I did nothing this weekend, nothing at all. I should have, could have, done lots… clean the garage, mow the lawn, clean the house, etc. But I didn’t. Now it’s Sunday evening and I realize I’ve wasted my days off. How ashamed I am of my laziness.
I did do some “work” on Sunday, but not of the break-a-sweat variety. Sunday afternoon I spent a good deal of time working on plans for my Pac Man cabinet “upgrade.” That’s right, I’m breaking my own cardinal rule and messing with something that’s working fine in an effort to make it work “better.” I’ve always held that it’s a stupid thing to do, make something better when it’s not really bad to begin with – but I have a pretty hefty upgrade planned. I’m going to add a 3rd control panel, with two sets of controls, so that the cabinet can now play horizontal games. Since the original design is true to the old-school cocktail style cabinet, it’s limited to vertical-oriented games. Adding a 3rd panel along the long-side of the cabinet will allow two players to sit side-by-side and play games horizontally on the monitor. Upgrading the cab like this opens up the machine to thousands of new games… two-player side-scrollers, fighter-games, etc.
Must be “video game fever” time for me or something, since I’ve been working on the Pac Man machine and making plans for the future console emulation project I’m planning. The other day I ordered the dance-pads for the Dance Dance Revolution portion of the console emulator, got a good deal on Ebay for two pads. If someone had told me that one day I’d actually enjoy playing Dance Dance Revolution… some silly dance-on-a-pad game, I’d’ve probably laughed at them. That’s no nevermind though, because it’s gonna be part of the emulator now since I love it. Anyway, the console emulator machine will be the next project, and I estimate work starting early next year.
What’s with this Extreme Home Makeover show? If I remember right, back when my wife first starting watching it, it was kinda tolerable to me – showcasing the actual home-modification. I’d sometimes put down the computer to watch the builders frame a wall or run wires or knock down a room. Now, it seems like the focus has completely changed. Suddenly, they only fix homes for families with greater than 10 kids, a certain percentage of whom have to be either addicted to crack, autistic, or afflicted with some other horridly unfair childhood disease. Now it’s more like a Lifetime or Oxygen channel show, where everyone cries at the end because the makeover crew built a touching monument to the dead father or an elevator for the five year-old born without ankles.
Out of time, out of words; out.
Also written on this day...
- other its - 2018
- how i ended up shaving my head - 2010
While I was flying yesterday, I was browsing through the “Hemispheres” magazine that United provides for thier passengers, and you will never guess what I saw while perusing the section on thier radio stations. Snow Patrol. So I plug in my complimentary headphones attempting not the think of whether or not the previous user has head lice, and turned on the designated station. Sure enough, I hear the last verse of “How to be Dead”, currently my favorite of Snow Patrol’s offerings. And so I would like to say Thank You Dave, for sharing your “psychic taste in music”. I will now go download 90 Day Men, and Go! Team before its too late and they’re already on The OC.
P.S. – When’s the DDR tourny going to be, can I sign up now??
my 2nd psychic prediction: you will hate the 90 day men. in fact, skip ’em so you don’t laugh at me for liking them.
Sara – I will DDR your face off.
Dave – I strongly approve both the Pacman modification and the console emulator. Just tell Sharaun you built it with parts from work that don’t cost actual money.