Editor’s Note, August 26, 2013: We were originally excited about the new Austin Aquarium and looking forward to its opening this year. But as news about the Covinos’ questionable business practices continues to come to light, we feel the need to protect our community and our reputation by officially stating that we do not endorse the Austin Aquarium. Since the publication of this article, the Texas Advanced Computer Center has suspended its partnership with the Austin Aquarium. Please stay informed as news continues to unfold, and we will do the same.

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This guest blog article is by Vince Covino.

In November 2013, kids of all ages will be able to experience Austin’s first hands-on, interactive aquarium. Several exhibits and thousands of species of animals, from sharks to pythons to kinkajous, will fill more than 22,000 square feet within the Austin Aquarium.

“We’re very excited to offer Austin this family-friendly attraction with many opportunities for hands-on and educational experiences with awe-inspiring species,” said Vince Covino, owner of the Austin Aquarium. [Read more…]

Like most hobbyist game designers, I was raised on games practically since birth. My first Super Nintendo sparked in me a passion for really good games and game companies, so I was elated when local game developer Minicore Studios invited me to talk about their games.

“It started out as an experiment, really,” said John Warren, CEO of Minicore Studios. “I wanted to see if it was possible to sustain a video game company that makes the kinds of games I like to play.”

[Read more…]

I don’t know when I was first exposed to comic books. Sometime in the early 80’s, I ended up with a box of mixed comics. I dog-eared issues of Conan, The Fantastic Four, Archie, The Uncanny X-Men, and who knows what else.

I can’t recall what happened to that box of comics. It disappeared along with my interest in comics until I was a sophomore in high school, when a buddy loaned me several X-Men related issues. This sparked a 10-year comic buying spree. Then I quit again.

Fast forward to 2010. My habit got another jump start, thanks to my good buddy Bryan, my fiancé’s son, and Austin Books and Comics.

 

[Read more…]

Some of the best memories I’ve made in my lifetime have been on the water. Though I’ve spent many years out on the open ocean, I’ve arguably enjoyed my time on lakes and rivers just as much, if not more.

Thinking back on my childhood, there are few memories that compare with catching my first fish with my dad on a lake in the Pacific Northwest, or the seemingly endless summers spent on an inflatable raft with friends, pretending we were explorers. [Read more…]

This guest blog post is by Kelly Love Johnson.

Let me start by saying that I’ve been a regular at Dirty Dog’s Mesa location for about three years now, beginning a few months after I moved to Austin in January of 2010.

My Pomeranian, Lulu, was just a year old and no longer small enough to bathe in the kitchen sink, so I had been torturing both of us with bend-over-the-tub baths and 45 minutes of blow drying (with my not-professional blow dryer).

There was also the issue of her toenails.

Her vet clipped them for me before I moved. My one attempt to trim them myself resulted in one of us bleeding (dog) and the other in tears (me). [Read more…]