On the road again: WorldCon, San Antonio, day 1

My day began and ended with work, and it also featured a healthy dose of work in the middle.  Even so, I managed to fit in some time at the con.

My first non-work activity was a barely passable lunch at the nearby food court.  Better food is readily available near the hotel, but I worked too late to be able to walk to any of it and still make my panel on time.  Tomorrow should be better on this front.

I was the moderator on my first panel, The Impact of Aaron Swartz.  My fellow panelists included two attorneys, a professor, and a reporter, all of whom had strong feelings about the topic and about the related broader issues of technology and civil liberties, so I focused on keeping the conversation going smoothly and making sure all the panelists had a chance to speak on all the topics.  We ran only a couple of minutes late, the discussion moved along briskly, and all in attendance seemed to enjoy the panel.  Good enough for me.

After a work conference call, I spent a bit of time checking out the art show and the dealers' room before returning to work.  I enjoyed the exhibits of several artists, though my favorite pieces were, rather predictably, from my friend and Hugo-nominated artist, John Picacio. 

Dinner was decent sushi at a nearby place, followed by Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

I party-crawled a bit, but my heart wasn't in it--I'm rarely comfortable in the big convention parties--and I was tired, so I called it an early (for me) night.

Tomorrow, I hope to get to see a bit more of the con, maybe catch a few panels.