Izarra at the Penguicon t shirt table on Saturday. Amaia was there Sunday, but i was too tired by then to take any pictures.
i had the 5am to 10am shifts in Operations, and there was a wall opening between Registration/Ops and the Computer Lounge where Howard sets up the Chaos Toy. Think giant size Mousetrap game, under continuous expansion over the weekend. All day and all night, small children to folks past retirement age were adding to the paths, or just dropping a ball bearing onto the track and watching its progress through the pulleys, lifts, trampolines, and slides. The Chaos Toy has become a Penguicon tradition, embodying the playful spirit of science fiction and the DIY ethos of open source. At 5 or 6 am, probably the quietest time at the convention, the sound of the clacking gears and the plinking balls was so soothing.
Of the many conventions i've attended, Penguicon is the most ribbon happy. Ribbons attached to name badges, identifying committee, staff, security, guests, presenters and such are a longstanding practical tool for granting proper access to con members. WorldCon http://www.worldcon.org/ is the first place i saw frivolous ribbons - "3/4 of a Century of Boring Conventions" is one of our favorites. Room parties and con registration and bid parties give them away, and if you're giving out a desirable ribbon, you can swap for good ones without attending every room party and event. Folks liked my "Shiny", so i got the Browncoat's ribbon though i couldn't make their party. Seekers of (FNORD) Mad Skills, and Pain-In-The Ass Poindexter got me Sith Approved, Vote for Pedro, Supermans Pal, and Got Platypus? Zardoz, Con-Goddess and Elevator Con have to be 'earned', by having seen the movie, or time served. i saw a few true ribbon sluts who had ribbons touching the floor. Different conventions have different, and evolving 'ribbon ettiquette', and at Penguicon it's very OK to bring back and hand out previous years' ungifted ribbons, but attaching your old ribbons to a new badge is frowned upon. i wouldn't do that anyway, because the blend of ribbons on each badge helps recreate the convention at a glance, but i admit i love to see people with over six feet of ribbons, reinforced by staples or duct tape, wrapped bandelero-style around their bodies. This year i was a ribbon minimalist, with just 'Shiny' and a few golden oldies, but i'm already jotting down phrases for next year's convention. If i'm too busy to get to the best events, i need trades...
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