Chicon 2000 Infobot News - 23-Mar-2000 Chicon 2000, P. O. Box 642057, Chicago IL 60664, fax: 312-946-3779 The Chicon 2000 Infobot News is a service of the Chicon 2000 Web Site, http://www.chicon.org/ . If you know someone who'd like to subscribe, tell 'em to go to our web site at http://www.chicon.org/ and enter their e-mail address. If your e-mail address changes, or if you wish to be removed from the Chicon 2000 Infobot News mailing list, or if you don't have web access and want to be added to the list, please write to listmaster@chicon.org. In this edition: Hugo Awards - Nomination Deadline is 31-Mar-2000 Hugo Ceremony News Official Bidders for 61st Worldcon Tips for the Newcomer Weather in Chicago Apology from the Chairman Hugo Awards - Nomination Deadline is 31-Mar-2000 * * * * * * * * * * * Michael Nelson, hugos@chicon.org Your Hugo Administrator has been sacrificing his time and eyesight to tally the dozens of Hugo nominations forms he has received. He has unselfishly refrained from attending any conventions this year in order to devote all his spare time to the Hugo Awards. But since he anticipates a deluge of forms at the last minute, he will be taking time off to attend Lunacon on the weekend of March 24th - 26th. So, stop by the Chicon 2000 table and drop off your completed form (blank forms will also be available). Buy your Hugo Administrator a few drinks and see if he can be persuaded to reveal a few little Hugo tidbits*. * All revealed Hugo information will be postdated 01-Apr-2000 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ We have the Hugo Nomination Form online in PDF format. We also have the Hugo Nomination Form online as plain text. Or, you can make your Hugo Award nominations online. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The list of the 2000 Hugo Award nominees will be posted on the website as soon as it is finalized in April. Organizations wishing to receive a copy of this list should send contact information to the Hugo Administrator or the Hugo postal address: Chicon 2000 Hugo Awards P.O. Box 3407 Merrifield, VA 22116-3407 The fastest way to find out the nominees is to subscribe to the Infobot News. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ As our planet lurches into the final year of this millennium, you may be asking yourself, "Why did I spend so damn much to join Chicon 2000 and what's in it for me?" Well, one of your redeeming membership perks is the power to dictate who should receive the esteemed 2000 Hugo Awards. The Science Fiction Achievement Award was named in honor of Hugo Gernsback, creator of the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, in 1926. He was named "The Father of Magazine Science Fiction" on a special Hugo Award given to him in 1960 at Pittcon (the 18th Worldcon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). The first Hugo Awards were presented in 1953 at the 11th Worldcon (popularly know as Philcon II) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In accordance with Article Three of the World Science Fiction Society constitution, the Hugo Award is based on the original rocket designed by Jack McKnight and Ben Jason. Each Worldcon committee gets to create their own unique base design - with some "interesting" results. Some past Hugo Awards may be viewed in the Worldcon history exhibit during Chicon. Winners are selected in a two-step process. A Hugo nomination form has been included with Progress Report 5. Attending and supporting members of Chicon 2000 (and last year's Worldcon, Aussiecon Three) as of January 31, 2000 have the privilege to nominate up to five of their favorite choices for each of the twelve award categories. The various nominations are tallied and a preferential ballot listing the top five selections for each category is created. Nominations may also be made for the John W. Campbell Award, an award sponsored by Dell Magazines for the best new science fiction or fantasy writer of the previous two years. The final Hugo ballot will be sent to all eligible Chicon 2000 members with our next progress report in April. The 2000 Hugo Awards and John W. Campbell Award will be presented at a ceremony during Chicon 2000. Even as you read this article, Team Hugo is putting together a gala Hugo Ceremony as befits the last Worldcon of the Millennium. Questions about the 2000 Hugo Awards may be sent to hugos@chicon.org or P.O. 3407, Merrifield, VA 22116-3407, USA. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hugo Nomination Progress Report Chicon 2000 would like to congratulate Sharon Lee for being our first member to return a completed Hugo nomination form. We just received our 100th nomination form, on 12-Mar-2000. Remember that the deadline for nominations is 31-Mar-2000. Please be kind to our Hugo Administrator - don't wait until the last minute! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hugo Award Subcommittee Chicon 2000 has announced the formation of the Hugo Award Subcommittee, in accordance with Section 3.12 of the WSFS Constitution. The members of the committee are Michael Nelson, Covert Beach, Robert MacIntosh, Tom Veal, Mike Jencevice, and Becky Thomson. Hugo Ceremony News * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * by kT FitzSimmons It happens every year. The fans arrive hours ahead of time, anxious to get the best spot to view their favorite celebrity. The celebrities arrive, men elegantly attired in expensive tuxedos and suits, the women bejeweled and swirling in beautiful silks and chiffons. The nominees try not to look as nervous as they feel. The host constantly checks his lines, wondering if this joke doesn't quite make it or if he can remember how to pronounce that name with 27 consonants and one vowel. The stage crew and technical staff make that final check hoping they haven't missed anything but knowing, somehow, that they have. The ceremony starts. The presenters try to be funny and the audience obliges them by laughing. The winners leap from their seats as their names are announced and bound up the stage, grabbing the gleaming, phallic statuette as they kiss the beautiful (or handsome) presenter. They try to be brief in their thanks but run too long; the audience, though, eats it all up. The losers are gracious, if not terribly disappointed. The show is a technical masterpiece, from the sound to the lighting and the only low point is the tribute to those who could not be there. This is the World Science Fiction Society's annual Hugo Awards ceremony, where the best and the brightest in the SF literary world come to shine in the spotlight for themselves and their fans. We hope that you will join us at Chicon 2000 for an evening of elegance as we honor the best SF has to offer. Official Bidders for 61st Worldcon * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tim Szczesuil, site@chicon.org The filing deadline for bidders for the 61st Worldcon was Saturday, 04-Mar-2000. As of the end of that day, two bidders had submitted complete paperwork to qualify to appear on the Site Selection Ballot to be voted at Chicon 2000. The two bidders are Cancun in 2003 and Toronto in 2003 . If any member has any questions regarding the Site Selection process for the 61st Worldcon, please direct your email to site@chicon.org. Tim Szczesuil, Site Selection Administrator Chicon 2000 Tips for the Newcomer * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * On our All-Purpose Message Board (www.chicon.org/chat), someone asked: "Hello, my sister and I are new to Worldcon, and we were wondering if anyone had tips on enjoying the festivities... any information would be welcome." Bring at least two pairs of comfortable shoes. Nothing will ruin a convention faster than blistered feet. The Chicon Convention area isn't the largest a Worldcon has been in, but it is pretty big. You will be walking frequently. Bring a sweater and a jacket. Chicago's weather can get strange, and as the Hyatt is located on the lake, it can be 20 degrees cooler than the offical temperature. Also, Chicago is the Windy City, and the Hyatt's right on the river, which means it can be breezy. (And the air-conditioning in the hotels can get chilly at times, too.) Bring business cards or something you can give new friends when you meet them. Bring a little notebook to write down addresses of your new friends who didn't bring their cards. Passovoy's Rule: Get 5 hours sleep and two meals a day. Smart-alecks say that you can reverse the two, but they are wrong. More sleep is better, of course. Furthermore, make sure that one of those meals is substantial. Hotel breakfast buffets are great for this. Healthy, no. Loaded with energy rich fats and carbos, yes. You will be running at top speed for 5 days-this is not the time to skimp on fuel. GAFIA's Rule: In a five day convention, you should get away from it all for about 10 hours total. Go sit in your room for a couple of hours. Go for a walk. Chicago's a wonderful city to walk in. Go out for a meal, go to a museum, but go! Nobody can take 120 straight hours of a convention and stay sane. Find the Daily Newsletter and read it. It'll have program changes, party listings, gossip, and other useful tidbits. You'll be able to find it everywhere. The Convention Exclusion Principle: You will miss something cool at a Worldcon. That's because there's too much going on at once to see it all. Don't try. Just go through the con at your pace, and if you see something cool, trade stories with someone else. Go to the art show. It'll take a long time to see everything there - plan on spending an entire afternoon. Don't spend all your time in the dealers room. Don't spend all your money in the dealers room. When the dealers room closes, and when the daytime panels are over for the day - DON'T just disappear until the next day. (The convention isn't over at 6 o'clock.) There's plenty of stuff going on in the evening. Go to the parties. Go to the con suite. The Herd Instinct Law: When in doubt, find a big group of people and follow them. Go to the Masquerade. Go to the Hugo Awards. The things that have huge crowds waiting to get in are worth waiting in line for. Stay on-site, don't drive home at night. You miss things by leaving early, and if you stay until you're really tired it won't be safe to drive. Above all, this is supposed to be fun. As we get closer to the convention, watch www.chicon.org, which will post both more above events and programming at the convention, and events and attractions in Chicago itself. A Worldcon only comes to Chicago about once a decade. Next year it's in Philadelphia , after that San Jose CA and beyond that, who knows. And if you want to travel to the next Worldcon, remember the cheapest membership prices are the ones you get for joining earliest. Weather in Chicago * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Background Weather in Chicago, as in most cities, is highly variable. Fortunately, it's also very predictable. There are two geographical factors that contribute to Chicago's weather. First, there is Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. 450 miles long, 80 miles wide, 900 feet deep. The second is that there really isn't any major geographical features to the west or south of Chicago for nearly a thousand miles (1600 kilometers). The effect of the latter is simple. Once weather events start heading to Chicago, there is nothing in the geography to stop them. This means that there is usally two to three days warning before any major weather systems hit Chicago. This also means that any weather system thats happen to head to Chicago tend to get there. This makes Chicago weather very variable in the long term -- you never know what may get thrown at Chicago. But it also tends to be predictable in the short term. If a weatherman in Chicago says expect rain, belive it, since the system bringing rain has probably been marching to Chicago for the last week. The lake is a little more complicated. As any huge mass of water does, it makes a dandy thermal mass. It tends to be much warmer that the air over it in winter, and much cooler than the air in summer. In winter, this bring lake effect snows that can drop six inches of snow on downtown while leaving the suburbs dry. In summer, this brings the lake breeze, which can drop the temperature dramatically downtown. The Chicon 2000 hotels are located downtown, right on the Chicago River, and less than half a mile (less than one kilometer) from the Lake. This means that the Chicon hotels catch both the lake effects, and the wind effects that often occur as wind blows along the river and between the skyscrapers of downtown. Historical Last year, during the last two weeks of August, and the first two weeks of September, the highest temperature recorded was 92 degrees, and the lowest was 42. August and September are typically some of the drier months for Chicago, with most of the rainfall occuring during short thunderstorms. Average winds were about 8 mph. Downtown, near the lake, there is usually an on-shore wind blowing, since the lake rarely reaches 70 degrees. This results in temperatures downtown dropping 5-10 degrees below the offical temperatures measured at O'Hare, and as much as 20 degrees cooler right on the lake itself. What to expect, and what to bring There are, of course, no certainties. But if you were to bet on one thing, expect at least one, if not most, of your days in downtown Chicago to be breezy. A windbreaker, even a thin shell one, can be the difference between comfort and chills. Westerly and Southerly winds tend to warm the city up, Northerly winds will cool it down, and Easterly winds double the lake effect cooling and tend to whip up quite a wind along the river. You should pack for a late summer, since it does get warm, but throw in a sweater and a windbreaker. Umbrellas tend to be a real problem in Chicago, with the winds that often swirl around the skyscrapers, so most natives rely on raincoats instead. Fortunatly, the weather is usally quite mild during late August and early September, so Chicon 2000 member should be spared most of the extremes that Chicago is infamous for. More information and forecasts: * WGN Weather WGN-TV, Chicago's "Superstation", features a very comprehensive television forecast. * National Weather Service, Chicago IL For weather buffs. Complete forcasts, weather models, climatic data. Apology from the Chairman * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Due to an unfortunate miscommunication, the e-mail addresses of a number of Chicon volunteers were inadvertently printed in Progress Report No. 5. This mistake was not discovered until after the PR had been put into the hands of the Post Office. Our intention was to print a list of persons who have volunteered to work at Chicon but who have not yet been assigned to any particular duties. We wanted to assure them that they haven't been forgotten and to alert any prospective conworkers who have slipped through our bureaucratic cracks. For easier identification, names were to be accompanied by the city and state (nothing more) in which the volunteer resides. A list with e-mail addresses was supposed to be prepared separately for use by Chicon division and department heads. Unhappily, the two lists got confused, and the wrong one was given to the Progress Report. We realize that many fans do not like to see their e-mail addresses appear in print, and we are profoundly sorry about this unintentional breach of privacy. We will make every effort to avoid any repetition of this incident and ask anyone who has been offended to forgive our ineptitude. Tom Veal Chairman, Chicon 2000 Service Mark Notice * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Service Mark Notice: "World Science Fiction Society", "WSFS", "World Science Fiction Convention", "Worldcon", "NASFiC" and "Hugo Award" are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society. 20000323.txt sent to 1483 subscribers of CHICON-NEWS.