# Penguicon

Penguicon is a convention in southeastern Michigan designed originally to mix the communities of the science fiction fandom and Linux user groups. In addition to educational panels on science fiction in the media, attendees participate in professional and beginner-level panels on Linux and open-source software. Penguicon takes its name both from a Monty Python sketch and from Tux, the penguin mascot of Linux.
Penguicon is held in the spring in the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area. The venue, a hotel, has changed from year to year, but since 2014 the event has been held at the Westin Southfield Hotel in Southfield, Michigan.
Since its founding, Penguicon has expanded its focus to include panels and events for foodies, cosplay, filk music (the folk music of science fiction fandom), gaming, and makerspaces. Penguicon has been described as a place where "hackers, makers, foodies, open source software junkies, anime buffs, and science fiction fans of all ages and backgrounds come together in a hotel for a weekend and totally blow the roof off."
Along with the panels, the convention has hosted Artemis spaceship bridge simulations, biohacking presentations, retrogaming rooms, and a life-size Operation game board.
Working alongside local makerspaces i3Detroit and All Hands Active, Penguicon has offered instruction in learning to solder electronic components, which allowed attendees to create their own LED badges.
Over a thousand participants have attended past conventions, which have featured Guests of Honor from Neil Gaiman and John Scalzi to Jon "maddog" Hall and Eric S. Raymond.

## Recent events

For the 2014 convention, the Penguicon tech track's focus was on privacy and cryptography. Guests of Honor included Ernie Cline, author of Ready Player One; and Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

## Philanthropy

Penguicon was listed as a Guardian of Wildlife at the Detroit Zoo in 2013 for donating to symbolically adopt a penguin.
In 2013, Penguicon listed the New Beginnings Animal Rescue as their official charity, and Penguicon members donated $700 and 123 pounds of food during the convention weekend.
Penguicon was also a sponsor of MHacks III, a weekend-long hackathon held in Detroit in January 2014.
The organization Enabling the Future, which constructs 3D printed prosthetic hands for those in need, was Penguicon's 2015 Hack of Honor and official sponsored charity. Along with collecting donations, Penguicon worked with Enabling the Future and community members to 3D print limbs leading up to and during the 2015 convention.

## Featured guests

Every year, Penguicon invites a dozen or more people (authors, hackers, and entertainers) who are not full Guests of Honor, but are celebrities in their own right, and calls them Featured Guests (formerly "Nifty Guests"). They also invite former Guests of Honor as "Guest of Honor Emeritus". In 2010, this included author Jim C. Hines, musician Tom Smith, and open source advocate Eric S. Raymond.

## Wil Wheaton's cancellations

Penguicon has invited Wil Wheaton as a guest of honor multiple times, but he has had to cancel each time. In 2009, Wheaton had to cancel the morning of the convention and wrote an apology letter which was read aloud at Opening Ceremonies.

## Tron Guy

Jay Maynard debuted his self-made electroluminescent Tron Guy costume at Penguicon in 2004. After submitting photos of himself to Slashdot, he appeared in costume on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has also been on America's Got Talent and a commercial for Duck Brand duct tape. Maynard says he "hasn't missed a Penguicon, and doesn't intend to."

## In the media

A Science Channel show, Outrageous Acts of Science, replayed a video from Penguicon 2006 in which Nifty Guest Howard Tayler recorded attendees dumping the remains of a dewar of liquid nitrogen into the hotel swimming pool. In 2010, Howard Tayler returned to Penguicon as a Guest of Honor and hosted a second video involving liquid nitrogen and the hotel swimming pool.

## Penguicon Events

| Year | Chair | Location | Dates | Guests of Honor | Website |
| 2003 | Michael Andaluz | Van Dyke Park Suites - Warren, Michigan | May 2nd to May 4th | Eric S. Raymond, Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda, Terry Pratchett, J. D. Frazer, Pete Abrams | Penguicon 1 |
| 2004 | | Sheraton Detroit - Novi, Michigan | April 16th to April 18th | Jeff "Hemos" Bates, Jon "maddog" Hall, Neil Gaiman, Steve Jackson, Wil Wheaton (cancelled) | Penguicon 2 |
| 2005 | Bill Putt | Sheraton Detroit - Novi, Michigan | April 22nd to April 24th | Nat Torkington, Dr. Peter Salus, Cory Doctorow, Joan D. Vinge, Rod Roddenberry, Kevin Siembieda, Wil Wheaton (cancelled) | Penguicon 3 |
| 2006 | Aaron Thul | Livonia Holiday Inn - Livonia, Michigan | April 21st to April 23rd | Chris DiBona, Frank Hayes, Steve Miller, Sharon Lee, Andy Looney, Kristin Looney, Alison "Looney" Frane (Looney Labs) | Penguicon 4 |
| 2007 | phecda | Troy Hilton - Troy, Michigan | April 20th to April 22nd | Bruce Schneier, Charlie Stross, Elizabeth Bear, Christine Peterson, Steve Jackson, Randy Milholland | Penguicon 5 |
| 2008 | Keri Springer | Troy Hilton - Troy, Michigan | April 18th to April 20th | Benjamin Mako Hill, Jono Bacon, Vernor Vinge, Tamora Pierce, Randall Munroe, Keith Baker, Zeusaphone | Penguicon 6 |
| 2009 | Matt Arnold | Crown Plaza Hotel - Romulus, MI | May 1st to May 3rd | Rasmus Lerdorf, Jon "maddog" Hall, Andrew Hackard, Jane McGonigal, Wil Wheaton (cancelled), CandyFab | Penguicon 7 |
| 2010 | Randy Bradakis | Troy Marriott - Troy, Michigan | April 30th to May 2nd | Joe Brockmeier, Marcel Gagné, Karl Schroeder, Spider Robinson (cancelled), Jeanne Robinson (cancelled), Howard Tayler, i3Detroit (Hack of Honor) | Penguicon 8 |
| 2011 | Limey Zrnich | Troy Marriott - Troy, Michigan | April 29th to May 1st | MC Frontalot, Brandon Sanderson, Jimmie P. Rogers, Howard Tayler | Penguicon 9 |
| 2012 | Chuck Child | Regency Hyatt - Dearborn, Michigan | April 27th - April 29th | John Scalzi, Jim Gettys, Scrub Club Records, Open Soda (Hack of Honor) | Penguicon 10 |
| 2013 | Nuri Gocay | Marriott Centerpoint - Auburn Hills, Michigan | April 26th to April 28th | Jason Denzel, Jim C. Hines, Jeff Potter, Maik Schmidt, Michael W. Lucas, Nick Farr | Penguicon 11 |
| 2014 | Nuri Gocay | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | May 2nd to May 4th | Ernest Cline, YTCracker, Eva Galperin (Electronic Frontier Foundation), Erika Carlson (Girl Develop It Detroit founder), GameFace Labs (Hack of Honor) | Penguicon 12 |
| 2015 | Nuri Gocay | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | April 24th to April 26th | Albert Manero, Charlie Jane Anders, Annalee Newitz, Aral Balkan, Enabling the Future (Hack of Honor) | Penguicon 13 |
| 2016 | Scott Kennedy | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | April 29th to May 1st | Ann Leckie, Sirius (Profs. Lingjia Tang and Jason Mars), Greg Gage, Catherynne M. Valente, Deb Nicholson, Ann Lemay | Penguicon 14 |
| 2017 | Cylithria Dubois | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | April 28th to April 30th | Ada Palmer,Cory Doctorow,Sumana Harihareswara,Coraline Ada Ehmke (cancelled),Kevin MacLeod,Tommy Edison and Ben Churchill (Blind Film Critic), The Tricorder Project (Hack of Honor) | Penguicon 15 |
| 2018 | Cassy Sinke | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | May 4th to May 6th | Mark Oshiro, Johnny Xmas, Dr. Kristine Larsen, Christine Sunu, Mary Anne Mohanraj (Writing Excuses) | Penguicon 16 |
| 2019 | Jessica Roland | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | May 3rd to May 5th | Saladin Ahmed, Zed Shaw, Mikey Mason, Daniel Hansen (Crafty Celts), Sophia Brueckner, Karen Corbeill | Penguicon 17 |
| 2020 | Bagel Garrison | Virtual | April 24th to April 26th | Margret-Ann Miller, Jo Walton, Larry Nemecek, Christopher Webber | Penguicon 18 |
| 2021 | Dave “Ska” Green | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | April 22nd to April 25th | David Revoy, Chris Crawford, Casey Fiesler, Leonard Balsera, Jo Walton, Larry Nemecek | Penguicon 19 |
| 2022 | Dave “Ska” Green | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | April 21st to April 23rd | Nuri Gocay, Larry Nemecek, Tracy Barnett | Penguicon 20 |
| 2023 | David “Ska” Green | Westin – Southfield, Michigan | April 21st to April 23rd | Eric Choi, Charles J. Cohen, Ph.D., PMP, Sylvia Hubbard | Penguicon 21 |
| 2024 | Bagel Garrison | Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti | April 26th to April 28th | Dr. Stefani Goerlich, J. Wolfgang Goerlich, Benny Vasquez | Penguicon 22 |