Messages

Damn I wanted to go to this, but I have been sick for the last 2 days. I got up this morning fully planning on going but I am still feeling like crap. I am gonna stay home and rest and not contaminate every one else.

I never played FFXI though I enjoy MMO's. So I will definitely be checking out XIV.

It's sucks that XIII got pushed back. The demo if f-ing awesome. Even though some of the features are locked, I like the battle system so far. I like the character designs and the art style as well.

You obviously don't understand that it is open to the public.  I have given you an example of a private convention, and you're just basically saying its private because you pay for it. Wrong.  You pay for public transportation, does that make it your private bus? No. Anyone can ride the bus as long as they pay.

Let me try one more time. Just because anyone can pay to attend Fanime does not make it "open to the public" or a "public" place, protected by freedom of speech laws. Your example, of the other convention, where it is by invitation only, applies to Fanime as well. Fanime "invites" anyone who can pay a membership fee to be a part of the convention. Thus it is still exclusive. People who can't pay are not members. You may be confused by the fact that Fanime publicly advertises membership and also allows non-members to walk around the concourse. However it still retains the right to remove anyone for violating Fanime policies, even if they didn't pay.

That's right, they can kick you out for a weapons violation even if you did not pay. San Jose's own weapon policies are different from what Fanime has set forth. Fanime is allowed to enforced those policies because it is a private event. This is because the entire facility is a private place owned by SJCC. Fanime pays for the privilege to use the location, and then we members pay for the privilege to attend the con. I suspect that if Fanime wanted to, they could block the concourse from access by non-members as well. Your bus example doesn't work either. Even if you do pay, the driver can kick you off.

Now a sidewalk is a public space. Public parks as well. In fact in California the Pruneyard case ruling allowed that residents may peacefully exercise their right to free speech in parts of private shopping centers regularly held open to the public.

Whew... that was a lot. The funny thing is I doubt whether hug lines are protected free speech anyways. heh

What was the point of this topic again? Oh yeah to discuss whether the hug line bothered people. Carry on!

Thursday reg line seemed to move faster and started on time. Awesome!

Here is a simple test... would those same people stand around in a mall and do the same thing? Would the mall let them do it?
The answer would most likely be no to the first question and the mall would most definitely not let it happen in the first place.

That's not a very good test. By that same token, since it would be ridiculous to cosplay in a mall (let alone have large gatherings of cosplayers), take pictures of people dressed interestingly, or make friends simply by unprovokingly saying hi to somebody, I shouldn't be doing that at cons either.

Comparing a mall to a con is like comparing apples to oranges. They're both very social places with lots of people walking around, but that's where the major similarities end.

/soap box
Sorry to break it to you but I know lots of people who have cosplayed in a mall, and had gatherings in public spaces. I have attended some events. And that's my point. I am willing to guess that almost no one at the wall would ever consider doing what they did anywhere else. Yet I know lots of cosplayers who have dressed up in normal public situations. Sorry this discussion is not the point of this whole thread.
/end soapbox

The first post asked if people found it annoying or offensive and to that I would say some did. The people at hugger's wall were at times acting like aggressive pan handlers. I saw them link arms and walk down the concourse trying to trap people, only to quickly break apart when they saw a rover. It made other people uncomfortable and diminished their enjoyment of the con. It impacted the walkways and took staff time away from other areas.

Most con's have deliberate bans on activities in major walkways to prevent issues like these. However I do think con staff did the right thing by letting people alone and trying to minimize the impact since there were no formal rules against it. They will review their policies and decide if something else needs to be done.

If you don't want a free hug, you don't have to get it. : /

People need to lighten up.  It's the ones who are afraid of hugs that truly have trouble in social settings.

Sorry no one has said that they are afraid of hugs. Just shirtless, shouting idiots who think they are furthering world peace by hugging.
Polite huggers are great. The guy with the t-shirt is cool. He gets everyone to sigh it afterwards.

Here is a simple test... would those same people stand around in a mall and do the same thing? Would the mall let them do it?
The answer would most likely be no to the first question and the mall would most definitely not let it happen in the first place.

It wasn't a "positive" experience for many people.

First off many people in the hug line weren't in costume and sometimes even went shirtless.
They were screaming at the top of the lungs for hugs. This is very intimidating behavor.
Even pushed up against the wall it caused a traffic jam because everyone who was trying to avoid them had to crowd along the one side.
Signs that solicit for money or hugs or whatever are pathetic. Sorry. This has been on ongoing problem and has been banned at most cons and I thought ours too.
Some of the "huggers" got real aggressive. This ruins it for the cools ones.
The giant line created a mob mentality which in crowded convention settings is a bad thing.

Is asking for hugs bad? No. I was asked by other random roving huggers who where polite and not trying for some pathetic attempt for attention. They got hugs from me.
Personally if you want to get groped by random strangers you should try going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. :)

[Highlights for me]

I felt overall this year was very solid. Things seemed to run smoother from my perspective as a con goer. I rate it at the top of the cons I've attended. So lets break it down.

Highlights for me:
THE POCKET GUIDE - Wow, this is the best thing next to sliced bread. It was so much easier to carry around and pull out. It contained lots of information on when rooms opened and closed and when guest events occurred. Keep it!
Registration - It seemed to move faster than last year. Great job all!
Momoi Halko - She was a awesome guest. And her fan's put on a fun panel. I was glad to be up there swinging my glowsticks.
Resident Evil 5 - Rueben, Ken, and Patricia were very cool people. And I was pleasantly surprised that Karen (Sheva) came along as well. I enjoyed their panels. Thanks all!
Old School Anime - There was a serious dose of older anime sprinkled in even, outside of the old school room. And that room seemed busy every time I went! I know that some people only want to see just the new stuff. But new does not always equal awesome (or even good). I felt it was a good ratio. heh
Video Room Layout - I liked how they were grouped together and the size of the rooms. There were times that video main could have been larger, but I think it averaged out just fine.
Panel Rooms - I liked where they were moved this year. Made them feel more part of the main action.
Autographs - Thank you for moving autographs to their own room. It made things calmer and went smoother than having them in artist alley in my opinion.
Day 0 programming - It is always nice that there is something going on on Thursday nights besides just the swap meet.

Lowlights (pretty minor):
Huggers Alley - Wow it got real bad real quick. We all are aware of the attention whoring nature of hug me signs and the traffic hazards they produce. I thought that signs had been banned unless they were part of a cosplay? Walking between artist ally and and the entrance to dealers room was really ugly.
At Con Food prices - I know you have no control over this, but the convention center pricing was really high. A cheese burger, bag of chips, and a coke totaled $17.50. Original Joes is cheaper than that.
Traffic around Stage Zero - It got tight a number of times. Maybe roping off a walk way would help? Or moving the flyer tables to a different part of the concourse. People tended to lean/sit on them during shows and moving them would free up the walk way.
Water Coolers - Seemed to scarcer this year. I saw them in the panel rooms and near the Dance but that was it.

And... Hmmm... Thats all I have got right now.

I have noticed a few posts about not being anything that they wanted to see or interest them this year. That sort of goes without saying. Every year it will be different and peoples tastes change. For every event or guest that someone says they didn't like or care for, this year, I know lots of people who did. So keep up the good work Fanime and thanks for trying new stuff every year.

Awesome job all!

I registered early enough for pre-reg, but I didn't pay right away.  Now I can't pay online, so I'll have to pay at the con.  Will I still be paying $45 because I registered early, or will I have to pay the $60?  Also, which line do I stand in?  I can't print out a receipt.

I saw this answer in another thread:

all unpaid registrations are purged after early registration closed on the 10th.

Sorry, but you will need to come and register at con.

Which means you cannot pickup a badge Thursday night. And you will need to go in the at-con registration line.  :(

Mine is F10151

I registered at con last year.

Looking at the schedule, I see it a Sunday 12 pm video main room.

I have been going to Fanime for 9 years already and I have never seen the Autograph session ticketed. 

Of all my years of going has never seen Fanime restrict how many items the guest of honor can sign.

Actually last year Fanime ticketed the An Cafe signing and were limiting everyone to 1 item. I know because I was a lucky ticket winner. I think there was only 200 tickets? Can't remember for sure.

The good news is that this year there has been no mention of tickets. Though they may limit the number of items if the line gets too long. They want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to have something signed.

Anyone see Angels and Demons this weekend or planning to see it?

I just got back from it and found it to be a good movie. It is lighter on the whole puzzle solving business but cranks up the tension and action quite a bit more than Davinci Code.

A&W


Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away?

If anyone's thinking about getting some ultra bright sticks, please buy some of the 5 minute orange ones; there are certain times during certain songs that they should get lit (of course, not knowing the set list, there's no telling how many would be needed).

Any other specific colors that you should bring? Do you use 2 different colors (one in each hand)? So far I have green, yellow, and orange in the 12 hour kind. I am still seeing if I can get some of the ultra 5 minute orange before I leave for Fanime next Thursday.

I rather enjoyed going alone. It allowed me to do whatever I want without worrying about someone else. I have met a lot of new friends at Fanime that way.

Now that's not to say that I haven't had roommates. They have been friends from up where I live or, like last year and this year, my brother. We just have the understanding that I will be doing my own thing and if we meet up cool, if not no worries.

I go to Fanime to do things and hang out with people that I don't normally get to. But it is really cool to meet new people at Fanime so have fun with that!

One last thing... Any of you out there old enough to remember a local program on KTVU CH2 called Captain Cosmic?

Sure do. I remember watching on Captain Cosmic's show (with 2t2) Ultraman and The Space Giants (Ambassador Magma) with Goldar, Silvar, and Gam. There were my first intro to a tokusatsu series. I also mailed away for the decoder card so I could read the secret messages during the show.

Wow thats a pretty awesome line up! I am definitely down for several of those shows!

Thanks again for doing this:

.hack Kite - http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u254/mordyan/kite_wallpaper.jpg

Use my board name and avatar please. Also please crop vertical unless you need the white space.

Ok answers have beeen posted!