Penguicon may be in months away, but that doesn't mean it can be ignored. Better to be ready early than rush at the last minute. hopefully things will work out well enough that I (and therefore Orvan) will be there again in 2010. I am planning on that. Thus I am again asking for suggestions of vict... recipients and items to be delivered to these folks.

Due to some timing issues, deliveries at opening and closing ceremonies are unlikely to happen in 2010.

I'd like to avoid repeat recipients if possible, so that it isn't "Oh, ACME only delivers to that group." That's at an individual level. It certainly makes sense for the Guests of Honor to get something, but "So & so gets something every year" is what I am concerned about.

( Advise ACME )

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Current Mood: curious

I've made MFF for the last few years. This year I'm not sure I will. It's not that I don't want to go. I would like to go. It's that being able to afford it is in question. The expense of the entry fee is not a big deal, but time off for travel (money not being made), motorfuel, hotel costs (that's the big one), food costs, and yes the incidentals of Artist's Alley and the Dealer's Den (or whatever name those things are given) all add up to probably too much. And that doesn't include ACME supplies.

I'm not counting it out completely, just yet. We do have a room reserved at the main hotel since if I/we do go, I want to be in the main hotel for the ease of fursuiting issues. But if you were expecting me and Orvan to be there, don't count on it. I'd like to have other news, but given the state of the economy and its unlikelihood of changing for the better anytime soon, this is the news I have.

I don't have much for RCFM at the moment, either, alas. I hope to somehow manage to make Penguicon.

That said, there is always the slim chance of things working out. Thus the following poll. I will not make any promises since if I make no promises then there are no promises to break.

( Advise ACME )

Current Mood: DEMpressed

I really only have one* and that is the ACME group. If you are not in that group and would like to be, let me know.

Someday I might have other groups, once I figure out what they should be and how best to deal with inclusion/exclusion from same.

So, want in on the ACME group so can either get an idea of what might be coming or help me conspire to fold bits of reality into more interesting shapes?

Current Mood: curious

While looking about web/blog-space for Penguicon and ACME images and reports I encountered a jewelry blog. Normally I'd skip right over such a thing as it holds no interest. But not this time for the image that caught my attention looked rather familiar. I know it's not the same, but... well, have a look.

The third image down is of an ox carrying a big sack of stuff. A very happy ox. A bipedal ox wearing a short sleeved shirt and shorts. I'm not sure what all the stuff he is carrying is, but in a way that also fits.

No, I'm not buying the item, but I do find it amusing. And now, between Chinese mythology, an old Rexall slogan, and perhaps insufficient sleep I think of, "Good luck to thee... from ACME!"

Current Mood: amused

I got an e-mail, sent to the ACME Delivery rep address, asking for a price quote on what appears to be a real delivery item: a fancy home cinema system that someone wants moved Point A to Point B. Assuming it is serious and not someone having fun doing a gag with my own gag, I sent back a polite reply explaining that the site is a joke, pointing out the image gallery, and suggesting a couple (apparently more real) delivery companies that happen to use the ACME name.

I do wonder, if this is serious, just how it happened. I thought it was pretty obvious that ACME Delivery wasn't really real, even if I do try to give it a veneer of near-reality. The rep address is not a clickable link, nor even simple text. The sender had to view an image and type the address.

Current Mood: amused

We were all answering various questions Duncan was asking when suddenly, this adorable ox named Orvan showed up with deliveries from ACME for Foxfeather, Lucky and both Matt and myself. Being Wyle Coyote fans, Matt and I weren’t sure what to expect from a package marked ACME, but he was so cute you couldn’t help but trust him. Thank you for the box of goodies, Orvan Ox!

Of course, I will pass this along to Orvan.

Current Mood: happy

It's been, well, too long. But the ACME Delivery photo gallery for RCFM 2008 ("Deep Six") is finally in place. The parcel pile didn't have everything in it, and one item didn't get delivered as planned, so the original name has been masked out. That one might yet happen someday.

Even before things really began - or maybe after the initial burst, I'm not sure any more - Kiran got the ale while Sarah took care of the ops survival kit (a bit I think I'll be phasing out for cons that have had it a couple times already). Sometime I heard that Registration ought to have a sign that read "Regs Open? NO, not yet." Well, get one.

There was a delivery at opening ceremonies. This was talked about for some time before RCFM and scripted.. to the point that the delivered object was assumed, but how it got there had been forgotten. It was a noose that fit in with the Deep Six theme and the supposed mutiny that had started at closing ceremonies in 2007. Naturally, it was not used. I don't know what became of the rope. I know it's just a knot, but there is something vaguely eerie about tying a noose like that.

PITA and KO got some candy. Actually, PITA, she with the "Unicorns are real... damnit!" icon, also got something with a unicorn on it. And KO... well, RCFM has been around going on seven years now. A few years ago another convention started up in the Rockies and called itself Rocky Mountain FurCon. RMFC. And not only did the name wind up having the initials as Rocket City FurMeet only in a different order, they wound up on the same weekend which made confusion even more likely. Someone suggest KO get "RCFM Scrabble tiles so he can arrange the letters." He did get them and you can see his preferred arrangement of those letters. Someones else, I think, suggested "any DVD" for the DVD collecting Gabriel. Why settle for just one when you can have a couple?

I don't recall what exactly was going on in this photo but somehow it amuses me. I suspect it just caught Setsu at an odd instant is all. The Wheel of Blame chose Jayrith as the karmic lightning rod for the duration of the convention. To ease his burden he got a delivery of a full treasure chest. If it was just chocolate, well, I guess he was to blame, huh?

The next delivery was a bit more complicated that it appears. A friend of Kaiya Softpaw suggested an item or items for her that many conventions ban outright. Curiously, RCFM does not or at least did not when I checked through the convention rules. I asked a staffer or two about it and it was strongly recommended against. Since this is ACME, I tried to twist the definition and make a rather literal version of the suggested item. After several tries, I gave up and tried to contact the person who suggested it and see if there was a substitute. I really wanted to have Orvan delivery something to Kaiya as her fursuit was paired up against Orvan in a fursuit "contest" and didn't want to seem as if I were avoiding that delivery for that reason. I did fully expect what actually happened there: Kaiya walked away with that round. Really, Orvan didn't have a chance. Orvan: partial fursuit, only been to a couple cons, not that terribly outgoing, male. Kaiya: full suit, probably been to more cons or more known to the fandom, energetic, and female. No, that's not sour grapes. Anyway, contact was finally made and a substitute item was suggested. It seemed to work.

Another suggestion was for Brody to get a flyswatter so he could swat those who had been bugging him. That's a silly flower on the side away from the camera. Why? I have no idea. It's ACME, it doesn't always make sense.

The fursuit guest of honor was Lion of the Sun or Lionel. When looking around for something else in a supermarket in the Twin Cities I found cans of Super Lion Energy Drink. I bought some. Later I realized that Lionel was the ideal recipient since his fursuits are augmented for extra senses and such. I did get an extra can for myself. What is the stuff like? It's pretty much a Red Bull knockoff.

Somewhere I saw something about Kia Talon and lollipops. I kept looking for lollipops on the trip to RCFM and not really finding any, though we didn't make that many stops along the way. But rather near or maybe just in Huntsville I found some. I think she liked the delivery.

RCFM tried something new in 2008: A mystery Guest of Honor. The mystery wasn't merely a well-kept secret, it was an unknowable. It could be anyone (other than staff and such) selected by drawing at Opening Ceremonies. Naturally this person ought to have a delivery, yes? But that's a problem because without knowing anything about this person, what to deliver? A mystery parcel, of course! The mystery guest was Sabrina and she got a parcel with some Deep Six themed items, such a dolphin plush and other items. And some not themed at all, but just random con-type items such as candy and caffeine mints.

Smrgol came up with one last delivery item. He'd found some bit of automotive trim from a car the same model and color as Alexander Katz's vehicle. Orvan delivered it. And got quite a reaction. I can only wonder what Alex might be plotting for Smrgol.

Current Mood: finished

The ACME Delivery gallery for
MFF 2008 is finally up. The ACME Delivery Products page has also been updated. If you are in any of the photos (or suspect you might be in a photo I didn't use on the ACME site) and want the unedited original(s) of those, let me know and I can get them to you.

( The deliveries. )

Orvan managed to get all the deliveries done, save one that was planned but cancelled - there were no leftover undelivered parcels. And Orvan did have some time to just be himself, which didn't happen last year partly due to being so busy. Looking back at MFF 2008 now, I think I it might have been a bit better than I thought it was at the time, and I didn't think it was bad then.

And a note to the RCFM folks: I haven't forgotten. I know the RCFM 2008 delivery photos and such are very, very late. They will be a bit later still, but I plan on getting dealing with more of them this weekend so at least progress will be made.

Last May I asked about the OPS/REG Survival Kit contents since I'd been doing that bit for a while and figured if it was continued it should be tuned a bit. The only reason I've not already retired the bit is that at least a couple times it was something that was more useful than mere joke. I expect I will still do this bit, but not that often. I've done this bit at RCFM at least twice, at MFF twice now, and Penguicon (and LibertyCon) once. I don't foresee doing this again for MFF or RCFM again anytime soon, at least in the usual form. It's been done. Hopefully not to death, but it's probably time to quit before it becomes a "run into the ground" gag.

That said, something similar is not out of the question, if I can figure out whatever it might be. At MFF someone suggested having something for a different group or crew at a con. I haven't worked out just which group might might work, and therefore what might work for such a group. The nature of the group would determine the contents of a parcel, and the practicality of building up said parcel determines if a delivery to or for that group is workable. Suggestions are welcome. Please e-mail me or send a private message, or find me on IM -- that way it won't be all out in public like an LJ reply will be. There should be some surprise, after all.

The other bit I'm pondering if I should keep up is the Cow Tales give-away. I've done this with both "EAT CANDY - NOT CATTLE" and "COURTESY OF ACME" labeling. I've done this bit at every con at which Orvan has appeared. I wonder if I've overdone it by repeating at the same con every year, or if it would be more disappointing if I didn't do it.

Also, I am currently lacking ideas or suggestions for Penguicon. I put up polls (for Penguicon,for RCFM) pretty much right after RCFM this year and have only gotten a couple suggestions, despite the occasional reminder to the respective LJ communities. I wonder if people see the old poll date and figure that there is already a big list, or if folks simply haven't thought about it much yet. I understand the not thinking about it right off, but I do like to have time to prepare and more is better. Some items aren't the easiest to find (or make) in a hurry. Others require a trip to a larger city. I felt like I was really cutting it close for RCFM this last year.

Current Mood: okay

The first ACME Deliveries of a few years ago were fairly minor things. Hopefully memorable and amusing to the recipient and hopefully anyone else around would get a chuckle or smile out of it. Most ACME Deliveries are like that. But a few stand out.

* At Penguicon 5 Orvan didn't find security guy Bruce Schneier and so Matt Arnold wound up with keys at Closing Ceremonies.

* At MFF 2007 Uncle Kage got ACME wine, some of it from Iowa and bottled in a screw-top plastic bottle.

* At Penguicon 6 Jer Lance received a physically real F-bomb. (And I got a cookie!)

And at MFF 2008 2 the Ranting Gryphon... well, for those not familiar with the story, perhaps it's best to fill in some details first. Earlier this year 2 was at an event in London and not everything went right, to put it mildly. Somewhere along the line, he was drugged. The consensus of the emergency workers who dealt with him was that it was most likely some sort of date rape drug. (2 posted about this incident a few times: here, here and here.

If you haven't read that last link, please go at least skim it. Seeing that 2 was taking it so well, a delivery idea occurred to me. But even though 2 was taking it well and all, I wasn't sure of things. I sent a message to Uncle Kage about it and got a reply that didn't say anything about the delivery contents, just to be mighty careful not to mess up 2's show timing with an interruption. I had hoped to do the delivery just before or just after his show, but I thought it over some more.

And then I did something I hadn't done before: I informed the recipient of ACME's plans and asked if it was something that should best be done at a specific time or if it should be forgotten. I was expecting to be told to do the delivery right before or right after 2's show. I was half expecting to be told to forget it. I was not expecting the reply I got, which was to change the contents, "going all the way" - and then deliver it in the middle of the show.

If you were there, you saw the gag and all the stuff that 2 and another did around the delivery to make it much funnier than a simple delivery ox could have done. If you were not there, the delivery happened during a specific segment that was cleared for the delivery, 2 signed for the parcel and took it and then left it alone for a while. As Orvan walked off, his job finished, 2 made some remarks about the ox and then went on with the segment.

At the end of that segment a character appeared on stage and worked around the parcel, eventually indicating that it was from him and 2 should open it. When he did, he eventually revealed a 2 Liter bottle with a big yellow label that read "DATE RAPE DRUG." From what I recall the audience reaction was a fraction of second of a weird silence or worried reaction of the "My God, he didn't..." or "The hell?" followed immediately by at least chuckling as the "hey, it's a joke" thought processed. I don't have any of the photos Jay took at MFF ready yet, but nikolai_miko posted this one to flickr.

There was a bit more to it that I didn't see, but did hear, and then 2 started talking about his London experience. And drinking from the bottle (which of course had only water in it). I was later told that 2 drank most of the bottle through the rest of his show.

Let me update my list:

* At MFF 2008, 2 the Ranting Gryphon got a big bottle labeled DATE RAPE DRUG.

As you read above, it was all coordinated and from what I could tell went off very well. While I hope every delivery is memorable to the recipient, I think this one is the one that stands out for me and probably many others. I really must thank 2_gryphon for not only going along with the delivery, but also making it so much more than I had hoped for. I was also way too amused by seeing that bottle sitting in the fridge for a few days before MFF. As for the original delivery idea, I'm not saying what it was for a good reason. I think it might still get used for someone else. Mwahahaha!

I suppose I ought to ask, "Did anyone get video of all of it?" But there's only a segment or so that I'm really interested in, and would like to put up om the ACME Delivery site assuming permission was obtained from various parties.

Current Mood: grateful

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