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Dragon*Con 2010 Pictures
Labor Day Weekend, 2010
Although this was a fun Dragon*Con for me, it had a very different feel from past D*Cs. My first D*C was the first year of the Skeptrack. Well, actually, I'm not entirely sure of that since I intentionally skipped all panels on my first year to concentrate on costuming. The point is that all of my experience with D*C revolves around skeptics: skeptic panels, skeptic celebrities, science, skeptical friends; it's basically like I've gone back to a weird, alter-dimensional universe where school was cool and everyone wanted to attend. I learn new things, I meet interesting people, and I usually have some pretty kinky sex.
This year was cool too, but not quite in the same way. A lot of the skeptical celebrities I enjoy meeting and listening to didn't attend, a lot of personal friends and Squigglemates didn't attend, I missed several panels that I really wanted to attend, and no kinky sex. But, on the plus side, I got to meet and hang out with some new people that I hadn't had the chance to before, and I did attend a couple of events I never had before. I originally wasn't planning on wearing any costumes, since I have my new Atheist Tees store to advertise, and the Skeptrack at Dragon*Con is a great place to do that, but I ended up with 3 costumes anyway. Only one of which was new, but other than the addition of a hat, you really couldn't tell it was a "costume", since it was poking fun at myself.
This year I wore Laurie Jupiter for a few hours, I wore my None costume, and I created, just for the occasion, a DIA costume. That stands for DisInformation Agent. Brian Dunning of skeptoid was once accused of being a Disinformation Agent. OK, he was accused of that more than once. It's a common accusation by conspiracy theorists towards people who attempt to dispel the myths and fantasies of popular culture. These are the same people who also usually accuse others of being shills for Big Whatever they don't like, such as Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Corn, etc. So anyway, he got called a Disinformation Agent & tweeted about needing a badge or something. One of his fans whipped up a very realistic ID badge for him, which he posted on Twitter. It was so popular, that someone else created an online wizard that allowed us to upload our own picture and choose from a handful of titles and departments to make our own printable badge.
Well, I went one further. I made an entire line of clothing for the DIA, along the lines of the FBI as seen on TV shows - t-shirts, tank tops, cadet caps, polo shirts, track jackets, etc. The guy who made the original Brian Dunning badge offered his original Photoshop files to make our own, so I used that, and the guidelines from the online wizard to make up badges & clothing with symbols for all the other departments, and created an alter-ego of Joreth, a DIA for Big Pharma, Toxin Distribution Division (because of my work with anti-vaxxers, vaccine and STD education). I am rather proud of the whole ensemble, but it really doesn't look much different from my normal clothing - you'll see later on!
Click on the thumbnails below to see larger images. Please do not steal these images. If you wish to copy these images, show these images on your own website or link to mine, please ask permission first.
Please let me know if your name is incorrect and/or you want a link to your website at your name, and I will fix it.
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PANELS |
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These are pictures of the various panels that I or my Squigglemates attended.
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| First was The Line. Every year, the Pre-Registration line gets longer and longer as attendees try to save a few bucks by registering early. It's a significant amount, but so is the time in line! We arrived on Thursday evening before the con, but by the time we checked in and got our room settled, it was after 8 PM and the latest reports said the line was 5 hours long at that point. I went down anyway, because I had Friday morning panels I wanted to attend, but the line had closed before I got there. So I got up at 5:00 in the morning, took my workout mat and a book, and got in line before sunrise, which turned out to be a good thing, since the line was outdoors. I slept for most of it, but at 8 AM, the line opened. I wasn't first, but I was near the front, so the race through the queue line was something else! I have pictures and video of what it's like to be at the front of the line. Oh, and the buy-on-site line? 15 minute wait all weekend. | ||||
 The switchbacks inside |
 People filling in the queue |
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| Heard in line: "What's the longest distance between 2 points? 1,000 straight lines! |
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 The first panel of the Skeptrack: Introduction To Skeptrack |
 James Randi - The Amazing Randi, magician & creator of the Million Dollar Challenge to find evidence of paranormal activity |
 Jamy Ian Swiss - talented magician & skeptic |
 Ben Radford - professional paranormal investigator |
 Joe Nickell - professional paranormal investigator |
 Daniel Loxton - writer, illustrator, editor of Junior Skeptic |
 Derek Colanduno - cohost of Skepticality Podcast, the skeptic podcast that started it all |
 Brian Dunning - skeptic & host of Skeptoid & In Fact podcasts |
 Brian Dunning doing a Skeptoid Short |
 Joe Nickell signing a book |
 Joe Nickell signing a book |
 Joe Nickell talks about investigating "cold cases" |
 The case of the alien hybrid fetus |
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 Richard Saunders of The Skeptic Zone podcast |
 Richard Saunders demonstrates the Power Balance scam |
 The "amazing" demonstration is nothing more than misdirection |
 It's a bracelet that claims its "holograms" make you stronger, faster, better |
 But it doesn't, the demonstrators just knock you off balance |
 Scott Bakula in the Walk Of Fame |
 Sean Faircloth, lobbyist for the Secular Coalition For America |
 Brian Dunning talks about the Missing Cosmonauts |
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 Edward Furlong from Terminator 2 |
 Edward Furlong from Terminator 2 |
| Aubrey de Grey is head of the SENS Foundation, where he studies, & searches for a cure, for aging. Here he is introduced to Dragon*Con for the first time at his SENS 1 panel. |
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 Aubrey de Grey |
 Aubrey de Grey |
 ? & Aubrey de Grey at the ? panel |
 Randall puts the beer on nitrogen at the ? panel |
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| Randall puts the beer in the cooler, & then fills the cooler with liquid nitrogen because that's how geeks ice down the brew, with Johnny X (organizer of the science track) introducing himself. |
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| Aubrey de Grey explains why future aging therapies should be available to the general public and not hoarded by the rich |
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 A live lizard napping on the projector in the Science track |
 Mark, Randall, Datan0de, & Aubrey de Grey - the Transhumanism panel |
 Aubrey de Grey |
 Datan0de on the Transhumanism panel |
 The panelists |
 Datan0de |
 Datan0de |
 Mark & Randall |
 Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
 The Transhumanism panel |
 Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
 Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
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 Aubrey de Grey |
 Aubrey de Grey |
 Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
 Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
 Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
 Mark, Randall, Datan0de & Aubrey de Grey |
 Datan0de |
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COSTUMES |
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I didn't take very many costume pictures this year, so these are mostly from Datan0de, since he's more likely to take costume pictures than I am anyway. Costume pictures and general con pictures.
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 A xenomorph Alien |
 I have no clue |
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 Some of our favorite skeptics: Daphne, Scooby Doo, & Velma |
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 Mars Attacks! alien |
 complete with walk & spooky music |
 Chewbacca |
 All glory to the hypnotoad! |
| All glory to the Hypnotoad! |
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 The Hypnotoad with a smartphone app of the Hypnotoad playing on its head |
 All are captivated by the Hypnotoad |
 Datan0de is hypnotized by the Hypnotoad |
 All glory to the Hypnotoad! |
 All glory to the Hypnotoad! |
 All glory to the Hypnotoad! |
 Na'vi from Avatar |
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 Zensidhe gets another con beat-down! |
 Oh the woo! Dowsing rods in the dealer's room |
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 Ariel from Little Mermaid |
 from Invader Zim |
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 Supergirl |
 Jareth, the Goblin King, from Labrynth |
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 Me in Silk Spectre II |
 Also known as Laurie Jupiter |
 A closeup |
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 Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers arcade game |
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 Codex from The Guild |
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 Cammy from Street Fighter II |
 Slave Leia from Star Wars |
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 A storm trooper, me as Laurie Jupiter, & Datan0de |
 The cast from Jurassic Park |
 ... and a dinosaur |
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 Strawberry Shortcake |
 Strawberry Shortcake |
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 From the new Tron movie coming out soon |
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 Steampunk Photoshoot |
 Trying to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for largest steampunk group |
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 Lots o' steampunk |
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 Steampunk Professor X from X-Men |
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 Steampunk dog |
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 Poison Ivy from Batman |
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 Datan0de in Steampunk Aviator |
 Datan0de in Steampunk Aviator |
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 A lightsaber duel breaks out on the 10th floor |
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 Pimp Vader |
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 Zombie Slave Leia |
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 Storm Trooper impaled by a lightsaber |
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 Another Laurie Jupiter with Night Owl |
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 Darla & Zensidhe |
 Darla |
 Gogo Yubari from Kill Bill |
 Gogo Yubari beats down Zensidhe |
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 Naughty Nuns and Pedo-Priest |
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 Leeloo from Fifth Element |
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 My new DIA costume with cap, shirt, ID badge, & shield |
 the DIA ID badge |
 Datan0de in Cyberpunk |
 Datan0de in Cyberpunk |
 Datan0de in Cyberpunk |
 Probably the most important costume at Dragon*Con this year |
 Terminator 2, both models |
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 Datan0de gets his free Tdap vaccination |
 I, as a Disinformation Agent for Big Pharma, get vaccinated too |
 It's all part of our evil plot to save the world |
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 Me as DIA & Datan0de as Cyberpunk |
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 Steampunk machines |
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 Steam powered computer |
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 Hit Girl & Kick Ass |
 Jessie & Kim with Aubrey de Grey |
 Jessie kissing Datan0de |
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 Aubrey de Grey shaking hands with Datan0de |
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 A xenomorph from Aliens |
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GEORGIA AQUARIUM |
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One of the things I did differently this year was to attend the Dragon*Con At The Georgia Aquarium. I'm glad I got to go, but attending an aquarium at night poses some challenges. Many of the exhibits had very low lighting to simulate a natural solar cycle, so an awful lot of my pictures turned out like crap because you can't use a flash through a plexiglass window and the lighting inside was too dim not to use a flash. But I did my best. I even got some video! Any suggestions on the types of animals whose names I missed is appreciated.
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 Rays in the touch-pools |
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 Cownose ray |
 Rays and sharks that guests can pet |
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 Shrimp in another petting pool |
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 Red Lionfish |
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 Pufferfish |
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 Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
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 Emerald tree boa constrictor |
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 Poison dart frog |
 Blurry poison dart frog |
 These were so little, it was hard to get good pics of them |
 Poison dart frogs |
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 White American Aligator |
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 Red Piranha |
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 Sturgeon |
 Asian Small-Clawed Otter |
 Sleeping |
 Not sleeping |
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 Trying to sleep |
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 Otter pile! |
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 Really, does it get any more adorable? |
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 Oh wait, it does |
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 "'scuze me, coming through" |
 That can't be comfortable! |
 Neither can that! |
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 Finally! Some sleep! |
 Fish-Eating Anenome |
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 Giant Japanese Spider Crabs |
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 Weedy Sea Dragon |
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 Wolf Eel |
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 Beluga Whale |
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 Harbor Seal |
 Harbor Seal heading right for me, turning at the last minute |
 Beluga Whale |
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 Harbor Seal heading right for me again |
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 Souther Sea Otter |
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 This otter was so busy cleaning itself... |
 and had a headshake when holding still... |
 that it was nearly impossible to get a sharp picture |
 but it was adorable! |
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| Video of the Sea Otter cleaning itself |
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 Another Sea Otter arrives |
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 This one held still more often |
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 Pressing the nose against the glass |
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 Sleepytime! |
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 Penguins sleeping |
 The lights were out, so pics were difficult |
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 Giant Hammerhead Shark |
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 Sand Tiger Shark |
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 Me with a Sandbar Shark right behind me |
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 Manta Ray |
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 Largetooth Sawfish |
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 Leopard Whipray |
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 Whale Shark |
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 Manta Ray |
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 Whale Shark feeding |
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 Sand Tiger Shark |
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 Atlantic Sea Nettle |
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 Pacific Sea Nettle |
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 Moon Jelly |
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 Yellow Tang |
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 Barletts' Anthias |
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 Anglefish |
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 Red & Black Anenome Fish |
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 Blurry Sea Anenome |
 Sleeping Sea Horse |
 Sleeping Sea Horse |
The Inn Between © 2002
