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submitted by spinning_jenny13
[link] [10 comments]

submitted by HappyWulf
[link] [14 comments]

Author: mbulsht

The season end makes us all sad, Sweetie Bell.

Well that’s it for now, my fellow bronies. A full season has come and gone. What began in October 2010 as a humble reboot of a popular toy line has ended here in March, now blazing in full glory, and dragging along with it a massive fanbase high that’s on ponies and salivating for more. But it seems that now we’ll have to wait a while for more new episodes as the production team gears up to start work on the second season. And let us not forget the news that Lauren Faust has officially stepped down from the production team, a startling announcement that has left some of our fellow bronies reeling in shock. More than a few fans posting in Equestria Daily and Ponychan have expressed some fears that the fandom may falter during this long pause in the show.

They fear that, with no new official content, people might leave the fandom out of boredom, and not return when the new season airs in December.

I fully realize that I am not the first to address this situation, nor will I be the last. I also realize that AppleCider and his expert team of podcasters have discussed this subject at length in their last couple of episodes, so I won’t patronize you by summarizing their views. This is just my little two cents; A few words of encouragement for the fandom so that we can see this big break through to the end

It’s important to remember, first, that ponies will never die. As long as there is the promise of new episodes, there will always be Bronies. So, stay strong, keep faith, and most importantly,

Don’t Stop Believing!

We’ve always put our faith in the MLP:FiM production team knowing that, without a doubt, they would always bring us the best possible show they could. And not once have they failed us. Since the beginning of the show all those months ago, we have enjoyed twenty-six full pony-packed episodes that have made us laugh, cry, and in some cases, shudder (Party of One, do I really need to explain? Creepy, creepy). There is no reason for them to throw it away now, and I doubt even Hasbro would be so clumsy as to mishandle the show at this point. They know full well the kind of following they’ve created.

And with the promise of a new line of toys coming to the US soon, American Bronies like myself might all be able to adorn our living spaces with delightfully adorable figures! I myself have a cute small plastic Applejack living on top of my computer screen.

So let’s put our faith in Hasbro and the pony production team!

But of course, it’s not good enough just to pray and wait. We have to take it upon ourselves to help nurture the fandom and that takes me to my second point….

Contribute to the Fandom!

I can’t stress this enough. A fandom dies when its fans no longer take part in it. So during this long break, don’t let your interest wane. Post on Ponychan and visit Equestria Daily on a regular basis. Don’t hesitate to join in discussions and chat rooms, there will always be things to talk about. Discuss the show, discuss the next season, even discuss fanworks. And, if you’re daring enough, take part in the fanart/fanfiction side of the community. Read and review some of the stories, and look at all the pretty drawings (man there are some really good artists out there!).

And if you find that you have some talent in you, don’t hesitate to post your own work! Not that you should throw up every little pencil sketch and 300-word oneshot you write, but there is no reason why your voice shouldn’t be heard. During this break it will be on us, the fans, to keep up the momentum. And what better way to do that then to flex our creative muscles and pump out some pony stories of our own?

And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, we must all strive our best to…

Share the Love!

There are people out there who (Le’ gasp!) have not discovered the joys of the latest My Little Pony show. It is up to us, as it has always been, to be constantly introducing new viewers to our favorite cartoon. So invite your friends and family, your room mates and classmates, and anyone you think who might learn to love the show, to sit with you and watch ponies.

I myself am constantly trying to show my friends the show. My room mate managed to convert the episodes we got from iTunes to a format that could be read on a PS3 and every Friday we marathon ponies in 1080p on our HDTV. I try to bring a different person each time. And nearly every time we’ve come away from that night with a new brony in tow, ready to take the fandom head on and participate in discussions, write fanfiction, and in a few cases, draw awesome fanart.

So in short, what we really need to do is just

Keep doing what we’ve always done.

Continue to be the best fandom you can be.

Keep being those dependable, fan-squealing, pony-loving, toy-buying, fanfic-writing, fanart-drawing Bronies that I have come to know and love. Because I guarantee that if we stay the course, then no matter how long the break, we will all still be here. And believe me when I say, that as far as I’m concerned, we’re going to see this break through to the end. We’ll come bursting out the other end of that long dark tunnel with shining smiles plastered on our faces, friendship and rainbows firmly clasped in one hand, and ponies in the other.

Well, that’s all for me at the moment. I’ll leave you guys with a humble goodbye, and….

*internet brohoof*

See you on the other side.

-Ben Sims
(mbulsht)

Find the full article here: BronyShow

Another recommended hardback from Fantagraphics this month, a French
classic you've probably never heard of.
PAGE 39
DARK HORSE COMICS ([link])
MAR110027 Usagi Yojimbo vol. 25: Fox Hunt tp, 192pg, b&w $16.99
MAR110028 Usagi Yojimbo vol. 25: Fox Hunt hc, 192pg, b&w $59.99
by Stan Sakai

^^ This'll be my second anthrocon, curious if any other /r/furs are going to be attending. Also looking for general discussion/thoughts regarding anthrocon this year.

submitted by TyrKiyote
[link] [37 comments]

Our good buddies Cartoon Brew have announced the formation of a new cable TV network, to be known as The PB&J. According to them, Luken Communications (owners of the Retro TV channel, which has been airing much of the Filmation cartoon archive) and Classic Media (owners of… well, a whole lotta stuff!) are partnering up to create the new channel. According to the PB&J press release, “The 24-hour network, set to launch in the US this summer, will feature Classic Media titles from the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Those include The Archie’s, Mr. Magoo, The Lone Ranger, Gumby, and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. PBJ will be available to broadcasters, cable and satellite providers”. Plus, according to the Cartoon Brew folks, “If they have the Classic Media library, this new channel could also air the Harveytoons (Casper, Herman and Katnip, et al), the Jay Ward library (Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, etc.), Roger Ramjet, Underdog, Felix the Cat, Rankin-Bass Specials, UPA’s Boing Boing Show, Dick Tracy cartoons and Magoo’s Christmas Carol – among others… “. At the end of the Cartoon Brew article is a link to a You Tube video with an introduction — apparently not official — to the new network. Stay tooned.

Author: toonces

This week’s story comes courtesy of John “The Gneech” Robey from Roar 3, which is available now!

Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night
From the Casebooks of Squash and Stretch, Private Investigators

One.
It was a dark night in the cold city. It was also a cold night in the dark city. It was a dark, cold night in the cold, dark—I’ll start again.
It was a dark, cold night in the city. I was in the office, late, playing solitaire on the computer because the internet was out again, when the distinctive aroma of a tuna sandwich came wafting into my nose. It was my partner, Squash Otter, eating up the last bit of profit from our most recent case. I thought about giving him grief for it, but what was the point? Besides the fact that the big lug was almost exactly twice my size, he was also dumb as a post, so all of my best lines were completely wasted on him.
I suppose I ought to introduce myself. I’m a ferret. Call me Stretch. I’m the brains (all the brains) behind “Squash and Stretch, Private Investigators.” As you might have guessed, Stretch isn’t my real name. I don’t use my real name. But Stretch isn’t a bad name and I’ve been told it suits me, so I stick with it.44
“Squash old sport,” I said, “we’re broke.”
“Mmph?” he said through his sandwich.
“Yup, broke. Impoverished. Indigent. Needy. Impecunious. Busted like a cheap toy. If I had a dollar for every dollar we don’t have, I’d have every dollar in the world.”
“Mmmhm-mph!” he said, again through his sandwich.
“What am I, a magician? Of course I’ve been trying to get a case, but I can’t just snap my fingers and make somebody knock on the door, can I?” I snapped my fingers for emphasis, and was very surprised when at that second, somebody knocked on the door.
“Mph!” said Squash, then gulping down the last of his sandwich added, “What a neat trick! Can I try it?” So of course he snapped his fingers, and since neither of us had opened the door yet, the mysterious knocker knocked again.
“Whoa…” said Squash. “The power! The unbelievable power!!!”
“Shaddap,” I said, heading for the door. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”
I opened it, revealing a gorgeous mink femme wearing a long black dress and a veiled, wide-brimmed hat. She was accompanied by what appeared to be a rat in a zoot suit, who played a juicy riff on the saxophone he was inexplicably carrying.
“Stop that!” the woman said. “I told you to quit following me!” The rat ignored her.
“Hey doll,” I said. “Looks like you’ve got a problem.”
“Are you… the detective?” she said.
“Yup,” I said. “Stretch Ferret, at your service. C’mon in, have a seat.”
I hustled her into the office quickly and slammed the door in the rat’s face as he tried to follow. “Dammit!” came his voice from the corridor.
“Thank you, Mr. Ferret,” she said, as I quickly scooped up the empty pizza box from what is normally the larger customer’s chair in front of my desk. “I didn’t know where to turn… I’ve been going crazy!” This last statement was punctuated by a dramatic Blatt! from the sax in the hallway.
“I don’t blame you,” I said. “Here, let me fix something first. Yo, Squash!”45

Squash came in from the other room, brushing crumbs off his bright Hawaiian shirt. “Yeah?” He stopped when he saw the mink. She was closer to his height than mine, so naturally their eyes met when she turned to look at him.
“Oh!” she said, in a way that I didn’t much like. The saxophone squealed out a long, soulful riff.
“Oh!” he said, then looked from side to side. Finally, without turning his head, he just looked at me from the corner of his eye and said, “Uh, whut?”
I poked my thumb in the general direction of the door. “Make the bad sax stop,” I said.
“Right,” he said, and flung the door wide open. I caught a brief glimpse of a zoot-suited rat with eyes like dinner plates before the door was closed again and Squash was out in the hallway. A lot of undignified thumping and crashing sounds followed.
“Who… was that?” asked the mink.
“That’s Squash, the walking crowbar. And no need to go around calling me ‘Mr. Ferret.’ Stretch is good enough for the likes of me. What’s your name, and more important, how can we help you? Aside from getting rid of your stalking sax player problem, I mean. That’s free of charge.”
“He’s very… lean for an otter, isn’t he?”
“He… Squash? Yeah, I guess so, I never really thought about it. Now then, would you like to have a seat and tell me what you need?”
“Ah, yes, of course. Well, Mr.—er, Stretch, my name is Madeline Mink, widow of—”
“Widow of Mortimer Mink, the oil baron’s son. The one who was found floating around off the coast of Baja without a boat.”
She didn’t flinch; not even blink. “How did you know?”
“Read your name in the paper,” I said. “Saw the black dress and the veil. Put two and two together.” Adding a touch of softness to my voice, I added, “I’m very sorry for your loss, Ms. Mink.”
“Uh… thank you. I suppose if you’ve read about me in the paper, you know that my husband and I weren’t on the best of terms by the end.”
“Nobody would blame you,” I said. “For a mink, I gather he was quite the skunk.”46
She smiled a bit at that. Score one for the ferret. Lean for an otter. Sheesh.
“Well, yes, I suppose he was,” she said. “But I was still fond of him. Not so fond that I wanted to stay married to him, but fond enough that I wasn’t glad to see him… murdered.”
“So you do think he was murdered, then. You don’t buy the blotto-and-fell-overboard story.”
“I don’t think he was murdered, I know he was. Mortimer didn’t touch drugs and was never more than a social drinker. And he loved his yacht too much to… demean it by going out on a joyride.”
“People change,” I hazarded.
“If Mortimer didn’t change for me,” she said, “he wouldn’t change without me either. But this is all neither here nor there. It isn’t his murder I came to you about, at least not directly.”
The door opened and Squash came back in, all bulging muscles and floofy cheekruffs, the big jerk. “The saxophone won’t be bothering you again!” he said, with a giant, self-satisfied grin.
Madeline stood and went over to him. “Oh thank you,” she said. “He’s been following me for days!”
“Oh yeah?” he said. “Musta been yer tail.”
She fluttered her eyes and the pink of her ears darkened in a blush. “Oh!” she said again in that breathless way of hers.
“Whut?”
“No, he doesn’t mean your tail tail, he means the guy was tailing…” I started, but gave up. She clearly wasn’t listening to me. Point to the otter, and it was beginning to look like set and match, too. Musta been yer tail. Sheesh. “Okay,” I said to Squash. “Go make yerself a sandwich and let the lady and me talk business.”
“There isn’t any more tuna,” he said.
“Then go pretend to make yourself a sandwich. Either way just scram for now!”
“Okay!” said Squash, and wandered off.
“You didn’t introduce us!” protested Madeline.
“Didn’t I? Oh, sorry,” I said, and gestured back at the chair. “So anyway, you were saying you didn’t come about your husband’s murder.”47
“Well no, not directly. Mort and I were separated, and I had started talking to my lawyer about divorce proceedings when he died, but there had been no paperwork filed. Legally we were still married, and so the estate falls to me. But… well, I suppose it sounds terribly mercenary of me, but… but I haven’t been able to claim it. Or at least, not all of it.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Well, Mort kept all of his important personal papers—deeds, insurance policies, everything—in a safety deposit box at the New San Angeles Bank, and supposedly only he and his lawyer had the key.”
“Supposedly?”
“Well, his lawyer took me to the safety deposit box and opened it. It was empty, Mr. Fer—er, Stretch. Completely empty! Except for this.” She slid a folded notecard across the desk at me. Printed on it, in an elegant and understated script, read:
BLACKBIRD SINGING IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT
“Only this, and nothing more, eh?” I said. The literary touch. But she didn’t seem to notice.
“Naturally, I took it to the police, and then to the F.B.I.,” she said. “No results.”
“How did this lawyer of your husband’s react when he opened up the box and there was nothing in it?”
“Well, he seemed surprised, of course.”
“I’d hope so,” I said. “A safety deposit box that’s supposed to be full of the umpty-ump legal papers of a rich playboy instead has nothing but some Aristocratic Master Thief’s calling card? Surely the lawyer had to notice that it was awfully light when he pulled it out. Did he say anything about it?”
“Not that I remember,” Madeline said.
“Phooey,” I said. “This thing looks more like a wedding invitation than anything else. What about the bank? They’re supposed to have records of who comes and goes at the safety deposit vault, right?”
“Yes,” said Madeline. “The only people in the records are my husband and his lawyer. In the end, the police came to the 48
conclusion that my husband must have done it himself, as some sort of crazy prank. I can’t believe that myself; I think—”
“You think it was done by whoever murdered him.”
“Yes.”
“And what do you want from me, Ms. Mink? Do you want to find out the truth? Or do you just want the papers back?”
She just sat and blinked at me for a good twenty seconds. “I’d like to know, certainly. I’m curious, who wouldn’t be? But I guess if I was going to be honest about it, I’d have to say that all I really care about is getting back what’s rightfully mine.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I’ll take the case.”

Tomorrow, a bill may pass in Uganda that will make being LGBT a crime punishable by death.  At least thirty people have been killed in Bahrain by their own government during protests, with many others imprisoned for their beliefs.  The EU has placed sanctions on 13 Syrian officials over their violent handling of protestors, with reports of tanks being deployed near the city of Deraa.  And just this Sunday, Yemeni forces shot and killed three people outside of a government building in Taiz, wounding at least ten.  For many, the price of saying what they think, or doing what they feel is right, or even merely being what they are, is death, imprisonment or torture.

Meanwhile, among English-speaking Furries in safe Western countries, a petition and Facebook group for “Furry Rights” circulates.

I think it’s time for us to put in to perspective what a rights violation is, and also to talk a bit about free speech and how it is also an important right — even when people are saying things you don’t like.

Think of yourself.  This is, of course, assuming that you are a furry.  If you’re not, read along anyway just for fun.  Now, try to think of a legal right under the law in your country that you do not have as a furry, that you would if you were not a furry.  I’m talking specific, written legislation that makes you treated differently for being furry.  Found anything?  Take your time.  Are there any references to furries in your country’s code at all?

I didn’t think so.

The Facebook page “Equal Rights for Furries” has a specific call to action, to quote:

Laws providing benefits for married couples should be changed to provide equal benefits for couples in stable furry relationships.
Furry couples should be allowed to adopt.
Furries should be allowed to be openly furry in the military.

That’s odd.  I know married furries.  I know furries with children.  And I know furries in the military.  Many of which, while not flagrantly putting their lifestyle out there, also do not hide being furry, nor should they.  They attend cons, go out with furry friends, and otherwise enjoy being in the fandom.  My point here is that this call to action is calling for rights that already exist.  I hate to sound anticlimactic (a fight for rights is so romantic, I know), but there is absolutely nothing preventing anyone who is furry, openly or not, from marrying, adopting, or serving their nation.

Now, there are some rather heinous laws on the books preventing, for example, gays from marrying, adopting, or serving openly in the military.  These laws are indeed archaic, out of touch, hateful and should be repealed.  They are artifacts of a backwards time and a backwards way of thinking, and any nation that truly values freedom, liberty, and rational thought should have nothing to do with such legislation.  Alas, society is not quite there yet, and there is still a fight to be fought on that front.

But it still has nothing to do with being furry, aside from the casual correlation that many furries happen to be LGBT.  Even in that case, though, we should be fighting for LGBT rights, not this phoney idea of “Furry Rights“.  Don’t get me wrong — I believe furries should have rights.  The point is that we already do.

The petition I mentioned, entitled “Stop Hating On The Furries!!!” reads more like an angry personal rant than a call for any kind of action.  To quote:

I know theres lots of people out there, but there are certain people who hate on other people cause they are different, Furries are fans of cartoon animals like Robin Hood (the fox), My little pony, Care Bears, etc. But they are NOT sex addicts, ok some are but so what? Everybody is different! Theres straights, gays, etc but so what? Its not any different than being normal human.
Well Ive seen lots of hate comments on youtube, facebook, etc saying “Furfag”, “Yiff in hell”, “Yiff in hell, furfag” and so on.
I myself am a Furry and Im damn proud of it.
I made this petition to see if we can make more people stop hating on others. *Sigh* sorry, I talk too much…
Thank you for your time.
~Spooky

Well, Spooky, I’m glad you are proud to be furry.  So am I.  And it’s okay, I talk too much too.  But while we’re talking, let’s chat a bit about trolls, how to deal with them, and free speech.

It’s hurtful when people say bad things about what you are, yes.  Being called names is unpleasant and can be demoralizing.  None of us like the term “furfag”.  But the best way to go about dealing with this kind of behavior is to treat it for what it is — merely childish and stupid, and generally easy to ignore.  Trolls are immature and small-minded people who make no attempt at understanding anyone their peer group has decided they don’t like.  They can not be reasoned with, because they have decided ahead of time not to be reasonable.  And fighting with them makes both sides look equally stupid.  Next time you deal with one, instead of getting upset, perhaps just pity them for their narrow view of the world.  They can’t truly hurt you if you don’t let them.  In fact, I think their silly, formulaic attempts can be amusing to watch.  Trolls have as much power as you give them.

That said, the things they say are their right to say.  Most of the readers of this website live in countries that have a great degree of freedom of speech included in their laws.  It is one of the most important tenets of a rational, healthy system of government and society.  We always have to remember that freedoms can cut both ways — freedom of speech also means freedom of stupid speech.  But remember, the guarantees of freedom of expression that allow trolls to hurt your feelings are the same guarantees that allow you to go to a furry con and be yourself and not fear persecution by your government.

The real issue furries have is prejudice — we are misunderstood at best, and viewed very poorly at worst.  But this is not a legal concern.  This is not a rights concern.  Other fandoms have had similar image issues in the past.  There was a time when people would often say that Anime was nothing but tentacle rape and the like, or that it was only enjoyed by nerdy basement dwellers.  Now it’s a rather mainstream interest.  You’ve heard that Akira is getting a live action adaptation, right? (I know, it’s probably going to suck, but that’s another editorial entirely).

We, as furries, need to continue being what we are, and being proud of it.  We also need to mind our own image — don’t fan the troll’s flames.  If you see one of your friends saying something like “hey let’s go freak the mundanes!”, be an adult and tell them to be the same.  Finally, we also need to be okay with the fact that our interests won’t be shared by all, and learn to deal with the fact that some people just plain won’t like us.

Let’s be proud, but also keep things in perspective, Furries.  And meanwhile, if you want to donate or help out with a few very serious and real causes, I’ll provide a few links below:

Human Rights Campaign — For LGBT rights
Electronic Frontier Foundation — For online / electronic privacy, property rights and freedom of speech
American Civil Liberties Union — For all of the freedoms all Americans are supposed to be guaranteed
Amnesty International — For human rights throughout the world

Author: The Hypnotic Beast
Episode 3 of the Hypnotic Beast Podcast. Explore ways of knowing and balance your observational skills and your intuition.

Find the full article here: The Hypnotic BeastPodcast » The Hypnotic Beast

This podcast is provided as a service to our users. It’s content is copyright and provided by Hypnobeast.com

Hypnobeast

Many of you have been upset or even outraged that your account has been deleted from Facebook for violating their Terms of Service because your account appears to have fictional information (the details of your fursona).  It is within Facebook’s rights to enforce this.  Steven Cherry from the “Technology This Week” Podcast warns that in most cases, when you sign up with a social networking site, blogging service or any other such service on the web, many times, these companies actually “own” the ID you create.  If your online identity is defined by one of these sites, you risk losing that ID all together.

Hypnobeast, a professional hypno-therapist and podcaster has written an in-depth article on how to properly construct a Facebook profile and page for your Fursona that won’t end up getting you deleted.

Pretty much any profile that doesn’t have a human face is at risk for deletion. I have heard of friends that had to change their account profile usernames as well. Facebook’s TOS also says that users only get one account profile, so you can’t have one for yourself and one for your fursona. Plus the  account profile information must be accurate.  I know that many of you guys don’t like Facebook and that’s fine, but if you want your fursona to have a presence on Facebook here is a little rundown on what to do.

Read the article, follow the seven steps and enjoy using Facebook.

 

Author: AppleCider

Dear Princess Celestia,

Even when a cycle ends, life continues and will return once again. Even if we’re sad the season has ended, we have a promise of another here soon. We have each other to keep the fires of friendship going until we can return to Equestria again. Also, don’t podcast while drunk, fillies.

Sincerely,
Bronyville
bronyville@gmail.com

PS – Show notes can be found on the following Google Doc
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1pGHWHteHysKoGXB0LHU4_pWprj-tdm5GNteRWbkhrrI
PSS – Cider was not drunk – just sick and tired.
PSSS- SlyWit, write in to the show. :3c

Intro by ChainAlgorithm on Youtube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V59MgGRHvo

Outro by makkon06 On Youtube –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd9qQiwhP5U

Find the full article here: BronyShow

Another massive show - go us! Mortal Kombat 2 is compared to Mortal Kombat (9) for Done and Dusted, Patapon 3 is talked about, Portal 2 is semi-spoiled, Eeve3 tells us all about Gradius 2 Arcade and The Impossible game, and the fun of tag-team Mortal Kombat. Felis' Reviews give us his opinion on And Yet It Moves and World Of Goo. Not forgetting, of course, the normal tearing to shreds of the new Doctor Who episode The Curse Of The Black Spot.

submitted by THEDert
[link] [9 comments]

submitted by AstronotusOcellatus
[link] [6 comments]

Author: GreenReaper

Arizona furry convention ZonieCon, intended to relaunch in Tucson this September after a decade-long hiatus, has been cancelled.

Chair Scott Malcomson listed various promotion and communication issues – compounded by his Phoenix address, 100 miles away:

As one of the millions of long-term unemployed in this country, [I can't] pay for significant advertising out of pocket. […] Nor have the flyers been moving in any significant numbers. […] There has even been active hostility against the idea of having an Arizona furry convention from other Arizona-based furries. In furry-frequented places where our flyers have been provided, they have subsequently been trashed, and artwork has been posted indicating hostility towards myself.

We were supposed to have an active website up by the end of February […] I was told by one of our core convention staff that they had a qualified volunteer for the website […] March rolled past without any sign of such a website or even any confirmation of who exactly was supposedly working on it. […] Weeks would pass […] We currently have exactly two pre-registrations, and NO hotel room block reservations.

I do not see a future for an Arizona convention which does not have a stronger and more active commitment towards building attendance, or which has a chairman, like myself, unable to provide for its needs. […] ZonieCon is simply not to be.

Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought

Creative Commons: Full post may be available under a free license.

Author: Frysco

1. New Venue, New theme
2. New Reservation policy and a message from our chair
3. FC2012 Pre-Registration is Open!  Now Fully Online!
4. Dealers Room Applications now open!
5. Hotel reservation time
6. Next Staff Meeting
7. For ‘would-be’ Staff

1.  New Venue, New theme

The theme for Further Confusion 2012 is “The Infurmary (For a limited time
every surgery comes with a free prize inside!)”. It will be held at the
San Jose Convention Center, from January 12th through the 16th 2012, with
the San Jose Marriott and the Hilton San Jose as our main hotels and the
St. Claire as our preferred overflow.

2.  New Reservation policy and a message from our chair

This year we are moving to what may be our final home at the San Jose
Convention Center just one block from last year’s location at the
Fairmont.  We have secured the site for the next 3 years on the Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.  This new location holds promise with
more programming space, indoor parking, and two wonderful hotels attached
to the property.  The San Jose Marriott and the Hilton San Jose will be
our main hotels continuing with the St. Claire as our preferred overflow.
All in all, an outstanding move.

So that we can continue to offer the best attendee experience the
convention, hotels, and venue can provide, we must make a difficult but
necessary change to our hotel room registration process and policy.

Beginning May 15th at 1pm Pacific Time (4pm Eastern, 9pm UK, 10pm Central
Europe) we will be accepting hotel reservations for Further Confusion
2012.

At the time of registration each person will be immediately billed their
first night’s room and tax for each room reserved. This will be
considered a non-refundable deposit and will not be returned in the event
of cancellation.

This tough decision is necessary to help mitigate room holds that are
released shortly before the convention start date and after the room block
has closed.  Conventions such as ours are granted concessions and program
space based on how many rooms are filled over the course of the
convention.  Once the room block is closed if someone releases interest in
a room it counts against our room block.  If enough rooms are released,
which has happened, the convention is liable for those rooms and must pay
for them.  The costs can be very high which can diminish the ability of
Further Confusion to offer world class amenities to our deserving
attendees.

Further Confusion is asking that attendees reserving rooms within our
block carefully consider their reservation before making it. If you are
making a reservation with a debit card for example, your bank account will
be deducted the first room night and tax immediately and no refunds will
be offered.  In the event of a cancellation no further charges will be
made beyond the first night and tax.

Please consider your choices carefully as you reserve!

Contact hotel@furtherconfusion.org with any questions about this policy.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

3.  FC2012 Pre-Registration is Open!  Now Fully Online!

You can pre-register for Further Confusion next year with our spiffy new
online registration system!  Just follow the directions to the online
registration system at the top of the Registration page our web site and
then enter your information.

Pre-registration is $45 for regular attendees (through August 31st, then
the price will rise to $50), but you can also pre-register at the sponsor
($100) or patron ($200) levels.

Since this is a new system, it’s going to look a little different to what
you might have used in the past (but may be familar to some).  The big
benefit is that you’ll be able to work out whether you’ve pre-registered
or not at any time of the day, just by logging on!  No more worried emails
at the last moment wondering if you remembered to pre-register or not -
the answer will be just a few clicks of the mouse away!

First, create an account with your real first and last name, and then you
will be asked to set up a security question that no-one else can answer.
The first time through, you’ll also be asked to give your contact
information, but when you’ve done that once it’ll be there from year to
year.  Then pick the membership type that you want, and how you want to
pay.  Currently, you can choose to either mail in a check or money order
with a form that you print, or you can pay instantly online through PayPal
(which also works for credit cards).  Coming soon, we’ll also have a
separate credit card option for those people who don’t have a PayPal
account.  Watch this space!

It’s not all automated, of course!  If you have any questions, you can
still talk to a real person by emailing registration@furtherconfusion.org.

4.  Dealers Room Applications now open!

Yes, you read that right, we are now open for dealer table sales! To apply
for a table, go to the Further Confusion website, and then to the Dealers
page, and there will be a link to the application process.

This year, all but one small step will be done online. You will still need
to mail in something to us (a signature form, and payment if paying by
check or money order), but there’s not going to be any ‘if we receive it
before date X, you go to the back of the line.

We have slightly fewer spaces than we had last year due to the new
facility, but not by much, so we do recommend that you try to get into the
system as soon as you can.

5.  Hotel reservation time

We’ve said this above, but we’ll say it again because it’s important.

Beginning May 15th at 1pm Pacific time, we will be accepting hotel
reservations for Further Confusion 2012. If you haven’t read the message
from the Chair (above closely – do so! There is a very important change
regarding room reservation policy!

6.  Next Staff Meeting

The next meeting is May 14th, and will take place in the Willow Glen room
of the San Jose Marriott. Meeting time is 1pm.

For those furs wishing to participate in our staff meeting from out of
town, we will be doing a trial run with a conference bridge at this
meeting, using pro-grade conference phones.

You do not need to be staff to join the call, but we are keeping this
number unpublished at the moment while this solution is in beta: please
contact info@furtherconfusion.org for the number, along with what you’re
interested in doing for the convention.

(Note that this is a regular number in the Bay Area, and is not toll free
– FC is not responsible for your phone bill)

We will join the bridge from the meeting room a few minutes before the
meeting starts, and will make time for folks on the conference during roll
call, etc.

7.  For ‘would-be’ Staff

Are you working with FC2012?  Have you been officially hired?  Are you
able to access our private site?  Do you see your name there?

If the answer to any of these is “no” or “Wait, what private site?”,
please speak to your track leader or “boss” (ie, the person who hired you)
to make sure your info has been sent in to our HR team and that you’ve
been added to the appropriate lists.

If you would like to be staff, but have no idea what you would like to do
(or even if you have an idea of what to do), you can contact our HR team
at HR@furtherconfusion.org.

–
Further Confusion
info@furtherconfusion.org
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/

Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought

Creative Commons: Full post may be available under a free license.

Continuing his tradition of doing Fursuit covers of popular songs, Bucktown Tiger has done it again with “Want You Gone”, the ending credits theme from Portal 2.

Might we consider adding vocals via Auto-Tune? -#furriesruineverything

For your consideration:

There are some pretty amazing covers of “Want You Gone” popping up all over youtube. Check some of them out at the link below. We can recommend the cover by Harry101UK

Portal 2 Cover Search

I mean, furries get their kind of shit, but so does homosexuals and other kinds of people in the LGBT community. I want to say yes, but do any of you know any furries that are homophobic or otherwise disagree with being non-straight?

submitted by gonX
[link] [60 comments]

With a name like that, it has to be… furry! Tiny Kitten Teeth is a hand-painted on-line comic strip, created by Becky and Frank Dreistadt. It updates twice weekly. According to the creators, “The comic follows the slice-of-life adventures of Mewsli, a fish out of water in Owltown, a compact metropolis built around a particularly affluent arts college. Every week we take a break from the story and go visit our friend Tigerbuttah, a little tiger who doesn’t know much about life yet.” Becky and Frank also have a Kickstarter campaign going to raise funds to publish a Tigerbuttah children’s book, in the style of the old Golden Books line. They also have several other art projects going, which they’re more than happy to tell you about on their comic strip’s web site.

submitted by electricfoxx
[link] [17 comments]