News Updates

Thursday Feb 24 Updates

• Anime schedule update for Saturday
• Program Book online (Adobe PDF file)

Tuesday Feb 22 Updates

• Schedule updates and new printable grids
• SciFi Book Drive added to Fan Table Page
• San Diego premiere of Monsters of the ID
• 2 more dealers: Hattitude and Kinvirra's Tresures

Monday Feb 21 Updates

• Final program schedule
• Anime schedule updated
• Registration hours and at-the-door rates
• Final pre-con membership list
• Final fan table listing

Blood Drive by the Mandolorian Mercs

Condor, in partnership with the Mandalorian Mercs, is hosting a blood drive on Saturday at the Town & Country Hotel during ConDor.  Parking is free for all donors! You can also donate at any San Diego Blood Bank Center or Truck ahead of time, just use the event code CNDR.

The Blood Mobile will be parked by Charlie's restaurant which is located in the south east section of the hotel grounds, behind Kelly's Steakhouse and next to the convention itself. (see our hotel map)

The Blood Drive is open to the public so please pass this information (we have two flyers - traditional and fannish) along to any person, group or anywhere else you think would be interested.

Website Updated with Program Schedule and Latest Updates

The convention is fast approaching so we're cleaning out the 2010 info with new 2011 info for all departments!

• Anime Programming Schedule
• Daily Program Schedule
• Dealers' Room Lineup
• Updated Membership List
• Mad Science Fair and Mad Science Hall of Fame
• Masquerade Info
• New Concert Info and Dance schedule
• New ConDor Veterans list
• Updated Social Gaming - Hall Costume page

Main Hotel Sold Out - Overflow hotel in walking distance

At this time all the rooms at the Town & Country have been reserved.

The hotel has arranged for overflow at the Best Western 7 Sea's
(walk able by going under the 8 overpass) for $65.00 per night. Call the
hotel reservations at (619) 291-1300 or 800 328-1618 and ask for the Condor rate.

Seventeen Nineteen Dealers for your enjoyment

Our dealers page has been updated and includes information about each dealer with links to their websites.

Thirty Fifty Seventy confirmed Panelists and Guests

And more to follow - view our panelist bio page now.

Additional Guests!

We've confirmed a few more names in addition to the following that have not been added to our guest biography page.

• Elwin Cotman - Author, poet
• Herb Jefferson (Boomer on the original "Battlestar Galactica")
• Richard Dean Starr - Author, editor
• Cindy Pon - Author
• Ron Oakes (Fan)
• Larry Niven- Author

Special Appearence - Herb Jefferson, Jr

(Saturday & Sunday) Special Appearence by Herb Jefferson, Jr (Most widely known for his role as Lt. Boomer on the original Battlestar Galactica)

Very Important - Legal Stuff

Your photograph may be taken at CONDOR conventions. Read the details in our photograph policy.

Steam Powered Giraffe

ConDor is pleased to announce the upcoming appearance of local musical group Steam Powered Giraffe at the intermission of this year's ConDor masquerade!

Music Fantastic Concert

ConDor has a long tradition of a music concert on Friday Evening. This years show will feature an Irish/Celtic group, an acoustic guitar duet who perform a wide verity of styles blues, rock, folk, country, and latin, and several singer/song writers with tunes ranging from days of yore to times yet to be. <read more>

Condor 2010 Anime Room

Greetings!  This year we have a fine selection of fantastical animated entertainment. I will be bringing a device that projects light and sound, ingeniously synchronized to show you stories from many improbable worlds. <read more>

Writers Workshop

ConDor will be hosting a Writers Workshop again this year. Again this year instead of writers bringing in their work, this workshop will entail writing a short fictional segment based on a prompt – a theme, location, concept, etc. – provided by the person leading the workshop. After time given to actually write, the participants will present what they have written for discussion and critique by the workshop leader and participants. To assure a position, those interested in attending the workshop should contact our Programming dept There may be places open at the con but priority will be given to those registering in advance.

Hogwarts Educational Retreat

Marked as His Equal joins the Friday night Wizard Rock concert. We are honored to have Marked as His Equal performing during the Wrock concert. This will be their third year at ConDor. We regret to announce that Catchlove will not be performing

The Science of Aliens

The San Diego Air and Space Museum is opening its exhibit "The Science of Aliens", looking at such subjects as aliens in fiction, "alien" life right here on Earth, concepts of life on alien worlds and the possibilities of communicating with aliens. The exhibit will run at least through the year. You may want to allow time during your visit to ConDor for a side trip to the Air and Space Museum.

ConDor Scavenger Hunt

We regretfully must cancel this year's ConDor Scavenger Hunt.  The organizers, James  & Dan, have other real life commitments that will not allow them to run the event.  However, the San Diego Rocket Race, an annual sci-fi themed urban puzzle race around town,  will be held in November so check out their web site for details.  We hope the organizers can return to next year. (www.sdrocketrace.com) 

Mad Science Fair

Attention all ConDor attendees. Come participate in this year’s Mad Science Faire. Display and demonstrate your aetheric weapon, your ghost detector, your flying harness or the model of your volcanic lair. Put together a science fair presentation on your research into zombie population modeling, fairy anatomy or the effects of your time travelling on your family tree. (Steampunk and Retro Future entries appreciated but don’t feel you must limit yourself.)

All entries must be available for presentation at ConDor (exact time for fair to be announced when the programming schedule is created). The winner of this year’s competition will be made an honorary member of The Mad Scientists Hall of Fame, being started at this year’s ConDor.

Nominations open for Mad Scientists Hall of Fame

Come participate in ConDor's first annual nominations and voting for the "Mad Scientists Hall of Fame", honoring all those crazed inventors and explorers of the unknown who have captivated us in fiction and real life. Go to http://jameshay.tripod.com/mshof/mad-scientists-hall-of-fame.html . Here you will find a list of real and fictional nominees for our first year's inductees. In honor of ConDor's theme of "Tripping the Past Fantastic", this year's nominees are all from the Victorian/Steampunk age or earlier.

You don't see someone you think should be honored? Suggest them to be added to our nominees.

ConDor members, guests and staff can vote for the candidates of their choice, either before or at the convention. (Note: Pre-convention you might not see all the eventual all nominees.) Voting will continue through the beginning of this year's ConDor. You may vote for up to five fictitious and one real candidate. This is also the number of individuals who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this ConDor.

One of this year's potential panel topics at ConDor will be "What makes a Mad Scientist Mad?". Why do we consider some individuals to be mad scientists? Is it their crazy ideas? The out of the norm inventions? The ignoring of normal morality and propriety? Come discuss this with our panelists.

Gaming Page Updated

More information on our gaming schedule both sit-down, live-action and social.

Guest List Updated (Again)

Our annotated list of confirmed guests, with 20 new guests since the last update.

Dealer's Room Updated (Again)

More confirmed dealers with website links and brief descriptions of the specialities available in our 2010 Dealer's room..(One more added Jan 13)

                                                     Original art by Atanielle Noel Rowland

Media Ghost of Honor named

Join our appreciation of Ross Martin a talented actor, humanitarian and true Renaissance Man, .with programming and discussions around their works.

ConDor Academy of Magic

For 3 years, the ConDor Academy of Magic has offered continuing education classes annually during ConDor, This year the Academy is proud to be hosting the Hogwarts Educational Retreat.  There will be a welcoming Wrock Concert on Friday night.  Classes and presentations will be held during the day on Saturday.  Saturday evening we'll enjoy a costume show and another Wrock concert.  And on Sunday the Common Room will be available sit and chat or play games. Read more on our 2010 Programming Page.

Guest List Updated

Our annotated list of confirmed guests is now updated.

Knight Classes

The classes will continue with more subjects and continuing education. We have openings for new students and instructors. Contact our programming department for details and to request an application.

Condor XVII : Programming Theme

Our primary programming theme will be: Tripping the Past Fantastic: Steampunk, Retro Future and Early Fantastic Fiction

ConDor Potential Panel Ideas

• Cheating the Reaper: Immortality
• Retro Future
• Steampunk Costuming: More than Gears and Goggles
  Here are several series of pictures of the recent Victorian/Edwardian/Steampunk tea held in San Diego's Heritage Park.
• The Ultimate Minority Group: Civil Rights for Monsters
• Can There Be Good Without Evil?
  Saint Augustine apparently answered this question, "Yes".
• The Good, The Bad And JarJar Binks: What has worked in Star Wars and what hasn’t
• Classic And Not So Classic Heroic Archetypes

2010 Guest of Honor

CJ Cherryh
We are pleased to announce that CJ Cherryh as agreed to be ConDor's 2010 Guest of Honor. Her numerous awards include:

• John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1977

• Hugo Award, short story, for "Cassandra" in 1979

• Hugo Award, novel, Downbelow Station in 1982

• Locus Award, Best SF Novel, Cyteen in 1988

• Hugo Award, novel, Cyteen in 1989

Among her other novels are Rusalka, Pride of Chanur, Exile's Gate, Chanur's Legacy, Flood Tide, Regenesis, and Fortress of Dragons