Note: The following is a plug for my Patreon campaign. Funds raised in this campaign go towards keeping the Southern Fried Science servers running as well as research and development for Oceanography for Everyone.
Behold the Unflappable Mola Mola!
Soon after the completion of Jacques Week 2017, I realized that I now had a collection of ocean animals wearing jaunty red cap doodles that were almost purpose made to be turned into stickers. So after a bit of research, a lot of redesigns, and a few test runs, the Jaunty Ocean Critter collection was born! Every month for the next year, I’m releasing a new, limited-edition run of Jaunty Ocean Critter stickers for your amusement, bemusement, and sea-musement. Die-cut on heavy vinyl, these stickers will hold up in the water, on your laptop, or attached to your favorite piece of oceanographic equipment.
We’ve got Unflappable Mola Molas:
Gregarious Starfish:
Salubrious Sperm Whales:
And more!
But there’s a catch (there’s always a catch)! The size of each run will be determined by Patreon subscribers. Those who sign up to receive the Jaunty Ocean Critter reward will get the majority of them. The few remaining stickers will be gifted to various supporters, and then that’s it! There are only 50 stickers in this months run, and half of them are already claimed, so if you want the most exclusive Jaunty Ocean Critter stickers in the sea, my Patreon is the place to be!
But what if you can’t afford to contribute $7 a month to keep a blog that has consistently produced the best marine science and conservation stories free and ad-free for the last nine years running and support a program that provides open-source oceanographic tools to researchers, citizen scientists, and explorers around the world? That’s totally fine! We understand not everyone has the resources to kick in to Patreon and we appreciate all our fans, no matter what. Throughout the year we’ll have various giveaways so keep an eye out. If you can afford to give even $1 a month, everyone who subscribes to the Patreon has the chance to be randomly selected to get a few of the remaining stickers.
Our server costs doubled this year, so we’re continuing to explore new ways to keep Southern Friend Science running without affecting our readers’ experience on the site. We will continue to be free and ad-free for the foreseeable future. At the moment, the site is sustainable, but the more funding we raise, the more we can experiment with other creative ways to bring marine science and conservation to the world.
David Shiffman also has his own Patreon campaign for various and sundry shark-related outreach.
