yak pushed out the upgrades to the note system.

This should take care of 98% of all the complaints about notes on FA for most people. As usual, if you like the upgrade... go give a shout on yak's page and let him know.

But tell us what you think. =)

The priorities system is great for sorting notes related to commissions or other necessities -- use it however you need!

IMPORTANT: Some of you out there are reporting your "Saved" notes are lost. Yak's running a script that should move all previously saved notes over to "Archive". So sit tight!

So, everywhere I look, Soda Roos... EVERYWHERE! I saw Dr. Pepper Roo at FWA, and now... EVERYWHERE! EVERYWHERE A ****ING GOD **** MOTHERF****ING SODA ROO!

. . .

And I love it! Draw more of them.

This is all  Onai-WolfWind's fault! <3 I saw their Dr. Pepper Roo at FWA, and it was really awesome. Spawned a meme!

What's a Soda Roo, you ask? Out of the loop? Check this:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3722756/

For the known list of Soda Roos:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1342310/

Often, we get asked "How do I join the admin team?". You start off by becoming a moderator on the site forums. "But how do I become a moderator?" You audition when we're recruiting. Like we are right now. =)

http://forums.furaffinity.net/forum.....splay.php?f=75

I'll re-emphasize what Net-cat writes below: serious applicants only. If you want to be a mod just to be a mod, to get the title, don't bother applying. Really. Don't bother. It's not all that sexy. =P If you REALLY want to help the community improve, to be better itself, then by all means, sign up.

To quote net-cat:
Net-cat wrote:http://forums.furaffinity.net/announcement.php?f=75&a=19
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Serious applicants only. Please don't waste our time.

If you have questions, a moderator or forum administrator will answer them in your application thread. Please do not answer the questions of other applicants on the forum. (You shouldn't see them, anyway.) If there is a technical problem with submitting an application, post it in the forum support forum above and we will address it.

To apply, please just post a new thread. Forum administrators and moderators will see the new thread.

Staff will delete applications sent to them via PM

You can now embed videos on FA with the [yt] tag. Like the feature? Thank  yak! He's the man =3

Mini FAQ

Q: Why YouTube, but not images?
A: Because YouTube videos follow a fairly strict quality guideline as far as acceptable content. Since journals can not be rated for mature/adult, too many people would either post mature work, RL porn (unacceptable on FA) or other images that can potentially violate FA policies.

FA can be used in a SFW environment, but an [img] tag could be devastating to that effect.

Q: It's not working. HAAAALP!
A: Either A) embedding is disabled for the video or B) you're using the embed code. You should link to the video URL itself, such as:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5juKWgeLNwM

[YT] Tag Limitations: [yt] videos will only display if you have the journal itself open. They will not display on userpages, in journal list views or in comments or notes.

Edit: sorry for the journal repost, had to fix something.

Just an FYI, I'm still a bit backlogged on notes. Again. The AUP revisions and my extended FWA vacation took a bit of bit more time than I'd have imagined them taking. AUP/TOS revisions will be posted again later this weekend, with a lot more clarification, some leeway and solid revisions.

I have been going back through my notes, and addressing as many as I can, as fast as I can and as accurately as I can. I've quite literally hammered out about 500+ notes in the past 24 hours, and I'm dedicating my time to getting that taken care of.

In addition, I'm taking care of that, and new admins working on Trouble Tickets, we're working on refocusing our user response. Please bear with us a bit during this time. =)

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1327889/

Konicoon is looking for people to add to a Chibi Parade!

This is sort of a follow up to my previous journal, "The UK & FA" and my thoughts on the subject matters of the site.

I ask you to read the entire journal before commenting.

---

I read a lot of journals, and I follow what a lot of people are saying. That's my job.

Wrapped up in the cub debate, too many people are voting on this topic on a purely ethical fashion. "Well, ethically, this is bad, it's immoral and gosh darn it, I'm just not for it." To be honest, I'm generally not for it either. Sometimes, I find it cute and whatnot, but still tend to get an "Eww, uhm..." reaction quite a bit. I'll leave it at that.

The problem comes down to this: if X is, then why not Y? So many people are wrapped up in the idea and notion that if you're into Fantasy X, then surely you're into Reality X.

There's a lot of different kinds of mature art on this site. Rape, gore, inflation, macro/micro, domination, slavery. I could go on. There's a large variety of imagery that I don't agree with, and some that even squicks me out.

But the notion that if you're into Fantasy X, then surely you're also into Reality X... well, it doesn't hold water with me. How many people on this site own slaves by show of hands. Err, nobody? How many people into rape art have ever raped anybody? Maybe a few of you, but I'm willing to bet those numbers are drastically low. Or stabbed somebody with a knife because you dig violent art? How many small critters have you crushed under foot to bring your domineering sense of god-like macroism into play? Murder? Explosions? Believe you're actually a dragon? Eh, some of you may be into that last one, but... the rest? The rest are such a inconceivable minority that numbers have yet to be invented to properly calculate just how tiny that really is.

And here's thing: most people? Fairly rational. Separating fantasy and reality is very easy for them, and most people understand rules, laws and concepts. They may not always agree, but they understand them. This is what allows a society to work. But within any cluster of society remain those who are, quite simply, fucked up. - the people who should not be allowed out of their house, let alone general society. They're a very small percentage, and do happen.

One thing that I've never understood is how so many people can petition under the banner of X, yet Y, which is right next door, is completely okay to them. People love to declare something evil. They do. Everybody needs something to champion against. They love to pick up the banner and protest in against, but so many times they'll pick one evil and sort of block out the rest. Even if the rest are right there, right in front of them, and equally as bad a concept.

I find that weird. It's either the entire package or it's none at all. There are many "evils" on this site, but which ones get protested?

Boiled down, it reminds me of people using the Bible's passages of Leviticus as some sort of guiding light. Ahh, yes, Leviticus, the reason why gays shouldn't marry. Leviticus 18:22 clearly states sex with another man is bad. It also says wearing clothes made of more than one kind of fabric are sinful. Shaving? Sinful. Nomming shellfish? Sinful. Eating the produce from a mixed garden? Sinful. Not stoning your women? CAN BE SINFUL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4867brL7K_k

Problem is, people only champion one topic at a time. They'll pick the one most "evil" to them, and ignore the rest.

When it comes to FA's content... everything here is fantasy. It doesn't exist. When things cross the boundaries of fantasy to reality, we take action. We've filed legal reports against people for their real life (very much illegal) flings. By law, we have to. We've worked with state police, DAs and others in the past. I can count all those instances on one hand. That's out of 365,000+ accounts.

Thing is? Those people all had pre-existing issues that went back before FA ever existed. We constantly review, discuss and debate the rules a lot, and formulate our opinions based on changing laws, moralities and more. And like my comments about society above, we all discuss the rules, and while not all the admins and staff may agree on the subject matter, we all understand them.

Fur Affinity exists and was founded on the idea of artistic, fantasy-based freedom, and we'll uphold that as long as we can. We separate the notion of reality and fantasy, and believe that most people can, too.

At the end of the day, we'll do what's right for the community as a whole and what we view are in the best interests of the site. Point is, there will always be something to offend you on FA. Or DA. YouTube, or anywhere else for that matter. The lines between fantasy and reality are a concept of imagination -vs- action.

This is not a site for everyone, but it's a site that allows everyone to be a part of it.

Also, be sure to read  daxdaz 's post about this as well.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1321273/

---

So, yesterday a law was passed that prohibited people in the UK from looking at loli and shota. It, in effect, made it outright illegal (rating fantasy art as equal to real acts). In addition, many of the laws also include rape art, gore art and more.

What's our stance on this?

Per the AUP changes, Shota and Loli are going away from this site. This affects human or demi-humans (elves, dwarves, halflings) only. We saw this law coming, and worked on rules to prevent that. Similar laws also affect Australia, the UK, Canada and even some parts of Japan are discussing such a ban.

These new polices (undergoing a final revision) will go into effect next week. In the mean time, if the UK laws concern you, I urge those of you in the UK to disable mature artwork on FA until the new policies go active. There's no reason to stop using FA, and it does not cover furry work at this time.

We're reviewing the ramifications of the law, and we're working on a solution. In the mean time... DON'T PANIC! Do not panic over something like this. The Internet police are not going to come to your house to ask what you've been downloading or looking at.

If you're really paranoid, I suggest you get a copy of Firefox and browse the world wide webbernets in Privacy Mode. This law affects a lot of sites 'round the globe, not merely FA.

Love,
Neer

NOTE: Journal contains bitching, angsting, ranting and other happy thoughts!

---

So, I had two dead hard drives to ship back. Boxed 'em up, packaged 'em together, got the RMAs slapped on. I went into Office Depot to drop off the packages for UPS, and figured while I was there I'd grab a few things I needed on the way. I quickly do my thing, and start checking out.

A wild Mechanized Manatee from Mars appears!

I had half my stuff on the counter when a lady in an electric wheelchair rolls up behind me, literally pushing me aside with the chair. Okay, I'm a fat dude, I admit it, but when you're fat enough you require a mechanized wheelchair to roll around in? When you make a fat dude do a doubletake? Uhm, yeah... *cough* So, she leans over, spilling several pounds of fat along the side of her wheelchair like a pink landslide, and one by one, grabs my shit and starts putting it back into my lil' handcart.

Okaaay.

Ever have a moment where you're totally dumbfounded? Where all you can do is stare, unable to grasp what the fuck just happened? That was me. When my plane finally returned from La La Land, I pushed my cart aside and started to speak... and she immediately cut me off and said "You need to move. I have preference at this store." Thanks. I need to move? You already tried to run me over, bitch! I kind of got the hint when your 18 wheeler plowed into me like a hippopotamus careening out of control into a hapless warthog.

Again, I started to say something, when she cut me off with "You need to have more respect for the handicapped." Wait, what? RAGE! She was were nowhere in site. At all. ANYWHERE. She fucking came upon me like a Jersey driver navigating their way home at 2:00am drunk and with explosive diarrhea.

So I screamed, "BITCH, I WILL CUT YOUR BRAKES AND ROLL YOU DOWN A HILL LIKE AN 18 WHEELER OUT OF CONTROL! I WILL FUCKING GARROT YOU WITH A LOOSE STRING HANGING FROM MY SHIRT UNTIL YOU CAN BREATH NO MORE!" At least, that's what I wanted to say. And that's what I would have said if I wasn't a chickenshit and didn't want to cause a scene.

Apparently, the cashier noticed I was about to detonate and said they'd open the second register for me, so I could finish my transaction. I was about ready to flip out, but luckily, he managed to distract me and calm me down before I did.

In short: if you're handicapped, we're cool. If you need to get ahead of line just ask. Some people out there have a heart (like me!). Just don't try to run them over with your mechanized wheeltank and force your way to the front of the line. It's rude, and will turn normally good people into asshole behemoths.

The end.

Just an FYI, we've removed the 1-Up $100 level registration from FA: United. 98% the con's registrants were either going for Sponsor (l33t) or God Level (IDDQD). Anybody who pre-registered as a 1-Up level will be automatically upgraded to Super (IDDQD).

It's easier to manage logistically and on a simpler scale, so for those few who registered for FA: United 3 as a 1-Up... you have now joined the ranks of the many IDDQD God Levels! Oh, and grats on that medkit. =3

EDIT: Not an April Fool's joke.

If you didn't attend to FWA 2010... punch yourself in the head, because you missed out on the single best convention I've ever been to.

Ever.

=3

THE END!

</con_report>

I'll be off to FWA this weekend, mostly out of touch until Tuesday. =3 I'll have my laptop (w/ aircard!) with me at all times, so in the event of any Bad Things™ I'll be able to stop them. But for the most part, don't expect a response from me 'til I get back.

And for those going to FWA... have fun!

=3

It's one of the best cons there are! So have fun. Seriously. Or I'll fight you.

http://faunited.org/bags.html

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here's the final design of the FAU3 supersponsor medkit bags. Sleek!

Just an FYI - we found and re-banned Michael Hirtes (mhirtes) tonight from a secondary account called stealthy. Michael is a somewhat notorious scammer, and has financially impacted quite a lot of artists on this site (to the point of being perma-banned from FA originally several months ago).

The Freehaven board sums it up best...

Freehaven wrote:Originally posted:
http://dammitfreehaven.com/comm/res/2.html#5

Michael Hirtes has a long history of cheating and abusing artists in addition to his other abrasive behavior, going back almost a decade or more. His usual method is to ask for constant sketches to see the progress and make sure the commission is going as he wants it. He will ask for these sketches and numerous revisions (many infamously involving more and more elaborate toe rings) until either he has had enough sketches and simply abandons contact, or the artist becomes frustrated and calls off the commission.

A secondary tactic of Hirtes' seems to be to actually complete the commission, then find something that the artist did (posting the image in their gallery being one example) to demand a full refund lest he file a grievance with PayPal.

Whatever happens... whether the artist drops the commission, whether they cease to play along, or in any other method when Hirtes sees that he is not going to be able to abuse them into continuing to do as he wants, he will attempt to play the wronged party, making numerous public posts (both under his own name and anonymously) to attempt to vilify the artist and make them out to be the cheat.

Advised Action: Do not interact with Michael Hirtes in any fashion. While this will not fully protect you (he may try to say that you are rude or standoffish for ignoring him), it will insulate you from becoming more thoroughly involved in the drama and anger he creates. Accept a commission from Michael Hirtes at risk to your money, time, effort, and the quietude of your online journal.To this day we continue to get artists coming to us about being ripped off by Mr. Hirtes. Given we continue to hear about artists being continually damaged by his actions, I'm officially tossing down the flag and making this post public.

Consider yourself warned.

I love soup, but it kills me how restaurants charge about $3.50-4.50 for a mere cup of soup. And yet, if you pay just $1 more you can upgrade to a bowl of soup. The bowl? It's got about 3X more soup than the cup... and for just for $1 more!

That's one magical fucking dollar.

EDIT: Yes, I know I can get soup for $1 or $2 at the grocery store or make it myself, but when I go out with friends, I can't take that soup with me. =P

The amount of sleep required by the average person is "five minutes more".
-Yak

It's that time again! Well, almost that time again...

Send in your best fake ass ads to FA! We'll air the best/worst fake ass ads to put up on the site for April Fools. 600x98px or 180x75px in resolution. Ads can be sent to:
wtf[at]furaffinity.net

Only caveat: If you post it before April 1st? We won't show it. If you can't follow simple instruction on the resolution it won't get picked (last year, some people thought 600x98 meant 468x60. NO!).

NOTE - We'll pick the best 5 or so. So put some thought into it! The more convincingly real that ad is... the better.

http://faunited.org/

The FAU site got a fairly decent update tonight. Slightly new design, faster loading... easier on the eyes. =) More coming this weekend!

* Dealers have been posted.
* Some events have been posted.
* We're upgrading all the Medkits with Bacon Salt now. Yes! We have landed a large supply of Bacon Salt, and will be giving it out with each Medkit.

So, a company came out with "Cashmere" toilet paper. Twice the cost of regular tissue, made partly out of cashmere. Now, I like a good toilet paper, but even then... there are limits. I mean, there comes a point when literally you're just wiping shit on a bunch of money.

http://consumerist.com/2010/02/cash.....a-sweater.html

Cashmere toilet paper. It's what butts crave.

Please for the love of god and all that is holy read this first:
http://forums.furaffinity.net/showt.....ad.php?t=64335

Then, once you've read that, you may go here:
http://forums.furaffinity.net/forum.....splay.php?f=72

The 2010 updates for the FA TOS and AUP have been posted. In addition, the AUP has been broken down into various sections. Both policies have undergone a fairly significant re-write, and these updates are... uh, quite large, and they impact users in various ways.

Please keep your questions and concerns on the forums where we can address them! I'll outright state that we know some of these changes are going to result in some drama, and some very serious questions. We want to be able to address them.

Just please, if you have questions, let us know on the forums so you can get an official answer first and foremost.

Yak and I worked out a new feature today: Profile Pictures!

For all the information you need, please see my forum post here for official terms, conditions, warranty, pants.

http://forums.furaffinity.net/showt.....62#post1591462

Merry Furryikwanzafebruarimas.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3462898/

Because this is totally awesome, and all of you should +fav this.

. . .

Right now.

Interested in hosting a panel at FA: United! We're looking for talented individuals to help bring a bit of personality to the con. While our theme is gaming (and we love gaming related themes) we're open to any and all events.

Send requests/inquiries to:
events2010[at]faunited.org

Interested in hosting a panel about spirituality? Want to run a group to discuss fanfiction, writing or fursuiting? Or maybe you want to give people some advice or suggestions on illustration and general artistry?

We're looking for you!

Just drop us a line with an overview of your idea, and we'll get back to you!

Just a note - due to one of the FAU staffers not having time due to some life issues, I've stepped in to take over the FAU3 Dealer's Den to lend a hand. =) Unfortunately, I don't have all the e-mails before given how we had setup the e-mail system (it was a forward, now its own e-mail box).

I've e-mailed everybody who we had on our official list, but we're still waiting on some responses. I'm trying to go through the list as quickly as possible.

If you're still interested in being a dealer at FAU3 you can send an e-mail to:
dealers2010[at]faunited.org

Dealer's info can be found here:
http://www.faunited.org/dealers.html

Since FAU doesn't have an Artist's Alley (pitfall of being a smaller con) at this point we are only going to accept half-tables registrations so we can give more poeple a shot at the Dealer's Den. Most of the full tables we've had available (about half the room) have all been scooped up already!

If you plan on splitting at table with somebody let us know, we can work that out on our side. =)

Meet the FA: United 3 "IDDQD" God-level supersponsor gift.

The Jersey Medkit
http://bit.ly/9uWXIt <--- Click Dis

A custom "medkit" (inspired by Left 4 Dead) featuring FAU logo & art. The link above is to our prototype bag, not the finalized version. We're having these custom made for the con with FAU branding, so expect the final bag to be similar, but slightly different.

Available to all IDDQD registered members of FAU - bags will be stuffed with awesome "survival" products from Think Geek (caffeine and other awesome necessities suitable for any gamer or geek!). These bags are in *VERY* limited supply. If there are any spare, they'll be available as an "upgrade" to people who are sponsor or above, but IDDQD members get first grabs, and get their bags chock full of awesome stuff from Think Geek. =)

Want the bag? Pre-registered at FA: United 3 today!
http://www.faunited.org/conadmin.cgi

Reg starts at only $30. =)

NOTE! If you have already pre-regged (and there's a bunch of ya!) and want the medkit you'll be able to upgrade your sponsorship at the door. =)

[img]http://forums.furaffinity.net/signa.....c1_4.gif[/img]