Redneck Jellyfish!!!

The Modern Father: iPhone the Focus of Family Projects
A father’s father taught him to program when he was 10, and now he passes it on to his own kids.
Asheville North Carolina, June 10, 2011 – Model airplanes, trains and tree houses are the types of projects typically done with ‘dad’, but in a world full of iPhones and Xboxes, Keith Phillips knew what would excite his kids. Together they created an iPhone game.
On May 30, 2011, the Phillips’, Keith (Dad), Greyson (12) and Iva (11) released “Redneck Jellyfish” into Apple’s iTunes store. Gus Hickey is a jellyfish. His job is to build coral reefs. Simply tap the screen to make him swim and pick up coral seeds which he uses to grow more coral. Sounds simple, until he starts losing his tentacles to barnacles, crabs, sea urchins and other sea hazards!
“So many games today focus on destroying and tearing something down. With this game, I wanted to be sure the goal was ‘building’ something up”, says Keith. They can’t remember how it started with a jellyfish, but the coral idea came from Greyson, who had done some cool sketches with a Sharpy marker that looked like abstract coral.
It took about four months to develop the game. Each played a part in the development. In typical “dad” fashion, Keith wrote most of the code. He used Ansca mobile’s Corona SDK, which made development a breeze. The language was easy to learn and there is a wonderful online community to help solve problems and share code. Iva did the concept sketches for the main character, and Greyson is the voice of Gus. They all collaborated on ideas for over 60 levels.
Keith says, “We kept getting more and more ideas for the game, like eating plankton and shooting fart bubbles at the crabs. Iva was learning about undersea vents and fault zones so she wanted a Volcano World. Greyson came up with pepper plankton, that gives you a speed “power up” to help battle the current. Eventually I had to say ‘enough’! And so we wrapped it up and submitted it to app store”.
Keith’s dad, Fred Phillips, taught him to program when he was 10, almost 30 years ago. “We didn’t even have a computer yet. We would sit down for an hour after dinner, and I would write simple Basic programs in a spiral notebook. Dad would go through the logic and tell me where there were problems.” Eventually they bought one of the first home computers, a Timex Sinclair 1000, and started writing real programs. The difference in technology today and back then is staggering. The Timex Sinclair’s graphics had a resolution of 8 pixels per inch(ppi), and two colors – black and white. The iPhone 4 boasts 326 ppi and millions of colors.
The music for Redneck Jellyfish was provided by a family friend, Shane Hickey, aka Ukulele Guy, who composed it and played a banjo ukulele. “It was a perfect compliment and we felt it really put a shine on the game”. To compensate Shane for his contribution, we named the main character after his son.
The Phillips’s have some more ideas and plans to eventually enhance the game, but when asked if they wanted to work on it over the summer break, and they said “In the summer, we’d rather play outside.”
About the Phillips Family, aka MudStuffing Industries
Keith Phillips is a potter and artist working in Asheville, North Carolina, working under the business name MudStuffing Industries. Greyson and Iva Phillips attended Claxton Elementary School and next year will both be attending Cane Creek Middle School. Redneck Jellyfish is actually MudStuffing Industries’ second app in the app store. The first release,“SimpleList”, helps artists sell their handmade products on Etsy. For more information, visit http://www.mudstuffingindustries.com & http://khphillips.etsy.com
About Ukulele Guy
Shane Hickey is Ukulele Guy. About 6 years ago, his mother-in-law gave him an ukulele they had gotten on a visit to Hawaii. Being a guitar/bass player, he was instantly drawn to it. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it tuned correctly. Fortunately, this started him down a life-long obsession with all things ukulele-related. For more information, visit http://www.ukuleleguy.com
About Ansca Mobile
Ansca Mobile is enabling everyone to create mobile apps. Their Corona SDK is the world's most advanced development platform and is quickly becoming the industry-standard choice for games, e-books, and other interactive content. Whether you are an enthusiast or a professional, a small team or a big studio, a publisher or an agency, you can quickly and easily create great mobile experiences with Corona. http://www.anscamobile.com/
Contact:
Keith Phillips 21 Spring Lake Drive Fletcher, NC 28732 828-279-0572 keith@mudstuffing.com http://www.mudstuffingindustries.com
Resources:
Redneck Jellyfish YouTube Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUXNKzw81SQ
Redneck Jellyfish media assets: http://www.mudstuffingindustries.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=71

Jesus is my Friend

Indictment

(Lyrics from "Cans" by Tunng)
By Amy Phillips

young girl, swimming in the remains of a youth lost
seeing him standing there, drunk with sickness
nothing between you but his hunger and blindness
he will never be what he is believed to be
what he believes himself to be, even in your room at night
where he wrecks and ruins the girl inside
he is a leper in hiding and no one knows his truth
only you and you won't tell

If you find you feel you're falling through the floor just
Put your hand out in the dark and feel the bones inside you.

darkness finds you through the cracks in the floor
underneath another broken man
who leaves you with nothing but a belly full
kicked around by the scum of life, you've vanished
nothing left behind your eyes
losing every moment gained to self loathing and fear

If you find you feel you're falling through the floor just
Put your hand out in the dark and feel the bones inside you.

words flew from your mouth like bats from a cave
tears flooded the space between you and mother
you hammered at your self from the inside
your truth was released and couldn't be taken back
not even when the hurt was placed on a shelf
you sat, in black, watching people speak of him with love
as if his destruction had been erased by cancer
the smut in his lungs, the only hint of justice

If you find you feel you're falling through the floor just
Put your hand out in the dark and feel the bones inside you.

Life after Youth

by Amy Phillips

Once, toes gripped bark

fingers clung to branches,

the two wheels of my bike

rode hard over gravel

& guided me unharmed

past the rose bushes.

Once, day-old scabs

were opened & fresh blood

mingled with the blood

of a classmate, creating

a bond that lasted

all through recess.

Once, we smoked joints

at Union Dam with our

legs hanging over the side

of the tower, standing erect

50 feet out of the water until

we found the nerve to jump.

Once, I stood facing the earth

from 12 thousand feet above

the dirt before I dove into

free fall, the wind so strong

breathing became impossible

just before the parachute release.

Now, life is routine

& moves at breakneck slows,

the sound of the alarm

brings the reality of long days

of work & pay is sustenance

for electric bills.

Now, a car is an expense

rather than a thrilling new

freedom, & impractical road

trips on a whim are instead

planned & timed flawlessly

in order to fit a weekend.

Now, parents & grandparents

are constant reminders of our

own mortality, & steady

decline into cautious living

leaves little space for imaginative

displays of spontaneity.

Now, the thrills of childhood

have slowed to a crawl

the fully developed person

awakens from a thick fog

& becomes acquainted

with the world beyond her nose.

Accidents

by Amy Phillips

It's getting late
bladder brimming
these two lazy
eternally selfish
assholes don't budge
feeling desperate
squirming
if only, if only, if only
the phone would ring
loudly in their ears
the buzzer answers
I am saved

The spotted one stumbles
steps on me, curses
I will have my turn to defecate
just not before her
tremble all over
imagine the blades
of grass beneath me
so close
I can smell the piss
of the neighbor
through the door

life spent waiting
for food, for walk, for release
this is it
I can wait no more
the warmth trickles
spreads beneath my feet
my shame is pungent
on the linoleum
I slide back into bed
bury my head
wait
her wrath
just a flush away.

The Early Shift

by Amy Phillips

Morning is still black
my skinny legs dangle
from the plastic milk crate.

Eyes still crusted with sleep
my red hair lay in tangles
about my freckled face.

The stink of stale hot dogs
burnt coffee, mopping detergent,
and fresh sweat lingers in the air.

My beautiful sleepy mother
smelling of Jergens and cigarettes
stands on aching feet at the counter.

Men in dirty uniforms come
for the early morning cup and speak
too sweetly to my pretty young mother.

Through each coin exchange
men press her dainty work-worn hands
and she recoils from their oppressive touch.

With my thumb in my mouth
and California Skipper in my lap
I watch the yellow bus round the corner.

I move slowly from her
the stench of gasoline starts to fade
but her sad eyes behind the register remain.

My Dad is Cooler than your Dad!

Hi all,

I just wanted to share this delicious holiday greeting from my formerly republican father. Read the original email first then delight in my Dad's fantastical response!

To All My Democrat Friends

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wished.

To My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dad's Response:

To my Republican Friends,

And a Merry Christmas to all of you! After the first of the year, when you have finished paying homage to your alleged Christian principles, please continue on with the raping of the environment, the exploitation of your fellow human beings, bringing war and destruction to the farthest reaches of the planet, holding smugly to the idea of your own superiority, believing that your God is the only true God, and in believing that your imagined success is evidence enough of your moral righteousness. Continue to believe that you, as a good, white, scrubbed-behind-the-ears Republican are the final, perfect product of all creation. Do these things, as you always have, in the holy name of profit and exploitation, because now that you have dispensed with the sham, over-commercialized, consumer-obsessed Christmas holiday of your own creation for another year, you can get back to what all Republicans really worship...THE DOLLAR. The meaning of Christmas can be determined, using your usual standards, by how many of those you made.