My wife Mia and I spend the weekend of November 8-10 in Chicagoland at Windycon, a science fiction convention that we have frequently attended since the 1970s, and which we went to last year. This was Windycon 50. I went to Windycon 3 back in 1976, and Mia and I both went to Windycon 5 in 1978.

Like last year, the convention hotel was the Doubletree Oak Brook. The hotel was improved since then, although parking was an issue at the hotel. Walking to the nearby mall did not seem as bad as last year, though that may be because this time I was not recovering from a broken pelvis.

The driving both ways was uneventful, though somewhat depressing. I90 and I94 in Wisconsin were still lined with Trump-Vance signs, a few days after the election.

As with all our recent visits to Chicagoland conventions, we had a good time seeing old friends, including R and D who drove up from Texas. We visited them back in April.

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Some notes on special events and programming:

Moebius Theater
Moebius Theatre returns to the Windycon stage with the world premier of a new play by Charles W. Ott III, Nowheresville. It’s a romantic comedy set… somewhere. This is the first new play from Moebius in some time and we’re looking forward to it!

As before, we have friends in the troupe, including the author. However, we were tired from the drive. Mia missed it completely and I had to leave early. I particularly liked one line: “You can’t get to Skokie without stopping at Howard Street.” Having ridden the L regularly when we lived in Chicagoland I appreciated the thought. Also:

“You can’t displace and object thousands of light years through space for $29.56. That’s kind of a fundamental limit of physics.
Hell, you can’t take and Uber to Evanston for that much.”

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Launch Pad Astronomy
Join us in this panel featuring highlights from the workshop of the same name!

Presented by Mike Brotherton. This is an annual workshop for science fiction writers. There is too much bad science in science fiction. The intent of this workshop is give writers a crash course in what they need to know about astronomy. A worthy goal, and it seems like a very interesting workshop. One of the instructors, Christian Ready, has a Youtube channel. I have often heard Ready speak at Windycons and he is always worth hearing.

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Dark Side of Astronomy
Join us in this informative talk about supermassive black holes, dark matter, dark energy, etc…

Also by Mike Brotherton. He first talked about dark matter, beginning with the work of Fritz Zwicky on the Coma Cluster and Vera Rubin on galactic rotation curves. He explained how galaxies are surrounded by dark matter. He brought up MOND as an alternative to dark matter, but argued that the Bullet Cluster observations rule out MOND. This is not universally accepted.

Brotherton then turned to Dark Energy. Astronmers looked at Type Ia supernovae, which are “standard candles” for measuring the distance to galaxies. What they were expecting to see was that the mutual gravitational of the galaxies was slowing down the velocity imparted to them by the big bang. Instead they found that the distant galaxies were accelerating away from each other, in a manner described by Einstein’s Cosmological Constant Λ.

Brotherton was running out of time then, but he managed to say a little bit about black holes, mentioning the M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results

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Fron One Planet to Another
SF novels often depict people leaving Earth to settle on another planet. Wouldn’t a better choice be to settle a space station or some other habitat less like the planet we just left?

• “If you have escaped one gravity well, why go down another one?”
• Make space stations that are compatible with humans, or make humans that are compatible with space stations.
• Habitasble planets are great, if you can find them
• Cabin fever could be a big problem on space stations.
• SF reference: Clifford Simak’s City.

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Art Auction
Prepare to be captivated by the extraordinary at The Art Auction, the highlight of this year’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. This unique event offers you the chance to own a piece of the fantastical worlds that have inspired countless stories and imaginations.

Explore a stunning collection of artwork, from vivid paintings of alien landscapes to intricate sculptures of mythical creatures. Each piece is a testament to the boundless creativity of artists who bring the realms of science fiction and fantasy to life.

As you wander through the exhibition, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in our exciting auction. Bid on your favorite pieces and compete with fellow enthusiasts to take home a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a passionate fan, this auction is your chance to own a tangible piece of the magic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the art of the extraordinary and perhaps even add a new treasure to your collection.

Join us at The Art Auction and let your imagination soar.

As I wrote last year, this has been a regular event for us at Windycons and Capricons for as long as I can remember. The auctioneers are talented and funny, and even when we do not buy anything, as has usually been the case in recent years, the event is great entertainment and we never miss it.

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