Phlinn's Philcon Schedule

No readings or kafeeklatsches, apparently

Sat 1:00 PM in Plaza III (Three)—Time Travel for the Millions (1115)

If everyone could do it, how would this affect daily life? What are the most frivolous uses of time travel we can think of? What would be a time traveler's practical joke?John Ashmead (mod), Andrew C. Murphy, Gail Z. Martin, Michael F. Flynn, Glenn Hauman

Sat 3:00 PM in Plaza IV (Four)—Creating Religions in SF & Fantasy (1125)

Some authors have managed to invent plausible religions. A few have even crossed into reality. Other fictional religions come across as Catholicism (or other faith) with doodads tacked on, or as contrivances to make characters act according to the plot. How can you make "fake" religions work?
Judith Moffett (mod), Michael F. Flynn, Daniel Grotta, Eric Kotani, Tom Doyle

Sat 4:00 PM in Autograph Table—Autograph Session 4:00 - 5:00 (1279)

Jonah Knight, Michael F. Flynn

Sat 5:00 PM in Plaza II (Two)—Great Novels...And Why We Don't Like Them. (1137)

That are novels that are unquestionably great, yet we still can not manage to enjoy them. What makes these novels great, and why do they not appeal to us?
Ellen Asher (mod), Ty Drago, Gregory Frost, Michael F. Flynn, Ray Ridenour

Sat 6:00 PM in Plaza V (Five)—Who am I, what am I, where am I? - Consciousness and the Brain (988)

Consciousness has recently become a significant topic of research in psychology and neuroscience. How do subjective feelings come from brain processes? What has been learned, what is still a mystery?
Michael F. Flynn (mod), Tobias Cabral, Rebecca Robare, Catherine Faber, Lawrence Kramer

Sat 9:00 PM in Plaza VI (Six)—Inside Other Minds: Can we Ever Really Imagine an Alien Psychology? (984)

Given the difficulty humans have understanding each other, is it really possible to imagine a totally alien psychology? Can we put ourselves in the place of the truly Other and train ourselves to think differently? How well has SF achieved this so far, and what are the examples of notable successes and failures?
Rebecca Robare (mod), Samuel Conway, James Prego, Alexis Gilliland, Michael F. Flynn

Sun 10:00 AM in Plaza IV (Four)—Killing Hitler For Fun and Profit (1153)

How have various authors treated the idea of trying to change the past? CAN you change the past, and if so, what are the consequences?
Andre Lieven (mod), KT Pinto, Michael F. Flynn, Alex Shvartsman, Glenn Hauman

Sun 11:00 AM in Plaza III (Three)—Extreme Alternate History (1182)

Go beyond "a different outcome for famous battles" to other ways that history could have played out. Think how the world would really be different if something small and innocuous had occurred.
Allyn Gibson (mod), Michael F. Flynn, Sarah Hunter, Evelyn Leeper, Brian Thomas, Ray Witte

Sun 2:00 PM in Plaza III (Three)—Space Opera and the Checkout Counter (1187)

Space Opera is one of the most successful forms of science fiction in terms of sales. Are there inherent reasons for its continued success?
Alexis Gilliland (mod), Michael F. Flynn, Shelby Morgen, Nathan Lilly, Michael Ryan