Hal-Con 2018

We will cover all those things that you didn't learn in high school, such as: how to self-assess your level of financial fitness, and how to get your financial house in order. We'll look at goal-setting and provide resources to help you practice what you learn. There will be lots of time for Q&A. 

Social media has changed the way that people connect, communicate and share their interests.  For better and worse.  While it has opened up a world of information, broken down barriers and built communities, it has also given a sense of anonymity that has built a safe space for internet trolls and a kind of bullying that has often led to the adage: "This is why we can't have nice things!"

Two of Hal-Con's Facebook group administrators will share their experiences moderating large online communities.  They will offer tips and tricks for others looking to grow an online community as well as offer their thoughts on what good community members can do to help.  The panel is structured in a Q&A format rather than a presentation so bring your questions, suggestions and other ideas!

New changes in AI and robotics are set to change the world! This session will look at some of the surprising new developments and what they might mean for you. If you think virtual reality and self-driving cars are cool, wait until next year. Imagine intelligent paint that can turn any surface into a display or clothing that can give you superpowers. Whether you choose to live on Mars or in the Matrix one thing is certain. Resistance is futile!

Canadian copyright law seeks to promote the public interest by encouraging creative expression and the dissemination of artistic works while ensuring a reward for creators. But what happens when content creators are borrowing from others’ work? How will Canadian copyright law respond to cosplayers, streamers, and dorky developers more widely? Taken a step further, services like Patreon, Youtube, Twitch, and Kickstarter have made earning income from creative industries more attainable. How can industry pioneers structure their businesses and even better, what equipment, subscriptions, and other costs might they be able to deduct?

Please join lawyers Katie Paterno and David Wallace of McInnes Cooper as they provide a brief overview of the law in these areas and discuss some of what streamers, cosplayers, and others should be aware of as they pursue their passions. 

Was Alice in Wonderland guilty of trespassing?  Who really had legal claim to the One Ring, Gollum or Bilbo?  Would workplace safety think Willy Wonka a good employer?

Great fiction takes us out of ourselves and into a world where anything is possible.  But, sometimes that anything that is possible, isn't always legal.  See how Canadian legal professionals view some of the greatest plot points in fiction.

Presented by: Melissa Grant, Jade Fraser, Ian Wilenius, Jon Shapiro, Kelsey Carey and Adam Norton.  

Love anime?  Please join us for this fun and in depth look at the history of anime television openings.  Enjoy some of the most important and loved anime OPs from the first televised anime series in the 1960's all the way to shows from the most recent fall 2018 season.  We will be discussing the first OP, how OPs are chosen, the business behind them, their significance and popularity among fan cultures, and the practice of dubbing OP's in the West.

At the end of the presentation, two audience members will be given the chance to participate in a "name that anime OP" game where the winner leaves with a anime feature film or series Blu-ray.

Presented by: Yousef Mousavi, Dunnery Bond& David Gibson McLean

Our presenters are graduates from Boston's Berklee College of Music and are currently working as educators, performers, composers, and session musicians. Yousef studied video game scoring in university with the composer for League of Legends and Bioshock Infinite. David has worked as an instrumentalist on Bayblade Burst and has performed the music of RWBY with composer Jeff Williams at RTX Austin.  Dunnery works full time as an educator and performs around the city; most recently toured with Heather Rankin.  David and Yousef are also in a group called Tournament Arc which recently had a song featured in Renaine, a game coming out for the Switch.  They do annual panels at both Anime North and Anime Boston.

Rob and Ian will answer any questions about how astronomers are looking for and finding extra-solar planets, what has been found so far, what we can learn about exoplanets, and the prospects for detecting alien life (so far).