It's been nine years since I poated a journal to this thing. I suppose some updates are in order. Since Halloween 2013, I have...

- Gotten engaged, then married
- Had two kids (technically my wife had the kids, I just read the instructions)
- Moved back to Wisconsin from New Mexico
- Changed jobs twice
- Became a full-time consultant
- Sold a house in NM, bought a house in WI
- Had a car accident, bought a new one
- Nearly lost my mom to viral pneumonia before COVID came along
- Became 100% work-from-home since the pandemic started (that's a double-edged sword)
- Had two colonoscopies
- Lost two grandparents (one to cancer, one to Alzheimers)
- Celebrated my last grandparent turning 100 (she's 101 now)
- Became an uncle (twice)
- Got into some really neat video games but swore off MMOs
- Discovered I'm allergic to beer
- Tried crypto trading, bailed out of that dumpster fire
- Got into HAM radio (still licensed, not as active)
- Made several improvements to our house
- Finally established (much needed) boundaries with my family
- Made a machinima short film
- Found out our kids are autistic
- Found out I'm autistic
- ... and still managed to avoid catching COVID (so far).

Admittedly I mostly live over on Twitter, although who knows how long that will last now that Melon Husk is in charge now. Hopefully it won't burn entirely to the ground.

I haven't had time to do a lot of leisure stuff like streaming, not that I did much prior to anyway, but with two kiddos with special needs, frankly getting an uninterrupted night's sleep is a luxury sometimes.

So yeah... that's nine years jammed into three minutes. If you really want to keep up with my BS, Twitter is probably your best bet.

It seems to be a bit of a tradition now. I will stream Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs on Halloween Night (Thursday) starting at 9 PM EDT, 6 PM PDT.

So come on by then and watch me scare the shit out of myself.

http://www.livestream.com/gavyn

I know, the title's baffling. Allow me to elaborate.

 erulla's father is in need of a kidney transplant. As it stands right now, they can get the transplant, but they are in need of $1200 to cover the cost of travel to the transplant facility.  witchiebunny,  dressari, and I are looking to do a 12-hour game stream marathon this Saturday (Aug. 31) starting at 11 AM EDT. We'll be doing mostly multiplayer games, and my channel will be doing the lion's share of streaming (http://www.livestream.com/gavyn). We're still smoothing out the game list.

There's an active donation page set up for the cause already (http://www.gofundme.com/Dadskidneys) set up by Erulla that we're going to point donations towards. If you can't donate, don't worry, we'd still appreciate you spreading the word.

And if you'd like to join us for some of these, let us know! We'll likely have slots to fill on some of these games.

Thanks for your support.

Before I go on about this topic which has so fervently drawn the attention of the fandom, let me start with a couple disclaimers. First off, I have no professional qualifications or training in security. I am however trained in the federal Incident Command System through my work in Emergency Services with Civil Air Patrol. I worked as security director for both years of Antheria (2010-2011), and participated in one year of security for Anthrocon 2011 under the Dorsai's direction. Also, I was NOT in attendance at FF this year. I'm writing this as a passive observer from thousands of miles away.

That being said, I've read over the accounts of what happened at FF by Dragoneer, Sciggles, and a few others who were at the con regarding their apparently negative interaction with the Dorsai. I have also read up about this exchange with Kage and Sciggles via email. Personally, I have no dog in this fight (pardon the pun), but from what I see on the outside, there are several sides to this problem, not just two. And if everyone would calm down for one freaking moment rather than continue to rail on Twitter about it, I'd like to think a solution can be worked out.

For starters, people need to remember that the Dorsai are their own entity. They are essentially hired by cons as outside contractors to come in and handle security. What's more they are not exclusively hired by furry conventions alone. They also do other sci-fi related conventions. They have their own chain of command. Sometimes at large conventions like Anthrocon, they will augment their security presence with folks who are not members of the Dorsai. Since I was not at FF, I cannot say as to whether they had volunteers among their ranks during the convention.

That being said, if the accounts that Dragoneer and Sciggles have given are accurate (and I'm not saying one way or the other if they are, although I don't feel they have reason to lie), there are some steps that need to be taken by all parties involved rather than one party complaining about how the other is complaining, and then someone else complaining about the complaining, etc.

1. People need to stop going to Kage and saying how much the Dorsai suck and that they aren't going to go to Anthrocon until he doesn't hire them anymore. First, it'll probably be a cold day in hell before the Dorsai stop working AC security. What's more, I've tasted what they have to do and put up with at Anthrocon, and I can appreciate what Kage means when he says he can't wait for a con to finish. It's a lot of hard work for staff and security. Unless you walk a mile (or several) in their shoes, you really don't know. Bombarding Kage with notes about how the Dorsai did x, y, and z at a con that Kage has no jurisdiction or control over isn't going to help solve the problem.

2. What happened at FurFright with the Dorsai falls under the purview of the FurFright staff as well as the Dorsai leadership, and them alone. Not Kage. Do mistakes get made? Sure, sometimes staff or security gets it wrong or fucks up bad enough that there's fallout from it. But if you're going to complain about it, complain about it to the people who have power over it, namely the FurFright staff and Dorsai leadership. And what's more, if you're going to complain, do it in a professional fashion. Cite specific incidents, who was involved, and who you talked to as a result. Paper trails matter the higher you go in the food chain. The staff at FurFright have an obligation to look into this and work with the Dorsai to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future to anyone.

3. If anyone has had incidents occur between them and the Dorsai at any con, they should speak up to either the Dorsai leadership, or to the staff of the convention where the incident occurred. Not to Kage. Despite what people may think, the Dorsai are not Kage's personal army that he sends to troll people at his beck and call. What's more, the Dorsai are not just one person, they are many individuals each with their own personality. If you have a problem with one member of the Dorsai, get their name, bring it to someone higher up the command chain until you get some measure of response. It's not a guarantee your issue will be resolved, but it will probably improve your chances. Keep in mind, this suggestion isn't just if you've had problems with Dorsai, but with staff of any convention. They always answer to someone.

4. If Kage indeed used AC registration records to derive Sciggles' email, then that should not have happened. I know some folks are saying Kage broke the rules in the Anthrocon website's legal statement, I assume with regard to the line "All information presented by the user to Anthrocon, Inc. via this website will be held to be personable and proprietary." I am not a lawyer, so I cannot say whether this dictates AC staff can or cannot use the email address people register with for "personal" use.

5. Regarding the emails, whether Kage likes it or not, Sciggles and Dragoneer and anyone else who had a bad experience with the Dorsai at a con that he is not running has every right to speak their mind about their experience. That's the beauty of the first amendment of the constitution. Someone could conceivably post on Twitter that a fursuiter beat them nearly to death with a wooden mallet. It probably wouldn't be true, but there's nothing that says they can't say that, nor should we really try to repress them. We can call them out on their story, but telling them to shut up won't get to the truth of it. And if people have had bad experiences, they should speak up. Preferably, they could go first to those who are in a position to rectify the situation, namely con staff. If that doesn't work, there's always the court of public opinion. But be warned, sometimes you may not like the conclusion the court comes to.

I have great respect for Dragoneer and Kage. One runs one of the largest furry art repositories on the web, the other runs the largest furry convention on the planet. I can also imagine that running both of those organizations can be thankless jobs at times. To my knowledge, both men have patronized (as a customer/user/etc.) the other's organization before. They are moguls of the furry community, whether they believe it or not. It's no secret that there's been a somewhat tacit feud between them too. I'm not going to go into the list of tit-for-tat things that one has done to the other, because it honestly doesn't fucking matter. There comes a point in every conflict where someone has to say enough is enough, and it's time to grow up and let this go. These are folks that members of the furry community should look up to, and they should act as such.

http://www.livestream.com/gavyn

Home, tired, will do a proper post once I re-acclimate to my time zone.

Gonna stream Amnesia: Justine tonight at 9:00 MDT.

http://www.livestream.com/gavyn

Sad news to pass along.  Roxikat's father passed away today. Please send some good vibes and hugs his way.

Where are you staying?
The Courtyard.

What day are you getting there?
Wednesday afternoon.

Who will you be with?
 agentelrond arofatamahn witchiebunny mystiewolffe

Do you do free art?
I can't draw to save my life really. You're better off asking someone else.

Do you do trades?
Not really.

Do you do commissions?
Again, see above.

What are your limits to drawing?
What did I just say?

What is your gender?
Male

Can I talk to you?
Sure, provided you don't act like a douche.

Can I touch you?
Uhm... that depends on the intent and manner by which you wish to touch me.

How can I find you?
Twitter? Message board? I don't friggin know, it's a huge con.

Can I buy you drinks?
Depending on how many I've had already, probably.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
If I know you, sure. If not, start with a handshake.

How tall are you?
6' 1"

Are you nice?
People tell me I am. I wonder sometimes...

How long are you going?
Wednesday through Monday

Do you have an artist table?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Say "hi"?

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Not sure. Zoo is always a good place to start I suppose.

What/where will you be eating?
Sushi at the Fish Market... and every other meal I'm playing by ear.

Do you have prints/ CDs ?
We've been over this... not an artist, remember?

Do you do badges?
What did...! Okay... you seriously need to consider my answers to the other artist questions before asking me another one.

Can I look in your sketchbook?
I suppose, but there's not much in it.

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
I suppose.

Can I take your picture?
That depends on the circumstances. No matter what, please at least ask if it's okay.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
I'm supposed to go to the con with goals?

Tentatively shooting for 8 PM EDT (5 PM PDT). If I haven't listed your timezone, do the math. :P

http://www.livestream.com/gavyn

Normally I'd make some crack about no spoilers, but since I've played the game already, you can't really spoil it. Even so, don't be a troll in chat. First offense lands you a 5-minute time-out, next one gets you booted for 24-hours, next one after that gets you gone for good. Heinous offenses can give you more than one strike at once, so please, don't challenge the mods.

See you then.

Tentatively shooting for 8 PM EDT (5 PM PDT). If I haven't listed your timezone, do the math. :P

http://www.livestream.com/gavyn

You know the rules: no hints, no telling me to do x, y, or z, no RPing in the channel that you're using every ounce of restraint to keep from giving said hints (it's annoying as shit to be honest), no nagging as to whether or not you can give the next hint that I've already explained I don't want, no acting like a douche, no passive-aggressiveness. Fail to follow these rules and the mods will bring the Banhammer of a Thousand Suns down upon you. First offense lands you a 5-minute time-out, next one gets you booted for 24-hours, next one after that gets you gone for good. Heinous offenses can give you more than one strike at once, so please, don't challenge the mods.

Also, if you're expecting me to freak out because "HOLY CRAP IT'S AMNESIA!" you're going to be sorely disappointed. The fact that you can't fight in this game makes me a little snarky when I play it, but I digress.

Come on by, and have some fun.

See you then.

I will be streaming Amnesia on Thursday evening. Not sure what time yet, probably after 5:30 pm MDT.

http://www.livestream.com/gavyn

Also, I haven't played Amnesia all the way through yet, so if you come into chat and start giving hints or yelling that I should do x, y, or z, or if you act like an all-around douche... I will see to it the chat mods lay down a banhammer with the gravity of a thousand suns.

As Wil Wheaton says... "don't be a dick."

See you then. :)

Go over to  witchiebunny's FA and wish her a happy birthday. :)

(x-posted from LJ)

Due to the nature of where I work, as well as the volunteer work I do with Civil Air Patrol, there is a common theme between them that I practice constantly: operational security. In short, if other people don't need to know information that I possess, I don't tell them. It's nothing personal, it's quite simply that they don't need to know. I may trust them on a personal level, but NASA or the AIr Force might not, and giving out information that's deemed sensitive to people that aren't cleared to know such things can put not only their welfare at risk, but my job security as well.

I've heard lots of things on the news about people supporting WikiLeaks, to the extent of launching cyberattacks on PayPal and Visa because they cut all ties with the website. I even heard today on the news that the City Council of Berkeley, CA is entertaining the idea of a resolution to declare Pfc. Bradley Manning, the American soldier who took 250,000 documents into his own personal custody without authorization and gave them to WikiLeaks, as a "hero" and "patriot who deserves a medal."

I'm going to take what seems like a very hard tack on this. WikiLeaks claims it's a journalistic organization; I say that's complete and utter bullshit. Allow me to parse this down a bit more.

First off, with regard to Pfc. Manning, he is not a hero. I won't go so far as to say he is a traitor, but he did not do something noble and patriotic. He violated the trust that the military put in him to safeguard official documents. Taking personal possession of all these documents was bad enough. To then turn around and hand over all of this official information to as "reputable" a source as WikiLeaks showed gross negligence and dereliction of duty. I doubt very much he read all 250,000 of these documents before handing them over to WL, so there's no way he knew how important or unimportant the information contained in them might be. Now while I doubt he had access to such thing as identities of clandestine CIA agents, there could've been information about troop movements, supply transfers; information that had it gotten into the wrong hands could've given any enemy a glimpse into our operations and put American lives in serious jeopardy. Quite simply, he made a really, really bad fucking choice, and we may not know the damage he's caused by handing all of this information over to WL for years to come.

Now, with regard to WikiLeaks itself, they are not a journalistic organization. One thing they teach you in any operational security course is that just because you have sensitive information does not mean you should release it. Conceivably, WikiLeaks could've come out the hero in this if they turned to the US Govermnent after Manning gave them this information and said "hey, we got this information and we're not sure what's safe for release and what's not. Can you clarify?" Now, that may be a somewhat unrealistic expectation, but WL could've considered what risk releasing these documents to the Internet could've had for the lives of Americans and our allies serving abroad. Recently, PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard cut any strings they had to WikiLeaks to avoid the backlash that could surely come down on the site once an attorney general somewhere in the world gets their shit together. Now supporters of WL are giving the middle-finger to these companies because "they don't support free speech." Let's get one thing straight... these companies have every right to cut ties with an organization that they look at as risky. Launching cyberattacks against them because you're throwing a tantrum is not the way to bring people into your camp, it only makes you look like a douche. WikiLeaks itself is acting like a douche too, as if they are releasing this sensitive information in the name of nobility and free speech. Again, I call bullshit.

In my profession at the NASA site, I do not work with classified material, however I do work with sensitive but unclassified (SBU) information. This means that while not classified, it's not something that should be released to the general public because there's no telling whose ear it might land in.

An easier example would be from the work I do in Civil Air Patrol. The radio frequencies we use for communication are considered SBU, and as such we use channel designations instead. In fact, CAP members don't even know what the exact frequencies are for each channel. With enough time and effort, someone with the public using a radio scanner could figure out our frequencies; while that wouldn't be the end of the world, it does compromise our communications security. For instance, say we are searching for a lost hiker in the woods, and he has been missing for three days in bad weather. Eventually one of our ground teams find him and discover he has already expired, and thus radio this information back to our operations center. Were the press listening to our radio channel, they would know the subject was dead before word had even been brought to his family; this is a scenario to obviously be avoided if we can help it.

The crux of this rant is thus: Manning acted dishonorably for taking information he had no right to have into his own hands. WikiLeaks is clothing themselves in the mantra of freedom of information and transparency as an excuse to release sensitive information that they themselves also have no right to possess. Pfc. Manning and WikiLeaks are not heroes, they are not noble, and they are not patriotic.

Why the fuck not, right?

[01] Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post as The Controversial Survey?

>> No, stop reading now.

[02] Would you do meth if it was legalized?

>> No. Just... fuck no.

[03] Abortion: for or against it?

>> I'm not a woman, so far be if for me to speak on it, but from my perspective, I think it's one of those things that should only be used as a last resort for extreme cases (ie. rape, incest, saving the mother's life). My problem is with those who look at abortion as a means of birth control.

[04] Do you think a country would fail with a female president?

>> No.

[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?

>> Yes, provided there is no reasonable doubt about the criminal's guilt, and only for exceedingly heinous crimes.

[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?

>> I really don't care, I've never touched the stuff.

[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?

>> If you asked me when I was younger, I'd have said 'against.' Now, all that matters is doing it safely.

[08] Do you believe in God?

>> Yes, but God will not do the hard work for you.

[09] Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?

>> Since I'm straight, I can't say it weighs as heavily on me. Despite that, I am at the very least for civil unions. Whether or not they want to go the next step to marriage should probably be left to the individual states.

[10] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?

>> I think it's a headache. Quite frankly, I think if they want to move here that bad, they should go through the proper channels and procedures.

[11] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?

>> I don't think she should toss it away. I think it would be a smarter idea to have the girl's parents become the legal guardians until a better plan is put together for the baby's welfare.

[12] Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?

>> I'd be okay with nineteen.

[13] Should the war in Iraq be called off?

>> I know people are getting tired of it, and that's entirely their right. All I really care about is supporting the troops.

[14] Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?

>> I think if someone really wants to die, they need to go through a process by which they're determined to be of sound mind and body, and perhaps presented with other options before making that final step.

[15] Do you believe in spanking your children?

>> A mild spanking when they're acting up, yes. Beating them senseless, no.

[16] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?

>> Only if it was done in a flag retirement ceremony. Otherwise, fuck off.

[17] Who do you think would (have) make/made a better president? McCain or Obama?

>> Ugh. I typically hate politics. I would preferred McCain, but Obama won, and I'm not going to keep questioning his place of birth or his legitimacy of office. He's our president, move the fuck on.

[18] Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

>> I doubt any of this is news to them.

• Where are you staying?
The Westin

• What day are you getting there?
Wednewday afternoon.

• Who will you be rooming with?
Witchiebunny, Niko, and Pikacha

• How can I find you?
You could ask for my digits ahead of time, I suppose.

• Can I give you hugs?
If you are hygienic, sure. But say "hi" first.

• Can I dance with you?
IF you see me anywhere near the dance floor... maybe. But I likely won't be in there.

• Can I get pics with you?
Sure.

• Can I talk to you?
Of course. Just don't be a douche.

• Can I hang out with you?
Maybe. Depends on what I'm doing and who I'm with.

• Can I buy you drinks?
If I'm not already blitzed, sure.

• Do you wear anything with your suit?
Don't have a suit. Not opposed to trying one though.

• Do you do trades?
You'll be disappointed. I can't draw to save my life.

• What is your gender?
Male

• Can I give you lots of money?
Uhm.... sure.

• Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Only if we have history.

• How tall are you?
6' 1"

• Are you nice?
I try to be.

• Are you cliquey?
No.

• Can I stalk you?
Fuck off.

• Do you like parties?
I don't mind them. I might partake of one if you invite me. Then again I could be planning to do other stuff.

• If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Just come up and say "hi."

• Are you taken?
What is this, an e-Harmony survey?

• Will you take commissions?
Not really applicable.

Okay, here's the deal. I've had to kill the ChipIn for Setno and Sunshadow's fire expenses because those mingebags at Paypal are charging fees on the backside when getting funds via the ChipIn. As such, just sent me the cash directly on paypal.

The account on paypal you can send it to is nathan.m.edwards@gmail.com. Be sure you select "gift" or "living expenses" as the type of payment, else paypal will suck off a bit more.

Thanks again to those who've donated already. :)

Where are you staying?
Not the main hotel.

Who will you be with?
Jibba, Fluke, and co.

Do you do trades?
I can't draw worth shit, so it wouldn't be worth your attempt to trade w/ me.

What suits will you have?
I won't. Unless Sabot and Kitty demand I suit during the con. >_>

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
I'll be 26 by the time con rolls around.

Can I touch you?
Start with a handshake first. If I don't know you and you cling to me, I'll punch you in the face.

Can I talk to you?
Sure. Just don't act like a dick.

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
I don't like to get sloshed, but I rarely turn down free drinks.

Can I give you lots of money?
Hell yeah!

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
If I already know you and we're tight, you can hug me. If you're really right with me and of the opposite gender, sure we can snug.

How tall are you?
6' 1"

You look pissed off out of suit can I come up to you?
Again, I likely won't have a suit. If I look pissed, I'd advise you to keep away.

Are you nice?
I try to be.

Are you cliquey?
No. I'm hygenic.

Can I stalk you?
California is a concealed-carry state, right?

How long are you going?
Arriving Thursday, leaving Monday.

Do you have an artist table?
Nope. Can't draw, remember?

Do you like parties?
Typically.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Come up and say hi? (Extra points if you introduce yourself in French.)

I received some devastating news earlier today from Witchie. Our close friends Setno and Sunshadow had their house go up in flames earlier today, all while a blizzard was hitting the northeast. One of their cats is gone, another is missing, others suffered burns from the fire. The fire was so bad that the fire department in their Delaware town is forced to gut the building. Insurance will cover the home and I imagine some of the possessions, however there are other items of their which surely the insurance company wasn't made aware of such as furry art, books, memorabilia, etc.

In short, it's very bad. As such, I'm spreading the word about this incident, and have set up a ChipIn account to help defray the recovery of some of their stuff.

I realize this is the holiday season and people are strapped for cash and the economy sucks, but even five or ten bucks would go a long way towards helping them rebuild. (Also, if you could make a note of your furry name in the donation so we know who's donating. Not everyone's real name is public knowledge among the fandom.)

I can't post the ChipIn widget on an FA journal, but the link for the drive is here: http://sunshadow.chipin.com/sunshad.....-fire-expenses

Jack Black is a member of FA? And he's watching me? o_0

Okay, a little explanation.

Since I can't draw to save my life, I thought I'd use my talent of pointing a camera and pressing a button to use for public consumption instead. The title is a play on the state title for New Mexico, "Land of Enchantment".

The nature of my patio of my apartment provides me a really nice view for picking up views of impending weather as it rolls off the mountains to the east and west.

Contrary to what you might think, I do not have a high-end camera. I just have a digital camera that I put on a tripod originally designed to use with my binoculars, but is compatible with my camera as well. So I simply set it to "fireworks mode" with varying delays depending on how bright the surrounding light is around the storm's venue, press the button, and hope something shows in that time frame in front of the camera lens. Trust me, there are LOTS of photos that end up getting dumped with nothing in them except reflections of city lights against the clouds above.

The first series up is from earlier this evening, 9/19. I have several older series I may clean up and throw on here at some point.

EDIT: I will be throwing other cool nature/scenery pictars up here with the "Enchanted" monicker too.

I understand that people are mad crazy upset by this whole debacle. I don't blame them. I think in a sense the fandom has taken a giant step backwards in terms of staving off any stigmas we'd overcome after the whole CSI and MTV public relations nightmare. Already, I know that ChewFox has been banned from FA, and I've seen plenty of spamming of her YouTube page. Sadly, there's already a report that another fursuiter was informed by the charity event they were no longer needed for a costuming performance.

I get there's going to be fallout on this for a while, and LOTS of rage and discussion. I've watched the video. I facepalmed plenty of times.

HOWEVER... there is a difference between being pissed off about their actions, versus attacks and threats against their welfare. So far there's been no direct announcement of death threats, but I know there were lots of folks breaking her FA journal with comments about her weight, and threats of physical violence. This shit has to stop.

Don't get me wrong, I'm just as pissed about the stigma they seemed to reinforce on the show. However, threats of violence and death are not going to fix this. So feel free to be pissed at the decision and lack of judgment, but DO NOT go and make threats of violence. There is the potential for police involvement, and to be honest, this would not be worth that.

Where Are You Staying?
DoubleTree

What Day Are You Getting There?
Wednesday

Who Will You Be With?
Witchiebunny, Jinx, Kevin Wolf

Do you do free art?
I can't draw.

Do you do trades?
Again, can't draw.

Do you do commissions?
See above.

Do you have prints / CDs ?
Of what?

Do you do badges?
Dammit, this is getting old.

Will you have Art in the Art Show?
Obviously not.

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
25

Are you taken?
Negative

Can I talk to you?
Sure

Can I touch you?
You can shake my hand, and if I know you, you can hug me. If I just met you and you try to glomp me in the first five seconds, I'll slit your throat.

Can I hang out with you?
Probably, if you're not obnoxious.

How can I find you?
Don't call me, I'll call you.

Other cons I may go to:
FC 10?

Doesn't mean I'm any good with it. Go away and find a professional do to your artwork. xD