Name that Game

We are going back in time, again, to a time when games were fun and new. I love this game. I played all night last night. It's like contra from a different perspective. There's a twist, though. You need to get keys to open boxes that are scattered about the battle feild to upgrade your weapon. When you get all six parts to your weapon it becomes massively destructive.

But, what is this super title? And, what is the developer and the year it was made?I believe it was popular in it's day. Will this one prove to be too easy?

If you loved the Goatse link....

...you'll love this.

I have linked to the greatest game of basket ball ever.
If you are a sports fan, then grab a hold of that mouse and click away!
I would like to post scores of this game so please post a comment of your high score!

So far, my high scores are:

round one - 22 grapes
round two - 10 grapes
round three - 3 grapes

That's as far as I have been able to get.
So, if anyone is harcore enough, I'd like to see some higer scores.

Baseballfury, this one is for you.

We are advancing a few years here in videogame history. This game was a treasured gem amongst many when it came out. It was produced by ex Konami programmers who's brand would later become synonymous with quality and innovation. What is the company and the title of this game?

Keepin' it real.
from the private archives of pidibi

I never shared this with you guys. A friend of mine got me Bill Clinton's autograph for my birthday last year. He was working at his house either crating some art work or delivering art. I don't remember which. ButBill was there hanging around the house and he asked for an autograph for himself(his b-day is the same as mine) and one for me. He also got a picture with the former president. It was very cool.

Old Skool Wonder

They just don't make TV shows like this anymore.

Back from the Wilds of South Tampa ...

Phil took this picture at Gasparilla ... it's an almost perfect portrait of Ms. Cazh, except you can't actually see her winning smile. Welcome Ms. Cazh!!!

And welcome to you, too, baseballfury!! Sorry, I don't have a barely picture of you but I'm pretty sure most of the folks here have met you face to face. [But don't be surprised if you find your ugly (not really) mug up here at some point ;-)]

Sorry I've been off so long, got sucked into my Urban Exploring, went a little cuckoo and questioned my existence and what I was doing for the rest of my life, got over it and here I am! Yay for me!

Congratulations to the new instrument owners, I'm envious and want my own bass now. So does Phil. So, I guess after the camera, laptop, stereo, dvd player and haircut, we'll be getting a bass. On the same note, does anyone have any suggestions about a laptop I SHOULDN'T buy?

From the Goddess Files

Dig it Brothers and Sisters.
from the private archives of pidibi

Old Skool Sunday- Wooo-Hoo.
from the private archives of pidibi

Old School Sunday!!!!!!!!!

My New Babies Part 1

Cracklin_rosey woke up this morning (ok, afternoon) with an itch to spend her birthday cash. After a lunch with her friend Laurie, Ms. Rosey paid a visit to Sam Ash, where she allowed the sales boys to fawn over her as she looked at bass guitars.

Upon returning home, she was eager to head back out with Big Bro Joe in tow to finalize her purchase. I was all about it, as Rosey seems really interested in playing the bass, and I think everyone should play a musical instrument (you hear me Gravity Boy?). We got to Sam Ash around 6:30 p.m., and by 6:45 Rosey had one of the sales boys performing a little concert just for her. The guy was good (later found out it he's the lead singer/guitarist for indie Tampa band The Beauvilles, a band Scott Harrell just wrote a cover story about for the Planet!) and Rosey seemed in good hands.

My mind had begun to wander, though. Up on the wall was a reasonably-priced orange Ibanez semi-hallow-bodied guitar. I asked Rosey's little helper (Shawn) about the guitar and he said that while that one was on lay away, he just got in a new sunburst model that was the same price. It waa still in the back. Did I want to take a look.

So, I looked, and long story short:



It's my new baby! The thing sounds great. Through my other new baby (see below) I can get a sweet Jazz tone (finally), a crisp blues sound, a biting rock tone, AND the end of the world metal yell we all know and love so much! I am super excited.

Mr. Mescalito's blue Strat has been my ax of choice for over two years now. I will truly miss that guitar, a fine instrument and a credit to the Fender company and to Mescalito's a) taste, b)ability to find a great sale, and c) generosity in letting me borrow it. Still, it was time for the upgrade.

Oh, and I even bargained with the guy and everything! It's all just a show, and he gave me the standard discounts, but it amounted to hundreds of dollars, and if I had not of said anything he gladly would have charged me those hundreds of dollars. It was a truly satisfying shopping experience -- and I almost never say that.

In the end, both me and cracklin_rosey walked out with new instruments. She picked up a cool purple Ibanez bass (it plays really well) and the cutest little bass amp you've ever seen!

Rock on!

My New Babies Part 2

The Line 6 Spider 2 digital modeling amp. 75 watts out of a 12" Celestion speaker. It can sound like 12 different amps. The Marshall stack sound is amazing. I couldn't believe what it sounded like when I first heard it.

Ok, so Mr. Baseballfury thinks he knows it all. Well, what then is this game? anyone who guesses correctly gets a special prize for winning. Not saying what. Just saying.

Fresh Meat

This week saw the addition of two posting members to Dimensional Shift:

First up, fans of the comments section must already be familiar with baseballfury. 'Fury issues his dispatches from the Rocky-Mountain-high locale of Denver, Co. An excellent photographer (his collections on Ireland, and on an overweight Mescalito wandering through Vegas, should not be missed), and a recovering Phish fan, 'Fury dreams of one day having a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at the foot of his bed. Oh, and at his film school graduation, he started his little speech (all the grads gave speeches) by going back half-a-million years and thanking the first man. You gotta love that!

Also new to these parts, Ms.Cazh honors us with her presence. A Seattle native and relatively new arrival to the Tampa Bay area, Ms.Cazh holds the distinction of being the first person invited to this blog who actually managed to join on the first invite. Way to go! While not pondering what her first post to Dimensional Shift will be (perhaps a picture of your humble moderator?), Ms.Cazh runs a blog of her own, interns at the prestigious Poynter Institute, writes a for a scatological newsletter entitled The S.R.B.R. (which may or may not exist), and generally enjoys throwing things at and/or hitting Max Linsky.

Welcome to Dimensional Shift guys. We're glad to have you!

Name that Game

This is a classic. And as such, everyone should know it's name. But, who will beat everyone else to the punch? Who will be the lucky winner of an NES ROM from my collection of ROMS? Who?!!!

Let us not waste any time! Hurry and take a shot, my friends. And a treat you will get.

Make sure you have on hand a NES emulator to run it on. And, you can email me your email address by clicing on my profile and clicking "email". I will then send the Rom to you.

Have fun, and Game on!

A new idea... And a Snow Story

I have just decided to e-mail the person who wins the next Name that Game Contest a rom of my choosing - from my vast collection. If you don't have an emulator, I can point you in the right direction. Anyway, That's it for the new idea. What do you think?

On another note:
Two nights ago I got sprayed with snow, salt, road grime, and who knows what else, when a fuckin' snow plow drove by me with his plow pointed in my direction. I had no where to go - I was walking over the Pulaski bridge heading into LIC(where the other Joe Bardi lives). I was going to my studio. Well, here's the story in full:

Walking along the walk way(it was snowing and cold), I noticed the B61 passing by. I thought,"I wish I would have caught that bus, then it would only take a few minutes to get to my studio". Then, it happened. I turned, saw the plow - took a couple of seconds to process the situation and realized there was no way out, and BAM! I got hit with road slush. And it got in my mouth, too! I spit it out and cursed the fucking driver and quickly turned around and yelled furiously while raising my hands in the air shooting the bird on both hands. I stopped, then looked at myself and decided he must pay. Noticing that he had stopped a ways down at the end of the bridge I proceeded to run towards him all the while yelling,"I am going to kill you! Dog Fucking, cock suckin', ass lovin', shit face!!!!!!!"

Well, as I got within a few feet of the truck he began to move. The truck was soon out of my range and I was out of breath and still really pissed. My mouth tasted like salt and dirt and I smelled like ammonia or something like that. I decided to go to the DOT(department of transportation) which is housed under the very bridge I got sprayed on. I went inside and complained. It turns out I was not sprayed by a DOT driver but a Sanitaion driver. Which means no recourse. And, I had no truck number. So, defeated and smelly, I continued the trek I began in the first place - to go to my studio and make some art. I got there without being assaulted by another snow plow. Too bad, though. I really wanted to kick some ass.

This Thumb's for You, Baseballfury!

Upon hearing of the victory that Baseballfury achieved over the throngs of evil doers in guessing the correct name in the Name That Game contest(a brilliant concept, I might add), our president held his thumb high with great enthusiasims and told of a better tommorow when more of the world thought and had a pure heart like Baseballfury.

Name that Game

Ok. So, this is an easy one. Let's see how many of you get it. Thumbs up from the President of the United States to the Patriot who manages to NAME THAT GAME!!!!!

A thumbs up to a job well done + Cheat code link

I am away from my computer, so no pic. of me giving a thumbs up.
Maybe later.

Anyway, Here's to mcgibfried for winning the Name that Game game. There will be more, so don't fret. Everyone will get a chance to be the next THUMBS UP CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and here is a link to some cheat codes for Abadox for the NES.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I took the liberty of bolding my favorites.

Born Today!

1635 - Walraad, the Elder, Dutch fieldmarshall/earl of Nassau-Usingen
1643 - Ahmed II, 21st sultan of Turkey (1691-95)
1680 - Philipp Hyacinth Lobkowitz, composer
1707 - Carlo Goldoni, Italy, lawyer/playwright (Belisario, Love of 3 Oranges)
1725 - Armand-Louis Couperin, Paris France, organist/composer (Notre Dame)
1725 - Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet (Geistliche Kantaten)
1727 - Armand-Louis Couperin, composer
1731 - Simon Stijl, Frisian physician/writer
1732 - Robert Hudson, composer
1735 - Ernst William Wolf, composer
1778 - Jos‚ Francisco de San Mart¡n, liberated Argentina, Chile and Per£
1788 - Mateo Ferrer, composer
1794 - Gerrit Schimmelpenninck, Dutch earl of Nijenhuis/Peckedam
1807 - George Alfred Trenholm, Secy Treas (Confederacy), died in 1876
1808 - James Bowen, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1886
1809 - George Washington Cullom, Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1892
1811 - Carl Schuberth, composer
1814 - Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian national poet/painter (3/9 NS) [OS]
1815 - Robert Hall Chilton, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1879
1832 - Theodorus J I Arnold, bibliographer (Bibliotheca Belgian)
1833 - Clement Anselm Evans, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1911
1833 - Julie Verstraete-Lacquet, Flemish actress
1840 - Alexis Hollander, composer
1840 - Otto Liebmann, German philosopher (Climax of Theories)
1841 - Pierre Auguste Renoir, Limoges France, Impressionist painter/sculptor
1842 - Karl May, German writer (Old Shatterhand/Winnetou)
1847 - John Watson, Canada, philosopher (Objective Idealism)
1860 - Menso Kamerlingh Onnes, painter/water colors painter
1860 - William James Ashley, English economic-historian
1866 - Benedetto Croce, Italy, humanist/historian/editor/philosopher
1868 - Anthony J Block, Dutch lawyer (strafproces)
1871 - Oliver Samuel Campbell, tennis champ (US Open-1890)
1873 - Enrico Caruso, Naples Italy, operatic tenor (Faust)
1879 - Otakar Ostrcil, composer
1881 - William Foster, Mass, Communist Pres candidate (1924,28,32)
1882 - Bruno? Traven, German? writer (Sierra Madre)
1882 - Jozef Goossenaerts, Flemish philologist (Language boundary)
1882 - Ludvig Nordstr”m, Sweden, writer (Story of Peter Svensk)
1887 - Leonard Carey, England, actor (Laughter)
1888 - John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State (1953-59)
1890 - Myra Hess, London England, concert pianist
1898 - William Thomas Astbury, English physicist/chemist (textiles)
1899 - Leo J Weisgerber, German linguist
1901 - Federico Ghisi, composer
1901 - [Herbert] Zeppo Marx, NYC, comedian/actor (Marx Brothers)
1902 - Max Kommerell, German literary/author (Die Gefangenen)
1902 - Oscar Cullmann, Swiss theologist (Das Petrusproblem)
1904 - Adelle Davis, author (Lets Stay Healthy)/nutritionist (died of cancer)
1906 - Boris Papandopulo, composer
1906 - Domingo Ortega, Spanish bullfighter
1906 - Howard Zahniser, Father of Wilderness Act
1906 - Warren Hymer, NYC, actor (Girl From Havana, Meet the Mob)
1908 - Frank G Slaughter, author (Sangaree)
1909 - Edgar Pangborn, US, sci-fi author (Judgment of Eve, Davy)
1909 - John Evan "Jasper" Weston Mather, writer
1910 - Millicent Fenwick, NYC, (Rep-R-NJ 1975-82) (Doonesbury)
1913 - Gert Froebe, Saxony Germany, actor (Goldfinger)
1913 - Jim Backus, Cleve, actor (Mr Magoo, Thurston Howell III-Gilligan Is)
1914 - John Arlott, cricketer (the doyen of cricket commentators and writers)
1916 - Ian Wallace, British CEO
1916 - Ralph Baldwin, harness driver (set 11 major world records)
1917 - Alex Gordon, architect
1917 - Anthony Burgess, essayist/novelist (Clockwork Orange)
1917 - Asta E R Elstak, Suriname/Dutch social worker
1918 - Henry Norwood Ewell, Harrisburg Pa, 4x100m runner (Olympic-gold-1948)
1918 - Robert Lorimer "Bobby" Riggs, US tennis star (US Open 1939, 41)
1919 - F de Jong Edz, Dutch historian
1919 - Monty Irvin, baseball hall of famer (NY Giants)
1920 - Antony Duff, diplomat
1920 - Hayes Gordon, Boston MA, actor (Sky Pirates, Dark Room)
1922 - Matti Rautio, composer
1923 - Roger Parker, Lord Justice of Appeal
1924 - Peg Ridge, peace campaigner
1925 - Bert Remsen, Glen Cove NY, actor (Mario-It's a Living)
1926 - Harvey McGregor, QC/warden (New College-Oxford)
1927 - Dick Jones, Snyder Tx, actor (Buffalo Bill Jr)
1927 - Jacques Monod, composer
1927 - Jane Nigh, Hollywood Calif, actress (Lorelei-Big Town)
1927 - Ralph Stanley, country singer
1928 - Keith Williamson, British RAF marshal
1928 - Larry Gelbart, writer/producer/actor (Oh God!, M*A*S*H)
1928 - Richard Stern, US writer
1929 - Tommy Newsom, Va, musician/bandleader/saxophonist (Tonight Show)
1930 - Erica Pedretti, writer
1931 - Edward Kellett-Bowman, British MEP
1931 - J R Stephenson, Lt-col/secretary (MCC)
1932 - Faron Young, country singer/actor (Hidden Guns, Daniel Boone)
1932 - Laurence New, Major-General
1932 - Martin William Karlins, composer
1934 - Lord Crickhowell
1934 - Michael Wheeler-Booth, Clerk of the Parliaments
1934 - Robert Neame, brewer
1936 - Jonnie Nicely, playmate (Aug, 1956)
1936 - Norman Orville Scribner, composer
1937 - Basia Johnson, maid (inherited Johnson and Johnson fortune)
1937 - Bob Schieffer, Austin Tx, newscaster (CBS Weekend News)
1937 - Tom Courtenay, England, actor (Dresser, Dr Zhivago, To Catch a Spy)
1940 - George Paul, CEO (Norwich Union Insurance Group)
1940 - Hector MacKenzie, trade unionist
1940 - Jes£s Lopez-Cobos, Toro Spain, conductor (Intl Conductor Competition)
1940 - Jud Taylor, actor (Dr Gerson-Dr Kildare)
1941 - David Puttnam, London, film producer/CEO (Columbia Pictures)
1941 - Ramon Pagayon Santos, composer
1941 - Stewart Sutherland, Principal/Vice-Chancellor (Edinburgh University)
1941 - Susan Browning, Baldwin NY, actress (Pat-Mary Hartman)
1943 - George Harrison, rocker (Beatle/Travelling Willberries-My Sweet Lord)
1943 - Maryann Amacher, composer
1943 - Sally Jessy Raphael, TV talk show host (Sally) [or May 25](editors note...huh?)
1944 - Karen Grassle, Berkeley Ca, actress (Caroline-Little House on Prairie)
1944 - Kristina Holland, Fayetteville NC, (Tina-Courtship of Eddie's Father)
1945 - Elkie Brooks, Manchester England, rocker (Pearl's a Singer)
1945 - Shivadhar Srinivasa Naipaul, Trinidad, novelist, essayist (Fireflies)
1946 - F Xaver Kroetz, writer
1950 - Anthony Lloyd, British MP
1950 - Emitt Rhodes, musician (Merry-go-Round)
1950 - Neil Jordan, director (Crying Game)
1950 - Rick Flair, [Richard Fliehr], wrestling champ (NWA/WWF/WCW/AWA)
1952 - James A Barcia, (Rep-D-Michigan)
1953 - Garrett Glaser, entertainment correspondent (Entertainment Tonight)
1954 - Steve Rixon, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (1977-85)
1955 - Leann Hunley, actress (Dane Carrington-Dynasty, Dawson's Creek)
1956 - Davie Cooper, soccer star
1957 - Jane Ackroyd, British sculptor
1957 - Stuart "Woody" Wood, Scot, guitarist (Bay City Rollers-Saturday Night)
1958 - Kurt Rambis, NBA forward (Lakers, Hornets)/Clark Kent look-a-like
1959 - Mike Peters, rocker (Alarm-In the Summertime)
1960 - Glen Bishop, cricketer (S Aussie bat, 2 ODI's for Australia 1987)
1962 - Birgit Fischer, German DR, 500m kayaker (Olympic-gold-1980)
1962 - Cammy Ciarelli, Iowa City, WPVA volleyballer (Best of Beach-2nd-1995)
1962 - Foster Emerson Sylvers, rocker
1963 - Alison Roberts, fashion designer
1963 - Paul O'Neill, Columbus OH, right fielder (Cin Reds, NY Yankees)
1964 - Steve Nevius, film editor (Eden, Fall Time, Damascus)
1965 - Carrot Top, [Scott Thompson], Fla, comedian (Amer Comedy Award-1994)
1965 - Veronica Webb, supermodel/actress (Jungle Fever, Malcolm X)
1966 - Don Anurasiri, cricketer (Sri Lankan slow left-armer)
1966 - Samantha Phillips, Ft Meade MD, Penthouse Pet
1966 - Stacey Cortez, actress (Sheila Cantillan-General Hospital)
1966 - Tea Leoni, NYC, actress (Flying Blind, Naked Truth)
1967 - Jenny Byrne, Perth Australia, tennis star (1984 Futures-Wyong-AUS)
1971 - Jennifer LaVoie, Nashua NH, playmate (Aug, 1993)
1971 - Nova Peris, Darwin Australia, field hockey left halfback (Olympics-96)
1971 - Sean Astin, LA Calif, actor (Goonies, Toy Soldiers)
1976 - Chris Pitman, rocker (Zaum, Tool)
1976 - Samaki Walker, NBA forward (Dallas Mavericks)
1982 - Cracklin_Rosey
1992 - Libby [Elizabeth] Callahan, Columbia SC, sport pistol (Olympics-96)


from the private archives of pidibi

What game could this be? The person with the best guess gets a thumbs up from me.

High school Memories

You all may remember the afternoon cartoon called Cops. It was a show that I and Lopez used to make fun of on a daily basis at school many years ago. It was one of my many great memories of High school, along with being pelted with cups of sand by the seniors at lunch time and the stories of the Great Father Kack(sp?) and his way with the teen actresses - teaching them invaluable acting lessons. I still remember the famous Kack Joke:

What do Academy girls and tampons have in common? They're both stuck up cunts.

The man was a genius and a priest who was abusing his position to grope and kiss the school girls in his drama class. I am remembering this right. Right Joe?
And then there was Mr. Mullryan. Accusations were brought fourth years later when he became principal that he molested young boys at school. They eventually got him to resign. When I went to school at Jesuit he was my English teacher. He would say silly shit like,"shut it or I'll drop kick ya!". He had a Boston accent.
He was exotic. I guess that's what drew those southern boys in.

Oh, and Peloquin is apparently still teaching there. "You have twooooo checks, Mr. Collings!"

And lastly, who could forget the daily destruction of the lunch tables and the character "festering pussy" I drew on them?

Anyway, back to COPS. The web site I found dedicated to it has a few episodes for download on it. So, If you don't know what I am talking about, just go there and check it out.

Memories. Life. It all sucks. But, it definitely looks better in the rear view mirror.

Train Heads #17

Train Heads #16

RIP HUNTER

"I have spent half my life trying to get away from journalism, but I am still mired in it - a low trade and a habit worse than heroin, a strange seedy world full of misfits and drunkards and failures." -Hunter S. Thompson

Extremely saddened. That was how I felt when I found out that Hunter S. Thompson had died. I really liked him, never met him, and barely read him. Well, I try to read him every chance I get. Anything in Rolling Stone I devour. In fact, I usually only buy Rolling Stone if there is an article by our man. I must be honest and say I never read his sports page stuff, but that’s a story for another time.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. "
-HST

Without Hunter there would be no us. Anyone reading this blog has in some way been affected by the way Thompson effected journalism. Thompson made me realize that you could search out the surreal in every situation, which is what gets me out of bed some days.

"So much for Objective Journalism. Don’t bother to look for it here—not under any byline of mine; or anyone else I can think of. With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms." -HST

Such as yesterday, when I awoke to find out that he had put an end to his life. I was disturbed. More than I thought I would be, it stuck with me all day. First in the amount of people I had to explain Hunter S. Thompson to. I would expect that in this day and age of information, most would be aware of some, but surprisingly (or not so) most are aware of nothing. So after a day of explaining who he was, I came home to do a little research, and make sure I had all my facts straight throughout the day. And what do I find,
but that Hunter and myself shared a birthday. July 18.

What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped to create ... a generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old-mystic fallacy of the Acid Culture: the desperate assumption that somebody - or at least some force - is tending that Light at the end of the tunnel."
-HST

What any of it means, I hadn’t a clue. I felt something should be mentioned of the man behind “Gonzo Journalism” on our own little dimensional shift. I think Hunter would be proud.

I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me. -HST

To his memory I say...I shall smoke or ingest you in some way.

Another possible silylily sighting

train heads #15 (mini)

Accidentally had the phonamera setting on 166 x 126 instead of 326 x 246.

Super Cheat Code Time!!!!!!

Do you find yourself trying to remember the cheat codes you knew for Mega Man 3 years ago? Do you find yourself longing for that extra inch? Well, I can help with the Codes. You're shit out of luck with the other thing. Anyway, Here is the scan(from the January 1991 issue of EGM - with G.I.Joe on the cover) I promised this morning. I am not going to post all of the cheat codes at once because I want to leave some for later installments. I hope these prove useful to some, and that they at least bring back some memories for many.

One more note: I have placed a link to a web site called Romnation.com on the right under the Weather.com link below. This is a great site for finding roms to cartridges you used to have but have since lost or that no longer work. It is the most extensive site I have found on the internet for Roms. Most other sites just refer you to other 'link' sites and they usually lead you around in a circle until you want to kill! So, spare yourself some frustration and just go here. The only thing you won't find here are Mario roms and some other key Nintendo franchise roms. They have had their hands smacked a while back by the Big N. There are places to find those Mario roms, but you'll have to search for them. It's not that hard. But, this site does have almost everything else. Ninja Gaiden, anyone? 1, 2 or 3? Contra? Yes. MegaMan? Indeed! What about the Castlevania series? You bet!!!

A Classic Combo

Do you remember this classic combo? SEGA and IBM. Hard to believe that these two companies were going to try and come out with this wierd half breed machine that would be somehow compatible with the SEGA CD. One more thing: I LOVE the concept picture of the sega cd.

The Name of the game was The Adventures of Dino Riki. Who would have guessed that? Anyway, look for scans of old cheat codes from various gaming magazines from up to 10 years ago. So, all of those old nintendo games' codes you forgot will all be revealed again. I also plan on revealing "NEW" upcomming systems from Sega and Nintendo. By "new" I mean old things that never happened, but that sounded cool.

The Great Fall

all of the information
that was inside of me
suddenly and unexpectedly
came back out.

it all happened
in a single moment,
a flash,
a micro-flash even.

And then
it hit the pavement
with a splat that sounded like it looks
but only worse
if you can imagine that...

Stark Naked Reality!

It was all there,
on the ground,
Names, dates, states, capitals...
scattered like scrabble tiles
lost under the couch

And somehow yet
I still retained about me,
a certain sense ...
that lead me to frown.

At first there was only static white noise computer hard drives spinning fast,
and it was all I could to do to block that noise from my mind and retain a single thought.

And that thought was
that I thought that I thought that I was
for I was what I thought.

Again.
And Again.

Spin cycle over.

When is it over?
Ever changing forever?
And Ever.

Like the final line that just keeps
coming
and coming.

Name That Game

Well, apparently no one could even dare to guess what the last game was. It was Chubby Cherub. I gave you guys the answer in the comments section. So, we will try another game. This one, too, is one I had never seen nor played before - like Chubby Cherub. But, I think the games visuals give more clues as to what it might be called. This game is fun, too. A bit hard as well. It is a top down shooter where you play a prehistoric boy that has the ability to fire balls of fire from his hands(maybe?). And you basically blow dinosaurs up as you scroll forward. It's a straight forward game with not so bad graphics that I find amusing to play. So, what is it called?

Check your local weather!

Now, on Dimensional shift you can check what the weather will be like just by typing in your area code or city in the Weather.com bar just beneath the Archived posts to the right. Scroll down and see what's cookin' in your area today!

Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service

...CAMDEN NJ-CECIL MD-DELAWARE PA-GLOUCESTER NJ-KENT MD-NEW CASTLE DE- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON NJ-OCEAN NJ-PHILADELPHIA PA-SALEM NJ- SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... CAMDEN... NEWARK... PHILADELPHIA AND WILMINGTON 527 AM EST SUN FEB 20 2005

... WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THE WARNING INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES.

IN NEW JERSEY, SALEM, GLOUCESTER, CAMDEN, BURLINGTON AND INLAND OCEAN COUNTY.

IN PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA AND DELAWARE COUNTY.

IN DELAWARE, NEW CASTLE COUNTY.

IN NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND, CECIL AND KENT COUNTY.

SNOW WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST THIS EVENING. THE SNOW IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY DAYBREAK.

THE SNOW SHOULD BEGIN TO MIX WITH, THEN CHANGE TO RAIN AROUND DAYBREAK.

TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY BECOME LESS THAN IDEAL THIS EVENING AND THEY SHOULD REMAIN DIFFICULT THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY MORNING.

THE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT IS EXPECTED TO BRING THE SNOW AND RAIN WAS CENTERED OVER KANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. IT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE EAST AND IT SHOULD PASS NEAR OUR REGION ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.

Gary gets around!

I don't know why this is such a small pic, but I'm sure you'll still be able to make out the key players.

Old Skool Sunday Begins!

Hot stuff

Hillary sent me this pic, along with a few saucy ones.
It's true, she's got it bad for Gravity Boy.
I might have to break it off, though.
She's gettting a little serious.

Name That Game

It's 'Name That Game' time again. Which one among us can come up with the title to this fantasmic game? I think this one may be a little too obscure, but let's try it anyway. I'll give a clue. The title has in it the word to describe this: a usually winged child in painting and sculpture b : an innocent-looking usually chubby and rosy person

Settings Vote

There is an option in the settings to make comments appear via popup rather than changing the webpage in the brower. Currently we do not have this option enabled. Click on the picture below to read more about it. Then comment back as to whether we should enable this or not.

CNN does it again

Apparently editing at CNN.com has been reduced to only a spell checker. Seems their pretty good at catching misspellings, but not misused words. Here is the second article in less than a week with the same type of error. This article is about Mena and Ben Trott - two of the pioneers of blogging.

Critics, though, view all the fuss about blogs as the latest bout of Internet hyperbole, one that will eventually fade away ones readers realize they are rife with inaccuracies and mundane minutiae.

I Ate Something.

I ate something. Then I fixed the letter from Hillary Clinton so that the line breaks were as they should be. Sometimes we all have to clean up after each other. No problem, Gravity Boy! I know you appreciate it.

In other news, I have officially joined the Army.

Good Night to all.

Expressive Behavior

This is from the paper you can get for free on the PATCO train line. They have a section called Expressive Behavior where people who ride the train can write in about anything they want and they will publish it.

-Connections
found by silylily

Sonic CD

time travel

Sonic CD was touted as a master piece when it originally came out. It had all the makings of success: Time Travel, cute creatures and such expansive levels one could get lost in them. Of course I am being sarcastic. Now, I don't know what they were smoking, but it's no master piece, especially when compared to the original game.

Let's go through the 3 points:

The first, time travel, is just stupid. It does nothing for the gameplay that I can tell. I see no reason to go into the future or the past. Either way you have to stop Dr. Robotnic.

The second sign of success is cute creatures to destroy. Who doesn't want to kill cute things?

And lastly, the levels don't seem to be laid out in any logical way. It seems aimlessly put together. There are places where you wonder why they even bothered - just empty pockets for you to go into for no particular reason. I really got the feeling that some kid put the levels together with a level editor.

But the game is not all bad. It's Sonic for Christ's sake! It does retain the basic gameplay of the series. And, I like the flashy levels. Bottom line: Kind of fun, but more frustrating. Give me Sonic 1 any day. Or 2 or 3. Just not what I was expecting.

Train Heads #14

A letter from Senator Clinton

Remember back on Jan 6th when I posted something about contacting your congress people to have them stand up and contest the results of the Presidential election?

Well, here is a response I recieved shortly after I tried to convince Sen. Clinton (via e-mail) to debate the matter and vote against ratifying the results.

The next day in a post, I mentioned how Hillary sucks or something like that because she didn't do what so many Americans asked of their pussified congress people. So, here is her chance to "speak" - A rebuttal.
I still think she sucks, though.


Dear Mr. Collings:

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding irregularities in the 2004 election, during which, unfortunately, some Americans were not given a fair opportunity to exercise their right to vote and have their vote counted. I applaud both Senator Boxer and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones for raising this issue, important to our democracy, during the Congressional certification of the 2004 electoral votes. The election of 2000 raised many questions about the accuracy and integrity of our election system. Additional questions arose during the 2004 election, deepening the concern of many people about whether we can assure the continuity of our democratic process by ensuring the consent of the governed and the acceptance of the results of the election.

Last year with several of my colleagues, I introduced legislation, The Restore Elector Confidence in Our Representative Democracy Act of 2004, to assure that each and every voter who casts a vote on an electronic voting machine is able to verify his or her vote through a paper ballot so that there is extra assurance that all votes cast are properly recorded and counted. As a nation, we should be setting the standards for electoral integrity. I will continue in this new Congress to advocate for a voter verifiable paper record for all such voters as well as for other much-needed improvements in our voting process. This is so important because few things are more sacred and important to our nation than the foundation of our democracy - the right to vote. Indeed, this year we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I hope that the entire United States Congress will use the anniversary as an opportunity for us to take a look at this landmark legislation and determine how we are going to move it into the 21st century so that it accomplishes all of the purposes for which it was intended.

I am grateful that the objections raised to the certification of the Ohio electoral vote allowed for discussion on the Senate floor of the serious issue affecting disenfranchisement of some American voters. I believe that Congress should take up these important issues this year.

However, I did not feel that the case had been made to overturn the outcome of the Ohio vote tally. Therefore, I voted to accept the Ohio count. No matter what the outcome of the 2004 election had been, I would still raise questions about the election process. The voting irregularities of the past two elections raise profound questions about our nation's belief in the equality of all Americans. Please be assured that during the 109th Congress I will continue to fight for improvement in our election process.

Again, thank you for writing. Please check my website at http://clinton.senate.gov for updates on this and other important issues being discussed before the United States Senate.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Woo hoo!

Many of you do not know, but I hate Blockbuster Video (and they will get no link from me). I think they are one of the worst companies out there. I don't think I have ever walked in there and been happy. When we used to live in NY, our local Blockbuster didn't even have air conditioning for about 3 years. It was probably longer since I moved there in 1998 and they had been open much longer than that. In addition, I will never forget that they used to only have pan and scan DVD's. Every once and a while you'd find a widescreen, but pretty much never. It's only been over the past couple of years that they have woken up. There's more, much, much more, but you get my point. So, I was quite happy tonight to learn that they are being sued by my new home state, New Jersey.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blockbuster Inc., the largest U.S. video renter, has deceived customers with its new "No More Late Fees" rental policy, New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey said on Friday in announcing a lawsuit filed against the company.

I could not be happier with my Netflix service and would recommend it to anyone. I cannot wait until Blockbuster is hopefully one day out of business.

Name that game. It can't be that hard, can it?

The Archives

This is something I have wanted to fix for some time, now. The Archives have become soooo long that they kind of get in the way. So, I used the drop down menu code listed in the Blogger help menu to clean it up a little. Functional changes are the best. Anyway, that's my first exercising of my rights as a member of the BOG.
Hope you likey.

Anarchy!

After long and careful consideration I have decided to make a permanent change to the way the blog is operated. In the past, I have run contests (real, imaginary, and secret) to give away moderator access as a way to keep the blog fresh. Unfortunately, due to my recent long absence from posting, I have not kept up with this responsibility.

In the meantime, other folks on this blog (I'm not naming names, you know who you are) basically kept this thing up and running. Hell, you guys went well beyond that utilitarian classification. Not only did the blog continue to receive fresh content every day, but you guys innovated. You grew as blog artists (Blogtists?). I am proud.

In this moment of utmost pride, I declare Dimensional Shift (DS) to be 'shifting' its form of a government to the newly minted Blog Republic. Taking some cues from the American form of government, I have decided to give everyone a vote on important blog issues. Once every four years, there will be a vote. The next one is scheduled for 2008. Make sure you are registered by the 4th Sunday after the full moon of July 2008. Otherwise, you will not be eligible.

As an added safeguard to the health of the new Blogpublic, I will be appointing three (3) people to join me on the new "Board of Governors" (BoG). All Board members will be granted immediate moderator access. I would only ask that everyone continue to work together to ensure that all structural/technical changes mesh well. Also, any name change will require a unanimous vote of the Board. I'm sure there will be no problem in these areas.

The new Board of Directors of the Dimensional Shift Blogpublic (DSB) is as follows:

Joe - The Blog's namesake.
Gravity Boy - Cheerio's!
Black Domina - Train heads has put you over the top.
Mr. Mescalito - The consigliore of the Arts on DSB.

Work hard, boys! Treat the constituency well. Remember, elections are right around the corner.

Deformed Piglet

Picture of deformed piglet here.

Need Blog Friends Help...

I was talking to a friend of mine about my hopes of opening my own Photography business (read:Freelance photographer). I happened to mention that I was also thinking of going back to school to take to some photography classes and to some business. He got all excited and told me that he knew someone who did the exact smae thing, but check this out. HE became an LLC and was given a grant because he was starting the business and going to school. He says that anyone can do this. Now of course I know about grants, and there are all those websites that claim that they can get you grants, but isn't there some official info somewhere online that I don't have to pay for? I'm looking at you here Dominia. I know you met with that small business guy that one time...any thoughts, or any help searching online, I'm kinda frustrated.

?!?!?!?!

Thank you to the Daily Show for pointing out this insanity.

Parents Television Council database of graphic TV content. If only the Parents TV Council had a website when I was 12.

Train Heads #13

A little unsure if this should be #13, 14 and 15. I didn't plan for such complexity.

In the news...

They may change this by the time you click on the link, but as of the time of this posting, the following is currently the text in this CNN article about mobile broadband...

As for operators, increasing the efficiency of the services can help them roll out new products at a cheaper cost, which, in turn, will enable consumers to pay less. Doing that entails the need for more praetorship between the operator and the suppliers like Kista-based Ericsson.

Praetorship:

An annually elected magistrate of the ancient Roman Republic, ranking below but having approximately the same functions as a consul.

definition courtesy of Answers.com

Here's the cover of that issue. I still have a few old mags from way back when.

Memories. Here is a shot from a 1993 EGM - a spread for StarFox. A fantasmic videogame experience it was. I remember trying it out at the Woolworth's in Westshore mall - where the entrance to Sak's Fifth is, that's where it used to be. They also had a diner that made great milk shakes. Those were the days.

Gerald is...?

Soft & micro...just the way Joe likes it.

Recognize this guy? This has not been photoshopped. Well, it might have been color enhanced, etc but the picture is for real. 30 years old!? He looks like he's about 15.

If you link to the site, and have a hearty stomach, be sure to check out some of the 'Disturbing Images' on the photo page. My favorite (poor guy) is definitely the decapitation.

Train Heads #12

Fili-what?

The Filibuster:

A Filibuster is the term used for an extended debate in the Senate which has the effect of preventing a vote.
Senate rules contain no motion to force a vote. A vote occurs only once debate ends.

The term comes from the early 19th century Spanish and Portuguese pirates, "filibusteros", who held ships hostage for ransom

It is what makes the senate what it is.

Now, the Republicans are trying to outlaw the use of the filibuster saying that the Democrats are using it in an unprecedented way and disrupting the judicail system and creating a crisis. 98% of Bushes appointees have been approved or confirmed. Of all of the confirmations the Democrats used the filibuster only 10 times in the last 4 years. Orin Hatch during the Clinton admin, led the Republicans in filibustering the efforts of then president Clinton to appoint judges. During that time 35% of the appointees were denied, as opposed to the 2% denied these past four years.

Last year, Republicans held 51 seats and never mustered more than 55 votes in their attempts to end filibusters of the 10 disputed judges whose nominations reached the floor. Now they hold 55 seats, five short of the number needed to halt a filibuster. If they are unable to attract enough Democratic support to overcome a filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has warned, he may seek a rule change that would bar filibusters of judicial nominees. Democrats have vowed to bring the Senate to a standstill if he does so.


So, as if it weren't obvious enough, this is one more example of the Monkeys on the right to control the fucking entire US government that will then give them unchecked power and liscence to wreck the world!!!! Fuck it all to hell!!!!

I'm callin' out all you non-postin' motha' fuckas!

That's right bitches. You slack assed pieces of shit. I'm talking to you Matt and Cracklin' Rosie. That's right Luis, laugh it up in your silent lurker fashion. Come on people! This blog is a community made up of many individuals working together to create art -- not just the personal soap box of those of us who post all the time, like me and Mr. Mescalito (and Gravity Boy, occasionally). What about Matt and SilyLily? You guys should be ashamed of yourselves. LP Goddess, I'm giving you a pass only because I know the stress you're under.

It makes me sick to think that this wonderful forum exists, people are invited to attend and post, and then they don't for months at a time. What a fucking waste.

Joe.

Another one finished.... I think. This one was inspired by my child hood memories.

I have been MIA in FLA

Sorry, I've been missing. Not much to say lately.
I've been depressed about my job and the current direction opf my life. Or lack of direction. I've been trying to get excited about more things, we'll see how that goes.

My job sucks (who's doesn't) I got really snowed when I was hired. I was hired to write and edit. I replied to an editors position (as this is my true background --but I have many backgrounds) but was hired as a writer producer. That's what I wanted. Now I am keeping inventory for another company that the man runs, almost never writing, and well, that's about it. I really only live to try and create things, anything. Art from garbage, men from wire, pictures, writings, movies, none of it may be any good, but it's what I like to do. I've been so out of sorts for so long now, not much has been accomplished. A project here, a project there. I need new direction, I need new gusto, steam...redbull.

So the more job depressed I get, the less I create, in all directions. That includes being on the blog. To add to all this, everything I own needs to be upgraded. But soon enough with all of that.

I am trying to get bak into Photography full time. I used to shoot pictures at Raymond James, right out of Film School. The when I worked for knowledgeview, I was their lead photographer. I took all the pictures for everyhitn. Mostly product shots. But I was damn good. IBM flew me to boulder to shoot their copiers, I shot the sony lline of electronics for their website. But enough. Point is I have always loved to shoot pictures, and it is one fo the jobs I have done, that I have done as a hobby, and still loved doing. If that makes any sense. Anyway, I would not want to shot product shots anymore. They are boring, stale, and bring nothing to anyone really. I've been shooting some stuff for the planet, but have been using other peoples cameras. That sucks. The cameras are very consumer as well. All automatic...blah...blah blah. So I am afraid to use these pictures are they are not representative of the work I am capable of, but to get my own "good" camera again, I need to make some money and well...we all see where this is going. SO I am doing that. Taking more pictures, and hpe to soon buy a new camera.

I need to write more, and I need to quit my job. No more working for people like that though. I want to freelance. I have always shyed away from it for tax reasons, but fuck that. I may even go back to school and get a degree in still photography. I would go well with my film school degree, and make me a master of all media. I have taken so many photography classes though, I am afraid of repetition, but I know that there is always more to learn.

thats it for now. My good buddy should be joining us here one day soon. That will be cool as well.

Peace in the middle east, or at least stop shotting shit.

Eco minded right?

You will need Real player to listen to the linked radio broadcast below:religious right/Evengelicals


I heard just the other day about the religious right/Evengelicals coming around and going green. Meaning, they want to begin to make taking care of the environment a priority in their daily lives - taking conservation to the community level, to their followers. Interesting to say the least. I thought, when I heard this, that this can't be. It runs so counter to the political platform they are supporting. Or is it? One thing that really got me thinking was when the represenative on the radio said that they will not be teaming up with the traditional leaders of this cause, but rather going it alone, promoting an agenda they and their constituents can agree on. Now, if any of you know anything about the Bush administration, you know that he does have a policy on the environment, just not one that many traditional minded conservationists think is smart and one which they and I believe is geared to simply putting a pretty face on the problem, and making it seem like progress is being made.

Now, ever since that day this past week when I heard this radio broadcast, I've been thinking. And, you know what? It's pretty obvious that this is the fucking ideological platform they will be pushing for - stuff like the healthy forest's initiative(basically a loop hole for the lumber industry to make some extra cash, opening up the national parks to them to clear dead wood and fallen trees, etc).
So, we can expect a more than robust push by the right to now claim the environment as their issue and further undermine the democratic stance on the issue.
Fuck science! God has the answers! And God is GWB!

Letters

Cool Gimmicks

Read full story here


So, it seems the Gates project in Central park went off without a hitch. Thousands of volunteers took the time out of their schedule to install this mammoth project(one person - a friend of a friend - I hear used a week of their vacation time to do this!). From what I can tell, it runs all of the major "walks" throughout the park. That's a lot of fucking "gates"!

Anyway, This project has been waiting to get approval for years now(read italicized text below for exact time frame).
I remember this thing being mentioned 3 or 4 years ago. It didn't happen then because of concerns over the park. But, since the gates have been designed to sit on the ground rather than be required to be cemented into the ground, it has been deemed safe for the park...or something like that.

The weather was windy and cold as the first fabric dropped from one of the 7,500 16-foot-high gates, creating what the artists billed as "a visual golden river" along 23 miles of the park's footpaths. More than 1 million square feet of fabric was used by the artists.


Its official title — "The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005" — refers to the artists' conception of the idea 26 years ago. It was expected to take about two hours to drop the fabric from all the gates.


Anyway, I'll let you know what I think when I see it. I might go today on my way to a show.

Train Heads #10 & 11