Zombie Lapdance

It’s that time of the month again. Time for Tex-Mex and short films. It’s up at the Nueva Onda restaurant, near Oltorf and S.Congress, this Wednesday at 8.

Here’s what I ate at the last Nueva Onda movie night. Beef nachos and a bottle of Pacifica. If there’s anything in the world better than that, I would like to hear it.

Here’s Dave’s announcement email:

On Wed., July 9th, the Nueva Onda Movie Nights presents another free program of shorts – this one’s called FIGHT NIGHT! We’ll have Q&A with filmmaker(s) after the show. See you there!

We’ll be showing:

MY DESTINY’S ROAD – In this astonishing short documentary by UT’s Gabriela Yepes, we follow Maruja, a twelve-year-old kid who lives in the poorest, most violent, and populous district in Peru, San Juan de Lurigancho. Futureless and yet hopeful, Maruja sells candies in Lima, supporting his two elder brothers, his three-year-old little brother and his thirty-six-year-old mother. At night, he and his friends fight ceaseless turf wars against other loose gangs of kids in some of the most gripping war reportage we’ve seen all year.

Ford Foundation Education in Color Project Winner; Official selection of Malaga Film Festival, Documenta Madrid (Spain), Latin American Film Festival (Denmark), Contra el Silencio Todas las Voces Film Festival (Mexico), Muestra de Cine El Espejo de Bogota, Festival de Cine de Bogota (Colombia), and ElCine Film Festival (Peru).

THE SHUFFLEBOARD KID – Retirement home rivalries come to the fore in this over-the-top comic short from local filmmaker and fellow Longhorn Stephen Mayes. The new "kid" is getting pushed around by the crass and over-stimulated BMOC, and they agree to a no-holds-barred shuffleboard showdown. Will the challenger win the day and the girl… or will the champ rub his face in the pavement?

MEAT – Bill usually spends his days as a lowly grocery store clerk who spends all his time leering at all the female customers.
Sometimes, he lets his fantasy life get the better of him. But today, Mandy has strolled into Bill’s life and boldly invites him back to her trailer. To Bill this sounds good… at first! From well-known local cinematographer Mark Vittek, who wrote and directed this Silver Remi-winning comic piece.

Grade-A… clever… the kind of cut that you’ll want to seek out. – Film Threat

The Nueva Onda Movie Nights is a FREE monthly movie screening held rain-or-shine, 8 pm, on the covered patio at Nueva Onda restaurant, 2218 College, just northwest of Oltorf and S. Congress. We show award-winning indie shorts, docs, and features from around the world… but of course we love to host Austin filmmakers. Find out more about us, apply to guest-curate, sponsor, or submit films at nuevaaustin.com! To leave this list just reply to this message and change the subject to UNSUBSCRIBE. Kitchen opens at 6:30p. Schedule subject to change. Parental advisory: adult language, sexual situations, and violence.

Here’s the more complex summary of the game that you’ll see on the Wii platform:

TITLE: Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars
PLATFORM: Wii
DEVELOPER: Red Fly Studio
GENRE: Action Adventure
RELEASE DATE: October 2008

An ichorous green meteor plummets through the Earth’s atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life — mushrooms and cacti — acquire sentience while, the meteor twists and mutates other life forms, transforming insects and animals into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.

The story of Mushroom Men is told in Acts, each Act occurring in a completely unique environment. Each version of the game (DS and Wii) tells different portions of the history of the Mushroom Men universe. The DS and Wii versions are completely different stories from one-another. The DS version, Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi, is the first release and shows the development of the Mushroom Nations, starting very early in Mushroom Men history. The early days of the Mushroom Men were simpler times as the Mushroom Men were just learning to walk, communicate and interact with their world. As the Mushroom Men learn how their world works, they take the player with them, developing their skills, abilities and histories up to the start of the Spore Wars.

The Wii title, Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars, picks up during the escalating war between the mushroom factions. The world is more hostile and combat is more complex. New tools and weapons are developed to assist in the escalating battles. The player takes on the role of a misfit and unexpected hero destined to bring about the conclusion of the Spore Wars while solving his own personal quests. The game presents the story simply, providing a strong sense of continuity to the single-player game without intruding on the gameplay.

Mushroom Men and their other sentient neighbours neither speak nor understand human languages such as English. But they still communicate, and to the human playerit sounds like mumbling.

The Spore War
Some among the four Mushroom Men tribes believe that the secret to winning the Spore War lays in uncovering the facts about the Mushroom’s origins. As the myth states, the Mushroom who discovers the truth of this mystery is promised the power to change the entire course of evolution, putting the Mushroom species at the top of the evolutionary ladder. The tribe that claims this prize can reshape the world any way they see fit. The Amanitas Empire and The Lepiota Order see the myth as a chance to not only defeat the other nations (the Bolete Tribe and the Morel Brotherhood) but also wipe out all of their enemies and put their tribes at the forefront of terrestrial evolution.

Even while the Spore War rages, a great quest amongst all four tribes begins: a race to uncover the truth and reshape the evolutionary course of the Earth. As for the humans, they continue to bumble their way through the world completely unaware of the diminutive forces rising against them. Pax, a Bolete mushroom from the outskirts, doesn’t yet understand his place in the events to come. He’ll have to learn, and fast, that he’s unwittingly been thrust into the middle of this situation.

The Wii version of the game picks up where the DS leaves off. The Spore Wars rage fully across the miniature landscape. The societies have advanced to a point where theology and metaphysical pursuits have developed. Pax does not yet understand his place in the world of Mushrooms, when he accidentally absorbs a meteorite while training with the Bolete Sage. Pax is then banished until he can bring back another of the life-giving rocks that the Sage believes made the Mushrooms sentient.

Along the way, Pax encounters more than he expects. It becomes obvious to him that there is more to the Mushroom world than a meteorite for his village. A war that Pax doesn’t understand moves closer to his home and Mushroom races and others race toward self-destruction. Along the way, Pax begins to understand more about what he must do to help the Bolete and the rest of the world. Throughout the adventure Pax will change from an awkward misfit to a species-saving hero.

The Wii version of the game has a very personal feeling to it; being tied so directly with the hero via the Wii control scheme, the player bonds with his on-screen avatar. Goals tend to be more personal and direct.

Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars for Wii & Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi for DS will be available across North America & Europe from October 2008. For more information about Mushroom Men please visit www.gamecockmedia.com. For more information about Red Fly Studio please visit www.redflystudio.com.

For those of you chomping at the bit to write a Mushroom Men story, here’s the summary of the Mushroom Men geo-political situation.

TITLE: Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars
PLATFORM: Wii
TITLE: Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi
PLATFORM: DS
DEVELOPER: Red Fly Studio
GENRE: Action Adventure
RELEASE DATE: DS & Wii – October 2008

An ichorous green meteor plummets through the Earth’s atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life — mushrooms and cacti — acquire sentience while, the meteor twists and mutates other life forms, transforming insects and animals into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.

Nations
There are four Mushroom Nations. Each of these Nations has its own unique body shapes, clothing and weapons. These nations can be simplified into two groups: the non-poison mushrooms Bolete and Morels (the Good Guys) and the poison mushrooms Amanitas and Lepiota (the Bad Guys).

Bolete Tribe
Boletes are dark brown and green. They are short and stout with primitive but powerful weapons. They are good melee fighters. As hunter/gatherers, they would prefer to live at peace with the land and their fellow Mushroom Men. They have a native/aboriginal-turned warrior theme. Pax, the main character of the Wii version, embodies the naïve view of the Boletes have of the world outside.

Morels
Morels are the intelligent elite of the Mushroom Men and look more sophisticated than the other nations. Their colouring tends be saturated and bright. Their weapons are technically advanced. They are controlled by logic and reason; though sometimes they let complexity get in the way of elegance.

Amanitas Empire
The Amanitas are extremely pale, almost white and are very thin and creepy looking. They tattoo rank insignia into their bright red caps as part of their military. Their war machine is extremely powerful. Their entire culture exists to support their dominating march across the face of the planet. Unlike the other Mushroom Men who piece together weapons and armour from discarded human refuse, the Amanitas manufacture their weapons and armour in advanced forges. Roman-style conquerors, they rule through force and fear.

The Lepiota Order
The Lepiota are a very pale greenish colour and tend to be a lot thicker in build and stature. Though they have poison spore powers, they mostly rely on their blunt melee weaponry and dark magic to enforce their aggressive push for dominance. Ruled by powerful necromancers, the Lepiota are extremely evil and vicious. Their religion focuses on old human technology. They build shrines in antique human hardware like old jukeboxes and mid-century automobiles (’57 Chevy and 70’s era VW Bus). . Their drive for dominance shows in all facets of their culture. Only the elite have free will while others are all mentally enslaved.

Other Species
In addition to the Mushroom Men, several other plants and animals have been affected similarly by the comet. While initially neutral and independent, they eventually team up with one side or the other.

Los Cactos Mutantes
Stubby little spine-covered saguaro men roam the wastes. Cactos focus and use their spines in a fashion similar to the Mushroom Men’s spores, launching aggressive ranged strikes and defensive barriers. By their very nature, Cactos automatically inflict damage when attacked, making enemies think twice before striking. They come in two varieties. Red, feral cacti are berserker beasts, incapable of reasonable communication or interaction. They operate in packs with a poorly-defined social structure. Green, intelligent cacti are the social equivalent of the Mushroom Men (and are therefore the ones who offer their allegiance to the Mushroom Men).

Kudzu
While they can operate as separate entities, Kudzu’s true strength lies in their ability to merge and spread, consuming all in their path. Only vaguely humanoid, individual Kudzu Men are thick masses of sentient vines capable of locomotion. Due to their hearty regeneration rate, they recover from virtually any attack if given a few moments and some fresh soil/water. Early on, the Kudzu Men are very few and scattered, barely surviving the constant attack of the voracious herbivores in their region. Once the hero eliminates the herbivore threat, the Kudzu Men ally themselves with the Bolete and begin to spread, grow and expand. By the start of the Spore War, the Kudzu have regrown for a future encounter.

Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars for Wii & Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi for DS will be available across North America & Europe from October 2008. For more information about Mushroom Men please visit www.gamecockmedia.com. For more information about Red Fly Studio please visit www.redflystudio.com.

Here’s some of the backstory for the "Mushroom Men" contest.

TITLE: Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi
PLATFORM: DS
DEVELOPER: Red Fly Studio
GENRE: Action Adventure
RELEASE DATE: October 2008

An ichorous green meteor plummets through the Earth’s atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life — mushrooms and cacti — acquire sentience while, the meteor twists and mutates other life forms, transforming insects and animals into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.

The story of Mushroom Men is told in Acts, each Act occurring in a completely unique environment. Each version of the game (DS and Wii) tells different portions of the history of the Mushroom Men universe. The DS and Wii versions are completely different stories from one-another. The DS version, Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi, is the first release and shows the development of the Mushroom nations, starting very early in Mushroom Men history. The early days of the Mushroom Men were simpler times as the Mushroom Men were just learning to walk, communicate and interact with their world. As the Mushroom Men learn how their world works, they take the player with them, developing their skills, abilities and histories up to the start of the Spore Wars.

Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi throws gamers into the action at the point when the different Mushroom nations form, with each claiming a different part of the world as their exclusive territory. The Bolete Tribe and the Morels live in isolation and thrive for a time in peace and quiet. The Amanitas Empire considers themselves superior to the Bolete and the Morels and remains segregated from the other nations until they build forces strong enough to conquer everyone. The Mushroom Men face many threats in this hostile new world. Their size makes them targets for all manner of creatures: spiders, beetles, hornets, and other creatures that threaten to destroy their villages. The Amanitas therefore build their forces by consuming the prosperity of other groups. Raging territorial attacks lead to the terrible Spore Wars. The mysteries of the Mushrooms’ origins fade completely into myth, a riddle that promises great knowledge and power to the one who can find its answer…

Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi tells the story of the birth of the Mushroom Men. It starts out with the simple tribe of Bolete learning to live off the land. They struggle against their environment for a time until the Amanitas Empire arrives. To their dismay, the Bolete learn that their fellow Mushroom Men aren’t any better than the hostile insects and other creatures that threaten them.

Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars for Wii & Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi for DS will be available across North America & Europe from October 2008. For more information about Mushroom Men please visit www.gamecockmedia.com. For more information about Red Fly Studio please visit www.redflystudio.com.

So you know how they say that no one ever makes money on a literary magazine? That may be true, but someone out there is going to get a Wii game console out of it.

Here’s the official announcement for a one-month writing contest that Space Squid is doing in collaboration with Gamecock Media, an Austin-based game company:

SPACE SQUID, in association with GamecockMedia.com and RevolutionSF.com, announces the Mushroom Men fiction contest, a free writing contest! First prize is a free Wii game console and a copy of the new Wii videogame Mushroom Men!

Other prizes include Les Claypool Mushroom Men rock posters, Mushroom Men baseball caps, trading cards with sweepstakes codes, Mushroom Men squeezy toys, and copies of Mushroom Men for the Wii and for the Nintendo DS. Runner-up stories will appear on the fiction page of RevolutionSF.com and in a special supplementary issue that will be seen by hundreds of people at gaming events like the Penny Arcade Expo.

The first-prize story will appear in the supplementary, RevolutionSF.com, Space Squid issue #6, and may appear as promotional material for the game elsewhere.

Contest Details:
-Deadline August 1st, 2008
-Write a story that incorporates the universe of the Mushroom Men console game, published by Gamecock Media. Entrants should read the game background information at SpaceSquid.com or MushroomMen.com before submitting their entries.
-Free writing contest entries should be between 500 and 1500 words.
-Submit entries to squishy@spacesquid.com as an attached RTF file. Please put "Free Writing Contest: YOUR STORY TITLE" in the subject line.

-Submissions will be judged according to a.) How well they adhere to the game universe, and b.) How much they rock.
-First prize is a free Wii game console, the Mushroom Men videogame, and publication in Space Squid.
-Runners up prizes TBA and publication in RevolutionSF.com.
-This is a free writing contest; multiple entries encouraged.

Additional information and updates at:
http://www.spacesquid.com/free_writing_contests.htm
http://www.revolutionsf.com/bb/weblog.php?w=5&category=Space%20Squid

Have you ever found out something really neat about something you already owned that you had never expected?

Well, I just discovered that the elephant nose fish that has been living in my aquarium for months has been talking this entire time (he’s called Mr. Chin because the "trunk" protuberance is actually below his mouth; sorry no good photos, he’s very darkly colored and he prefers to keep hidden under rocks).

Elephant nose fish use weakly electric charges to navigate and communicate in murky water. I had read that much in an aquarium book. What I had not known is that I could listen to these electric bursts.

The instructions (and some photos) are here, but they’re pretty simple. Put some wires in the water and hook them up to something that you can listen to.

I ended up buying an audio amp IC circuit at radio shack (they don’t stock piezo-electric earbuds anymore for some reason). I posted a youtube video of the device and you can hear the elephant nose’s clicks very clearly.

I’ll probably end up slapping this "fish amplifier" into a project enclosure that I can hang from the tank.

At this very moment I’m listening to my fish!

I moderated the steampunk panel at Apollocon. When Chris Roberson brought up the idea that any vision of the future from the past ought to qualify as steampunk, I brought up the counter-example of 50s-style futures. I mean sure, they’re anachronistic and all, but they’re hardly steampunk.

"So what’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow?" asked someone in the audience.

"That’s internal-combustion-engine punk," I replied. "Which will be just as anachronistic in a few years."

I’ve been putting some thought into it. With the imminent demise of gas-locomotion, it’s about time to think about the visions of a gasoline future that we’re going to be nostalgic about before the decade is through.

A Brief Combustion Punk Catalog:
Mad Max
Knightrider
Airwolf
Crash (both)
Deathrace2000
Iron Eagles (the entire series)
Blue Thunder
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
The Fast and the Furious
Anything with a talking motorcycle or motorcycles with weapons attached.

Here’s the combustion punk manifesto: WOOOHOOO!

On a secondary note, my co-worker Johnny Motard wondered why all sci-fi genres are appended "punk" and all music genres are appended with "core." So I propose that the next sci-fi genre be "((something)) core."

So I got some hot-tub time in this morning before checking out of the hotel, which was clearly the icing on a very pleasurable Apollocon weekend.

I really enjoyed hanging out and talking with old friends and all the extended members of this weird clan of ours. I could hardly go down a hall without finding someone I wanted to chat with. It was kind of like the dorms, but with more beer.

Here’s some photos I took while not bleerily nursing a coffee:

This is Patrice Sarath reading from her exciting new novel Gordath Wood.

Martha Wells reading from her new-yet-unpublished novel. Which makes those of us lucky enough to be at the reading specialer than you.

Just to drop a few more names and sweeten folks’ vanity googling I just want to say that I enjoyed the face time I got with Joe Picacio (as impressive a panelist as he is an artist), J. M. McDermott (author of Last Dragon), Maureen McHugh (yeah, you can hit me, I can take it), Kim Antell (who I got to meet in person), A.T. Campbell (a man among men), and Laurence Person (a rising star who we are all very proud of).

If I didn’t mention you it’s probably because we talked during one of my blackouts.

man, i’m even more of a slacker with the pictures today than i was yesterday.

this is pretty much all i took.

and it ain’t that great a picture.

after the con weekend is over, you should wander over to jayme blashke’s blog, because he’s been pretty sharp on the camera and interacting with people and such.

it’s been a pretty fun and laid back con in general. i made a point of sleeping in late, getting a slow start, and walking over to the jack in the box for breakfast around noon. then i hung out in the media room, watching star trek fan movies, and eventually wandered upstairs to the kaffeklatches for mikal trimm and the one for jessica reisman. yeah, it’s been a slacky day.

in fact, i’m slacking so much i can’t even bother with capitals.

anyhoo. when i wasn’t slacking, or hanging out at the bar with the cool kids, i actually moderated this panel on the steampunk subgenre and the cultural phenomenon that blossomed from it. i think everyone got their fair say in the matter, although chris roberson and lou anders probably had the lions share of commentary.

the important part is that i essentially blew out my stash of space squid. even though we had a 600+ copy run of #5, we’re down to just a handful. we have enough to stock dragons lair and then we’re through.

and then came the parties. at this point i’ve had more shiner than the spoetzl family dog. i’ll be lucky if i can find the submit button with both hands . . .