The sun shown bright as a star when PopTop tied off at its berth in E3. All was obvious here in this strange land. No subtlety to be found. It was all about packaging and ribbons - a land in which the Grinch could feel most at home. Perhaps that's why ships like PopTop come here to seek support and opportunity? Everyone knows that all present are trying to sell each other something and all are cloaked in the shiny armor of perceived value. The glare from the sun on this armor makes for a spectacular show at E3. Luckily most people attend wearing rose-colored glasses, just to reduce eye strain. Some ships like PopTop seek evangelists in order to reach the hearts and minds of great masses of people and spread the word of their impending conquest or discovery. Others seek benefactors that will provide the financial backing necessary for the pursuit and capture of big game. In either case these crews must foster a sense of wonder and awe to entice those evangelists and benefactors. This often leads to the hiring of a ship specialist who can speak or act in such a way as to enthrall either. A small crew of PopTop's size has neither the desire nor the resources to employ professional orators and actors to enliven such demonstrations useful at such ports of call as E3. Under such situations development crews often press into service the least likely crewman to mess up, knowing full well that failure is an option. The selection process for such an away team usually follows an ancient ritual.

1. Look for the most attractive female in the office.
2. Look for any female in the office.
3. Check again for a female in the office.
4. Triple-check for a female in the office - you must be certain!
5. Look for any female who is even remotely associated with your crew and who is willing or can be bribed to lend a smile.
6. Look for the guy with some past social engineering background.
7. Look for the designer who isn't too irrational.
8. Look for the least fat or freakish-looking artist.
9. Look for the programmer with the cleanest clothes.
10.   Look for a programmer who doesn't avert his eyes when speaking to anything other than his computer.