San Francisco (Retired thread)

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Fresno Bob wrote: "Veronica wrote: ""

[image error] is all I see, anyone else get anything?"

No, that's all I see too. *sad Lem*

[Sky]

I think she was trolling us with a spinning upload in progress animated gif. That's what I see at least.

[James]

I only see image error. :(

[Rob, Roberator]

Josh is there a method to how you pick dates for the meetup?

I'm hoping to visit my sister this summer (likely in August), and I'd like to schedule the trip so I can come for that month's meetup.

For some reason she's neglected to take me to Borderlands the last few times I visited and this seems like the perfect way to remedy that.

[Sky]

It's the last Monday of each month I believe.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Sky is correct! I think once Borderlands had to move us from our last Monday of the month slot to accommodate another event in their cafe, but that's our usual date. That'd be great if you could join us.

[Rob, Roberator]

OK. Cool. Normally I come in around my birthday which is early in the month, but I'll see about scheduling it at the end of a month instead.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

[James]

I can see it!!! Sword and Laser meetup or a scene from the Godfather. You decide!

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Yay photo! Definitely deciding the fate of certain books, S&L Mafia-meeting-style.

[Rob, Roberator]

So it's looking like August is going to be the best for my sister, so you guys will have a meetup on Monday August 31st, right?

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Yes, unless Borderlands' plans change (very unlikely), that should be our August meetup date.

[Rob, Roberator]

Ok. Cool. I'm tentatively going to be in town Thursday 8/27 around 11 and leaving at OMG it's early o'clock on Wednesday Sept 2nd.

I wanted to double check with you guys before making any plans.

Thanks. Looking forward to it.

[Ulmer Ian]

I'm going to this event that's starting at 18:30 tonight http://www.sfinsf.org/?p=2078

Sorry for not mentioning it at the meeting, I had forgotten about it.

Next big events in the Bay Area is BayCon. The Bay Area Book Festival I mentioned is June 6th http://www.baybookfest.org/

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

The last Monday of May happens to be Memorial Day, so for May's book we'll be meeting Monday, June 1 instead.

RSVP here for fun & enlightenment

I am now iffy on whether I'll be at BayCon, but Ian, please add it as an S&L event if you want to try to gather some S&L people there. I'll be adding some Borderlands author events to the S&L event page that Veronica suggested could be good extra S&L meetups.

Wow, Paolo Bacigalupi, John Scalzi, and Kim Stanley Robinson all at the Bay Area Book Festival? We should try for a S&L contingent there.

[Ulmer Ian]

I'm also a bit iffy on BayCon.

But I'm certainly going to the Bay Area Book Festival. Paolo Bacigalupi will also be at Borderlands that weekend, Sunday June 7th 3-4pm.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

OK, I've just added two Borderlands author events. Veronica thinks she can make both of them. RSVP!

Thur, May 21: Mary Robinette Kowal & Marie Brennan at Borderlands

Sunday, June 7: Paolo Bacigalupi at Borderlands

For the Bay Area Book Festival, maybe we should meet Sat, June 6 since the Bacigalupi Borderlands event is Sun? Sat, Kim Stanley Robinson has panels at 11am and 4pm, and Scalzi at 1pm. So maybe meet a bit before the KSR panel, go to it and then have lunch? Where's a good meeting spot?

Bay Area Book Festival schedule

[Fresno Bob]

Boo boo, Im going to miss all of this, see you all in July

[Stacia]

I won't make BayCon either, but Sat June 6th at the Bay Area Book Festival sounds good! I really want to see Scalzi...

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Great! Should we just try to get people to meet up at the Scalzi talk at 1 p.m. that Sat?

[Sky]

Oh hey its in Berkeley and I am in town...w00t! No evil bridge to cross to the peninsula.

[Jasper]

I'm down for the Bay Area Book Festival -- just started reading Old Man's War so that would be perfection!

[Ulmer Ian]

Go to
http://www.baybookfest.org/content/sc...

and ctrl-f for Scalzi, Bacigalupi and Robinson. Any other authors of 'genre interest'? Those are the only I saw.

Anyways my proposal: even though it conflicts with KSR's talk on John Muir let's meet for lunch at Little Plearn, a Thai restaurant at 2283 Shattuck Ave at 11:30am. Will give us time to have lunch and mosey around the fair a bit before going to see Scalzi at 1am. We then get a whole 10 minute break before the panel with Scalzi and Bacigalupi at 2.

Note that it looks like events are all individually ticketed. You can buy 6 tickets now for $30, which is probably fine since there are enough interesting looking talks. Or wait until Friday to buy tickets individually.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Sound like a plan! I've made an event:

RSVP for Bay Area Book Festival, June 6

Also, the author events are free, but they encourage registering to guarantee your place in case they fill up, and individual event registration *just* opened up today, and it's much cheaper than the $30 early bird, -- just $2.57 each event:

- Register for John Scalzi event, 1pm

- Register for Futurism, Fatalism and Climate Change event, 2pm - Paolo Bacigalupi, Edan Lepucki, John Scalzi and Antti Tuomainen

[Sky]

Sweet, thanks...Got tickets for me and my wife...see ya all there!

[Jasper]

Alrighty, I just bought tickets for John Scalzi, Futurism-Fatalism, and Utopian Futures. See you at Little Plearn! Ian and Josh - I'll pm you my number so we can find each other day of.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Jasper, thanks for mentioning the Utopian Futures panel, that gives us a chance to see Kim Stanley Robinson, too! I've added it to the S&L event page, and here's the individual registration page ($2.57, like the others) for anyone who wants to guarantee themselves a seat:

Register for Utopian Futures, Science Fiction & Social Justice, 4pm - Karen Joy Fowler, John Shirley, Kim Stanley Robinson, moderated by Terry Bisson

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Annnd you local folks, don't forget to join us this Thur for Marie Brennan & Mary Robinette Kowal at Borderlands, 7pm if you can!

[Sky]

Ack! I am watching BattleBots being filmed in Vallejo Thurs :|

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Sky wrote: "Ack! I am watching BattleBots being filmed in Vallejo Thurs :|"

I was supposed to be the host of that :-/

And isn't it Robogames?

[Sky]

Veronica wrote: "Sky wrote: "Ack! I am watching BattleBots being filmed in Vallejo Thurs :|"

I was supposed to be the host of that :-/

And isn't it Robogames?"

Robogames is separate event - BattleBots is being resurrected from the old Comedy Cetnral show and will air on ABC starting June 21st

http://battlebots.com/event/main-event/

[Ulmer Ian]

is there a world series of battling bots?

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

From Thursday's author event, here's a mighty-grainy photo of Mary Robinette Kowal doing her shadow puppet show (I was in the back and had to use my phone's zoom function, hence grainyness):



It was delightful. Anyone else get a better pic?

Here's one of Lady Trent's dragon artifacts that got passed around (yes we had to give them back to Marie Brennan):



Veronica excited about the dragon egg:

[Rob, Roberator]

Nice pictures. Why not share them with the group at large? I doubt most people outside of the SF area wander into this thread.

[Ulmer Ian]

My photos https://twitter.com/eean/status/60163...

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Rob wrote: "Nice pictures. Why not share them with the group at large? I doubt most people outside of the SF area wander into this thread."

Done!

Ian, glad you got a better photo of the puppet show!

[Koji-San]

Perhaps our June meetup can be at the Scalzi event on June 6 in Berkeley? It's free.

[Koji-San]

Perhaps our June meetup can be at the Scalzi event on June 6 in Berkeley? It's free.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Hey Koji-San, we're definitely meeting up to see Scalzi and several other authors at the Berkely Book Festival:

RSVP for S&L at Bay Area Book Festival, June 6

And we'll still have our usual Borderlands meetup the last Monday of June to discuss City of Stairs (I'll put that event up once our June 1 meetup is done).

[Ulmer Ian]

I got a reservation at Little Plearn, though reservations are a bit dubious since it's not really that sort of place.

Good news: Little Plearn opens right at 11:30, so we'll have no problem getting enough seating regardless.

Bad news: it opens at 11:30, so if you arrive 5 minutes early you'll have to wait outside. I'll be there at 11:25 myself as the 'host' - look for the guy in some genre-related t-shirt and a beard. But everyone else should target arriving at ~11:35.

[Heino]

Hey everyone, my wife and I will be visiting from South Africa 13 - 20 June. It will be our first time in SF! Just wanted to check - any meetups or interesting events on during this time? We would’ve loved to be there for the official monthly meetup, but unfortunately we have to leave before that...

[Andrew]

Hey guys, here's a link to the Planet Money podcast I mentioned today with the short story called The Last Job. A great bit of futurism!
http://www.npr.org/sections/money/201...

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Hi Heino, unfortunately there's no S&L meetups scheduled during that time, but Rudy Rucker will be at Borderlands on June 13 and Alex Bledsoe's there on the 14th:
http://www.borderlands-books.com/abou...

Even if you don't make those, drop by Borderlands. I really like Green Apple Books' science fiction/fantasy sections, too.

Andrew, thanks for that - I'll take a look soon.

Anyone taking BART (like me) to the Book Festival today, there's apparently general delays due to the closure on the Oakland line between Fruitvale & Coliseum, so figure in extra time for that.

[Sky]

I'm gonna be running a little late - I might not make it to Plearn until noon. But see you all there!

[Sky]

Well now I am running even later (to be more precise my wife is :P)

I'll try to catch you guys at little plearn before you leave but in case I don't make it can someone text me at 415-509-6743 when you leave if I dont show up and lemme know where you guys are congregating?

Thanks!

[Sky]

I'm in line at at the end... Anyone from the group in line for scalzi?

[Jasper]

normal:


open-mouthed:

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Yay group photos!

Here's the one Veronica posted on Twitter, when we were in line for Scalzi's talk:


Evidence of even more S&L-ites in attendance: that's Sky's elbow on the left, and Andrew's beard in the center back, behind Ian.

I'm likely not going to make Bacigalupi at Borderlands today, but anyone who goes, let us know how it was!

And finally, you can now RSVP for the Mon, June 29 bookclub meetup!

[Stacia]

Looks like you all had a great time! Wish I could have been there...

[Heino]

Thanks for the info Jlawrence - it would’ve been great to meet some of you guys, but I’ll definitely drop by Borderlands. Looking forward to finally seeing the place :)