Now that Noreascon 4 is over, we will not be updating this blog any longer. For current information about Noreascon 4, see our home page or our main news weblog.
September 22, 2004
August 29, 2004
The committee members from out of town are starting to arrive. Jim Hudson, Ariel Franklin-Hudson, Naomi Fisher, Pat Molloy, and Jim Mann arrived at the clubhouse this afternoon.
We were running out of crates so we did some digging at the back of the clubhouse to try to find some crates we could empty and use. This archeological dig yielded a box labeled "Sign Shop" apparently unopened since Noreascon 3, and containing (shudder) dried up sheets of Letraset transfer type. [Another obsolete technology that I used to be really good at... --LT]
And on Sunday, the truck-loading begins...
August 28, 2004
Today's work session was amazing, and accomplished tons of stuff. Some really wonderful work got done on the Mended Drum decorations by our creative volunteers. (I didn't take pictures because I wanted it to be a surprise.) The Drum will definitely be an interesting space. Toward the end of the evening, Geri Sullivan arrived triumphantly with a) Bobbi Armbruster, who she'd picked up at the airport, and b) the first hot-off-the-presses copy of our gorgeous Souvenir Book.
More work tomorrow. We'll continue to churn out signs, finish the gizmos, finish up some packing, begin truck-loading, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff. If you're in the Boston area, come on by and join the fun.
Two new projects have started up...
A team is tracking down books from the NESFA library that have the cover art corresponding to the pieces that will be in the Retrospective Art Exhibit.
And another team is painting shutters for The Mended Drum.
The August 28 Work Session is underway. A million things are happening and the fried chicken was just delivered. Yum.
Putting together lighting fixtures to light the Saturn rings.
Processing membership transfers.
Cutting foam core for the triangular dealers' island signs.
Trimming signs.
Making gizmos.
Making maps for Logistics pickups.
Sign Mistress Pam Fremon send this tantalizing hint from the depths of the sign shop, "I'm doing the Mended Drum restaurant menus right now. They've very funny." Guess we'll have to wait until we get there to see them for ourselves...
August 27, 2004
Shirt Designs Available
Scott and Jane Dennis have a selection of Noreascon 4 T-shirt and embroidered shirt designs available for preorder here.
August 26, 2004
In hearing the discussions at the work sessions, I get the impression that convention management is dealing with gotchas of various sorts on almost a daily basis. Here's one example of disaster narrowly averted that Deb wrote about on the SMOFs mailing list...
After Interaction announced that they were conducting a Hugo base design competition similar to Noreascon Four's, Deb wrote:
Um, I have to tell you that your spec is wrong -- and I suspect I know where you got the wrong spec. I'm posting this openly because it's one of those sorts of Smoffish "gotchas" that other folks need to know about.
So N4 had this contest. And we got the rocket spec by measuring an old un-trophied rocket that was in the NESFA Clubhouse from, I believe, Noreascon Three. And we gave this rocket to our Hugo designer so he could make everything work out.
We also had a contest for the Retro Hugo trophies, and, since we'd given the spare rocket to our Hugo designer, we sent a Retro trophy from MilPhil off to the Retro designer.
Ahem. Somewhere in the 12 years since we got the rocket we've had kicking around in Boston, and MilPhil in 2001, the thread spec changed. The bolt to be used (and, hence, the bore of the rocket) is now 5/16-18 bolt, rather than 1/4-20.
All 38 of the rockets we got from the UK were the new spec. (I'd never thought to ask...just ordered the rockets. This was a *doh* I'm not sure I could have anticipated or planned for.)
Fortunately, our Hugo designer is an ME...but the words "rebore the rockets" were being bandied about a bit, before he found another design solution.
August 25 Work Session
Your intrepid blogger was a bit lax in taking pictures at the worksession last night because I was doing a bunch of other projects, including completing signs for First Night and helping Pam, who was working on all the rest of the signs, with some of the other areas. But I grabbed my camera to catch this test of lighting the Saturn rings. Paula Lieberman, in front, is working on filing badges, while Chip Hitchock shines a light up at the ring being help aloft by Ann Broomhead and other volunteers.
Meanwhile, Alexis Layton was working on his spiffy new 15-inch PowerBook, creating a program to generate labels for "gizmos" (which are the attachments to the badges that indicate what area a committee member is working in at the convention).
Chairman Deb Geisler unpacking something (I never did find out what), while Priscilla Olson looks on and Mark Olson and Elaine Brennan confer. (That's Geri Sullivan's 17-inch PowerBook in the foreground. Along with my 12-inch model, we had the full range of all the PowerBook family represented at the clubhouse last night.)
-- Leslie Turek
Here's another photo from Geri, of this past Saturday's Convention Guide worksession at Mark and Priscilla's. But where are the people? Geri says, "Leaving milk for the brownies, we left everything set up hoping the graphics elves would come along and put it together overnight." But, alas, it was not to be, and the work sessions continued through Sunday and Monday before the Convention Guide was finally delivered to the printers on Tuesday - all 110 pages of it.
August 25, 2004
Program Book Cover Printing
A report from Geri Sullivan...
The Souvenir Book cover was printed on an offset press at Saltus, the printer who's done all of our progress reports. Here Jerry, the press operator, compares the color against the proof. My instructions were that I wanted the colors to "glow." I think they succeeded...
Representive sample sheets are pulled while the press is running. It's then stopped while we study the results.
Jerry checks the color with a densitometer,
Then we go through the process again.
5-color Heidelberg press. Or, in our case, 4 colors plus varnish.
From glowing press to glowing sheet.
Jerry packages up our samples; one is hanging at the clubhouse now.
August 24, 2004
Note from Chairman Deb
This is a brief note to thank everyone who was involved in the series of work sessions we had over the weekend at the NESFA Clubhouse. As a result of your many hard labors:
- We have all but one Saturn ready to go -- and more paper coming to finish the job this week.
- The knee wall that Hobbit was working on is complete.
- Nearly all of the pre-registration badges are all laminated, alphabetized, and ready to rock. Additional laminating of special badges will continue tomorrow evening and Saturday as needed.
- The Convention Schedule is at the printer and is current as of *yesterday* noon. This was a mammoth effort, andeveryone involved did great work.
- More stuff is labeled and ready to move to the convention.
This is so cool. And you all rock. We had a number of very, very helpful volunteers show up, and they made things run smoothly. With luck, many of them can come back this week!
Best,
Deb
August 23, 2004
Partial update on the Convention Guide crew (from Priscilla): I left the clubhouse at 11:30, having written all the corrections I had (4 more on email when I got home, alas....!). Mark followed about 20 minutes later. I don't know yet if work continued with Deb-Geri in the clubhouse or at Deb's house until the early morning......But: it should be going to the press later today - I'll be driving Geri to Worcester, so she won't nod off in the car....
August 22, 2004
Rick Katze sent these pictures he took at Jill Eastlake's place while working on producing titles for the Hugo and Retro Hugo ceremonies on August 18. The group included Jill Eastlake, Elaine Brennan, Bridgett Boyle and Rick, plus Bridgett's baby.
August 21 worksession, day 2. We continue to work on the name badges; today we're doing the dailies and the blank badges for at-the-door memberships. The Convention Guide production team has moved into the Blue Room. And in between, we're working on signs, including island signs for the Dealer's Room. Trying to come up with science-fictional place names, like "A" is for Ankh-Morpork, "B" is for Beetlejuice, etc...
First step in badge production is separating the badges printed on perforated sheets.
Step 2, stuff the card stock into the laminate pouch.
Step 3, Run them through the laminators.
Step 4, Punch a hole in the top.
Last step, sort them into alphabetical order.
And here's the Convention Guide staff working away.
Samurai Geri
Priscilla reports that an intense and productive Convention Guide production session was held at her house yesterday. She describes people furiously working at four different computers, while the thunder and lightning raged outside and everyone prayed for no power failures. Convention Guide production continues at the clubhouse today.
August 21, 2004
Today's work session broke up around 7:30, after laminating all of the full membership badges, and alphabetizing about half of them. We've printed all the Saturday one-days, but haven't started any of that lamination yet. So the bulk of the work is done, but there will still be more to do tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who helped - you guys were awsome!
And the work goes on.... We're up to the M's now...
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