I went to see the movie Moon yesterday with some local furries (alsaihn, Turtyl, desteredra, and finnishfox), and if you like science fiction, you should see it too! I can't say too much without giving things away, but the movie explores a scenario which could happen in the near future.

After the movie, we wandered around Bryn Mawr and visited the local Borders, where I picked up a few things:



This was partly because I was running out of things to read, and partly because I wanted to say "screw you" to Amazon's online presence. For those who haven't heard about the current controversy with the Kindle, Amazon recently took it upon themselves to remove purchased content from the customers' Kindles. There was no warning or announcement, just *poof*, and peoples' purchases disappeared.

While customers were refunded their money, that's little consolation for someone who might have been halfway through reading the book in question. Furthermore, I find this sort of unilateral action on Amazon's part to be very disturbing. It would be like if Borders employees were to walk into my apartment and remove the books I just purchased. It's one of the reasons why I feel DRM on "purchases" is illegal. ("rentals" are another story) Anyway...

Some folks might find my purchase of books on Calculus and Physics to be surprising, but that's because my background in higher math is kinda weak. The furthest I went in school was pre-Calculus in the 12th grade. Part of the problem is that during that period of my life, I had a real attitude problem and didn't try very hard in school. If I wasn't going to use something in real life, I didn't see the point of trying to learn it.

Recently, I was having that discussion with a colleague at work, and he pointed out to me that not knowing calculus can still be a problem, because if I don't know something, I won't know when it's a skill that I might need to solve a real life problem. So I figured it can't hurt to buy this book and try to educate myself a little more about that particular field.

From CNN:



What's even cooler is that the trolley in that pic isn't run by SEPTA nor the local government, but instead it is part of First Friday Main Line, a once/month event put on in Ardmore (and surrounding towns) by local businesses.

What's unfortunate, however, is that a substantial portion of downtown Ardmore is still legally listed as "blighted". A reminder of our crazy local government's attempted eminent domain takeover from a few years ago.

And what's strange... is where they got this "15 minutes to Philadelphia" idea. Did they even drive on the Surekill Distressway? :-)

And by that, I mean I got Comcast Internet over the weekend. (FIOS isn't available here) I'm seeing about 14 Megabits down and somewhere around 5 Megabits up.

Don't get nervous, folks. After I cancel DCANet ($55/mo for 1.5 Mbps down just isn't worth it anymore) I'm going to get Basic DSL from Verizon for about $17.95/mo to use as hot backup. It'll be nice to have two different wireless networks running here so I can just switch if Comcast starts acting up.

Along with the Comcast Internet service, I also broke down and got basic cable TV, for the first time in about 8 years. It's nice to be able to channel surf through 2 digits worth of channels and not worry about static or a complete lack of signal.

I then spent the rest of the weekend doing cable management of all the computer cables at my place. I actually ran out of wire ties on Sunday afternoon and ran over to radio shack to get more. I'm afraid I didn't get any before/after photos, but take my word for it, the area behind and under my desk is much less cluttered than it was before. :-)

On Sunday night, omnibahumut and I met xshengx and two of her friends at a local Chinese restaurant for some cheap food.

And that was one of my most stress-free weekends in awhile.

From Anthrocon 2009, courtesy of Warphammer:



Click on the picture for a supersize 4210x1796 version.

Outstanding work, Theyain.

Just wanted to let folks here know that we have our own photo pool on the awesome Flickr photo hosting service:



If you took pictures during the con, please add them to the pool. If you're looking for pictures from past Anthrocon conventions, we have them going as far back as 2006.

Share and enjoy!

(X-posted to anthrocon)

I'm home safely from the con, and have today off so I can recover and catch up on errands, do laundry, etc. Maybe I'll be in IM later tonight.

Seems like our brains were completely fried at closing ceremonies and we forgot to mention the post-convention survey. Here it is:



Please tell us what you liked, and what we can do to make next year's Anthrocon even better.

I have a ton of pictures, and more details about the con, which I'll post at some future date.

(X-posted to anthrocon)

We did not think it would happen, but the Westin has a VERY few rooms that they are willing to release back to our block at the convention rate of $115 per night. If you waited to the last minute, that's NOW, and here's your chance. To claim one of those rooms, you must call Ms. Sam Waterman at 412-560-6365 directly. Try to stampede in an orderly fashion.

Yes, I have a Dolph plushie. It's rather big, about 30 inches.



Now the $700 Billion Question (adjusted for inflation):

Poll #1421722
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Should I bring this Dolph plushie to Anthrocon?

Here's another conbadge that I commissioned from Moon Mochi:




I like how she included my DI beret and my USA/Denmark pin that's on the beret. This will probably be one of the badges that I wear at Anthrocon.

Speaking of Anthrocon, I'm just about ready to go there, on the software side. All the code is done, I just have final tests to do on the onsite registration system, and we should be all set for the convention.

Transformers? G.I. Joe? No thanks. There are some other things from my childhood that I would like to see movies based on:



I think ALF was my favorite of the bunch.

I haven't written much here besides Anthrocon stuff lately, and that is due to most of the non-$DAYJOB stuff I've been doing was in fact Anthrocon stuff. I got code complete with my registration system code late on Friday evening. And seeing things like this always brings a smile to my face:



The more observant folks will notice a change in naming conventions for my classes. That came at a point when I realized, both on a hobbyist and professional level, that more and more code was being written in CamelCase/StudlyCaps, and I had a much easier time writing and reading code like that. Maybe one day I'll redo the classes that are not capitalized, but it's more important to have a product that's finished and operational than it is to constantly be tinkering with it. :-)

Back at FCN, I got a conbadge drawn by Rukis:



I'd say that's the most "realistic" character art I've had drawn to date. I certainly like it!

I got a not-so-pleasant surprise the other day from PhillyCarShare. Seems they decided to shut down all of their pods in the Main Line. No warning, no notice, and oh--they're still taking my money every month. Fraud concerns aside, that suddenly left me with no reliable method of transportation to Dr. K, my Primary Care Provider. Oops. That left me scrambling to find another Physician. I finally got to see Dr. W today who is A) Openly Gay, and B) Poked fun at the medical student in the room. I can live with that!

As for PhillyCarShare, I went ahead and registered PhillyCarShareSucks.com. I haven't done anything with the domain yet, but I think I may put some content on there sooner or later.

Also, Dr. W told me to start taking "Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM". Did I just turn 90 all of a sudden?

The real reason I went to see Dr. W, though, was because of a minor but persistent pain in my right foot, behind the big toe. It feels like a muscle cramp, but ice isn't helping it much. I was sent for an x-ray today, to rule out a stress fracture in my foot. We'll see if that ends up being the case or not. At least the pain isn't debilitating. It'd be nice to get lots of mileage at Anthrocon, however.

And in case folks haven't seen it yet, here is Anthrocon's latest promotional video:

From unclekage (for whom $WORK blocks access to LJ):


(X-posted to anthrocon)

This is it folks! The finale, the end, the last and final day of Pre-Registration for Anthrocon! Today, June 5th, you can still pre-register for only $45 attending, $90 Sponsor, and $175 for Supersponsor at:

http://www.anthrocon.org/registration

Remember that prices for Attending memberships are at a discount, and that only Pre-Registered Supersponsors can attend the Supersponsor luncheon with our Guests Of Honor. Plus the shorter and quicker lines for those who register in advance, a benefit which last year's attendees well know. Almost two thousand people have pre-registered for Anthrocon 2009; you can join their smiling, happy numbers today!

Yep. Senator Daylin Leach of the PA Legislature has introduced a same-sex marriage bill in PA. I first read about it over on The Save Ardmore Coalition website, and later saw the press release on Senator Leach's own website:



Well spoken.

As luck would have it, Senator Leach represents Lower Merion township, which includes my town of Ardmore (hence the Save Ardmore site having coverage). So I headed over to http://www.senatorleach.com/ and sent him a short note thanking him for introducing the bill.

I know the bill is a little while off from being law, but it does give me something to look forward to.

Been seeing these popping up in Center City Philadelphia over the last few weeks:



I'm guessing there must be some benefit to these, as regular trashcans have been replaced by these units. There are solar cells on top (the top is transparent, even if it doesn't look it from this picture), which I'm assuming powers a trash compactor inside.

Fra unclekage on the Anthrocon website:

I spent the last weekend in Chicago, working at the 15,000 person convention known as Anime Central, or ACen for shirt. I worked on their Incident Response Team (IRT) during the night shift, which involved many duties similar to security at other conventions, but much more structured because of the size of the convention and the number of people working IRT.



For example, we divided up the hotel into areas known as "beats". When you went on roving duty, you were assigned to a specific beat, which you had to walk on a regular basis. Oh yes, there was lots and lots of walking at this con. :-) We all worked with partners as well, which was a great way for folks on IRT to get to know each other, and pairing up more experienced ops with less experienced ops provided a great learning opportunity for the less experienced person.

ACen did something else I've never before seen at a convention: they had a dispatch room. If you were on duty with a radio and you needed to call something in, you usually didn't call your superior, but instead called Dispatch. Dispatch then logged the call and made the decision on what to do

There were also a surprising number of furries and proto-furries who attended the convention. I didn't think there would be as much overlap between furry and Anime as there was.



Somewhere in there, duncandahusky, takaza, and linnaeus came by and we did lunch. All I remember was getting off of night shift and going to sleep around 7 AM, and being woken up by a 2:30 PM phonecall from Duncan telling me they were there. :-P

Everyone on IRT was loaned a black vest to wear. This had the benefit of being highly visible, plus it gave us pockets to carry around water and food in so we could stay hydrated and fed while on our beat.





Did I mention how cool the people working IRT were? There were many dedicated ops who worked long hours in what was essentially a volunteer position. That really made the convention an enjoyable experience for me, and I think I'll be going back next year.

Oh, you wanted to see the rest of my pictures? Sure! They're on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmuth/sets/72157618360496216/

It seems that there are stupid criminals where I live. From news that was broken on The Save Ardmore Coalition website:



So let me see if I understand their grand plan. One of them was to use a train, and a SEPTA train at that... as a getaway vehicle? That's some serious faith in SEPTA, let me tell you! They can't even get me to work on time, so I have NO idea what would have possessed this suspect to think SEPTA could get her away from a crime scene in a speedy manner.

Just give folks an idea of how short the flight path was, here's a little map that I whipped up in Google Maps:



Yes, the woman on the train made it a whole block further than the guy.

Terms like "felony stupidity" sure come to mind right now.

This year's Furry Connection North was another heck of a convention! With 727 attendees, the convention's attendance nearly doubled over last year! Clearly, the current state of the economy did not hurt this year's event.

I did something a little different this convention. A few months back, I made it a point to start saving all of my $5 bills when getting change. By the time FCN rolled around, I have a few hundred dollars in $5s. Aside from the strange looks I got from my bank teller when turning all of those $5s into larger bills, this provided me with a convenient way to set aside some spending money for the convention. Even though my total amount of money did not change, being able to set aside cash meant that I actually spent more on artwork and books at this convention. That's a win-win for everybody!

The one downside about this convention for me was that I didn't get to see as much of the convention as I would have liked to, due to some of the shifts I worked on security (provided by the Dorsai Irregulars this time around). I worked 2 shifts that were from midnight to 6 AM, and 1 shift from 6 AM to Noon. This left me sleeping during the mornings and early afternoons so I didn't get to see as much of the con or my friends as I would have liked (sorry cliff_husky!). I did get to make up for this on Sunday though, by attending closing ceremonies, the live Method 1 show, and Gir's dance, which totally rocked.

This new hotel was also full of win. The staff loved us. One of the bartenders decided on Saturday afternoon that she just had to have a tail to wear, so I ended up loaning her one of mine. I am told that this boosted the amount she received in tips. :-)


Other things that made FCN cool:

- All the food places within walking distance.

- The "I'm on a boat" song.

- Everytime someone said the word "asshole" and film2edit was in hearing distance, she would pipe up with "100% asshole?"

- The few noise complaints I handled, the occupants of the rooms were very nice and very apologetic. That made the con that much more enjoyable to work.

- The bar having $8 Long Island Iced Teas.

- A reasonably priced lunch/dinner menu at the hotel's restaurant.

- Cardboard cutouts of Obama and George Bush. They made for nice party items.

- Getting to chat with duncan_the_dog, who swung by Con Ops in the middle of an otherwise boring late night security shift.


Oh, you wanted to see some pictures? Sure!







The full set, as always, can be found on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmuth/sets/72157617572706694/

My next non-furry con will be Anime Central, which I will be working security at. And I leave for that, uh... tomorrow morning! My next actual furry con after that will be Anthrocon.

The Doubletree Hotel is sold out of king- and double-bed rooms. The only rooms that are left are suites. Although these have foldout sofabeds in the parlor and are very comfortable, some folks may not want something that big. We are working on getting a small block of double rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott across the street from the convention center. We do not yet know how many we are going to be able to get or at what rate, but we are negotiating vigorously. Watch this space for updates!

Cross posted to anthrocon.

Myself holding film2edit:



...which incidentally, is about the closest I will come to picking up women at furry conventions. :-)

I'm still writing my con report and tagging my pictures. I'll post 'em here when I'm all done.

Other than recovering from the con, I've been busy catching up with other things, like writing some more unit and function tests for the Anthrocon Reg system. Earlier today, I got a nice "critical mass" of tests written, so that I can start adding features and fixing bugs, yet be fairly confident that I haven't broken anything. We'll see how that works out!

An image from their current top story:



It's my understanding that Consumer Reports (owned by Consumers Union, who also owns The Consumerist) used to be this uppity and snarky back when they started out. So I guess this is like continuing the tradition!