science fiction & fantasy – Page 8

Conference travel plans for 2007

Summer is already here, but before galloping off to the freedom, there is still much to do. And my schedule for next autumn is already full. Here is a quick rundown of upcoming seminar and conference engagements:

June 12: speaking in Interactive Gaming Seminar in Helsinki on research into players in games and gambling studies
July 12: commenting on research papers and plans in the annual science fiction studies scholar’s meeting, arranged in conjunction with Finncon 2007 in Jyväskylä
August 27-28: participating in the OECD Expert Meeting on Videogames and Education in Santiago de Chile, speaking about player studies (Edit: it looks like I cannot make this — pity, it would probably been really interesting trip)
September 11: lecturing in the Hypermedia Laboratory 15 Years Anniversary seminar in Tampere
September 24-28: DiGRA 2007 conference in Tokyo (hope I can get there!)
October 3: the MindTrek conference in Tampere
October 4-6: speaking in the PTS seminar about control and addiction issues in “Virtual Games and Gambling”, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
October 12: lecture “Heritage in virtual disguise – reaching the young” in the Nordic Museums’ Accessibility Conference, Helsinki
November 8-9: presenting a keynote and leading a workgroup in seminar “Changing Views on Technology, Media and Cultural Approaches” in Joensuu
November 15-17: presenting a keynote in the Future Play conference, Toronto, Canada

These are subject to change, of course, but not much, or so I hope at this point. Working in this field certainly keeps you busy, but it is also exiting to be constantly faced with new and surprising challenges, create new connections and innovations, so you end up being tired in the evening, but also feeling to have achieved something meaningful. Only in a truly rewarding field it would make sense to keep on traveling around and working in this way.

Innocence

Right after Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell — manga (by Masamune Shirow) and the original movie (directed by Mamoru Oshii) — are among my all time favourites. Stylish and often confusing, they toy with numerous philosophically resonant themes and are invaluable for anyone drawn into exploring the elemental, often subconscious, relations humans have with their technologies. Bio Rex Distribution (Matila, Röhr & Nordisk Film) have made a real cultural service by importing into Finnish DVD markets the second full-length movie in the series, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Possibly even more beautiful, even if a bit more slow in tempo, this is an essential work of late modern pop culture at its best. The low resolution YouTube trailer (actually the intro sequence) does not really convey its sophistication:

Finncon ry established

Finncon ry established
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

It has been said that Finland is the promised land of associations — there are thousands and thousands of non-profits here, established by individuals on enormous range of serious or more light-hearted subjects. Today yet another association was created, but one could claim that this one has been in actual demand for some time. FinnCon is the major Finnish — and international — science fiction event that has been regularly organised since 1986. This is thus a historical image: the representatives from local science fiction associations signing the founding documents for the national umbrella association, Finncon ry, which will run this line of events from now on. Follow the news in http://www.finncon.org — this is a really great showcase of fandom activities, useful for academics and general audience alike. (Posted from Kaupinojan Sauna.)

sf and games panel

sf and games panel
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Shot from the Finncon podium: a view of the audience, for a change. Our SF/FAN & Games panel was fun, even if the topic was rather loosely defined. Participants: Markku Lappalainen, Jyrki J.J. Kasvi (MP), Aleksi Kuutio, Lassi Kurkijärvi, Olli Sinerma, and me.

paasitorni

paasitorni
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

In today’s location, Paasitorni we had two papers, Kristiina Svensson on mimesis (or rather simulation of communication) in French surreal/satirical modern fiction, and Tanja Sihvonen on ‘script’ as a critical concept useful for literary, media and game studies alike. Rather promising stuff. Guest of Honor Jeff VanderMeer made a speech on the practical issues of cross-genre authorship, and also made an interesting point about certain “controlled inconsistency” being important for creating realistic sense of location. A city is always a footnote to another city. Another author from 1968 born generation, Justina Robson was also speaking about genre from the perspective of power (and money) relations of literary institution. Also rather disillusioned about academic world, discussion with Robson circulated around traumatic opposites like separation of emotion from intellect.

villa kivi

villa kivi
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Here is my cameraphone shot of Villa Kivi, a nice house, owned by Helsinki authors’ associations, and the location of the first day in the science fiction researcher meeting. The papers in the first day were: Vadim Chupasov, Rewriting reality: from alternative history to ‘alternate story’; Merja Leppälahti, Matka vainajien maille; Jari Käkelä, Asimov’s Foundation trilogy and American expansionism; and Sanna Lehtonen, Transformation, gender and age in postmodern children’s fantasy – Diana Wynne Jones and Susan Price crossing the borders.– An interesting, even if a rather diverse lot!

finncon 2006, SF researcher meeting

Tomorrow I will be off to Finncon, the major science fiction and fantasy event of Finland. This time taking place in Helsinki, we will also have the traditional science fiction researcher meeting there, this time with the theme “Exploring the Borders of the Fantastic.” There will also be a games and science fiction session in Saturday, feel welcome to drop in.
See: meeting the at http://www.finncon.org/fi/node/116 – and the programme: http://www.finncon.org/fi/taxonomy/term/32

ds lite, game and comics classics

ds lite, game and comics classics
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Today I got my Nintendo DS Lite, plus a pack of classic Atari games from 1970/80s from a Brussels media store. (Already loving what touch screen control means for the gameplay of Centipede, for example.) With some Neil Gaiman comics that previously were missing from my collection, it looks like I have multiple ways to spend the remaining summer vacation.

lordi – victorious finnish monstrosity

Last night, an increasingly amazed and exited audience followed how a Finnish monster rock band “Lordi” won the Eurovision song contest. This is good news for Finnish fantasy art (in which heavy rock is actually a major element), the band (which can continue rocking with increased popularity) and to the song contest itself — it is high time for someone to break the tired format. And that Lordi had such a clear victory was just amazing, too: their final points were highest ever recorded in the contest. Being myself from the same town (Rovaniemi, in Lapland) like Mr. Lordi, I just toast happily: congratulations guys, and good luck!

See:
LORDI – The Official Site
Eurovision contest site

rick random – jet-ace logan

This is pure nostalgia: Egmont in Finland has republished 1950s pulp scifi with a series of Rick Random and Jet-Ace Logan comics. Were the stories really this bad? But Ron Turner‘s style of drawing has certain “Edgar Rice Burroughs style” fantasy in it.