SPEY On The Way

Am I crazy or did last year's SPEY have our full names on the certificates and not just our username here?

Other than that, I loved my SPEY package. Although maybe some day you'll be out of diablo temporary tatoos =)

The Diablo shirt is just awesome. And mine didn't have the ink transfer problem some had (like my roommate).

And I really loved the print and the comic book. I'm gonna have to show the mini-comic to my non-SP friends who read goats. Maybe I can use it as a gateway drug...

Everything in the package is better than I imagined. Even if becoming SP was the last successful transaction on my credit card ever, I believe it is well worth it. All y'all are missing out!

Oh, and it is interesting now that I have a non black or white t-shirt, perhaps my coworkers' heads will explode at the shocking change of wardrobe.

In Response to kurtm (#13275):

Am I crazy or did last year's SPEY have our full names on the certificates and not just our username here?

Whaddya mean "or"? ;-)

My certificate from last year doesn't have any name on it at all. It was completely a bearer vehicle, instead of a named grant.

The other changes from last year are that the whole image is about 1% smaller (that is, noticeably smaller, but not signficantly smaller - I haven't measured and done the math).

The first lines from last year are "Official and Binding, Like Meta-mucil." and this year are "Veritable and Non-Spurious, Whatever That May Mean.". The user name is added, in the form "Grant to [username] member since the year of our Lord, 2002 A.D."

The additional rights granted by the certificate last year were "This certificate grants the Bearer the Right to be Snotty and Self-Righteous, the Right to Jump Up and Down A Lot, the Right to Unchecked Pedantry, and Some Cheese". This year, "This Certificate grants teh Bearer the Right to be Really Into Bean Burritos, the Right to Scorn those who Enjoy Pornography of a "Furry" Nature, the Right to Make Tapestries, and Some Cheese.".

The logo was also changed from the old to the new. There are also some differences in font size.

All in all, I think this year's certificate is a better product. The additional information, and changed font stylings gives it more of that "Impressive Certificate that you don't want to read the fine print on, because it's likely to be confusing and/or in Latin, but you feel you should be impressed even though you don't know what it's a Certificate for or of." feeling.

Excellent.
That tshirt is the best ever.

Zander

In Response to kurtm (#13275):

The Diablo shirt is just awesome. And mine didn't have the ink transfer problem some had (like my roommate).

Huh? Like a little bit of black smear on the crown (?). Nonetheless the shirt is indeed awesome. Now where to put all those stickers?

Me likey the SPEY swag.

I had a comment though; my certificate of godly stature, moral superiority, &c., was all krinkled, and my space battle comic was a little bent. Stupid USPS. (Unless jon & phiIlip sent me pre-crushed stuffs and are trying to tell me something...)

Either way, it made me think: "Hey, this year's SPEY package was sent in a crushable foldable envelope instead of a sturdy and attractive box (like last year)."

I happen to still have the box from last year, the postage was $5.75 for the box vs. $3.85 for the flat-rate envelope. So it's a fair bit cheaper the way that it is now, but there's a risk that the beautiful papery things will be mangled during travel. I'd have been quite sad if the comic or fish print had been creased/crushed as badly as my certificate. Maybe a nice "PLEASE DON'T CRUSH ME" stamp on the envelope, or including something for support and bending resistance, like a piece of cardboard or big plate of cast-iron, would be good in the future?

Just sharing.

I heart my SPEY swag, Jon. Really awesome.

The comic was high quality funny, and the woodcut rules.

If you weren't married, I'd male-to-male cohabitate with you in a legally binding sense.

But no funny business, elsewise the chicken gets it.

In Response to case (#13350):

The change in conveyance was because last year's boxes had a nasty tendency to be opened and manhandled; bits of the package went missing occasionally.

If you'd like us to resend anything that's been damaged, we'll be happy to do so; just email me and we'll work something out.

"Contains One Space Battle" is quite possibly the funniest comic product I've ever read in any format.

It alone would be worth the super premium.

In Response to zamphir (#13283):

Anyway, next year, it'd be nice to have the Full and Complete Name. Looks even more impressive that way.

In Response to mattdm (#13460):

Anyway, next year, it'd be nice to have the Full and Complete Name.

Look, just because you picked a crappy username, don't ruin it for the rest of us smart enough to pick something Interesting.

:-P

In Response to zamphir (#13462):

:)

Yeah, but I want something that'll look impressive on the wall of my office. The username thing kinda gives it away.

Well, the chicken and goat graphics might too, but really, you don't see those right away....

In Response to mattdm (#13502):

I'll think about adding an option on the benefits page that says whether we put your full name or your username on the certificate...theoretically, it's not that hard....and I have most of a year to get around to it!!

In Response to phillip (#13523):

I have most of a year to get around to it!!

So you're only slightly behind schedule already :)

My SPEY has arrived in Australia. The envelope survived its globe spanning journey with no significant mangling of the contents, even despite a helpful local delivery agent ramming it into a letterbox. A slight crinkling of the certificate is all - and that will smooth out easily enough.

The contents themselves are excellent. The shirt is, as has been said, quite possibly the best ever, though the grey goat from last year still gives it a run for its money. The stickers are all good - my girlfriend wants to buy a shirt on the strength of the small, self-centered universe sticker :) The full colour fish deserves a place in the bar, and while I haven't actually looked at the contents of the minicomic yet, my satisfaction with the package thus far suggests it will be great.

I am mildly disappointed not to see a book this year. I seem to recall my goats coffee table book came from last year's SPEY, though it might have come from the bulk order of merchandise I did?

Overall satisfaction rating: 4.5 stars out of 4.6.

In Response to dhask (#13541):

The minicomic is replacing the book -- the book was special for the first year folks, but to be honest it was too expensive for us to include a book every year. We also got complaints from people who already owned the books, so it was decided to do something with original material.

Overall, I think this year's package will make a good base for next year's -- I'm fairly certain we can include everything we did (new designs and such, of course -- not the exact same stuff) plus at least one new item. I'd love to do posters, but shipping them would be a huge pain in the ass. We'll look into it and see what we can do.

In Response to jon (#13353):

You could also get one of those stamps commonly used by doctors' and dentists' offices: "X-Rays Enclosed--Do Not Bend." Perhaps then the postal services would treat your envelopes with the respect they deserve.

In Response to jon (#13547):

The poster tubes may solve all your problems. I believe tubes are heartier and more difficult to bend than envelopes and boxes. 'Course I'm not sure what the price jump is for shipping an oddly shaped object rather than a easily stackable envelope or box...

In Response to Oedipa_Maas (#13550):

Tubes make it difficult to ship things that want to be flat, like shirts and minicomics and stickers. We were contemplating it, but decided against it for some reason that escapes me. Perhaps we'll look into it again for next year.

So on the outside chance that my SPEY package doesn't arrive by tomorrow, what should I do aside from weeping heavily?

In Response to jon (#13551):

It depends on how skinny the tube is and how much stuff needs to fit in it. All those things might be able to arc or curve a little to fit in a tube. A rolled t-shirt might form the core and the other items could curve around it. But then you'd probably get people bitching about merchandise with a slight curve. At which point you advise them to find a heavy book to set on the stickers and minicomic for a couple days.

I'd like to pre-order my Aught Five SPEY. Can i pay in advance with the PayPal link from the subscription upgrade [goats.com] page?

It says, "$45.00 gets you the 2002 S.P.E.Y. Package", and it also says, "Super Premium Membership (One-Time Upgrade)".

I'm a little uncertain about today's technical issues [goats.com], but i'm eager to send money by pressing buttons.

In Response to banzai (#13602):

You should email us.

In Response to Teledildonix (#13619):

If you're already subscribed, there's no need to do anything. You'll be automagically renewed and your credit card/PayPal account will be billed.

In Response to jon (#13622):

My PayPal account was automatically charged for this year's "Premium Goats", but i see no mention of "Super Premium" charges. Do i wait? Are they really "One Time [only]"? Am i jumping in a few months too early?