Messages

My favorites:
- Paranoia Agent
- Princess Tutu
- Tokyo Godfathers
- Baccano!
- Mushishi
- Cowboy Bebop
- Durarara!!
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
- Kuragehime (Princess Jellyfish)

2. They could lose the badge before the con.
Mailing the badges so that they arrive a week before the con could help to eliminate that issue. As long as they keep it in a good spot, that shouldnt be an issue.

Have you ever mailed anything USPS? The delivery date doesn't neccessarily match the estimate. Also, there are a lot of international attendees, so you'd have to allow additional shipping time for them. It's not a question of the attendee losing the badge so much as the badge getting lost in the mail.

Disclaimer: I staff in a completely different area of FanimeCon and am not involved with Registration.

Unfortunately as kookiekween99 pointed out, USPS is not an error-free system. My (not-FanimeCon) job involves customer service for an online retailer, and we have a lot of issues with USPS. The "delivery date" is just an estimate, and USPS does not offer guaranteed delivery dates. Generally it only takes 3-10 days to deliver domestic First Class Mail, but it can take much longer than that and it is not officially "lost" according to the post office until 30 days after shipment. The international time window is about double that. This also doesn't factor in random post office returns, mis-delivered mail, human error inputting addresses, etc.... there are a lot of logistical issues.

Our Registration staffers are awesome and I know they are listening to your feedback and working on the best solution given the logistics of the situation. They want to improve Reg even more than you do :)

Random suggestions:
- Pack an extra cellphone charger.
- Excedrin, since it packs much-needed caffeine in with the aspirin & tylenol. Also great if you have friends who get migraines.
- Allergy meds/Benadryl
- If you don't pack a mini first aid kit, at least pack a box of band-aids and carry some in you bag with you around the convention center. Your blistered feet will thank you.
- Hand-written mini contact list, just in case your cellphone dies.
- Sunblock
- Comfy shoes
- Extra socks
- 2 extra days worth of regular clothing. It sounds silly, but with how much you run around at con and how hot it can get, being able to swap your clothes more often helps with the funk.
- Water bottles and/or a water filter with a reusable water bottle.
- Emergency cash. It's specifically for emergencies, not back up for when you want to get that extra commission in Artists Alley or buy one more figure in Dealer's Hall :P
- Granola bars & fruit snacks! They're small enough to fit a couple in the bag you carry with you around con, and with how much walking you do you're going to need those on-the-go calories.

In other news, I have officially turned into my mother. Whee!!!  ;D

If you're worried about the weight of the bringing your own set, you can always email Tabletop/Social Gaming (tabletopATfanime) and see if they have a mahjong set mixed in with their other games  ;D

You need 4 people to play, but in my experience once you get the 4 people together nobody wants to STOP playing....

I don't know the point system at all but I LOVE playing mahjong! I would totally be down to play mahjong with you  :D

"... alongside FanimeCon 2012 at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose, CA! $25, general admission. Tickets now on sale."

Ouch, $25? Sucks that Fanime couldn't manage to make this an official event and get it included with the con badge. :/

It may not be a FanimeCon event, but it is definitely worth your while. $25 for a live performance (complete with music, acting and choreography) isn't bad at all. I saw Hideo when they were in San Luis Obispo and I definitely got my money's worth.

If you have the time and the cash, check it out. It is awesome  :D

[really]

I remember there was some talk of a Schedule App for smartphones being tossed around last year.
Are there any plans to make one this year?

There's not a schedule app per se, but there is a pretty spiffy online schedule at http://m.fanime.com/ which renders pretty nicely on smartphones (full disclosure: my sample size= my Droid) and which will be updated when we get closer to FanimeCon.

Between that and the physical schedules (we really really learned our lesson there), there should be plenty of options for people to work with  ;D

So with the pics that are used for certain events in the program, who do I talk to about that if I want The Comedy Club to get an image there? :]

I don't think we have images for panels in our program guide, but I might be incorrect.

We could add pictures for panels to the guide.... if we found some magical way to offset the printing costs for a 200 page program guide. Anyone want to volunteer the extra capital to make that a reality?  :P

(ETA: The above statement is a joke. Me building my own functioning Portal gun over the weekend is more likely.)

There must be a Cthulhu for President picture in there somewhere. If there isn't, you better believe an intern is going to suffer.

.... interns are replaceable, right?

For Content staff:
Types of work: Primarily pre-Con for the Program Guide. During Con for the newsletters.
Hours staff are expected to work: minimum of 24 hours with shifts being assigned/negotiated based on departmental need and the events you wish to attend.
Shifts: Pre-Con work requires you to be readily available over email. If you can make it on May 23rd to help with set up, it is greatly appreciated and encouraged. Otherwise you work shifts during regular Con hours.

I really would be interested on applying for the content staff!
I have worked with One of the staff members before hand but i was unable to be sure what I was doing back then in 2010. Do I need to show you an example in order to apply? or do i show up around may 23rd?

Follow the instructions here to apply: http://apps.fanime.com/2012/staffapply/spotlight.php#spot22

Thank you for your thorough reply!
I was primarily interested in Content...I do understand the type of work that needs to be done for Content, since I always read the Program Guides every year and pick up the At-Con newsletters. I don't know if I would be a good candidate for Content, though :/
The only experience I have besides school assignments is probably personal blogging. I am very good at listening to instructions, though (I know this skill would be good for Print, but I don't think I could commit to all those pre-con meetings).

It never hurts to apply! Give it a shot, you never know what will happen  :D

What hours should Print and Content staff expect to work? Would it be a lot more preparation pre-con, during the con, etc.?

For Print staff:
Types of work: We do everything. Pre-Con preparation. During Con Delivery. Post Con cleanup.
Hours staff are expected to work: minimum of 24 hours, your shifts will be assigned/negotiated based on departmental need and the events you wish to attend.
Shifts: Print starts working at 6pm on May 23rd (the Wednesday before Con) for set up keeps working until ~6pm on May 28th (Monday evening) for cleanup.

Additional training sessions will occur after the general staff meetings, attendance of at least two of these is required to pick up your staff badge. However, your presence at as many of them as you can make is highly encouraged as you will obtain more skills, become more efficient at your work, and integrate yourself into a cohesive teamwork environment

For Content staff:
Types of work: Primarily pre-Con for the Program Guide. During Con for the newsletters.
Hours staff are expected to work: minimum of 24 hours with shifts being assigned/negotiated based on departmental need and the events you wish to attend.
Shifts: Pre-Con work requires you to be readily available over email. If you can make it on May 23rd to help with set up, it is greatly appreciated and encouraged. Otherwise you work shifts during regular Con hours.

If you're interested in joining FanimeCon staff, both the Print and Content departments are looking for people. The next staff meeting is at 3pm on March 10th, 2012, at the San Jose Hilton. Swing by and talk to us (or just email us) if you're interested!  ;D

You can find out more information about the Print and Content positions at the following links: http://apps.fanime.com/2012/staffapply/spotlight.php#spot23 and http://apps.fanime.com/2012/staffapply/spotlight.php#spot22

Nuka Cola! You just made my Fallout-loving heart happy  :D
Did you get an AA table for this year?

I'm number 8 on the waiting list, haha. So, I have my fingers crossed.

Good luck! I'm crossing my fingers for you too  :D

Nuka Cola! You just made my Fallout-loving heart happy  :D
Did you get an AA table for this year?

[a panel just on LGBTQA themes in anime. Gender identity in anime would be a really interesting panel too!]

I don't think "controversial" is the right way to describe this... Anyway, what kind of panel do you mean by LGBTQA? Do you mean a panel on LGBTQA anime or a meetup panel for LGBTQA anime fans? I would personally love to attend a panel on LGBTQA friendly shows, or even a panel just on LGBTQA themes in anime. Gender identity in anime would be a really interesting panel too! </my 2 cents>  ;D

I know that I would personally love a panel on either of those two subjects. That would be quite interesting! Talk about sexual orientation and/or gender in Japanese society, how anime relates to that, different representations of those subjects in anime (from fanservice and comedy using sexual orientation and gender identity for laughs or to arouse to more serious representations of queers in anime), issues of sexuality and gender in the anime fandom, etc. I think that a well-run panel on those kinds of subjects would be fascinating to attend.

Of course, it would likely be less popular than a meetup-type panel, and might be difficult to put together, since it would seem more like a lecture in a college class than an anime con activity, and thus would require a lot more thought from both the panelists and the audience, but it would be a really interesting subject to explore.

You'd also have to keep it mature and intelligent, no matter what the specific subject matter. I don't think a "OMG KAWAII YAOI DESU!!11 HAWT GAY BISHIES YAAAAAY" panel would do anyone any good, haha. Not that I am implying you are like that!

Hahahahaha yeah there's nothing wrong with being a yaoi fan (to each their own and all that) but I'm about as far away from a yaoi fangirl as it's possible to get. Thank you for phrasing that so well! The panel I'm thinking of would definitely be a more mature/scholarly look at sexuality and gender in Japanese society and how anime chooses to represent it. I read a ton of American comics and for me it would be interesting to compare and contrast how Japanese entertainment media handles those topics versus American media. I just don't know how the panelists would par down that much content to fit a 1-2 hour time limit with Q&A but I would attend that panel in a heartbeat!

Are you interested in staffing any particular department?

I don't think "controversial" is the right way to describe this... Anyway, what kind of panel do you mean by LGBTQA? Do you mean a panel on LGBTQA anime or a meetup panel for LGBTQA anime fans? I would personally love to attend a panel on LGBTQA friendly shows, or even a panel just on LGBTQA themes in anime. Gender identity in anime would be a really interesting panel too! </my 2 cents>  ;D