The Thanksgiving Science Fiction Society held a general business meeting on 4 October 2020. The meeting was held online via Discord, with no in-person interaction aside from between folks who live together, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All conversations took place via text chat in Discord. This is a quick-n-dirty Discord transcript of the TSFS General Business Meeting held on 4 October 2020, made in February 2021 by Dave Montuori. All formatting has been lost. Meeting was scheduled to begin at 1 PM EDT. Herveus | Con Ops [12 Sep] Sunday, October 4, 1300. [12:58 PM] Herveus | Con Ops Meeting in a few minutes. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades Present Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming Adsum. Marilyn Mix On-line Saria | Videogaming, Website groggy, but here Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors Present Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Just got back from church. Setting up. Herveus | Con Ops Do we have a con chair? [1:08 PM] @Poryshkin | Con Chair ? [1:09 PM] I'm going to call the meeting to order. [1:09 PM] I propose that we meet next on Sunday, 1 November at 1300. 2 Saria | Videogaming, Website works for me Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming And me. Herveus | Con Ops We can touch on it again later in case there are any issues. Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration I can manage that. [1:11 PM] Remember that is Fall Back Day. Herveus | Con Ops I hope we get a con chair soonish, but until then does Registration have anything to report? Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration yes Herveus | Con Ops Do tell Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Followup email has been sent out to everyone who had preregistered for In-Person 2020 pre-plague, and to all the 2019 registrants whose memberships had been rolled over to 2020. Poryshkin | Con Chair OK, I'm herer. Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration So far I have gotten two replies, both saying "yes please roll me over to 2021". Of those, one is a regular guest (Carl Cipra) who regrets that he will not be able to attend the Virtual 2020 con but hopes to see us all again next year. Poryshkin | Con Chair Sorry, was doing the headless chicken thing, trying to pack for move. Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration The email warned everyone that the default action i to roll over their membership to 2021, with virtual 2020 included. [1:15 PM] Move?? Poryshkin | Con Chair Yes, and taking my whole computer set up with me, so no worries about dealing with online things, just...timing. [1:17 PM] I think Sunday 1 November works for me, bTW Herveus | Con Ops Anything else from registration? Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration So far, for 2020 we have 63 registrants, of which 5 are folks who are on the 2020 list by having registered for 2021. Poryshkin | Con Chair Do you have a good breakdown on how many of those 63 are staff/presenters (or are the latter not counted as part of the 63)? Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Hang on, let me get a count quick Poryshkin | Con Chair Don't worry if it's a problem, it was a curiosity question, not a 'need this information for going forward' question. Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration 7 vendors/assistants (rolled over from 2019), 2 listed as Staff (Poryshkin and Marilyn), 2 listed as Guest, both rolled over from 2019: Heather Rose Jones and Carl Cipra, but Carl Cipra has sent his regrets for this year and hopes to see us again next year. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades ah shit i keep forgetting to reg [1:21 PM] i just got paid let me go do that Poryshkin | Con Chair Yeah, not suprised about carl-his chosen handle ic "Carl the Luddite" Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Ayup Marilyn Mix So we know we are not just putting on the con for ourselves Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration So that leaves 52 "attendees", a few of whom may actually be presenters or organizers [1:23 PM] And at least one of whom is here in this meeting (Hi Blaise) Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming And I of course am quasi-staff... Poryshkin | Con Chair Nothing quasi about it Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration You signed up for 2019 as Attendee, so that's what got rolled over to 2020 [1:24 PM] I can change that if desired Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming Probably should. Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Done Saria | Videogaming, Website I think I still need to register too Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Me too Herveus | Con Ops I know I do...gotta talk to wife about tables, though. Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Virtual tables? Herveus | Con Ops 2021 Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Or 2021 tables? [1:26 PM] DRINK Herveus | Con Ops maybe virtual [1:26 PM] gotta talk Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors I need to register rachel and myself too, but that's not going to happen for a bit. Herveus | Con Ops anywho, anything else from registration? Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Anyway, I hope we can get lots and lots of people to prereg at leaast for virtual 2020 besides ourselves.(edited) [1:28 PM] While I have technical questions about coordinating all this at the con itself, I haven't really gotten the question fully formed, and it can wait. Saria | Videogaming, Website I feel like it's been harder to get the word out compared to other years. have we done any advertising? Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration So that's all from Registration for now. Herveus | Con Ops OK. I think Con Chair gets to be up next. Marilyn Mix I'm attending virtual Confluence. I can put a word in the Discord future cons channel if you haven't Herveus | Con Ops Then Programming, then other departments Poryshkin | Con Chair Minimal-been trying to keep up with ad exchanges with other cons, for example, The usual. [1:29 PM] But with other events also going virtual, it's been harder to get the word out. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades just reged [1:29 PM] mayyyy have accidentally done it twice lmao [1:29 PM] Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration I only see one right now... Poryshkin | Con Chair As far as con organizing goes...I've been going around with other cons, particularly Capclave, getting a handle on the Zoom things. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades k cool, i got two receipt emails Poryshkin | Con Chair There's a good software package that's going to cost us, I think it was $20/meeting /day that does decent captioning. But only for English (tested: both German & Russian resulted in a mostly blank screen, with some very odd results when it did try to find the nearest equivalent to a set of phonemes.) [1:33 PM] I do hope it doesn't end up with things like what I encountered last night though...watching the old "Combat!" TV series last night, on eof the Characters said, "It's going to be tough with that half-track." Whereas the captioning read, "It's going to be tough with that ass crack." Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming That fits with my initial misreading of your previous comment. At first I read "some very odd insults"... Poryshkin | Con Chair Also, I've been trying to pull in one or two last-minute guests I should have thought of earlier...and hve gotten a tentative "yes" from Dr Becky Smethurst, an English astrophysicist who is interested in doing a presentation on "um, hold a minute [1:36 PM] "...research into supermassive black holes." [1:37 PM] One other person I thought I had lined up for gaming has had to bow out...which is why Blaise, you haven't heard anything from me on that point. [1:39 PM] A couple of weeks ago, I had a phone conversation from Crystal about music programming...she has been having major health issues, which actually prevented her from getting her crap together as far as that goes, but she had hopes of doing things from that point on. [1:40 PM] However, I have heard nothing since, so I'm wondering if she's been having health issues again. Marilyn, have you heard from her? Marilyn Mix No, I have not. I was going to bring that up today. [1:40 PM] I send her an email a week ago and nothing. Poryshkin | Con Chair OK, I think we need to possibly tap Randy...I wouldn't try Gary, Capclave is trying to tap him, I think he's going to end up being too busy with his other scheduling as well. [1:42 PM] Another alternative is Marc Grossman (also suggested by Gary in his reply to Capclave.) Marilyn Mix Randy is just finishing up Confluence, so give him a couple of days. Poryshkin | Con Chair Exactly [1:42 PM] Marc has experience with Heliosphere. [1:43 PM] I'll try reaching out to either or both of them in a few days, then. Marilyn Mix That would be good to ask both, they could share the load. Poryshkin | Con Chair The other thing is Esoteric/Mythic programming-I still haven't heard anythign from Bambi. you? Marilyn Mix Can you call Crystal to let her know you are doing that? Poryshkin | Con Chair Good idea. Marilyn Mix I have not heard from Bambi either. I will try a Messenger message, since I have no faith in email. Herveus | Con Ops She's visible enough on Facebook that that sounds like it should be productive. Poryshkin | Con Chair10/04/2020 Thing with Bambi is that she's not quite as much a technophobe as is Carl, but still somewhat...so electronic communication with her is iffy. Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming I know I heard from her on FB last week... [1:45 PM] (Though not about Chessie...) Poryshkin | Con Chair If she's active on Facebook, then yes, that sounds like a good avenue. marilyn, since I am not at all, can you handle that? 1 Marilyn Mix I have received emails from her, but I understand that email is not for urgent things. [1:47 PM] I need to develop an application that will send my message to the preferred medium of my addressees. (Messenger, email, Discord, text) [1:49 PM] I initially contacted her on FB Messenger, so I am comfortable doing that. Poryshkin | Con Chair BTW, treasurer's report...we have $9954.28 in the various accounts. Still shedding money, and I got a notice from the storage place that they're raising the monthly fee starting 1 November. [1:51 PM] Other than that, that's all the con chair has to report, as you can see, it mostly blended into programming. Herveus | Con Ops OK. That makes a nice segue over to Marilyn. Marilyn Mix I held a programming meeting a couple of weeks ago [1:52 PM] We brainstormed topic ideas and took some from a running list from previous years. [1:53 PM] I have filled out the template spreadsheet that Jo will import into the database [1:53 PM] I sent an email to the group a few minutes ago with the link. Please review the list. [1:53 PM] I'd like to send the survey this week [1:54 PM] I want to send it to all the past participants like I did the invite. since I'm not certain my original email made it through. So I'll check with Jo on how to do that. Saria | Videogaming, Website video gaming report: I have a tentative schedule. Aside from a few Big Games (Mario Kart and Smash) and game demos, I have decided to go attendees' choice on the rest of the schedule, so that people can decide on the spot what to play on stream, and on Saturday night I've slated to watch the Silent Hill movie through kosmi. I will request that programming be established really soon however, since I want to avoid overlapping with big events like the GoH panels and Tom's concert Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming Board gaming report: I've emailed Pyris but have not gotten a response yet. If I don't hear from him by Wednesday evening, I'll take a first stab at a schedule myself. Marilyn Mix I am going to ask Bill Higgins if he wants to do a talk on New Horizons. He did a talk on the Webb telescope at Confluence. (He is a friend of mine.) 1 [1:58 PM] There are 30 items on the programming list [1:59 PM] I got some contact info from Susan de Guardiola for the Ballad Bingo and Tiara workshop ideas she suggested. [2:00 PM] Any questions about programming status? Poryshkin | Con Chair Oh, actually yes: in the event that Bambi isn't available, do you have a good handle on whom to tap for Mythic? Marilyn Mix No Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming One person you might ask is Allison Kaese. [2:02 PM] I believe she filled in in a prior year. Poryshkin | Con Chair Ok, Charles Butler used to do it for Darkover, and maybe the first Chessiecon or two, but then crap, I'm trying to remember the name of the woman who was heading that up before Bambi did. Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming I think it was Allison. Marilyn Mix Thanks, if Bambi can't I'll get back to you for contact info Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming Another possibility is Tommy Lee Whitlock of the OSM. Marilyn Mix I am not familiar with any of these people. [2:05 PM] Its good to know there are options. Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming (Both Bambi and I are associate members of the OSM...) Marilyn Mix This year has been stressful for people, or I will give Bambi an out if she wants one. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades @Saria | Videogaming, Website do you think among us is a good idea? Saria | Videogaming, Website hhhhhhhh I'm sure people will want to play it but I personally do not want to Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades I can run it [2:06 PM] I have it on Steam Marilyn Mix What is the OSM Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades I also have Fall Guys but idt you can do a private game Saria | Videogaming, Website I will gladly direct people to your stream Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades And you can do private games of among us - not sure if mobile and pc have crossplay but i can check Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming The OSM is the Order of St. Michael. Saria | Videogaming, Website I don't do well with mafia-likes. I know among us isn't exactly mafia but I think it has similar enough qualities that brain's like NOPE Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades Since mobile is free Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming We normally run a mass Sunday morning as part of the mythic track. 1 1 [2:08 PM] And some years we host a labyrinth walk. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades We still doing midnight hallelujah? [2:08 PM] over zoom? Herveus | Con Ops That might be a bit tough this year... (labyrinth walk) Poryshkin | Con Chair Found her name in an old program book! Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Singing over Zoom sucks. Lag causes violence. Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming Yeah, I wasn't proposing we do that. Poryshkin | Con Chair Debra Rothschild! Saria | Videogaming, Website but yeah if you wanna run it as part of the schedule I can probably easily find a place to put you and take a break Marilyn Mix Any type of group singing does not work well over Zoom due to lag Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades You'll def need a break [2:09 PM] and oof that sucks [2:09 PM] discord might work better for that [2:09 PM] (If we can't do it i'll just sing it by myself I miss doing that) Marilyn Mix I suppose I can ask Filthy what he thinks Poryshkin | Con Chair Ah, probably not contactable, , though, she seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming The other potential problem is distributing the sheet music to those who do not have their own copies... Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration What we might want to do for the Hallelujah Chorus is have a speecific time to run a video of a previous chorus for us all to sing along to on our own. 2 Herveus | Con Ops A mass zoom with everyone but the leader muted and the leader directing and playing a suitable rendition for us to sing along with can work. [2:11 PM] Bob Esty has been doing that with the Madrigalia as a way go group practice. 1 Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration I am in occasional contact with Debra Rothschild via FB. She's been having a rough life the past couple years. 1 Marilyn Mix I'll run these ideas by Filthy Pierre [2:12 PM] Assuming his email is current in our database. Poryshkin | Con Chair And Dr G, he may have a previous recording . Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration The very last Hallelujah By The Pool was recorded by Trevor Schadt, I think that one's still up on YouTube but he may have a better quality copy himself Marilyn Mix Good ideas Herveus | Con Ops Have we exhausted programming for now? Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration So many ways to run with that line... Herveus | Con Ops :-) Marilyn Mix We've covered the topics I was concerned about. Herveus | Con Ops OK. Yakira: vendors and volunteers. Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors Not much to report here [2:18 PM] Got a few folks from BSFS confirming that they'll help [2:19 PM] with the proviso that I chair Balticon 56 (2022) Poryshkin | Con Chair Excellent, tech help is an area that we're deficient enough in, I was initiall skeptical that we could hav ea virtual convention at all. Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors So that confirms my membership to SMOF Poryshkin | Con Chair Crap, there goes my laundry. Gotta bow out of the meeting. All y'all have fun. Marilyn Mix I hope you can catch it Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors As for vendors, Meg and Zen helped me learn the finer details of Discord so I can now manage vendor channels Herveus | Con Ops I'm assuming that we do want a Program Book of some sort. And that I'll be assembling it. I'll look over the last one and identify Content I Need. I'll post to the mailing list about that. Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors I too have to skedaddle, heading to baltimore to deal with kids and stuff Herveus | Con Ops Thanks. Yakira - Volunteers and Vendors see you all in november Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration seeya Yakira Herveus | Con Ops I could cook up a badge that people could print out or otherwise make use of. Would that be a useful thing? Marilyn Mix Yes. I'd like to print a badge. I puts me in the convention mood. Herveus | Con Ops That was my thought. Marilyn Mix Balticon had one. CoNZealand did not, so I had to make one up myself. Herveus | Con Ops I'll need some sort of artwork for the badge and for the program book "cover". I think it was discussed at a previous meeting. I'll check the transcripts. [2:26 PM] Ah. One idea was for someone to gin up a Chessie in Minecraft graphics. Saria | Videogaming, Website I can try to find the screenshots of the one I made, there's no way I can recreate it this late in the year lol Herveus | Con Ops That's all I have. [2:28 PM] Have I missed anyone or anything? [2:29 PM] Next meeting, Sunday 1 November at 1300. Same bat time, new bat channel... Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Unless anyone has other business to bring up, I move we adjourn Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming I second. Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades Third Herveus | Con Ops All in favor harumph for the governor. Jim/Blaise | Tabletop Gaming Harumph Dave/Evan(damont) | Registration Harumph! Herveus | Con Ops (new bat channel created) Marilyn Mix harrummmmmph Saria | Videogaming, Website harumph Herveus | Con Ops Thanks y'all. See you next month [2:30 PM] Saria | Videogaming, Website [5:19 PM] @Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades any preferences on day/time for Among Us? not set in stone until I know what I need to move to avoid GoH overlap but I'll do what I can [6:04 PM] Alex 🔪 Jack-of-All-Trades no preferences, i'm free Saria | Videogaming, Website cool o7 [6:05 PM] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-