Furly Edition Zero - The digital edition (pre-con newsletter)
This newsletter contains information for attendees of Further Confusion 2010, including:
- a theme-appropriate gift for lucky attendees
- discounts available for the hotel restaurant, and the nearby Ster Trek exhibit at TheTech
- the announcement of a new website, myFurCon (my.furcon.org)
- information on Internet access
- the location and schedule of key events, as well as cheap parking
- a list of events requiring signup
- a caution against door signs, and warnings for debit card users and laptop owners
- details of announcements occuring during Furry Night Live.
Table of Contents:
- Gold Strike at Further Confusion 2010!
- Important information for Debit Cards users
- Parking
- Hotel Map and Surrounding Area Map
- Hotel Door Sign and Foam Core Display Surfaces
- Fairmont Restaurant Discount Card
- Star Trek at TheTech - Discount
- myFurCon
- Laptop Warning!
- Internet in the Hotel Rooms and Event areas
- Self Serve Registration
- Important Times
- Preliminary Schedule and Important Times
- Signup Events
- Fursuit Lounge
- Fursuit Parade
- Con Ops
- Final Staff Meeting
- Bag Stuffing Party!
- Weather Report
- Patron and Sponsor Gifts
- Avoid the Flu!
- AAE Announcements after Furry Night Live
- FC2011 GOH Announcement
1. Gold Strike at Further Confusion 2010!
It's true ladies and gents. I saw the first nuggets today and I assayed them as genuine gold nuggets from the strike area in Northern California. It has been said that the first 3000 Argonauts who manage to make it to Further Confusion 2010, even as a mere attendee, will get a sample from their claim. Now you folks know that a good claim is worth more than stock in the Pacific Union Railway, but many of those are just dead end tracks.
Be sure and check your tailings bag you will receive at Registration. Most will sadly just have the illusion of Fools Gold, but for 30 lucky claim owners, their bags will contain a genuine Northern California Gold nugget of approximately 1 g. and worth significantly more than the cost of registration of their claim.
Hotel News
2. Important information for Debit Cards users
Earlier this year there was some confusion about Hotel Incidental Room Charges. We are restating that information here to help make sure everyone knows what to expect.
This is NOT not a charge, it's a pre-authorization request in the amount of $100 for incidental costs or damage and it is a one time request, not cumulative. The hotel requests from your credit card company that if they need to, that they can charge the $100 in case you damage the hotel, make long distance phone calls, watch a pay movie, etc.
When you use a normal credit card upon check-in. this pre-authorization normally expires approximately 7-10 days after you check out. However, when you use a debit card to check in, it MAY appear that that $100 is not available to you in cash until the charge eventually clears after con. This is the way almost all hotels operate.
We would suggest that you do not use a debit card to check-in to your hotel room or any hotel room unless you absolutely have too. When you use a credit card you have additional legal protections that do not apply to debit cards. If you do have to use one be sure to check with your bank beforehand to know how they handle that type of pre-authorization with debit cards.
3. Parking
Parking for FC2010 can be really cheap, or even free! This all depends on your arrival and departure times and careful examination of the fee and time schedules for the public parking lots.
For example, the Pavilion Parking Garage on 150 S. Second Street in San Jose is the closest (directly across the street) and one of the cheapest parking garages.
See <http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2010/hotel/parking> for more information.
4. Hotel Map and Surrounding Area Map
We have a map of the hotel here: <http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2010/hotel/layout>
Map of the surrounding area: <http://sanjoseretail.com/pdfs/DowntownSanJoseMapMay08.pdf>
5. Hotel Door Sign and Foam Core Display Surfaces
The Fairmont does not allow signs to be attached to the doors of the hotel. There are dealers in the Dealers Den that will happily sell you a door hanger sign. Additionally, the con has provided eight foam-core display surfaces that will be placed all around the hotel that can be used to display signs for room parties, announcements, etc. Please do deface the signs and used the blue painters tape to attach signs to the foam core boards.
6. Fairmont Restaurant Discount Card
At check-in, the hotel will be distributing discount cards for the Fountain and Pagoda restaurants in the hotel. If there are multiple people staying in the room, please ask for one card per guest. The discounts at these two restaurants are:
20% for breakfast
20% for lunch
10% for dinner
Cards must be redeemed with your bill on a single-person basis, meaning you do not get 20% off the table's total bill, only for the cardholder. The easiest way to make this simple is to request separate bills for everyone at the table, then each person use their card for their bill. Might be a little clunky, but hey, it's a discount.
Eat up! Very Happy
7. Star Trek at TheTech - Discount
This winter Furry Star Trek fans can bask in the awe of fan geekery to the extreme with Furries on one side of the street and all that is Trekkie on the other.
TheTech Museum of Innovation in San Jose has extended attendees of Further Confusion a discount of at least 20% on tickets to TheTech when purchased online.
TheTech is located directly across the street from the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.
To purchase tickets with the FurCon discount you must register with TheTech Museum online at:
<http://tickets.thetech.org/account/>
Enter Promo Code - FURCON
PLEASE NOTE: No masks or Fursuit Heads are to be worn at TheTech for safety and other reasons. (Yes, we asked. They said no.)
Thank you for your assimilation.
IT News
8. myFurCon
Further Confusion is pleased to present the announcement of a new website. In partnership with FurSpots.com, we bring to you myFurCon.
You can reach this service via <http://my.furtherconfusion.org/> or <http://my.furcon.org/>
myFurCon allows you to sign up for a free account and with that account you can:
- Have access to the Further Confusion Schedule, as the myFurCon site pulls the info for the events from our events server. So this site, along with our web page, has the most up to date information on the schedule of events.
- Create and Share your schedule. myFurCon allows you to create your own schedule once you log in. Simply click on the Events tab after you log in and you can see the schedule of Events by day or Track. You can also add friends and share your schedule with your friends.
- Post events. Have a room party? Want to get word out on Meet up for DS users? Or Huskies? Or whatever? You can use myFurCon to post that event and have others see it (Note that events that get posted have a wide variety of privacy options)
- Send messages to your friends.
- Follow myFurCon on Twitter. myFurCon will post updates to the schedule of events to a Twitter account.
- Get updated Con News.
If you do find a bug, have feedback or any questions, please email myFurCon(at)furtherconfusion(dot)org.
A primary purpose in undertaking this project is to help develop an open standard method and eventual API by which schedule information from conventions can be shared with any interested parties and organizations. We anticipate expanding this program to other groups and sites in future years. If your group is interested in helping with that project, please contact FC via its regular course of contact.
9. Twitter
After the release of this newsletter any schedule changes that need to be made or any information we need to delivered will be posted to our Twitter account.
In addition, such information will be posted at the Info Desk
10. Laptop Warning!
Please remember that Hotel Wireless Access Points are often prime territory for Security Issues. If you are traveling with a laptop or PC, please be sure to turn off all shares and minimize security risks to protect yourself and your property.
Furthermore, if traveling internationally with a laptop of other electronic mass storage device, please be aware that Customs and Homeland Security may have the right to inspect such devices. We personally recommend that if traveling internationally with a laptop or other PC that it be scrubbed of any confidential data before such travel.
11. Internet in the Hotel Rooms and Event areas
A reminder for those who have booked rooms at the Fairmont. Be sure to join Fairmont's President's Club. There are many benefits including express check-in, free local calls, and perhaps most importantly, complimentary in-room Internet. Enrollment is free. Follow this link <https://www.fairmont.com/fpc/FPCEnroll> to sign up.
Also, the hotel is providing free Wi-Fi access on the Second Floor where all the events are happening. We ask that people use common curiosity in accessing the free Wi-Fi as a number of people need to have access to the Internet and we are expecting a lot of people trying to use the Wi-Fi at one time. The number of active connections at one time is not unlimited. If you are not using your device, please disconnect it from the Wi-Fi.
12. Self Serve Registration
We have expanded the pilot project we ran last year and have added some additional computer to our self-serve registration area.
Events News
13. Important Times
These times may also be found on our website at <http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2010/schedule/hours>
14. Preliminary Schedule and Important Times
There are always last minute changes, but we have our schedule pretty well locked down by now. This can be found online at <http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2010/schedule>
15. Signup Events
The following events are of limited capacity and require signs ups.
- Critterlympics - Saturday at noon at the info desk. It'll be indoors on Main Stage, so we might have to limit participation. On the other hand, we will not rain-out. If you don't make it to the sign-up, you might not get in.
- KaffeeKlatches - Sign up sheets will be at the info desk.
- Gaming - Any tournament gaming event, please see staff in the Gaming Room.
- Masquerade Sign ups
Friday
Crystal Room 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Saturday
Empire Room 10:00am - 12:30pm
Masquerade Director's room (TBA) 3:00pm - 4:30pm
- Masquerade Judging.
Friday
Crystal Room 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Saturday
Empire Room 10:00am - 12:30pm
Masquerade Rehearsal 5:30pm - 7:00pm Main Stage
You must sign up before being Judged and Judging will take place in both the Empire and Crystal rooms at the times and days indicated above as well as at the masquerade rehearsal.
16. Fursuit Lounge
The Fursuit Lounge folks wish to remind those in fursuit that the Fursuit Lounge will be located in the Garden Room Friday, Saturday, Sunday for a limited time on Monday.
17. Fursuit Parade
Fursuit Parade will meet in the Imperial Ballroom (Main Stage) on Saturday beginning at 1:00pm with a 2:00pm step-off time. If you want to be in the Fursuit Parade, get there early. The mass fursuit photo-shoot will take place outside at the conclusion of the parade at the Plaza De Cesar Chavez, near the middle of the park.
Operations News
18. Con Ops
Con Ops will be located in the Hillsborough Room, near Registration. This is in the Annex Tower.
19. Final Staff Meeting
Our next and final staff meeting will be January 16th starting at 1:00pm at the Fairmont Hotel. This is the LAST meeting before the convention starts on January 21st.
20. Bag Stuffing Party!
On the evening of Wednesday, January 20th at 7:00pm, in the San Simeon room at the Fairmont Hotel, we will be stuffing the goodie bags for FC2010. If you have something that you want to have put in our bags, please bring them to this room. We can accept flyers for other cons, ads for web pages, or any other flyers. Please note that the material must be nothing above a PG rating, and whatever it is you want to put into the bags, you need 3,500 of them, as we will be stuffing 3,500 bags.
21. Weather Report
It looks like we should be fine on move-in, but there is a possible chance of rain later on during the weekend. Be sure to check the forecast prior to departing for the con.
<http://www.accuweather.com/us/ca/san-jose/95101/forecast-15day.asp>
22. Patron and Sponsor Gifts
If you are a Patron or Sponsor, do not forget to pick up your Patron or Sponsor gifts at the FC Con Store. We will be posting some sneak preview pictures of these gifts soon to our LiveJournal community.
23. Avoid the Flu!
With flu season upon us, your chances of getting sick this winter are pretty good. To help you combat various bugs, here's information and FAQs:
The Centers for Disease Control recommends washing your hands often with soap and water, as well as covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing, as effective ways to prevent the spread of the disease.
We'll have hand sanitizer stations around the con as well but the best thing you can do is stay fed, stay rested, and stay alert. Take care of yourself...and take care of others if they are ill. We are a community, so lets act like it.
If you need medical attention, you should either report to Con-Ops or Flare and they can help you get to local medical needs.
Many thanks and best wishes for a happy healthy convention.
AAE News
24. AAE Announcements after Furry Night Live
We've got some big news already ready to announce for 2011. Please join The Chairman of FC2010 at the conclusion of Furry Night Live on Sunday night where you will have the chance to meet the Chairman of FC2011.
25. FC2011 GOH Announcement
If you pay attention to the programming listings and to the gorgeous piece of art gracing the back inside cover of our Convention Book this year. You might be able to catch a clue as to the first major announcement from FC2011. If not, well, come to the FNL where you can here it from the new Chair himself. Either way, AAE is glad to have the persons of one name and even more glad they have agreed to give our attendees a "in progress" look at whats sure to be one of the major events in fandom next year.
--
Further Confusion
info@furtherconfusion.org
<http://www.furtherconfusion.org/>
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