Friday Panel Descriptions

  Back to Program Grid Saturday Panel Descriptions

Opening Ceremonies (Ballroom A at 1:30 PM)

Time to gather with your fellow fans of the spooky and the whimsical. Join the BayCon Chairman and our Honored Guests as they get the convention started.

Aspiring Writers Toolkit (Lawrence at 2:00 PM)

What kinds of workshops are there for writers? When might they help you? When might they not help you? Panelists discuss their workshop experiences and help you avoid some of the pitfalls.

The One Thing That I'd Change in the Constitution (Lafayette at 2:00 PM)

Every few years, some group calls for a Constitutional Convention to "fix" the Constitution. We've only amended it 27 times in over 220 years, and the first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights, happened right out of the gate. What changes would our panelists be interested in, and why?

Sock Zombies (Bayshore at 2:00 PM)

We have all seen the cool things we can turn socks in to like teddy bears or monkies … but how about turning a sock into a stuffed pet zombie?

Women in Science Fiction (San Tomas at 2:00 PM)

Panelists discuss interesting women in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction, both as characters and as writers.

Alternative History: A Single If… (Winchester at 2:00 PM)

What if Columbus never sailed? Or Hitler died in World War I? Or the Soviet Union failed to launch Yuri Gregarin? Tipping points and turning points in history.

Irreproducible Results (Ballroom A at 2:00 PM)

Panelists discuss the fun and foibles of the scientific world. Join Journal of Irreproducible Results editor Norm Sperling and friends for a recounting of how science can go hilariously wrong.

Young Adult Fiction: More than Blanking-out the Sex (Alameda at 4:00 PM)

Young Adult Fiction is a rapidly growing sub-genre.  What does it take to write YA, and how is it different from either children's or adult fiction?

BoF: Bond, James Bond (Central at 4:00 PM)

Bond is 50 this year. How does the archetype hold up?

Fantasy That Breaks the Mold (Lafayette at 4:00 PM)

No castles, no evil wizards, no mightily thewed heroes.

Costuming on a Budget (San Tomas at 4:00 PM)

Costuming costs money.  Good costuming costs LOTS of money...or does it?  Learn from some expert costumers how to make good costumes whle still surviving in the 2013 economy.

Old Star Trek vs. J.J. Abram's Refresh (Lawrence at 4:00 PM)

OMG, a brand new universe fresh with possibilities for our favorite Star Trek characters. Is the reimagined Trek all that you want it to be? Are you unhappy or estatic about the change from The Original Series?

Lois McMaster Bujold Reading (Ballroom A at 4:00 PM)

Join our Writer Guest of Honor for a reading of her work.

Beginning Knitting/ Prayer Shawls -- Kate (Bayshore at 4:00 PM)

Join us for a workshop on how to turn yarn and needles into a creation that you made yourself. Kate Secor will be teaching Beginning Knitting & Prayer Shawls

XCOR (Camino Real at 4:00 PM)

XCOR - Presentation and discussion of XCOR's Lynx program, progress, and updates.

Why Has Our Society Become So Death Averse? (Winchester at 4:00 PM)

Product testers want to make all objects absolutely, positively safe.  Doctors will go to heroic (and expensive) measures to save a single life.  Why has our society come to fear death under any circumstances?

Jewish Services (Saratoga at 6:00 PM)

Please join us for Friday night Shabbat services.

Knit Doctor (Bayshore at 6:00 PM)

Do you have a project you started and never finished? Dropped a stitch and can’t figure out how to fix it? Have a pattern that asks you to do something you don’t understand? Sounds like you should visit one of our Knit Doctors

Make a Boffer Weapon (Bayshore at 7:00 PM)

If you’ve ever been to Boffers, you know what a Boffer weapon is… But do you know how to make one? Do you want your own personal Boffer weapon? Robert from Boffers is going to teach a workshop on making your own Boffer Weapon on Friday from 7-8pm. Supply List: Duct Tape (Any color/s) PVC Pipe ½ inch x 5’ schedule 40(length is variable as it determains the length and type fo weapon. No weapon created will be over 5’ in length) – http://goo.gl/BlrxE Tubular Foam Pipe insulation – ½ ID, no less than .33” think. Preferable to be .5” thick, however harder to find – http://goo.gl/HBZss If you want to crazy cool duct tape, you will need to bring it yourself. We can not promise we will have any.

Meet the Guests (Ballroom B-C-D at 7:00 PM)

Come meet BayCon 2013 Chairman Caradwen 'Sabre' von Braskat. Mingle with our guests as our Toastmaster makes impromptu commentary and introduces our Guests of Honor.

Regency Dance (Cypress at 8:30 PM)

The English Regency was just over a decade, but it has had a broad influence on everything from literature to music and dance.  Don't worry if you don't know the steps -- expert Alan Winston will teach you as he calls the dances.

Delphic Oracle (Winchester at 9:00 PM)

"Delphic Oracle" an open-ended question ("How will we know when the recession is over?") or an open-ended situation ("You're a student at summer camp, writing a letter home.") Each participant gets to say one (and only one) word then the next person speaks, building up sentences and paragraphs. The results are usually hilarious.

Video Games of 2013 (Camino Real at 9:00 PM)

GameShampoo.com, the Video Game Q&A website, and Orcz.com, the Video Game Wiki, return to Baycon with Ribbons to attendees! Our Staff will discuss the hot and upcoming games: Starcraft II: Heart Of The Swarm, Remember Me, the Elder Scrolls MMO, Destiny, GTA V, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and more.

HorrorAddicts.net Tea - 3rd floor (room 343), 9:30 (Other 5 at 9:00 PM)

Join the HorrorAddicts.net Folks for tea and horror on the 3rd floor, in room 343.

Craft Along (Bayshore at 9:00 PM)

Come join us and get your craft on. We will have open crafting time in our space each night from 9-close. We have many simple projects that are available to be worked on, as well as some more challenging ones too. Bring a project you’ve already been working on, or come explore our project binders and start something new. There will be limited supplies available for new craft projects. But don’t worry – I’m certain we can set you up on a project you’ll enjoy. Think of this like the game room, with space to work on something, and people willing to help teach as we can. There will likely be music, laughter and conversations galore as we craft along.

Themed Reading: Urban Fantasy (Central at 9:00 PM)

Authors read from their urban fantasy works.

Hey You, Come Talk to Me! (Alameda at 9:00 PM)

Communication with anyone can be a bit overwhelming at first and can even cause stress or anxiety. This panel will offer tips on approaching people, good conversation starters, how to pick up on body language, basic do's/don'ts, confidence boosters, tips on flirting, letting someone know you like them, and more! We encourage everyone to attend this panel because inter-personal communication with other humans is a fantastic skill to have; anyone can do it! Let's talk!

Boffers (Fri) (Ballroom A at 9:00 PM)

Charity Casino (Ballroom B-C-D at 9:00 PM)

Try your hand at Blackjack, Roulette, or Poker, all in the name of a good cause. The proceeds from this year’s Charity Casino go to BayCon 2013's charity, the California Autism Foundation. Since this is a Charity Casino, no real money will pass between players and dealers, and BayCon attendees of all ages are welcome with adult supervision.

Friday Night Concerts (Lafayette at 9:00 PM)

9-10: Katie Tinney 10-11: Moira Greyland 11-Very Late: Open Filking

The State of MMOs (Camino Real at 11:00 PM)

GameShampoo.com, the Video Game Q&A website, and Orcz.com, the Video Game Wiki, come together to discuss the present situations of MMO's. We will talk about the influences of Micro-trancations and FTP versus Subscription. We will also pay homage to City Of Heroes and talk on the growth of MMO's over the years from Neverwinter Nights to World Of Warcraft to EVE Online and others. To make it even better we will be doing giveaways throughout the panel.

Bind Without Twine (Winchester at 11:00 PM)

Whether you don’t own rope or just want to experiment with something unexpected, this class will have something for you! Stefanos & Shay will succinctly discuss safety and negotiation for restraint, then jump into involving you in creating bondage with unconventional materials. From the expected (neckties, belts) to the less cliché (the clothes off their backs, nylons, pillowcases, necklaces), this is a bondage-beginner-level look at a large variety of “found” bondage implements and how to apply these safely and creatively. Just wrapping a belt around your partner’s hands isn’t going to cut it- they will cover the entire process, from specific application guidelines (including variations like limb to limb bondage vs. tying off to furniture, and specifics like the “T-Shirt Turtle Tie” and “Nylon Straightjacket”), execution in context, dynamic (and cooperative) bottoming for found item bondage, and setting and maintaining a mood for your scene (from silly to sadistic). Some supplies will be provided, but bringing a necktie to play with is appreciated! Adults only.

Rocky Horror Show (Ballroom B-C-D at 11:30 PM)

BayCon 2012 Presents: A Science Fiction Double Feature (not so) Straight from Transylvania, join Dr. Frankfurter, Magenta, Columbia and Riffraff as they warp you into a devious dimension of dance debauchery and drag. It’s simply astounding, time is fleeting, madness will take its toll. The blackness will hit you, the void is calling… let’s do the time warp again.