And now, the Official Authorized Approved Expurgated 
Abridged Hackneyed Version of What It's All About:

Starring:

Mark Engels, Sweating Bullets in Minnesota
Scott Sandwick, Incommunicado
Daniel Snyder, The Man with the Flan
Fiona, Top Hat
And
Kris Wilson, Running Late as Usual

Featuring:


Duane Rowland (Putzed Out)
Fred Burke (Behind Schedule, Deadline Looming)
Red Sonja (In the Chat Room)
Marco de la Cruz (Posthumous Guest of Honor)

Why:

1. Battle Angel Alita is the most popular manga in translation in 
North America, if not in other parts of the world. However, 
there has been comparatively little awareness of this, of the 
manga's depth and literary qualities, or of any of the works that 
Yukito Kishiro-sensei has created. We converged to share ideas 
and views on his work and those (to a lesser or greater extent) 
related to him, to raise awareness, and to inspire
those fans in other communities to meet and discuss.

2. This is the record of the ideas that were thunk by the travellers 
from afar that dreamed of guns when they read the manga that 
inspired the career that paid for the bills that were chargedon the 
Visa card that wasn't approved in the pizza parlour that the 
otaku visited that converged in the house that Mark and Sonia 
mortgaged.

3. Edict of Zalem.

Where:

The den
The guest room
The laundry room
Various restaurants in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area

What went on:

Kris, ever fashionable with Jashugan hair, arrived in time for 
the closing cermonies.
"If you start to black out, use the spoon."--Mark
Scott visited The Source and got 3 packs of GitS chromium cards.
"Are you makin' money?" "I'm makin' money."
Dan was exposed to both Bubble Gum Crisis and Robotech, so he 
no longer has to bluff.
"A cigar shoppe? Wondeful! I'll just be waiting outside, shall I?"
Malts and puns make good boothfellows.
"My lot is not a happy one, as fans of Manabe know."--Dan
Attack of the Geriatric Polka Howdy Doody Clones!!!!
Dan followed in Desty Nova's footsteps by attempting brain 
construction. A lack of nanobots hampered his effort. Further 
experimentation deemed necessary.
We will look back upon this as Mark's bachelor party.
Dan and Kris vicariously lived the life of a trucker.
"In retrospect, lighting the match may have been a bad idea."--
Mark
The Wingding Fiasco. (say THAT fast five times!)


What emerged:

No fanfic.
Fiona got accoutrements.
A "healthy" respect for kusai beans.
A complete, total and thorough understanding of Das 
PanzerKunstHaus, except for how it started, how it works, and 
the percentage of females.
Dan and Scott lost the Mississippi River.
Dan's brain suffered greatly from sitting in the back of Mark's car 
for 45 minutes. As a result, no one would eat it.
Def Leppard, "Fractured Love" and "From the Inside", Styx, 
"Show Me the Way", "All in a Day's Work", and "Not Dead Yet", 
Sammy Hagar, "Give to Live", Supertramp, "Lord Is it Mine", 
Night Ranger, "Reason to Be", Journey, "Wheel in the Sky" and 
"Faithfully", Bad Company, "Stranger than
Fiction", Dire Straits, "Industrial Disease", Pink Floyd, "Money" 
and "On the Turning Away", Armitage III soundtrack, "Chase!", 
Damn Yankees, "15 Minutes of Fame", "Where You Goin' 
Now", "Coming of Age", and "High Enough", Boston, "More 
than a Feeling"--all on one tape!

Looking to the Future:

Fiona is still the most noteworthy hat in cyberspace.
Dan and Scott are both available for light housework.
Kris and Mark will probably have Net access before the end of the
millenium.
Depending on Clive Barker's productivity, Fred Burke may or 
may not have been able to spare the time to make it this far.
Despite the best efforts of Duane, GurpsGunnm remains 
untested.
See you at The Convergence 1--"This Time We Know What 
We're Doing."