From: kat@werple.apana.org.au (Kathryn Andersen)
Newsgroups: aus.sf,rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: Conjunction 3
Summary: non-event
Keywords: ConJunction 3 SF  convention
Date: 11 Oct 92 00:34:00 GMT
Distribution: aus
Organization: werple public-access UNIX, Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au


		Report on Conjunction 3
	(Sept 18-20 1992, Sheraton, Melbourne)

Conjunction 3 was an average con.  Translation: the only good reason to
go was to see old friends.  And of course, that guarantees you will have
a good time - only if you are an old fan.  And paying much money to see
friends in a hotel when you could see them at home for free is not much
of a reccomendation.  Value for money it was not.

	The main programme:

The animals in SF pannel.  Kudos to George Ivanoff for the work he put
in to the video clips, but the pannel itself was more a catalogue than a
discussion - could it have been better?

The Liar's pannel started off fine, but then it just degenerated into
personal opinion - about persons.

Theatresports - hard to go wrong, considering who was participating.

The auction - well, it was an auction, what do you expect?  Justin
Ackroyd speiled away with the best of them, but there was little
tempting on offer.

The closing ceremony - I was apalled by the gratuitous violence.  There
is nothing at all redeeming about the pointless destruction of three
video tapes and one video recorder (however cheap or broken they be).
If I encounter a similar "spectacle" again, I am tempted to stand up and
scream at them - except that that would probably provide more titilation
for the masses, and they would merely assume I was part of the plot.  Or
perhaps we should revive the old music-hall tradition of throwing rotten
fruit at acts which are not up to par.  Not really.  The hotel would not
approve.

The closing video however, was nicely put together.  Perhaps it is no
coincidence that most of the nice things I have to say are about videos
(I'll get to the video programme later).  Melbourne fandom has some good
resources in that area, and they do use them.

The Art Show - what art show?  There was very little in it, the only
real things of note being some paintings by Marianne Plumridge, but she
is always consistent in her quality.

The Hucksters room - again, what Hucksters room?  Very few tables - the
only things I bought were a book from Merv Binns and a picture from
Marianne Plumridge.  Unlike many cons, the hucksters room did not seem
to be a place to rendezvous (what, am I thinking nostalgically about
Eccentricon?)

The video programme was what should be expected at a con; a showing of
new, rare, and hard-to-obtain SF and related videos that one cannot see
elsewhere.  Thus I was treated to some rare Avengers, including a
documentary on them, some 5th season Next Gen, and the never-shown-on-TV
Shada, which I enjoyed greatly.

But whatever happened to the cons where there was so much going on that
you couldn't see everything you wanted to see, where you squeezed in
lunch and dinner in the corners?

Don't blame the recession for mediocrity.  Creativity doesn't cost a
thing.

Kathryn Andesen
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Vila: My experience of aliens hasn't exactly been warming.
Tarrant: Your experiences with humans hasn't been particularly glowing either.
			(Blake's 7: Sarcophagus [C9]) /?/
-- 
 _--_|\		Kathryn Andersen	<kat@werple.apana.org.au>
/      \	Hawthorn -> Melbourne -> Victoria -> Australia
\_.--.*/	-> Southern Hemisphere -> Earth -> Sol -> Milky Way Galaxy
      v			-- My other account is an Apollo --
Newsgroups: aus.tv,aus.sf