AUTHOR: noreascon4 TITLE: Thousands to invade Boston by sea DATE: 07/31/2003 01:00:42 PM ----- BODY:
Aquatic invasion has Boston on high alert;
supertankers, sailors make way for ducklings


A "floating flock of bathtub toys," including the battered, salt- and sun-bleached remains of a flotilla of 29,000 rubber duckies, is expected to wash in to the shoreline of New England over the next few weeks, note oceanographers.

The duckies, which escaped from a container ship on a China to Seattle run in 1992, have made an 11-year trans-Arctic journey to reach Boston -- only to discover they are more than a year early for Noreascon Four.

Floating along the Alaska coast, through the Bering Strait, wafting past Iceland, and drifting over the sink point of the Titanic, the yellow avian tub-buddies have continued their arduous journey, only to be disappointed at the end.

"We left in 1992, when we heard from our buddies at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando that Boston had started a new bid for a Worldcon," quacked one anonymous fannish floater. "I don't think you understand how long a trip that is for a rubber duckie with no bubble bath."*

Curtis Ebbesmeyer of Seattle, a retired oceanographer who has been tracking the toys' progress, told CNN that "Some kept going, some turned and headed to Europe." Ebbesmeyer did not speculate on whether the small contingent of European-bound duckies was hoping to reach Glasgow in time for Interaction in 2005.

Although the duckies might be early, they will be able to get Noreascon Four memberships before the next rate increase, due October 1, 2003.

Any wayward rubber duckies arriving at Torcon3, the 2003 Worldcon in Toronto next month, will be able to buy their memberships at the Noreascon Four table in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Boston-bound ducks, fans, alien life forms, and others with a credit card may purchase memberships online at the Noreascon Four web site.

And, of course, everyone can feel free to write us at our postal address: P.O. Box 1010, Framingham, MA 01701 USA.

Any rumor that Noreascon Four plans to deliberately re-release the stalwart duckies into the Gulf Stream in 2005, aimed at the United Kingdom, is a base, um, canard.

##


* Okay, so rubber duckies can't talk. But if they could, they might have said that. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon 4 TITLE: Progress Report 4 is on its way! DATE: 07/15/2003 01:26:32 AM ----- BODY: We've just mailed Progress Report 4 to all supporting and attending members (save only those who requested no duplicate PRs to multiple-member addresses), and we're pretty sure you'll find interesting things to read about Noreascon Four and our plans to amaze and delight you.

Please do note, however, that we send the Progress Reports (except the very last one in 2004) bulk rate mail to save money on postage (more to spend on you!). Progress Reports will arrive over the next few weeks, at the whim discretion of the postal system.

If you live outside of the United States, your progress report was shipped international bulk rate. This usually means that our Australian members get their progress reports before our chairman in Massachusetts!

Please see our searchable membership database if you're not sure you are a member of Noreascon Four. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon 4 TITLE: Bostonians "Dig" the Central Artery DATE: 07/01/2003 11:35:25 PM ----- BODY: The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (lovingly referred to as the "Big Dig" by locals and tourists) has resumed "The Big Dig Tours." These are extensive walk-throughs of parts of the project, complete with information, commentary, and a chance to wear a hard hat.

If you're 18 years of age or older and happen to be interested in really big engineering projects, this is the summer sensation for you.

To sign up for a tour, please call 617-951-6400 or send an email to info@bigdig.com

You can also find the Big Dig online at BigDig.com (and see how far we've come).

Part of the Big Dig project that Noreascon Four members will find particularly beautiful is the new Leonard B. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. The Zakim Bridge is now open to north-bound traffic, and we're told it will go both ways by the end of the year. This is the first "hybrid" cable-stayed bridge in the United States. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon 4 TITLE: Psssst! Got a Hugo base design? DATE: 04/30/2003 02:34:12 PM ----- BODY: From the sublime to the amazing, the elegant to the astounding, the bases for the Hugo Awards change yearly, depending on the whim and aesthetic judgment of each year's Worldcon committee.

Noreascon Four would like your creative insights and other-worldly engineering proposals for the perfect base on which to mount the treasured silver rocket denoting excellence in science fiction and fantasy.

We request that all proposals conform to certain basic principles:

(1) They must be designed in such a way that the silver Hugo rocket is an integral part of the design. We will supply the rockets, which are bolted to the base from below the tailfins. Ease of attachment should be a design consideration.

See our design specifications and some past Hugo Award bases.

(2) The design must stand on a flat surface in some way (please do not craft a *hanging* design, or one only appropriate for zero-G).

(3) You must allow space for a plaque indicating the winner and category of the award won.

(4) Oh, and just so you know: we're wicked allergic to bases that have small bits falling off of them (or which disintegrate in someone's luggage!).

Designs should be submitted by 1 October 2003 and should include drawings/sketches/sample of the proposed base unit. Please tell us
  • how much it would cost to fabricate 20 bases,
  • the lead time needed for fabrication, and
  • your ability to either craft the bases or arrange for the work to be done.

    • As a guideline, bases should cost $100 each or less to fabricate, and the finished bases should be sent to Noreascon Four not later than 15 July 2004.

    Noreascon Four will also be awarding Retrospective Hugos for work done in 1953, and we will use a different Hugo base design for those awards. If you have a remarkable idea for a base honoring this historic work in the field, please send that to us, too. You may submit designs, either by mail or electronically, in either or both categories.

    Just imagine going to the 112th Worldcon in 2054, and overhearing some young whippersnapper say, of the Hugo base you designed, "Wow! I didn't know they could do stuff like that back then!" ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon 4 TITLE: Noreascon 4 Meetings DATE: 04/24/2003 11:17:14 PM ----- BODY: We haven't seen you lately. Yes. You. The one looking at the monitor. Where've you been hiding?

    Oh. Right. You couldn't find us?

    Well, let us tell you about our meetings. We've got one on April 30 in Somerville, Mass. It is our regularly scheduled business-ish meeting.

    On May 3, we'll have a fairly lively discussion about Noreascon 4's activities at this year's worldcon, Torcon 3 in Toronto. This "Gulp" meeting (a brainstorming session) will happen in Littleton, Mass. at Ann Broomhead & Tim Szczesuil's home.

    And we'll have our first Open Meeting for the Noreascon Four committee and staff on June 6-8, in the Marriott Copley Place in Boston.

    If you're interested in coming, just let us know. Email us at info@noreascon.org for more information. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon 4 TITLE: Staffing the Worldcon DATE: 04/09/2003 08:05:52 AM ----- BODY: We've been working on contacting and recruiting Volunteers for the myriad of tasks that need to be done on any Worldcon, and we'll be working on this job for quite a while. To see who's agreed to help us whitewash this fence make Noreascon Four run like a top, see our committee structure page.

    If you'd like to volunteer (or at least offer not to run fast when we chase you) to help, please fill out our Online Volunteer Form. You can also feel free to contact our departments directly. We have links to all divisions available at our web site. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon 4 TITLE: First Tunnel opens on the Big Dig! DATE: 04/04/2003 10:34:39 AM ----- BODY: Last weekend the northbound tube of the Big Dig opened to traffic and half the elevated Central Artery was shut down.

    The new tunnel is wide and well-lit and is a joy to drive. North of downtown, it climbs up out of the ground to cross the Charles and Mystic rivers on the really spiffy new Bunker Hill bridge. Now that the northbound tube is open, the elevated southbound traffic will be moved so that the southbound tube can be finished and connected in.

    The point to this all is to relieve the awful traffic jams on the Central Artery and roads leading into it. There was irony aplenty, though, when on opening day (a Sunday yet!) traffic in the new tunnel was down to 5 miles per hour due to all the sightseers. Many tens of thousands of people — more than a normal day's rush hour — hopped in their cars and headed off to drive the tunnel.

    There are two phases left to completion of the Big Dig:
    Phase 3: Opening the Central Artery Tunnel southbound tube (due in early 2004)
    Phase 4: Removal of the old roadway and conversion to parklands (due in 2005)

    By the time Noreascon 4 rolls around, the roads will be complete and open and the old roadway largely removed, but the parkland will not yet be ready, though -- unless they rush things in time for the the Democratic National Convention earlier in the summer. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Mark Olson TITLE: We Get Pass-on Funds from MilPhil DATE: 03/30/2003 08:55:43 PM ----- BODY: We're very pleased to announce that our friends from the Millennium Philcon (the 59th Worldcon) handed us a check for $10,000 in "pass-on" funds last week at Lunacon, in Rye, New York.

    Pass-on Funds were begun by Noreascon 3 in 1989 to allow Worldcons to help their successor conventions. Under the plan, each Worldcon agrees to pass on at least 50% of any surplus it generates to the next three Worldcons which agree to do the same. Nearly every Worldcon since 1989 has particpated, and all of the upcoming Worldcons (and most of the bidders) have also joined. Pass-on Funds is a way for a Worldcon to put most of the profit it earns back into Worldcon.

    Noreascon 4 is deeply grateful for this check as well as for $10,000 in Pass-on Funds we received last December from ConJose, the 2002 Worldcon. We will put that money to good use! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Planning Notes: Space 1.0 DATE: 03/14/2003 03:21:53 PM ----- BODY: On March 1, the Noreascon committee held a Gulp on space planning. Space planning for a large convention is like assembling the pieces of a puzzle - you start by tentatively laying out the biggest pieces, and then as you fill in more and more of the details, you sometimes find that you have to juggle or adjust things here and there. So when reading this discussion, keep in mind that these are our current thoughts, but some things could easily change between now and the convention.

    We have available to us the second and third levels of the Hynes Auditorium and most of the Sheraton with the exception of the Back Bay Ballroom (where the Boskone art show and dealers room was located). While we have some space in the Marriott, we are expecting that we will not use that (except for peripheral items) so as to keep the majority of the convention within a compact area.

    We expect to use the Hynes third level Ballroom for the Art Show and special art exhibits. The space is large enough to hold 640 panels, which is much more than we would need and larger than any previous Worldcon Art Show. (An added plus is that particular space has a cheaper rental fee if used for exhibits rather than programming.) The third-floor hallway is a gorgeous well-lit space that could also be used for special exhibits such as the Fan Gallery.

    On the Hynes second level, the Auditorium will be the venue for the traditional big events: the Hugo Award ceremony and the Masquerade. Room 200 has first-rate access to the Auditorium, and some dressing rooms, which would make it useful for Masquerade staging, pre-Hugo function area, etc.

    As we did at Noreascon 3, we expect to use Hall D for the Dealers' Room and Hall C (which has a direct connection to the Sheraton) for the Fan Concourse. However, we would like to expand the Concourse so that it spills out into the huge corridor (shown on the map as the Hall C Registration Area). As with Noreascon 3, we would fill the Concourse space with exhibits, member services, fan tables, food and drink carts, and as many other interesting things as we can think of. Room 210 was a performance area (Club SF) at Noreascon 3, and we could use it that way again.

    On the Sheraton second floor, we are thinking that the Grand Ballroom would be a good site for films and large presentations. There is a built-in film booth, and we could set it up with a stage to use for various live demonstrations and performances that we have in mind. The nearby Liberty Rooms could be used for smaller film tracks, such as anime (leaving one open to provide access to the Ballroom). We also considered using the Republic Ballroom for gaming, as it could be broken up into several spaces for different types of games, and is close to the Prudential mall (for quick access to food). We might use the nearby Independence Ballroom for filking. The Pre-Function foyer outside the Constitution Ballroom is a pleasant space that could be used for evening social events.

    The Beacon complex on the Sheraton third floor might be a good space for babysitting, as it is in a quiet area, but still close enough to be easily accessible in an emergency. The Sheraton third floor has direct access to the Hynes.

    This still leaves many, many smaller function rooms in both the Hynes and the Sheraton for all the various tracks of programming and for whatever operational offices we might need to establish.

    As the title says, this is only round 1 of our space planning process; for the next year or so we'll continue to work out more and more of the details. Stay tuned for further developments. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Boskone Tries Out One of Our Hotels DATE: 02/25/2003 02:05:34 PM ----- BODY: Boskone 40 returned to Boston over the President's day weekend (14-16 Feb 2003) at the Sheraton Boston hotel, one of Noreascon 4's two main hotels.

    Reviews of the new location have been very positive:

    "I was *very* impressed with Star Market. I went in expecting something like a 7-11 and found a full scale grocery store complete with an entire aisle of personal care items more commonly found at a drug store. And something called "Mini Whoopie Pies" in the bakery — I wish I'd picked them up just for the novelty and curiosity value.
    "On the more gourmet front, there's a food shop in the basement of the Marché Mövenpick. They had tropical banana curd, and coffee curd, too. And a single bottle of Hard Cola (5% cola-flavored malt beverage product), which I did buy.
    "If you get the idea that I *love* Boskone being downtown, you'd be right."
    — Geri Sullivan

    "Getting dinner Saturday night was 'Let's walk out and grab whomever we see strolling by to join us.' .... I'm suggesting to most of the conrunners I know that they go to Boskone and see why the hassles of a downtown hotel are worth it."
    — Erik Olson

    "For those of us whose ancestors are from New England, a meal at Legal Sea Foods is like making the hajj. The lobster roll at Boston Chowda in the food court was more than worth the walk, too."
    — Alex von Thorn

    ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Storming Brains, Noreascon Style DATE: 02/04/2003 03:08:26 PM ----- BODY: On Saturday, February 1st, Noreascon 4 held an open brainstorming meeting at the home of Chairman Deb Geisler (and the 28 wild turkey tenants).

    We discussed sponsorships, commercial exhibits, and how to educate our members about the 1953 Retrospective Hugos. About twenty people attended.

    We talked over policies for accepting outside sponsorship of convention activities, including everything from cool film studio offerings to special ways for local businesses and remote fannish organizations to get involved.

    Another issue was how to get interesting outside exhibits, including making connections with the local museums, NASA, and the MIT media and computer labs.

    Finally, we talked over our ideas to enhance fannish awareness of the material which will be the subject of the 2004 Retro Hugo awards, including pre-nomination publications, material in our Progress Reports, and harnessing the "power of the Web."

    Our brainstorming sessions are open to anyone with an interest in the topic. The next one will look at all of that lovely space we have in the Hynes Convention Center and the Sheraton Boston. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Progress Report #3 Has Shipped DATE: 01/24/2003 08:37:52 AM ----- BODY: Our third progress report has now shipped from our Worcester, Massachusetts printer to all U.S. members. It has shipped bulk, so expect that it may take a bit to reach various locations.

    International members of Noreascon Four should look for their progress reports in the next few weeks. They will be shipped next week. When we shipped Progress Report 2, many of our Australian members got theirs before some of our members in Arlington, Massachusetts! (This proves that the postal system is a strange and marvelous place, filled with weird physics and holding to no known laws.)

    If you missed advertising in PR3, Progress Report #4 will be sent to members this summer. See our publication and rate schedule or write us at progress@noreascon.org for more information. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Mark Olson TITLE: First Phase of the Big Dig Complete! DATE: 01/18/2003 12:57:42 PM ----- BODY: The Mass Pike extension to Logan Airport through the Ted Williams Tunnel was officially opened today, allowing much airport traffic to bypass downtown Boston.

    (It's worth noting the the Big Dig press releases mention that I-90 (of which the Mass Pike is the easternmost part) now runs from Seattle to Logan Airport, so you folks from Seattle who had previously been avoiding flying out of Logan because the drive took you through downtown Boston can now make full use of it.)

    Completion of the Big Dig is scheduled in four phases:
    Phase 1: Connecting the Mass Pike to Logan Airport (done!)
    Phase 2: Opening the Central Artery Tunnel northbound tube (due in Mid-March 2003)
    Phase 3: Opening the Central Artery Tunnel southbound tube (due in early 2004)
    Phase 4: Removal of the old roadway and conversion to parklands (due in 2005)
    By the time Noreascon 4 rolls around, the roads will be complete and open -- alas, the parkland will not yet be ready, though. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Noreascon Four Will Award Retro Hugos DATE: 01/06/2003 04:43:27 PM ----- BODY: We're delighted to announce that we will be awarding Retrospective Hugo Awards for 1953 at the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention.

    Retrospective ("Retro") Hugos may be awarded by any Worldcon held 50, 75, or 100 years after a Worldcon at which Hugo Awards were not given. The "Retro Hugos" will be awarded at Noreascon Four because no Hugos were announced at the 1954 Worldcon, SFCon, in San Francisco, CA.

    Noreascon Four will provide extensive information about the literature, art, dramatic presentations, and fannish activities of 1953 during the nomination and voting processes.

    If you would like to help or make suggestions, please write us at retrohugos@noreascon.org with your comments. Information regarding published works, fanzines, individuals, films, and so on, will be posted to our web site at Noreascon.org during 2003.

    For more information about the Retrospective Hugo Awards, see the World Science Fiction Society constitution (Section 3.13).

    Members of Noreascon Four and Torcon 3 (the 2003 Worldcon) will be eligible to nominate for both the 2004 Hugo Awards and the Retrospective Hugo Awards for 1953. The Hugo awards are granted for work first published in 2003. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 DATE: 11/14/2002 08:45:29 PM ----- BODY: ...but we promise that the streets will be safe for fandom by the time our members arrive for Noreascon 4!

    The Democratic National Committee announced Wednesday, November 13, that Boston has been selected as the host city for the 2004 Presidential nominating convention for the Democratic party. The convention, a city-wide effort that will bring tens of thousands of eager politicos to the city, is slated for the week of July 26, according to a report by the Boston Globe and the Democratic National Committee.

    We're pretty sure the city will have a chance to re-stock the beer before you get here! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: "Mission Control, We Have Montana!" DATE: 11/04/2002 04:41:51 PM ----- BODY: We spoke too soon about not having any members from Montana -- Rob Bazemore (aka "Insanity") has just joined Noreascon Four (so he'll be coming back to Boston to visit in 2004) from the wilds of big sky country.

    But we're still looking for North Dakotans, Oklahomans, Arcturians, etc. (see below). Feel free to join, and invite all of your friends, too! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Noreascon Four Completists! DATE: 10/30/2002 06:53:22 PM ----- BODY: Noreascon Four is delighted to note that we now have members from 47 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, 8 Canadian provinces, and 16 other nations. But we're completists. We want the whole set.

    We'll be happy to award a lovely Boston in 2004 T-shirt and our great thanks to the first member from Montana, North Dakota, or Oklahoma in the United States who joins Noreascon Four.

    We also have T-shirts and thanks looking for a good home with our first members from the Canadian provinces of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador, and the Canadian territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.

    And if you are the first joiner from your nation (those which are currently unrepresented), U.S. territory or associated state, planetary or lunar body, or stellar system, we'll send you a shirt, too (if the U.S. Postal System will deliver there).

    Current members of Noreascon Four who choose to move to parts of the world not currently claimed represented in the convention's membership are also eligible for a shirt (but we're not paying for your moving expenses, so don't get carried away).

    Take a look at the map of where we do and do not have members, just in case you might be the first Arcturian we have!

    And before you ask, we have Massachusetts pretty well covered.

    Help us make the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention a Worldcon of inter-galactic proportions!
    ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Staffing the Worldcon DATE: 10/07/2002 03:11:45 PM ----- BODY: We've been working on contacting and recruiting Volunteers for the myriad of tasks that need to be done on any Worldcon, and we'll be working on this job for quite a while. To see who's agreed to help us whitewash this fence make Noreascon Four run like a top, see our committee structure page.

    If you'd like to volunteer (or at least offer not to run fast when we chase you) to help, please fill out our Online Volunteer Form. You can also feel free to contact our departments directly. We have links to all divisions available at our web site. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Noreascon Four Committee Meeting DATE: 09/23/2002 06:17:26 PM ----- BODY:

    Noreascon 4's next meeting will be held at the NESFA Clubhouse on Wednesday, 25 September at 8pm. Everyone is welcome!

    We'll talk about where we're at, areas that are developing, and our special art exhibits. -- See our agenda. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Post-Worldcon News and Notes DATE: 09/10/2002 12:05:07 PM ----- BODY: Noreascon Four's "Mad Science" party was a big hit, with lab-coated "Official Mad Scientists" serving funky blue drinks and delicious chocolate brains. Our particular thanks go to the volunteers who showed up and helped serve beers, blueness, and brainy candies! In other news, we:

  • Happily met with many fans headed our way in 2004, and made sure that as many as possible left with one of our wildly popular "Kilroy badge clips." They were actually paper clips imported from the Netherlands (and the web site was "skiffy.com," so we had to do it). Look for Kilroy to join us at other conventions!

  • Added more than 100 new members to the Noreascon family tree as ConJose attendees purchased attending or supporting memberships in the 2004 Worldcon.

  • Several of our committee members were invited to help with the Seamstresses Guild party to fete Terry Pratchett (one of the guests we'll honor in 2004). Tony Lewis made a most disreputable (but highly effective) auctioneer as "Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler," and Ann Broomhead and Naomi Fisher were resplendent in corseted finery. We were delighted to be invited to help, and we thank the Seamstresses Guild for a great party!

    • ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: New Appointments Made DATE: 08/24/2002 10:08:52 AM ----- BODY: Two committee appointments were announced at our last meeting. Gay Ellen Dennett will direct the Noreascon Four Art Show and Rick Katze will administer the Hugo awards voting process (the ceremony itself will be under the Events division). ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Not a member yet? Don't despair! DATE: 08/23/2002 06:59:35 PM ----- BODY: If you haven't bought (or upgraded) your Noreascon Four membership yet and you're planning to be at ConJose next week, please stop by our table in Hall 2 of the San Jose Convention Center. (And if you're already a member, come tell us your crazy, silly, nifty ideas for 2004!) ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Party at Worldcon in San Jose! DATE: 08/23/2002 06:57:14 PM ----- BODY: Please join us for our "wicked cool" party (featuring the Mad Scientists of Noreascon Four) on Saturday night (31 August) at ConJose. The party will be in the Fairmont Hotel, starting at 9:30 p.m. We'll have signs telling you where to go for weird potions and chocolate body parts! (Or just follow the wild-eyed lunatics in lab coats.) ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Progress Report 2 Mailed DATE: 08/15/2002 07:31:04 AM ----- BODY: Noreascon 4 Progress Report 2 was mailed to U.S. addresses during the week of August 5 and to foreign addresses the following week. It contains articles by and about our Guest of Honor Philip Klass (William Tenn), Greg Bear's GoH speech from the Millennium Philcon, memoirs of the Worldcon party-reviewing team of Kurt Baty and Scott Bobo, and committee remembrances of Bruce Pelz. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Change in Packing Session! DATE: 08/12/2002 11:08:22 PM ----- BODY: The packing session for ConJose will be this Wednesday, August 14 at the NESFA Clubhouse, and not August 17 (as originally scheduled). Packing will begin sometime after 6 p.m. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Voting Deadline for the 2001 Hugos DATE: 07/30/2002 04:54:31 PM ----- BODY: Reminder: the voting deadline for the Hugo Awards for 2001 which will be awarded at ConJose is tomorrow! If you're a member of ConJose, you can vote at ConJose's Hugo Voting site.. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Noreascon 3 mentioned in Smithsonian magazine DATE: 07/27/2002 10:42:43 AM ----- BODY: In an article about the "Dinotopia" exhibit in the August issue of Smithsonian, it is mentioned that Michael Brett-Surinam met James Gurney at the World Science Fiction Convention (Noreascon 3) in 1989. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: ConJosé Planning Gulp of July 20, 2002 at Chairman Deb's house DATE: 07/27/2002 10:33:01 AM ----- BODY: We are planning to use a commercial shipper to send the MCFI and NESFA materials to ConJose. Material will be put on pallets in a rental truck, wrapped, and then taken to the freight terminal. The packing session will be on August 17 at the NESFA clubhouse. (Volunteer help is welcomed.) On the return, we will be probably be taking some Worldcon Exhibits material, which will later go on to Torcon, so we can use help again on Monday at the Worldcon to get this packed up for shipping.

    Tony Lewis will take the lead on running a membership sales table at the con. Tim Szczesuil will be acting treasurer, since Ted Atwood cannot attend. Volunteers to work the table will be welcomed.

    On Friday night, there will be a party of interest to us in the Con Suite - a Discworld party run by the "Ankh Morpork Guild of Seamstresses". The ladies welcome set-up help especially, and also people in Victorian garb. Volunteers included Naomi, Elaine, Ann, Ruth, and Priscilla's Victorian gown. Additional volunteers should contact Denise Connell.

    The Noreascon 4 party will be on Saturday night, run by Gay Ellen Dennett. The theme will be Mad Scientists. Party hosts will be dressed in lab coats, and we discussed creative decorations, many involving dry ice. We'd like to serve blue drinks in disposable Ehrlenmeyer flasks or lab beakers. Anyone with access to lab coats or cool sources of mad scientist gear that will add to the ambiance is invited to contact us with information. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Noreascon Four Gulp, Saturday, July 20 DATE: 07/15/2002 11:47:13 AM ----- BODY:

    Please join us for a Noreascon Four planning session (Gulp) on July 20, 2002, 5:00 PM at the home of Deb Geisler.

    The topic for this session is ConJosé Party Planning. Please email us for more information and directions. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Terry Pratchett winds Carnegie Medal DATE: 07/13/2002 10:12:51 AM ----- BODY:

    Noreascon Four Guest of Honor Terry Pratchett has won the Carnegie Medal for the best children's book of 2001 for his book "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents." (Thanks to Plokta News Network for finding this link.) ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE Membership Rates to Increase DATE: 07/06/2002 09:15:32 AM ----- BODY: Noreascon Four will be increasing rates for membership in the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention on August 1, 2002. Rates will increase to $140 for an attending membership and $105 for a child's admission.

    Currently, rates are $120 for attending memberships and $85 for children's admissions. Supporting rates remain $35.

    Memberships may be purchased online through our secure server option, via postal mail or fax (an online membership form is available for printing), or using the installment plan.

    New membership rates will be in effect until March 1, 2003. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Division Heads Named DATE: 06/27/2002 10:48:33 AM ----- BODY: At last night's meeting, Chairman Deb Geisler announced appointments of two staff members and seven division heads. Those people include:

    Chairman's staff: Mark Olson and Sharon Sbarsky

    Division Heads

  • Convention Services: Jim Mann
  • Events: Marc Gordon
  • Exhibits/Fixed Functions: Laurie Mann
  • Facilities: Ben Yalow
  • Member Services: Elaine Brennan
  • Program: Priscilla Olson
  • Publications: Joe Siclari


    • The staff and division heads come from a variety of backgrounds, and all have experience at high levels of convention-running responsibility. Marc Gordon (Washington, D.C.) and Elaine Brennan (Denver, CO) join MCFI, the sponsoring group for Noreascon Four, as the organization's newest members.

    The full current committee list is available at our web site. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Leslie Turek TITLE: More Publicity DATE: 06/20/2002 01:22:53 PM ----- BODY: Our web address has also brought us a mention in New Scientist:
    MISREMEMBER or mistype the name of a popular but innocuous website, and you can find yourself somewhere entirely different. Often it's somewhere not nearly as innocuous, because pornographers have taken to picking up popular typos for their Web addresses.

    Other times it's just, well, ever so slightly different. Boston politicians who are trying to lure the Democratic Party to have its 2004 presidential nominating convention in their city have opened a website at www.boston04.com. But try www.boston2004.com and you will find something completely different--the website for the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention, whose guests of honour include Terry Pratchett. That one sounds like much more fun.

    ----- -------- AUTHOR: Noreascon Publicity TITLE: Next Meeting DATE: 06/14/2002 10:01:12 AM ----- BODY: Noreascon 4's next meeting will be held at the NESFA Clubhouse on Wednesday, 26 June at 8pm. Everyone is welcome!
    This meeting will be primarily a status review -- it's still too early in the process for us to be doing much planning -- but Chairman Deb Geisler expects to announce her Division head appointments and division structure at that meeting. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Deb Geisler TITLE: Progress Report Ads DATE: 05/29/2002 08:48:53 PM ----- BODY: The Advertising deadline for Progress Report 2 (to be mailed in July 2002) has been extended to June 1. For information about pricing and to place an ad, see www.noreascon.org/pubs or write to progress@noreascon.org.
    ----- -------- AUTHOR: Sharon Sbarsky TITLE: Meet us at cons DATE: 05/22/2002 09:30:21 PM ----- BODY: Noreascon Four will be having sales tables at the following conventions this summer: ----- -------- AUTHOR: Mark Olson TITLE: We make the news! DATE: 05/22/2002 10:18:07 AM ----- BODY: In an article on Boston's attempt to get the Democratic National Convention in 2004 ((don't worry, it would be over before we start!)), the Boston Herald wrote that the people excited... "over the prospect of the Democratic National Convention coming to Boston in 2004 - there must be someone other than the mayor who's excited about this - can get updates on new Web page www.Boston04.com The page contains the highlights of Boston's convention proposal as well as video clips of U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry and others promoting Boston. Kerry is hanging out at Fenway Park during his pitch.

    "For those less enamored with politics, try www.Boston2004.com, the home page of Noreascon Four, the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention, scheduled for Boston in September 2004."

    Wow! We're famous! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Mark Olson TITLE: Buy N4 Memberships On-Line DATE: 05/21/2002 05:34:02 PM ----- BODY: Noreascon 4 memberships can now be purchased on N4's secure e-commerce site. You can buy a membership, or a Children's admission or do an upgrade. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Mark Olson TITLE: Brainstorming evening events DATE: 05/16/2002 09:16:32 AM ----- BODY: Noreascon 4 held an open brainstorming session on evening events at the Copley Marriott (one of N4's hotels) on Sunday April 21st with about 35 people attending. There was a consensus that there were up to six main events to be considered: Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Hugos and Masquerade, and some sort of evening events for Thursday and Friday (one of which will probably be the meet-the-VIPs event), also. A wide variety of ideas came up and were discussed. (Since it was a brainstorming session and no one has yet been appointed to run those areas, no decisions were made.)

    N4 will have regular long-term planning sessions at which interested fans are welcome. See our schedule page for forthcoming meetings. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Mark Olson TITLE: First Committee Walkthrough DATE: 05/12/2002 08:11:58 PM ----- BODY: NESFA (The New England Science Fiction Association) held a relaxacon at the Copley Marriott (one of Noreascon 4's two hotels) at the end of April. N4 Facilities liaison Ben Yalow arranged a walkthrough of the Hynes Convention Center and many members of the N4 committee got their first post-victory tour of the facility. While the space is the same as it was in 1989, the new Prudential Center mall that connects the Hynes, the Sheraton and the Marriott will create new fannish traffic patterns. Planning has begun! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Leslie Turek TITLE: Welcome DATE: 05/12/2002 04:11:26 PM ----- BODY: Welcome to the Noreascon 4 Weblog. ----- --------