Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 14:55:35 -0500
From: Ted White <tedwhite at compusnet.com>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Interesting Inventions
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

Michael Walsh wrote:

> > tedwhite at compusnet.com 03/31/02 11:51PM
> >
> >Steve Smith wrote:
> >
> >> [...]
> >>
> >> To bring a SF note to the discussion, at Iguanacon II in 1978 in
> >> Phoenix, Harlan Ellison was the GoH.  When he found out that Arizona
> >> hadn't ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, he talked about doing all
> >> sorts of nasty things to let people in AZ know what assholes they were
> >> (he used stronger language, of course).  One of them was to have as many
> >> people as possible avoid staying in the hotel and camp in the desert.
> >> Now, desert camping is no more dangerous than any other form of camping
> >> -- if you know what you're doing.  Fortunately, the locals talked him
> >> out of it -- not only does it get cold at night, Labor Day is right
> >> about at the beginning of thunderstorm season ...
> >
> >Harlan supposedly boycotted the hotel by living in a RV out front.  But in
> >actual fact he slept in a hotel room most nights.  It may get cold at night
> >in the desert -- particularly at higher altitudes -- but in Phoenix it went
> >*down* to 95 at night...after daytime highs in the 110-115 area.
> >
> >--Ted White
>
> There was an RV parked out front of one of the hotels, the Hyatt I
> believe.  But, yeah, as far as I know it was Harlan-less.  I believe that
> Patrick Nielsen Hayden denies having to go out and feed the meter.
>
> As for the temps, well, yeah it was great.  Hot & dry.  As long as I
> stayed out of direct sunlight the non-freckled skin wouldn't burst into
> flame.

The freckles were less fortunate?

> The plaza between the Hyatt and convention center complex was quickly
> named The Anvil of God.

Crossing it was bad enough, but I was amazed to see long lines of people
standing out there for *hours* before the Hugo awards ceremony.   (I went in a
side door I'd discovered days earlier.  Bob Silverberg immediately grabbed me
and whisked me to a seat in the rows reserved for nominees.)  I think it was at
Midamericon that we started seeing Long Lines (and *tickets*) for major events
like that.

--Ted White