DragonCon 2013 Survival Guide

DragonCon comes up next week. And we all know that cons aren't for the timid. There are still some good rules, or guidelines as it were, for surviving at DragonCon (or any other convention).

5-3-1 Rule: 5 hours of sleep, 3 meals, 1 shower
This should be the minimum mandatory for us all especially concerning the shower. 40k+ people packed into that small a space requires good hygiene habits.

Hygiene rule: Cleanliness is next to Wheatoness.
Wash your hands frequently and before you put anything in your mouth. If you're not near a sink, use hand sanitizer. Con crud sucks and you don't want to pass it on to anyone else. And if you see me on Sunday, you might want to run away screaming or put on a hazmat suit. That's usually when my con crud kicks in.

Elevator rule: You will have a hellacious wait.
There is always a line. Remember to let those in wheelchairs/scooters/etc on first. Of course, I don't know why you're bothering to try to take the elevator. Just take the stairs.

Corollary to the Elevator rule: Pointy costumes on the elevator, wait for the next.
Trust me, I've gotten poked in the face/back of the head/tit too many times while pressed back against the glass in an elevator at the Hyatt.

2nd Corollary to the Elevator rule: Be prepared to get up close and personal with strangers.
I swear, dude, I did not mean to grab your ass. I got bumped by Chewbacca. (I'm not joking either. Much.)

3rd Corollary to the Elevator rule: The Stair rule: The stairs can be your friend.
Sis has no patience with waiting for things. She also doesn't understand any of the DC elevator rules. I'm prepared to take the stairs most of the time. I've requested again that we be on the 10th floor or below. I can do 10 flights a couple times a day. Two years ago, the 16th floor almost killed me. By the by, the stairwells are gross by the end of the con.

Corollary to the Stair Rule: If you're heading to your (or someone else's, you lucky dog) room on a higher floor, take the stairs to the first or second floor of guest rooms and then get on the elevator. It will be a lot emptier.

Line rule: Talk to people.
I've always had great conversations with complete strangers while waiting in line for my badge (really, with as long as that wait is, you might as well enjoy it) and for panels. DragonCon is filled with people just like you. You never know, you could make life long friends, or at least, a weekend drinking buddy. If you're near me in a panel line (I'll be in the insane red, white and blue hat), ask to join in a game. I'll have Zombie Dice or Cthulhu Dice with me this year.

Costumes rule: Be prepared.
Have a sewing kit. Always change your underwear. Or possibly don't plan on wearing the same costume/outfit everyday. Also consider how difficult it will be to navigate stairs, rows between chairs, and the bathroom in the costume. Also be prepared for the heat. Atlanta is called Hotlanta for a reason.

Corollary to the Costume rule: Don't stand too close.
I love steampunk outfits. They are fantastic. They also frequently have sharp, and pointy edges especially if they have steampunk fairy wings. Don't walk to closely. Pointy hurts. (Pardon my Willow moment.) This goes for costumes with weapons as well. It's all fun and games til someone gets an eye put out and most people don't look good in an eyepatch. They're also hard to game in, eyepatches that is.

Mary Poppins rule: Be prepared.
 I have cameras, wallets, OTC meds, snacks, drinks, sweaters, notebooks, pens, tissues, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, clorox wipes, face wipes, and who knows what else.It is a good thing.

Second most important con rule, (i.e. The Wheaton Rule): Don't be a dick!
Listen to the wise and all knowing (or mostly knowing anyway) Wil Wheaton. He know of which he speaks.

And above all else, Most Important Con Rule: Have fun!

Random other con tips (partially culled from the DragonCon Newbies Facebook page, join us there):
1. Take cash with you or plan to hit the ATM on Thursday. Most will be empty by late Friday.
2. In previous years, dealers had a hard time processing credit cards. They're in America's Mart this year which might help, but cash is still easier.
3. Know any plan will fall apart not long after the first panel of the day. Try to do all you want, but be open to changing your schedule.
4. There's a newbie tour on Thursday night at 5 pm. Check out the FB page and join.
5. There is also a newbie meet and greet in the American Science Fiction and Fantasy track room (Marriott M302) Friday at 10 am. Stop by and say hi.
6. Naps are a good thing.
7. If you are in a host hotel, DCTV airs on the hotel channel. It will show popular guest panels either live or rebroascast. If a panel line looks really long, BISis and I will check the program to see if it is being aired live. If so, we grab lunch and watch it in our room.
8. DragonCon has an app. Download it. It will be your best friend. It also works without wifi/data coverage. It includes the schedule and maps.

DragonCon 2012

Panels:

BISis and I cut back some on the panels this year to reduce stress and line standing.

Celebrity Panels:

I think the celebrity panels get bigger and wilder every year at Dragon*Con. BISis and I started the con off with John Barrowman's 10 am Friday panel with Rob Levy and Kai Owen. He was a wild man who mooned everyone after being introduced. Then he spotted a guy dressed in a headdress and speedo part of the way through the panel and got him to come up and be hugged/groped. I didn't get any pictures since we were so far back, but I'll link a video of the panel (uploaded by cos2mwiz). It was too fantastic to miss.

 I drug my sister to see the Friday Josh Gates Destination Truth panel. She doesn't watch the show, but loved the book when I lent it to her. He was as funny and charming as you'd think from watching the show. She actually drug me and AT to the Saturday panel. I think we would have gone to the Sunday one as well if we hadn't had Braves tickets. I don't have any pictures from either panel because the man does not sit still well enough, but I do have video from the Friday panel. It's uploaded in 6 parts. The first is embedded and the rest linked below.

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 2

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 3

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 4

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 5

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 6

We also managed to snag great seats for the Sunday Eureka panel. BISis got the time wrong and got us there early. We were 23 and 24 in line. This one I do have pictures from. Niall Matter, Tembi Lock, and Kevin Grazier were fairly silent. Colin Ferguson and Jaime Paglia stole the show and went on to prove that hung over panels are the funniest ones out there. I laughed so hard I cried through most of it.

Fan Panels:

This was a big year for me. Last year I was only on one panel. This year I was on three. It still feels weird to introduce myself as 'Maggie from badinfluencespeaks.com.'

The first panel was Celluloid Tales: The Year in Film on Friday with Matt Frasier, Ryan Guthrie, Alex Ware, and J.A. Steel (who is a producer).  We covered our thoughts on the movies that have come out so far including Brave, Hunger Games, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and Dark Knight Rises, and briefly touched on upcoming movies (I'm really looking forward to Skyfall). J.A. is a producer and had some fascinating insight into the ins and outs of movie making.

Second panel was Eureka: No More Buttons For Fargo on Friday evening with Amanda Marron, Ryan Guthrie, Elizabeth Stacy, and Matt Frasier. I was much more active in this panel as we talked about our favorite moments from the show. I guess the fact that I can quote rather extinsively from it helps.

Third panel was on Saturday afternoon, Superheroes and Beach Blankets, with Henry Hanks,  Bill McIntire, Tom Morris, and Chris Snellgrove. We discussed the 3 superhero blockbusters of the summer, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and Dark Knight Rises. Actually, Dragon*Con is the sole reason I saw DKR. I'm not much of a Batman fan, but I enjoyed the film. I'd love to see someone continue on where they left off. A audience member brought up the point that maybe [Robin was a code name so he'd know Bruce was all right and not actually his real name.]

I actually have a picture from this panel thanks to AT. My sister proved useless again this year at taking a picture of me on each panel. From left to right: Henry Hanks, Tom Morris (as Shrek), Bill McIntire (dragon hat), me, and Chris Snellgrove. (By the way, that Haven sign was a problem in every panel I sat on. It kept falling. I hope that isn't a bad omen for the show.)

Saturday Night Drive-In

I don't know who is chosing the creature features for this MST3000 style panel (I suspect Joe Crowe, the new head of the Sci-Fi Classics track). This year's movie, Mega-Python vs. Gateroid, might have topped Sharktopus from last year. Essentially it was Team Debbie Gibson vs. Team Tiffany. I'm Team Tiffany, by the way. It was truely and hysterically horrendous. I laughed myself silly. The production company also helped out by providing several DVDs to be raffled off. BISis won a copy of Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies. I can't wait to see it.

Panel Schedule for DragonCon 2012

Come join me and my fellow geeks as we talk about favorite TV shows and the latest crop of superhero movies on the American Science Fiction and Fantasy Media track.

Fri 11:30 am
Celluloid Tales - The Year in Film

Fri 8:30 pm
Eureka - No more buttons for Fargo

Sat 4:00 pm
Superheroes and Beach Blankets

Adding to the Dragon*Con 2012 To Do List:

-Go see The Dark Knight Rises. I was waiting to see if I was going to be on a panel that discusses it.

-Print out all my blog posts on Eureka as a refresher for the early episodes. Also, finally write up the finale post.

DragonCon 2010 Panels

Every year I say that I'm going to make it to more panels and it never really happens.  The lines get cut off or are so insanely long even an hour before hand that I look at them and say, "oh hell no."  Lack of sleep can also factor into this.  Yes, I know that panels don't start until 10:30 am.  Who can really sleep with an Atrium Tower room in the Hyatt though.  I swear I was ready to murder whom ever was holding down the "Door Open" button in one of the elevators Friday night.  2 minutes of buzzing on and off for over a half hour is way too much at 2 am (ok, so it was really Saturday morning).  We had one of those little bump outs in front of our room, too, where drunks seemed to like to hang out.  Friday night/buttcrack of dawn Saturday, there was a guy with no concept of an indoor voice outside the door for quite a while.  He sounded like Josh Gates from Destination Truth.  I didn't get up to check though.  If it had been Josh Gates (who wasn't on the schedule), I would have said, "Josh Gates?  Wow. I think you're hysterical and love watching your show. Please get away from my room now. You're freaking loud."   If it hadn't been Josh Gates, it would have gotten ugly very quickly.  I get pissy when woken from a dead sleep.  Imminent death/destruction or sex are the only acceptable reasons for that and sex wasn't on the menu for them.

Back to the panels, Sis and I did get to quite a few and caught 2 on DCTv.

First up on Friday was the Warehouse 13 panel with Saul Rubinek, Eddie McClintock, and Tia Carrere.  Saul is kind a funny.  Tia is bright and a little raunchy.  Eddie is cute and so much like his character, Pete.  My friend, Lea, ran into him in the elevator at the Marriott and says he is charming and adorable up close, very much like a playful little kid. The evil Eddie goatee was sexy too.


Of course, next up was the Eureka panel at 2:30.  Colin Ferguson's plane wasn't due in until 4 pm so Erica Cerra had to handle things on her own.  She had no clue what to do but picked things up quickly.  Whoever was running the American Sci-Fi Media track, did nothing to help her out.  His introductions were funny throughout the con but not because he put any thought into them.  He read them straight off imdb.com, incorrect information and all.  The audience realized this which is why it was so funny.  Erica can hold her own in the spotlight.  She is gorgeous (I'm envious of her arm muscles) and was adorable. She'd do this excited clapping thing that was adorable and thanked every person after answering their question. She had a grand old time mock answering for Colin.  My cheeks actually hurt from laughing when her panel was over.

This by the way was the line to see her.  It wrapped around the side by the ballroom, out the doors to an outdoor terrace, broke for a flight of stairs, and then wrapped around the outside of the Marriott.

We missed getting into the Dark Hunter Party on Friday night, but got in some great costume watching.  It also spawned the idea of doing a photo montage of Inappropriately Exposed Asses of Dragon*Con. I think next year that album will become a reality.

We saw one other celebrity panel over the weekend which was the Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover panel on Saturday.  That line snaked all over the place before circling the outside of the Hyatt.  We got there an hour before the panel and were along the front of the building. You can see some of the passersby pictures on the Costumes of the Con Part 2 link at the bottom of the post. It wasn't bad until the sun shifted and we lost all shade.  I ended up a little pink but it firmed up my line skills.   The panel was manned by Colin Ferguson, Erica Cerra, Niel Grayston, Saul Rubinek, Eddie McClintock, Tia Carrere, and Rene Auberjonois.  There was a lot of laughter and, yes, someone called Colin on missing the previous day's panel.  Erica was more than happy to demonstrate how she answered questions for him.

On DCTv, we caught the Firefly panel with Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau.  They all were as cute and funny as you would expect.  Morena has a hysterically foul mouth.  Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk kept prank calling in about borrowing cars.  It was funny at first but got annoying towards the end.  Also, we caught the Star Trek: The Next Generation panel, which has been much talked about on other blogs. There is a good description at EPBOT that includes a video clip.  You'd think actors would be a little nicer to such dedicated fans.

Now on to the more academic panels.  I love these.  Then tend to be smaller and highly entertaining as well as informative.

Sis and I stopped by one of the Space panels. We are a NASA fan family after all. The one we saw was Mars: Science From Above - The Orbiters & HiRISE.  We were shown a powerpoint on the history and purpose of the orbiters and some of the images from the HiRISE camera by Sarah Milkovich of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.  Part of the HiRISE pictures were in 3D so we were provided old school glasses for it.  If you want to check out some of the images, you can visit here.  There is even a way for people to suggest what new images should be taken of Mars with HiRISE, at http://www.uahirise.org/hiwish/. We left the panel with great info, a lot of pictures (paper not digital) and, of course, the kick ass 3D glasses.

The Science of Steampunk panel had some great discussion about using stored compressed energy to power various things.  Also talked about was the potential of using hydrogen peroxide based fuels, and if it is possible to use compressed air to power a car.  Random trivia: the first rechargeable battery was created in 1862.  A recommended viewing in this panel was on atmospheric pressure:

Demo HCHem can crushed by atmospheric pressure

The suggested home experiment was sucking an egg into a soda bottle:

Check out this and other cool science experiments at http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/ In this age of social networking, the Spangler Science ...

Fun was had by all in the Costuming track and lots of great tips were given. The two panels we attended were Filling in the Gaps: Making Props for Your Character and In the Details: Accessories.   In Props, adhesive suggestions (for various uses) were E6000, Gorilla Glue, Liquid Stitch, QuickGrip and 377 SuperAdhesive.  Superglue was recommended for both leather and bone. Design Master paint (available at Michael's) is good for giving leather a wood tone.  One of the highly suggested websites was SmoothOn.com for both their products and their online how-to instructions/videos. In Accessories, the little details really do matter and the wrong shoes can break a costume. If you're making a replica of an accessory (such as a light saber), you need to change 20%, or 7 different things, so there aren't copyright issues.  Of course, if you aren't selling the piece, patent doesn't really apply. (I'm not a lawyer; always check for yourself.) Line your pieces.  For things like spats/gaiters, corsets and clothing, it can make a difference in how long the piece lasts. 

Recommended websites from In the Details:

Felt hats makings: hatsupply.com

Star Wars replicas: partsofsw.com

Footwear: SCABoots.com

                    CABoots.com

                    Fugawee.com

Finally, the other panel we attended (on Sunday) was Buffy and Supernatural: Religion, Spirituality, and Show Canon.  Buffy wasn't much part of the discussion.  We were all pretty focused on the upcoming 6th season of Supernatural.  Hosting the panel were Mary Moline, Damien Walker, and Father Bryan Small, who greeted us by saying, "Excuse the clothes. I had to work this morning."   He was one of the funniest priests I've ever met, cute too if you look at his picture below.  Religion is an interest for me in a more academic sense. I'm generally pretty horrible with taking part in organized religious practices. Supernatural has gotten me to consider more things though.  Hell, it's the reason I am finally reading the Bible.  I was having a hard time keeping everyone straight and didn't know any of the angel's histories.  I've got a note about the Gospel of Phillip under the panel's name. I think it was a reading recommendation but am not really sure.  If I'd actually written this post right after Dragon*Con, I'd remember I bet.  That'll teach me.

Anyway, this has been a massively long post but it covers the basics of the BIS Dragon*Con panel experience. 

I fought the Con…

...and the Con kicked my ass. DragonCon 2010 is over and, as always, it was a blast.  The panels were entertaining though, in some ways, the more academic ones were more fun.  It was an absolute crush of people that allowed me to hone my line standing and elevator squishing skills.  There were 4 times over 3 days that little sis decided she wasn't waiting a half hour for an elevator and drug me up the stairs.  We were on the 16th floor.  Heh.  Somewhere around floor 5 I realized that I wasn't going to hyperventilate and pass out but my thighs and calves still haven't forgiven me.

Somehow this year, I managed to avoid the ConCrud, but I have bruises with mysterious origins.  The one on my right knee came from doing the Penguin Crawl (I've watched too much Penguins of Madagascar because I always want to say that as "pen-gu-ins.") at the Georgia Aquarium After Dark event.  The palm sized one on the side/back of my right thigh is ominously dark and I think happened while trying to squeeze around someone to get to my seat on the plane Monday.  The other three are anyone's guess; they're a pair about an 3 inches apart on my right calf and one on the inside of my left elbow.  The only other injury was a mild sunburn while waiting for the Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover panel.  The line for that wove through and then wrapped around the Hyatt.

I'll get other posts with the BIS's daily Con activities up in the next few days.  Until then, here's a couple of pictures to tide you over.

Crowd shot on the sidewalk in front of the Hyatt while waiting for the Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover panel.

A lovely steampunk lady watching a tank at the Georgia Aquarium.

How to survive the con

44 days left until DragonCon in Atlanta.  I'm starting to do the fangirl geek out as I start planning what I'm going to pack.  It will probably be comfortable jean or cargo pants, snarky/geeky t-shirts (such as this one from Questionable Content at TopatoCo), and a pair of puck horns from Pan's Devil Horns.  My next move is going to be to find out if the schedule is up for this year yet so I can plan out what panels I want to attend. Yes, this will involve spreadsheets, and possibly maps with lines and arrows so I can find everything.  Maneuvering around the Hyatt can be confusing.

The DragonCon crew kindly posted tips for surviving the con created by How Stuff Works on Facebook today and I thought I'd add a few of my own.

BIS's survival kit (which is nicely packed in a ThinkGeek bag of holding):
2 travel packs Wet wipes
travel pack of Lysol wipes
bottle of hand sanitizer
favorite brand of band aids
antiseptic wound ointment/spray (I like this one)
travel packs of tissues
single serving snacks
ibuprofen, aspirin, Pepto
extra hair ties
floppy hat (for watching the parade)
spare batteries

If you think all the sanitizers are crazy, remember precautions are good. It's a whole bunch of people from all over packed into tight spaces and eating unhealthy from the mall's food court. This will be my third trip to the DC and I always get sick. It's no fun spending Sunday sitting in the hotel room blowing green snot out of your nose. On the plus side, the only way I've caught the BSG main panel  is by watching it on DCTv in the room (btw, both Edward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber are confirmed as attending).

For women, bring plenty of tampons/pads/liners/whatever-you-prefer because you never know and the Fates have a sick sense of humor. If you forget, the newsstand in Peachtree Mall sells small packs of them but not cheaply.

Another BIS tip: When you pick up your badge, you will get a booklet printed on newsprint. It has what all the panels are, when and where they're being offered, and most importantly, maps of the hotels. This is your bible for the weekend. Nothing in the hotels connects in a logical fashion. You'll see lots of people wandering around staring at the maps wondering how the hell they ended up where they are. Not that getting lost is bad. I would have never stumbled on to the "How to Survive a Zombie Attack" panel if I hadn't taken the wrong set of stairs.

Which reminds me of another thing. Plan to take the stairs. You can easily spend 20 minutes waiting to catch an elevator with enough space to squeeze in. Besides, walking is good for you. I tell myself that in hopes that it will make up for the fact I'll be eating Dairy Queen and Chick-fil-a for 4 days. Leave me with my delusions.

Anyway, here's the first pre-DragonCon post from the Bad Influence Speaks. There will be more as we approach. I may or may not post from DC. It depends on whether my sister brings her netbook as I don't want to haul my XPS around all weekend.

Have fun, fellow geeks. I'll see you there.