Monday, December 31, 2018

My game collecting adventures in 2018

2018 was a surprisingly good year for collecting new and old games. I haven't acquired this much stuff since 2013 when I lived in Maryland and had access to numerous shops that traded in old games. The best options I have here in New Olreans would be GameStop selling used merchandise, pawn shops and garage/estate sales. Or, I could just go to Amazon, sales at Target, the Nintendo eShop and Steam. (Which I did quite a lot.) Despite the sometimes limited options though, I have acquired more this year than I normally do in 2 or 3.

Now, without further interruption, I'll let the pictures I snapped tell the tale of this awesomeness that is my collecting hobby.

4 Jan 2018

Got some PS Vita games and an eShop gift card from the local GameStop, because they were having a sale.

4 Jan 2018 - Just a few fairly cheap pickups from the local GameStop...

4 Mar 2018

More pickups from GameStop and an HDMI cable for the original XBOX that I got from Amazon.
4 Mar 2018 - The HDMI cable works great. HIGHLY recommended for that platform.

17 Mar 2018

Got a few strange and random items from a warehouse raid. Now to find R.O.B. and all of his other accessories that I will probably never use... Even if I do have a copy of Gyromite...

17 Mar 2018 - A few strange and random items that I got from a warehouse raid.
Now to find R.O.B. and all of his other accessories...

20 Mar 2018

Got Doom 2016 on the Switch from Amazon. The X360 games displayed here were given to me by my good friend Levi.
20 Mar 2018 - DOOM came from Amazon.
The 360 games were given to me by a friend who no longer wanted them.


22 Mar 2018

Got a huge bounty from raiding that same warehouse from the 17th. A friend of mine is helping to clear it out for an estate sale. She always calls me whenever she finds old games and Rock records.

Picture #1 of the bounty from raiding that same warehouse again on 22 Mar 2018.
This pic (and the next) were taken in my garage.

And finally, the best acquisition so far this year with regard to retro stuff... And a lot of random old Atari & Nintendo items...

FINALLY!!! I have a Colecovision console!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed cleaning up all of that stuff I got on the March 22nd raid and making it all an official part of my massive collection. :)

1 Apr 2018

I have gone through most of the stuff from that warehouse raid on March 22nd. The Super NES, Genesis and 4 of the 9 Atari 2600 cartridges don't work right, if at all. Everything else works fine so far. I still haven't tested that Atari 2600 console and the controllers that came with it yet. I tested the carts on the Atari 7800 that I keep set up to the CRT in my game room.

The NES was the test subject in my first experiment with Retrobright. It was a raging success. There have been (and will continue to be) further experiments in Retrobright techniques with other consoles.

It was nice to have another Mad Science experiment to conduct. I haven't had one in a long while.

I've also stopped by Toys'R'Us after getting my oil changed yesterday, 31 Mar 2018. Their entire video game section was cleared out. It was redistributed to other stores by Corporate, thinking they'd sell better at other locations. So much for getting a few cheap Switch, WiiU or 3DS games...

However, they did still have a few of these Plug'N'Play toys. Even at their reduced clearance sale prices, Amazon was STILL cheaper. And that kids, despite whatever management tried to do, is why Toys'R'Us is going away. My inner child mourns the loss.

RIP Toys'R'Us... *sniff*

Right in the Feels... :(

10 Apr 2018

I had yet another raid of that warehouse from March and had yet another bountiful harvest. There wasn't as much hardware this time, though. Here's the pictures...

The Genesis worked, but the Game Gear doesn't...yet...


All the Nintendo controllers worked. The PS2 controllers don't yet.
They probably need to be disassembled and cleaned on the inside.

Here's the list of what we got in that raid on April 2nd...

NINTENDO
  • Curious George (GameCube)
  • GameCube Controller
  • Mario Bros. (NES, doesn't work)
  • NES Controller
  • NES MAX Controller
  • NES RF Switch
  • N64 Controller
  • 3 SNES Controllers
  • Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, loose disc)
  • Super Scope 6 w/o IR receiver or targeting reticule.
PC
SEGA
  • Game Gear (Doesn't work)
  • Genesis Model 1
  • GP Rider (GameGear)
SONY
  • 1 PS1/2 controller extension cable w/ IR receiver
  • 2 PS1 Memory cards
  • 2 PS2 Controllers (Don't work)
XBOX

(NOTE: ALL are loose discs.)
XBOX 360

NOTE: These two XBOX 360 games were given to my friend Levi, who loves his XBOX 360 and playing sports games on that console.

OTHER
  • 1 DELL USB Ball Mouse
  • Jakk's Pacific TV Games: Pac-Man (Plug'N'Play)
  • Unopened Digital Micro SD shell/USB thumb drive
  • Unopened set of high-quality RCA Composite cables

Also, I did another Retrobright experiment on a Super NES of mine over the Easter holiday. This time, I tried the liquid submersion method. Here are the mixed results...

BEFORE RETROBRIGHT...






AFTER RETROBRIGHT...



As we can see in the picture above, the top piece came out looking brand new and the bottom needed a little more work. I applied the cream and saran wrap method from the first experiment to get that bottom piece looking good again. Now, I just need to spend a few minutes re-assembling that SNES console since it actually works... And putting new rubber feet on the bottom ... And cleaning the melted rubber off the case with some Rubbing Alcohol, Mineral Spirits, M.E.K. or something...

Also, I did finally get around to testing that SEARS Tele-Games version of the Atari 2600 Light Sixer that I got from the previous warehouse raid. It doesn't work. However, I can use it for parts. I have another Light Sixer that does work, but needs new switches. Assuming that SEARS didn't change the hardware design in some way, the switches from the dead unit should work. (Editor's Note: I did fix that Light Sixer that needed new switches with the busted SEARS unit. You can read about that here.)

12 May 2018

Saw a Craigslist ad for a local coin & collectibles shop looking to liquidate their video game and home video stock. EVERYTHING was 50% off. Went there today and picked up a few nice things...

Not bad for $52.13, including tax...
Hardware & Accessories
  • SEGA Saturn Mk I controllers (2)
  • Carrying case for Nintendo DS consoles
Software
24 May 2018

Recently updated my Raspberry Pi emulation console for the first time in 2 years. It now runs RetroPie v4.4 and has 576 games (so far) for various 8, 16, 32 & 64-Bit platforms. Those systems include...

ATARI
  • Atari 2600
  • Atari 5200
  • Atari 7800
  • Atari Lynx
NINTENDO
  • Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Nintendo 64
  • Nintendo Game Boy
  • Nintendo Game Boy Color
  • Nintendo Game Boy Advance
SEGA
  • SEGA Game Gear
  • SEGA Genesis
  • SEGA Genesis 32X
  • SEGA CD
OTHER
  • PC Engine (aka TurboGrafx-16)
  • Sony PlayStation
  • Vectrex (The real thing is likely to be MUCH better.)
I've also put it in a new case that looks like the 'Toaster model' of the NES console, released in North America circa 1985. There are 2 pics below. Even the power and reset buttons are functional. :)

Still need to figure out how to install some of the still unstable emulators so I can run games from the SEGA Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube and Atari Jaguar. Especially Jaguar... And figure out how to install the fairly stable emulators for the Atari 8-Bit and ST computers.

Anyway, here's 2 pics of the Raspberry Pi emulation console in its new NESPi case...

This thing literally fits in the palm of my hand...

Open the 'cartridge door' and you find more USB ports and an Ethernet jack.
4-player games and networking should not be a problem for this device.

20 Jun 2018

Found out the same company that made the HDMI cable for the original XBOX also made one for the SEGA Dreamcast. I ordered one from Amazon immediately and it works as advertised. It will let you play your Dreamcast on a modern HDTV with HDMI inputs. However, it won't do anything to upscale the graphics. It just gives you the option of running the console on a modern TV instead of an old CRT monitor. Since I don't have any room in the entertainment center for the HDTV in my game room (and the lack of any graphics up-scaling), I will leave my Dreamcast set up on the CRT monitor right now.

Also, I finally got around to ordering some of those tin signs based on old arcade game marquees that I found on Amazon ages ago. They are not even close to being the same size as the actual marquees, but that's not what they are meant to do. At a size of 3 7/8" x 10 1/2", they are strictly for decoration. I'm still not sure where to put them on my walls in the game room, but I will figure something out. Here's a pic of the items in question...

The decor in the game room definitely needs a few upgrades. These tin signs should help.

29 Jun 2018

Recently got another Atari T-Shirt from Wal-Mart while doing some nighttime shopping for groceries. Here's a photo of the aforementioned shirt...

It looks better in person...

Also took advantage of the Steam summer sale (which is going on through July 5th) and picked up about $47 worth of new games. Those games include the following:
6 Jul 2018

Bought 2 new art pieces for the Game Room & a Baseball cap with the NES controller on the front from Target yesterday. I went there to see if they might have a NES Classic Edition since they were re-released on June 29th. Of course, they didn't have any left and had no idea when more would be coming in stock. Amazon doesn't have them either. No surprises there... :/ Good thing that I already have 22 (maybe 23) of the 30 games that Nintendo put on that small device... And an emulator console made out of a Raspberry Pi that's in a small case that looks just like the NES... Muhuhahahahaha...

Anyway, here's the pic of the stuff I got yesterday...

As if the game room didn't already have enough Mario posters...

Still not at all sure where these new art assets are going to be placed. However, I did put up those arcade signs that I got last month, along with various others that I already had. Also framed a few more pictures and posters for the walls too. I don't know when I'm going to do another Game Room tour, but that tour will be pretty sweet. The room will have a LOT more features in it than it did with the last tour video that was released on 5 January 2017.

Also, I decided to spend the cash that I had on the Nintendo eShop today by getting some digital games I've been meaning to get... And two that were free downloads...
20 Jul 2018

Recently added Tempest 4000 to the Steam collection, now that Atari has FINALLY released it on that platform. Haven't played it yet, but it seems to be using the same soundtrack as Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar. If you've never heard that soundtrack, I strongly suggest you check it out. It is some of the best Electronica/Techno/Game Music that you will ever hear.

Also, I have added a few components to my desktop, enabling me to play some of the best PC games that Steam has to offer. Here's a picture of the items in question, along with a very special book that will aid me in one of my future mad science projects...

Muhuhahahahahahaha...

Anyway, I think that new video card & power supply were money well spent. The DVI-to-VGA adapter I ordered from Amazon turned out to be the wrong one. I need DVI-D for the video card and that thing is DVI-I. Fortunately, the local Best Buy had a HDMI-to-VGA adapter that solved my issue here. Now I can continue to use both of the screens I have been using on my PC here for the last 2 years. If you don't have multiple screens for your desktop, I strongly advise you to get more. It's nice having multiple windows/programs/browsers open without them overlapping each other. Also, get yourself a free program called GoScreen. It will allow you to have 4 different desktops on your PC screen. It's quite helpful when you want to move stuff out of the way and DON'T want your taskbar to be really cluttered. 

31 Jul 2018

Upgraded my copy of Sonic Mania on my Nintendo Switch to Sonic Mania Plus. Also bought Arcade Archives: Punch-Out! and Enter the Gungeon.

23 Sep 2018

I was VERY busy at this time with school, getting a new car, et al. So, that's why I'm mentioning this about a month after the fact. On August 16th, I discovered that the NES Classic and SNES Classic were both going on sale exclusively for Amazon Prime members a few days later. As you would expect, I pre-ordered them that very moment. This was the very first time that I've ever pre-ordered anything from Amazon, despite having an account there since 2006. They arrived about a week later.


I was annoyed that the box for the NES Classic got beat up in shipping, but it's not a big deal.
I bought these two plug'n'play consoles to actually play them. Not just display them on a shelf...
I took a few shots of the two mini consoles in my hands as well, just to show how small they are... First, here's the NES Classic with my NESPi+ emulation console with a Raspberry Pi inside. The NESPi was actually smaller. I was expecting them to be the same size.

Both of these devices are really tiny...
And here's the SNES Classic in my hand...

One of the VERY few instances where you can say that good things come in a small package and it will actually be true... ;)

I'd also pre-ordered something very special from Best Buy that was going to be shipped and/or delivered on September 25th, but it got pushed back to October 16th. Oh well... :/

However, it will be a rather spectacular addition to my collection when it does arrive and I've put it together. What kind of game-related purchase will I have to assemble myself? The parts to a new gaming PC? No.... A piece of furniture? Well... Kinda. Actually, no. Not really a piece of furniture. However, it does involve a cabinet of sorts... *evil grin and mad scientist laughter*...

I'm not going to say what this purchase is or give anymore hints. All I am going to say is that it fills a gap that my game room has had since its inception in 2015 and at a fairly low price. Stay Tuned.

22 Oct 2018

On 16 Oct 2018, my game room reached a new milestone. After years of trying to acquire one, I finally have an arcade cabinet. :) I pre-ordered an Arcade1up cabinet from Best Buy over a month ago. It's the 12-in-1 Atari cabinet. It has at least 7 of my favorite Atari arcade games and a few others that I don't have any strong feelings about whatsoever.

Here's the game list:
Here's a pic...

It's actually a little larger than it looks...

I'm going to write a detailed review of this cabinet in another blog post sometime in the future. So far, I like the cabinet overall and have very few complaints. The games are the original ROMs from the original Arcade cabinets so, there's no issue there. The controls seem to work fine for the games that I've played so far, but I will need to get used to using buttons for the Asteroids games. I'm used to playing them on computers, consoles and portables with joysticks and D-pads. For about $400, I'd say this 12-in-1 cabinet is a damned good deal. Buying all 12 of these games in fully restored vintage cabinets would probably cost as much as a new car these days. And I mean a GOOD car, not some sub-compact piece of junk that won't last longer than its factory warranty. Either way, my game room now feels complete. I have been trying to get an arcade cabinet for that room for years and I've finally succeeded!

We still have more than 2 months left of this year. There's no telling what else I might get between now and January 1st. We have Christmas and Steam winter sales coming soon. I think I'll go light on both of them this year, spending no more than $200 at most. And I expect most of that to be on Nintendo Switch titles.

21 Nov 2018

Got a great game from the Nintendo eShop for my Switch on October 26th called Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle. It's just as hilarious and violent as you'd expect a puzzler starring Ol' Hockey Puss to be... Here's an animated GIF of a few scenes from the game...

This game is awesome...

Also picked up a few games from Target on Veteran's Day because they were having a sale. The prices were either exactly the same or slightly lower than Amazon. Also, I forgot to mention the gaming-inspired keychains, NES-inspired lanyard and new artwork that I picked up on October 18th. The keychains are of the PS1, PS2 and Atari 2600. Here's the pics...

Not sure where I'm going to put the artwork yet. However, I know exactly what the keychains will be for...

And the games that I picked up on Veteran's Day...
Luigi's Mansion was only $20, so I figured that it would be a nice addition to the collection.

I'd already done all of the Christmas shopping that I planned to do earlier today, November 21st. However, I knew damned good and well that there would be more before the year was out. One thing was certain though, it had been one hell of a ride so far...

19 Dec 2018

I ended up doing some more Christmas shopping that I didn't expect. That's why this latest update didn't happen sooner.

Anyway, here's the items I have recently acquired. All of them came from Amazon, even though one of them has a Gamestop price tag on the shrinkwrap. That's kinda strange since I don't remember buying that item from a 3rd party seller.

Mega Man X Collection for Nintendo Switch and a guide book for Super Mario Odyssey.

If you must have an ugly Christmas Sweater, why not make it an Atari-themed ugly Christmas sweater? :)

The Zelda game is a gift for a younger sibling of mine. The rest are items that I acquired for surprisingly low prices.

That's all for now. There will be more after Christmas because of the game I know I have coming my way as a gift and the inevitable Steam Winter Sale.

30 Dec 2018

I bought most of my own Christmas gifts this year, with regard to new video games. (Like I do every year...) However, my relatives will get me games because they know it's an easy way to get me something that I'd want. Plus, I do have a long list that I can provide to them so they can still (somewhat) surprise me. :P

Anyway, the Smash Bros. game came from my mother. The Zelda case for my Switch came from the same brother that got the WiiU Zelda game from me. I'll hang on to that other one that I bought because, as a collector, I know that one day I will most likely pick up several more Switch systems in the future. We were even joking about this the other day. Also, I bought the Arcade Archives version of Donkey Kong Junior from the eShop for myself the day after Christmas.

That case looks sooooo much better than the Amazon Basics one that I bought earlier.

31 Dec 2018

I've decided to end this year in (almost) the same way it began, with buying points cards for the Nintendo eShop and Steam. I've also used most of the cash that I poured into the eShop today to buy 3 different digital-only games. I added $20 to my Steam Wallet and still have enough there to buy everything else that's on my wishlist at the moment, while the Winter Sale lasts. However, I'm not sure if I want to get those games or not. So, I'll just stick to the 2 that I bought today (and the rest of my enormous back catalog) for now.

Anyway, here's what I got...

Nintendo eShop
Steam
I look forward to playing as Jason Voorhees in that Mortal Kombat game. Horizon Chase Turbo also gets very high marks from the user reviews and I do love a good arcade-style racer.

This year has been quite an adventure for game collecting and life in general. I look forward to seeing what 2019 brings my way. Hopefully, it will include Metroid Prime 4 on the Nintendo Switch and another arcade machine or two. Or, a nice pinball table. That would be awesome. I have no idea where I'd put that in my house, but I would still love to get my hands on one. See you all in the new year...

- Lord Publius

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Wednesday, November 28, 2018

About the 6 Cars that GM decided to discontinue...




This is just a quick note on some recent happenings with my favorite automaker. I don't usually get upset when an automaker shuts down a few plants and reorganizes things. Business is business. However, what GM had to do recently actually does break my heart. The factories going away isn't what upsets me, though. It's some of the vehicles that are now going away.

Here's the list of them:

  • Buick LaCrosse
  • Cadillac CT6
  • Cadillac XTS
  • Chevrolet Cruze
  • Chevy Impala
  • Chevy Volt
Notice anything about all these vehicles? That's right, they are all coupes & sedans. The consumer trend now is split 70/30 between truck-based vehicles (Pick-Up Trucks, SUV's and Crossovers) and ordinary cars. Plus, sales were slipping for all of these models. GM had no choice. And that is what saddens me the most. Also, I'm not happy with President Trump trying to badmouth GM Chairwoman/CEO Mary Barra for this move. The market forced her hand, Donald. She didn't want to have to shut down factories and lay off employees. I swear, even when we get a businessman for President, the politicians STILL DON'T understand the car business... And I fully expected that because the car business is a really strange & tough business.

I'm actually surprised that the Impala started seeing its sales slip. That model has historically been extremely popular. Hell, I recently bought a used one to replace the truck that was wrecked in August. However, the Impala has died and been resurrected several times before. It first launched for the 1958 model year and was discontinued in 1985. Then, it came back in 1994 and left again in 1996. Then, it came back in 1999 and will be discontinued again after 2019. However, I am sure it will someday return. That nameplate is just as iconic as the Camaro or the Corvette. It can't go away forever.

It's also too bad that there was not much consumer demand for the Buick LaCrosse. That model was the closest modern equivalent to the Buick Riviera, a model I have been wanting GM to bring back for some time. The Riviera name could still come back as a 'halo car' for Buick, but a new Grand National would probably be the better choice for a Buick halo car. I'd be happy with either one, though.

All this being said, I am not sure what the automotive future is going to be anymore. Does this mean that I am stuck with having to buy a truck or SUV for the next vehicle in a few years? I really hope not. Those vehicles do have a lot of utility, which is why they sell so well. However, they also have really terrible gas mileage compared to cars. They are also never going to have very good balance and handling compared to cars when it comes to high speed driving performance. There's just no way a Tahoe can outmaneuver a Corvette. That would defy the laws of physics as we know them. (Or, utilize some technology that hasn't been developed yet.)

Either way, I lament this trend in the auto industry.

- Lord Publius

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Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Why I changed majors and left Computer Science behind

Not sure if anyone actually cares about this, but, here we go...

I changed majors at school this semester. In doing so, I'd also changed my life goals to an extent. Why? Well, my needs, wants and tastes in life have changed. Also, it turns out that Computer Science isn't going to be what I thought.

I switched majors to Business Administration so that I'll know how to run the small business I really want to create. The ideas have been in my head (and a few drafts of a business plan document) for years now. It's time to bring that wonderful idea to fruition. I'm tired of pushing things off and chasing a dollar just to keep bills paid. If I do that, I'll never be anything but a corporate wage slave until the day that I die. That is obviously unacceptable.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned any of my business ideas here in this blog before or not. However, I can promise that they will make money. They don't have to make me a millionaire. They just have to keep me happy and reasonably comfortable in life. No need to chase some Cadillac dream. I prefer a Buick or a good Chevrolet.

I can't say that I expected life to take this kind of turn at this moment in time, but I'm not upset about it, either. Here are the reasons why...

1.) Too much course work for me to handle while also dealing with adult responsibilities. 

In addition to my schoolwork, I'm also taking care of a house, a car and an aging parent. Mom isn't crippled, but I am the one that mows her yard and takes care of her dog when she's working late/out of town/etc. I'm also the only one of her children that still live here in New Orleans. It's also unreasonable to expect that my siblings living in New York or Texas can do anything for her if she has an immediate need. I refuse to provide any examples here since that would violate another person's privacy. However, I am sure that people in my audience can use their imagination on this one.

2.) It creates a very poor work/life balance, both in school and beyond. 

I've already dealt with that Bravo Sierra when I was in the Army and when working as an insurance adjuster. All it did was adversely affect my mental, physical and spiritual health. Working so much is also something that probably contributed to my father dying from a heart attack last year.

Never again.

Never will I allow myself to become a slave to a paycheck at any time in the future. It just doesn't end well. Especially not since I now have a lot more financial flexibility in life. And that leads us to...

3.) I refuse to (literally or figuratively) chase a Dollar. Especially if it leads me out of town...

I've heard talk about how this major has a 100% placement rate for employment, grads being hired by Google, Netflix, et al. and Dollar amounts that are upward of $90,000/year or more. However, they don't say if that's going to be here in New Orleans. I am not going to move away again, especially if they're asking me to move to some Christ-forsaken place like Commiefornia. I lived in that state for 3 months when I was an insurance adjuster. That state is filled to the brim with the most arrogant assholes that I have ever encountered. No thanks.

New Orleans is my home. New Orleans is where I own a home. New Orleans is where I belong. I'm not sure how to explain that, but it is true. Besides, what's the point of making $90,000/year or more if you have no free time and hate your job? Large bank roll or not, you'll just be a miserable piece of shit. Poor Dad also had that problem with virtually every job that he ever had. The only job that he ever spoke well of was his time working for his uncle Charlie at a junkyard in New Orleans East. The work was hard and the pay was probably low, but he seemed to be fond of that job. Or, at least proud of his accomplishments there. Go figure... Either way, the lesson I take from that story is that job satisfaction is far more important than money.

Furthermore, I don't really need a lot of money. My disability check from the VA covers my mortgage and utility bills. How much more would I really need? Based on my estimates using my current costs of living, just getting about $20,000/year after taxes would cover everything that the disability check doesn't. Looks like I managed to get myself into a life position that is considerably better than I might have otherwise guessed. Hope that inflation doesn't screw me over like the 'Great Depression that we're just going to call a Recession' of 2008 did...

I'll probably need a lot more when/if I ever get married and have children, but that would have to happen first. I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it further down the road. If the Lord really wants me to be a husband and father, he'll find a way to make it possible for me. I hope that I don't have to wait much longer, either. I'm 36 now. If I wait too much longer, I'll probably reach retirement age when my kids are graduating High School. That just seems wrong to me.

Either way, I'm not making myself miserable just to collect more fiat currency that only has value because Uncle Sam says it does.

4.) My tastes in life have changed over the years... 

For my permanent career, I'm leaning more towards wanting to run a business rather than something strictly technical. (And isn't it sad that I still don't have a permanent career at the age of 36? Something has gone terribly wrong in our society...)

Technology will be involved in my career and I will have the skills to use that technology quite well. However, I'm not interested in being the stereotypical Sperg, working in some tech job and fixing PEBKAC issues for the rest of my working life. If my experiences with Java are any indication, I'm clearly not cut out to be a programmer, either. Guess I don't have any business pursuing Computer Science. Oh, well.

Also, being an Aspie, I really don't do well with office politics anyway. That's another good reason why it's best that I just run my own business rather than working for someone else. That way, I will be immune from the office politics since I'm the one signing off on the payroll. In fact, I can ban office politics outright and fire anyone that engages in that nonsense. And office workers who engage in office politics should be fired. All that practice does is create an emotionally toxic work environment and cause workers to quit.

5.) The 3 different branches of the Computer Science major all go into fields that I don't want. How unfortunate...

There's Bio-Informatics, which seems to be just genetic mapping/sequencing and/or Bio-Tech by another name. I have no interest in that field, nor am I interested in helping Normies to figure out the genetic markers that make me what I am. Knowing them, they'll want to use that info to 'cure' me and make me one of them. Not a chance in Hell.

There's also Information Assurance, which is just Network Security by another name. That bored me when I tried it in the Army and it will bore me now. No thanks.

And finally, there's game design. Yeah... Right... [/Dr. Evil voice]

I've already made that mistake when I got my first degree from ITT years ago and I'm not going to let History repeat itself. All that would have to happen is for the economy to have another downturn and then all of my career ambitions would go up in smoke. It hurt bad enough when it happened in 2008. I won't let it happen again when I graduate the second time in 2022. Game Design is just another part of the entertainment industry. It's the tech equivalent of moving out to Hollywood thinking you're going to become a movie star. No matter how good you are at the job, there's still very little chance of any real success. Strange as it may seem, becoming an entrepreneur is actually less risky. (More on that later...)

6.) Computer Science will only make me even more socially isolated...

And being an Aspie, I have enough problems with that already. No thanks. It would also virtually eliminate the mere idea of free time. I would not be able to pursue any hobbies like gaming, game collecting, internet shitposting or my various mad science projects. Again, no thanks.

7.) I do have various options in the business field...

Remember when I said earlier that becoming an entrepreneur is actually less risky. There's two good reasons for that claim.

First, is the previously aforementioned VA disability check that covers my mortgage and utilities. I'll have to find ways of covering everything else, but at least I won't ever have to worry about becoming homeless. The last thing we need is yet another Veteran ending up on the streets.

Second, is that I may have a few potential investors already. The Federal Government gives out small business loans to Vets all the time, especially if that Vet is disabled. At least one friend of mine has expressed interest in being an investor in one business I'd love to start someday. By the time I'm ready to start that business after my graduation, he should have the cash to make it happen. There are also other potential investors lined up for that project. I could probably talk all of them into investing in other business ideas that I have as well. This makes self-employment all the more attractive. And that leads us to...

8.) I almost always hated working for other people...

There's only two jobs that I've ever had that I actually enjoyed. Neither of them were high-paying or meant to last long. Every 'serious' long-term job that I had (the Army, Insurance Adjusting, Construction, etc.) all turned out to be miserable experiences with truly miserable people. And rare was it that I had any kind of supervisor who truly understood what good leadership was, let alone put it into practice.

That has understandably put a really bad taste in my mouth about working for other people. And since most big tech companies are run by Leftists who would treat an Independent like me as if I were the Anti-Christ... Well, fuck'em. I'm not working for those shitheads. I just don't need the grief. All the more reason to ditch Computer Science now while it will be easy to make a switch, heh?

Besides, just about ALL of them are looking like a target for Uncle Sam's next big Anti-Trust case/corporate break-up, like what happened to AT&T in 1984. Do I really want to work for someone like Google, Facebook or Apple when I know that company may not exist for long?

There's also no guarantee that I'd be picked up by one of the new firms that was split from the original parent company. Situations like that are usually where people get laid off and find themselves in a job market with lots of competition from other unemployed workers in their field. Who needs that shitshow? If I must take so many risks in life, I might as well bet on myself instead of some faceless, soulless corporation. If nothing else, at least I will know that the boss has my best interests at heart.

And finally, there's the notion of the 'secure profession' that everyone has kept talking about for the last 15 years of my life. If these last 15 years have taught me anything, it's that there is no such thing as a secure profession. Thanks to constant changes in technology and economics, even unionized employees aren't safe in their occupation. So, again, why do I need to deal with that shitshow? I am better off working for myself. I'll be much happier.

- Lord Publius

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Sunday, September 9, 2018

What's in an Automobile's name?

What's in an Automobile's name? For someone like me, the answer to that question is 'quite a lot'. Why would a sane and rational individual like me name my cars and treat them like pets rather than just a simple conveyance? Because when you have a good one, your cars are going to be so much more than just transportation. Also, I have noticed with my vehicles over the years that the name they receive often defines their character. And for the rest of their lives with me, every single one of them live up to their name. I have had some trouble coming up with a good name for my new ride, but I think I just found a good one. The rest of this post will (hopefully) explain what I mean.

My first vehicle was a 1984 Dodge Ram conversion van. It was the family transportation for my uncle's family for its first 10 years of life. My father bought it in 1994 and it became our family's transportation. By the time I became its driver in 2000, it was 16 years old and had 300,000+ miles on the odometer. It wasn't long for the world. I never did settle on a name for it before I stopped driving that vehicle. I thought of calling it 'the Beast' or 'the War Machine' after the KISS song, but none of those stuck. That van was too worn out to live up to those names. Sadly, calling it 'the heap' would have been more appropriate. However, I am not about to disrespect a vehicle from a domestic automaker. Especially not when it has so many years of loyal service under its steel-belted radials.


A van much like mine, except with a much better paint job.

The next car I drove was a car that Dad originally bought for my younger brother, a 1982 Buick Riviera. Dad figured that my brother would like a 'Cheap Cadillac'/Pimpmobile like that Riviera since he was a bit ghetto in those days. My brother didn't really hit it off with that car for various reasons. So, Dad handed the keys to me in January of 2001. I drove that car until its death in the summer of 2005.

The Riviera was nicknamed 'Sheila' by one of my brothers female friends. The name stuck because it was all too appropriate. Despite being from a brand named for a Scottish Inventor, David Dunbar Buick, Sheila was still a very Irish girl. She had a really big ass. She drank like a damned fish. (Good thing gas was so cheap back in those days...) She also loved to fight with me on occasion too, as old cars sometimes do. Despite all those things though, she was still one hell of a great ride. No wonder I miss her to this day. It was a classic example of what the French would call 'Amour Fou', or 'crazy love'. I was really sad to see it hauled off by a wrecker to my Great Uncle Charlie's junkyard in New Orleans East. The moment became even more bittersweet when much of the world as I knew it was forever changed by Hurricane Katrina two weeks later. Rest in peace, Sheila.


A 1982 Riviera that is almost exactly like mine.
I didn't have mudflaps on my tires and my door mirrors were body-colored rather than chrome.
Other than that, this car looks exactly like mine did.

A few months later in 2006, the same brother that disrespected Sheila came home from college in California with a truck my father lent to him for his transportation needs. It was the 2001 Chevy S-10 that I have mentioned in several blog posts over the years and, tragically, lost in a terrible accident last month. That brother came home to help us with all the work my father's contracting company got in Post-Katrina New Orleans, including the restoration of my grandmother's house. He left again after a few months, taking a job out in California. He bought a new 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser before he left and Dad gave the S-10 to me for my needs. (My brother bought a Chrysler in 2012. He traded that for a VW Atlas in 2020.)

Now, back to the S-10's role in this story. I won't repeat myself about the many (mis)adventures I had with that great truck. You can read about that in the post where I eulogized that glorious ride. However, I will say that 'Underdog' really was an appropriate name. That's what it was for its entire life. And just like so many Hollywood movies, this Underdog always adapted and overcame any challenge it faced with me. Oh, what a good Soldier he was... *sniff*

And now, we get to the big reveal of the new (to me) car. It's a 2016 Chevy Impala LTZ Limited, painted Silver.

This is the pic that was e-mailed to me by my connection that helped me find the car.

It has a lot of features that my previous vehicles never had: leather seats, GOOD gas mileage and even a rear spoiler. That 3.6 Liter Direct-Injected 217cid V6 with 300hp & 262 ft.-lbs. of Torque is also a nice feature. It's always so eager to propel the vehicle into Hyperspace at a moment's notice. It's also a car that blends in very easily with the rest, making it hard for anyone else to spot in a crowd. I see several cars just like her on the road every day. Three of my neighbors have their own Impala that look almost exactly like mine. It is just that common.

This car is also a genuine sleeper. A civilian equivalent to one of 007's spy cars. A silent DESTROYER of worlds. Despite having a sedan's body, it definitely has the heart, soul and aggressive personality of a Camaro or Corvette. Even the exhaust pipes sound like a muscle car. Every time I speed up in this car, you can hear that glorious engine sing the song of its people.

VRROOOMMMM!!!

I'm not even slightly surprised by that discovery. We are, after all, talking about a Chevrolet. A car from a brand named after a race car driver and well-known for affordable performance in even the most humble of vehicles. That, and I have driven 2 cars like this one before. I came home for leave twice while stationed at Fort Detrick, MD. Both times, I flew in and rented a car rather than drove my truck back. Both times, I'd insisted on an Impala. Both times, I got a 2012 model in the LT trim level. Both times, I was quite impressed with the vehicle's handling and performance. It felt more like a sports car than a sedan. And some folks wonder why I insist on buying American. :P

Knowing all of this, I still had trouble finding a name for her. And yes, it is a she. All cars are female. Trucks, Vans and SUV's are male. And most crossovers are the automotive equivalent of Caitlyn Jenner: some kind of Tranny weirdo whose very existence makes people feel confused and uncomfortable. (Sorry, LGBT crowd, but you know it's true.) Not to mention they're just a glorified mini-van with a SUV-type of body. As you might be able to tell, I'm not a very big fan of crossover vehicles. Besides the Buick Enclave, which I genuinely do find aesthetically pleasing, NONE of the others ever appealed to me. (UPDATE 14 Mar 2020: A properly equipped Chevy Equinox can also be appealing under the right conditions.)

So, what do we name my new Impala? 'Silver Bullet', while appropriate to the car's look and personality, was just a bit too trite. The 'Stealth Assassin' also works on many levels. However, it just feels too masculine. We need something feminine since all cars are ladies. I did sincerely consider calling it 'The Destroyer', since it is the destroyer of worlds. Destroyer is also the name of my favorite KISS album. \m/O_O\m/ However, that is also too masculine. We need something effeminate. That's when I decided to turn from English to a language that always sounded especially effeminate to me: French. I remember reading about a ship in a Star Trek novel called the Belle Rêve, which the book said was French for 'Beautiful Dream'. That sounds like what the Doctor ordered here!

Google's translator says that 'Beautiful Dream' in French would actually be 'Beau Rêve' instead. However, Google's translator often leaves much to be desired. Beau is the masculine version of the word 'beautiful' in French. However, that doesn't matter. I've decided to just name the car 'Belle', the feminine version of Beautiful. This seems entirely appropriate to me. I'm sure all the native French speakers of the world would also agree on this name for my 'nouveau voiture'. (That's French for 'new car', for those who are curious.) And that's also assuming they aren't screaming Tu es fou! at me for even wasting time by naming a car. ('Tu es fou!' is the masculine form of 'You're crazy!' in French.)

French is also still commonly used in much of this former French colony turned American state that I call home. She also came from a dealership in Lafayette named Acadiana Dodge. That's the heart of Cajun Country. So, why not give the car a French name? GM's Buick division has used names from Latin and Romance languages numerous times over the years. Where do you think they got names like LeSabre, Invicta, Verano and Riviera?

Besides, my car is something of a French gal. Lord knows she's just as forward and eager to please as many American men perceive French women to be, considering their reputation for being excellent lovers. And like so many Americans, I definitely have a lifelong love affair with the Automobile. Even if no one else thinks my new car is beautiful, I still do. And that is what's important, right? So, 'Belle' is definitely her name. It is entirely appropriate. I look forward to many adventures with her over the years: concerts, road trips, etc. We've already gone to a Baseball game. One could argue that we take a nice cruise down a really nice seaside boulevard twice a day for five days a week when I drive to school. Lakeshore Drive is a pretty nice road to drive on when there isn't too much traffic and the sun isn't blinding you.

And while they can't be with us in body, I know all of my former rides will be with us in spirit. Belle may be a sedan instead of a coupe like Sheila was, but she is still very much a personal luxury machine like Sheila. The S-10 is also liable to be with us in spirit since Belle seems to have the same can-do attitude and indomitable spirit. I wonder when she will start regularly exceeding her design limits and start developing emergent properties, like the S-10 often did. And what kind of personality will she have?

All that being said, the S-10 is still with us in one small way. There was something of him that I kept besides many good memories. While the driver's side of that truck's rear end was smashed in the accident, the passenger side was untouched. That means the magnetic decal of the American flag that was there was left intact. (I've put a U.S. flag on all of my vehicles since getting a driver's license.) After finishing all the paperwork to officially make Belle mine, I took that magnetic decal and put it in its proper place according to the U.S. Flag Code: the passenger-side of the rear end.


Decal placed right where the U.S. Flag Code says it should be on a vehicle: The passenger-side rear end.

Let's also hope I can keep this one from getting wrecked like my poor truck too. In another 20 years or so, this car might end up being a collector's item and worthy of restoration. It was happening with my truck and it's also happened with numerous other Impala models. The 1961 model was immortalized by the Beach Boys with a song about its engine, 409. The 1964 model became every rapper's favorite after Easy E mentioned his in a few old NWA tracks. Many other rappers have since followed suit. The 1965 model became the best selling car for a single model year in automotive history by selling over 1,000,000 units that year. Then, there's the 1967 model made famous by the TV series Supernatural. Oh, how much do I love Baby: Dean Winchester's glorious, black 1967 Impala sedan. Like the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek, that car is the real star of the show.

While in the process of getting my Impala, I definitely thought about Baby a lot. Not to mention watching many scenes from the show on YouTube. That car is soooooooo freakin' cool. I have to have one like it some day. Hell, I had even thought of using 'Baby' as the name for a moment, but refrained. It just didn't seem right. Dean's car and mine are two very different animals. Besides, his car was specially ordained by God himself (aka Chuck) to be the 'most important object in the universe'. My new car is pretty damned cool, but it probably won't ever be that cool. Or, maybe it will? No one but God has any idea what the future holds. He has also been known to work in my life in some VERY mysterious ways. I guess we'll see somewhere down the road...

- Lord Publius

UPDATE 13 Dec 2020: I went looking for some specs on the car, but couldn't find the acceleration numbers I wanted for a 2016 Impala Limited. I did find some specs for the 2013 model of the Impala, which is the exact same design as my 2016 LTZ Limited. That is what is presented below.


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Monday, August 20, 2018

Requiem for an Underdog

Today, I had a loss in the family... of sorts. Most people think of a vehicle as just a tool. I thought of my 2001 Chevy S-10, nicknamed 'the Underdog', as something akin to a pet. And this pet could have lived forever (with the appropriate maintenance/repairs over time), but that isn't going to happen now. Some idjit rear-ended me on the interstate this morning and my insurance carrier had to total the vehicle.

However, we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. Let me tell you a few things about this remarkable vehicle. The whole reason it was named 'Underdog' is because everyone kept underestimating this vehicle over the years. My father bought it new in 2001 and was disappointed with it because it couldn't do the things he wanted a truck to do. However, if he had bought the full-size truck like I told him to do, he wouldn't have had a problem. My father was a very stubborn man. However, it always served me so well, especially after Dad transferred the title to me in 2009.

Anything I asked it to do, regardless of the conditions, it managed to do quite well. It was with me for 3 of my years in college the first time around, circa 2006-2008. It was with me in my years as a Soldier in the Army from 2009-2014. It was with me in my travels across America as an Insurance Adjuster after I was discharged. We went as far north and New Jersey and Indiana. We went as far south as Florida. We went from my last Army post in Maryland back home to Louisiana in a marathon 17 hour drive with almost no stops. We also went down Route 66 from Texas to California and back again. It never failed me. Not even once. Through rain, hail, sleet, snow and hurricanes, it soldiered on even more than a postal worker getting the mail through. It also helped me move a lot of cargo, building materials and musical instruments owned by Rock Star friends of mine. This truck was a true Soldier. It went well above and beyond the call of duty. It would have made General Motors proud.

Unfortunately though, Soldiers often die in the line of duty. Today was the day that the automotive Grim Reaper came for my soldier and took him to Fiddler's Green. I'm going through college again right now for a 2nd degree, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. While heading to class on a local interstate highway this morning, someone rear-ended my vehicle. The driver-side tail-light was destroyed, along with the back window for the bed topper on the truck bed. The bed had also got smashed up bad on the driver's side, shifted forward slightly and dented the cab too. The tailgate was also smashed to scrap metal. It was not a pretty sight. Since the truck is 17 years old and has 192,224 miles on the odometer, it was an obvious total. Truth be told, that vehicle was probably near the end of its life as my daily driver anyway. It was very old and something was bound to wear out sooner rather than later. I couldn't afford any kind of major repairs so, this might be a blessing in disguise. That's the way I want to think of this tragedy, but there's really no way to know.

Thankfully, my insurance carrier was nice enough to give me much more than I thought it was worth. The check they gave me will make for a very nice down-payment on the next vehicle, but the monthly payments are really going to stretch my budget. I have a few connections and can make this a mere inconvenience, but I really liked being virtually debt free! Damned adult struggles of life! At least no one was injured or killed. And that is amazing to me. There were 3 accidents near this same interstate off-ramp this morning, with mine being the first. I guess God just decided that a few local car dealers and body shops needed some business.

Also, the 2017 Nissan Titan that rear-ended me was not just totaled, it had to be towed away with a wrecker. My vehicle was at least able to get me to class and then home this afternoon. That truck ALWAYS got me home. No matter the weather or its current state, it always got me to wherever I called 'home'. And that is why trucks should be made of Metal and NOT plastic. Oh well, at least there's one LESS lousy f***ing import on the road. Those things piss me off with their mere existence. It's just too bad that I had to lose my own vehicle in the process. Still, there's a reason why the phrase 'Jap Junk' actually exists, folks. DON'T BUY INFERIOR IMPORTS MADE OF PLASTIC.

So Ladies and Gentlemen, raise a glass of whatever you're drinking to salute the Underdog. This small truck deserves all the praise I have ever given it and much more. This truck was a true Soldier. It went well above and beyond the call of duty. It would make General Motors proud. It now joins my long lost (and MUCH beloved) 1982 Buick Riviera on that great highway in the sky, where they both will hopefully be waiting for me. It doesn't matter if this truck was nowhere near as fancy as the Riviera. It doesn't matter that 1982 wasn't the most legendary year for Buick's legendary 'cheap Cadillac' that I really wish GM would bring back. All that does matter is that they were mine.


A picture I took of the Underdog in Maryland, circa 2011.

That loyal soldier always served me so well... and it will be missed.

- Publius
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