions produce my larger name tape when requested?
Vicki Rosenzweig
>In article <6uvaptcs97cfn16dt...@4ax.com>, Vicki
>Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>
>>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>>
>>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers
>>>remember to
>>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the
>>>convention.
>>
>>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>>because they only got the database of names five days before the
>>con
>>started.
>
>What does when they got the list have to do with how large they
>printed it?
Congratulations. You get an A.
David G. Bell
<q8zO+hoM...@diamond9.demon.co.uk> b...@shrdlu.com
"Bernard Peek" wrote:
I'd nominate Chuck Connor for address database testing.
--
David G. Bell -- Farmer, SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.
If I were to go back to my schooldays, knowing what I know now, I would
pack cheese sandwiches for lunch.
Beth Friedman
<m266ayk...@gw.dd-b.net>, wrote:
>Ed Dravecky III <e...@panix.com> writes:
>
>> Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
>> > And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was
>> > impossible because they only got the database of names five
>> > days before the con started.
>>
>> I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
>> badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
>> (Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
>> should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
>> an afterthought to be excused by late data.
>>
>> Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
>> problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
>
>David Cargo solved this problem for Minicon back in the 80's; in the
>form of an Icon program which directly creates Postscript :-). (You
>tell it where the blank spaces on the page of badges are, it fits the
>names into them. Also does badge numbers, but those are all the same
>size.)
He kept coming up with new features as I kept dreaming them up, which
was nice. (I was in charge of Minicon badges for several years.) The
ability to place a badge number was one of them, as was the ability to
sequence the numbers down a pile of sheets as opposed to across each
sheet. (This was to make badge sorting by number easier.) About the
time we had the program pretty much perfected, it became essentially
obsolete. The next time I did badges for Minicon (Minicon 33, the
last big one), several years later, I ended up doing a complicated
merge to get the names into a Word document, and then eyeballed and
hand-edited to optimize name size.
The really exciting thing that year was that I hadn't planned on the
graphic for the badge (which was electronic) being so complex that it
took around four minutes per page to print on my LaserJet 4MP. I
should have done more experimentation before things got to the last
minute. Lest anyone ask why I did it that way, my backup plan was to
print one master, do Xerox or offset copies of the design, and print
names over that, but the copy quality of my test versions just weren't
as good. It all worked out, just barely.
--
Beth Friedman
b...@wavefront.com
michael paine
""David G. Bell"" <db...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:20010905.18...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk...
> On Wednesday, in article
> <q8zO+hoM...@diamond9.demon.co.uk> b...@shrdlu.com
> "Bernard Peek" wrote:
>
> > In message <9n45q6$41t$2...@news.panix.com>, Ed Dravecky III
> > <e...@panix.com> writes
> > >Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org> wrote:
> > >> And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was
> > >> impossible because they only got the database of names five
> > >> days before the con started.
> > >
> > >I know there can be problems with longer names fitting on the
> > >badge but this should be thought of BEFORE THEY GET THE DATA.
> > >(Yes, I'm yelling.) The name of the person wearing the badge
> > >should be the primary design consideration for the badge, not
> > >an afterthought to be excused by late data.
> > >
> > >Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
> > >problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
> >
> > I think UK fandom delegated the job of testing name printing to
someone.
> > I think it was Neil Anthony Gerald Mittenshaw-Hodge, but I could be
> > mistaken.
>
> I'd nominate Chuck Connor for address database testing.
[*]
Erik V. Olson
>Hm, on Wednesday, I quite successfuly had the Solutions desk replace
>my original name tape with the new larger one, and punch two holes near
>the outer edge of the badge, so my badge seldom flipped, and was
>obvious to me when it did.
They could be fixed. I used a leatherman and sharpie on mine. Got so good at
it that on my 14th badge repair, I got careless and bled all over Tom
Whitmore's badge. I gave blood for ConJose. Insert James Nicoll story here.
But they shouldn't have needed to be fixed at con by the members or the
services desk. Noreascon 3 had useful badges. Chicon 2000 had useful badges.
Hell, Confederation in 1986 had more useful badges than these, and they used
typewriters!
>I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge, taking
>up otherwise useful space.
It doesn't have to take much, and is useful for quickly extracting the rest
of the member info. Useful member numbers are very handy in art auctions,
frex. Plus, they *normally* don't take up inordiante amounts of space, see
the last Chicon's badges.
You could print them on back if you are already printing badge backs. If you
aren't, then you double the cost. But it's perfectly acceptable to put that
info and city/state/country info in small type. Just not the name.
--
Erik V. Olson: er...@mo.net : http://walden.mo.net/~eriko/
Erik V. Olson
> Say, that reminds me of something which has puzzled me for a while.
>I noticed my name tag usually favoured one direction to flip in, slowly
>garroting me with the chain. My phone cord does something similar, winding
>itself up from about six feet to a few inches if I don't despin the cord
>from time to time. Why is there a favoured direction for rotation of objects
>like name tags and phone handsets?
1) Bias in the chain.
2) Differential force. Almost nobody walks perfectly symmetrical, or
properly reverses twists they make.
Janice Gelb
>
>Most of the people complaining to me about being turned down for
>programming were hardly unknown. The second most asked question at our
>table was the name/email address of the programming head because so many
>people were so unhappy with the way things were done at MilPhil. In fact,
>the vice president of SFWA stopped by the table to get same in order to
>'help head of the unleasantnesses that happened this year.'
>
I'm really sorry to hear this. I wasn't directly involved in
who got picked for program but I do know that the programming
heads worked really hard and did try to use volunteers but there
were way more volunteers than there were programming slots for
them. Who was left out and why is not something I have specific
information about.
Erik V. Olson
Alison Scott <ali...@kittywompus.com> wrote:
>If you have plenty of notice, you can do a label run that manually
>tweaks the difficult ones. Steve used to have a program that
>automatically selected the largest possible font for each name. But it
>still had to be tweaked by hand for best results.
Solved tech. Pick an implementation. Ask MCFI, who was doing this back in
1989. Ask Chicon 2000, which did this last year. If you don't have time to
reinvent, don't. A quick phone call six weeks before the con might have made
the difference. There are always ones that need tweeking [the Three Named
Wonder Editors jump to mind ;) ] but that's a Simple Matter of Paying
Attention. "Hey, this one sucks. Reprint!" Since you have to put the lables
on the badges, you can do it later, you can check every badge -- hell, you
could do it *at con*, if once slips through.
When you get down to it, they could have done at least 20 points -- the
proof of that was that they *did* 20 point fonts, if you went and got a
reprint.
Thomas Galloway
Laura Burchard <l...@Radix.Net> wrote:
>Hmm, I didn't realize I knew some of the people working on ConJose. Do you
>guys still need volunteers? I've only worked non-sf conventions, but one
>of my tasks there was namebadges -- I was a graphic designer at the time.
Still? It's a year out; there are *lots* of slots that haven't been filled.
For example, I'm house managing the Hugos and have yet to recruit a single
usher (admittedly, the few I've tried to recruit ran away screaming...:-)).
tyg t...@panix.com
Sue Mason
<ali...@kittywompus.com> wrote:
>"Ailsa C. Ek" <ail...@mac.com> wrote:
>
>>Me too. This Worldcon finally made me decide to make my own
>>permanent badge, such as I've noticed a number of older fen have.
>>Although, really, the main reason is that I wish _other_ people's
>>names had been bigger. I'm way too shy to walk up to everyone
>>who looks over 50 at the con to see if they're someone I've seen
>>mentioned in a fanzine and whom I have been dying to meet.
>
>Ooh. I suppose I could start a small cottage industry. I could design
>a raseff badge -- along the lines of the plokta.con badge, only, you
>know, different, or possibly along the lines of the badges I did for
>Victor's TAFF campaign -- and then produce namebadges for individuals
>with the design, laminate them, and sell them for a small fee for some
>fan fund or other. Hmm. Let me think about a design.
>
>GREAT BIG TYPE GUARANTEED.
You do the badges, I do the designs? Skiffy one, fannish one, beery
one, fantasy one, cat one?
Sue Mason
s...@arctic-fox.freeserve.co.uk
Dragons, unicorns and pagan designs in wood at
http://www.plokta.com/woodlore/
John Lorentz
>Didn't Chicon devise some nifty software to solve the longer name
>problem? Perhaps they could share this with fandom at large?
The reg database was kept in Excel.
Knowing that, I can guarantee that I can take the database, and turn
it into laser-printed labels (they only printed the names on
transparent labels and stuck them the outside of the laminated badge)
overnight...in at _least_ 24pt type.
(I did think it hilarious when told at the Business Meeting that the
type was so small because "we only got the database five days before
the convention". If they had time to print them at all, they had time
to print them the right size.)
--
John (LoneStarCon II At-Con Reg, retired)
Keith F. Lynch
> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
It was mentioned.
> It is very, very intimidating to look up at the fellow who is
> nodding off as I speak and see the name "Mark Leeper" on his
> name badge, ...
I'm sure that's not a reflection on your panel. Almost everyone at
a Worldcon is short on sleep, and may tend to drift off when sitting
still for an hour.
At least you'll get your name in a Leeper con report. Something I've
only accomplished once.
> Got more exercise than I expected to esp while roving. Wonder where
> the blood came from on 21?
I'm one of the few people who does more walking and more climbing when
not at a con. I had to pretty much alternate between 21st floor and
6th floor parties just to prevent exercise withdrawal symptoms.
> Also had a polite consersation with a mundane at the coffee shop/bar
> about SF vs scifi, since she had been the target of a reaction
> appropriate for use of the N word by a white person at an NAACP
> meeting when she used sci-fi in conversation and was rather nervous
> about giving further inadvertent offense.
Hmph. People who buy tickets to sci-fi and Trekkie shows such as
Worldcon should be more tolerant of others.
> Saw the religious people lining up to buy stuff as I walked through
> their section of the hall. "Poor, exploited fools" I thought,
> heading down to the dealer's room.
I wonder if they feel the same way about us. I heard they prayed
for us. And that Christian Fandom got offended.
> Met the inventor of the propellor beanie. He also commented in an
> informed way on the Great Expulsion at the first worldcon, which he
> was at.
I'm told that fan feuds don't really last all that long, and that that
feud from the 1930s is likely to be forgotten, or at least forgiven,
by the 2030s. And I'm sure that 1987 letter from NESFA will be
forgiven by the 2080s.
> That cat looked terrified to begin with and later just extremely
> perturbed.
What cat? The kittyhawk that was the mascot of the Charlotte bid?
I'd be upset too, if I were the mascot for a bid, and it lost.
> Does not seem to matter what the topic, I can't sit through awards
> ceremonies.
The Hugo ceremony ran way too long. As usual, they had stuffed
numerous unrelated awards in there, including one new one. And
instead of the MC giving the awards, she introduced others who gave
the award in each category. These others were usually people who
loved to hear themselves talk.
I think nothing but Hugos should be awarded in the Hugo ceremony.
That way, those who are interested in each non-Hugo award can get
together afterwards and socialize. Exactly as happened with the
Prometheus award ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
--
Keith F. Lynch - k...@keithlynch.net - http://keithlynch.net/
I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but
unsolicited bulk e-mail sent to thousands of randomly collected
addresses is not acceptable, and I do complain to the spammer's ISP.
Keith F. Lynch
> In the early/middle 70's, it was a usual (though not required) thing
> to have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
> commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
> art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
I have an embossed card which looks like a credit card, and which
identifies me as a member of United Individualist. I usually keep it
in my pocket rather than wearing it, however.
I made it myself when I was working at a job that gave me access to a
card embosser.
A few years ago at various cons a group was asking to photograph
unusual name badges to make a book of them. They refused to
photograph mine, as it wasn't the sort of thing they were into. As
far as I know, that book was never made. Just as well, if they liked
to go around asking to see unusual name badges, and then turning down
people for having name badges that are unusual.
Keith F. Lynch
> It wasn't just the size, the badge design had a line of clipart
> houses below the con logo, and the houses were bigger than the
> names, so your eye was always drawn to that line of houses.
Yes. I found myself repeatedly squinting at badges, trying to read
that skyline from a few feet away. From a distance, it looked like
writing. Very poor design.
Keith F. Lynch
> It reminds me of the folks in the business meeting who claimed we
> need to split the Dramatic Presentation Hugo into Long and Short
> Form because "this is a new medium".
Sigh. I thought we had driven the stake through that idea last year.
If I had known it would rise back up, I would have made it a point to
go to the business meeting. I'll be sure to go next year.
It ought to be an honor just to be nominated. There are few enough
SF movies that pretty much all of them get nominated each year, even
the truly horrible ones. And while TV show episodes are more common,
they're typically even worse, as proven by the fact that movies are
usually nominated instead of TV show episodes when they're in the same
category, as they currently are.
Also, I can't see giving awards to people who can't be bothered to
show up. If they don't care about our awards, why should we waste our
time giving those awards? It's not as if they didn't have plenty of
award ceremonies of their own. Including one which is supposedly
viewed by about a billion people worldwide, nearly a million times
more people than view the Hugo ceremony.
(Question for the SMOFs: Hugo nominees can attend the Hugo ceremonies
even without buying a con membership, right? If not, this should be
fixed.)
Next year, there will be a one-time Hugo for best web site. Once
someone reminds the business meeting participants that there's more
to the net than the web, no doubt we will see categories for best
SF-related email, best SF-related newsgroup posting, best SF-related
FTP site, best SF-related router, best SF-related operating system,
and best SF-related spammer. The last will hog the microphone
all night, and try to enroll all of us into the downline of some
unspecified once-in-a-lifetime ground-floor business opportunity,
and repair our credit rating so we can buy herbal Viagara, gadgets
to steal cable TV service, and stealth spamming software from some
P.O. box in Nigeria or Aruba.
> After somebody pointed out that movies have been around for a
> while, ...
Mass-market movies in color are only about 60 or 70 years old.
Obviously we need separate awards for movies in color and in B&W.
3D movies are even newer, and obviously deserve an award of their own.
Voting should be a cinch, since very seldom is more than one made in
a year.
Now that HDTV is starting to come out, we need a separate award for
HDTV show episodes and for regular TV show episodes.
Eventually we'll manage to get a Hugo award ceremony to last until
dawn.
Priscilla H. Ballou
+1-510-655-8604 <fa...@panix.com> wrote:
> Farah Mendlesohn <fa...@fjm3.demon.co.uk> writes:
>
> > It was possible to get a stick on version from the solutions people, but
> > they insisted on placing it at the top of the badge so as not to obscure
> > the official name line. This meant people still didn't see it.
>
> Hm, on Wednesday, I quite successfuly had the Solutions desk replace
> my original name tape with the new larger one, and punch two holes near
> the outer edge of the badge, so my badge seldom flipped, and was
> obvious to me when it did.
>
> I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge, taking
> up otherwise useful space.
I had to give people my membership number several times, so I was glad
to have it there.
Priscilla
--
"Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God;
but only he who sees, takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it and
pluck blackberries." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Mark Atwood
>
> I have an embossed card which looks like a credit card, and which
> identifies me as a member of United Individualist. I usually keep it
> in my pocket rather than wearing it, however.
Back in the days when the net was less known than it is now, someone
started making things that looked just like "press badges", but
identified the owner as a stringer/reporter/editor for "USENET News".
I'd heard of them actually being used and accepted to get people into
various "press only" government public hearings.
Wish I could remember who was making them.
--
Mark Atwood | I'm wearing black only until I find something darker.
m...@pobox.com | http://www.pobox.com/~mra
Keith F. Lynch
> I thought this was to remind (or reassure) us that the Philadelphia
> P.D. didn't bomb the whole city. It was an, um, interesting choice.
You may have noticed there were few if any noise complaints at
MilPhil. Nobody dares make any such complaint in Philadelphia, lest
it once again be dealt with by firebombing the whole city block the
complainer is in. Which could really ruin a convention.
Marilee J. Layman
wrote:
>Quoth Marilee J. Layman <mjla...@erols.com> on Tue, 04 Sep 2001 23:18:01
>-0400:
>
>>On Tue, 04 Sep 2001 21:29:10 -0400, Vicki Rosenzweig <v...@redbird.org>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Quoth "Kate Schaefer" <ka...@oz.net> on 4 Sep 2001 22:22:58 GMT:
>>>
>>>>"James Nicoll" <jdni...@panix.com> wrote in message
>>>>news:9n3657$k5i$1...@panix1.panix.com...
>>>>> Some notes on the Worldcon
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't know if anyone mentioned this to the con organisers but
>>>>> perhaps the names on the tags could be larger.
>>>>
>>>>This is nearly always the case. Some convention organizers remember to
>>>>make them larger; some smite their foreheads during the convention.
>>>
>>>And some heads of at-con registration claim that it was impossible
>>>because they only got the database of names five days before the con
>>>started.
>>
>>I heard it was because they were using a loaned labelmaker and it only
>>made that size.
>
>Then how did the Solutions produce my larger name tape when requested?
Morris said that labelmaker showed up on Wednesday.
--
Marilee J. Layman
Bali Sterling Beads at Wholesale
http://www.basicbali.com
Keith F. Lynch
> I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge,
> taking up otherwise useful space.
It was needed for voting on site selection. During which the voter
(if voting at the con) wouldn't necessarily have any of their progress
reports handy, but would certainly have their badge with them.
Also, a very low number helps identify someone as a guest of honor,
concom member, or other VIP.
Mary Kay Kare
er...@mvp.net wrote:
> You could print them on back if you are already printing badge backs. If you
> aren't, then you double the cost. But it's perfectly acceptable to put that
> info and city/state/country info in small type. Just not the name.
>
I've been thinking about next year's badges. I, myself, like having
city/state/country included on badges but it trips some peoples' paranoia
triggers. What's the sense of rassefarians on this topic?
MKK
--
Lassitude: Scottish version of grrl power
Marilee J. Layman
>In article <v8captsmlmr2lehcq...@4ax.com>,
>Alison Scott <ali...@kittywompus.com> wrote:
>>"Ailsa C. Ek" <ail...@mac.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Me too. This Worldcon finally made me decide to make my own
>>>permanent badge, such as I've noticed a number of older fen have.
>>>Although, really, the main reason is that I wish _other_ people's
>>>names had been bigger. I'm way too shy to walk up to everyone
>>>who looks over 50 at the con to see if they're someone I've seen
>>>mentioned in a fanzine and whom I have been dying to meet.
>>
>>Ooh. I suppose I could start a small cottage industry. I could design
>>a raseff badge -- along the lines of the plokta.con badge, only, you
>>know, different, or possibly along the lines of the badges I did for
>>Victor's TAFF campaign -- and then produce namebadges for individuals
>>with the design, laminate them, and sell them for a small fee for some
>>fan fund or other. Hmm. Let me think about a design.
>>
>>GREAT BIG TYPE GUARANTEED.
>>
>In the early/middle 70's, it was a usual (though not required) thing to
>have a permanent name badge by an sf artist--some were specially
>commissioned, but there would also be plenty of name badges in the
>art show that just needed to have the buyer's name added.
>
>For some reason, this useful custom went out of fashion--perhaps it's
>time to bring it back.
I have a lovely mother-of-pearl pin carved in the shape of my first
name that was a gift from my grandparents when I was a child. I wear
it to the library SF discussions so people don't have to try to read
my handwriting. I *almost* brought it to Worldcon, thinking it might
be easier for the kids to read, but decided I didn't have to, I'd have
a badge, after all.
Keith F. Lynch
> He kept coming up with new features as I kept dreaming them up,
> of them, as was the ability to sequence the numbers down a pile of
> the program pretty much perfected, it became essentially obsolete.
Why would it ever become obsolete?
> The really exciting thing that year was that I hadn't planned on the
> graphic for the badge (which was electronic) being so complex that
> it took around four minutes per page to print on my LaserJet 4MP.
That would be about two weeks for 5000 people, even if you only get
one badge per page. That shouldn't be a problem if the badges are
produced well ahead of time.
Keith F. Lynch
> I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge,
> taking up otherwise useful space.
Erik V. Olson <er...@mvp.net> wrote:
> It doesn't have to take much, and is useful for quickly extracting
> the rest of the member info. Useful member numbers are very handy in
> art auctions, frex.
And at site selection voting.
> But it's perfectly acceptable to put that info and
> city/state/country info in small type. Just not the name.
I'd prefer the city/state/country to also be in large type, if
possible. It's a good conversation opener. Plus, I was squinting at
locations all weekend, to decide whom to tell about Capclave, the new
Washington DC area convention.
Andrew Stephenson
jdni...@panix.com "James Nicoll" writes:
> [...] Say, that reminds me of something which has puzzled me
> for a while. I noticed my name tag usually favoured one
> direction to flip in, slowly garroting me with the chain. My
> phone cord does something similar, winding itself up from about
> six feet to a few inches if I don't despin the cord from time
> to time. Why is there a favoured direction for rotation of
> objects like name tags and phone handsets?
If there is someone else using the phone, maybe your respective
ways of picking up and putting down adds a half-turn twist each
time the handset is used. IIRC in one Bob Shaw story a man and
his wife were differently handed and had this problem.
The name tag could be one for Ripley's.
--
Andrew Stephenson
Keith F. Lynch
> Back in the days when the net was less known than it is now, someone
> started making things that looked just like "press badges", but
> identified the owner as a stringer/reporter/editor for "USENET News".
> I'd heard of them actually being used and accepted to get people into
> various "press only" government public hearings.
I spoke of considering making one, in my report on the FTC spam
hearings four years ago. (See http://keithlynch.net/ftc.html).
And I orally identified myself as a report for "usenet netnews" when
attending the NASA press conference in 1996 on possible bacteria
fossils in a Mars meteorite that had been found in Antarctica.
But I never actually had anything with that printed on it.
(Oddly, my memory is quite firm on those events being in 1997 and 1996
respectively. But also on the 1996 event having happened after the
1997 event. There's obviously a mistake somewhere.)
Thomas Galloway
Mark Atwood <m...@pobox.com> wrote:
>Back in the days when the net was less known than it is now, someone
>started making things that looked just like "press badges", but
>identified the owner as a stringer/reporter/editor for "USENET News".
>
>I'd heard of them actually being used and accepted to get people into
>various "press only" government public hearings.
Back in the early 90s, I had a "Professional" membership at the San Diego
Comic Convention due to being on some program items (Pro/Fan trivia match,
some computer stuff, etc.). I was asked what organization I wanted on
my badge. Just for the heck of it, I replied "Usenet" and spent the
weekend as a "Professional Usenetter".
On the topic of old style personal badges, there was also the custom of
having Nancy do a personal button for one which had a large @ in the center,
and one's email address written around the top and bottom of the button; i.e.
tyg
@
panix.com
[save that the @ would be considerably relatively larger]
tyg t...@panix.com
Cally Soukup
> But they shouldn't have needed to be fixed at con by the members or the
> services desk. Noreascon 3 had useful badges. Chicon 2000 had useful badges.
> Hell, Confederation in 1986 had more useful badges than these, and they used
> typewriters!
Ok, that does it. Would someone please scan one of these paragons of
illegibility (with something to show scale) and post a URL for me? I'm
intrigued and appalled, and I haven't even SEEN one of them.
(More useful TYPEWRITTEN badges? Oh, my ears and whiskers!)
--
"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend
to the death your right to say it." -- Beatrice Hall
Cally Soukup sou...@pobox.com
Steven desJardins
wrote:
>I've been thinking about next year's badges. I, myself, like having
>city/state/country included on badges but it trips some peoples' paranoia
>triggers. What's the sense of rassefarians on this topic?
I also like having it there.
P Nielsen Hayden
Janice Gelb <jan...@marvin.eng.sun.com> wrote:
>In article <marykay-0409...@c797629-a.plstn1.sfba.home.com>, mar...@kare.ws (Mary Kay Kare) writes:
>>
>>There was a weirder one. A *great* many artists, writers, and general fen
>>were very unhappy about the small number of panelists used. There were
>>dozens and dozens of people who had no panels and could have been a real
>>addition while people no one had heard of had a couple dozen. The story
>>was that they were trying to limit the number of panelists so as to limit
>>the number of reimbursements. Think of 3 reasons why this is a stupid
>>excuse.
>>
>
>This was *not* the reason. There was not a small number of
>participants used.
Indeed, it is not my impression that there was "a small number of
participants," nor does this idea seem to be born out by examining the
actual (rather long) list. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem
shorter than the list of people used by other recent Worldcons.
There does appear to be a small number of professionals who are
outraged that they weren't on the program, or weren't on what they
consider to be a large enough number of program items. I heard some
of them complaining to one another while waiting for an elevator.
Evidently, it is an outrage that real selling authors with books in
print should be excluded from the program when panel spots are being
given to mere fans.
I have my suspicions about who is whipping this kind of resentment up
and why, and I doubt I'm alone.
--
Patrick Nielsen Hayden : p...@panix.com : http://www.panix.com/~pnh
Weblog: http://www.panix.com/~pnh/electrolite.html
Anthologies: http://www.panix.com/~pnh/anthologies.html
Music: http://www.panix.com/~pnh/trouble.html
Darkhawk (H. Nicoll)
> I've been thinking about next year's badges. I, myself, like having
> city/state/country included on badges but it trips some peoples' paranoia
> triggers. What's the sense of rassefarians on this topic?
Hummm.
I'd think it a positive thing to have at least the option to opt out of
location data. I suspect, though, that if the number of things that I
consider best dealt with as opt in/opt out type matters were actually
implemented, it'd be a bitch to do the database.
- Darkhawk, with tuppence
--
Heather Anne Nicoll - Darkhawk - http://aelfhame.net/~darkhawk/
I'll take your invitation // You take all of me. . . .
- Lifehouse, "Hanging by a Moment"
James Nicoll
Keith F. Lynch <k...@KeithLynch.net> wrote:
>Linda McAllister <l...@pensfa.org> wrote:
>> I thought this was to remind (or reassure) us that the Philadelphia
>> P.D. didn't bomb the whole city. It was an, um, interesting choice.
>
>You may have noticed there were few if any noise complaints at
>MilPhil. Nobody dares make any such complaint in Philadelphia, lest
>it once again be dealt with by firebombing the whole city block the
>complainer is in. Which could really ruin a convention.
Did anyone else have trouble hearing in the immediate vicinity
of the front desk? There seemed to be aural dead zones throughout
the hotel, at least to me.
Ben Yalow
>Farah Mendlesohn <fa...@fjm3.demon.co.uk> writes:
>> It was possible to get a stick on version from the solutions people, but
>> they insisted on placing it at the top of the badge so as not to obscure
>> the official name line. This meant people still didn't see it.
>Hm, on Wednesday, I quite successfuly had the Solutions desk replace
>my original name tape with the new larger one, and punch two holes near
>the outer edge of the badge, so my badge seldom flipped, and was
>obvious to me when it did.
>I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge, taking
>up otherwise useful space.
You need your membership number for site selection. This way, you always
have it with you.
Worldcon name badges essentially always have membership number on them.
>73, doug
Ben
--
Ben Yalow yb...@panix.com
Not speaking for anybody
David Dyer-Bennet
> On Wed, 05 Sep 2001 20:41:08 +0100,
> Alison Scott <ali...@kittywompus.com> wrote:
>
> >If you have plenty of notice, you can do a label run that manually
> >tweaks the difficult ones. Steve used to have a program that
> >automatically selected the largest possible font for each name. But it
> >still had to be tweaked by hand for best results.
>
> Solved tech. Pick an implementation. Ask MCFI, who was doing this back in
> 1989. Ask Chicon 2000, which did this last year. If you don't have time to
> reinvent, don't. A quick phone call six weeks before the con might have made
> the difference. There are always ones that need tweeking [the Three Named
> Wonder Editors jump to mind ;) ] but that's a Simple Matter of Paying
> Attention. "Hey, this one sucks. Reprint!" Since you have to put the lables
> on the badges, you can do it later, you can check every badge -- hell, you
> could do it *at con*, if once slips through.
Labels on badges is not the only possible technology; I'm not sure
Minicon has ever done it that way, for example. I know it's
frequently done it other ways. Most commonly, we have laser-printed
names into spaces left on offset-printed sheets which are then cut
into badges and laminated. We've also printed the name and the rest
of the contents in one run at least once.
--
David Dyer-Bennet / Welcome to the future! / dd...@dd-b.net
Photos: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/
Book log: http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/Ouroboros/booknotes/
Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604
That's what I heard, from the person wielding it on Wednesday.
73, doug
David Dyer-Bennet
The paranoia is ill-founded. It doesn't make the fear less, but it
does make me less interested in coddling it. I think having the
geographical location is very valuable to making connections, helps
suggest topics of conversation, and so forth.
(Having their *name* on the badge trips people's paranoia triggers,
too, and I don't think we should coddle *that*, either. On balance,
anonymity works for the predators.)
David Dyer-Bennet
> On Thu, 06 Sep 2001 00:40:13 GMT,
> Mary Kay Kare <mar...@kare.ws> scripsit:
> Nothing but preferred name of reference and any legally necessary icon
> bits like 'allowed to drink strong drink' would be my preference.
> Registration number I can sort of see.
While conventions, including Minicon, have used badge variations to
signal legal drinking age a lot of times, my conclusion (and Minicon's
in recent years) is that it's simply not good enough; if there's
doubt, the people dispensing alcohol should look at real ID.
Erik V. Olson
>On Thu, 06 Sep 2001 00:40:13 GMT,
>Mary Kay Kare <mar...@kare.ws> scripsit:
>>In article <slrn9pdmeg...@calcium.physiciansedge.com>,
>>>
>>I've been thinking about next year's badges. I, myself, like having
>>city/state/country included on badges but it trips some peoples' paranoia
>>triggers. What's the sense of rassefarians on this topic?
>
>Nothing but preferred name of reference and any legally necessary icon
>bits like 'allowed to drink strong drink' would be my preference.
>Registration number I can sort of see.
"legal to drink" is the last thing you want to put on a badge, since you
then make the convention an accesory to a crime if that person gets caught.
"But they said they were legal." Too much bad mojo.
I'd support the option of deleting City/State if the member so wished, but I
liked seeing PNH from Brooklyn and TNH from New York. :)
--
Erik V. Olson: er...@mo.net : http://walden.mo.net/~eriko/
Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604
> On 05 Sep 2001 01:43:03 -0500, David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net>,
> <m266ayk...@gw.dd-b.net>, wrote:
>
> >David Cargo solved this problem for Minicon back in the 80's; in the
> >form of an Icon program which directly creates Postscript :-). (You
> >tell it where the blank spaces on the page of badges are, it fits the
> >names into them. Also does badge numbers, but those are all the same
> >size.)
>
> He kept coming up with new features as I kept dreaming them up, which
> was nice. (I was in charge of Minicon badges for several years.) The
> ability to place a badge number was one of them, as was the ability to
> sequence the numbers down a pile of sheets as opposed to across each
> sheet. (This was to make badge sorting by number easier.) About the
> time we had the program pretty much perfected, it became essentially
> obsolete. The next time I did badges for Minicon (Minicon 33, the
> last big one), several years later, I ended up doing a complicated
> merge to get the names into a Word document, and then eyeballed and
> hand-edited to optimize name size.
For what it's worth, my name on my latest Minicon Badge, and the
"solved" Worldcon badge are the same height, with the Worldcon badge
being in a more readable font.
Both of these badges were the same size, and both were laminates.
Either could be clipped on, or hung from a lanyard or chain, and they
fit in a pocket easily when not in use.
73, doug
Cally Soukup
I think it's nice, but it should be an opt-in. Same with email
addresses. A good badge layout (for me) would be
convention name (small type)
Person's Name (biggest type possible)
(optional) city & country (small type)
(optional) email address Badge # (small type)
So under the member's name there would be between zero and two lines of
small type, with the badge number off in the corner.
Erik V. Olson
>Erik V. Olson <er...@physiciansedge.com> wrote in article <slrn9pdmeg...@calcium.physiciansedge.com>:
>
>> But they shouldn't have needed to be fixed at con by the members or the
>> services desk. Noreascon 3 had useful badges. Chicon 2000 had useful badges.
>> Hell, Confederation in 1986 had more useful badges than these, and they used
>> typewriters!
>
>Ok, that does it. Would someone please scan one of these paragons of
>illegibility (with something to show scale) and post a URL for me? I'm
>intrigued and appalled, and I haven't even SEEN one of them.
>
>(More useful TYPEWRITTEN badges? Oh, my ears and whiskers!)
They were really clever typewriters. I was a 17 year old neo. I was
*impressed* by how big these things typed.
To make the milphil badge, print
AXXXX Cally Soukup
Downers Grove IL USA
on a label, where XXXX is a four digit number (and Downers Grove is a
guess.) Format the top line with 14 point Times Roman Bold, and the second
in 12 point times roman. Print, and stick on the back of your Chicon badge.
I must confess, here, that my rant about the names in 12 points was wrong.
They are 14 points.
Erik V. Olson
>
>Labels on badges is not the only possible technology; I'm not sure
>Minicon has ever done it that way, for example. I know it's
>frequently done it other ways. Most commonly, we have laser-printed
>names into spaces left on offset-printed sheets which are then cut
>into badges and laminated. We've also printed the name and the rest
>of the contents in one run at least once.
My comments were directed at labels, since that was what MilPhil (and Chicon
2000) used. Labels can work -- Chicon's clearly did.
Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604
> Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 <fa...@panix.com> wrote:
> > I saw no reason for having the membership number on the badge,
> > taking up otherwise useful space.
>
> It was needed for voting on site selection. During which the voter
> (if voting at the con) wouldn't necessarily have any of their progress
> reports handy, but would certainly have their badge with them.
>
Ok, I concede that it's a useful number to have handy at Worldcon.
But it can be very small and be useful.
> Also, a very low number helps identify someone as a guest of honor,
> concom member, or other VIP.
And it's a topic of conversation, such as "I wonder who got the number
between Faunt and Feder?". And wait until you see my number next
year.
On the other hand, I'd rather see a name large enough to read a long
way off, and location large enough to be read at normal conversational
distances. We spotted a number of possible Pensfa members (and
ConJose suckers\\\\\\\volunteers) that way.
73, doug