Virtual cons
May. 22nd, 2020 08:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seekingferretSince nothing was stopping me, I got a virtual membership to Wiscon. Last night I watched the opening concert with the Doubleclicks while chatting with people in the Discord, and it was a really joyful experience.
Sadly, though, I find myself running into the limitations of being Shomer Shabbos at virtual cons. Three of the things I would be most excited about on the program- the Vid Party (which will be replaying my 2015 Wiscon Vid Party premiere "Cassavetes") is Friday night, Benjamin Rosenbaum's presentation on Doctor Who as a wandering Jew will be tomorrow afternoon, andbrainwane's Otherwise Auction will fall as sundown is happening, so I may catch the second half.
It's not like in-person cons are always such a congruous experience to observe Shabbos at, but I've developed strategies over the years that have helped a great deal in making it possible for me to both live Shabbos and live the convention experience simultaneously when I'm physically present, but I don't have any useful strategies here. The good thing is I believe at least the Doctor Who presentation will be available to stream later, but as the Doubleclicks concert last night demonstrated, there's a big difference in virtual experiences between watching a video as opposed to being part of a group watching a video, experiencing it together and interacting with it together. Then again, if Wiscon weren't virtual at all I'd never have the chance to see it at all. The other good news is that I don't need to deal with preparing kosher food ahead of time, shlepping it to my hotel room, and all the tsuris that comes with that.
I think in some surprising places, my virtual membership to Vidukon will work out better because the Friday night programming, timeshifted across the Atlantic, will fall largely before sundown.
Sadly, though, I find myself running into the limitations of being Shomer Shabbos at virtual cons. Three of the things I would be most excited about on the program- the Vid Party (which will be replaying my 2015 Wiscon Vid Party premiere "Cassavetes") is Friday night, Benjamin Rosenbaum's presentation on Doctor Who as a wandering Jew will be tomorrow afternoon, and
brainwane's Otherwise Auction will fall as sundown is happening, so I may catch the second half. It's not like in-person cons are always such a congruous experience to observe Shabbos at, but I've developed strategies over the years that have helped a great deal in making it possible for me to both live Shabbos and live the convention experience simultaneously when I'm physically present, but I don't have any useful strategies here. The good thing is I believe at least the Doctor Who presentation will be available to stream later, but as the Doubleclicks concert last night demonstrated, there's a big difference in virtual experiences between watching a video as opposed to being part of a group watching a video, experiencing it together and interacting with it together. Then again, if Wiscon weren't virtual at all I'd never have the chance to see it at all. The other good news is that I don't need to deal with preparing kosher food ahead of time, shlepping it to my hotel room, and all the tsuris that comes with that.
I think in some surprising places, my virtual membership to Vidukon will work out better because the Friday night programming, timeshifted across the Atlantic, will fall largely before sundown.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-05-22 06:52 pm (UTC)All of which is to say I considered Wiscon, and then didn't go for it this year for the reasons you're describing. I suspect I'm a bit more lax about some things than you are, but it still struck me as outside my comfort zone in enough ways that I passed.
ETA: Shabbat shalom!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-05-22 07:47 pm (UTC)