Random update 10-17-13

On 10/17/2013 at 08:50 PM by Ranger1

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me since work ended for the winter. Just recovering from the FSGW (Folk Society of Greater Washington) Getaway takes about a week. It's less a folk festival and more of a retreat. We have workshops during the day that we can attend (or blow off and sing or jam), mini-concerts ongoing throughout the day, evening concerts Sat and Sun nights (think talent show, but with real talent) that people can sign up for, and all-night sessions in various buildings and around a campfire. The food is terrible, the bunks uncomfortable, and alcohol is forbidden, yet we manage to have a wonderful time anyway.

Supporting: My friend Haley brought this to my attention on Facebook: Retro Magazine. I jumped in with my $30 for a year's worth of print copies. If I'm going retro, might as well go all the way. Anyway, they've hit almost half their goal and it would be nice to see this succeed, so if you've got a few bucks to spare, it looks like something worthwhile to support.

Playing: Got to the last level of Ducktales and there I've halted. After falling off the damned ropes one too many times, I shut the thing off, losing all progress in that level. You'd think if they were going to remake the stupid game in HD, they could at least have figured out some way to save your progress from the last checkpoint instead of having to play the whole level over again. Grr. Also downloaded the most recent table for The Pinball Arcade - Terminator 2. It's a decent table that I'm planning on spending more time with. I'd like to buy a couple of games on XBLA, but with the demise of the points system, there is now no way to add money to your account online. Way to go, Microsoft. Guess I'll have to go somewhere and find a gift card. What a pain in the ass.

Watching: I'been watching really bad, not-so-scary horror movies on Netflix. I'll blog about them later. Also catching up on TV shows that are on channels I don't get, since I don't have cable and get CBS, NBC, and sometimes, when the wind is out of the right direction and Mercury is in retrograde and the moon is 1/3 full, I might get ABC in for about twelve seconds. And forget PBS, which is the one channel other than CBS that I really want. Oh, well. I still really like Revolution, but I see it going the old JJ Abrams "I don't know where to go from here" wackiness. Agents of SHIELD is my favorite new show this season, followed by the so-bad-it's-good Sleepy Hollow.

Reading: A Devil in the Details by KA Stewart. Fairly standard urban fantasy fare of the Dresden Files sort, pretty good so far, though. I'm only about a chapter in.

Listening: Couple of CDs I picked up at The Getaway. My friends Andrew and Carole's new CD, and one by a duo called Meridian. I'll probably add them to my next Folk Friday blog, which I'm hoping to get done in time to post tomorrow.

And happy birthday to my big bro, he's 47 today. Hope someone gets him something fun and game-related for his birthday.

ThatKidOverThere

10/17/2013 at 09:11 PM

Agents of Shield is meh in my opinion. I think that it takes itself a bit too seriously, which clashes with the somewhat less serious attitude of the cast. Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson is a ton of fun to watch though. Granted, I only watched the first episode so I'm sure it probably picks up.

Ranger1

10/18/2013 at 07:10 AM

Sidd, that is part of Joss Whedon's genius. Now go sit in the corner and think about what you said.

Halochief90

10/18/2013 at 01:10 AM

I would have totally jumped on Retro Magazine a year ago. I'm avoiding Kickstarter like the plague now. At least until Double Fine Adventure is finally released.

10/18/2013 at 07:13 AM

That's too bad, but I get it. I got burned by the comic book convention I helped fund. Never got my packet in the mail with my t-shirt, sticker, and other goodies. At least the con was a success, though.

KnightDriver

10/18/2013 at 01:57 AM

I heard about Retro Gamer on the Allgengamers podcast where they had Mike Kennedy on talking about GameGavel.com. He says "spread the word if you believe in print media". Unfortunately, I'm not sure I do anymore. It kinda sucks. The internet has really made it hard for freelance writers and good publications like this to make a buck.

I used to love my magazines up until only a few years ago and then one by one they got cancelled. Now I get all my info from podcasts and websites like this one. I wish I could get psyched for it, but I can't. A web site yes, but paper thingy in my mail box, no.

10/18/2013 at 07:14 AM

There's a digital version, too. As the A.I.s in Space: Above and Beyond would say: take a chance.

10/18/2013 at 03:38 PM

Yea, I might do that. Maybe rekindle my interest in magazines.

Cary Woodham

10/18/2013 at 03:23 AM

The first and last levels of the remastered DuckTales game are totally new, they weren't in the NES game. That last level can be tricky, but if I can do it, I KNOW you can do it, too! Luckily the levels are very short.

10/18/2013 at 07:17 AM

That does explain a lot. I will go back to it, it was fun up until after the part where I beat Magica to the dime and the lava started rising. I don't know if it's my controller or how the game controls, but I just could get the hang of jumping from rope to rope.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

10/18/2013 at 05:47 AM

alcohol is forbidden? that's interesting. I guess that makes sense. I bet you guys drink a lot of coffee.

Sounds like a lot of fun though.

10/18/2013 at 07:20 AM

Not our choice, lol. The FSGW rents a camp for the weekend, and it's the camp's rules. I think it's either a religious thing (the camp is owned by a Methodist church) or an insurance thing.

jgusw

10/18/2013 at 07:58 AM

I've been reading Retro Gamer for years. It's a great retro gaming mag. I would like to see Retro Magazine come out and see what they do different. The more video game mags out there the better. I may donate too.

I usually watch what my wife watches, so lately it's a lot of Breaking Bad and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which is strangely addicting).

10/18/2013 at 08:38 AM

I never could get into Breaking Bad - didn't like any of the characters, and my mom was abused by a meth addict in a former relationship. Buffy, on the other hand, is brilliant and I own all seven seasons on DVD. Did I mention I like Joss Whedon's shows?

10/20/2013 at 01:42 PM

I actually dislike almost every characters in Breaking Bad.

I like many of Joss Whedon's shows too. My favorite is Firefly.

10/20/2013 at 01:44 PM

Firefly may well be the best show ever made. FOX is made up of idiots and I may well never forgive them for its untimely death.

Chris Iozzi Staff Alumnus

10/18/2013 at 08:56 PM

cool cool cool. Thanks for supporting RETRO, I hope it gets off the ground.

I LOVED Breaking Bad, BUT, one thing I wish they did is have Walter White see exactly what meth does to people, how it transforms them into monsters. I can understand how someone effected by it would not enjoy the show.

I'm on the fence with SHEILD. I love Coulson, and just when I think I'm not going to like an episode something grabs me. I think some of the characters are too pretty to be the people they are. The hacker chick is a drop dead gorgeous model... that lives in a van? Nah. I can't wait to see *spoiler* what was done to Coulson. He had abilities for sure, he did that crazy back bend when the van door went flying at him, and that girl with the bionic eye saw something.

And Terminator 2 Pinball Arcade will happen in my house.

10/20/2013 at 01:46 PM

Chris, Agents of SHIELD is a show based on a comic book. Realism doesn't enter into it. That's one of the reasons I like it so much .

I have every table for The Pinball Arcade. Just a bit pinball-obsessed.

NSonic79

11/03/2013 at 03:28 PM

Still didn't get around to geting Ducktales. I found myself explaining myself to teh wife over my Halloween buying frenzy on PSN's sales of the dead.

Still trying to get into the new season of Revolution. AARON SHOULD BE DEAD!!!! NOT HAPPY!!!!

11/03/2013 at 04:27 PM

Yeah, I'm feeling like Revolution may be going the way Lost did. It's like JJ Abrams starts a series, and doesn't really think about where it's going and then they start making weird shit up as they go along. I'm still pissed about Nora getting killed, by the way.

11/03/2013 at 04:32 PM

same here about Nora. But I saw the subtle signs that she was getting the axe in the season finale. They needed an excuse to have Miles go into "god mode" and shoot down every Monroe solider that popped their head out during the hallway fight scene to the control room. Except for Neville WHO HE MISSED WHEN HE POKED HIS HEAD OUT OF THE HALLWAY?!?!?!?!?!

PixlBit

Random update 10-17-13

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