I will be at SFContario 3 this weekend, with panels on Saturday, November 10, as follows:
Doctor Who
Doctor Who has been around for more than 50 years now and in it’s newest incarnation is enjoying unprecedented worldwide popularity and fierce fan loyalty. Why has it now grabbed our hearts and minds? (David Clink, David Lamb, Robert Shearman, Tony Pi (Moderator)) Saturday 12:00 PM, Ballroom BC
Guilt and Vengeance as a Motivation in Fiction
Harry Dresden and the death of his father. Harry Potter and the death of his parents. Ray McAndrews and the death of his Grand Father. Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben and of course the origin of Batman. Throughout fiction a tragic death can stand for the hero’s call to action. What is the basis for this? Does a vendetta lend a strength that a moral sense cannot, and when does vengeance transit into a mission and tragedy into a quest? (Timothy Carter, Herb Kauderer, Michael Mattheson, Gareth McGorman, Tony Pi, Caitlin Sweet) Saturday 4:00 PM, Courtyard
Philosophy and Science Fiction
Science, from warp drives to lasers, is an important element in the genre but Science Fiction has also been a place to examine philosophical viewpoints. From the use of Star Trek to raise questions of racial equality to Asimov’s laws of robotics and ethical questions about machines, philosophical issues are intrinsic to science fiction and fantasy. Our panelists look at some of the more interesting philosophical questions in the genre. (Madeline Ashby, Richard Baldwin, Lynna Merrill, Tony Pi, Robert Shearman) Saturday 7:00 PM, Courtyard
Tony Pi, F&SF Writer 