WorldCon 2011, Day 1

And now to the geeky part of our travels.  Renovation, the 2011 WorldCon, was held in Reno, Nevada, in August.  I suspect it's partly because Reno in August is a very cheap place.  The hotel certainly was cheap and luxurious, a combination I can seriously get behind.  But then given the weather I could understand why they might have trouble getting folks to come visit in August. I could literally feel the moisture being sucked out of my body every time I set foot out of doors, and the smoke from the range fire burning down near Carson City while we were there enhanced the effect nicely.

All that aside, WorldCon was very enjoyable.  This was Mary's and my second WorldCon -- our first was in Denver in 2008.  I think what I love best about science fiction conventions is the sense of humor of the organizers and attendees.  It's delightfully off-kilter.  For example, take a look at this grass-skirted Dalek:



For those who are not Doctor Who fans (and why aren't you?), Daleks are the good Doctor's most traditional villain.  However, I've never seen one in a grass skirt before.

 Then there is the Discworld golf cart:



Discworld, according to Terry Pratchett, who authors the books set there, is a flat world that sits on the back of four elephants perched on the back of a turtle which swims through the universe.



Here's a better view of Discworld itself.  The fringe is the water perpetually falling off of the edge of the planet.

 My first full day at WorldCon was partly spent wandering through the art show and the dealers' room, but it was mostly spent at panels where the topics ranged from writing in shared universes to the geek as hero.  I also enjoyed the opening ceremonies.

All in all, a very good opening day.