Shoot First!

Going somewhere, Solo?

Between storms... Last weekend I dropped into the Bomo SF convention, or SF Ball as it is known.  Having been in Bournemouth for 7 years and missed them all, I thought I'd finally go and see what it was all about.  And on the threshold, a familiar face - Liz Sourbut, who was at Milford in 2012.  Great to see her again and chat about SF words.  Speaking to her has also made me a bit more proactive - I've since booked tickets for Loncon.

So, there was other stuff going on too.  Lots of people were dressed up of course (see below).  I wasn't, but then again you could probably mistake my natural form for a Wookie's.  I met Greedo (see picture above).  He told me how he'd taken the gun pictured home with him for his kids to play with - a Star Wars nut as a kid, this would have been the best toy ever.  However, one of Greedo's progeny bust the aforementioned and it was jettisoned into a garbage compactor, never to be seen again.  Needless to say, the price tag for this weapon would now be somewhere in the region of £100,000 (apparently).

Doctor 8 and Ace

Paul McGann was also there as a Gallifreyan timelord, appearing on stage with one of the old Dr's assistants, Ace (Sophie Aldred).  The last time I saw Paul McGann was in Bristol, when he narrowly missed crashing his antique Merc into my world weary Ford Focus in a Sainsbury's car park.  He seemed on better form this time: there were some great Withnail anecdotes, including the extrication of a panicking Richard E Grant from a hedge, where he'd somehow ended up on the run from the police.  I also caught Marina Sirtis' talk as well - her Eastenders accent a far cry from the dulcet tones of Betazoid Counsellor Deanna Troi.  She showed us all her Tottenham tattoo.  In the exhibition hall, some pretty cool artefacts were on display from The League of Bournemouth Steampunks - lending life and importance to the genre - they laugh in the face of those who say Steampunk no longer matters (it does). 

So having finally made it to the SF Ball,  it turns out to be the last one in Bournemouth.  Ever.  Typical.  They are shifting next year's across Mordor (New Forest) to Lake Town (Southampton).  I hope Smaug doesn't cause them any problems.  But I guess he'll be dead by then, unless they decide to make a fourth Hobbit.

Data and Picard enjoy some replicated Guinness - just doesn't taste as good...

News

Just a quick update - the first draft of the as yet untitled new novel is approaching completion.  Have been putting the hours in recently and it is shaping up nicely, thanks.  I might put some related stuff up here on the blog soon.  

Also been working on some short stories recently and I hope to share some exciting news with you about one of these soon!  Watch this hyperspace.

Food for Toasters

So, I went to my local curry house dressed as Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica (the new one - hey it was the weekend!)  At first I thought they didn't understand, then I was offered this.  Mmm, tasty...

Future Music for the Masses

An interesting concert: the speakers here were arranged as to resemble an orchestra, their frequencies roughly similar to the usual orchestral layout (hence the big boomy ones at the back like the inebriated brass section).  Could this be the future of listening to classical music - without the players?  Is this the orchestra of the electronic composer?  Or are these just some cool pictures of some interesting looking speakers?

In addition to the questions raised above, this concert was meant to be 'acousmatique', i.e. music which makes you experience illusory auditory perception or synaesthesia.  And it did seem to do something odd to my cerebral cortex, although being transported to an SF-related world for a short while isn't that unusual for me.  I scrawled some words in my notebook afterwards...

Musiques acousmatiques

Dimanche 14 juillet à 18h00 - Salle Pasteur, Le Corum, Montpellier

PIERRE SCHAEFFER (1910-1995)
Suite pour 14 instruments (1949)

PHILIPPE CARSON (1936-1972)
Turmac (1961)

BERNARD PARMEGIANI (né en 1927)
La Roue Ferris (1971)

CHRISTIAN ZANÉSI (né en 1952)
Constructions métalliques (2001)

DANIEL TERUGGI (né en 1952)
Turbulences (2011)

SF Bridge

Twin Sails bridge in Poole. . .

Grave business

Researching a new short story in Bournemouth, yesterday...

Mary Shelley died on the 1st of February 1851 of what is assumed to have been a brain tumour.  She was buried in St Peter's church by her son Percy Florence and his wife Jane, who were living in Bournemouth at the time.

So long, Iain...

A very sad day for Science Fiction.  And literature in general.  Sublime in peace.