While others were picnicking and watching fireworks over the long Fourth of July weekend, two embedded reporters from The Nerdery instead enjoyed the great indoors at CONvergence, a four-day nerdathon attended last weekend by hundreds of sci-fi/fantasy fanatics. Following is a secondhand account based on interviews with Kai Esbensen, our manager of quality assurance, and Kris Szafranski, our director of software development.
Kai and Kris at CON (not pictured: Kai and Kris)
CONvergence (CON for short) is run by its parent organization, the Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Misfits). A four-day pass was $45 in advance and $70 at the door, plus room fees for outstate nerds – but the Sheraton in Bloomington is just a couple miles from the Nerdery – stumbling distance.
Both Kai and Kris found CONvergence to be excellent people-watching at almost every turn, particularly poolside, where people would gather to eat and have sword (or light saber) fights. Also, both found it hard to look away from the kissing booth – 30 seconds for a buck. The Anti-Klingon Room was filled with hearts, muffins and the kind of pleasantries most Klingons list as turnoffs. Down the hall there was Klingon belly dancing and an Agony Booth (acting!). The Romulan pub had four primary colored mystery beverages in unmarked decanters. Dr. Horrible’s sing-along room was packed with people belting out nerdy tunes as if their lives depended on it.
“There was a lot of pent-up dorkdom being released at CON,” said Kris. “It’s a time and place for people to completely geek out. They can just be themselves, or whoever they want to be – whether it’s a zombie, a Steampunk or that “this is Sparta!” guy from “300.”
I nodded as if I got I the reference. As an intrigued outsider, I get how Tom Wolf must have felt when he met the Merry Pranksters and set out to write The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test; I’m not fully “on the bus” with sci-fi culture but I do enjoy it vicariously. But my enjoyment pales in comparison to Kai’s.
“There’s so much positive energy at CON,” Kai said. “Everyone’s approachable, there’s no attitude or hostility – just disarmed sweethearts being adorable, happy, free … it’s like a nerdy Woodstock with tech hippies.”
Summer of Love revisited
This was Kai’s sixth year at CONvergence and the first (but not last) time for Kris. By day, conference rooms have film screenings, theatrical performances, speakers, art shows, collectable dealing, and panel discussions. Kai gave high marks to a panel he went to on critical thinking. Kris came away from a panel on sci-fi-movies-that-are-so-bad-that-they’re-good with a long Netflix wish list.
Paul Stanley and Spidey - together at last
During the evening and wee hours, attendees roam the hallways room to room, hitting variously themed parties. Some were duds. “You couldn’t just put out a bowl of candy corn and expect people to hang around,” said Kai.
But there was nearly always a line for The House of Toast, where you could pick up to three toppings (about a hundred were listed). Kris and a friend decided to order for each other (and had they made a puke pact only one of them would have held up their end of the bargain). Kris ordered Nutella, Tabasco, and turkey gizzards for his friend, who countered with chocolate frosting, salsa and peaches. Other foodies took leaps of blind-faith at The Glory Hole of Snack Food – literally a who-knows-what-you’ll-get-hole-in-the-wall where bold patrons press their mouth in anticipation/apprehension.
Food and beverage is always available to CON attendees (50 pizzas are delivered every hour). Kai remarked that the constant techno music in the grand ballroom and at food stands was maybe too cool/not nerdy enough. “I’d have preferred some DEVO or maybe They Might Be Giants (the band that once begged the question from David Letterman: “When will we know?”)
Other costumes: A three-year old kid dressed as Han Solo. A women in her 70’s dressed as a sort of mystic. Godzilla. Tron and a slew of other video game characters. Knights. A molecule of zinc. King Kong. Kris did not dress up and said it made him feel a bit out of place, while Kai wore a lab coat (a company man; he puts the “lab” in Nerdery Interactive Labs). Many others were dressed as their ancestors did a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Next year’s theme: The bad guys of sci-fi. Will you give in to the dark side?
The Captain gets the last word.
