tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14036793728767257802024-03-13T21:05:08.410-07:00Omaha Sci-Fi SceneHappenings of Fannish interest in the Omaha Metro areaJohn Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-34923363369517518342016-02-19T05:08:00.002-08:002016-02-19T05:08:51.771-08:00Why Do We Keep Doing This? A panel at Sasquan about con runners.<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 4.5pt;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Some of the answers the panelists gave were:</span></div>
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1. SMOFDOM is a virus.<br />
2. It is the urge to do something.<br />
3. It is a way to see you far-off friends.<br />
4. Some people have an inability to nothing at a convention.<br />
5. Working with people makes it easier to talk to them.<br />
6. Ego-boo; people saying you did good<br />
7. "And then there were none".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conventions are all about the people who are running them.
Usually detail oriented with a mix of extraverts and introverts who have the
urge to do something because they can't sit around an event without helping
out. They like talking to people, whether those people live nearby or across
the country, a convention brings like-minded people together. And when fans get
together they learn what expertise other fans bring to a project. A Chairman's
job is to get the right people in the right places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There was a time when various groups of Swedish fans were
fighting. They overcame the feuding by working on a large project together: a
Eurocon. That is a European wide SF convention, like Worldcon it moves around
from year to year and the site is selected by a vote of an earlier Eurocon
membership. So they had to find a way to work together on this large convention
which meant they had to learn everybody's strengths and weakness. They had to
overcome their differences and learn about each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Omaha could take a lesson from this, if we put aside our
grievances for a moment and sat down with each other, we just might find a way
to make the community strong and grow the number of fans doing things together.
Because fandom is a fun village where everyone has a skill that others can use
and enjoy. Everyone needs a little Ego-boo in their day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The flip side of working together is fighting, feuding, and big
bad word: Drama. And when it gets out of control fan groups break apart. It has
happened before in Omaha. In the 1990s there were three SF conventions
happening in the town and another in Lincoln. At the time none of them could
draw enough of a crowd to cover their overhead. Facilities cost money, even if
you only use local guests. They solved this by coming together into a single
convention. Unlike Swedish fandom, they couldn't work together. They fell apart
and left one of the fan groups to run the convention. Needless to say, those
who were left soon burned out. Especially since they lived in Lincoln and tried
to run the convention in Omaha. The logistics of that is too much for anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Omaha has fans that don't know they are fans, don't know about
conventions and how much fun they are, they haven't met the friends out here
waiting for them. The only way we can introduce those closest fans to the
community is to put aside the drama and work together to get a message of
opportunity and fun out to them. I think this community can do this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The panelists in Spokane did have one warning
though. If you make a suggestion about something a con needs to do, you may
find yourself running it. Of course that is a great way to break into being a
con-runner. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what do you think? Are there too many cons in Omaha today? Is an area of fandom not being served? Is there something you would like to see and would you be willing to work for it? And if you are thinking about these questions at all, why are you not on a convention committee?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-3505512256237890042016-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:002016-02-12T08:33:45.719-08:00These are the voyages of the Imperial Klingon Vessel Raptor's Heart. This year's missions will take it to:<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Denny's </b>for a
costumed summit with Omaha costumers (more on this in last week's blog, see you
there).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dyqktfaYls_a95VSPCwX6-M5-hChVk8gmFHRjwrnqAin3TmJYN3Th-c9i4UiARupmWsSq0KlV1NGCnI65SNM6IcQVZi0horolt3uZBZtctd6L-hOE-doAYq60eTKiTq1X2N9ikHxpfVl/s1600/Klingon+Speed+Dating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dyqktfaYls_a95VSPCwX6-M5-hChVk8gmFHRjwrnqAin3TmJYN3Th-c9i4UiARupmWsSq0KlV1NGCnI65SNM6IcQVZi0horolt3uZBZtctd6L-hOE-doAYq60eTKiTq1X2N9ikHxpfVl/s200/Klingon+Speed+Dating.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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We will then warp our way to <b>Congregation</b> (<a href="http://congregation-con.com/" target="_blank">congregation-con.com/</a>)
at the Omaha Comfort Inn & Suites (72nd & Grover), with planned arrival
time of April 22, 2016. After assembling
base camp, we be conducting a session of Klingon Speed Dating for the romantically
inclined. And an intelligence test for all
Star Trek fans: Klingon Jeopardy. Where
contestants will come for a chance to win chocolate by answering trivia
questions correctly but stay for the pain as they will be jolted with a pain
stick if their <s>answer</s> question is false.
Watch for us in the Fan area as we will be transforming convention
attendees into Imperial Klingons for photo opportunities. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTCe-ahksSeEmg0pyJ5GRGZBZCqAQQAKn1JeGIg0DdjVHXFawZCFya4WacYwD1rSv-R9MgNt9dxi-kLD-9A0LFi577_LKHYVww317zEwmpPckWqlJhiTbWMS9ocgKGbROyEZUSwBJO_no/s1600/Black+thunder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTCe-ahksSeEmg0pyJ5GRGZBZCqAQQAKn1JeGIg0DdjVHXFawZCFya4WacYwD1rSv-R9MgNt9dxi-kLD-9A0LFi577_LKHYVww317zEwmpPckWqlJhiTbWMS9ocgKGbROyEZUSwBJO_no/s200/Black+thunder.jpg" width="200" /></a>We then must make our way to Des Moines, Iowa. The next weekend (April 29 through May 1st)
is the annual <b>Demicon</b> convention (<a href="http://demicon.org/demicon27/" target="_blank">demicon.org/demicon27/</a>
). There we will again test the
intelligence of attendees with Klingon Jeopardy. Saturday afternoon we will render aid and
assistance to a sister ship, the IKV Black Thunder, as they hold their annual
Klingon Jail & Bail, a fund-raiser for the convention's charity. Many prisoners will be apprehended at the
bequest of their friends, meaning they filled out a warrant and paid the
arresting fee (a donation for the charity).
Then dragged before the Klingon Magistrate for either incarceration,
bail bonding (another donation for the charity), or performing a "stupid
human trick" Then the revenge game
starts as the original arrestees swear out warrants for those who had them
arrested to begin with. There may even
be an execution, there was last year.</div>
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In July, we will project a presence in Omaha again at <b>O!Comicon</b> (<a href="http://www.ocomiccon.com/" target="_blank">http://www.ocomiccon.com/</a>). Once more we will transform willing attendees
into Imperial Klingons. We shall also be
involved in scouting missions throughout the convention to allow attendees
additional photo opportunities. We shall also be running our game show: Klingon Jeopardy. Tell me which do you prefer: chocolate or
pain? One of the announced guests for this year will
be Jeffery Combs, who had 9 different characters in Deep Space Nine, Star Trek:
Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. As
he was the first Honorary member of the Klingon Assault Group, we are going to
have to plan something very special for
him. </div>
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We are also in the early planning stages of an event commemorating
the 50th Anniversary of the show that started all this: Star Trek. But more on those plans as they
materialize. Just know that you should
keep September 24, 2016 available for a grand celebration, as only Klingons
can. </div>
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And following that we will again have
activities at <b>AnimeNebrasKon</b> (<a href="http://www.animenebraskon.com/">www.animenebraskon.com</a>), we are
looking forward to invading their new facilities.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">We will boldly go where no Klingon has gone before!</span></div>
John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-90416662175606459912016-02-05T06:07:00.003-08:002016-02-05T06:07:45.139-08:00Two Fan Dinner Events this Month and Beyond<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">You have dinner with family
and dinner with friends. What about
dinner with other fans, where you can keep the conversation on topics of
interest to you and other fans, aka away from sports or Uncle Bob's political rants? Well this February you will have two
opportunities to get out of the cold and do just that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvUs4R6-icV7_htn3DY0HdboUCLYZyBibHuMpjfbXSpMdl8uysSQRuaFgQtrXapJRtV3mS7rnQarkXQKQ5HdtrDLwxNNP-KN7Hvn-AzfsD55IZcBKCU0maeH30X3eZCIYH-dLAz13y3Zd/s1600/BadwolfLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvUs4R6-icV7_htn3DY0HdboUCLYZyBibHuMpjfbXSpMdl8uysSQRuaFgQtrXapJRtV3mS7rnQarkXQKQ5HdtrDLwxNNP-KN7Hvn-AzfsD55IZcBKCU0maeH30X3eZCIYH-dLAz13y3Zd/s320/BadwolfLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On February 20th at the Red
Robin on </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">14455 W. Maple Road,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Omaha,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>NE<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="event-map-link">(<a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=14455+W.+Maple+Road%2C+Omaha%2C+NE%2C+68116%2C+us" target="_blank">map</a>) at 7:00 PM the Blue Box and Doctor Who - Omaha League
of Fans will be hosting a diner and discussion of all things Whovian: Dinner on Future Mars. </span><a href="http://www.meetup.com/BADWOLF/events/228155979/" target="_blank">www.meetup.com/BADWOLF/events/228155979/</a> Dr. Who has been running since 1963 so it's
fan base has all ages of devotees in it.
And people have lots of ideas about what just happened in the <u>(fill
in the blank)</u> episode, radio play, or book.
There are lots of areas, topics, theories, or timey wimey things to talk
about, so there is never a dull moment when fans of the series get
together. I urge you to check out this
new group in the Omaha area for a dinner you won't soon forget. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCb5WkHiEWfWCepBAFqYUyDzP7dDahorj_dLfLi_mnU8AziYhv1XkBAOWK1_QZ-aHe_e1r-LG7eioSgKCkm7C1OjYqKMhmDqZ_SkG9aAH4vlQ0Q7vuEjtMWiwViq2au170mBzzeBjV5Y02/s1600/RaptorsHeartLogo+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCb5WkHiEWfWCepBAFqYUyDzP7dDahorj_dLfLi_mnU8AziYhv1XkBAOWK1_QZ-aHe_e1r-LG7eioSgKCkm7C1OjYqKMhmDqZ_SkG9aAH4vlQ0Q7vuEjtMWiwViq2au170mBzzeBjV5Y02/s200/RaptorsHeartLogo+copy.jpg" width="172" /></a><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The next weekend, the crew of the IKV Raptor's Heart will be
hosting a costumed dining event: It Is A
Good Day To Dine. While the Raptor's
Heart is a Klingon group, this whole idea got started as a joint activity with
the Omaha Honor Harrington fan club ship.
Then we thought it would be a great idea to open the event up to
everyone as we are all interested in all the genres people like. It does not matter what you are interested in, you'll be welcome
here. Come to the Denny's Diner at 3509
S. 84th Street, Omaha, NE on Saturday Feb. 27th around 6:00 PM. Wear your favorite costume (whatever genre it
is), talk about your favorite genre topics (Star Trek, Star Wars, Honor
Harrington, Anime, etc.) and meet like
minded people to share theories, tips and ideas with. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/838449486263404/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/events/838449486263404/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What else is going on this month in the Faniverse?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Got
Gaming?</span></b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> Tomorrow, Febr. 6th
will see a game day sponsored by the good people of Nuke-Con: Aftershock Critical Mass. It will be held at </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fremont High School, 1750 N Lincoln Ave, Fremont, NE, from 10:00 AM
until 12:00 PM. Admission is $5, with a
discount of $1 if you bring two donatable canned food items. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/469670566574251/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/events/469670566574251/</a>
with their gaming schedule at: <a href="http://fallout.nuke-con.com/schedule/57/Aftershock+2016.1+-+Critical+Mass" target="_blank">fallout.nuke-con.com/schedule/57/Aftershock+2016.1+-+Critical+Mass</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Need more of the Doctor?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The monthly meeting of </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/doctorwhofanclubofnebraska/"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Doctor
Who fan club of Nebraska -- TARDIS Travelers of Lincoln</span></a> will also be
on Febr. 6th. If you go to the </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loren-Corey-Eisley-Public-Library/189559667750453"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Loren Corey Eisley
Public Library</span></a> in </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lincoln, Nebraska between Noon
and 6:00 PM, you will get to meet some great folks who love to come together to
watch some Doctor Who and talk all things Whovian. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1085219558176302/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/events/1085219558176302/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Need to get your costumer on?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The Great Plains Costumers Guild is have an
"All About The Muff" workshop on Saturday Febr. 13th from 1 to 5 PM
at Bedouin Star, </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">800 Fort Crook Road South</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Bellevue,
NE 68005. Join Guild Master
Ashanti Scates</span>, as she goes through the hows and whys of Muffs. I encourage you to look this one up at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1748118138742570/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/events/1748118138742570/</a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feel like you're living in the wrong millenarian?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The monthly business meeting
for the Barony of Lonely Tower, a local affiliate of Society of Creative Anachronism,
will be Monday Febr. 15th at DoSpace, </span><span style="background: #F6F7F8; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">7205 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE
8114</span>, at 7:00 PM. This group has
a wide variety of activities and I would encourage you again to check them
out: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/233359320328781/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/events/233359320328781/</a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
Sexy Nerd Society is having Superhero Sandbox:</span></b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> The
Many Faces of Deadpool this Monday Febr. 8th at </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/13th-Street-Brickhouse-110395529865/"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">13th Street Brickhouse</span></a>
</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2202 S 13th St, Omaha, Nebraska 68108 from 9:30
PM until 1:30 AM. Join the party in
honor, well I'll let them speak. "</span><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">In honor of the opening of the Deadpool movie at the end of
this week, Superhero Sandbox is calling all Deadpools!! Come as your favorite
Deadpool character or in your Deadpool gear! We shall order Tacos and
Chimichangas! Also bring your nerf guns, plastic swords, and potty mouths!!
Karaoke as always!!</span> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/465449243659172/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/events/465449243659172/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If your group is having an activity this month
that I have missed, then I missed hearing about it. And probably a lot of other people as
well. Let's help each other get the word
out about our wonderful activities. Drop
me a line about it for next month and see how many new avenues of information
you can find and share that information with the rest of the community. Let's grow the pie of active Omaha fans and
make new, talented friends. </span><span style="color: #9197a3; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-65118752744674425162016-01-29T05:11:00.001-08:002016-01-29T05:11:14.037-08:00Two New Fan Organizations for Omaha<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There’s a BADWOLF in town!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">by </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wjnewman"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">William
Danger Newman</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">BADWOLF is the acronym for the new “Bluebox and Doctor Who –
Omaha League of Fans” that popped up on Meetup.com this month. BADWOLF is a
social group for fans of Doctor Who and his blue box (and related spin-off
series) in the Omaha metro area to get together and talk about all things Who.
Whether your primary interest is as a series fan, cosplayer, prop builder, fan
fiction writer or something else entirely, you’re invited to join the group to
talk about the Doctor and his amazing adventures across all of time and space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The group just had its first meet up event on Saturday, January
16th, at DJ’s Dugout at 114th & Dodge. According to Bill Newman, the
group’s organizer, six members braved the frigid temperatures and snow flurries
to come out for the event which lasted from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. Discussion
ranged from favorite Doctors and Companions to most favorite and least favorite
episodes and even some speculation on the Doctor’s next companion. Of course,
being SciFi fans at heart, the discussion wandered to other series as well such
as Star Trek, Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, among others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Josh, one of the attendees, came dressed as the 10th Doctor. Co-organizer,
Linda Newman is working on a cosplay of “Cinder”; a companion of the War Doctor
from the “Engines of War” novel, and brought an in-progress build of Cinder’s
hybrid human/Dalek gun she’s working on. Bill shared pictures of his War Doctor
cosplay which will be making its public debut the end of the month at the “Time
Travelers Ball” in Kansas City.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMS0C2irxICUUw-l-LwYk5oFr9kzEvsjgsg799Xy1j9UjzMbhrBXb13pBEEVoywgGk-eoMN0KiaRhRgu2pfL19L_BqHbERRTtlysslnfDp7QBnM904H-d1O5MFKz9ScLoqqO1um_goshm/s1600/BAdwolf01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMS0C2irxICUUw-l-LwYk5oFr9kzEvsjgsg799Xy1j9UjzMbhrBXb13pBEEVoywgGk-eoMN0KiaRhRgu2pfL19L_BqHbERRTtlysslnfDp7QBnM904H-d1O5MFKz9ScLoqqO1um_goshm/s200/BAdwolf01.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bill says that everyone seemed to have a great time with the
only down side of the first meet up being the crowd and noise at the meeting
venue making it difficult to hear conversation. However, all the attendees were
excited for the next meet up schedule for Saturday, February 20th at Red Robin,
144th and Maple. For more information about the group and details on the next
meet up please visit their Meetup.com site at </span><a href="http://www.meetup.com/BADWOLF" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3b5998; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.meetup.com/BADWOLF</span></a><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Great Plains
Costumers Guild<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudN4pp50OcuOc9vUH77Mm9cZELRAG8GfdnQrjyn8ljK_myZfanx9ltgeFAb2RjVFazIQHhMr0om9LlOns5L-L6nrrNdyKG50u_PABgWF7qJhbYhlyL2_C8AJBGXYwLeXvCp9CES3j-2kG/s1600/GreatPlainsCostumersGuild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudN4pp50OcuOc9vUH77Mm9cZELRAG8GfdnQrjyn8ljK_myZfanx9ltgeFAb2RjVFazIQHhMr0om9LlOns5L-L6nrrNdyKG50u_PABgWF7qJhbYhlyL2_C8AJBGXYwLeXvCp9CES3j-2kG/s200/GreatPlainsCostumersGuild.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Welcome!
Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the Omaha Metro's only
guild dedicated to the support, education, and encouragement of costumers of
all skill levels and genres. Welcoming costumers from Omaha, Bellevue, Lincoln,
and surrounding areas."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With those words our second fan organization
introduces itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Isis Prentice-Gertig is the founder of the Bedouin
Star Dance Studio, a belly dancer and costume creator for many years. She has acquired the skills and tools to make
wonderful, long lasting costume creations.
She has now turned those tools into an organization that will help the
Omaha community out immensely. Her
first meeting earlier this month brought several talented people together to
found an organization that will teach costume creation skills from drafting
your vision through its actual fabrication.
The workshop she is bringing to this effort should accommodate any
project you could wish for, short of building a full-scale working Gundam. She also has the community connections to
allow you to find the materials you need to make your vision real. Plans are in the works for outings to places
where your creation can be exhibited and cosplayed in. Including a night at the Opera, Phantom Of
The Opera in the spring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Other cities have had these types of guilds for a
while now. It is about time the
costumers of Omaha had a place to come together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more information on this group, go to: </span><a href="http://www.greatplainscostumersguild.org/index.html"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.greatplainscostumersguild.org/index.html</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> or join them at their next
meeting on Feb. 13th from 1-5 PM at Bedouin Star Studios, </span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">800A
Fort Crook Road South Bellevue, NE 68005</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-44866676509871898002016-01-22T08:42:00.001-08:002016-01-22T08:42:25.913-08:00My Fannish Travels in 2015<div class="PadderBetweenControlandBody">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I spent
some time sampling the fan-life experience from coast-to-coast last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hhuVyM03x0y1ALSZt4dkd3K704JAlgBAahJAUrh821zT8zIK3yo-eFy0bLkKVkeuEOJGgJ-W3zWYqyJnNe8-so1-sVEINQUQkms0whcaPi1Y8hCKvlMDMpsiXoUqXCmIROs3imNCnfS2/s1600/DSCF9629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hhuVyM03x0y1ALSZt4dkd3K704JAlgBAahJAUrh821zT8zIK3yo-eFy0bLkKVkeuEOJGgJ-W3zWYqyJnNe8-so1-sVEINQUQkms0whcaPi1Y8hCKvlMDMpsiXoUqXCmIROs3imNCnfS2/s200/DSCF9629.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">March saw me trekking down to
Kansas City for their PlanetComicon convention.
This is a massive Comic Convention, meaning most of their guests are
wither Media stars or Artists. The
artists you will find behind their tables either drawing for commissions or
selling their artwork. Media guests
have a table area also where (for a price) they meet their fans, sign
autographs and have their pictures taken, but they also do Q&As to talk
about what it is that they have done that we find so great. Last year I got to hear <span class="itemprop"><span style="background: #FBFBFB;">Ming-Na Wen talk about her work in Marvel's Agents Of
Shield and Erin Grey talk about her tie in Buck Rogers. Friday is always the best day to get into
these panels as Sunday the center is so full that there is not even standing
room available. </span></span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Karen
Gillan had a line outside her Q&A just for a place to stand. But as far as showing off a great costume,
Comic Cons are the place to be. Whether
you are with a group like the 501st, who always put on a great show, or by
yourself, people are always wanting to pose with you or just capture the image
of your wonderful workmanship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In May I participated in the annual Klingon Jail and Bail at
Demicon (held in Des Moines, IA), raising almost $500 for their charity. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Later that month I participated in several
panels at Kansas City's ConQuest before heading down to Orlando. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpkmcva3wv1bGMjdBosakEj5nYp01-7E9JsmCzeDosBiBV3F_lyVVj8v4RHCxxIKXp9IRRB4q5HVJQbEHxvtDXkDQaqBf4jq1GXIzZ6ozIg0qGH1vIKny4DYP5zK8k5BpiayRv64mMYwq/s1600/DisneySWWParade02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpkmcva3wv1bGMjdBosakEj5nYp01-7E9JsmCzeDosBiBV3F_lyVVj8v4RHCxxIKXp9IRRB4q5HVJQbEHxvtDXkDQaqBf4jq1GXIzZ6ozIg0qGH1vIKny4DYP5zK8k5BpiayRv64mMYwq/s200/DisneySWWParade02.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I had been scheduled to march in 9 of the
DisneyWorld Star Wars Weekend parades through Hollywood Studios but was only
able to make 8 of them. That first
Friday my gout flared up again and I was unable to even bend my knee that first
day. After starting a regimen of
steroids, I </span></div>
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<br />
was again able to walk and march in Saturday's parade. And what an experience it was. As you come out of the gate, to your right by
the Curio shop in Hollywood studios always sits a group of people who cheer on
each of the emerging groups of characters.
I got a rush every time they shouted out for the Sand Troopers that I
was a part of. But that rush was nothing
like the one I got that first Saturday as I was marching up the main street and
realized I was where I was, what I was doing. It's a feeling I hope never to
forget, it was phenomenal!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(Parade photo <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">by </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.32px;"><a aria-describedby="js_1b" aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_1a" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1336501282" href="https://www.facebook.com/justin.groetzinger?fref=photo" id="js_1c" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.32px;">Justin Groetzinger</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In August my wife and I made a trip to the Worldcon in
Spokane. And since it was in Washington
we took the opportunity to go on an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle. Well, the Science Fiction Museum(at EMP) is
in Seattle. So we made a stop
there. As our luck in SF travels would
have it, we had managed to attend the Orlando Science Center the year they had
a Star Wars film-used models exhibit while we were there and Kennedy Space
Center had the travelling Star Trek exhibit a few years earlier, the SF museum
was hosting the Star Wars costume exhibit.
We got to see a lot of the screen used costumes from all 6 of the
movies. The museum is a fascinating
place even without the traveling exhibits and if you ever get to Seattle I urge
you to make a trip to it. They have a
Dalek!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRnqzlfebUrq6vpClIoXfUIlURh9vLosUYVjF18vT_gqP3Ij1xjIfdf45TsG_oVexOMrXC1BWLiEoYZNcOTL-imgpTVFrZLmUZxn-M_JMXPAYl91jBkySceqttdGJyafq3GUsxHbjhMFC/s1600/DSCF0840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRnqzlfebUrq6vpClIoXfUIlURh9vLosUYVjF18vT_gqP3Ij1xjIfdf45TsG_oVexOMrXC1BWLiEoYZNcOTL-imgpTVFrZLmUZxn-M_JMXPAYl91jBkySceqttdGJyafq3GUsxHbjhMFC/s320/DSCF0840.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To round out the year we made a trip to Wichita KS for the
startup of a Doctor Who convention called Time Eddy. I just couldn't believe the number of guests
they were able to pack into the weekend.
Not only did they have Colin Baker and Nicole Bryant, but companions
stretching all the way back to Peter Purves , a companion of William Hartnell's
doctor. They had great panels with all
the guests talking about the functioning of their craft but several fan panels
(that I got to be a part of). The Doctor
Who conventions I have been lucky enough to attend have all been packed with
guests but still small enough to have a great time with everyone. (Time Eddy photo courtesy of</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> <a aria-describedby="js_2n" aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_2m" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1185030014" href="https://www.facebook.com/FallenAngel8612?fref=photo" id="js_2o" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.32px;">Michelle Nash</a>)</span></span></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKnTHOP2ots01T9zyhYn3sYtEOzc5QVEsn6aUHk4cIytr16g-JKY-QTiaLJUiqxBQxXY3tICDabEkfVgDkB2vftQjlt6anGQ4fdIFJmFo7C4IKi6_jwOtOOFlQAn5Kcv8NfHEPrfTr93T/s1600/Time+Eddy+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKnTHOP2ots01T9zyhYn3sYtEOzc5QVEsn6aUHk4cIytr16g-JKY-QTiaLJUiqxBQxXY3tICDabEkfVgDkB2vftQjlt6anGQ4fdIFJmFo7C4IKi6_jwOtOOFlQAn5Kcv8NfHEPrfTr93T/s320/Time+Eddy+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I am looking forward to what 2016 brings for if it builds on
2015 the way 2015 built on 2014, great things are ahead.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-2691021076482555802016-01-14T21:25:00.001-08:002016-01-15T05:27:11.812-08:00Star Wars Night at the Omaha Children's Museum and beyond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK8LX3ssAPttIJor2rbsph_6B-ZgOvXbmVXJ8xfGJmrhNh0EHA8K14YrWCawBGlUTPQgMiIj_ldM4NSsfCqS3h-xIH0Jg3w1JAfTvfNV5R_ay4FyWHVeUaeERYUpP5Q8AqTZNbAbOFpQs/s1600/2016ChildrenMuseumAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK8LX3ssAPttIJor2rbsph_6B-ZgOvXbmVXJ8xfGJmrhNh0EHA8K14YrWCawBGlUTPQgMiIj_ldM4NSsfCqS3h-xIH0Jg3w1JAfTvfNV5R_ay4FyWHVeUaeERYUpP5Q8AqTZNbAbOFpQs/s200/2016ChildrenMuseumAd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Saturday, January 9th, was
the annual Star Wars Night at the Omaha Children's Museum with Vader's Fist,
the 501st Legion patrolling the facility.
Okay, those Rebel Scum; Han Solo and Chewbacca along with an X-Wing
pilot also showed up, but we stuck them off in a corner pocket of the room we
were occupying. The evening began at
1800 hours with the Legion marching Lord Vader into the newly remodeled Meet
and Greet area the museum had this year.
This new area allowed for a much improved traffic flow for the huge
crowd of families in attendance. Being
the only Sand Trooper present I was stationed in the middle of the exterior
wall guarding our two pilots on my left with a pair of Mandalorian Mercs on my
right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wpaMeMUE7o0cvrh9YXV5wZ3rGnQGBLzB1T42-H0lVnENFxAoMN9oBBNvImdaxOOpw9ewTJDCuTNSaRjh_bmxwPrI8oW3WkCyA1ZfYCwHEJZ7Po14kRVKXBKJsnHHVBFnTSboGofiUkiI/s1600/2016ChildrenMuseumParade02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wpaMeMUE7o0cvrh9YXV5wZ3rGnQGBLzB1T42-H0lVnENFxAoMN9oBBNvImdaxOOpw9ewTJDCuTNSaRjh_bmxwPrI8oW3WkCyA1ZfYCwHEJZ7Po14kRVKXBKJsnHHVBFnTSboGofiUkiI/s200/2016ChildrenMuseumParade02.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">During the first parade that
evening, my training from having done the Walt Disney World Star Wars Weekends
parade kicked in. As the bad boys of the
universe and a member of a military unit you did not interact with the
surrounding crowds. No waving, no hand
slapping, just straight forward marching.
Besides as Luke Skywalker said in A NEW HOPE; </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">"I<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">can't see a thing</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in this helmet." And he was right. Straight ahead and slightly up is okay but
from your nose down forget it. It's not
so bad in a parade, you simply have to look straight ahead, just watch the guy in front of you and don't
run into him. But once we got to the
meet and greet area, the kids I was meeting and greeting were below my ability
to see them. I had to really guess where
the kids posing for pictures were standing. Mostly I was trying to take my queue from their
photographer and where the camera/phone was pointed. I really hope all those shots came out okay
for them.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrHDe1o_uiS-mEtGV3tp4Mw7m6Uy9Uac9IgDj7fjepfXICmy_YZ4-blKep3e8Pu03yUpJ7Uo66BEhJ3PxukQhhQJeFj2R42pNmWLT9ixBO6ycaFEmp0x4zoCMrP9c9eXHmTIOe3oQt0xE/s1600/2016ChildrenMuseumVader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrHDe1o_uiS-mEtGV3tp4Mw7m6Uy9Uac9IgDj7fjepfXICmy_YZ4-blKep3e8Pu03yUpJ7Uo66BEhJ3PxukQhhQJeFj2R42pNmWLT9ixBO6ycaFEmp0x4zoCMrP9c9eXHmTIOe3oQt0xE/s200/2016ChildrenMuseumVader.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPP_Ul30OYOURdGSdlS2yIL23VteyRKQubD6THeFeVqrTnuFyNw-z_Pamcy8wGUUGNXbDKvpnSDEVw_94lr9qVQr4fNzah_vZLABUYZFTyQ9t4UG84NfSvx4WFW-5RbiJ6coMyLA81gm9s/s1600/2016ChildrenMuseumRebelScum02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPP_Ul30OYOURdGSdlS2yIL23VteyRKQubD6THeFeVqrTnuFyNw-z_Pamcy8wGUUGNXbDKvpnSDEVw_94lr9qVQr4fNzah_vZLABUYZFTyQ9t4UG84NfSvx4WFW-5RbiJ6coMyLA81gm9s/s200/2016ChildrenMuseumRebelScum02.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At about a quarter to the
next hour the doors to the room were closed and the line of families was cutoff. Once those last people had had their time
with our characters, we returned to the original staging area. There we hydrated, changed batteries (the
battery for the fans in my helmet died during the first session) and generally
prepared for the second march of the evening.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9rS7dmFNtd73b2pY3tpL05UAmTSwaje8dtwU3Q4ncMdZRezlLhP80juX7bd7r6Ydt3yQdiJoZkxaeXaeV2Syfw0yFhIu6ZLectDKH6tW3B0ih1porWd_KXuzouWX5AXVTmdVy3XMbym4/s1600/2016ChildrenMuseumR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9rS7dmFNtd73b2pY3tpL05UAmTSwaje8dtwU3Q4ncMdZRezlLhP80juX7bd7r6Ydt3yQdiJoZkxaeXaeV2Syfw0yFhIu6ZLectDKH6tW3B0ih1porWd_KXuzouWX5AXVTmdVy3XMbym4/s200/2016ChildrenMuseumR2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At 1900 hours we again
stepped off our staging area, braved the throngs of cheering fans. This time I managed to override my Disney
training and high fived the children lining the parade route, like everyone
else had been doing. Fortunately most of
them were raised high enough for me to see their hands or with mine
outstretched, they could find it for me.
The crowd was thinner in the Meet and Greet area this the last hour
before the museum closed. It allowed us
to wander around the room more to interact with those who were willing to brave
the late hour. During this session R2-D2
put in an appearance and pulled a lot of guests away from Lord Vader with his
antics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">All in all, a good time was
had by everyone that evening. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Photos courtesy of Jeff Schipman)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And Beyond</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">After that event we had another appearance of note later that week. Alvin Garcia Flores, a student at Gateway Elementary School here in Omaha received a storm-trooper themed, 3-D printed bionic arm that to the University of Central Florida based <a href="http://limbitless-solutions.org/index.php/en/" target="_blank">Limbitless-solutions</a>. Darth Vader and his Imperial </span>colleagues<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> presented it to him at a student assembly on Thursday (Jan 14th) afternoon. After giving him some practice with it, we helped him show it to the rest of the student body as we helped him parade passed all his classmates of the learning institute. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http://today.ucf.edu/darth-vader-helps-fulfill-childs-dream-delivers-bionic-arm-to-9-year-old/)">(http://today.ucf.edu/darth-vader-helps-fulfill-childs-dream-delivers-bionic-arm-to-9-year-old/)</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzJ0Sjj_siYfDDHwtjvLzTjdb-0qGmWqq70OpjSWFlfVxSzqwrpgOFLnLwbB9j3pxt_KSIs7czQduS7DcFhzA6CR5ZlfGRP-SvO6zFekl3LPmx0Hbo3ybmAWHi9BxmHBuoIgztwr2lqFh/s1600/1-2016BionicArmTroop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzJ0Sjj_siYfDDHwtjvLzTjdb-0qGmWqq70OpjSWFlfVxSzqwrpgOFLnLwbB9j3pxt_KSIs7czQduS7DcFhzA6CR5ZlfGRP-SvO6zFekl3LPmx0Hbo3ybmAWHi9BxmHBuoIgztwr2lqFh/s320/1-2016BionicArmTroop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-40101469039263125892016-01-08T06:10:00.000-08:002016-01-08T06:10:04.346-08:002015 Omaha Fan Review<div class="MsoNormal">
While we saw a couple of new conventions in town, I was
unable to attend Congregation because of commitments to Constellation in
Lincoln. Nor was I able to attend
O!Comicon since I was in Orlando for the DisneyWorld Star Wars Weekends, I'll
talk about that trip next week.</div>
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<a href="http://britishfest.weebly.com/">BritishFest</a> moved venues. They made use of the MidAmerica Center in
Council Bluffs where they could have many more panels in 2015 and more
guests. In addition to Mark Ryan
returning, they added Adrian Paul from The Highlander TV series, and <span style="background: white; color: #252525; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Simon Fisher-Becker from Doctor Who
to their lineup. All the guests and fans
had a wonderful time. The prop room was
expanded and room was made available to the Steampunk Society of Nebraska who made
fantastic use of it. While there were
problems with the facility; the air-conditioning was turned off so they could
lay new carpet, a really dump move by the management staff of the center. The main problem I had was in the lack of
places to just sit around and talk with
other fans but then the facility was not designed for that. Overall I saw no major hiccups with the
actual convention which is a testament to how well the staff did their jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9TxfV5km4dq-valag5bDph3j2cYvrt4MY1bwiooL3VGFYLQRrg7WbKn7lJZu7kK-MJXA-QG7ZNhl5zGUi8IkF1_7aO3loOAvSwpdqr9pwNDWHMe-Vh4CTw7j3XWcsci-DQp39jVJfd_4/s1600/Jeopard+Klingon+Edition+poster+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9TxfV5km4dq-valag5bDph3j2cYvrt4MY1bwiooL3VGFYLQRrg7WbKn7lJZu7kK-MJXA-QG7ZNhl5zGUi8IkF1_7aO3loOAvSwpdqr9pwNDWHMe-Vh4CTw7j3XWcsci-DQp39jVJfd_4/s200/Jeopard+Klingon+Edition+poster+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #252525; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest</a> was
again held at the Ramada Convention Center with a lineup of local guests. The <a href="http://www.omahaklingons.com/">IKV Raptor's Heart</a> ran a large amount of
programming this year including: Klingon Jeopardy, The Great Tribble Hunt (or
Tribble dodge ball, Mok'bara Morning Exercises, Klingon combat, crafting
workshops, and more Klingon food. We
also ran a film festival in the fan area of the various Star Trek fan produced
programs. Jim Arrowwood ran another Dune
panel, this year talking about the Fremen.
James Hodge presented a few Doctor Who oriented events. And late Saturday night we honored the
memories of Leonard Nimoy and Patrick Macnee, who passed away in 2015. It will be a shame if this convention passing
into obscurity as it had tried to be a platform for many different types of
Science Fiction fandom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QymPuy1GQHnQfed_PewEOTsvRiHrLcWSAmqPr_LPRJQa4CeAD7Iw4qJCzIVUA3FUam5UNxX1PJJW8GDBgGJ3t5UEWeQpQIyMczeYDFwe7eTKZrbtGz7zJ1rqhEN9uuYWiMjrDkixYTO8/s1600/Klingon+Speed+Dating+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QymPuy1GQHnQfed_PewEOTsvRiHrLcWSAmqPr_LPRJQa4CeAD7Iw4qJCzIVUA3FUam5UNxX1PJJW8GDBgGJ3t5UEWeQpQIyMczeYDFwe7eTKZrbtGz7zJ1rqhEN9uuYWiMjrDkixYTO8/s200/Klingon+Speed+Dating+Poster.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #252525; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.animenebraskon.com/">AnimeNebrasKon</a>
was CROWDED! The downside; it was hard
to get from place to place. The upside;
tons of great people to interact with and every panel the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/196395130378466/">IKV Raptor's Heart</a> did was very well
attended. And Klingon Speed Dating had a
very enthusiastic turnout, stuffed animals flew for the entire hour, as well as
much poetry being read. A lesson I have
to take from our participation there is to schedule Klingon Jeopardy for at
least 2 hours with time ahead of it and after it to setup and te4ardown. It is my understanding that they will be
moving facilities next year, I hope they find one they have room to grow in
because they just keep growing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKebf7JWARG_LZ9-Vij-0Hw5JEkpL_ybc9fKyyGyj9lt4vMqaCOeQ42R8OlAxM9_UU7R_BFVmY3U42tMTYmkwQwEJjc_tkSr3dQmZMB6poaZQ9Xz3WhXJy27T7TdUv7Aw4xlVZBytWLOx/s1600/Alamo+Opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKebf7JWARG_LZ9-Vij-0Hw5JEkpL_ybc9fKyyGyj9lt4vMqaCOeQ42R8OlAxM9_UU7R_BFVmY3U42tMTYmkwQwEJjc_tkSr3dQmZMB6poaZQ9Xz3WhXJy27T7TdUv7Aw4xlVZBytWLOx/s200/Alamo+Opening.jpg" width="200" /></a>Last year also saw the <span style="font-family: inherit;">opening of a new cinema palace in the
Omaha area. The <span style="background: white;">Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 17.9111px;">12750 Westport Pkwy, La Vista, NE 68138) </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">opened with an
attached brewpub available for its patrons but they also have</span> a lobby that
boasts some of the best photo opportunities in town for Star Wars fans. They have a working model of the Death Star
right above the ticket counter that is activated by the fully functional Emperors
throne in the lobby. Even a couple of
side panels are available to give you that perfect Imperial backdrop. The theater had its official opening on
November 2nd with a large contingent Star Wars characters from the <a href="http://www.centralgarrison.com/">CentralGarrison of the 501st </a>and members of the Rebel Legion to help provide patrons
with those photo opportunities.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://omahafilmevent.com/past/fplanetfinals/02dsc0241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://omahafilmevent.com/past/fplanetfinals/02dsc0241.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><span style="background: white;">The classic 1956 movie that launched such
T<span style="font-family: inherit;">V and film franchises as Star Trek and Star Wars came to town. Bruce Crawford's <a href="http://www.omahafilmevent.com/past/fplanet1.htm">Omaha Film Event</a> in October,
2015 was Forbidden Planet. As part of
that benefit for the Nebraska Kidney Association,
Bruce brought in one of the crew members of the </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">United Planets Cruiser
C57D: Robert Dix who portrayed Crewman Gray in the film. As well as a display of ship </span>models<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and costume recreations. Playing to a packed house this was a grand
way to see this restored classic that set the stage for a lot of the science
fiction we have today.</span></div>
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And of course, there was finally a new Star Wars movie this
year. With the 501st and Rebel Legion
helping to provide color for the opening weekend at both the Alamo and Aksarben
Cinemas.</div>
John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-15320324557853531592016-01-01T09:51:00.000-08:002016-01-01T09:51:02.825-08:00I'm Back<div class="MsoNormal">
It's been almost four years since I abruptly stopped
publishing this blog and it's about time I got started again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The goal or purpose of this column has always been to inform
you about genre related events in the area and to promote them. To discuss the cool things people are doing,
how they are doing them and what can be done to find more people for them to do
them with. We will talk about mistakes
that get made but it is my intent to do so in a way that will help improve what
people are doing. Keeping in mind that I
do not have all the answers and may not see the problems that people encounter,
those should be the rare occurrence.
What is important is that everyone who is trying to bring joy to the
community should get their chance to realize their dreams and share them with
as many people as possible. So if you
have something fun you are planning, let's talk about it. If you're passionate enough, I will even let
you guest write. Speak your own passion
to the community.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As far as fan activities are concerned there is nothing
bigger than a convention. And in the
last four years we have seen an explosion of conventions in town. Congregation (http://congregation-con.com/ );
BritishFest (<a href="http://britishfest.weebly.com/">http://britishfest.weebly.com/ </a>); O!Comicon
(<a href="http://www.ocomiccon.com/">http://www.ocomiccon.com/ </a>); and Pretzcon(<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.pretzcon.org/">www.pretzcon.org/</a>). </span> Standbys like Willycon (<a href="http://wildcat.wsc.edu/clubs/willycon/">http://wildcat.wsc.edu/clubs/willycon/</a>
), Constellation (<a href="http://www.constellationne.net/">http://www.constellationne.net/ </a>), Nuke-con (<a href="https://www.nuke-con.com/">https://www.nuke-con.com/</a>
), and AnimeNebrasKon (<a href="http://www.animenebraskon.com/">http://www.animenebraskon.com/</a>) are still going strong
with OSFest (<a href="http://www.osfes.org/">http://www.osfes.org</a>) going into hiatus for 2016. The continued growth of AnimeNebrasKon and
the great startup numbers of for O!Comicon, Congregation and BritishFest tell
us that the appetite for this kind of entertainment in the Omaha area is
expanding. People are realizing
they have been Science Fiction fans and finding that others share their
interests. Fan groups are forming for
people to get together on a more regular basis than the once a year at a
convention and use those groups to plan extended activities when they get to
the organized conventions.</div>
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</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's all share what we like about the Science Fiction,
Fantasy, Anime, Horror, Gaming genre. If
we do we will find friends we didn't know were out there.</div>
John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-23347120204464863182012-01-20T05:13:00.001-08:002012-01-20T05:23:16.181-08:00OSFest 5’s Program Participants (3)<span xmlns=""></span><br />
It takes a lot of hard work on the part of a lot of folks to pull off a really great convention. The Omaha Science Fiction Education Society (the parent organization of OSFest) has been lucky in finding a lot of talented people to help us.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-5DdV75fDI8xBvA834WsljrjyoCxbbC_4Tl_WFyeTUsyGiRz2LNiLuxmP1GvRjAYuJopR991rvi3U9otkfZOdOi6APA65yq26L_zmmlXSSnLCv8ksYa_NlkNxJ_WOVcRZVHryuhzyh70/s1600/James%2526Sherri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-5DdV75fDI8xBvA834WsljrjyoCxbbC_4Tl_WFyeTUsyGiRz2LNiLuxmP1GvRjAYuJopR991rvi3U9otkfZOdOi6APA65yq26L_zmmlXSSnLCv8ksYa_NlkNxJ_WOVcRZVHryuhzyh70/s200/James%2526Sherri.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Hollaman & Sherri Dean</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: black;">What can you say about <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>James Hollaman</strong></span> that has not been documented already by psychiatric wards. Artist, Writer, Fan and just a provider of odd thoughts. His art work can be found on the cover of the Bubba Chronicles by Selina Rosen, Marking the signs by Laura J. Underwood and half of the cards in the Bubbas of the Apocalypse card game. (Sherri Dean did the other half) His writing can be found in Flush Fiction, International House of Bubbas, Houston we have Bubbas and A Bubba in Time Saves None. (all of them are available from <a href="https://webmail.east.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.Yarddogpress.com" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5</a> will be July 27-29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza (72<sup>nd</sup> & Grover). I hope to see you there.</span>www.Yarddogpress.com<span style="color: black;">) James has also done the cover and has a story in a e-book anthology called I Didn't Quite Make it to OZ, which is available through Amazon or Smashwords.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"> James's mind usually is full of weird ideas. Some that help describe him. He had a Gallery Showing in OKC of what he calls Precocious Moments. This is Precious Moments of bad people or events. Some that was in the show was Hitler, JFK and Jackie at the time of his assassination, and the Uni-bomber. It was said that a woman walked into the gallery looked at his art and walked out muttering "there is to much evil in here". Another one of his ideas is called Room Con. A single night convention (party) held at various conventions. He has all the thoughts of a regular convention, Guest of honors, a Art show, even a hospitality suite. He usually has live music being played. He even brought Howard Waldrop to a Room Con. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h0SCbHr5gnpItr0yBmye_S-xqxesUoEMki-vKTApMu_tssO1k002wFKVhjjx93LA9QI3tloJnCw-DpYJkPGdsSJhZSmqZHmZRtZxIljoM3jsnoDUJEi6ufHhUoAwLh9W7KrPvW79zuxg/s1600/TravisHeerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h0SCbHr5gnpItr0yBmye_S-xqxesUoEMki-vKTApMu_tssO1k002wFKVhjjx93LA9QI3tloJnCw-DpYJkPGdsSJhZSmqZHmZRtZxIljoM3jsnoDUJEi6ufHhUoAwLh9W7KrPvW79zuxg/s200/TravisHeerman.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis Heermann</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Travis Heermann</strong></span> is a native Nebraskan writer. And like most good science fiction writers has a degree in science, in his case Electrical Engineering. But he has recently rounded that education out with a Masters degree in English. He has taught English in Japan for three years. His first fantasy novel as The Ivory Star in 1996. He published numerous short stories, magazine articles and gaming supplements until he published his second novel in 2009: Heart of the Ronin. Look for this multi-talented author on a lot of diverse panels this July.</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
But learning something new and interacting with new and old friends is what conventions are about. Attend as many conventions as you can, so you can meet new people. I hope to see you at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5</a> in July.</div>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-29732982286506141522012-01-17T14:04:00.000-08:002012-01-17T14:04:05.190-08:00A Fannish Move Means Lots of Great Genre BargainsSylvia Kostisin is moving from her long time residence on Pacific street and will not have room for the collections she has put together over the years of being a fan in the Omaha area. Her lose is your gain. Here is a description of her some of her items:<br />
<br />
<br />
“So, the first auction will have my Star Trek books--I think just about all the paperbacks and most of the hardcovers, along my autographed books, mostly from Omaha Sci-Fi conventions. The last few years of Magazine of F&SF, and some other random books<br />
<br />
The auction on the 28th should have the bulk of my SF collection, more ST, some SW, a lot of Dr Who, convention memorabilia, fanzines (mostly Robin of Sherwood, I didn't check the box real close), my Elfquest (all the comics, including #1, some paperbacks and HC, games, posters, t shirts, the video, calendars) Star Trek plates and a 3-D chess set, movie posters, artwork, and of course books and magazines.<br />
<br />
Close to 3000 books, mostly paperback, and SF book club editions. Some of the old Ace Doubles, books going back to when they were 35 cents, all the old time major authors, Magazines from the 1930's on, Astounding/Analog, Galaxy, F&SF, If, Fantastic, Fantastic Universe, Imagination--no Amazing or Weird Tales.<br />
<br />
I haven't looked in these boxes for about 15 years, so not much current--I throw things down there occasionally, but never looked to take anything out.<br />
<br />
The auction house is Martindale Auctions, and the auction will be held at their Auction Building at 1305 S Main, Fremont NE 68025 the sales start at 9:30 am on Jan 28th.”<br />
<br />
So check it out for some great deals.<br />
<br />John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-14897441352539109312012-01-12T13:13:00.000-08:002012-01-12T13:13:31.368-08:00The Usual Suspects Jan & Febr 2012 Film ListJanuary – As always January is a pick-up month, going back and getting caught up on the movie we missed over the Christmas Holidays starting with The Adventures of Tintin on the 7th and then The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The two new movies this month are Red Tails and The Grey.<br />
<br />
1-14 - <strong>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</strong> - Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.<br />
<br />
1-21 - <strong>Red Tails</strong> - A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard.<br />
<br />
1 - 28 – <strong>The Grey</strong> - In Alaska, an oil drilling team struggle to survive after a plane crash strands them in the wild. Hunting the humans is a pack of wolves that see them as intruders.<br />
<br />
February – This month usually has movies that are hidden gems or just dumping grounds for movies that could not make the Christmas Cut. Here we go from Daniel Radcliffe's first post Harry Potter movie to a reenactment of a real life Act of Valor told by the people who preformed it. In between we have a found footage superhero movie, spy(Kirk) vs. spy(Bane), a Rock in a jungle and Nicolas Cage with his head on fire. February also see the first re-release of the Star Wars Movies in 3D with The Phantom Menace.<br />
<br />
2 - 4 – <strong>The Woman in Black</strong> - A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.<br />
<br />
2 - 4 – <strong>Chronicle</strong> - Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.<br />
<br />
2 - 11 – <strong>Journey 2: The Mysterious Island</strong> - Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.<br />
<br />
2 - 18 – <strong>Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance</strong> - As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.<br />
<br />
2 - 18 – <strong>This Means War</strong> - Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.<br />
<br />
2 - 25 – <strong>Act of Valor</strong> - An elite team of Navy SEALs embark on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent.<br />
<br />
Unless otherwise announced, all showing will be the last afternoon priced matinee at the <a href="http://www.aksarbencinema.com/">Aksarben Cinema</a>. So join these guys for a feature film and a chance to talk about it afterward.<br />John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-45948280415655142462012-01-10T14:03:00.001-08:002012-01-10T14:03:16.625-08:00The Programming Begins<span xmlns=''><p>It may seem like a long time until <a href='http://www.osfes.org/'>OSFest 5</a> over July 27-29<sup>th</sup> weekend, but we need to start on the program schedule now if we are to have one worth your attendance. So Nick Schneider and I sat down and began pulling together interesting ideas that would make great events for you to be a part of. But we can't do it alone, nor can we prepare a schedule in a vacuum. We need you input. While I will be bouncing ideas through this blog over the next few months, now is the time to brainstorm, now is the time to come up with the ideas that can be fleshed out into great panels, and most importantly, now is the time for you to tell us what you are interested in and would like to see. After all the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival is YOUR convention, now ours.<br /></p><p>Yes, several old favorites will return: the Ultimate Starship Challenge, the Militarization of Space, and the Dating Auction to name a few. But the OSFest Programming staff is not plugged into YOUR network of influence and we can only guess what trips your trigger. We are looking for anything right now that falls under the genre of SF/Fantasy, Horror, Anime, Costuming/Cosplay, Gaming, or generally interesting to fans of the above. This is the brainstorming phase of programming, so no idea is too outrageous, we may not use it but we will consider it. Maybe with a little tweaking???<br /></p><p>We are also looking for people who are knowledgeable in the ideas you suggest. So if you are an expert (or just someone with an informed passion) please let us know so we can keep you in mind for that panel. Also let us know if this is something you would just like to learn, that way we can look for the experts for you and have them available at <a href='http://www.osfes.org/'>OSFest</a>.<br /></p><p>Where should you make your suggestions? Posting a comment on this blog or on its Facebook site might get the word to us. The best way to do this is through the OSFES Forum at: <a href='http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php'>http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php</a>. This will allow Nick and I to rapidly find everyone's suggestion and others to give their feedback to what has already been suggested. Be an active forum participant and <a href='http://www.osfes.org/'>OSFES</a> can keep bringing you great conventions year after year.<br /></p><p>I hope to see you in July.</p></span>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-18665768052281545692012-01-05T14:20:00.001-08:002012-01-05T14:26:58.593-08:00The Tale of Susan Satterfield<span xmlns=""></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFQjQgpfpTc/TwYimGDsjkI/AAAAAAAAArw/KYq6ljtaifo/s1600/SusanSatterfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFQjQgpfpTc/TwYimGDsjkI/AAAAAAAAArw/KYq6ljtaifo/s200/SusanSatterfield.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan & the Roving Room Party</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In 1977, Susan discovered a "little" convention called OKon and has been a part of fandom ever since that first exposure where she thought the Con Suite was for staff and guests only. She began her fannish life in Tulsa fandom. Here she not only chaired or co-chaired two Okons, a couple of MelloKons, and ran a party with another STARbase Tulsa member (Vicki Williams) called SuViCon, she also served in several capacities as an officer of the local club including Captain. Since that time, Susan and her husband Jim moved to the Kansas City area where she has gone on to co-chair three ConQuesTs with Becky Rickart, and along with Cindy McEldery, she has chaired 22 Contraceptions (Kansas City's adults-only relax-a-con). She has run many Masquerades for various conventions including Soonercon and ConQuesT and has worked on the committee for two World Science Fiction Conventions handling the Hugo Awards, run registration for two Nebula awards weekends, and in 2005, she was co-chairman of the World Horror Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Susan Satterfield is the author of a number of published short stories including "Mirror of His Soul" and "The Changing," appearing in <em>Eldritch Tales</em>, and "A Perfect World," appearing in the Yard Dog Press anthology, <em>Stories That Won't Make Your Parents Hurl. </em>Her chapbook, <em>Mirror Images</em>, was published by Yard Dog Press in May of 2002. "The Lady Killer" and "Sweet Teddy" appeared in an anthology entitled <em>Small Bites</em>, which was a benefit for author, Charles Grant. She is also the author of "A Bubba Poet" found in <em>The International House of Bubbas</em> and<em><br /></em>"What Goes Around" from the anthology <em>Flush Fiction. </em>Susan's short story entitled, "Close Encounters of the Bubba Kind," can be found in the Yard Dog Press anthology <em>Houston, We've Got Bubbas. </em>Her poem entitled "The Hunger: A Zombie Poem," appeared in October, 2009 in an anthology titled <em>Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhyme </em>from Costcom Entertainment.<em><br /></em>Her latest sale, "A Bad Case of the Munchies," can be found in the new Yard Dog Press anthology <em>I Should Have Stayed in Oz</em>. </span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Susan Satterfield graduated in 2001 with a Masters Degree in English from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri. Currently, Susan teaches at Longview Community College. She lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri with her extended family including dogs, cats, and assorted fish.</span><br />
<br />
Join her and the many other guests this July 27-29th as we celebrate the fifth year of the <a href="http://www/osfes.org">Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival</a>. See you then!John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-24027063410903584722012-01-03T14:50:00.000-08:002012-01-03T14:56:40.181-08:00Independent Filmmaker News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWIHTg9kQ14/TwOE3D19AQI/AAAAAAAAArk/U82RIqEbwyc/s1600/hollaman.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWIHTg9kQ14/TwOE3D19AQI/AAAAAAAAArk/U82RIqEbwyc/s200/hollaman.png" width="200" /></a></div>
It has been a couple of years since Christopher Mihm has been about to make it to Omaha. But OSFest is still having an influence on his movie productions. Mitch Obrecht was an Associate Producer for <a href="http://www.sainteuphoria.com/dos.html">Destination Outer Space</a> and now James Hollaman is an Associate Producer of <a href="http://www.sainteuphoria.com/ghosts.html">House of Ghosts</a> and is currently highlighted in the Mihmiverse Monthly Newsletter at: <a href="http://www.sainteuphoria.com/newsletter/jan12.html">http://www.sainteuphoria.com/newsletter/jan12.html</a>.<br />
<br />
One of the things we added last year to OSFest was an independent film festival to showcase the works of small film makers like Christopher Mihm, <a href="http://phase2trek.com/home.html">Star Trek Phase 2</a>, and <u><span style="color: #810081;"><a href="http://www.thedeadhour.com/">The Dead Hour</a></span></u>. Giving them some exposure and making potential audiences aware that their work exists. This year we are in the process of adding a special contest running up to OSFest. We would like to offer a chance for high school students who want to produce genre films to have those films shown to a receptive audience.<br />
<br />
So join us at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5: The Gathering</a> and experience some of those independent visions. Then let's all talk about what's great about the genre.John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-57021202974221295122011-12-13T15:01:00.001-08:002011-12-13T15:07:54.797-08:00Adopt a Fan<span xmlns=""></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmfVTXx3m-OM8y9TVRwAT9tj0zHgpO4tMBvqSSQuuKA_fTHMueD5LeE-C75D3bZOKlsdSoWxE9KJnSIpIqKBLtlbxXf0UQ0m1keAC2o_6UqlOr6xf33FY84XZ0uEDZtXomwlFMzCmKxj-/s1600/AdoptAFan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmfVTXx3m-OM8y9TVRwAT9tj0zHgpO4tMBvqSSQuuKA_fTHMueD5LeE-C75D3bZOKlsdSoWxE9KJnSIpIqKBLtlbxXf0UQ0m1keAC2o_6UqlOr6xf33FY84XZ0uEDZtXomwlFMzCmKxj-/s200/AdoptAFan.jpg" width="144" /></a></div>
The convention scene in Omaha is once again becoming crowded (look at the convention history of the 1990s). What's different this time the various conventions are working together to raise the bar on Nebraska's convention experience. But that doesn't mean Omaha has enough of a current con-goers base to support them all.<br />
<br />
But we can grow that base!<br />
<br />
Do you know anyone who reads SF/Fantasy/Horror/Manga or routinely watches similar programming, either it is live action or animated? Maybe it's time to introduce that person to your family of convention goers. Mentor them through a local convention. Guide them through the hazardous registration process, explore with them the map of activities (aka, the program book), navigate the expensive currents of the dealer's room and art show, lead them to the Sto'Vo'Kor or at least the con suite, and most importantly, introduce them to the friends you have made in the con-circuit. I know most fans when presented with a neo-con attendee, would likely bend his/her ear off telling them about the joys of conventions and do everything in their power to make them feel welcome and a part of our family.<br />
<br />
If we want to keep the great variety of conventions that are now happening in Nebraska, we need to grow the base of fans that attend so we can afford the facilities we need. Believe me the hotels would rather book weddings; they are more profitable than us cheapo fans. So the next time you go to a local convention, bring a friend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhXI1qkKKZLfmNdRU945TNgZazRLi3Nx3iRt-OfcRm0gZrfU9xw876YIOOFVFtXbcApjcaDBtE4d7jNhjWz2V32rL0i28ZglIKNuzzILPayeHHZdxq9mlffmA0bFwOfTGxwoMF3pQ0UVf/s1600/SantaBot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhXI1qkKKZLfmNdRU945TNgZazRLi3Nx3iRt-OfcRm0gZrfU9xw876YIOOFVFtXbcApjcaDBtE4d7jNhjWz2V32rL0i28ZglIKNuzzILPayeHHZdxq9mlffmA0bFwOfTGxwoMF3pQ0UVf/s200/SantaBot.jpg" width="153" /></a>OSFest is a Science Fiction Convention with Something for Everyone. If we have missed your friends interests let us know. We have a forum: <a href="http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php" target="_blank">osfes.org/Forums/index.php</a>, sign up today. Better yet have your friend do so also and the two of you can tell us how to make OSFest better. To help facilitate bringing a friend to OSFest, we are offering a Christmas Special this year. Between now and Christmas, you can purchase a membership for yourself AND one for a friend for a total of $50. That's a $60 value; we'll even throw in a certificate suitable to giving. Spread the joy, go to <a href="http://www.osfes.org/registration.htm">www.osfes.org/registration.htm</a> and give the gift of fandom.</div>
<a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5: The Gathering</a> is July 27-29, 2012. I hope to see you their and your friend too.John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-28710746139771567982011-12-08T16:06:00.001-08:002011-12-08T16:21:41.447-08:00OSFest 5’s Program Participants (2)It takes a lot of hard work on the part of a lot of folks to pull off a really great convention. The Omaha Science Fiction Education Society (the parent organization of OSFest) has been lucky in finding a lot of talented people to help us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsUgsAUiaeePpaeBCStAAjckn_-2JH0VrlCoAs51ERSdIuHG2cc-ARgPhfh411Bhpyu8aNRCPOZ8HNs6Myp5oBTcZepcAnO7ghp-IrcGjsnyFR8sA4ZroCJrAhgUj4o5b4UOXy2GOQt1w/s1600/DanielNielsen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsUgsAUiaeePpaeBCStAAjckn_-2JH0VrlCoAs51ERSdIuHG2cc-ARgPhfh411Bhpyu8aNRCPOZ8HNs6Myp5oBTcZepcAnO7ghp-IrcGjsnyFR8sA4ZroCJrAhgUj4o5b4UOXy2GOQt1w/s200/DanielNielsen.jpg" width="132" /></a>Daniel Nielsen is another area author that has contributed his expertise in the field of epic Fantasy fiction. He has participated on panels like: Writer’s Tech, Slash and Sparkle, and What If? (A discussion panel where the panelists drew alternative reality questions from a hat to talk about). Daniel is a self-described writer of dark fantasy; he has two books to his credit: Darksteel Destinies and These Old Bones, as well as an assortment of short stories and poetry. After discovering the joys of world building at an early age and his community library to feed his mythological cravings, Dan took to regaling his classmates with his fantasy worlds while still in school. With literary influences such as C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series and Glen Cook’s Black Company books, this is a new author you need to take the time to get to know.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRIg3wPDWWliGgFBdhRVJGl1soOc47XfjAxNe3WG0OxTifXQByuVopifFPq7lMTZxdZrcbRbsTao3_mK3yYKwKlehCyQt80h5AE0NygnfpHzg0JKtJagzbBuH7j16XDNS7YfNolbQZtQa/s1600/Patrick-Kennedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRIg3wPDWWliGgFBdhRVJGl1soOc47XfjAxNe3WG0OxTifXQByuVopifFPq7lMTZxdZrcbRbsTao3_mK3yYKwKlehCyQt80h5AE0NygnfpHzg0JKtJagzbBuH7j16XDNS7YfNolbQZtQa/s200/Patrick-Kennedy.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
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Patrick Kennedy is an old hand when it comes to SF conventions. He has been doing SF art for as long as I have known him. He also put together the first 3-day SF convention in Nebraska: Electracon back in 1980. For the last two years Pat has graciously taken people on tours of our Art Show, explaining how various artists create their works and how individual attendees can take home a collection of it for their own. He also loves to talk about books, media, and of course art. He is still from Kearney, NE where he started Nebraska conventions.</div>
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But learning something new and interacting with new and old friends is what conventions are about. Attend as many conventions as you can, so you can meet new people. OSFest 5 will be July 27-29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza (72nd & Grover). I hope to see you there.<br />
<br />John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-33277542186917675712011-12-06T17:36:00.001-08:002011-12-12T14:41:09.350-08:00A Little Bit of Hometown Horror<div style="text-align: center;">
by Jason Burns</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On December 4<sup>th</sup> I once again got the opportunity to be a part of </span></span><a href="http://thedeadhour.com/index.php"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">The Dead Hour</span></span></i></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> a web based horror anthology filmed here in Omaha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my second time playing a background character in the show the first was in </span></span><a href="http://thedeadhour.com/webisodes-frightfest.php"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Fright Fest</span></span></i></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> which kicked off the second season of The Dead Hour on October 18<sup>th</sup> 2011 and now I’m going to be in </span></span><a href="http://thedeadhour.com/webisodes-insideman.php"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">All Hollow’s Eve</span></span></i></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> which will launch on January 17<sup>th</sup> 2012.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFhNQJxohS_wgf0Y8oy-6-qmEwcP8SEwdnSGI9QzxnE0AB1CWEqQeMM3PbaQvf-S69GnugE4ZXlIWxizmO9892aYPXs_JMVgeGPSgjEsdrpfJwT_4lQlyNt4k6vJ8ig8W4PvicRIIPLxF/s1600/DeadHour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFhNQJxohS_wgf0Y8oy-6-qmEwcP8SEwdnSGI9QzxnE0AB1CWEqQeMM3PbaQvf-S69GnugE4ZXlIWxizmO9892aYPXs_JMVgeGPSgjEsdrpfJwT_4lQlyNt4k6vJ8ig8W4PvicRIIPLxF/s200/DeadHour.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Dead Hour</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> was created by the same minds who made the indie horror movie </span></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263807/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">The Wretched</span></span></i></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Director Daniel B. Iske and Writer Scott Coleman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dead Hour</i> is same vein as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tales From the Crypt</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creep Show </i>it stars Melissa Holder as DJ Raven a radio talk show host that bring her audience tales of horror and suspense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first season first launched on October 27, 2010 with the episode </span></span><a href="http://www.thedeadhour.com/webisodes-seasonone.php"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Donor</span></span></i></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> followed by four more episodes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alcoholic Vampire</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cougar</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hole</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cannibal Girls</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Second season launched on October 18, 2011 with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fright Fest</i> and will consist of 9 episodes which will end with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fireside Lounge</i> on February 28, 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first four episodes have been launched with the next one being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gross Anatomy</i> on December 13, 2011.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Season one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dead Hour</i> was one of the shows we had at our 2011 indie film fest at OSFest 4 and season two will be shown at OSFest 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During OSFest 4 we also had a panel on Make-up and Effects ran by Ryan Lacy of The Spider and The Fly FX who is now head of make-up FX for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dead Hour</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Dead Hour is a work of passion for the crew and they volunteer their time and money to create it and are always open to anyone who what to help in any way they can for more information on what you can do for The Dead Hour click the link below.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.thedeadhour.com/getinvolved.php"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.thedeadhour.com/getinvolved.php</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-51598902128167202802011-12-01T14:32:00.001-08:002011-12-01T14:42:16.661-08:00OSFest 5’s Program Participants (1)<span xmlns=""></span><br />
The backbone of any convention's program schedule is the participants who volunteer to staff the various events and functions that go to make up the convention experience. Their expertise range from writing and collecting, through media analysis and costume creation; and they freely offer this expertise to everyone attending the panels they offer. Between now and July, I hope to feature as many of these great people as I can. Here are the first two.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAmzni5D9PXhd5XryE4iriXh83aad9_SRgToYfXmnAyhAMY69PYd-5uAxlcrgtptmIcHvIf0hy-1I8IN1RrVugUBxWmMTe6-RULPQ47LDac0dbmLW0tCJzMYTKJ16ncxfsZx2QRV0NMWF/s1600/MattRotundo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAmzni5D9PXhd5XryE4iriXh83aad9_SRgToYfXmnAyhAMY69PYd-5uAxlcrgtptmIcHvIf0hy-1I8IN1RrVugUBxWmMTe6-RULPQ47LDac0dbmLW0tCJzMYTKJ16ncxfsZx2QRV0NMWF/s200/MattRotundo2.jpg" width="200" /></a>An Omaha native and published author: Matthew Rotundo is one such Program Participant. With Matt having the experience of attending the <span style="color: blue; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline;">Odyssey Writer's Workshop</span>, he has been asked and agreed to run a writer's workshop each year at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest</a>. So if you are interested in writing, come out this July and see what challenges he will have for you. He was also the 2008 winner in the <a href="http://www.writersofthefuture.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline;">Writers of the Future Contest</span></a>, and has had several stories published. So he is able to talk about the craft of writing, like in "Redshirts: How to Kill Your Characters"; and with his passion for movies he is a natural fit for media related talks; like "The Magnificent Seven & The 7 Deadly Sins" and "Star Trek: Back to Basics. Does the Reboot Work?"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYMVw1evdqtRFhT_iqsRPyqI5IG2T6x6j59BzZIUEZwxCPrEOA9Gh-EUi91fSJFdIKjT0VnBp4eJHSM445Nuc6E7Dtsnl9qpGjA1mI_Sfteyh83uJCE90OK8OcS0UOso74ECVgutaI8rT/s1600/DSC_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYMVw1evdqtRFhT_iqsRPyqI5IG2T6x6j59BzZIUEZwxCPrEOA9Gh-EUi91fSJFdIKjT0VnBp4eJHSM445Nuc6E7Dtsnl9qpGjA1mI_Sfteyh83uJCE90OK8OcS0UOso74ECVgutaI8rT/s200/DSC_0171.JPG" width="200" /></a>Kansas City based ConBarbie; Sherri Dean, is also a published author but first and foremost she is a huge fan. She has many convention based experiences to draw on while she helps with past convention panels like: "Top Ten Tips For Getting Published", "Fantasy: Zombie Iron Chef: Brains anyone?", and "Bump: There Goes The Neighborhood". This lady knows her way around a convention and how to get the most fun out of the time she spends with friends. Join her for "How To Enjoy A Convention" panel sometime and learn something new.</div>
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But learning something new and interacting with new and old friends is what conventions are about. Attend as many conventions as you can; <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5</a> will be July 27-29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza (72<sup>nd</sup> & Grover). I hope to see you there.</div>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-8235817939909193022011-11-29T13:52:00.001-08:002011-11-29T13:56:04.602-08:00Matt Mogk: Horror Guest of Honor<span xmlns=""></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_ZhlJd4_yc9Dg8FnVp52dZKUg0H3FGVNtMW9zSdlCkram-WCJJ4y2qIJJjums7X-8Grm9hvQ7SFQg6vMoOPgzZgZYaxvcDyE12394MtcFDo_OUOT_-LVzYkP_-a9nAPLRS3uRabL4Vos/s1600/MattMogk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_ZhlJd4_yc9Dg8FnVp52dZKUg0H3FGVNtMW9zSdlCkram-WCJJ4y2qIJJjums7X-8Grm9hvQ7SFQg6vMoOPgzZgZYaxvcDyE12394MtcFDo_OUOT_-LVzYkP_-a9nAPLRS3uRabL4Vos/s1600/MattMogk.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Well this is a new catagory of GOH for us. We have a Horror Guest of Honor this year. Join us at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5</a> and meet the founder and head of the Zombie Research Society: Matt Mogk. While he holds a Masters Degree from New York University Film School, specializing in horror in cinema, he went on to receive advance combat and survival training from the French Foreign Legion</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">He earned a Masters degree from New York University Film School where he specialized in horror in cinema, before receiving advanced combat and survival training in the French Foreign Legion, the mercenary wing of the French Military.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Putting those two skill sets together with his lifelong interest in the Undead, Matt created the Zombie Research Society in 2007 where he is still their Head Researcher. The ZRS boasts a membership of over 60,000 zombie academics and enthusiasts on 6 continents, with dozens of local chapters. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Omaha is fortunate to host one of those chapters.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But Mr. Mogk's talents don't end there. He has written two books: <em>Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Zombies </em>and <em>That's Not Your Mommy Anymore: A Zombie Tale.</em> He also appeared on Spike TV's <em>Deadliest Warrior</em>, in the last episode of the third and final season: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Deadliest_Warrior_episodes"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">Vampires vs. Zombies</span></a>. He along Max Brooks (author of <em>World War Z</em>) comprised Team Zombie.</span>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-37883260432336170392011-11-24T11:04:00.001-08:002011-11-24T11:07:40.697-08:00We’re Moving Again<span xmlns=""></span><br />
Well we finally did it, signed a contract with a new hotel – a bigger hotel – a hotel that should be easier to get to. The Ramada Plaza Omaha – Hotel – Convention Center/CoCO Key Water Resort will be the gathering point for OSFest 5. We will have more and larger rooms (no more converting hotel rooms into programming space), a large suite for our con suite, real suites for attendees to throw parties in, and a grand foyer to spread out registration (and hopefully speed things up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesaaAB9tKu8gmr95yvhbIKxz-NULB2MQFM0ehJYBb7GCbQPHYiWi0PWHbbFQ_HVp5kWwyhPiBk1oMr2VgHrMNhI8TZh-sVc7QlCu_jv8zFW2ULwUk46ynsPMnMM2JU8f91HdnQ58YulYo/s1600/RamadaPlaza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesaaAB9tKu8gmr95yvhbIKxz-NULB2MQFM0ehJYBb7GCbQPHYiWi0PWHbbFQ_HVp5kWwyhPiBk1oMr2VgHrMNhI8TZh-sVc7QlCu_jv8zFW2ULwUk46ynsPMnMM2JU8f91HdnQ58YulYo/s200/RamadaPlaza.jpg" width="200" /></a>The only down sides are: people need to reserve their rooms early to get the discounted rate, and we will again have to make all our reservations by phone to the hotel.</div>
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The discounted rate for 2012 will be $84/night for a Standard room and $144/night for a suite. But they will be real suites not just enlarged standard rooms like at the Crowne Plaza. But to get these rates you will have to book your room by April 27, 2012 or the rates will revert to their standard prices of $94/night for a Standard room and $144/night for a suite (there was no early bird discount for a suite but they normally go for $180/night). Also the room block will be released on July 13<sup>th</sup>, after which there will be no guarantee of availability. So get a room booked early and save, you will have up to 24 hours ahead of arrival to cancel your reservation without any penalties.</div>
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The rates and the room block are not available online. You will again have to actually phone the Hotel Reservations Center at either: 1-888-288-4982 or the hotel itself at: 402-547-5640. When you do be sure to ask for the OSFest or Omaha Science Fiction Education Society rate. If you use any online hotel reservation system, you will not be included in our room block. Being in that room block means our hotel guy can keep you close to the weekend's action. So droop him an email at: <a href="mailto:hotel@osfes.org">hotel@osfes.org</a>, when you make your reservation so he knows your in the system and let him know if you have any special needs; like you want to throw a party.</div>
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Working together we can make the hotel experience at our new digs fun and undisturbed. Details will continue to go up at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">http://www.osfes.org/</a> until we have rocked the corner of 72<sup>nd</sup> & Grover once more.</div>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-34545497224032230462011-11-22T14:53:00.001-08:002011-11-22T14:57:32.798-08:00Cynthia Martin: Artist GOH for OSFest 5<span xmlns=""></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPzkPLn4EwB85gODwP2S__2v0aDzGvQ8F3Ou1iaB1K1sdv5nDzLwE1c6L4zZ-GhcYKZE2BrxeE6PJje4YlKCFrhJ2cgEfIA27L71VBw5c-KnPXVHbR3U8pA7ODxq3gKONxFULaIy-BwKn/s1600/cynthia_martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPzkPLn4EwB85gODwP2S__2v0aDzGvQ8F3Ou1iaB1K1sdv5nDzLwE1c6L4zZ-GhcYKZE2BrxeE6PJje4YlKCFrhJ2cgEfIA27L71VBw5c-KnPXVHbR3U8pA7ODxq3gKONxFULaIy-BwKn/s200/cynthia_martin.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Cynthia Martin (aka Cindy Martin) is a comic book artist best known for her work on the Marvel Comics <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(comics)" title="Star Wars (comics)"><em>Star Wars</em></a> title, where she drew the covers of issues 92 & 93, then went on to pencil issues 94-107.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">She began her career drawing on <em>Ms. Victory </em>Special #1 for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_Comics" target="_blank">AC Comics</a> in 1985. In the early 1990's she did some very memorable work for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics" target="_blank">Marvel's</a> <em>Web of Spider-man </em>series as well as the afore mentions <em>Star Wars</em> title. She has also worked for: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics" title="DC Comics">DC Comics</a> (on both <em>Wonder Woman</em> and <em>The Blue Beetle</em>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Comics" title="Eclipse Comics">Eclipse Comics</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Comics" title="First Comics">First Comics</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topps_Comics" title="Topps Comics">Topps Comics</a> (<em>Jason Goes to Hell – The Final Friday</em>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Horse_Comics" title="Dark Horse Comics">Dark Horse Comics</a> (<em>GoGirl</em>), and a number of other small presses. She even did a stint drawing the Camp Horror Queen: Elvira, in her comic series. She was one of the few women working in mainstream American comics during that time.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Recently she has been illustrating for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capstone_Press" title="Capstone Press"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">Capstone Press</span></a> and <em>How to Draw Comic Heroes </em>for Edge Books. She worked with Lela Dowling on <a href="http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=1810136&matches=11&cm_sp=works*listing*title" target="_blank"><em>Dragonflight: Graphic</em></a>, a graphic novel set in Anne McCaffery's Pern universe. Her current projects include books for ABDO Publications.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">"Martin's clean lines and strong sense of movement during action scenes set her apart from other <em>Star Wars</em> artists of the time. Her work displayed the influence of Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga" title="Manga">manga</a> long before it became common in American comics." from her <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Martin" target="_blank">Wikipedia page</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">So join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of this distinguished artist, July 27-29, 2012 at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest5: The Gathering.</a></span>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-6771661821917594162011-11-17T13:46:00.001-08:002011-11-17T13:50:29.322-08:00Jack McDevitt: Author GOH for OSFest 5<span xmlns=""> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">I was introduced to the writings of Jack McDevitt (born 1935) with the <strong>A Talent For War </strong>(1989). Despite the title this was more of a mystery story about past happening in a future universe. From there he took me on trips into a post-apocalyptic future earth, a journal through the halls of an ancient alien travel device, and the breakup of our moon. The last three are some of his stand alone novels; he also has a couple of long running series to his credit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9OcPfmw_6ptGSwGH2vCR0QwBnwO3UuPpNw0JrEAfOo9AXvMTru-a3R8kCr0Wu1Di6LcTnuzQK_bphCT-tg4tKNZ007qC1sEKEby-F4pXISZ8a0dA-bsSTNetUXUD5qvcKB_ucK73AJzL/s1600/mcdevitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9OcPfmw_6ptGSwGH2vCR0QwBnwO3UuPpNw0JrEAfOo9AXvMTru-a3R8kCr0Wu1Di6LcTnuzQK_bphCT-tg4tKNZ007qC1sEKEby-F4pXISZ8a0dA-bsSTNetUXUD5qvcKB_ucK73AJzL/s200/mcdevitt.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The Engines of God</strong> (1994), he introduced the idea of a universe that had once been teeming with intelligent life, but contains only their abandoned artifacts by the time humans arrive on the scene. Although it was initially written as a standalone novel, the main character of <em>The Engines of God</em>, pilot Priscilla Hutchins (Hutch), has since appeared in five more books, <strong>Deepsix</strong> (2001), <strong>Chindi</strong> (2002), <strong>Omega</strong> (2003), <strong>Odyssey</strong> (2006), and <strong>Cauldron</strong> (2007). These books became known as Jack's <em>Academy Series </em>of novels<em>. </em>The mystery surrounding the destructive "Omega Clouds" (which are introduced in <em>The Engines of God</em>) is left unexplored until <strong>Omega</strong>, but it is worth the wait.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">His <em>Alex Benedict</em> series consists of the archaeology texts: <strong>A Talent for War</strong> (1989) (also published as part of <strong>Hello Out There</strong>), <strong>Polaris</strong> (2004), <strong>Seeker</strong> (2005) - winner of Nebula Award for Best Novel, <strong>The Devil's Eye</strong> (2008), <strong>Echo</strong> (2010) and <strong>Firebird </strong>(2011)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Jack went to La Salle University, where he won the annual <em>Freshman Short Story Contest</em> and was published in the school's literary magazine, <strong>Four Quarters</strong>. As McDevitt explained in an <a href="http://www.ideomancer.com/ft/McDevitt/McDevitt.htm">interview</a>, "I was on my way. Then I read <strong>David Copperfield</strong> and realized I could never write at that level, and therefore I should find something else to do. I joined the Navy, drove a cab, became an English teacher, took a customs inspector's job on the northern border, and didn't write another word for a quarter-century." McDevitt received a Master's degree in literature from Wesleyan University in 1971. He returned to writing when his wife, Maureen, encouraged him to try his hand at it in 1980. Of course she was right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Meet this entertaining author at <a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest 5</a> – July 27-29, 2012. And despite his self-described inability to write at David Copperfield's level, I know you find his writings intriguing and fun.</span></span><br />
<img height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9OcPfmw_6ptGSwGH2vCR0QwBnwO3UuPpNw0JrEAfOo9AXvMTru-a3R8kCr0Wu1Di6LcTnuzQK_bphCT-tg4tKNZ007qC1sEKEby-F4pXISZ8a0dA-bsSTNetUXUD5qvcKB_ucK73AJzL/s200/mcdevitt.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 175px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 305px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-29296942353346930212011-11-15T14:51:00.001-08:002011-11-15T15:02:40.931-08:00The Bones of Convention Art Shows<span xmlns="">One attraction seen at most conventions – Sci-Fi, Anime, and even gaming – is the Art Show. There you will find a mixed bag that might include oil paintings, acrylic, pencil, or computer generated illustrations, numbered prints, sculptures, hand-made jewelry, and even original work done right there at the convention (sometimes with input from onlookers). You can bid on the pieces, or sometimes just buy them outright.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><p>But what goes into having an art show? Lots of things. All of the artists need to be contacted so they know where to bring their art – or where to send it if they won't be at the convention in person. Organization and planning are needed to make sure nothing gets lost. And when you purchase that glorious image<span style="color:red;">, </span><span style="color:black;">the artists need to get paid for their sales. </span><br /><br /></p><br /><p><span style="color:black;">There is also some special furniture needed to put on an art show, called art panels, or "flats." Most of the art is in the form of paintings or drawings, and they need to be hung up on something. Hotels get pretty testy about driving nails into walls to hang art, so conventions bring in flats. It is rumored that the first art shows just had paintings lying on the floor, and you'd walk around looking down at them. That didn't end well. </span><br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeU0ahwjtEB0JEMTCj_chOSDvH32CUfE-kpkUrwqUTK4UqnI61s5SaJ2qyZPPE9ohVsfS7puqcl96rOoXT-xwfl_uPIsXYeqee-bZjyOhG1huWSruZWIKTd1BI3lefOzknhXpX5g-5IvD/s1600/ArtFlats05.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675361173460171154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeU0ahwjtEB0JEMTCj_chOSDvH32CUfE-kpkUrwqUTK4UqnI61s5SaJ2qyZPPE9ohVsfS7puqcl96rOoXT-xwfl_uPIsXYeqee-bZjyOhG1huWSruZWIKTd1BI3lefOzknhXpX5g-5IvD/s200/ArtFlats05.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.osfes.org/">OSFest </a>used wood frame flats for the past four years. They had been constructed almost two decades ago, and served well at conventions such as Concussion, Nuke-con, AnimeNebrasKon, oh and OSFest. But wear and tear had taken their toll.</p>At <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.osfes.org">OSFest 4</a> we decided to retire those venerable display boards and at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.osfes.org">OSFest 5</a>, next July you will see art displayed on newly designed art flats. The design is very flexible, they will fit whatever room we happen to be using. It is also much lighter and compact for storage and transport. (Ask some of our volunteers how easy it was to move the old flats!) And they are intergratible with the art flats used by Constellation so either convention will be able to effective double its art show when possible.<br /><br /><br /><p><span style="color:black;">Of course, you don't care about what the art is hanging on. The point is that a lot of work goes into producing the show, some of it as mundane as cutting PVC pipe to hang the pretty art, which is what you really want to see. So come to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.osfes.org">OSFest 5</a> and see what national artists have dreamed up for our enjoyment, you might even want to buy one or two to take home. See you in July.</span></p></span></div>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-81234106633443876972011-11-10T14:27:00.001-08:002011-11-10T14:34:25.386-08:00AnimeNebrasKon<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IOGPjRJv_4L7Na1GyWiXXhlZsCrvdr08mmMVbPDstU_2BEBn0fZrKsqP4hQWhU4lsWLgYDNa_u79rBFjB_EazqAeZseXNYm-exoZxb2wmn4wuYW9RkJm30J3MudegvnC5xCeT601ptVM/s1600/img012.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 129px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673497841226398194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IOGPjRJv_4L7Na1GyWiXXhlZsCrvdr08mmMVbPDstU_2BEBn0fZrKsqP4hQWhU4lsWLgYDNa_u79rBFjB_EazqAeZseXNYm-exoZxb2wmn4wuYW9RkJm30J3MudegvnC5xCeT601ptVM/s200/img012.jpg" /></a> <span xmlns="">Kudos go out to the staff of <a href="http://www.animenebraskon.com/">AnimeNebrasKon</a>. Once again not only did they survive the weekend of November 4-6<sup>th</sup>,2011 but they pulled off another great convention experience. I have yet to see the figures from the weekend but from some name badge numbers I do believe they broke attendance figures again. The dealer's room at the same time seemed bigger and more crowded, but there were still great deals to be had. I understand Dylan is still alive after delivering a remarkable assortment of panels, there were several room parties (including a Tron room) around the pool, and Rob Lewis duct taped the crowd for the "One Of Us!" parade on Sunday.<br /><br /><div><br /><br /><p>But you were there, Right? If so, you know what a great time it was and if not, why not? Fandom is a group adventure. A time to meet people, share what you love about the genres you have in common, and learn about genres you haven't experienced yet. Get involved in the fannish community. AnimeNebrasKon is the last Midwest convention for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXodVO0k4dZOVpweIIms_cEwV-UwRwyPbE4munedK3aA8VfcJxOIxShbLsdauEZWGLfyd1fxMKD-Hdbp3gTENDccT35k8nJ65bRWTzms3h-dJUv8AvntpVgPYxhsxSRfBfT1jw8H3u0Ut/s1600/Vacation+MayJune2011+089.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673498723828561298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXodVO0k4dZOVpweIIms_cEwV-UwRwyPbE4munedK3aA8VfcJxOIxShbLsdauEZWGLfyd1fxMKD-Hdbp3gTENDccT35k8nJ65bRWTzms3h-dJUv8AvntpVgPYxhsxSRfBfT1jw8H3u0Ut/s200/Vacation+MayJune2011+089.jpg" /></a>the year, so now is the time to plan your calendar for 2012. Look for one you like, get a membership, plan to meet the guests, for they are often really terrific people, then go and make new friends.<br /><br />OSFest 5: The Gathering will be July 27-29<sup>th</sup>, 2012, while our hotel is not confirmed yet, it will be in Omaha (it is the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival). You can keep up with our plans at <a href="file:///H:/OSFES/Blog/2012/www.osfes.org">file:///H:/OSFES/Blog/2012/www.osfes.org</a>.</span></p></div></div>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1403679372876725780.post-57960259992242822952011-11-08T15:14:00.001-08:002011-11-08T15:24:21.386-08:00ICON 36<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0f7TJvyukFc5fjTiMtlhtN6kFdIGpI8RRygN3nz0RElXkn70H-Ni7d0BYxxU1HZwK90pJZM1VLfXHHRwXBfcoBersFHpO_D5fsoViChVDrV_dtETmdMt5GkkunfIpbv-4UF5maKJ0BFt/s1600/DSCF1168.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672768429139524994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0f7TJvyukFc5fjTiMtlhtN6kFdIGpI8RRygN3nz0RElXkn70H-Ni7d0BYxxU1HZwK90pJZM1VLfXHHRwXBfcoBersFHpO_D5fsoViChVDrV_dtETmdMt5GkkunfIpbv-4UF5maKJ0BFt/s200/DSCF1168.JPG" /></a><br /><span xmlns="">The last weekend of October brought us the latest edition of the convention that Joe Haldeman built; <a href="http://www.iowa-icon.com/">ICON</a>.<br /></span><br /><span xmlns="">This last decade has been a rocky time for this venerable old friend. Where ICON began its days as a Iowa City convention run by the Science Fiction League of Iowa Students (SFLIS), it was later moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa as SFLIS gave way to the <a href="http://mindbridge.org/">Mindbridge Foundation</a>. Mindbridge is the fan support organization responsible for both ICON and AnimeIowa. A few years ago with declining memberships, Mindbridge decided to pull the plug on ICON. Then a couple of dedicated fans came up with a plan to save this stalwart of Midwest fandom. And for the last five years that plan has given the community an engaging intimate convention experience.<br /></span><br /><span xmlns=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY13_Isy2yWN3sirkQCCs0u88h59R4wvN4M57-cp-Osza6k7UEItUXur-eJ0aWvNPz2Zz5MsDBDmXT7A6wwwPdAec4Fsfw-QlaOjuMzVnEvw-9385JLKknmPFIgfzAQJAdVocTPbKpiCBt/s1600/DSCF1291.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672768634982459522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY13_Isy2yWN3sirkQCCs0u88h59R4wvN4M57-cp-Osza6k7UEItUXur-eJ0aWvNPz2Zz5MsDBDmXT7A6wwwPdAec4Fsfw-QlaOjuMzVnEvw-9385JLKknmPFIgfzAQJAdVocTPbKpiCBt/s200/DSCF1291.JPG" /></a>ICON 36 was another successful event and a fun time. Imagine if you will the lobby of the Marriott Hotel converted into a open air art show, a femaleized Dalek, and a plethora of room parties. Great conventions are made by the great fans that attend them. We may be nearing the end of the 2011 convention season in the Midwest but the 2012 season starts in a couple of months. Check out at least one of the area conventions, preferably one that you have not attended before, and meet some of those fans that make the convention great.</span><br /><span xmlns=""></span><br /><span xmlns=""><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.osfes.org">OSFest 5: The Gathering </a>is scheduled to come together July 27-29, 2012. Come and have a great time.<br /></span><span xmlns=""></span>John Lars Shoberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104029702385023161noreply@blogger.com0