Dragon*Con, incoming!

image by Steven Hickman, via DragonCon.org

By Odin’s turgid ovaries, Dragon*Con is only a week away! Soon I will be but one of 40,000 scales on a great sleepless, screaming, brightly-colored, intoxicated wyrm writhing in the heart of Atlanta.

I have been fortunate enough to receive guest status this year, and so will be involved in SCIENCE! And podcasting! Behold:

  • Bacteriophages – Using Viruses To Cure Disease, Friday 1pm (Hilton 202) – “For 90 years, viruses have been used to treat bacterial diseases. Due to increases in antibiotic resistant bacteria, are bacteriophages our only hope?” – This should be fun. I’ve recently been attached to this panel, and the topic is a favorite of mine due to being cutting edge medical science… and seriously, wouldn’t it be so cool if a designed bacteriophage went awry? MWA HA HA H- er, sorry.
  • Autism and Vaccination – The Rumored Connection, Friday 4pm (Hilton 202) – “The latest issues regarding this controversy, how it started, and a primer for talking with someone who believes that the two are related.” – I am honored to be moderating an impressively renowned group of physicians and scientists for what promises to be an educational hour about this fictional controversy.
  • Tickle in the Throat, Saturday 1pm (Marriott L504-L505) – “Pandemics and plagues that could be devastating for the world (or maybe they will just thin it out and we won’t have much traffic).  Authors share their research and a scientist shares his view.” – I can only presume that I’m the scientist. And this has the potential for great fun…
  • The 2009 Parsec Awards, Saturday 7pm (Hyatt Regency V) – “The Parsec Award is available for Sci-Fi & Fantasy Original Content, and Speculative Fiction within the new frontiers of Portable Media.  Join us for the Fourth Annual Parsec Awards Ceremony.” – Mur and I will be hosting the ceremony again this year, and I expect it to be an excellent time!
  • Influenza, Swine Flu and You, Sunday 2:30pm (Hilton 202) – “An update on the myths and the realities of these (un)popular diseases.” – I’m also going to be moderating this talk, featuring an equally esteemed panel of experts to talk about one of my favorite dis-eases.

Beyond these, I will be attending plenty of other panels and events, including the pre-convention charity Star Party on Thursday night, hosted by Phil Plait and Pamela Gay.  Don’t hesitate to stop by and say hello, and both email and Twitter will be good ways to track me down in the chaos.