Issue 3 Saturday afternoon Minicon Medallion Hunt Bulletin Tales writ in copper and zinc Since our last dispatch, several more proud successes have come trickling down the pipe: 1. This one was found almost as soon as it hit the divider between the 2nd floor pay phones, planted by a junior accomplice while the bulletin’s first issue was hitting print. Alert vendor Jonathan B. snapped it up… 2. …and also got this one, stuck to the rules of use sign for the spa. An impressive double play when you come to think about it. He also reported that a large group of people congregated en masse on Medallion 7’s hiding place, only to find it gone. See below! 4. This penny was attached to the back of the shiny metal Push To Open button controlling the door of the 2nd floor Women’s restroom near the escalators. After being discovered, it was returned to the corresponding Men’s room location in the interest of fairness, whereafter it was soon discovered by John S. 7. First, a humble correction: it was notea, and not Paul F., who joined Andy E. in finding medallions 10 and 15. My fault for misremembering to whom the badge name belonged. The time has come to tell the story of Medallion 7, long believed missing, whose fate was linked to Medallion 10. The clue for #7 in Issue 1 asks what 165 buys you in hexadecimal. That converted figure is A5, a combination which notea and Andy (and perhaps others) linked to the vending machine near poolside. (Note: a similar gimmick was used in the hunt’s first year, linking the Ersatz Kahuna to the Whatchamacallits in slot E8; this penny, alas, was lost and never found.) Slot A5 is occupied by prepackaged goggles. The word ‘goggles’, when put in digital LED form and turned upside-down, yields the number 5376606. Dropping the last three digits down to Clue 10 and dividing by six yields 101, which explains why Medallion 10 was where it was. But the first four digits, 5376, can be divided by casino favorite 21 to leave 256, a number whose square root is 16, the name of a lesser-known card game that was left innocently on one of the round gaming tables in the greater poolside area. So where is Medallion 7? Well, it turns out that it slipped out of the box of cards just before said box was removed from the Cluemeister’s desk for planting. Oops! It should have been there. Andy, notea and/or Jonathan, your seven Dealer Dollars are waiting for you! E1. At half past noon, this penny, ensconced in a green Easter egg, was found bobbing in the pool by the daring Jerry S. In attendance were his lackeys, Johnny and Ryan, who provided support while Jerry stripped off his sweatshirt and dove swiftly in, only to discover E1 inside. Q1. This one was not expected to be found until Saturday night; the intrepidity of Rob I., however, is not to be underestimated. Having read the clue about singer/songwriter Christine Lavin’s favorite living movie star, he had no choice but to investigate when he happened by the Harrison Ford Fan Party (Room 209). On his second or third trip in, his scouring finally paid off and he noticed the book on the balcony table. Opening it, he discovered that the copy of Quicksands was actually hollow, with the pages glued together. Inside was the prize—‘under cover’ in plain sight. Rob claims that he is not ‘actively looking’ for medallions—but what can you do when one falls into your lap? Redeem your wares The next two hours during which you can redeem your medallions and make official guesses for Medallion 9 are: Saturday 3–4 p.m. (in progress) Saturday 10–11 p.m. Plus one on Sunday to be announced. Don’t forget—past issues’ clues can still be useful! —The Cluemeister Back to using asterisks…is this an incredibly subtle clue?? * See BBT on reverse side!! * CLUES: ROUND 3 π. Only the tanks can tell you all the indices, and even then the message is often fragmented. 5. If you’re not sure what the status of this medallion is, check the chart outside Hunt HQ! 8. There are eight of them, each with three supports, six crossbeams and three circles. Each circle has two sides, for 48 sides in all. On one of these 48 sides, Medallion 8 is camouflaged. 9. Friedman. Goldeneye. Zapruder. Palindrome. Guess during official hours of redemption! E2. By now you should know exactly where and when this lucky break will strike. F. To conquer this folding monstrosity takes both rhyme and reason. G. Was I too sutble? Should I refer instead to a hive of simian scripting? H. At last glance, the famed Mr. H was standing directly atop this treasure. Q2. Look for the object that sits amid glitz without any purpose of its own. The Bozo Bug Tribune The Transplanted Organ of Minicon 44 Vol. 44, No. 0.3 New item! How to Build a Starship 7–8 p.m. Saturday Veranda 2 Host Chris Beskar, CEO of Stavatti Aerospace, will talk about what goes into modern aerospace engineering. This just in! GoH Karl Schroeder’s novel Sun of Suns is reported to be a nominee for Japan’s Seiun Award in the category of Best Foreign Novel! (The nominee list comes from a Chinese language website and has not yet been officially confirmed by the Seiun website.) Programming changes: Michael Merriam & Dana Baird will be holding signings in the Grand Ballroom Foyer from 4:30–5:00 Saturday. Scott McCoy will be giving a reading in Veranda 1 at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Adventures for Young Women, scheduled for 1–2 p.m. Sunday in Krushenko’s, will be moderated by Peg Kerr and not by Sharon Kahn. A personal note: The Minnesota Science Fiction Society and Minicon wish to offer condolences to Lynn Anderson on the passing of his wife, Donna. Lynn invented the Minicon Trucking Department many years ago, and more recently assisted former fan GoH Doug Friauf as he rolled around the con. We wish you well at this sad time, Lynn. $$$: A sum of money was found in Veranda 3 at about 2 p.m. on Saturday. Come to Registration if you believe it is yours. Random award: And the Worst Case of Helmet Hair Not Caused by an Actual Space Helmet goes to…Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet! A great way to start the day on Saturday! —Anonymous Saturday morning 4 a.m. Krahn-Gahlon pulse check: Consuite: 3 Bar: 3 Roaming: 3 +2H Pulse checkers: 3 Badging: 7 Gaming: 7 Ford party: 8 Total: 36 Sharon Kahn – Editor in Absentia Thorin N. Tatge – Editor in Fact © 2009 by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society. Any opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors, not necessarily anyone else’s.