We’ve just signed up for next year’s World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow. Interaction takes place from 4-8 August 2005, and will be the first Worldcon in Europe since 1995, when Intersection sailed the Clyde.
In August of 1995:
- I was a new teacher, fresh out of teacher training college.
- Abi was still an accountant.
- I was running a Mac Classic, and had yet to build my first PC.
- I had never touched Windows 95.
- Internet? I was still running CompuServe 2.x. Forums were cool, Usenet was a pain in the neck. Dial-up at 28.8K was fast.
- Bob Shaw was still alive.
- Mobile phones? Nahhhh.
- Kids? Nahhhh.
- We were a month into owning our first car: the original Sun Pig!
Lots has changed:
- After retraining as a programmer, I’m now an IT consultant.
- After retraining as a programmer, Abi is now an IT consultant.
- After building and running PCs for a decade, I’m wondering if it’s not time to switch back to using a Mac.
- I’m very glad to have finished touching Windows 95.
- 750KBps broadband, our own domain, and our own web site. Usenet is still a pain in the neck.
- My Bob Shaw collection continues to grow. (100+ books, 50+ magazines and anthologies)
- Camera phones.
- Two kids.
- We are a couple of months into owning our second car. It doesn’t have a name yet, though.
I’m looking forward to Worldcon, and the next ten years. I’m guessing I’ll be a plumber by then.
Wow, it seems like only yesterday that I was at the 1991 Westercon voting on Glasgow in 95. My history is sort of reverse to yours. I was a computer puke who helped to build that thingy that Al Gore invented.. 🙂 I’m now a dozen different kinds of handyman, beekeeper, carpenter, and DIY home builders expert assistant. In 95 my fortunes were at a remarkable dip and I couldn’t afford the money the trip would cost. This cycle I couldn’t afford the time and absence from some relationships. I just made the conceptual to actual leap into owning my first new car! Hey If I spend $400.00 smacks a month fixing a clunker, I can afford to make payments. Unfortunately the folks at our local VW dealership found that out! Next time I get the deal in the paper, or I go over to the Koreans at KIA. I’ll probably miss LA, and certainly Japan. We have Japanese over here ‘cuz they couldn’t afford to live in Yokohama. I’m fired up for a big con now, I’m gonna check westercons!!!!