ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "136: When Do You Not Want to Talk About Games?"
Episode Synopsis
John is ambivalent, Alison is against, and Liz is hangry.
An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.
Content warnings this episode: None
Letters of comment
Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)
Chris Garcia (email)
2008 Worldcon site selection
Farah Mendlesohn (email)
Dream Foundry
The original announcement of the Carole Goldman Fund
Con or Bust
“If you are Palestinian, or identify as a member of the Palestinian diaspora … you may qualify for a larger grant from the [Carole] Goldman Fund.”
The deadline for the 2025 round seems to have been October 2024, so it might be worth checking before October 2025 if you’re interested in the 2026 round
2026 Eurocon: Metropol Con in Berlin
Jan Harley (Facebook)
Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)
Looi
Raj (Mastodon)
Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)
We also heard from Lynelle Howell, Peter Sullivan, Sam Skipsey, Sandra Bond, and Shi Lala
Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast
Rattlebag has won Best Bar in Northern Ireland at the CLASS Awards
Worldcon 2025: Seattle
Consultative votes on Retro Hugo Awards and Best Professional/Fan Artist
New Business Meeting business had to have been submitted by 4 June 2025
Apparently WSFS is pronounced “whiz-fizz”?!
“About Choosing Convention Program Participants” by Erin Underwood
“Genre Grapevine’s Deep Dive into the Use of ChatGPT by Seattle Worldcon” by Jason Sanford
Picks
John: Welcome to Forever by Nathan Tavares
Alison: Andor
J Michael Straczynski is moving to the UK to write British TV shows
Liz: The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Novacon 54
Credits
Cover art: “Liz Hits the Smörgåsbord” by Alison Scott
Alt text: Liz, depicted as the Incredible Hulk, comes across a table on which lie many items of food (sketched in black and white) including John (a sausage roll) and Alison (an almond croissant), rendered in colour. The words “Octothorpe 136” appear at the top and “You won’t like Liz when she’s hangry” appear at the bottom.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.
Content warnings this episode: None
Letters of comment
Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)
Chris Garcia (email)
2008 Worldcon site selection
Farah Mendlesohn (email)
Dream Foundry
The original announcement of the Carole Goldman Fund
Con or Bust
“If you are Palestinian, or identify as a member of the Palestinian diaspora … you may qualify for a larger grant from the [Carole] Goldman Fund.”
The deadline for the 2025 round seems to have been October 2024, so it might be worth checking before October 2025 if you’re interested in the 2026 round
2026 Eurocon: Metropol Con in Berlin
Jan Harley (Facebook)
Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)
Looi
Raj (Mastodon)
Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)
We also heard from Lynelle Howell, Peter Sullivan, Sam Skipsey, Sandra Bond, and Shi Lala
Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast
Rattlebag has won Best Bar in Northern Ireland at the CLASS Awards
Worldcon 2025: Seattle
Consultative votes on Retro Hugo Awards and Best Professional/Fan Artist
New Business Meeting business had to have been submitted by 4 June 2025
Apparently WSFS is pronounced “whiz-fizz”?!
“About Choosing Convention Program Participants” by Erin Underwood
“Genre Grapevine’s Deep Dive into the Use of ChatGPT by Seattle Worldcon” by Jason Sanford
Picks
John: Welcome to Forever by Nathan Tavares
Alison: Andor
J Michael Straczynski is moving to the UK to write British TV shows
Liz: The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Novacon 54
Credits
Cover art: “Liz Hits the Smörgåsbord” by Alison Scott
Alt text: Liz, depicted as the Incredible Hulk, comes across a table on which lie many items of food (sketched in black and white) including John (a sausage roll) and Alison (an almond croissant), rendered in colour. The words “Octothorpe 136” appear at the top and “You won’t like Liz when she’s hangry” appear at the bottom.
Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
More episodes of the podcast Octothorpe
145: James Bacon and His Enthusiasms
09/10/2025
144: I Have Opinions on Women
25/09/2025
143: A Major Movie in the Sand Genre
12/09/2025
142: A Lot of Double-Sided Bra Tape
28/08/2025
140: Nerdiest Nerds Who Ever Nerded
31/07/2025
139: Mostly Just a Wide Spot on the Road
17/07/2025
135: Very Slightly Soggier
22/05/2025
In God we trust