Penguicon's Chaos Machine

This customizable marble roller coaster will be open all weekend for Penguicon attendees to tinker with. It serves as a metaphor for the open source development process. We used to have a giant room-sized version of the contraption, at great expense, but in 2008 Penguicon got one of its very own. Each year, we plan to purchase additional Chaos Toy kits until one day we will match the size of the one which, in the past, was shipped in boxes to Penguicon from across the country. This popular attraction will live right here in Michigan and be available for your use every year!

OpenSoda

Speaking of metaphors that help to explain how the free and open source development model works: Penguicon's former Guest of Honor Cory Doctorow and Nifty Guest Karl Schroeder used to be involved with a company named OpenCola. In addition to creating open source software, they sold a soft drink with a public recipe that anyone could use or modify to brew up the black waters of corporate imperialism in their own kitchen.

Well, we did just that. We made a Penguicon build of the OpenCola recipe and served it in our hospitality suite. Never fear, the bathtub was still full of ice and complimentary cans of Coke and Pepsi for all Penguicon attendees. But thanks to the expertise and craftsmanship of our food chemistry team, there was just as much demand for Open Cola as name-brand cola. In subsequent years we expanded to original non-cola flavors and became the OpenSoda project. We now partner with other cola brewing clubs in England and Switzerland to exchange information.

This year the OpenSoda project is expanding to reverse-engineer more sodas and develop new flavors, including:

• Open Dew
• Open Up
• Ginger Ale with real ginger
• Butterbeer
• Eric S. Raymond's request for cranberry soda, (now with less sweet and more tart)

Computer Lounge

Feel free to drop on by to check your mail, browse the web, and perhaps find out a little bit more about open source software. You can also check out some technology demos that help show off the real power of Linux.

Artist Alley

Are you attending Penguicon and are artistic? Do you have something you created that you'd like to offer to the Penguicon attending audience? Use our Artist Alley! Table rate is $5 per half table. For questions or to reserve your space, please use our contact form.

24 Hour Fitness Area, Pool, and Hot Tub

Enjoy our 24-hour access to the fitness area and all amenities that go with it, including the pool and hot tub. From Friday at 3pm until Sunday at 5pm, we have complete access to the newly remodeled area!

Ice Cream Made With Liquid Nitrogen

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream is a Food Track event that takes place many times over the weekend in the hospitality suite. Homemade ice cream is instantly created, in a variety of custom flavors, by adding liquid nitrogen to the recipe at negative 320 degrees Farenheit. The nitrogen boils off and goes out the window, leaving behind the other ingredients frozen into a smooth, creamy dairy dessert. It is truly a spectacle to behold! And the range of strange and imaginative flavors that work with this process is much wider than with normal ice cream. Bring your own crazy combo of flavor ingredients and challenge us! This year we are asking our Guests and Nifties to each design an ice cream flavor named after them. See demos on our video page.

Drag Show

The amazing world of Drag King and Drag Queens! Ever wonder how they pull it off? Whether you're a first timer, a seasoned regular, or just curious - come join us at the Drag 101 workshop and find out! For those interested - you'll get a chance to strut your stuff on the runway at our very own Drag Show. Any money that is raised by the drag show will be donated to a charity that is still to be determined.

Donations of all sizes of mens and women's clothing for costumes are being accepted. If you have any questions or are willing to lend your expertise to our workshop, please don't hesitate to contact us at DragShow @ Penguicon.

Writing Workshop

It's Back the Writing Workshop has returned. This years program is being lead by Cat Rambo, who's short stories have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction. Please sign up at OPS.

• Workshop is limited to 15 people.
• Registrants should come prepared with a hard copy of their submission. Details for hard copy include: First 250 words of the piece, with a note indicating what genre the overall piece will be in.

Morton's Miraculous Random Reality Machine

(brought to you by Morton's List and a grant by the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association.) This is a capsule toy vending machine that dispenses destiny. Your random adventure, designed by the creators of Morton's List, will send you off into the convention to have strange experiences you wouldn't have otherwise, with people and things you may have overlooked.