In reviewing delivery suggestions for ACME, I've found a couple that are pretty much like asking Santa Claus for something. This bothers me, as it breaks the setup of the ACME Delivery shtick: the recipient should be surprised, at least a little bit. Evidently I had not made that clear and so I've gone back and edited the last few polls to make that plain. I have also made such a change on the ACME Delivery web site.

Any further self-serving suggestions will be ignored. Those already submitted, since it was my fault I didn't make it clear, are in a gray area. I am really tempted to just drop those as well, and I could as I did solicit suggestions rather than orders. Alternately, they could be turned sideways as it were. This is ACME, after all.

I am also thinking that I probably shouldn't bother with any truly anonymous suggestions (I do allow anonymous comments, with restriction) as those are apt to be self-serving. I don't care to "out" anybody, I just want to be sure that ACME Delivery isn't being abused with gimmees.

Current Music: Anvil Chorus -- Glenn Miller

I'm getting a bit of a head start on things for ACME at RCFM.

I'm looking for suggestions of what ACME should deliver at RCFM 7 (2009), and who things should be delivered to.

( Advise ACME  )

NOTE: Friends replies are NOT screened and will be visible.

Current Mood: curious

I'm getting a bit of a head start on things for ACME at Penguicon.

I'm looking for suggestions of what ACME should deliver at Penguicon 7 (2009), and who things should be delivered to.

( Advise ACME  )

NOTE: Friends replies are NOT screened and will be visible.

Current Mood: curious

I'm getting a bit of a head start on things for ACME at MFF. I'll have a couple other ACME polls for Penguicon and RCFM later this month.

I'm looking for suggestions of what ACME should deliver at MFF this year, and who things should be delivered to.

( Advise ACME )

NOTE: Friends replies are NOT screened and will be visible.

Current Mood: curious

At almost every convention at which Orvan has done ACME deliveries, he has delivered an OPS Survival Kit.

This started as a joke. And it was meant as only a joke, but it's turned out more than once that this joke was surprisingly practical. If it was just a joke, I'd probably retire the bit as "it's been done" and part of good comedy is not running the same gag into the ground through excess repetition. Since it has moved from humor to practicality, I have different concerns. One is that I really hope this whole thing really does become redundant and that folks working Ops and such at a convention manage to be properly prepared for the things this sort of kit covers. It's not that I want to bail out of it. It's that I would rather people be prepared. If they start depending on this showing up, it'll be a bit awkward if something happens and I (and therefore Orvan) can't make it, and this doesn't show up. Not a disaster, but it'll be one more nuisance for them then.

Beyond that, there is the matter of what items belong in the kit. I think I have the basics covered, but I'm not the one using the kit. For all I know there is something there I simply should not bother with. Or worse, there is a blatant omission of "D'oh!" proportions that would be trivial to take care of.

Some of these items have been common to every OPS/REGS Survival Kit. Others have only been in some and not in others due to ready availability (These are generally dollar store specials - ACME is cheap.) or to differences in the nature of a convention. For example, including caffeine in something going to Penguicon seems horribly redundant.

Aspirin
Ibuprofen
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Naproxen (Aleve)
Antacid
Pepto or equivalent
Throat drops
Bandages / mini first-aid kit
Handi-wipes
Tissues
Caffeine
Candy
Duc{k,t} tape

Is anything there that should not be? Anything that makes you think, "What the blazes is that there for?" Or that, after a convention, has not been opened at all? The various analgesics will stay as people have different preferences and tolerances, and even if one kind goes unused at convention X, I expect it will be used at convention Y.

Is anything obviously missing? Any item where you reach for the kit, look through it, and wonder why that thing isn't there?

I'd especially like to hear from anyone who worked Ops/Regs at a con and made use of one of these survival kits.

Current Mood: curious

Or maybe, ACME Delivery: Lessons from Penguicon.

I'm not sure that the ACME ale went as well as it could have. It's not that what happened was bad, as I know some folks drank it, as evidenced by the odd empty bottle I saw in the con suite. It's just that... well, it seemed to not quite hit as well is could have. I recall that at MFF I was rather busy and didn't do a proper Orvan delivery but just took some to the gopher area. I think that if I do anything with it again, I might just check out room parties and pick one. I was tempted to write "most deserving" but that's hard to say, and "most in need" doesn't sound very nice. Right now I'm debating if I'll do that bit at all at RCFM - though if I read one comment right, someone might be disappointed if ACME IPA doesn't show up. I don't have any recipient in mind, and I don't recall any room parties last year. But then last year Jay & I went for the "Booster" level and I spent a fair amount of time at the Booster (and GoH) Appreciation Party. Therefore I wasn't checking out any of the rest of the con in that time. As far as I can tell, RCFM doesn't coordinate and try to block together room parties, but I could be wrong.

Orvan needs some sort of ribbon dispenser. It's just too awkward to deal with ribbons in a pocket with those hooves. Though now that I have the gold-on-black "ACME Customer" ribbons, they can be included with the delivered items or be attached to the parcels next Penguicon. Also, I should only need the black-on-yellow ACME ribbons next time, so they should be right. Or so I thought, I have reason to add another ribbon, which could also cause confusion. I should probably order a lot more than I did this year. This year I was really trying to get rid those defective things. I'm not sure how such a dispenser would work, but I have a while to think of something.

I'm debating if Orvan should have a holstered pocket knife or such. Many folks don't have a knife handy and have to ask to borrow from someone in the vicinity. Such a thing would have to be clearly not a weapon so as to avoid getting peace-bonded and thus have its utility removed. I've also noticed that some folks choose to open a parcel from the bottom. Perhaps I need to split the top label to make it easier to see the top of the box and where to cut.

While the big huge ACME sack works well for big things, it's not so good for smaller items. Rather than (just) a smaller version, perhaps I need to make, or have made, a pouch. That would allow for smaller items and give Orvan a place to stow odd little items for those who ask him if he has anything for them. Though he might need lots of whatever that might be, once word gets out. This sort of thing is another item I get to think about and be on the lookout for.

And... I need to shed a bunch of pounds. Again, dagnabbit. While I fit into the fursuit well enough, Orvan's belt is rather tight and that needs to be fixed. That's just one of many reasons for me to shed that weight, but it's added to the list.

Several months before Penguicon I contacted matt_arnold about possible ACME deliveries. He was kind enough to put me in contact with etain, Penguicon's Talent Coordinator. She suggested or relayed several ideas to me, which was good as I simply didn't know most folks well enough to come up with really good items for them. There were plans or suggestions for a good number of folks, as can be seen by a look at the parcel pile.

( You got a cookie for what?! )

Current Mood: happy

As Orvan explains, the ACME Delivery web site isn't yet updated to include Penguicon 6.0, but that should happen in the next few days. Meanwhile...

One of jmaynard's interviews at ROFLcon was for CBC's Spark. During the interview Kate Raynes-Goldie asked Jay about the some of the furry community listings on his LiveJournal and that lead to him mentioning Orvan. I'm not sure how "semi-famous" (as it was put in the Spark ROFLcon Wrap-up post) Orvan is, but it is neat to see the claim. There is a video of the interview on youtube.

Current Mood: surprised

I've seen a few posts from folks who said that for one reason or another they will not or might not be at RCFM. Also, I have only one or two fairly firm ideas for ACME delivery stuff at RCFM. This is sort of surprising, in a bad way. I expected I'd have a few ideas or get a few from various folks. I had a lot of suggestions for Penguicon and was able (with help) to make most of them work and so that went rather well.

I don't expect to do as much as I did at MFF and Penguicon, but having only two or three items bugs me some. Why? It feels like I'm not doing enough. On the good side, if Orvan isn't doing deliveries all the time, he has time to do other things, and so do I. But I'd still like to have a bit more. I figure half a dozen deliveries is a reasonable lower limit, and that's not counting any spur of the moment things that can happen when someone says, "Hey, could I get ACME to deliver this?"

So since I am wondering who will be at RCFM and what more Orvan might do, here's a poll:

Poll #1495
Open to: All, results viewable to: None

RCFM?

At RCFM, ACME should deliver _____________.

It should be delivered to ____________.

Additional comment space:

Current Mood: curious

Orvan has a short post about Penguicon, but will say more once he has the photo gallery in place on the ACME Delivery web site. That could be a week or two. I'll likely have a few more things to say when the photos are up as well. In the meantime, here's my text version of things.

( This is for me. You might find it lengthy and dull. )

Current Mood: tired

I think I have the ACME Delivery site about as done as it will ever be. There are likely a few typos to fix that I'll find in time. There will be additional galleries as events happen and new items on the product pages as well. I probably have a a few other things to add that I simply have not yet thought of, but it seems reasonably complete at the moment. So...

ACME Delivery

And Orvan has a journal, too:

Orvan's journal

Current Mood: accomplished

I've been getting things together for ACME deliveries at Penguicon in April and RCFM is only a month or so after that. That means I need ACME delivery ideas for RCFM. Both who to deliver something to, what to deliver to them. I don't know everyone well enough to work it all out by myself, so I'm asking for some help.

( Delivery guidelines )

In keeping with #5, replies to this post are all screened so only I will see all of them.

Who can be a recipient? Anybody! This isn't just for Guests of Honor and staffers. If it's just someone you know will be there and have an idea for what to send them, that will do nicely. I probably won't use every idea, just so I have some time for myself, but more ideas are better than fewer.

Generic ideas (e.g. "Chew toys for canines.") are certainly useful and I do not want to discourage those. But the main interest is to try to get things specific to a person.

Thank you for any suggestions.

Current Mood: curious

I have a need, or at least a use, for a picture of a jar[1] of Folgers. I do not have a jar of Folgers or I'd just take the picture myself. I also don't have any use for Folgers beyond the image[2], so it doesn't make sense for me to buy a jar if I can avoid it. The image is for the ACME Delivery web site. I am asking for photo if anyone is able and willing to take such as I want to be sure I won't have any copyright issues. That's why just snagging something that Google Images comes up with is out. The photographer will be properly credited. I can add such text to the image since I'll be editing it anyway, as I'll probably need to crop and re-size it.

Anyone have the ability and the interest?

jmaynard

Current Mood: curious

I haven't made up my mind for sure what to do about the 2009 ACME Calendar but I have decided I ought to be building up a collection of Orvan photos that could be used for a Calendar.

These would have to be public places, unless an arrangement with the property owner(s) could be had for access to non-public locations. I figure places like public parks and historical markers or such are probably about the best. But a scenic roadway or just a good spot downtown could work too. Note that places like malls are private and would need to be negotiated, and there is apt to be concern about wear a "mask" since my face will not be visible.

The ideal locations would be in southern Minnesota (including the Twin Cities), the Sioux Falls area, northern or central Wisconsin and perhaps Des Moines. This is just "places I can drive to" and am likely to either have someone with me or can find someone there to take the pictures and help with local navigation.

This is the season for Winter scenes (though I'd rather not have Orvan's feet in the snow - I want to keep him dry) but I can go places in other seasons as well.

It's far better to have too many suggestions and extra photos than to be wondering how to fill gaps. So, suggest away!

Current Mood: curious

While it's still a few months until Penguicon it doesn't hurt to get an early start to things. It's much easier to find things when it's not a last-minute search.

( More )

Current Mood: curious

Back in April jmaynard and I attended Penguicon. Orvan made a delivery (two actually) to howardtayler. And, of course, I also met Howard.

Howard's latest book arrived this week, The Tub of Happiness. In this book is a bonus story that didn't appear in the Schlock Mercenary comic on-line. When Jay read it he commented that Howard was channeling me. And later I read the story and noticed something else. Either, or both, could be coincidence, but even if so, they are amusing to me.

First, some backstory for the channeling: I do not like buttermilk. Jay does. He claims it is yummy. I claim it stinks and induces gagging. This back-and-forth has resulted in my stating that "Buttermilk doesn't go bad. It only goes worse." as it starts out bad.

In the story, Howard has a character use a similar line about a dairy(-like?) product, "It can't go bad. It only goes worse." (Page 5, strip 3, final panel if you have the book) Now I am trying to recall if I said that line in front of Howard. It is possible, but I just can't recall.

The other thing is that in the first strip on the second page there is a parcel. A rather plain cardboard looking parcel, with a label. A yellow label with black writing: FRAGILE. Now, where have I seen a black on yellow label on a cardboard box before?

I can't say for sure that I was directly (or even indirectly) responsible for either of the things I noticed for sure. But they do have me wondering.