Live from the World Science Fiction Convention

Eric S. Raymond wrote in with a report from the World Sci Fi Convention. He starts off "Question: Where might you go to find a higher density of hackers per square yard than your average computer trade show? Answer: At a science-fiction convention...and I'm reporting live from the biggest of them all, the annual World Science Fiction Convention which happens to be in Baltimore, Maryland this year. " Hit the link to read esr's report.

The following is written by Slashdot reader, and all around cool guy, Eric S. Raymond. If you haven't read his stuff, you're missing out.

Earlier today I attended a very entertaining panel on the Y2K problem. I skipped one on two decades of cyberpunk. As I speak, there's another on "InfoWar: High Tech's Role in Military Conflict". Tomorrow I'll probably go see the REBOOT preview.

As you may gather, we're not short of Internet-related content here...and there's plenty of other stuff that would appeal to the slashdot crowd, including panels on subjects like "Quantum Teleportation" and "Great Space Disasters That Almost Happened".

For those of you who (like me) need to check mail at leat three times a day, we have a capacious Internet Lounge featuring thirty-odd ethernetted network computers tied to a T1. It differs from your typical trade-show access point, though, in that the users typically include several people earnestly typing away while dressed in Star Trek, Babylon 5 or generic alien/vampire/dancing-girl costumes...

And ah, yes...the dealer's room, stuffed to bursting with books and exotic weapons and books and fine leatherwork and books and fantasy jewelry and books and videos and books and original cartoon stills and did I mention the books? There's very nice cross-hilted dagger I've got my eye on...

And tonight, the third night of parties. With all the science and Internet gossip you can eat; this is one of the two or three places each year I find I'm most likely to run into people I know from the net face-to-face, and they usually have interesting stories to tell.

Well, I'm off. There's a live-action role-playing game ("Monsters and Blasters") I want to be sure I get into. And I see the guy than runs one of the biggest ISPs on the East Coast over at the next table. And I'm looking forward to the gourmet cheesecake at the Philadephia party tonight.

Perhaps I'll see some of you at the next Worldcon...