BayCon

BayCon Blog

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A Health Bulletin from BayCon 2020

Dear Members:

With the growing public health concern about Novel Coronavius (COVID-19), we want to assure you that our main concern is for the health and safety of our members, guests, staff, and their families. We are committed to staying on top of the the latest developments, and are closely monitoring CDC guidelines to ensure that BayCon remains a safe space for the duration of the convention in May.

As things continue to develop we will update you. If you have any concerns regarding attending the convention, please don’t hesitate to contact us. In the meantime, we recommend the following:

BayCon 2020 is taking a proactive approach to make sure everyone at the convention is informed and involved. Thank you for partnering with us to help keep our convention healthy.

Sincerely,
BayCon Executive Committee and ASI Board

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Meet Toastmaster Dan Toole

BayCon 2020: The Future is Now has a TOASTMASTER!

Picture of Toastmaster Dan TooleBayCon 2020 is pleased to welcome Dan Toole as Toastmaster! Dan has been in science fiction fandom for over a decade, the last two as President of the world’s oldest Star Trek Fan Club, STARFLEET. He is excited to join us in hosting our other Guests of Honor next year. Fun fact: Dan looks almost exactly like the president of The Royal Manticoran Navy.

Starfleet International Conference is at BayCon this year! For more information, go to http://sfi.org/

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BayCon 2019 Blood Drive

Every year BayCon welcomes its attendees to give the gift of life by donating blood during the convention.

This year we welcome the Vitalant bloodmobile, on Saturday, May 25th, from 10:00 to 2:00 PM.

Their mission statement: Vitalant exists to make a difference in people’s lives by bringing together the best people, inspiring individuals to donate blood, producing a safe and ample blood supply, advancing cutting-edge research and embracing continuous quality improvement.

If you are interested in donating, click here to make an appointment. Or go to Vitalant.org > Donate and use the code “BayCon”.

Tell us you are attending on Facebook!

Things to Know About Donating

  • Donors are encouraged to review Blood Donor Qualifications.
  • Donors should arrive well-nourished and hydrated.
  • Donors need photo identification with first and last name.
  • The donation process takes approximately one hour (add an additional 20 minutes for a double red cell donation).
  • Double Red Cell Donation – Power up your donation with an automated double red cell donation.

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Artist Guest of Honor Gary Villarreal

Our interview with artist guest of honor Gary Villarreal was delayed by a series of missed connections, and then lost when a MacBook didn’t survive a six-foot drop. He remained patient through it all, and the takeaway is that the BayCon programming staff made an amazing choice in inviting the guy.

Maybe Villarreal’s small-town (Bryan, TX [pop. 85000] is 150 miles from San Antonio) upbringing had something to do with it. His job at a supermarket meat counter ("it was actually a lot of fun", he said) led to a design gig with the market.

Three years after graduating from Texas A&M, he ventured to southern California to pursue his art career. "After growing up in the country, it was definitely a culture shock, but I treat people the way I want to be treated", Villarreal said. "Humility and an ability to get along with people helped get me here".

Villarreal’s day job is concept art for Super Bit Machine, which develops real-time multiplayer games. Otherwise, he cultivates his freelance experience, "always creating characters".

Villarreal’s BayCon schedule taps into his creativity, while involving him with attendees. "I look forward to meeting new people, and the live drawing will be fun", he said.
[Read more…] about Artist Guest of Honor Gary Villarreal

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Brianna and Frank Wu are Coming to BayCon 2019

BayCon 2019 is extremely pleased that Brianna and Frank Wu will be joining us for the weekend as featured guests!

BayCon 2019 is extremely pleased to announce that featured guests Brianna and Frank Wu will join us for the weekend!

BRIANNA WU

Brianna is a Democratic candidate for the United States Congress in the Massachusetts 8th District. She is a computer programmer, cyber security expert, and small business owner with a proven track record of standing up for progressive values.

Brianna founded and runs her own independent technology firm in Dedham, Massachusetts. She also hosts several long-running podcasts on both tech and culture, including “Rocket” on Relay FM. Brianna came to national prominence when she and other women working in the tech industry were personally targeted by alt-right hate groups, including one spearheaded by Steve Bannon, ex-Chief Strategist to Donald Trump. Despite multitudes of threats on her life and her family, Brianna has never wavered as a voice for the marginalized, including women, people of color, and LGBT individuals. The story of her continuing fight for social and economic justice has been told and fictionalized in several media, including an episode of Law & Order SVU.

When getting away from politics and technology, she enjoys personally restoring and maintaining her classic car, racing her motorcycle, and watching the New York Yankees lose with her loving husband Frank.

FRANK WU

Frank Wu earned a Ph.D. in bacterial genetics from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then parlayed that degree into successful careers in biotech patent law and science fiction art and writing.

In the course of winning four Hugo Awards for his art, he often pointed out scientific errors in the stories he was illustrating. And in his own art, he painted dinosaurs playing guitar and giant space chickens, which are totally scientifically plausible. His art can be found in Amazing Stories, Realms of Fantasy, Fantastic Stories, Chris Garcia’s Drink Tank and other venues, including his website.

More recently, he has embarked on a writing career, with three stories appearing in Analog, the top magazine for hard science fiction. One story, about a deep sea submersible in love, won the Analog award for Best Short Story.

Frank lives in Boston with his wonderful wife Brianna, a software engineer and progressive Democrat running for Congress, along with three little dogs that should know better.

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Toastmaster JC Arkham

Toastmaster JC Arkham

BayCon toastmaster JC Arkham has a varied, extensive, and eye-catching experience in nerdy pursuits.

“I’ve always been a fan of science fiction and fantasy, as far back as I can remember,” he said, citing Logan’s Run and Planet of the Apes among the first. “Then Star Wars came out when I was 8, and that led to a another level of fandom.”

Star Wars

Star Wars inspired Arkham to design costumes. “Every year while growing up, I made highly-detailed Star Wars costumes for Halloween.” In a few years, he discovered conventions (along with BayCon art design, Arkham has served on the Con-Volution board, and developed brand design for WorldCon).

“In the mid-80s, I attended BayCon at the Doubletree in San Jose. It was the Red Lion Inn back then. I did costuming there for a number of years, and a lot of creating and building props,” Arkham said.

“My passion for building turned into collecting: Props from science fiction and fantasy, props from movies and TV.”
[Read more…] about Toastmaster JC Arkham