Capricon 2024

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Mia and I enjoyed Capricon 44. It was held at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, February 1-4, as it was when we attended two years ago. We were very happy to be at a con in downtown Chicago again, with an almost infinite supply of places to eat and drink in walking distance of the hotel. It is much more alive than downtown St. Paul or Minneapolis, and the people seemed friendlier. As happened in 2022, some of our Chicagoland fannish friends did not attend, but others did, and we enjoyed seeing them again.

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Where’s My Flying Car?

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Notes from a panel at Capricon 44, Chicago, Feb. 3, 2024. Any mistakes are mine. The panelists are not responsible for any errors here.

Chris Gerrib, Bill Higgins, Mark Huston (moderator), Jeffrey Liss, Henry Spencer

Once upon a time, SF “promised” us all manner of wondrous thing that never came true. Flying cars. Rocket packs. Even aliens (maybe). What happened to these promises? Did something better come along? Were they not practical? Or are we still working to make them come true? How does our view of the future differ from what we once expected? Our panelists explore these questions and more!

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Lucy’s Tour of the Trojan Asteroids

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Notes from a presentation at Capricon 44, Chicago, Feb. 2, 2024. Any mistakes are mine. The speaker, Bill Higgins, is not responsible for any errors here.

Bill Higgins

The two swarms of frigid Trojan asteroids, circling the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter, have never been visited by spacecraft. NASA’s Lucy mission plans to change that. Launched in 2021, Lucy’s intricate trajectory will eventually fly by eleven asteroids, including eight Trojans of varying size and composition far beyond the main Asteroid Belt. Passing through the asteroid belt on her way to the distant realm of the Trojans, Lucy’s first flyby this past November held surprises—and if all goes well, the best is yet to come.

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The Forever War at 50

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Notes from a panel at Capricon 44, Chicago, Feb. 2, 2024. Any mistakes are mine. The panelists are not responsible for any errors here.

Shaun Duke, Jerry Gilio, Bill Higgins, Benjamin Wallin, Gary K Wolfe (moderator)

Since its release in 1974, Joe Haldeman’s Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel The Forever War has been assigned in college classes and hailed as a profound exploration of the dehumanizing effects of war. Now on its 50th anniversary, our panelists look back on the novel’s release, its impact, and its relevance today.

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Dust.. from… SPACE!!!

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Notes from a panel at Capricon 44, Chicago, Feb. 2, 2024. Any mistakes are mine. The panelists are not responsible for any errors here.

Bill Higgins, Henry Spencer

The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sampler has returned with a bounty of asteroid dust. Our panelists discuss what the findings have been so far, what is still to come, and what it all means.

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The Bible as Fantasy Novel

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Notes from a panel at Capricon 44, Chicago, Feb. 3, 2024. Any mistakes are mine. The panelists are not responsible for any errors here.

Janice Gelb (moderator); Jeana Jorgensen; Will Saddler, Lucy A Synk, Susan Weiner

The Bible uses fantastic elements in describing the inexplicable, prophecies, and fables. What elements of the Bible correlate to common tropes in fantasy literature? How have the fantasy elements in the Bible influence writers of fantasy?

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Rang Gaeilge, 30ú lá mí Eanáir 2024

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Duinnín i Lios Dúin Bhearna (tuilleadh)

Dineen in Lisdoonvarna (continued)

  • Tháinig deireadh leis an seisiún pianó. D’éirigh an bhean bheag dhubh, chuaigh sí caol direach chuig Burr agus sheas sí taobh leis, go sealbhach.

    ‘Nach í an óinseach í, a croí a bheith amuigh ar dhearna mar sin aici?’ arsa Gobnait. ‘Fan ansin, a Dhuinnínigh, agus tabhair aire do mo chuid balcaisí.’

    D’fhág Gobnait a cuid cniotála ar ghlúin an Duinnínigh agus chas sí i dtreo na ndaoine a bhí seasta thart ar an bpianó.

    The piano session ended. The little black haired woman got up, went straight to Burr and stood next to him, possessively.

    ‘Isn’t she the fool, her heart being out on her palm like that?’ said Gobnait. ‘Stay there, Dineen, and take care of my garments.’

    Gobnait left her knitting on Dineen’s knee and turned towards the people standing around the piano.

    caol díreach straight [motion]
    sealbhach possessive
    balcais Clout, rag; garment f

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Rang Gaeilge, 9ú lá mí Eanáir 2024

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Duinnín i Lios Dúin Bhearna (tuilleadh)

Dineen in Lisdoonvarna (continued)

  • ‘B’fhéidir go gcasfaidh bean a dhiongbhála air an uair seo,’ arsa an Duinníneach, mar a dhéanfadh iascaire agus cuil á cur amach ar an domhain aige.

    ‘Bhuel, a Athair, tá’s agat go bhfuil sé ráite nach bhfuil leigheas ar an mbás, ach pósadh arís.

    Gairmeadh isteach i seomra an dochtúra Duinníneach agus an nath sin le meabhrú aige.

    ‘Maybe the woman who is his match will meet him this time,’ said Dineen as a fisherman would do when he casts a fly out into the world.

    ‘Well, Father, you know it has been said that there is no cure for death, but marriage again.’

    Dineen was called into the Doctor’s room with that saying to meditate on.

    diongbháil Match, equal f diongbhála
    cuil fly
    tá’s agat = tá fios agat you know
    gair call v p aut gaireadh
    nath Proverbial saying, adage; epigram; saw, tag m

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Rang Gaeilge, 28ú lá Mí na Samhna 2023

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Duinnín i Lios Dúin Bhearna (tuilleadh)

Dineen in Lisdoonvarna (continued)

  • “Níl… ‘

    Bhí Mrs. Hudson ag faire amach don Dr. Bhatson agus don Duinníneach agus d’fháiltigh sí rompu le geallúint go mbeadh muifíní don tae.

    ”Bhfuil sé féin istigh?’ arsa Watson.

    “Tá. Agus é chomh sásta lena bhfaca tú riamh, ag ól a phíopa os comhair na tine agus ag gáiri ó am go chéile.’

    ‘Caithfidh gur aimsigh sé tuairisc bháis George Tavistock, mar sin,’ arsa an Duinníneach. ‘Agus san aige, ba leor, mar mhéar eolais dó, gur iarras air é.”

    ‘No…’
    Mrs. Hudson watching for Dr. Watson and Dineen and she welcomed them with the promise of muffins for tea.

    ‘Is himself inside?’ said Watson.

    ‘Yes. And he was as happy as you ever saw, smoking his pipe in front of the fire and laughing from time to time.’

    ‘Then it must be that he must have found an account of George Tavistock’s death,’ said Dineen, ‘And having that, it was enough, as a marker of knowledge for him, that he had asked for.’

    fáiltigh welcome
    geallúint = gealltanas promise n

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