Steamgoats.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
I know. You don't want to hear about steampunked goats and how they came to be. But imagine a goat in goggles, wearing saddlebags and a jet pack.
An inordinate amount of my day was spent talking about them, drawing them, sharing photos of them, making up stories about them and the evil League of Curry, headed by the evilest of them all - Dr. Curry. His goal - to turn all the steamgoats in the world into his famous chupacabra curry and make millions.
And then, I spent a lot of time freaking out about not having enough money to run OctopodiCon. We're sooooooo close. If we can sell 250 room nights and 300 enrollments we've met expenses. But we need to do this by September 5th. Or we need $16,000 in cash.
Yes. I am pimping OctopodiCon everywhere I possibly can. It is an awesome steampunk college convention - 3 days of makeshops, experiments, lectures, classes, panel discussions, and entertainment by some the funniest steampunk performers ever, plus steampunk authors and steampunk artists - including a Hugo award winning artist. It's got college professors and experts in their fields there to each and share information. And airship races. And a Mad Engineer's contest. And an Aotumaton Contest for high schoolers.
It's well worth the $40 we're currently asking to attend all three days. And the hotel is a bargain at $69 a night for up to 4 people in the room - with free WiFi, free hot breakfast, free parking, and a free shuttle to area restaurants and the airport.
Wouldn't you want to take a class with a professor like Baron O?