The USPS has been promoting their new stamps commemorating the 30 year anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars movie. One of the more interesting and nerdy-cool gimmicks they are using is the transformation of many mailboxes around the country into models of R2D2 from the movies. One of those mailboxes is located in downtown Kansas City, my home town, and I got a few snapshots of it over the weekend.
As anyone who has read much of this blog will know, one of my favorite features of anime and science fiction conventions is the masquerade. Something about watching a bunch of nerds get up on stage in costume, sometimes acting out a short skit, is very entertaining.
Otaku Omaha’s masquerade, though small, was interesting. There were several original and creative costumes which I had not seen attempted before, and a couple very detailed costumes that were better than any version I 
had seen before. The few people who attempted skits did not do anything particularly memorable. However, I had a great time, the event was run well without any problems, and all of the contestants seemed to have a great time.
Read more to see a bunch of pictures I took of the event.
Last weekend I attended my third Anime convention this year, Otaku Omaha. While it was the smallest of the conventions I have attended, and there were some serious problems with the hotel (see the previous post about the horrible, horrible Carlisle hotel), there were some definite highlights to the experience.
Click read more to read the rest and see some photos of the events.
I just got back from my trip to Otaku Omaha last night, and while I will be posting photos and information about the con later, I thought I would make a quick post about the hotel the con was at.
Without a doubt the Carlisle Hotel (a Days Inn) is the worst hotel I have stayed at in a long time. The hotel is obviously old judging from the architecture and decor and the state of repair and neatness of the hotel suggests that there has been no maintenance or cleaning done to the premises since it first opened. The EPA should categorize the place as a Superfund site and seal it off for the betterment of all mankind.
Hit the jump for more info and some pics.
This coming weekend I will be attending my fourth nerd convention of the year, Otaku Omaha, an Anime convention held in South-Eastern Nebraska. From what I can tell, it is a fairly small Anime con, but nonetheless looks to have some very interesting events in the lineup. Because Omaha is only a 2 and a half hour drive from Kansas City, and it is a smaller con, we will only be attending for Saturday and Sunday. Expect a report sometime after I return about the events.
While attending the Conquest KC science fiction and fantasy convention this year, I participated in the Story in a Bag contest. For the contest, the conquest staff prepared a series of bags containing short sentences or words that had to be incorporated into a new, custom written story which the contestants had one hour to complete. The best stories in each of three categories (science fiction, fantasy and horror) were judged within three skill levels (youth, adult amateur, and adult professional/published).
Read more to find out the results.
One of the main events at the 2007 Conquest Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention was the Conquest Idol Competition. This was the first year for this event at Conquest, but its popularity will ensure that it will continue next year.
The effect of listening to a bunch of dedicated nerds get up on stage and try to sing was both painful and hilarious. The best acts, unsurprisingly, were those that embraced their bad singing and used it along with intentionally horrible song choices for maximum comedic effect.
Though the singing was almost universally bad, the event was a blast and I hope to see what next year’s entrants can do.
Click “Read More” for additional photos of the event.
Last weekend I attended Conquest, the 38th KC Science Fiction convention hosted by the KaCSFFS at the Kansas City airport Hilton. Con Quest is primarily a literary convention, and therefore the focus is mostly on the writing and appreciation of science fiction and fantasy stories. However, the convention featured several related events, including a massive gaming tournament with Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and the World Of Warcraft (WoW) card game, viewing rooms showing various independent science fiction movies and anime, LARP gaming, a LAN room, a dealer’s room, and an art show. Also, on Saturday night, there was a live show featuring “Conquest Idol” a singing competition, and a Masquerade. Various quests of honor also spent the weekend hosting autograph sessions and panels dealing with their various areas of expertise.
It was an interesting experience in many ways, and I learned a lot. If at all possible I will be returning next year.
Click “Read More” for additional photos of the event.
This weekend, I will be spending some time at the Conquest science fiction convention here in Kansas City, MO at the airport Hilton hotel. This is the 38th year for the con, but will be the first time I attend. I met one of the con organizers at Naka-Kon a few months ago, and saw him again at Anime St. Louis/ShoMeCon last month. It seems to be a very well organized convention and they have a lot of interesting events, so it should be a good experience. I will be posting several updates and photos after the con, so check back for more next week.
On the way back from Anime St. Louis and ShowMeCon a couple weeks ago, we stopped at Quail Ridge Park just outside of Wentzville Mo, off I-70 and Highway 40/61 in St. Charles County to play a round of Frisbee golf.
The disc golf course at Quail Ridge Park is very well maintained and fairly challenging, with a wide variety of hole types, ranging from simple open distance shots to narrow paths in the woods. It is one of the shorter courses I have played, with most of the holes well under 300′ in length. The shortness of the holes makes the course fairly easy, so advanced players may be left wanting more challenge.
The park has very nicely kept facilities, with many clean public restrooms, water fountains and faucets, and a number of picnic shelters. If you live nearby this park, I highly recommend a visit, but due to the overall simplicity of the course, players who live very far from this park may not find it worth the drive.
Read more to see more pictures of the park.
A programmer from Kansas City, the author is a geek and is interested in a wide variety of topics and pursuits.
