Most Embarrassing Google Search, and Furries on Seeker Network – NEWSDUMP (9/7/15)

by Patch O'Furr

Headlines, links and little stories to make your tail wag.  Guest posts welcome. Tips: patch.ofurr@gmail.com. 

SFGate looked at a map of the “most embarrassing Google searches” in the USA and found me.

(Appeared in photo #9.)  “Furries” is supposedly searched a lot in Wyoming. The map also shows who searched for: Bronies, Nickelback Lyrics, Dog Clothes, Meth Recipe… Who knows if it’s really real data, but you can tell they had fun.  But not as much as I did in the pic. Sorry guys, not embarassed in the slightest!

Playwright fictionalizes the 2014 MWFF chlorine attack, for a story exploring identity.

“The sixth Chicago Fringe Festival, opening tonight, brings zombies, victims, and furries to town.”  Here’s the festival page dedicated to the play.  I confess I only had a minute to look into this and the play’s Indiegogo page. I have a rule – I assume that any “furry” story that uses cheap halloween costumes is probably bad storytelling. Misinformed exploitation pieces often aim for humor at our expense, and they fail because they lack authenticity. Well, in this case, I may be proven wrong.  I think this festival is prestigious, and: ‘He’s worked to keep it balanced—”not other-ing the community”‘ – says Corbeau at Furstarter.  (It’s so great to have more than one eye on this stuff – please furries, make more blogs!)

Furry Migration gets a nice feature.

“…Where being weird is a good thing.”  The article’s just a standard introduction, but the video lets several fursuiters speak and dance in a charming way.

Furries at Bubonicon in New Mexico.

A nice exploration by a columnist who investigates the con and meets a lot of different sci fi fan characters, including a few extra fuzzy ones.

A film maker was commissioned to make a documentary for Seeker network- and he started at reddit’s r/furry.

In March 2015, Discovery launched a new network, Seeker. Their programming goes for the mysterious and wonderful fringes of nature and culture.  Now that means Furries.  Their piece is called “Furries Aren’t As Weird As You Think.”

Here was the film maker’s overture to the community on reddit.  Seeker posted it, and then the film maker came back to ask what we think. Getting a well-made, paid for documentary seems yet another sign of rising subculture. Don’t mind the one mistake of the title.

20,000 subscribers for r/Furry on Reddit.

It’s been around since May, 2008.  Here’s growth stats.  Traffic spikes in October 2014 were for DDOS attacks on furry sites, and in December 2014 it was the MWFF chlorine attack. Activity also looked high during Anthrocon when they got a lot of press this year.

28,000 subscribers of r/anonymous were pranked with Furries in their face.

Maybe it’s the in-joker’s in joke.  It seems pointless to me. There’s an interview with the reddit mod who did it on hacker-dedicated blog, Cryptosphere.

Furry Fan Injured In Taiwan Explosion released from hospital.

An update to the older stories. A music festival had a horrible accident that injured hundreds.  Alex was the only American there (and a Furry.)  He was burned over 90% of his body and had high risk to not pull through, but now he’s well enough to go home for more recovery.

RIP to Pennsylvania Furry, Sasha Tigress.

Fred Patten once suggested a Furry Walk of Fame.  That’s in a “Furry Good Ideas” list.  One day there should also be a furry memorial. At Flayrah, there’s a sad report of a domestic murder (don’t read if you don’t want to get emotional).

History of Furry Fandom 1998, with Fred Patten. (Tip from Fred.)

The Realities of Fursuit Maintenance.

Nitram shares a great piece about the experiences of a relative novice to this hobby:

I often mused that, if I had a fursuit of my own, I would wear it multiple times a week, just for fun. I couldn’t understand why fursuit owners didn’t wear them on a regular basis, just going out to walk around town in fursuit flippantly. I learned why on the evening of the first day after I got my suit as I was on my knees in front of the bathtub squeezing dirty water out of my wet bodysuit.

The director of Furry Force sent a tip: Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit animation.

An awesome hoax pretended to discover a lost 90’s cartoon. It was really well done!  Now it’s out officially. Get the art book here.

Cat Circus is hiring.

“Has your dream always been to run away with a cat circus? Then here’s the job for you!”  It’s like a cross between fleeing a stern uncle and not getting any dates.  Sign me up if you get to be friends with a frisky chimpanzee.

Research looks at the evolution of language from animals.

“Apes may be closer to speaking than many scientists think.”  Some scientists may be closer to apes than people think.