Well, last year the good folk at Conflux, the science fiction/fantasy convention held in Canberra, held a very successful Virtual Convention online for people who were headed for the event, or who couldn’t make it. It’s a chance to come and chat online to some authors, guests at the real con, editors and others in the business.

I will be in sunny Oakland, sitting on the famous Locus back deck surrounded by wooded foliage, fat self-satisfied chirpy squirrels, the odd passing deer, and the occasional Locus staffer.

Here’s how:
Log on to this address (http://conflux.org.au/forum/) – find the section devoted to the author/celeb you want at the time scheduled for them – and chat!

Each has an hour allotted to them. You can throw them tough questions, tell them how much you loathed loved their books, ask what they are doing next, tell them how to write….whatever.

Here’s when:
Next Saturday and Sunday, Oz time. I am on at 9am Eastern Australian time on Sunday. (That’s 7 a.m. Sunday Western Australian/4pm Saturday Oakland time.)

Here’s the programme and the participants:

Saturday August 2

12 noon – Glenda Larke
1pm – Chris Barnes
2pm – Gillian Polack
3pm – Bruce Gillespie
4pm – Phill Berrie
5pm – Stephen Hunt
6pm – Peter Strong
7pm – Karen Miller
8pm – Fiona McLennan
9pm – Maxine McArthur
10pm – Sharyn Lilley
11pm – Karen Herkes
12 midnight – Ellen Datlow

Sunday August 3rd

1am to 6am – break
7am – Sherwood Smith
8am – Nicole R Murphy
9am – Jonathan Strahan
10am – Kaaron Warren
11am – Sean Williams
12pm – Kevin J Anderson
1pm – Cat Sparks
2pm – Jackie French
3pm – Jack Dann
4pm – Simon Haynes
5pm – Marianne de Pierres
*http://conflux.org.au/forum/

PS: Thanks to Glenda, whose post I mostly stole :)

Spoke to Qantas customer service this morning. When will they learn that “I can’t” always sounds like “I won’t” when you’re referring to a system that your company establishes and runs?

I hate it when I’m offered a service that I then can’t use.  Hate it.  Qantas offers you the chance to check in online when you’re flying with them.  This imposes a cost on me, but that’s cool.  I’m up at stupid o’clock to do the seat booking because it’s worth it to me to get a good seat. And, I can’t use it.  I’m guessing it’s because my domestic flight connects to an international one.  I don’t care, of course.  I want to deal with this.  Very annoying, and doesn’t promote good customer relations, especially during the week when their planes seem to be either falling apart or blowing up.  I am very annoyed.

It seemed to go okay, the interview thing. Now, holidays!

Time is what happens between one thing and the next, when you’re not looking.  In 95 minutes I have a job interview.  I will never remember what happened in those 95 minutes.  They are just ‘time’.  Approximately 90 minutes later the job interview will be over. I will clearly remember every one of those 90 minutes.  I am as prepared as I’m going to be. Many thanks to everyone who helped, and for all of the kind wishes.  Breaktime soon!