NiftyGuest for PenguiCon 4.0 in 2006. ProgramParticipant for past [PenguiCon]s.

RobBalder is a self-described “renaissance geek,” who spreads his creative energies across the fields of comics, game design, small press publishing, SF & Fantasy writing, poetry, and [Filk].

He is the creator of the clip-art comic strip PartiallyClips (http://www.partiallyclips.com), which runs online and has appeared in the pages of more than two dozen newspapers and magazines. PartiallyClips will be featured in the book collection “Attitude 3: the Subversive New Media Cartoonists,” edited by Ted Rall and due to be relased in June 2006 from NBM Publishing (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561634654/).

He is the Associate Editor of Nth Degree (http://www.nthzine.com), a popular fanzine covering genre fiction, gaming, comics, fandom and more. He writes ScienceFiction and [Fantasy], including one unpublished novel and many short stories and poems.

He writes and sings filk (mostly parody) songs. His first filk CD is called “Rich Fantasy Lives” (http://www.richfantasylives.com) and features a title track co-written with filk Grandmaster TomSmith (http://www.tomsmithonline.com). Songs from this CD have been heard on the nationally-syndicated Doctor Demento Show (http://www.drdemento.com). His second CD, “For Amusement Only” is due out soon.

Rob also teamed up with PeteAbrams of the webcomic Sluggy Freelance (http://www.sluggy.com) to create “Get Nifty”, a stand-alone card game themed around Pete’s comic (http://www.getnifty.com). Get Nifty has just been released for worldwide retail sale, in association with Blood & Cardstock Games (http://www.blood-and-cardstock.com).

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Rob Balder's NiftyGuest Schedule for PenguiCon 4.0 in 2006:

Friday, April 21, 2006:

5pm-6pm, The Pit - Got Filk? – TomSmith, RobBalder, FrankHayes - WARNING: Not For the Humor Impaired. So what the hell is filk, and why should you care? These three humorists and musicians distill over 30 years of musical history into a one hour discussion.

6pm-7pm, St. Claire B - Partially Clips - RobBalder - PartiallyClips has no storyline, no characters, and author RobBalder doesn't actually draw anything. It is also an astoundingly funny webcomic. Come hear Rob tell you how he does it.

Saturday, April 22, 2006:

1pm-2pm, Renaissance C2 - Webcomics: Haves and Have Nots - HowardTayler, RobBalder, TheFerrett, EricMilliken - As webcomics begin their second decade as a medium, the vast majority of web traffic still is directed toward a tiny fraction of titles. What do the disparities in traffic numbers indicate about art, society, entertainment, and free choice?

5pm-6pm, Renaissance C2 - RobBalder Concert - Self-described renaissance geek RobBalder regales us with songs from his album Rich Fantasy Lives.

Sunday, April 23, 2006:

1pm-2pm, Renaissance C1 - Everything You Know About Filk Is Wrong – FrankHayes, RobBalder - Think you know what filk is? You're probably wrong. Sure you're right? Come to the panel and argue your case with our panelists.