Comments on: 2005 Midwest FurFest Registration Report

By: crim_ferret

crim_ferret — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 23:18:10 +0000

The fix for the paper feed problem could be as simple as cleaning the rubber rollers with high purity rubbing alcohol. Another possiblility would be to consider them expendable resources and simply buy three new low cost ink jet printers each year, fill the half full black cartridges they usually come with with cheap refill ink and either toss them at the end of con or auction them off in the charity auction. New low end Lexmark printers are in the $30-$40 range where I work. The replacement ink cartridges often cost more than the printer and there is no way a partly used cartridge is going to last through a year of non-use. The other nice thing about doing it this way is if one did break down, a quick run to whatever store we got them at would get us a new one. So basically for $150 max, we could have three printers + a black refill kit (the latter would last several years). This is assuming Linux drivers will continue to be developed for the low end of the printer spectrum. Considering the speed of printing for b/w even at the low end is pretty good at this point and continues to go up every year, I see little downside to doing this and a significant reduction in stress since there’s be no reliability worries about printers that had sat unused for a year.
I suppose laser printers are a possible alternative, but even the low end ones are at least three times more expensive and the toner is even worse than ink jet supplies. The printing doesn’r run when it gets wet either. There would still be reliability issues with the minimal use they’d get. Repair ourside of warranty would still be cost prohibative. Printers in the price range where repairs would be worthwhile would likely be overkill for our needs and too costly. I suspect renting would also prove less than cost effective though it might be worth checking into.

By: hightensile

hightensile — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 19:44:38 +0000

# We need a small UPS for the server so that it can survive brief power interruptions, as we had on Saturday afternoon when someone kicked the power cord. Fortunately, the database and file system survived the sudden power-down.

The Art Show ran into a similar problem this year. Our laser printers powering up dropped the voltage just enough that the power supplies on both our regular terminals would kick off. (Insert group of people gasping here) The server was actually on another circuit, and didn’t have such a feeble PS regardless, but clearly such things can happen, so we wrangled up a UPS for next year.
Had I known, I would’ve shopped for you, too 😉 CompUSA was having some good price cuts for the holidays.
I still think there’s something to this similarity between our two departments…
–kit

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 19:44:24 +0000

By: ramalion

ramalion — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 16:44:59 +0000

In reply to woofwoofarf. FYI: MFM's policy on the fursuit badge is basically that the fursuit badge is NOT a replacement for the official badge. You are still expected to have your real badge with you while in suit. We put the badge number of the person on the fursuit badge to hopefully keep people from sharing badges

By: woofwoofarf

woofwoofarf — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 16:23:25 +0000

In reply to shy_matsi. I doubt we'll have to get that extreme. The primary concern about replacing lost badges is always that someone is passing off their badge to someone else, and that's something we want to deter. At the same time, it's never fair to penalize a random person whose badge simply fell off somewhere. There's a happy medium in there somewhere, and we'll need to work to figure out what it will be.

By: woofwoofarf

woofwoofarf — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 16:20:56 +0000

In reply to daveqat. The badge swap was done as a favor for one person, and I can assure you it won't be repeated. As for fursuit badges, this is something that we need to work out between Registration and Security. There will be multiple discussions on this topic in the coming months, I suspect.

By: shy_matsi

shy_matsi — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 16:13:58 +0000

arf, I felt bad for those who lost their badges…
Maybe a large enough notice/sign/flyer in con bag, saying badges will not be replaced if lost when they first register, so it’s not like, “surprise! another $40!” So incase people are just giving them away… They get the warning that they will have to pay for a dupe of their own badge.. or maybe people will learn to hold on to them a bit tighter..

By: siegferret

siegferret — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 03:03:19 +0000

In reply to daveqat. Suggestion Do what FC does maybe, and have the fursuit badges as an extra item, with the actual badge number on it?

By: neowolf2

neowolf2 — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 01:35:47 +0000

In reply to rustitobuck. Re: Spare mice are a good idea. I saw them selling USB mice (travel size) for $9.95 at Home Depot the other day.

By: rustitobuck

rustitobuck — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 00:51:41 +0000

Spare mice are a good idea.
Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse works great with both Mac (no software needed!) and PC, has USB and PS/2 interface, and are as low as $9 each in OEM 3-packs (also available in onesies from places like NewEgg).
Check Froogle.
We buy these in bulk at work. I use them almost universally in system buildouts and as “spare mice” for laptops at home here.