In the first week since we opened RSVPs and registration for the 2012 international meetup we’ve seen almost as many RSVPs as we had in all of last year. Clearly it’s gonna be a kick-ass time, as defined by the fact that some of the coolest people in the world (GWCers, natch) will be there. As always we’ve been receiving quite a few questions about the events, the locations, and general what-have-you surrounding the event.
To that end, Juan and I will be doing a live question and answer session this Tuesday (Feb. 7) starting at 8:00 p.m. It’ll be a live podcast, which means it’ll work just like an episode of Eff This Week. Juan and I will be on the mics at 8, and you can listen in via GWC’s live page either here (click the link at the top of the page) or over on UStream. If you’re going to be out somewhere (like at work) and want to listen in on the sly, you can tune in with your smartphone via UStream’s Android and/or iOS apps.
Just like during Eff This Week, there’ll also be a live chat running, which we’ll be watching interactively. We’ll answer/address questions asked there, so if you have concerns, feel free to share them. And hell, you might want to stop by just to listen. This is Juan and me, which means you never know what we’ll end up talking about in addition to the Q&A. Maybe we’ll share some tales of meetups past. Or take requests.
Anyway, hope to see you there, and we definitely hope to see you at the meetup.
Join us for the inaugural episode of our new live podcast Eff This Week tomorrow, Thursday August 25th. We kick off the show at 9:00 p.m. central time, streaming it live via UStream. We’ll interact with the audience as well, both via the UStream text chat and via Twitter. If you’re on a Flash-capable device or computer, you can listen to the stream and participate in the chat directly via our live page, and mobile users can listen to the stream via the UStream app, available for both iOS and Android. Even if you can’t make the ‘cast, you can still communicate directly with the hosts by tweeting with the hashtag #gwclive. We’ll be watching the stream.
Eff This Week will be a (mostly) weekly podcast about, well, nothing at all. We’re going to crack open the mics live and let you see a little bit of what goes on when we’re not recording. We might discuss some of the news from GWC, or we might just tear off on who knows what. Hell, suggest something via Twitter or chat during the ‘cast and we might just pick it up and run with it. Either way, we’re looking forward to it.
If you miss the live version (doh!) we’ll release the recorded ‘cast via the standard methods (our site and iTunes) a few days later.
Hope to see you there!
When we say we are the friendliest frakin’ people in scifi we mean it. We are a community of people who respect each other, share with each other and have fun with each other. We are clever, we are occasionally insightful and almost always hi-larious. One perfect example of our friendly hivemind leaping into action happened over two years ago on Twitter and interestingly involved of all things: kidnapping a snowblower.
Wonder what the 2011 GWC Community Meetup was all about? Or maybe missing your friends (old and new) from the event? Check out this short video and let us know what you think.
Seriously, I’m buried in post-meetup blues. Seeing everyone in person that’s such a part of my life every week virtually makes for one major high. And there’s a low that follows. Realizing that I won’t see a lot of my meetup friends until Comic Con this summer or even the meetup next year gets me down. But watching this video helps me a bit. Hopefully it’ll help you, too.
And hopefully we’ll see you next year.
I’ve been in a GWC fantasy football league for the past two seasons. Fantasy football is a fun way to spend time with the GWC community as well as learn more about players, teams, and football in general than you’ll ever want to learn. The GWC Fantasy Sci-fi League is like that except better. You get to read and learn about characters you may have never heard of otherwise. Certain characters that others chose can pique your interest enough to lead you to picking up a book, comic, film, or series. If you don’t feel like completely diving into a character’s story, then a quick Google or Wikipedia search are great for filling in gaps. I cannot guess how many times I’ve had to use those tools. Plus, the GWC community is indescribably awesome with their creativity and entertainment.
To start off, I don’t have plans to kick off another GWC Fantasy Sci-fi League, sorry. Still it’s been several months, and I’ve had a character on my mind for my next team for what seems like ages. Then, others came to mind. I didn’t have an outlet, so I’m making one.
The 2011 GWC meetup is coming to a close as I write this. This very minute the weary meetup goers are headed to find some stew at the last outpost of the weekends activities while others slowly gather themselves for the long voyage home. For the third year running I feel the need to express my admiration for the group that is my extended GWC family.
This year was almost split evenly between old friends and new but that neither slowed the pace or the enjoyment. If I had a greater gift with the written word I might be able to fashion an adequate mental image of how everyone blended so gracefully into the fray of our annual social event with a speed calculable only by extreme digital equipment.
“Are you reading that for the first time?” a stranger asked me on the New York City Subway.
“Yes” I responded somewhat cautiously looking up from my book. As a New Yorker, I am not used to unsolicited literary commentary in public or any kind of interaction with strangers, ever.
“I envy you” he replied simply and in a moment was gone.
At first I was tempted to brush off this exchange. I closed the book for the first time in two days and considered what had just happened: A person was so moved by a book he felt obligated to engage a stranger in the subway to share the importance of the novel. I glanced at the cover which really didn’t give anything away of the plot, just standard sci-fi ships flying in space. The story was becoming with each passing word my absolute favorite science fiction novel of all time. In the coming years when asked what my favorite book was I would name this one and every book I read after this would be compared to it.
That novel? Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
The Perfect Colorful Time for a Cleveland GWC Meet-up
The fall leaves are full of beautiful color, the highs are in the upper 50s or low 60s, and there is a hint of joyful holiday anticipation in the air. It was the perfect time for a Cleveland GWC Meet-up. GWC meet-ups are some of the most fun times a geek can have outside of a Con. Sure, the GWC Forum and Twitter are great ways to connect with other GWCers. But there is something special about in person meet-ups. For it is at a meet-up that a true understanding arises about the “Hive Mind”/friendliest people in Fantasy, SciFi, Anime, Comics, Gaming, and Geek. Plus, everyone ALWAYS has a blast.
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20 Year High School Class Reunion
The GWC crüe has perfect timing. The current high school arc was spot on for me. Like Chuck last year, this summer I had the opportunity to attend my 20th High School Reunion. It was sort of a pain since Mrs. Shooter and I had to drive so far for a very short weekend, but it was worth it. Not everyone from my class of 263 decided to attend, but it was interesting catching up with those that did. Vala Mal Doran (Stargate SG-1 seasons 9 and 10) summed up the experience perfectly in the episode Bounty by saying, “Traditionally, these events entail the bringing together of large groups of people all with a common bond in the past but nothing really in common in the present. Everybody evaluates each other’s lot in life, generally by virtue of a combination of material worth and the attractiveness of one’s date, spouse, life partner.” I set out to see just how true that was.
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For the next few weeks please call in with your personal high school stories! Funny, poignant, memorable, ridiculous, whatever your fancy we want to hear it. 214-296-9229. Remember to keep it under 2 minutes!
As I reflect on the past three days it is immediately apparent that the GWC community is still a source of constant amazement for me. Once again our tribe gathered to reflect on the past year and revel in each others company and once again everyone rose to the occasion.
It’s a strange thing – it was as if no time and decades had past between the annual meetup spawn points. The kindred spirits of the friends we had met were as warm as ever and new faces popped up to take the places of others that could be with only with their digital presence. Yet again a simple joy found its way to our mugs.
Podcast 205 will be delayed one week due to Sean’s new status as a Father (no, not Reverend, but a Daddy).
Please join us in congratulating him here
GWCers on Flickr
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