[FAQ/FDC] The Future Disney Cabinet Frequently Asked Questions List
David A. Cuthbert
Revision: August 15, 1995
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Authored by David Cuthbert and Amberle Ferrian;
maintained by David Cuthbert <da...@mail.cco.caltech.edu>.
Copyright (c) 1994-1995 David Cuthbert and Amberle Ferrian.
Permission is hereby granted to distribute this document freely in whole or
in excerpts provided this copyright statement is included and the text is
unaltered.
Please direct comments and suggestions for this FAQ to Dave at the
above address.
This FAQ is available at ftp://ftp.cco.caltech.edu/pub/disney/fdc/fdcfaq.txt.
Special thanks to Margaret Gerberi <rec...@gate.net>, lar3ry gensch
<lar...@mv.mv.com>, and Rich & Carol Koster <rich_car...@cup.portal.com>
for their comments and suggestions.
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Questions:
0. I keep seeing something called "FDC" in the rec.arts.disney.*
groups. What is this?
1. What is rec.arts.disney? or I can't post to rec.arts.disney! or
I have access to rec.arts.disney.misc, etc., but not
rec.arts.disney!
2. What does the FDC do? Is it just an excuse to attach a title to a
.signature file?
3. Some of these titles seem to be serious, but others are obviously made
of thought stuff. What gives?
4. When was the FDC formed?
5. Who is in charge of the FDC?
6. How many people are in the FDC?
7. Who can join the FDC, and how do I go about doing so?
8. What is all this stuff about bucketing, water wars, and so forth?
9. What exactly is a walkaround, anyway?
10. Where can I find some of the creative works mentioned here?
11. I'm interested in the fleshmeets and social gatherings. How can I
get involved?
12. What is the FDCMuck, and how can I get involved in it?
13. I'd like to have an FDC character or title, but someone else already
has it! What can be done about this?
14. I don't like FDC posts. How do I avoid them?
15. What are some of the netiquette tips I should know as an FDC member?
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"We the netters, in order to form a more 'perfect' newsgroup,
establish friendships, insure creative postings to see, provide
for aquatic defense, promote the general fanfare, and secure the
blessings of all things Disney for ourselves and for all the
newbies, do ordain and establish this FDC FAQ for the usenet
newsgroup rec.arts.disney." :-)
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0. I keep seeing something called "FDC" in rec.arts.disney.*. What
is this?
FDC stands for the Future Disney Cabinet. This is a mock organization
made up of rec.arts.disney.* netters who live out their fantasies of
working for Disney with mock "positions", under the pretense that they
will get these "jobs" once the FDC founder and CEO, Sean Alan Squier,
"takes over" the Walt Disney Company.
FDC is completely unaffiliated with the real Walt Disney Company,
although some FDC members do actually work for Disney or have done so
in the past. It should *definitely* be taken tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek.
In other words, it's a long-running net.joke in this newsgroup.
Nonetheless, it is a fun and amusing diversion for many of the
regulars of rec.arts.disney.*, and allows people to escape life's
daily drudgery, if only for a few minutes out of the day, or kilobytes
on the newsspool...your choice. :-)
1. What is rec.arts.disney? or I can't post to rec.arts.disney! or
I have access to rec.arts.disney.misc, etc., but not
rec.arts.disney!
rec.arts.disney was recently reorganized into a number of smaller
groups in order to reduce the number of new articles that each reader
much wadethrough. These newsgroups are
rec.arts.disney.misc General topics pertinent to the Disney
Company.
rec.arts.disney.parks Parks, resorts, dining, attractions,
vacations.
rec.arts.disney.merchandise Toys, videos, music, books, art, collectibles.
rec.arts.disney.animation Animated features, cartoons, short subjects.
rec.arts.disney.announce FAQs, lists, info, announcements (Moderated).
Historically, FDC discussions have taken place on rec.arts.disney;
this group was superceded by rec.arts.disney.misc, and FDC discussions
should take place there. Any references to rec.arts.disney probably
mean the collection of the above newsgroups or rec.arts.disney.misc.
2. What does the FDC do? Is it just an excuse to attach a title to a
.signature file?
Well, that too. :-) But many people in the FDC are actively creative
on rec.arts.disney.*; there's quite a few song parodies that have
appeared as well as poetry, artwork, stories, jokes, and other such
original Disney-related creations. Many FDC members are also quite
knowledgeable about things Disney and contribute substantially to the
ongoing discussion threads of the newsgroup.
In addition, the FDC is a pretty social group. Many of the
net-togethers, or gatherings of rec.arts.disney.* readers at Disney
theme parks, are organized by FDC members and open to everyone;
reports and photos from these happenings are available online for
everyone to enjoy. On the electronic front, an all-FDC MUCK (a
real-time role-playing environment) has been up and running since the
November 27, 1994 -- it has grown substantially since. For more
information on fleshmeets and the FDC Muck, see questions 11 and 12.
3. Some of these titles seem to be serious, but others are obviously
made of thought stuff. What gives?
Well, as mentioned, it's all fantasy. Some of us tend to have more
practical fantasies, while others go for the all-out absurdity when it
comes to Disney. It gives diversity to the FDC, and it's part of its
fun and appeal.
4. When was the FDC formed?
Sean Alan Squier, founder and CEO of the Future Disney Cabinet, began
simply by putting "CEO of the Future Disney Cabinet" in his
.signature. So many people wrote to him, asking for "positions" in
his Cabinet, that he held his first "open casting call" around
January, 1993.
FDC is a well-established tradition on rec.arts.disney.*; so
established, in fact, that Newsweek mentioned it in a short article
about rec.arts.disney (1 August 1994, Cyberscope, p. 10), and other
newsgroups have copied it (rec.arts.tv.soaps' F*Cs).
5. Who is in charge of the FDC?
Nobody. In theory, Sean Alan Squier, our CEO and founder, is
nominally in charge, but he's allowed considerable leeway in the
operation of the FDC. He organized earlier incarnations of the
Registry list into logical divisions (e.g., Feature Films, Television,
Theme Parks, Security) each run by an "Officer" who, of course, held
absolutely no power. :-) Sean was gone for quite a while after he
graduated from college and found work at WDW, so the FDC was left to
its own devices. However, Sean was not idle. After beginning on The
Great Movie Ride, he was promoted and currently works as a computer
programmer at WDW. Thus, we can only presume that he is steadily
progressing in his nefarious plans to seize control of the Walt Disney
Company and put the FDC in charge. ;-)
6. How many people are in the FDC?
Various counts of the Registry have increased from 40-ish to over 400.
An accurate count is somewhat difficult, if not impossible -- those
who have seen the readership estimates of Usenet groups have an
understanding of why this is so!
A more accurate count can probably be obtained by observing the
numbers of people connected to the FDCMuck.
7. Who can join the FDC, and how do I go about doing so?
Membership in the FDC is available to anyone who has a sense of humor
and has at least a slight affection for something Disney. Creativity
is always welcome, as well.
The FDC being what it is, there is no application process. People do
occasionally submit mock applications to add to the sense of
creativity.
8. What is all this stuff about bucketing, water wars, and so forth?
The infamous Water Wars first broke out in the early days of the FDC,
when Tim Pickett <que...@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au> tossed a virtual
bucket of water onto Amberle Ferrian in mock-anger after she noted
that Flounder reminded her of a box of fish sticks the first time she
saw _The Little Mermaid_. Amberle was one of the first FDC walkarounds
(Belle), so the Water Wars quickly escalated to include other
walkarounds, their bodyguards, various ad-hoc coalitions thereof
(e.g., the Bucketeer Bodyguard Brigade, the Bad Guy Coalition), and
anyone else who got in the way of the buckets and SuperSoakers and
other aquatic arms that proliferated. In other words, a huge
net.corollary to the net.joke that is the FDC. :-)
Bucketing or soaking on rec.arts.disney.* is also generally considered
the equivalent of gently "flaming" someone in other newsgroups, when
not taken in the context of the Water Wars. Most splooshings are
generally good-natured in intent, and the number of letters in a
SPLOOSH is directly proportional to the severity of the
"transgression". Strangely enough, this had kept r.a.d one of the
most flame-free newsgroups on the usenet.
9. What exactly is a walkaround, anyway?
Walkarounds are the cast members who act out the roles of cartoon characters
in the various theme parks. Their duties include greeting the guests, posing
for pictures, hugging the kiddies, signing autographs, and so forth. In the
FDC, there is no difference between the "titles" of 'FDC walkaround
<character>' and 'FDC <character>'.
Walkarounds are the most popular FDC "job" these days, but they are by no
means the only ones available. You're only limited by your imagination.
10. Where can I find some of the creative works mentioned here?
Most of the creative works are available online. A couple places to
check:
ftp://yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au/pub/rec.arts.disney/creative/
ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/disney/images/
ftp://ftp.wang.com/pub/lar3ry/Creative
(mirror of yoyo with .tar files extracted)
http://www.umr.edu/~duy
E-Mail availability:
Contact the creator of the work that you are seeking for more
information. If you are unsure about the creator, you can try
contacting f...@caltech.edu, although no affirmative answer is
guaranteed. Posting to rec.arts.disney.* will most likely
turn the person up.
Usenet availability:
Watch rec.arts.disney.misc for most of the creative works. This
is the best source for the newest creative works as the ftp archive
maintainers sometimes experience a time-lag.
Some of the creative artwork is a bit too large for the rec.*
hierarchy, so watch alt.binaries.pictures.misc and
alt.binaries.pictures.cartoons as well. A notice will usually be
posted to rec.arts.disney as well.
Other availability:
On the Portal Disney FANtasEARS special interest group, access the
"FDC (Future Disney Cabinet FAQ" by entering "GO 32275.3.3.4" directly,
or by going through the Disney FANtasEARS SIG menu system:
"GO DISNEY;6;1;3".
11. I'm interested in the fleshmeets and social gatherings. How can I
get involved?
Margaret Gerberi <rec...@gate.net> is the FDC contact person at Walt
Disney World, and is happy to answer your questions about the details
of WDW net-togethers. Lisa Shoup <lcam...@uci.edu> likewise will be
happy to discuss Disneyland net-togethers with you. Reports and
photographs from previous fleshmeets are available at:
ftp://rec-arts.stanford.edu/pub/Rec-Arts/
http://rec-arts.stanford.edu/RecArts
Of course, it is advisable to monitor rec.arts.disney.parks for
information on fleshmeets. Announcements such as "I will be at
Disneyland on July 35th" will often appear; this would be the place to
discuss and arrange a meet!
FDCMuck, a real-time multiuser roleplaying forum, is now open! See
question #12 for more details.
12. What is FDCMuck, and how can I get involved in it?
FDCMuck is a computer program in which you can log into and explore
via a computerized persona/character. You can walk around, chat with
other characters, solve puzzles, explore and enjoy the creations of
your fellow players and FDC members, roleplay the part of your
favorite Disney character, have online meetings about Disney (there
are conference rooms built in for exactly that purpose), and even
create your very own rooms, descriptions, and items--all in real time.
FDCMuck puts *you* in the shoes of an Imagineer, if only in your
imagination, and gives you the chance to build a virtual theme park
and share your creations with your fellow fans.
To obtain a guest character passport, please send a message to:
FDC...@reedycreek.stanford.edu
with the following words in the body of the message:
GUESTNAME name-of-requested-guest-character
PASSDAYS number of days passport is active (choose from 1-7 days)
Example:
GUESTNAME Mickey
PASSDAYS 2
Both the words GUESTNAME and PASSDAYS must be captialized, and start
on the left margin. The guest character name you provide is case
sensitive.
You will then get an automated message with your guest character name
of the form g.requested-name (so if you ask for 'Mickey', as above,
you'll get 'g.Mickey'), a guest password, and the amount of time your
guest character passport will be active, along with instructions on
how to login to FDCMuck and other information about our site. You can
use your guest character until your passport expires, at which time
you must either obtain a new passport, or apply for a permanent
character.
If your message to fdcmuck-tickets is incomplete, your request will be
returned with the reason why. If you have any problems with guest
registration, please contact our Guest Relations desk at:
Guest-R...@reedycreek.stanford.edu
You may apply for a regular character if you have visited FDCMuck as a
guest character. Application forms are available at:
ftp://reedycreek.stanford.edu/pub/fdcmuck/info/appform.txt
and via email request to:
cas...@reedycreek.stanford.edu
If you are under 18, you will need written permission from your
parents or legal guardians. This form is available at:
ftp://reedycreek.stanford.edu/pub/fdcmuck/info/under18.txt
We're sorry, but residents of the state of Tennessee are not allowed on
FDCMuck for legal reasons. For details on this policy, please contact
Arnold Tang <abe...@reedycreek.stanford.edu>.
13. I'd like to have an FDC character or title, but someone else already
has it! What can be done about this?
All FDC positions are first-come, first-served. If you find that the
position or character you want is already taken, you may ask the other
person if he or she is willing to share. For example, the 7 Dwarfs
walkaround positions are currently being filled by about 15 people,
each working "shifts". :-) If not, don't fret, as the number of
positions available in the FDC again is only limited by your imagination.
This topic has also come up in the past, and one policy that has been
adopted is that FDC members who hold more than one character
walkaround position relinquish the extra ones if a new person asks for
it.
Remember, this is all in fun. Please don't make a big deal out of
this, and please don't complain to the Keeper of the Registry, because
he will neither hear them nor offer to moderate.
Being in the FDC Registry does *not* automatically give you a
character on FDCMuck, or vice versa, nor does it guarantee that you
will get the same position/character in both.
14. I don't like FDC posts. How do I avoid them?
Current r.a.d convention is to have all FDC-related messages include
the letters "FDC" in the subject line, to allow people to easily
filter out these messages with a killfile or its equivalent.
Information about creating and using killfiles can be found at:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.software.readers/
15. What are some of the netiquette tips I should know as an FDC member?
FDC discussions should take place on r.a.d.misc. As stated earlier,
discussions sometimes will grow from other subjects; if this happens,
please be considerate and set follow-ups to r.a.d.misc.
Please add the letters "FDC" in the Subject lines of articles that
solely discuss FDC matters, so that people who aren't interested can
skip these articles easily with their killfiles. And please don't
overdo it. Before adding to an FDC-related thread, please ask
yourself if your posting is really something everyone will like to
see, or if it can better be taken elsewhere (e.g., private email, IRC,
the FDC MUCK). Sometimes, an FDC thread will get personal enough that
it would be more fun if it is kept just between the people involved.
FDC is a very popular and fun net.tradition for Disney fans here to
live out some of their Disney dreams and fantasies, which after all,
is what Disney is all about in the first place. Let's make sure it
stays that way for others to enjoy or ignore as they see fit. Thanks.
Have fun, and welcome to the FDC!
--
David A. Cuthbert
da...@mail.cco.caltech.edu