July 31, 2025

140: Nerdiest Nerds Who Ever Nerded

1 hour 14 minutes

John is laughing, Alison is coughing, and Liz has already eaten.

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 Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Coughing (aftershow)

Letters of comment

Ali Baker Brooks (Facebook)

Constanze Hofmann (Facebook)

David Bamford (Bluesky)

Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)

Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)

Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)

Tommy Ferguson (email)

We also heard from Olav Rokne, Shi Lala, Tammy Coxen

2025 Worldcon: Seattle

Business Meeting

Business Meeting Agenda and Recaps

File 770 reporting: 4 July, 19 July, 25 July

YouTube recordings: 4 July, 19 July, 25 July

13 July was not reported/recorded because of executive session

Trial Committee

Doctor Science, España Sheriff, Ian Stockdale, Kat Kourbeti, Kris “nchanter” Snyder

Mark Protection Committee

Nicholas Whyte, Alan Bond, and Chris Rose have benefitted quite massively from shortcomings in the WSFS voting mechanism, reports Nicholas Whyte

University of Cambridge’s Single Transferable Vote regulations

There’s a new way to remove MPC members

Ben Yalow jumped before being pushed

E.2 got ratified and then un-ratified again

Andrew January visualised what the changes imply

Nicholas Whyte pointed out this would accidentally hugely disenfranchise Attending Memberships

Meg MacDonald pointed out in the Business Meeting that Glasgow had 1390 “First Worldcon” members

We should vote with “Everybody Votes” style

Smofcon 42 bursaries are available

2027 Worldcon: Montreal bid

The prospective co-chairs have been announced

Picks

John: One Soul by Ray Fawkes

Alison: Bitter

Liz: Superman

Credits

Cover art: “WSFS Everybody Votes Channel” by Alison Scott

Alt text: Three Miis in the style of John, Alison and Liz on a background reminiscent of the Everybody Votes Channel from the Nintendo Wii. The words “Octothorpe 140” appear at the top and “WSFS Everybody Votes Channel” at the bottom.

- Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

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