The schedule has been posted for Boskone 53, this coming February 19th through 21st, and I have several items on it! First, if you’re in the Boston area, I have a reading on Friday the 19th that is free and open to the public:

Friday, 5:00 PM (free to public)
Room: Independence
Reading: John P. Murphy

I have a couple stories I might read, including some flash fiction and portions from my novella The Liar (which will have just hit newsstands, if I’m not mistaken). However, you should show up an hour early, because Ken Liu and Carrie Cuinn have the room for  readings at 4 and 4:30.

On Saturday I have two panels, both of which I expect to be lots of fun:

Saturday, 11:00 AM
Room: Burroughs
Drone Technology: Watch the Skies
Drones keep buzzing further into public consciousness; the FAA has begun to regulate them. But what do we really know about these small aerial vehicles? What are their limits? Can they be useful (deliveries of books, DVDs, and pizza anyone)? Are killer drones hovering in our future? Are drones destined to become simply another artifact of living in the 21st century?
Mark L. Olson (M), Jeff Hecht, Janet Catherine Johnston, Jordin T. Kare, John P. Murphy

Saturday, 5:00 PM
Room: Marina 2
Holmes, Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian sleuth has been interpreted and re-interpreted in countless ways (Mr. Holmes, Sherlock, Elementary, etc.). As a result, this iconic “difficult genius” investigator is the inspiration for many of today’s fictional and filmic PIs. Why is it that Holmes can be interpreted in so many ways and still be identifiable as Sherlock? How does this character continue to speak to us on such a deep level?
Stephen P. Kelner Jr. (M), Dana Cameron, Jim Mann, John P. Murphy, Sarah Smith

And one panel on Sunday, conveniently on a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately:

Sunday, 10:00 AM
Room: Marina 2
Right and Wrong: AIs and Us
Artificial intelligence raises many questions of morality for us … and for them. Can/should self-aware AIs be controlled? Is it slavery to own an AI? Can we terminate lower-functioning units, even if self-aware? Do AIs warrant a vote? And how and why could we/should we instill morality into AIs? Are Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics appropriate, or enough?
Janice Gelb (M), Tom Easton, John P. Murphy, Charles Stross, Django Wexler