Life in a Nut's Shell

Somebody is trying to sell a planet on eBay. It's listed under "slightly unusual" -- not even really weird, or even totally bizarre. I don't know which I should be more incensed about: that someone has the gall to sell it, or that some people are gullible enough to bid.

Still, I guess there's some precedent. The European governments sold chunks of the western hemisphere to settlers, with no more claim to ownership than an agent claiming the land as theirs. For some of it, they didn't even know what they were selling. Never mind that it was previously owned. Settlers often ended up with some pretty odd lots of land.

So what does a planet-seller hope to gain? Other than money, of course. The planet is supposedly habitable. What if it's already inhabited? (therein, the plotline of many a science fiction novel) If/when we finally do develop intergalactic travel and get there (transportation is not provided in the auction offering, alas), will somebody's great-great x whatever descendant try to claim it as their own? Bought and paid for! No doubt they'd find an unscrupulous attorney to support that claim.

People are weird.

I've come to realize that people believe what they want to believe. It doesn't matter how flimsy the explanation, how truly unlikely the story or much physical proof there is against that belief, they will still stand behind it. And anyone who says anything negative is accused of a coverup, or part of a conspiracy. Hard to prove that, and so they claim that any negative comment simply supports their belief.

Yup, people are weird. But entertaining.

For those who don't know, V-Con is Vancouver's local science fiction and fantasy convention. Probably because of my membership in SFCanada, I was invited to attend as a guest speaker -- that's the first time that's ever happened to me, so it was pretty exciting.

The con (short for convention) was good, and I learned some interesting things. I was also a panellist on several topics, including Harry Potter, playwriting, and Hall Costumes. I flew in on Friday morning, getting there just before registration opened. I had taken some copies of my book, Lyranel's Song, to sell, and Brian and Anita Hades of Edge Publishing were kind enough to add them to their table. Anita is also planning to take some to a convention in Montreal this weekend. Wonderful people (and not just because they sold my book!)

Some of the panels I listened to were about SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), worldbuilding from the microbes up, and whether or not time travel is possible. And just because I wanted to, I also attended a two-hour panel on Replicating Costumes on a Budget. I think it was misnamed -- it should have been something like Tips and Tricks from the Pros. The two presenters were very knowledgeable experts in their field and had some fascinating stuff for show and tell. It wasn't what I'd call inexpensive, though.

I attended the SFCanada party on Saturday night, and also met some of the other members during the con. It was nice to put faces to some names. A highlight of the convention was watching my friend Randy McCharles (the Fan Guest of Honour) being m.c. for the Masquerade. He even wore a costume! (It looked rather like the runner from the back of a couch, but hey)

Sunday evening, I had Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her family and friends. Got to see her newly renovated kitchen and bathroom.

Anyway, thanks and Well Done All to the organizers of V-Con! I had a good time.