BLFC was awesome!
6 years ago
I just returned from Biggest Little Fur Con last night and, once again, it didn't let me down. Here's a run-down:
Avian Anatomy Panels: I delivered 3 panels this time including avian anatomy, adult avian anatomy, and avian transformation. The general anatomy lecture was less attended than previous, probably because it occurred in the morning and had some competition from other popular events. The adult panel was solid though not as packed as last year. I've had several people ask me about posting a video or handout from this lecture but I probably won't do this at least not in a public site. First, it's hard to find the time to make the materials. I could render the keynote presentation into pages but my presentations tend to have less text in them so you'd still need my voice explaining what's being shown. Second, I've learned the hard way that anything shared online can be taken out of context and used in unintended ways. I am happy to share my knowledge and my resources with others that ask for them but I'm increasingly careful about displaying material in my adult galleries that closely relates to my other career activities. I keep the adult discussion mostly professional, maybe even a bit dry and technical, because real-world nature is cool on its own. But there are furry haters out there that will use anything out of context to support their flimsy agendas. Feel free to contact me directly if you have anatomical questions or need resources.
Avian Transformation Panel: This was the first time I've held this panel at a major con and it went very well. We had about 20 participants. I moderated while we discussed various aspects of transformation and I answered some of the technical questions. I came away with some cool new ideas about triggers, timing, and aesthetics. One particularly interesting concept brought up was how discomfort would be handled during transformation which ultimately led to a discussion of neuroanatomy. Neuroanatomy also came up when we tossed around the question of how much our human thought we would want to retain if we turned into birds. Cool, creative stuff to hash around with cool, creative people. Thanks to all who attended!
Art Show: 14 of 24 pieces sold in the art show. One piece set a personal new record high for bid amount on a digital print. The con-specific, limited edition print "Party Birb" was particularly successful.
Bird Party: The bird party was a fun time. There was a good cross-section of birds including artists, performers, suiters, and writers. Drinks were good, music was good (and not too loud). Space was good too as we had a suite. A special thanks to those that set up Quiplash and Jackbox-- computer-based party games that everyone could participate in with their smartphones. It was a blast! Because we've had some very crowded, loud parties in the past, we controlled the number of people pretty closely this time. It wasn't perfect and I'm really sorry if you are a bird that was missed or you couldn't bring your significant other. I'm working with others in planning future parties.
Books: I didn't have a dealer's table but I did manage to sell a few books anyway so that's cool
Dancing/Suiting:I always enjoy suiting and especially dancing in suit. I danced every night this year and enjoyed every second of it. The DJs around midnight were good every night. Even had more retro remixes (some disco, 90s, 80s mixed into some modern dance beats). On Sunday night there was a tribute to GoT thrown into the music and that was very cool. Sadly, I didn't keep track of the DJs' names but wow they were good.
Birdfriends: Best part of BLFC is the people I reunite with and the new ones I get to know. Thank you, birdfriends, old and new, for a great time.
Avian Anatomy Panels: I delivered 3 panels this time including avian anatomy, adult avian anatomy, and avian transformation. The general anatomy lecture was less attended than previous, probably because it occurred in the morning and had some competition from other popular events. The adult panel was solid though not as packed as last year. I've had several people ask me about posting a video or handout from this lecture but I probably won't do this at least not in a public site. First, it's hard to find the time to make the materials. I could render the keynote presentation into pages but my presentations tend to have less text in them so you'd still need my voice explaining what's being shown. Second, I've learned the hard way that anything shared online can be taken out of context and used in unintended ways. I am happy to share my knowledge and my resources with others that ask for them but I'm increasingly careful about displaying material in my adult galleries that closely relates to my other career activities. I keep the adult discussion mostly professional, maybe even a bit dry and technical, because real-world nature is cool on its own. But there are furry haters out there that will use anything out of context to support their flimsy agendas. Feel free to contact me directly if you have anatomical questions or need resources.
Avian Transformation Panel: This was the first time I've held this panel at a major con and it went very well. We had about 20 participants. I moderated while we discussed various aspects of transformation and I answered some of the technical questions. I came away with some cool new ideas about triggers, timing, and aesthetics. One particularly interesting concept brought up was how discomfort would be handled during transformation which ultimately led to a discussion of neuroanatomy. Neuroanatomy also came up when we tossed around the question of how much our human thought we would want to retain if we turned into birds. Cool, creative stuff to hash around with cool, creative people. Thanks to all who attended!
Art Show: 14 of 24 pieces sold in the art show. One piece set a personal new record high for bid amount on a digital print. The con-specific, limited edition print "Party Birb" was particularly successful.
Bird Party: The bird party was a fun time. There was a good cross-section of birds including artists, performers, suiters, and writers. Drinks were good, music was good (and not too loud). Space was good too as we had a suite. A special thanks to those that set up Quiplash and Jackbox-- computer-based party games that everyone could participate in with their smartphones. It was a blast! Because we've had some very crowded, loud parties in the past, we controlled the number of people pretty closely this time. It wasn't perfect and I'm really sorry if you are a bird that was missed or you couldn't bring your significant other. I'm working with others in planning future parties.
Books: I didn't have a dealer's table but I did manage to sell a few books anyway so that's cool
Dancing/Suiting:I always enjoy suiting and especially dancing in suit. I danced every night this year and enjoyed every second of it. The DJs around midnight were good every night. Even had more retro remixes (some disco, 90s, 80s mixed into some modern dance beats). On Sunday night there was a tribute to GoT thrown into the music and that was very cool. Sadly, I didn't keep track of the DJs' names but wow they were good.
Birdfriends: Best part of BLFC is the people I reunite with and the new ones I get to know. Thank you, birdfriends, old and new, for a great time.

Hauke
~hauke
Glad to hear that you sold a few books despite not having a table. And it sounds like it was a fun con.

Aetus
~aetus
OP
Would've been nice to have you there!