We have several items in the Lost and Found at Registration.
* * *
There is an error in the listed hours in the program book. The Con Suite will be closing at 1 p.m. on Monday. However, we have been assured that the Disjunction Function will continue to function from 8:30 p.m. until your function has been thoroughly disjuncted. You heard it here first.
* * *
What you need to know today:
8 a.m.: Con Suite and Childcare open.
9 a.m.: Hotel registration opens for WisCon 40.
9:30 a.m.: Registration opens.
10 a.m.: Art Show and Dealers’ Room open.
6 p.m.: Childcare and Dealers’ Room close.
7:30 p.m.: Con Suite closes, Dessert Salon opens.
8:30 p.m.: Guest of Honor speeches begin.
Hotel Registration Opens For WisCon 40
As usual, hotel registration opens at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. You can call the reservation line and tell them you want the WisCon block, you can visit the link that appears on the WisCon website at 9 a.m. in the morning, or you can visit the desk in person and line up. This year, reservations are being taken at the front desk at the station closest to the grand staircase. There will be an area for queuing demarcated with blue tape.
Breakfast Buffet Change
In years past, the Concourse offered a breakfast buffet that included hot items in steam trays. Now, if you would like hot breakfast items, you order them from your server. While this may seem to complicate the process, it means your hot breakfast items are hotter and fresher when they get to you!
Errata for Saturday
54 Wikipedia Edit Jam
Science and Technology • Conference 1 • Saturday, 8:30–9:45 am
Liz Henry was unable to attend WisCon.
61 Fixing Policing
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements • Capitol A • Saturday, 10:00–11:15 am
Michelle Murrain has been added as a panelist. Naomi Kritzer is no longer a panelist.
75 Bridging the Generation Gap at WisCon
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements • Capitol A • Saturday, 1:00–2:15 pm
Jaymee Goh has been added as a panelist.
93 Feminine Agencies in Steampunk, Anime, and Video Games
Academic • Conference 3 • Saturday, 2:30–3:45 pm
Saba Razvi was unable to attend WisCon.
101 Where Is WisCon Going?
Fandom as a Way of Life • Senate B • Saturday, 4:00–5:15 pm
s.e. smith is no longer a panelist. Bronwyn B., Kristin Livdahl, and Sandy Sasha_feather have been added as panelists.
Need To Know for Saturday
http://www.eatstreet.com is offering us %10 off through May 25 with the code WCON10. Good for any order!
Here’s what you need to know today:
8 a.m.: Con Suite opens. Childcare opens.
9:30 a.m.: Registration opens.
10 a.m.: Children’s Programming begins. Dealers’ Room opens.
11:15 a.m: Tiptree Bake Sale begins.
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Childcare closes for lunch.
3:45 p.m.: Tiptree Bake Sale ends. (Unless everything is gone before then.)
6 p.m.: Childcare closes. Dealers’ Room closes. Art Show Award voting ends.
6:30 p.m.: Registration closes.
7:30 p.m.: Tiptree Auction Begins
11 p.m.: Con Suite closes.
Get Your Drink On
Because of the hotel’s sixth floor remodel, many parties have moved to the second floor and because of the terms of their liquor license, we are unable to serve alcohol on the second floor.
This is not the end of the world, I promise! You can still have drinks in those rooms, the hosts just can’t serve alcohol to you, only a hotel bartender can serve alcohol on the first or second floor. So if you need to get your drink on, there are a few things you can do:
We will have a cash bar at Opening Ceremonies and the Karaoke Party on Friday night. Not only that, the Karaoke Party has free beer! We will also have a cash bar Sunday night at the Dessert Salon.
6th floor parties and room parties can still serve alcohol.
You can get drinks at the bar. We love the bar! Not only are they friendly as all get-out, but they have a special drink menu with many drinks put together just for us. See the Drink Menu for more info!
You can buy your own. There’s a liquor store on State Street and a second liquor store just down Gorham Street. Of course, if you do you still can’t serve it to anyone on the 2nd floor. We are probably just as sorry as you probably are, believe me!
Finally, please remember that we cannot have alcohol outside on the sidewalk or in the smoking area so if you have a drink and find you need a smoke, please find a place to set your drink before heading out there. It’s another way the hotel can lose its liquor license.
Hot Dog Withdrawal Syndrome
by Jim Leinweber
You may have noticed that this year the con suite doesn’t have hot dogs. If you are suffering from HDWS (Hot Dog Withdrawal Syndrome), your best fix may be the “OSS” restaurant at 910 Regent ST. It’s about 1.2 miles from the Concourse, and has no parking, so your best bet might be either a #6 bus or a Madison B-cycle rental.
Con Suite Changes
This year you’ll notice many changes in the Con Suite but one of the biggest is that it will no longer be open past bar time.
Hours:
Friday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Monday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As usual, it will be closed during Opening Ceremonies, the Tiptree Auction, and the Dessert Salon.
Stop in to say hi and see how we’ve changed!
Smoking Ban
Smoking is prohibited everywhere in the Concourse and in all restaurants and bars in Wisconsin. In Madison, this ban includes all types of electronic cigarettes. The Concourse’s smoking area is outside the double doors to the left of the front desk beyond the Sundries Shop. State Street has at least two smoke shops and last this diva knew there are at least a couple places downtown where you can sit outside and indulge in a hookah.
Access Is Awesome
Less a headline and more a statement of fact, our Access Team works hard every day to make sure you are able to navigate the con safely regardless of your level of ability. From the unscented soaps in the public restrooms to the remote viewing room at the Dessert Salon, they’re working every day to make the con accessible to as many people as possible.
Here are a few notes from your access team:
If you have difficulty navigating the carpeted area next to the elevator bank on the first floor, use the blue-taped path to the right of the grand staircase past The Cupboard Under The Stairs™ (previously the business center) and around the far side of the elevators.
We have a sharps disposal container available for your use in the nongendered restroom next to Registration. If you need a personal sharps container, they are available in the hotel’s Sundries Shop next to the front desk for $3.
Did you know there’s an accessible, nongendered restroom on the 6th floor next to 629? I didn’t until today! We’ve also got one on the second floor to the right of Registration.
Blue tape, it’s everywhere! Blue-taped areas and chairs in programming rooms are for those who use mobility devices or who may need to sit near the front for whatever reason. Blue-taped lanes in the hallways show you which side of the hall is for walking or rolling and which side is for hanging out. Blue tape can also indicate where lines should form.
Interaction badges! If you sometimes have trouble interacting with people, we’ve got your back!
Here’s what you need to know:
RED (stop sign symbol) means: STOP don’t talk to me! I don’t want to talk to anyone right now, or if I do, I will approach you. If I initiate conversation, it’s ok to talk back.
YELLOW (triangle symbol) means: I only want to talk to people I know, not to strangers and not to people I only know from the internet. If I initiate conversation, it’s ok to talk back, but please don’t approach me unless you know me.
GREEN (circle symbol): I would like to be approached by people interested in talking. I may have trouble initiating conversation.
WHITE (square symbol): I can manage my own social interactions.
How can we help make the convention more accessible for you? You can always contact us at access@wiscon.info.
Archive of at-con tweets
Chris Wallish
Media & Communications
Sure, we posted that information to Twitter and hashtagged it, but that was, like, an hour and 200 tweets ago.
Let this be your virtual corkboard! We’ll archive announcement and informational tweets as we make them. Look for this post in the sticky posts on the right side of the blog.
(Newest tweets are at the top.)
Saturday, May 23
Friday, May 22
Please use only blue tape to hang up posters and signs! we don't want to damage the walls. #wc39 @WisCon39
— Angelic Troublemaker (@sasha_feather) May 23, 2015
Con Suite this year features many vegetarian, vegan, & gluten-free items.
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
Reminder: Safety is even available in the middle of the night. Do not hesitate to call the Safety number in the PPB at ANY TIME.
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
Anne of Safety models their yellow vests. If you have any Safety concerns, please find someone in a hideous vest.
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
Access reminds panelists: USE THE MICS
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
"Which departments need volunteers?" "ALL OF THEM!"
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
Con Suite is closed for opening ceremonies. GO TO OPENING CEREMONIES!! Ballroom, 2nd floor. You learn useful stuff!
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
Con Suite closes at 7:30pm for Opening Ceremonies.
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 23, 2015
Gaming at #wc39: board games every night in front of the Dealer's Room! RPGs every night! LarpJam tonight at 8pm in Conference 3! #WisCon
— Beth (@bethcodes) May 22, 2015
The facilitated discussion tonight will be "Trans Identities in Feminist Spaces" Hope to see you there! #tgqwiscon39
— Podkayne Agenda (@dorkadroit) May 22, 2015
Is this your 1st WisCon? Come to 1st WisCon Dinner! Meet outside the Wisconsin Ballroom @ 5:15 & join WisCon veterans at local restaurants.
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Our Trans/Genderqueer Safer Space has a hashtag to follow what time they’re open, what events are going on, &c.: #tgqwiscon39
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
2) EatStreet.com has given us 10% off through 5/25 with code WCON10. Good for any order!
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
1) That means the card pays for itself if you spend just $50 all weekend. Thank you, @MsnConcourseHtl!! — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
1) @MsnConcourseHtl offers a discount card for the hotel restaurant (NOT good in Starbucks): for $10, you get 20% off during WisCon!
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Hungry people of WisCon! We have 2 deals for you. + — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Have clothes or nail polish for the swaps at The Gathering?? They are setting up & available for drop-offs! Go to 2nd floor ballrooms!
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Children’s Programming (ages 6-12) starts at 2:30pm! — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
(If you didn’t sign up, you can ask if there’s room but they may have to say “no” to maintain the right adult/child ratio.)
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
If you signed up for Childcare, the room will open at 1pm. — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Program Book errata: Childcare is in room 634!! Children’s Programming is across the hall in 629!
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
The Trans/Genderqueer Safer Space will be open 10am-12pm (RM611) at #wiscon39 more info will be available at the registration desk — Podkayne Agenda (@dorkadroit) May 22, 2015
And if you have questions about anything, the Reg Desk (2nd floor) doubles as Information. Or stop anyone with “Ask Me” on their badge!
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
The back cover of your PPB has a handy quick schedule of WisCon spaces. — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
* Panels start @ 2:30pm * Art Show opens @ 6pm * Dealers’ Room opens @ 2pm
— WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Closing down Twitter for the night as I’m off to bed. Reminders: * Reg Desk opens @ 9:30am * The Gathering starts @ 1pm + — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Trans/Gender Non-conforming lounge is in room 611, ya’ll. #wiscon @wc39
— Lady_Nhytefall (@MxShepard) May 22, 2015
We have pronoun stickers for your badges this year at #WisCon Reg! If your pronoun of choice is missing, let me know! #wc39 — Bronwyn (@bronwynmoore) May 22, 2015
Everyone at #WisCon39 knows there’s an app for that, right? WisSched gives you a virtual program, can auto-import your programming schedule.
— Alexandra Erin (@alexandraerin) May 21, 2015
.@ShareefJackson Ack! Sorry that is obscure! Green Room is next to the Art Show — 2nd floor, opposite the ballroom. — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 22, 2015
Thursday, May 21
the accessible entrance to Starbucks in inside the concourse hotel #access#wc39@WisCon39
— Angelic Troublemaker (@sasha_feather) May 21, 2015
We’d like to remind you of our updated harassment policies: http://t.co/XmNoFQMxz1 Also on p. 92 of the Pocket Program Book (aka, the PPB). — WisCon (@WisCon39) May 21, 2015
Need To Know
So you have a thing you need to know about the con and you don’t know where to go? The first thing you can do is check out the Welcome To WisCon! hand-out on the table by the elevator banks across from Registration. If it’s not there or just isn’t enough info, you can check the Pocket Program Book. Still can’t find it or not enough? Ask at Registration or, if nobody is at the desk, find anyone with a badge that says Ask Me at the bottom. They’re members of the concom and happy to answer your questions.
What you need to know today:
9:30 a.m.: Registration opens.
1 p.m.: The Gathering starts in the Wisconsin Ballroom. Childcare opens.
2 p.m.: Dealer’s Room opens.
5:30 p.m.: First WisCon Dinner meets in front of The Wisconsin Ballroom. (It’s not just for first-timers!)
6 p.m.: Con Suite scheduled to open. Dealers’ Room closes. Childcare closes.
7:30 p.m.: Opening Ceremonies. Important announcements, skits, cash bar, what’s not to love?