Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday

This is the schedule as it will appear in the Pocket Program. While there will be some changes, they will mostly be minor. Program changes sheets will be available at various locations throughout the Melbourne Convention Center, including the Information Desk and changes will also be printed in the At-Con newsletter.
Note: please assume that errors in the following are typographical rather than deliberate in nature. Gentle nudges indicating typos will be appreciated.

Changes since the PPB was sent to the printers:
1. The panel "Introduction to Australian Fandom" - Fri 04:00pm - has been changed to "History of Australian Fandom" to more accurately reflect the topic.
2. Addition of "Aussiecon Three Banquet" at 7:00pm Friday.
3. Addition of "Fannish Olympics" at 12:00noon Sunday.
4. "Apollo 30 Years On" has been moved from Monday 11:00am to Thursday 10:00am due to the unavailability of one of the panellists.
5. "Soviet Space Disasters" has moved from Monday 01:00pm to 05:00pm Saturday.
6. "Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Kiwi Exodus" has been dropped and the panel "Fanhistoricon 9.5 - News from Oz" has moved up from 3:00pm to 2:00pm.
7. "Do you Speak Fan?" has moved from Sat 5:00pm to Thurs 12:00pm.
8. Addition of "FTL vs SubLight" at Sat 5:00pm.
9. "Auslam '99!" has moved back to 10:00pm from 9:00pm Thursday.
10. "How I Sold My First SF Novel" and "Other Award Ceremony" at Sat 5:00pm have swapped rooms.
11. All the scheduled readings have been included.
12. Addition of extra screenings of "Damon Dark" in the Latrobe Theatre.
13. "Fiction in 3D Worlds" moved from Saturday 1:00pm to Saturday 11:00am and from Y1 to H3.
14. "Alternative Science Fiction / Alternative Sexuality" moved from Thurs 4:00pm in Y5 to Sat 2:30pm in H3.
15. Addition of Writers Workshops.

Room Key
Bat - Batman Theatre
B1 - Bellarine 1
B2 - Bellarine 2
B3 - Bellarine 3
B4 - Bellarine 4
B5 - Bellarine 5
B6 - Bellarine 6
B7 - Bellarine 7
H1 - Howqua 1
H2 - Howqua 2
H3 - Howqua 3
LaT - LaTrobe Theatre
Y1 - You Yangs 1
Y2 - You Yangs 2
Y3 - You Yangs 3
Y4 - You Yangs 4
Y5 - You Yangs 5
YYH - You Yangs Hall

top

9:00am

AA Meeting (Y5)
This meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous is open to all members of the convention who’d like to attend.
Roy Pettis

Apollo 30 Years On - Where Were You That Night? (Y1)
A look back at the July 1969 1st manned moon landing, how it affected the lives of our panelists, where we were and what we were doing at the time.
Hugh S. Gregory, jan howard finder, James Allen, Mike Willmoth

11:00am

Book Reading - Fast and Funny Fantasy (B5)
Garth Nix, Lucy Sussex, Terry Dowling, Elizabeth Moon.

Horror or SF Film: How Do We Decide? (LaT)
From the earliest movies SF and horror have coexisted. The panel discusses the key features which enable us to distinguish them, in so far as this is possible or desirable.
Tess Williams, Robin Pen, Sue Isle

The Scientist at the Heart of SF (Y1)
A paper discussing Gregory Benford and hard science fiction.
Speaker: John Foyster

Anime Video Programme (Y4)
Justin Semmel explains his choice of the shows on the Anime video programme.
Justin Semmel

SF and Education (Y5)
In recent years, science fiction novels have been part of the English teaching curriculum. Charles Taylor talks about the use of science fiction in education.
Charles Taylor

12:00noon

Build The Perfect World (B1)
Ever wanted a perfect world? Queensland weather all year round? Or perhaps permanent snow? What ever your idea of perfection, design a world to suit you. Your host, David Angus, will bring the worlds to this workshop and our panel of experts will bring the design knowledge.
Workshop panel - booking required for this workshop.
David Angus

Do You Speak Fan? GAFIA And TEOTWAWKI? (B2)
What is the role played by language in fandom? Are terms like GAFIA, fiawol and filk a barrier to keep out the neos? Or do they serve to name and domesticate the common situations in an uncommon grouping within society at large? Test your knowledge of obscure terms, their origins and usage against those on the panel.
Jan howard finder, Irwin Hirsh, Lilian Edwards.

Tips For Beginners (LaT)
Best selling SF and fantasy authors, editors and agents give you the benefit of their experience.
Terry Pratchett, Steven Paulsen, Stephen Baxter, Joshua Bilmes, Stephen Dedman

Criticism And Reviewing (Y1)
Day to day reviewing is in many ways more difficult than the more prestigious criticism in literary journals. A reviewer cannot rely on received opinion as to what is important, but must help create it. The comments of reviewers can also have significant effects on the livelihood of authors. A panel of critics, reviewers and publishers discuss the differences between and the different rewards offered by reviewing and criticism.
Bruce Gillespie, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Bill Congreve, John Douglas

Spawncon 2 (Y4)
Australian National Science Fiction Conventions Do We Really Need Them?
A panel looking at the history of Australian National Science Fiction Conventions and where we can go from there.
Marc Ortlieb, Robin Johnson, Martin Edge, David Cake

Utopia, Genocide and the Alien Contact Novel: Science Fiction Explores the Truly Monstrous and Tales of Earth: Terraforming in Recent Women’s SF (Y5)
The speaker for the paper Utopia, Genocide and the Alien contact Novel is a past President of the Science Fiction Research Association and a prominent scholar in the field. (30 minutes)
Speaker: Joan Gordon

Science & Terror: Close Shaves In The Lab (LaT)
How close have you come to killing yourself in the lab? Share your treasured memories of near misses with the panel of survivors! We are sure to get some wonderful stories from Howard Davidson, Peter Hamilton and the audience.

Semi-Professional Publishing: How To Make A Million Dollars (Or At Least Not Go Broke) With A Fanzine (Y1)
The editor/publisher of Locus leads a discussion on working behind the scenes at Locus over the past thirty years, and into the future.
Charles Brown, Mark Kelly, Jonathan Strahan, Marianne Jablon

Not All Dubs Are Evil, Not All Subs Are Good (Y4)
Translating Anime from Japanese to English is not easy. Some prefer the purity of sub-titles, some prefer the dubbed sound track. Here John Samuals and Rob Masters discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both.
John Samuals, Rob Masters

The Formation of The Society of Australian Speculative Fiction Writers (Y5)
This meeting, lead by Dirk Strasser, will discuss the constitution and purpose of the Society of Australian Speculative Fiction Writers. At 6PM Sunday, the first Annual General Meeting of The Society of Australian Speculative Fiction Writers will be held to form the Society. Both these meetings are open to all interested parties.
Dirk Strasser

Book Reading - Aliens Among Us (B5)
Alison Goodman, Richard Harland, Chuck MacKenzie, Gregory Benford.

Writers Workshop (H2)
Open to workshop members only - 2 hours.
Lucy Sussex, Rosaleen Love.

SF & Sexuality (LaT)
Everything you always wanted to know about your favourite martian!
Stephen Dedman, Robert Silverberg, Joe Haldeman

Picturing Tomorrow - The Fantastic Visions of Australian Artists (Y1)
Nick Stathopoulos, Shaun Tan, Marilyn Pride, Lewis Morley, Grant Freckelton

Bossa Nova With The Missa Nova (Y5)
Adelaide’s Critical Mass and Melbourne’s Nova Mob get friendly (we hope!) Fans from Melbourne and Adelaide exercise their critical faculties on friendly common ground.

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Who’s A DUFFer? (B2)
This will be a contest between 3 Australian DUFF winners and 3 American DUFF winners to see who knows the other’s culture best.
Janice Gelb, Terry Frost

Fans And Writers (LaT)
A panel of writers, fans and publishers discuss the pluses and minuses of the sometimes close relation between the creators of SF and its readers.
Gregory Benford, Perianne Lurie, Paul Kincaid, Terry Pratchett, Ginjer Buchanan

Loose Canons (Y1)
Who decides which authors are top? Critics? Fans? Academics? Media?
Presenter: Peter Nicholls

Impromptu Space Opera (Y4)
Paul Kidd will devise a wild tale of space opera while frantic artists, Craig Hilton and Jim Groat, struggle to illustrate the tale as it happens!
Paul Kidd, Craig Hilton, Jim Groat

From the Void: 25 years of Australian Small Press and The Woomera Effect (Y5)
The speaker for the paper From the Void, is a principal in Ticonderoga Publications. (30 minutes)
Speaker: Russell B Farr

The Woomera Effect is a paper discussing the British-Australian connection in SF.
Speaker: Sean McMullen.

4:00pm

Are We The Last Generation of Mortals: Eternal life in Science, Religion and SF (LaT)
A one-hour symposium on immortality and extended longevity with a group of scientifically- informed writers.
Chair: Chris Lawson Participants: Damien Broderick, Sean Williams, Robert Sawyer, Alison Goodman

Y2K: A Space Idiocy (Y1)
To save space in computer memory, computer programmers have created a major problem. As computer clocks click over from 1999 to 2000 serious problems may arise. Is this the way the world will end - with a miscalculation? Or will the "Y2K timebomb" be a dud? Expert panelists will speculate about the near future (100 days ahead) in the same spirit as SF writers speculate about the far-future (1,000 years ahead).
Ben Best, Michael Ward, Nick Price

Terry Frost’s Mondo Video (Y4)
A look at weirdness and surrealism in mainstream movies.
Terry Frost

Other Tales of Horror: Running A Convention (Y1)
Stories of horror, tales of woe, things gone wrong. Janice Gelb, Alan Stewart and Susan Batho share their experiences at running conventions.
Janice Gelb, Alan Stewart, Susan Batho

Book Reading - George RR Martin (Y4)
George RR Martin.

Published Or Private? (Y5)
A furry fandom slant on this old question of how to showcase your creative work. Furry fandom has been described as having started with the very fannish endeavour of an APA (Vootie) and the professional step of a published comic book (Albedo). In the late eighties, it seemed the genre was full of talented young artists and writers about to make it big on the commercial scene with the stories they passionately wanted to tell. Very few did. Would they have done better to have photocopied stuff and handed it out, like the rest of them? And in 1999, are we any closer to an answer?
Craig Hilton, Fred Patten, Paul Kidd, Jim Groat, Kris Kreutzman, Talnon

Live Thog’s Masterclass (Bat)
Thog’s Masterclass is the most popular feature in the Hugo-winning SF newsletter Ansible - showcasing those awful lines from SF and fantasy (including stuff by Famous Names) which barbarian critic Thog the Mighty believes are best appreciated with a morning star. Dave Langford presents the best of the worst.
Dave Langford

AA Meeting (Y5)
This meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous is open to all members of the convention who’d like to attend.
Roy Pettis

The Newcomer’s Guide to the Worldcon (LaT)
First Convention? First Worldcon? Here’s some help in making sense of it all. We’ll guide you through the day’s major events and explain the traditions behind them. Give suggestions on how to best to enjoy the day, and how to find the parties at night. Come along and learn how to get the most out of your membership.

Terraforming (Y1)
A panel discussion of the technicalities and the ethics of reforming another world in the image of our own.
Stephen Baxter, G. David Nordley, Gregory Benford, Ian Irvine

The Flight of Buran - Building and Flying the Russian Space Shuttle (Y4)
A behind the scenes look at the designing, testing and building of Russia’s space shuttle Buran, with rare video footage of the construction, atmospheric test flights and the Buran’s first space flight. Presented by Hugh S Gregory, Spaceflight Historian

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Oz To The Rest Of Them (Y4)
Links are not just sausages or Internet references - how Australian fandom relates to the rest of the world.
Joyce Scrivner, Eric Lindsay

An Hour with Peter Hamilton (Y1)
Peter Hamilton

Karate, Belly Dancing & Computer Slaves: Behind the Action in Souls In The Great Machine (Y2)
Finding the phrase to describe an action is the tricky part of writing. This panel matches action to word to show just how well the written word can describe the action.
Sean McMullen, Paul Collins, Helen Patrice

Anime 101 (Y4)
A fan’s basic guide to anime, introducing the themes, major works, important figures and basic conventions of Japanese animation.
David Eddy, John Samuals

From Canberra to Norstrilia: The Australian Adventures of Cordwainer Smith (Y5)
A paper by the current SFRA President about how Paul Linebarger, aka Cordwainer Smith. In his two half-year sabbaticals in Australia, which he spent mostly at the Australian National University in Canberra, Linebarger took his observations of Australia and of what he regarded as the Australian Way of Life, and transformed them into the far-future myths of Norstrilia and the Norstrilians.
Speaker: Alan Elms

Book Reading - On the Edge SF Reading (B5)
Russell Blackford, Andrew Enstice, Ian Nichols, Rosaleen Love, Chris Lawson, Tess Williams.

Making A Living As A Writer Or "I’m A Professional Don’t Try This At Home" (LaT)
Writers, editors and publishers discuss the importance of cash flow on a beginning writer, getting involved in promoting your books, and avoiding distractions.
Robert Sawyer, Jody Lyn Nye, Jack Dann, Alison Goodman, G. David Nordley, Stanley Schmidt

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Three Cultures With Langford (Y1)
Joyce Scrivner, John Foyster and Dave Langford met over Langford’s dinner table in 1979, what have they found out since? Gossip, rumor and stories from three continents. Joyce Scrivner and John Foyster interview Dave Langford
Joyce Scrivner, John Foyster, Dave Langford

Beyond The Walk-On, Keys To Better Presentation (Y2)
Well you have the costume, now what? Robert Jan, Gail Adams, Dana MacDermott present tips on how to best present your costume.
Robert Jan, Gail Adams, Dana MacDermott

Sweet Candy for the Eye - Flashy Computer Graphics (Y4)
James Allen presents the best of the special effects sequences from movies and TV series.
James Allen

Dice Rolls And Deadlines - Novels Based On Games (Y5)
Game-based novels are now a major part of the fiction marketplace. But how the hell do you turn a games environment into a decent novel? (Hell - has anyone ever turned one into a decent novel?) Listen to the rantings of our panel of expert authors who’ve sold their souls for beer and bread! Anecdotes sold by weight, not volume. Anecdotes may settle during shipping.
Bill Fawcett, Paul Kidd

If it ain’t Feudal it ain’t Fantasy (LaT)
Is all fantasy written with a feudal society in mind? Is our European background preventing us from developing a fantasy based on non-European influences.
Jane Routley, Sophie Masson, Juliet Marillier, Grania Davis

Funny Animal Tooning 101, Or How To Dwaw A Wabbit With A Waygun (Y2)
Fancy your hand at drawing animals in SF and fantasy situations? Want to learn the secrets from the best? Then bring your pencils and paper to a presentation from a selection of cartoonists and artists of the furry school, and find out what works for them.
Jim Groat, Pete Stoller, Kris Kreutzman, Craig Hilton

Fandom And The Internet (Y4)
How fandom communicates through the Internet.
Laura Majerus, Saul Jaffe, Ben Yalow

Samuel R Delany and the Yackademy: An Evolution in Style (Y5)
A paper which will map Delany’s evolution as a writer over almost four decades. John Foyster writes: "The fact that George Turner was always interested in Delany makes me think he would like to see such a paper."
Speaker: John Foyster

The "Science" In SF (LaT)
There’s surely no one single way in which science enters SF - but many different angles of use. Sometimes the "science" is no more than a literary convention that is used to circumvent otherwise impossible barriers to story (e.g., faster-than-light devices, time machines, inter-dimensional scenarios, etc.). Panelists provide a historical survey from Mary Shelley to H.G. Wells to the American genre of today, and argue the merits of "hard science" versus "wild science".
Perrianne Lurie, Richard Harland, Gregory Benford, Brad Lyau

The Death Of Horror (Y1)
Horror is a genre that has created and helped define many of the lasting and influential icons of 20th Century popular culture. Now as the Century draws to a close, it appears that horror itself may also be dying. With a recent decline in both sales and publications and even author extraordinare Stephen King threatening to abandon the genre, perhaps the time has come to consider whether horror should stage a comeback. A panel of experts seeks to explore the past history and possible future direction of the horror genre.
Ian Mond, Kirstyn McDermott, Kim Wilkins, Robin Pen, Stephen Dedman

How to Live With a Writer (Y2)
It’s not easy living with a writer. The domestic dialogue goes like this: "Honey, your turn to take out the garbage." "Not now dear, I’m busy killing the hero." Gay Haldeman, spouse of Joe Haldeman, Karen Haber, spouse of Robert Silverberg, and Kathryn M. Drennan, spouse of J. Michael Straczynski, tell how they have retained their sanity and survived living with a writer.
Gay Haldeman, Karen Haber, Kathryn M. Drennan

Spawncon 2 The Australian Natcon Business Session (Y4)
All Australian members of Aussiecon Three are welcome at this meeting that will determine the site for the 2001 Australian National Science Fiction Convention and which will look at the Constitution of the Australian National Science Fiction Convention.
Marc Ortlieb, Medge

Book Reading - Terry Pratchett (B5)
Terry Pratchett.

SF & Politics (Y2)
The influence of politics on SF has been immense, but so has the influence of SF on politics. >From Utopia to Brave New World and 1984 the SF has been used as politics by other means. A politician and a panel of authors of different political viewpoints discuss which way the influence was greatest.
Race Mathews, Elizabeth Moon, Robert Silverberg, Joe Haldeman, Peter Hamilton

Crap Australian SF Movies (Y4)
Some of them have been good but some have just stunk.
Terry Frost, Paul Ewins, Jamie Reuel

The New York Futurians - The Best Fan Group Ever Or Just A Bunch Of "Filthy Pros"? (Y5)
The panel will begin with a short illustrated presentation by Justine Larbalestier (who is currently researching a book about the group), which will explain who the Futurians were, show some of their handiwork, and generally wax lyrical about them. This will be followed by a light-hearted discussion of the role and importance of the New York Futurians to fandom (or lack thereof) and, more generally, their importance to science fiction.
Justine Larbalestier, Gordon Van Gelder, David Hartwell.

Damon Dark (LaT)
Damon Dark is a new Australian Science Fiction Drama serial about secret agents who are fighting a covert invasion by elusive, shape-changing, telepathic aliens. Damon Dark, Commander of Department Six, and his second in command Veruca Stone, are pitted against the ruthless Simon Maddox, a corrupt and power mad media tycoon in this cliff-hanger serial. Posing as journalists for a tabloid magazine, the two intrepid agents uncover a frightening plot to conquer our world. Can Damon and Veruca outwit the evil aliens and their human helpers, or is the human race doomed to slavery? Damon Dark can be seen in two ways. As the serial shown over 4 days or in one block on the Saturday night of the convention. Producer, Adrian Sherlock, and director, Karl Seimon, will launch the premier episode of Damon Dark Friday at 4 PM. Cast and crew from Damon Dark will talk about their work at each daytime episode.
Episode: "Maddox".

Space Exploration (Y1)
More than thirty years after the first moon landings we still have no permanent settlements off the Earth. Why not? What can be done about it?
Stephen Baxter, jan howard finder, James Benford, Ben Bova

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - History of Australian Fandom (Y2)
An overview panel talking about the history of Australian fandom in general.
Chris Nelson, Race Matthews, Susan Batho, Bruce Gillespie

Australian SF (Y4)
When did Australian SF start up? Who are the major figures in its history and now? What’s hot and what’s not? Get all the answers to these and other questions from our panel of experts.
Steven Paulsen, Dirk Strasser, Damien Broderick, Russell Blackford, Janeen Webb

Platypus: The New Genetic Soldier (Y5)
A paper discussing genetic engineering to produce, for example, soldiers bearing their own weapons, such as claws and poison from the platypus.
Speaker: Donna Heenan

Shared Worlds - What The Hell Were They Thinking (Y1)
The franchised world novels - pure genius, or raw hell wrapped in an embossed Foil cover? Yes - they’ve got world bibles bigger than a telephone book, and are occasionally just about as interesting to read. Come hear author-meat shriek and gibber as they tell you about the hellish projects that have rolled across their desks. RAVE as you hear continental-sized cliches collide in an explosion of Purple prose! THRILL to universes mostly composed of magical cats riding talking white ponies! CHEER as the moderator has an aneurysm 23 minutes into the panel!
Alan Stewart, Paul Kidd, George RR Martin and Bill Fawcett

Nanotechnology (Y2)
Scientific experts and a cheerful skeptic/devil’s advocate discuss the latest advances in the world of the really small. Find out what the future holds and should you panic now.
Howard Davidson, Alan Wilson, Joshua Bilmes

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Three Worldcons In Melbourne Isn’t Too Many! (Y4)
This will survey how bidding for and running a Worldcon in Australia is different than doing the same from another country. Hopefully there will be some insights as to how to bid and run the *next* Aussiecon.
Tom Whitmore, Robin Johnson, John Foyster, David Grigg, Perry Middlemiss, Eric Lindsay

Helen Merrick and Tess Williams, the co-editors of a collection of feminist writing on SF discuss their book, Women of Other Worlds.

An Evening with Hideaki Anno (LaT)
Hideaki Anno is best known, here in Australia, for his work, Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is a rare opportunity to hear Mr Anno discuss his work.
Hideaki Anno.

Trivia Quiz (Y2)
Mitch and Danny present the Trivia Quiz to end all quizzes. Not limited to SF & F. Requires quick wits AND physical prowess! How many marshmallows can you fit in your mouth? How many clothes pegs can you fit on your face? How many questions can you answer? It’s a team game, so sucker in that special someone fit enough for the physical part.
Mitch, Danny Heap

Evilcon '99! (B1)
Welcome to the first ever trans-temporal pan-dimensional multi-species conclave of ultimate Evil! Your host, Scott Evil, welcomes you all in the name of Evil. So join Darth Vader, Satan, Dracula, the Borg Queen, Lo Pan, Lord John Whorfinn, Montgomery Burns, the Joker, Psi-Cop Alfred Bester, Hannibal Lecter, Satan, Callisto, Ming the Merciless, the Witch-King, Servalan, Pinhead, Cyrus the Virus, the Sherriff of Nottingham, Freddy Krueger, the Terminator, Professor Moriarty, Satan, Doctor Doom, the Kurgan, Wile E. Coyote and a galaxy of dark stars at the first ever EVILCON!!!!! A live role playing game. Be there on time to secure your character!

9:00am

AA Meeting (Y5)
This meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous is open to all members of the convention who’d like to attend.
Roy Pettis

Writers Workshop (H2)
Open to workshop members only - 2 hours.
Lucy Sussex, Rosaleen Love.

The Newcomer’s Guide to the Worldcon (LaT)
First Convention? First Worldcon? Here’s some help in making sense of it all. We’ll guide you through the day’s major events and explain the traditions behind them. Give suggestions on how to best to enjoy the day, and how to find the parties at night. Come along and learn how to get the most out of your membership.

The Sources Of SF (Y1)
The authors who have been the key influences in the development of SF have not always been the best writers. The most productive ideas have seldom been the most scientific. A discussion of the quirkiness of the sources, historical and personal, of SF.
Maureen Kincaid Speller, Stephen Baxter, Jack Dann, Terry Dowling

A Brief History Of Australian Genre Television (Y4)
Australia is famed world wide for the quality of its children’s SF and fantasy TV. The talk by George Ivanoff will give an overview of the development of genre television in this country. (See items, "Meet Jonathan M Shiff" and "Meet Mark Shireffs". Both these gentlemen are central to children’s television in Australia).
George Ivanoff

SF Around The World (Y5)
Not all SF is published in English, and of the proportion that is, not all is published in the US or UK. Who are the movers and shakers outside of the SF mainstream?
Paul Kincaid, Charles Brown, Ginjer Buchanan

Gripe Session (B5)
Your chance to gripe about the convention to the present and future Worldcon Chairs. Give’em a piece of your mind - please! They’ve already lost their own.
Perry Middlemiss, Tom Veal

Fiction in 3D Virtual Worlds (H3)
We stand on the threshold of an entirely new storytelling form. What lessons will carry through from movies and books? What aspects of 3D fiction pose entirely new freedoms and fresh problems? Virtual Reality will not supplant previous forms of fiction any more than movies obsoleted books - this is an additional artform to be exploited.
Miriam English, Ron Stecher

Modern Vampires (LaT)
An outrageously dark and funny vampire comedy by Richard Elfman, starring Casper Van Dien and Natasha Gregson Wagner. This film is definitely not suitable for children.

Artificial Intelligence (Y1)
Robots have been part of SF since Karel Capek’s R.U.R. But while modern computers can perform lengthy calculations effortlessly, they fail completely in tasks we find easy: recognising a face, or learning a language for example. This panel discusses the prospects for Artificial Intelligence in our lifetime, and the way this has been reflected in SF.
Robert Sawyer, James van Pelt, Robin Pen

Meet Jonathan M Shiff (Y4)
A chance to listen to Jonathan M Shiff talk about his experience in the Australian television industry. He is best known as the creator/producer of Ocean Girl and Thunderstone. (See also A Brief History of Australian Genre Television.)

Fan Fund Auction (Y5)
Justin Ackroyd attempts to separate you from your money for a worthy cause. Give generously.

Model Rocketry (B1)
Rob Masters speaks about the design principles involved in building a model rocket. Practical experience in model rocket building can be gained at the model rocketry workshop.
Rob Masters

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Remembering Somerset Place (B5)
The heights of Melbourne Fandom - the active 1960s history.
Karen Pender Gunn, Dick Jennson, Bill Wright, Merv Binns, Leigh Edmonds, Mervyn Barrett, Bruce Gillespie

An Hour with Robert Silverberg (Y1)

SF and Other Genres (Y4)
What distinguishes the genres? Is there a cut-off point, or even a fuzzy boundary between SF, horror and fantasy, or between any of these and mainstream? Is mainstream literary fiction in fact just another genre? These and other questions will be chewed over by a panel of experts.
Paul Kincaid, Terry Pratchett, Ben Bova, Richard Harland

Guest of Honour Speech, Gregory Benford (Bat)

Game Launch 6 Billion (B1)
The game designed right here in Melbourne, by David Coutts. A game of population expansion and space exploration. Keep your population healthy and doubling every turn so you can colonise the planets!

SF & Disability (LaT)
The panel discusses the way disabilities have been presented in SF.
Elizabeth Moon, James Van Pelt, John Douglas

Meet Mark Shireffs (Y4)
A chance to listen Mark Shireffs talk about his experience in the Australian television industry. He is best known as the writer of Spellbinder and Girl From Tomorrow. (See also A Brief History of Australian Genre Television.)
Mark Shireffs

Damon Dark (Lat)
Episode: "It's after me."

Brainstorming Your Costume (Y1)
A problem solving workshop for discussing how to make some of those ideas work in a costume and on stage. There will be a box at the information booth. Put your costuming problem there for our costumers to look at.
Robert Jan, Gail Adams, Dana MacDermott and and Bruce MacDermott

Tacky Toys Or Treasures? Brave Fans Show Off Their Collections (Y5)
One fan’s tacky toy is another fan’s treasure. Sue Anne Barber and Karen Pender-Gunn show off their collections. Sue Anne presents the history of the world through the Viewmaster, while Karen discusses her large collection of Yowies.
Sue Anne Barber, Karen Pender-Gunn

Genetic Engineering: Of Gods And Monsters (Y1)
Dolly the Sheep has been cloned, the Human Genome Project draws to a close. All the tools are in place for humanity to tinker with its own genetic legacy. Can we make ourselves into gods? How many monsters will we leave among the debris of our experiments...
Wynne Whiteford, Donna Heenan, Peter Hamilton, Stephen Davies

Star Trek - Will We Still Respect It In The Morning? (Y4)
Star Trek sustains an incredibly loyal fan base. It is unusual to find a person on this planet who does not know what Star Trek is, what it’s about and what it engenders. Therefore, is this adulation warranted? Is Star Trek fulfilling the science fiction maxim - to suspend belief in reality? Is it valid SF? Is it any good? The panel will discuss the pros and cons of Star Trek, hopefully not too seriously.
Rose Mitchell, James (Jocko) Allen, Terry Frost, Edward McArdle, Robert Jan

Book Reading - The Sneak Preview Reading (B5)
Jody Lynn Nye, Elizabeth Moon, introduction by Lucy Sussex.

Other Award Ceremony (Lat)
All non-Hugo Awards.

How I Sold My First SF Novel (Y1)
The weird and wonderful ways by which one’s first novel reaches the public.
Dirk Strasser, Kate Jacoby, Sean Williams, Robert Sawyer

Anime And Science Fiction (Y4)
Where does Anime really meet Science Fiction? In a lot of shows, SF plots have underlying subtleties that are easily missed. Here are a few.
Hideaki Anno, Amos Wong, Aaron Lai.

Slash! Fiction (Y5)
A whole sub-genre of fannish fiction. Stories featuring homosexual relationships between movie and TV characters. Why is it being written? Who is writing it?
Sandra Norman, Emma Hawkes, Cathy Cupitt, Kerry Greenwood.

Carbon Copy Fantasies (Y1)
Why are there, generally, so few templates for fantasy worlds?
Peter Nicholls, Robert Jordan, Sara Douglass, Kate Forsyth, Dave Luckett

Postmodern Approaches To SF (Y4)
What could be more post-modern than science fiction? The earliest theorists of what we now recognise as the post-modern, like Susan Sontag and Leslie Fiedler, saw in popular genres a challenge to modernist formalism, purism and elitism. But as it becomes fashionable for postmodernists to discover that ‘slipstream’/SF/cyberpunk is the new future of literature we have to ask "What has changed?" Has the postmodernist challenge to the distinction between high and low culture resulted in the opening of the ghetto? Is post-modernism truly any different to modernist, or has obscurantist academic theorising resulted in a new version of the old elitism?
Charles Taylor, Janeen Webb, Helen Merrick, Richard Harland, Ady Butler, Damien Broderick.

The Great Artistic Challenge (Y5)
WATCH as those with no artistic ability do pictorial battle with talented award winners. SEE concepts and ideas brought to life before your very eyes. LAUGH at the inability of team-members to guess what their fellows are drawing. Not in any way even remotely based on the game Pictionary. Nope. Not at all. Honest.
Danny, Mitch, Nick Stathopoulos, Teddy Harvia, Michael Dashow and a host of others.

Evilcon '99! (B1)
Welcome to the first ever trans-temporal pan-dimensional multi-species conclave of ultimate Evil! Your host, Scott Evil, welcomes you all in the name of Evil. So join Darth Vader, Satan, Dracula, the Borg Queen, Lo Pan, Lord John Whorfinn, Montgomery Burns, the Joker, Psi-Cop Alfred Bester, Hannibal Lecter, Satan, Callisto, Ming the Merciless, the Witch-King, Servalan, Pinhead, Cyrus the Virus, the Sherriff of Nottingham, Freddy Krueger, the Terminator, Professor Moriarty, Satan, Doctor Doom, the Kurgan, Wile E. Coyote and a galaxy of dark stars at the first ever EVILCON!!!!! A live role playing game. Be there on time to secure your character!

Damon Dark (Lat)
Episode: "Maddox".

WSFS Business Meeting (B5)

AA Meeting (Y5)
This meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous is open to all members of the convention who’d like to attend.
Roy Pettis

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - A Fannish Remembrance (B1)
A remembrance of fans who are no longer with us.
Irwin Hirsh

The Newcomer’s Guide to the Worldcon (LaT)
First Convention? First Worldcon? Here’s some help in making sense of it all. We’ll guide you through the day’s major events and explain the traditions behind them. Give suggestions on how to best to enjoy the day, and how to find the parties at night. Come along and learn how to get the most out of your membership.

Virtual Selves: Survival In Cyberspace (Y1)
A paper by a prominent academic philosopher discussing the light that SF stories about survival in cyberspace can shed on traditional philosophical problems about the self.
Speaker: Aubrey Townsend

A Twist In Time - Alternative Histories (Y5)
When Hitler won the war and JFK was never killed, it was a twist in time.
Paul Starr, Andrew Macrae, Evelyn Leeper, Ginjer Buchanan.

Gripe Session (B5)
Your chance to gripe about the convention to the present and future Worldcon Chairs. Give’em a piece of your mind - please! They’ve already lost their own.
Perry Middlemiss, Tom Veal

Writers Workshop (H2)
Open to workshop members only - 2 hours.
Lucy Sussex, Rosaleen Love.

Guest of Honour Talk, George Turner (Lat)
With George Turner’s death, the opportunity to meet George has been lost. All our knowledge now must come from memories and recollections. In lieu of a speech, Judith Buckrich, his official biographer, will share her knowledge and recollections of George.
Judith Buckrich

How To Ruin Your Life, But Fill Your Garage With Books: Small-Press Book Publishing And Its Rewards (Y1)
Robert Hood, Bill Congreve, Sarah Endacott, Bruce Gillespie, Greg Ketter, Jonathan Strahan

Ian Gunn Memorial (Y4)
A quiet service in memory of Ian Gunn, cartoonist, and one of Australian fandom’s cherished souls. For those friends, both in Australia and overseas, who could not attend his funeral.

Cyborgs, Simians, And Women: SF & Feminism (Y5)
What is the relevance of SF for feminism? From Charlotte Perkins Gilman to Sheri Tepper the panelists will chart key writers in feminist SF. What is the relevance of feminism for SF? Do the writings of Haraway on Cyborgs, Simians and Women offer new insights into the construction of gender in SF?
Sylvia Kelso, Helen Merrick, Lucy Sussex, Cheryl Morgan

Book Reading - The Travellers of the Imagination Science Fiction Reading (B5)
Stephen Dedman, Kerry Greenwood, Sean Williams, Alison Goodman, Simon Brown, Stephen Baxter.

Damon Dark (Lat)
Episode: "It's after me."

Collaborating, Or "No, *You* Write The Monster Scene" (Y1)
A guide to the trials and tribulations of writing with others: author with author, and author with editor. Where the trouble spots are and where the benefits lie. And how two people can have a lot of fun doing it!
Jody Lynn Nye, Sean Williams, Robert Silverberg, Ginjer Buchanan

Anime Classics Of The Sixties And Seventies (Y4)
What makes a classic show? A light look at the timeless shows and why they continue to be watched.
Amos Wong, Rob Masters, John Samuals, Damian Magee

Spawncon 2 Humorous Science Fiction: Funny Ha Ha Or Funny Peculiar (Y5)
Marc Ortlieb, Chuck McKenzie, author of Worlds Apart, and others will look at what makes funny science fiction funny. Included in this panel will be the reading of selected stories from the SpawnCon Two humorous science Fiction Story Competition.
Marc Ortlieb, Chuck McKenzie

Fannish Olympics (YYH)
How fit a fan are you? Can you collate a fanzine in one minute? Roll up your sleeping bag and hide in 30 seconds while your room mates distract the hotel manager? Your chance to prove that you're one tough fan!

Book Reading - Ben Bova (B5)
Ben Bova.

So Where’s The Aus In Australian Fantasy? (LaT)
Meet the new breed of fantasy authors writing in Australia. They will discuss their lives and the influences that surround them. Panellists attempt to illuminate where the "Aus" can to be found in Australian Fantasy.
Sophie Masson, Ian Irvine, Juliet Marillier, Jane Routley

Phantom Menace: The Costumes (Y1)
Costumers Robert Jan, Gail Adams, Dana MacDermott and Bruce MacDermott look at the design and construction of costumes of Phantom Menace.
Robert Jan, Gail Adams, Dana MacDermott, Bruce MacDermott

Genuine and Fake Jewels of Genre SF (Y4)
Peter Nicholls, David Hartwell and Damien Broderick talk about their candidates for the most undervalued and most overvalued SF writers.
Peter Nicholls, David Hartwell, Damien Broderick

SF and Post-Colonial Approaches (Y5)
How to use post-colonial approaches for theorising SF in your PhD!
Sylvia Kelso, Andrew MacRae, Tess Williams

Classics Of The Slush-Pile: The Ones That Editors Love To Hate! (LaT)
Experienced editors and publishers reminisce about the trash and treasure of unsolicited manuscripts.
Ben Bova, Candas Jane Dorsey

The Tyranny Of Distance: Writing SF And Selling It Overseas (Y1)
The problems faced by writers who are based a long way from their markets: what they are, which ones can be overcome and which ones have to be worked around.
Lucy Sussex, Jack Dann, Stephen Dedman, Bill Fawcett

The Value Of Horror (Lat)
What is the value in being terrorised? Why do we feel the need to be scared? Panellists will evaluate the value of horror.
Bill Congreve, Terry Dowling, Richard Harland, Robert Hood, Joshua Bilmes

Fanhistoricon 9.5 - Why DUFF? (B1)
How and why DUFF came to be.
John Foyster, Janice Gelb, Terry Frost

Book Reading - The Fantasy Four Reading (B5)
Juliet Marillier, Ian Irvine, Candas Jane Dorsey, Jody Lynn Nye.

SF & Social Issues: The Law And Difference (Lat)
As time goes by the law changes. The panel discusses both the SF authors who have taken this into account, and the prospective changes that should be reflected in SF. Take, for example, the legal positions on surrogacy arrangements, and the changing social mores which could force drastic changes in family law as new kinds of familial or quasi-familial relationships develop. Another issue is the legal response to new reproductive technologies, genetically-based medicine, and so on. Then there are the issues caused by new medical technologies which have will have a drastic an effect on, say, employment law or insurance law (where problems of "genetic discrimination" come up). Is the law a genetically modified equine?
Laura Majerus, G. David Nordley, Russell Blackford

Writers And Awards: Tiptree, Hugo... (Y4)
Authors who have received awards and members of award giving committees discuss the role of awards generally in relation to a writer’s career. Which awards affect sales?
Robert Sawyer, Janeen Webb, Alison Goodman, Justine Larbalestier

General Auction (Y5)

Twenty Years of Uproar (B2)
A survey of British fanzines that impressed Dave Langford, in his early days, with extracts from the funniest articles - a sort of live mini-fanthology.
Dave Langford

High School Is Hell In Sunnydale (LaT)
Why is it so hard to get a date in Sunnydale? All the available boys are either nerds or undead! And when does a Slayer have time to get a life? Panellists discuss the stress and unreal expectations placed on teenagers with an early vocation.
Keith R.A. De Candido, Danny Heap, Sharon Moseley, James Allen

Book Reading - Stephen Baxter (Y1)
Stephen Baxter.

Doing the Dance: Jack Dann in Australia (Y4)
The paper concerns Dann’s recent work, looking especially at the shift in his writing style/genre/interests with The Memory Cathedral, The Silent and his forthcoming Dean.
Speaker: Andrew Enstice

The Newcomer’s Guide to the Worldcon (LaT)
First Convention? First Worldcon? Here’s some help in making sense of it all. We’ll guide you through the day’s major events and explain the traditions behind them. Give suggestions on how to best to enjoy the day, and how to find the parties at night. Come along and learn how to get the most out of your membership.

Electronic Publishing And The Future Of The Internet (Y1)
We are faced with a future where we will be able to download a favourite author’s latest work with the convenience of turning on a tap. What difficulties does the future of electronic publishing and the Internet hold for intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyright)? How can laws be enforced when everything is digital? Who if anyone gets to run things? Or will we have cyberanarchy? What will be the significance of these changes for worldwide distribution, for the meaning of "in print", for the distinction between midlist and the blockbuster? ...And what will you take to the beach?
Laura Majerus, Steven Paulsen, Lillian Edwards, Michael Ward

George Turner’s Transition to SF and George Turner’s Late SF (Y4)
A paper about Turner’s move to SF from mainstream writing, concentrating on Transit of Cassidy and Beloved Son. (30 minutes)
Speaker: Judy Buckrich

Janeen Webb is an expert on Turner’s fiction and co-editor of Dreaming Down-Under, where she published his unfinished work And Now Doth Time Waste Me. (30 minutes)
Janeen Webb

Space Opera On Screen and Page (LaT)
Take a great western or adventure story, add ray guns and space ships. Hey presto, instant science fiction! Space opera started with E.E. "Doc" Smith’s "Lensman" series and grew from there. How much of what we see and read these days is space opera?
Robin Pen, J. Michael Straczynski, James Allen

The Tithonus Option Is Not An Option (Y4)
A paper discussing whether a future of lengthened old age awaits us as the result of developing research on human longevity. The speaker is a medical practitioner and an emerging science fiction author.
Speaker: Chris Lawson

Masquerade Review (LaT)
A post masquerade review and chance to have a closer look at the costumes. Panellists will be recruited from participants and judges of the Masquerade.

What is it that we do when we read SF? (LaT)
A paper about the language of science fiction.
Speaker: Paul Kincaid

SF and Music (Y4)
Panelists discuss music and writers - what they listen to, make, or compose, and how it interacts with the work in progress (or doesn’t) - the music that writers put *into* their works (the invented instruments, styles, etc.), and the musical traditions with which they are personally involved. They look at the types of music which are commonly heard at conventions and in SF films. They search for what Richard Strauss, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, and John Williams have in common, apart from their SF connection. They speculate about out how the history of 20th century music and SF have intertwined.
Elizabeth Moon, Julian Warner, Paul Ewins

Furry Fandom - Where To Now? (LaT)
Furry fandom is over fifteen years old. It’s seen over a decade of furry APAs like Rowrbrazzle and Huzzah and over a decade of furry conventions. Now, with time, growth and new factors like the internet, it’s radically changing direction, or at least branching in several directions at once. Where will it be in another ten years? Will it become increasingly difficult to define the boundaries? Will Australia’s part flourish, or will international boundaries become irrelevant? Will there be goodwill and understanding, or turf wars between the Yiffs and the Burned Furs? Our panel of experts will try to find the answers, or at least translate the questions.
Craig Hilton, Fred Patten, Jason Gaffney, Paul Kidd, David Ewell

Shapechangers, Monster Poo And Adolescent Angst: Writing SF And Horror For Children (Y1)A distinguished panel of authors and librarians discuss the questions of what the essential features of successful SF and horror are for younger readers. They debate the extent to which there is room for individuality in a field dominated by series like "Goosebumps", and they argue over how much horror is too much?
Robert Hood, Terry Pratchett, Lucy Sussex, Pauline Dickinson, Meredith Costain, Sophie Masson

Interview With J. Michael Straczynski (LaT)
Glen Tilley interviews J. Michael Straczynski.

In Defence Of Hard SF (Y1)
Gregory Benford and Peter Nicholls discuss, debate even, hard SF.

Studio Ghibli We Love You (Y4)
Studio Ghibli produces some of the warmest, brightest Anime. Shows like Mononoke Hime and My Neighbour Totoro. This is a tribute to their work.
Rob Masters, John Samuals

Writers Workshop (Y5)
Open to workshop members only - 2 hours.
Lucy Sussex, Rosaleen Love.

Damon Dark (Lat)
Episode: "Maddox".

Future Shapes Of Mind (Y4)
We all know that technology will continue to change our lives - but how will it change the mental perspectives through which we view our lives? What cultural adaptations will be needed? What sensibility? What new connections and disconnections? what kinds of story will we have to tell ourselves?
Speaker: Richard Harland

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