Will Hall H reveal mystifying new techology?

11 JULY 2016

As you know, studios hate it when you surreptitiously film their special SDCC footage and then share it with the undeserving public. So far the effort to combat this has taken the form of, "Stop doing that." Which isn't terribly effective.

Recently - like in the last few weeks - Apple announced a tech patent for a tool that would disable your device's camera. Which sounds like a studio dream, but again, it's quite recent.

So it's hard to imagine we'd already see this in Hall H, but it sounds like we might see something; James Gunn made an interesting comment on Facebook. "Well, you might see something if you're in Hall H on July 23 with me and the Marvel panel. Or if someone secretly films that - which is less likely to happen because of new technology, but I still know sometimes happens - then you'll see it right after. If not, then it will be a short while."

What new technology?? We need details, stat. Obviously James was purposefully vague, but he must have an idea that something is afoot. More will be revealed, I suppose.

And speaking of reveals: Gunn also said they'd have "something special for you" in the panel. Just in case you needed more motivation to get into Hall H Saturday.

IT jobs at San Diego Comic-Con

2 JULY 2016




Are you looking for a contract IT job this month? Because Comic-Con needs IT support from 11 July - 25 July. This is a full-time job (albeit temporary) with likely some overtime.

At first you'll work at CCI headquarters "supporting the internal end users with hardware, software, networking issues Tier 2 level. Chat, email, remote and deskside support." Then Comic-Con starts and you'll be working a specific area on the floor where you'll help vendors with their issues - printers, laptops, networking, etc.

For all of this, you will be paid the unprincely sum of... $17 an hour. That seems kind of low to me so let's hope you get a comp badge and some free time to prowl around the Con.

Submit your resume; SDCC fans "are most certainly welcome."

Warning on the Waitlist Process

8 JUNE 2016

Today I awoke to a blessed event: my waitlist email came through! So of course I jumped on, discovered the Hyatt was available and booked the room. Almost.

Right as I got to the name and credit card part, OnPeak said they already had me in the system, was that me? I said sure, but they asked for a password and the one I entered didn't work. Requested a reset, and got taken to a home page that invited me to click on HOTELS. So I did and now all the hotels were grayed out.

I immediately figured out that I had been taken to the regular SDCC hotel page, instead of the Waitlist one. So I did the process again from the start. Hyatt was still available. But once again when they asked if I was me, and I logged in as me, I got a message that said the Hyatt had sold out in the time I was inputting my credit card.

I was semi-livid, but decided those were the breaks and picked the Hilton Gaslamp instead. (I really like that hotel.) Same thing happened - sold out while I was entering my info. At this point, I got suspicious, started the whole process from scratch again, and this time said it was NOT me when they asked. Voila, hotel was available - and the reservation went through.

I was so desperate to lock it down that I confirmed it before I realized the Hyatt might be available too. So I looked and yes, it was. So I called OnPeak with my tale of woe and they started a ticket.

Point being: if this happens to you, be cautious. Your dream room may not be sold out. Maybe this was a singular snafu that happened only to me, but I thought I'd sound the warning.

And since I know you're wondering: yes, there were some great hotels available. I didn't see Hilton Bayfront or Marriot Marquis but pretty much everything else.

ETA: It's been pointed out that the email warns against this. However, I've now heard from 4 other people this happened to - which means that a lot of us are logging in as soon as we come to the link, which is pretty understandable given how quickly rooms sell out. So just be aware of this and click no.

Control your technology at SDCC

18 JUNE 2015




The Toucan blog came out with more tips today that are actually rules about you and your newfangled technology. Some of these we already know; some are unintentionally hilarious; all are necessary to know. Let's summarize.

No selfie sticks. We knew this. But wait, did we know how extensive the ban would be? I don't think so: "This includes all of the Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Programming and Event rooms, etc., and on Convention Center grounds outside, and any official Comic-Con events outside the Center, including the Marriott Marquis, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, and Omni San Diego hotels, the Horton Grand Theatre, and the San Diego Central Library."

So on any hallowed Comic-Con ground, your selfie stick is forbidden.

No livestreaming. Good luck enforcing this one, Comic-Con, although I agree with it. I'll say it here; holding up a device to record your panel is not only rude to the people sitting behind you, it will catch Security's eye. Of course some of you are stealthy enough to pull this off without getting caught; then we have Google Glass, which you cannot wear during footage viewing. They recommend bringing a different pair of glasses to wear if your Google Glass is prescription eyewear. What will Comic-Con do when recording devices are built into our corneas?

None of your e-cigarettes and vaping devices. You can use these outside in "designated areas" but don't try it inside.

And finally...

No drones or "flying devices." The idea of drones flying around the Exhibit Hall is obviously a bad one, but they can't even be "tethered" - inside or outside the convention center. So there go your plans for recording the Hall H line from an aerial view to show your friends at home. Also banned: "helium balloons and helium filled products, drones, or any lighter than air objects either powered or unpowered." And no levitating, presumably.

I think the only one of these that will really impact attendees is the rule against livestreaming - and that fits into the existing rule about not recording. All in all, these are pretty reasonable, right?