Penguicon
Encyclopedia
Penguicon is a convention in the United States that deliberately brings together the often-overlapping communities of science fiction fandom
and Linux User Group
s. In addition to educational panels on areas of interest to science fiction fans and both professional and beginner-level panels on Linux
and Open-source software
, Penguicon participants can enjoy an anime
room, filk (the folk music
of science fiction fandom), swordfighting demonstrations, dancing, OpenCola, gaming—live action role-playing game
, computer
, board
and cards
—and more.
Over a thousand participants have attended past conventions, which have featured Guests of Honor from Neil Gaiman
and Terry Pratchett
to Jon "maddog" Hall and Eric S. Raymond
.
The 2007 Penguicon, "Penguicon 5.0", was held April 20–22 in Troy, Michigan
at the Troy Hilton.
The 2008 Penguicon, "Penguicon 6.0", was held April 18–20 in Troy, Michigan
at the Troy Hilton.
The 2009 Penguicon, "Penguicon 7.0" (also known as "Penguicon BING!"), was held May 1–3 in Romulus, Michigan
at the Crowne Plaza Romulus.
Penguicon 2010 (coincidentally held in 2010) was held April 30-May 2 in Troy, Michigan
at the Troy Marriott.
Penguicon 2011 was held April 29-May 1 in Troy, Michigan
at the Troy Marriott.
Penguicon 2012 will be held April 27-April 29 in Dearborn, Michigan
at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn
.
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
and Linux User Group
Linux User Group
A Linux User Group or Linux Users' Group or GNU/Linux User Group is a private, generally non-profit or not-for-profit organization that provides support and/or education for Linux users, particularly for inexperienced users...
s. In addition to educational panels on areas of interest to science fiction fans and both professional and beginner-level panels on Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Open-source software
Open-source software
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
, Penguicon participants can enjoy an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
room, filk (the folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
of science fiction fandom), swordfighting demonstrations, dancing, OpenCola, gaming—live action role-playing game
Live action role-playing game
A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may...
, computer
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
, board
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
and cards
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
—and more.
Over a thousand participants have attended past conventions, which have featured Guests of Honor from Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
to Jon "maddog" Hall and Eric S. Raymond
Eric S. Raymond
Eric Steven Raymond , often referred to as ESR, is an American computer programmer, author and open source software advocate. After the 1997 publication of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Raymond was for a number of years frequently quoted as an unofficial spokesman for the open source movement...
.
The 2007 Penguicon, "Penguicon 5.0", was held April 20–22 in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
at the Troy Hilton.
The 2008 Penguicon, "Penguicon 6.0", was held April 18–20 in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
at the Troy Hilton.
The 2009 Penguicon, "Penguicon 7.0" (also known as "Penguicon BING!"), was held May 1–3 in Romulus, Michigan
Romulus, Michigan
Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...
at the Crowne Plaza Romulus.
Penguicon 2010 (coincidentally held in 2010) was held April 30-May 2 in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
at the Troy Marriott.
Penguicon 2011 was held April 29-May 1 in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
at the Troy Marriott.
Penguicon 2012 will be held April 27-April 29 in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn
Hyatt Regency Dearborn
The Hyatt Regency Dearborn is a major hotel and conference center located in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan at 600 Town Center Drive, near the intersection of Michigan State Highway 39 and U.S. Route 12. The building was constructed in 1976 and is regularly remodeled and...
.
2003
- Eric S. RaymondEric S. RaymondEric Steven Raymond , often referred to as ESR, is an American computer programmer, author and open source software advocate. After the 1997 publication of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Raymond was for a number of years frequently quoted as an unofficial spokesman for the open source movement...
- Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
- Rob MaldaRob MaldaRob Malda , also known as CmdrTaco, is founder and former editor-in-chief of the website Slashdot. He is a graduate of Hope College and Holland Christian High School....
- J.D. Frazer
- Pete Abrams
2004
- Niel Gaiman
- Jeff Bates (see SlashdotSlashdotSlashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
) - Steve Jackson (US)Steve Jackson (US)Steve Jackson is an American game designer. After working for many years at Metagaming Concepts designing such games as Ogre and The Fantasy Trip, he left to found Steve Jackson Games in the early 1980s...
- Jon "maddog" Hall
2005
- Cory DoctorowCory DoctorowCory Efram Doctorow is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licences for his books...
- Rod RoddenberryRod RoddenberryEugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. is an American television producer and the only son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and actress Majel Barrett. He is known for his work in science fiction, astronomy and space exploration...
- Kevin SiembiedaKevin SiembiedaKevin Siembieda is an American artist, writer, designer, and publisher of role-playing games, and the co-founder and president of Palladium Books....
- Joan D. VingeJoan D. VingeJoan D. Vinge is an American science fiction author. She is known for such works as her Hugo Award-winning novel The Snow Queen and its sequels, her series about the telepath named Cat, and her Heaven's Chronicles books.-Biography:...
- Nat Torkington
- Dr. Peter H. SalusPeter H. SalusPeter H. Salus is a linguist, computer scientist, historian of technology, author in many fields, and an editor of books and journals. He has conducted research in germanistics, language acquisition, and computer languages...
2006
- Chris DiBonaChris DiBonaChris DiBona is the open source and public sector engineering manager at Google. His team oversees license compliance and supports the open source developer community through programs such as the Google Summer of Code and through the release of open source software projects and patches on Google...
- Frank Hayes
- Sharon Lee & Steve MillerSteve Miller (writer)Steve Miller is the grandson of poet and WBAL radio personality Dorothea Neale. He graduated from Reisterstown, Maryland's Franklin Senior High School in 1968 after learning how to make chapbooks as editor of the school’s literary magazine, Junto.- Biography :Steve attended University of Maryland,...
- Andrew LooneyAndrew LooneyAndrew J. Looney , better known as Andy Looney, is an award-winning game designer and computer programmer.- Biography :...
, Kristin Looney, Alison Frane, of Looney LabsLooney LabsLooney Labs is a small game company based in College Park, Maryland, USA. It is named after its founders, Andrew Looney and Kristin Looney.- Card games :...
2007
- Bruce SchneierBruce SchneierBruce Schneier is an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on general security topics, computer security and cryptography, and is the founder and chief technology officer of BT Managed Security Solutions, formerly Counterpane Internet...
- Christine Peterson Foresight InstituteForesight InstituteThe Foresight Institute is a Palo Alto, California-based nonprofit organization for promoting transformative technologies. They sponsor conferences on molecular nanotechnology, publish reports, and produce a newsletter....
- Randy Milholland
- Charlie Stross
- Elizabeth BearElizabeth BearSarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
2008
- Jono BaconJono BaconJono Bacon is a community manager, writer, musician and software developer, originally from the United Kingdom, but now based in California...
- Benjamin Mako HillBenjamin Mako HillBenjamin Mako Hill is a Debian hacker, intellectual property researcher, activist and author. He is a contributor and free software developer as part of the Debian and Ubuntu projects as well as the author of two best-selling technical books on the subject, Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 Bible and The...
- Vernor VingeVernor VingeVernor Steffen Vinge is a retired San Diego State University Professor of Mathematics, computer scientist, and science fiction author. He is best known for his Hugo Award-winning novels and novellas A Fire Upon the Deep , A Deepness in the Sky , Rainbows End , Fast Times at Fairmont High ...
- Tamora PierceTamora PierceTamora Pierce is an author of fantasy literature for young adults. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Best known for writing stories involving young heroines, she made a name for herself with her first quartet The Song of the Lioness, which followed the main character Alanna...
- Randall MunroeRandall MunroeRandall Patrick Munroe is an American webcomic author and former NASA roboticist as well as a programmer, best known as the creator of the webcomic xkcd...
- Keith Baker
- Singing Tesla Coils (also known as ZeusaphoneZeusaphoneZeusaphone is a trademarked term for singing Tesla coils, high-frequency, solid state Tesla coil, whose spark discharge is digitally modulated so as to produce musical tones. The high-frequency signal acts in effect as a carrier wave; its frequency is significantly above human-audible sound...
) as Hack of Honor
2009
- Rasmus LerdorfRasmus LerdorfRasmus Lerdorf is a Danish programmer with Canadian citizenship and is most notable as the creator of the PHP scripting language. He authored the first two versions...
- Wil WheatonWil WheatonRichard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
(ish) - Jane McGonigalJane McGonigalJane McGonigal, Ph.D. is a game designer, games researcher, and author, specializing in pervasive gaming and alternate reality games ....
- Jon "maddog" Hall
- Sarah HoytSarah HoytSarah de Almeida Hoyt is an award-winning fiction author.-Biography:Hoyt was born on November 18, 1962 in the village of Granja, Águas Santas, Maia near Porto, Portugal, a major port city on the Atlantic coast...
- Spider RobinsonSpider RobinsonSpider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...
(cancelled due to extenuating circumstances) - CandyFab (and ultimately, Toast Printer) as Hack of Honor
"Nifty Guests"
"Nifty Guest" is a level of invitation status that Penguicon confers on those who are not full guests of honor but who are celebrities in their own right. Examples include previous Guests of Honor returning to attend the convention.Nifties 2004
- Howard TaylerHoward TaylerHoward V. Tayler is the award-winning creator of the hugely successful webcomic Schlock Mercenary. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University...
- Eric S. Raymond
- Fred Gallagher
- Sandra Brewer
- Luke SkiLuke SkiLuke Ski is a parody, filk and rap artist who writes, records and performs comedy music. He had the #1 most requested song on the Dr...
- Tom SmithTom Smith (filker)Tom Smith is a singer-songwriter from , who got his start in the filk music community. He is a fourteen-time winner of the Pegasus Award for excellence in filking, including awards for his "A Boy and His Frog", "307 Ale", and "The Return of the King ", and was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in...
- Pete Abrams
- John RingoJohn RingoJohn Ringo is an American science fiction and military fiction author. He has had several New York Times best sellers. His books range from straightforward science fiction to a mix of military and political thrillers...
- Vincent Locke
Nifties 2005
- Rob Malda
- Jeff Bates
- Eric Raymond
- Cathy Raymond
- Joey "accordionguy" DeVilla (unable to attend due to illness)
- Kathe KojaKathe KojaKathe Koja is an American writer. She was initially known for her intense speculative fiction for adults, but over the past few years has turned to writing young adult novels....
- Howard Tayler
- Luke Ski
- Tom Smith
Nifties 2006
- John ScalziJohn ScalziJohn Michael Scalzi II is an American author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, released by Tor Books in January 2005, and for his blog , at which he has written...
- Karl SchroederKarl SchroederKarl Schroeder is an award-winning Canadian science fiction author. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality and interstellar travel, and have a deeply philosophical streak...
- Luke Ski
- Tom Smith
- Eric S. Raymond
- Cathy Raymond
- William Neibling
- Will Neibling
- Clif Flynt
- Howard Tayler
Nifties 2007
- Steve Jackson (U.S.)
- Nick SaganNick SaganNick Sagan is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the science fiction novels Idlewild, Edenborn, and Everfree, and his screen credits include episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager...
- Rob BalderRob BalderRobert T. Balder is a professional cartoonist, singer/songwriter, game designer and web entrepreneur. He graduated from Roanoke College with a major in English in 1993, and after a variety of jobs, entered a seven year career in IT, starting as a Manager of Database Development, which he left for...
- Sarah Monette
- Luke Ski
- Tom Smith
- Eric S. Raymond
- Cathy Raymond
- Sarah ZettelSarah ZettelSarah A. Zettel is an American science fiction and fantasy author.She was born in Sacramento, California. Her mother, Gail Beavers, is a retired teacher and social worker; her father, Leonard Francis Zettel, Jr., is a retired engineer and programmer. She obtained a B.A. in Communications from...
- John Scalzi
- Clif Flynt
- Karl Schroeder
- The Ferrett
- Gini Judd
Nifties 2008
- John ScalziJohn ScalziJohn Michael Scalzi II is an American author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, released by Tor Books in January 2005, and for his blog , at which he has written...
- Jorge Castro
- Sarah Monette
- Kyle Rankin
- Cherie PriestCherie PriestCherie Priest is an American novelist and blogger living in Seattle, Washington.-Biography:Priest is a Florida native, born in Tampa in 1975. She graduated from Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, Florida in 1993. She moved around quite a bit as a child of an Army father, living in many places such as...
- Joe Brockmeier
- Lucy Snyder
- Eliezer YudkowskyEliezer YudkowskyEliezer Shlomo Yudkowsky is an American artificial intelligence researcher concerned with the singularity and an advocate of friendly artificial intelligence, living in Redwood City, California.- Biography :...
- Rob BalderRob BalderRobert T. Balder is a professional cartoonist, singer/songwriter, game designer and web entrepreneur. He graduated from Roanoke College with a major in English in 1993, and after a variety of jobs, entered a seven year career in IT, starting as a Manager of Database Development, which he left for...
- Ben BestBen BestBen Best is President and CEO of the Cryonics Institute, the world's second largest cryonics organization. Best is a well-known activist in cryonics and life extension advocacy...
- Aaron Diaz (Dresden CodakDresden CodakDresden Codak is a webcomic written and illustrated by Aaron Diaz. Described by Diaz as a "celebration of science, death and human folly", the comic presents stories that deal with elements of philosophy, science and technology, and/or psychology...
) - Luke SkiLuke SkiLuke Ski is a parody, filk and rap artist who writes, records and performs comedy music. He had the #1 most requested song on the Dr...
- Tom Smith (filker)Tom Smith (filker)Tom Smith is a singer-songwriter from , who got his start in the filk music community. He is a fourteen-time winner of the Pegasus Award for excellence in filking, including awards for his "A Boy and His Frog", "307 Ale", and "The Return of the King ", and was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in...
- Jennie Breeden of The Devil's Panties
- Dawn Kuczwara
- Greg Williams
- The Ferrett
- Katherine Kline
- Elizabeth BearElizabeth BearSarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
- Andy Looney
- Frank Hayes (musician)
- Dr. Peter H. SalusPeter H. SalusPeter H. Salus is a linguist, computer scientist, historian of technology, author in many fields, and an editor of books and journals. He has conducted research in germanistics, language acquisition, and computer languages...
- Eric S. RaymondEric S. RaymondEric Steven Raymond , often referred to as ESR, is an American computer programmer, author and open source software advocate. After the 1997 publication of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Raymond was for a number of years frequently quoted as an unofficial spokesman for the open source movement...
Nifties 2009
- Steve EleySteve EleySteve Eley is an American speculative fiction author and former podcaster. He edited and produced Escape Pod, a science fiction podcast, and produced Pseudopod, a horror podcast, and PodCastle, a fantasy fiction podcast that debuted on April 1, 2008...
- Elizabeth BearElizabeth BearSarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
- Cherie PriestCherie PriestCherie Priest is an American novelist and blogger living in Seattle, Washington.-Biography:Priest is a Florida native, born in Tampa in 1975. She graduated from Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, Florida in 1993. She moved around quite a bit as a child of an Army father, living in many places such as...
- John ScalziJohn ScalziJohn Michael Scalzi II is an American author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, released by Tor Books in January 2005, and for his blog , at which he has written...
- Megan Rose GedrisMegan Rose Gedris-YU+ME:dream:YU+ME:dream is a manga-styled webcomic about a teenage girl called Fiona who spends all her time dreaming, until she meets Lia, who she falls in love with...
- Jason Dunstan
- Mark Savary
- Tom SmithTom Smith- Sports :* R. Thomas "Tom" Smith , American thoroughbred racehorse trainer of Seabiscuit* Tom Smith , Major League player* Tom Smith , Major League player...
- Luke SkiLuke SkiLuke Ski is a parody, filk and rap artist who writes, records and performs comedy music. He had the #1 most requested song on the Dr...
- Dual Core
- Catherine Devlin
- Kyle RankinKyle RankinKyle Rankin is a filmmaker.-Early life:Kyle Rankin went to school at the University of Maine in Orono where he founded the University's Film and Video Club...
- Jorge CastroJorge CastroJorge Castro may refer to:* Jorge Castro * Jorge Castro...
- Bill ChildersBill ChildersWilliam Childers was an American professional baseball player who pitched in one game for the Louisville Colonels of the National League on July 27, 1895. He allowed two hits, walked five and allowed six runs to score, without recording a single out.. as this was his only Major League appearance...
- Eric Raymond
See also
- Science fiction conventionScience fiction conventionScience fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
- Science fiction fandomScience fiction fandomScience fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
- ConFusion (convention)