#i want a time machine specifically so i can go back to 1980 and kick his ass

[andypartridges]

Elvis Costello performing in Montreux, 1980. Photos by Gil Chaya.

[sanstropfremir]

I'm curious for your take on a fashion trend that always has been hanging out in the wings, but seems to have really taken off in K-Pop in particular the last few years.

It seems like every way I look these days, we're getting hit with luxury "looks" that are legit just the luxury brand printed all over a bland or non-innovative item. This definitely isn't new (it makes me think of the prevalence of those stupid - and stupidly expensive - Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts in the US back in the 2000s), but I feel like it's now seeping into K-Pop album concept photos and stage outfits in addition to just their every day fashion/sponsored photo shoots. In some cases it doesn't bother me as much because its a small addition (like Sunmi's triangle Prada barrettes in some of her latest comeback photos - I don't like the barrettes, but they work because the wider concept is great) or its used unconventionally (like TxT's latest concept photos, where you can see some of the usual brands but thrown together with unconventional pieces so they feel fresh).

But in other cases, it feels like they're just phoning it in by picking luxury clothing so they can say "look, we're expensive" and calling it a day. I'd submit the examples of The Boyz in some of their latest teasers, the latest Stray Kids concept photos, and quite a few of Blackpink's albums/promotions since they all have their own brand sponsors that they stick to these days. A lot of American celebrities are guilty of this as well so its not just K-Pop, but I honestly just don't expect more from Hollywood like I do from K-Pop.

It's clear that you can have effective styling without defaulting to the luxury branding (A.C.E comes to mind immediately), and there are plenty of luxury pieces that don't have their branding all over it that often allow the same luxury feel without shoving the brand in your face. So this branded merchandise trend really ends up rubbing me the wrong way.

What are your thoughts? I think my stance is clear, but I'd love a different perspective from someone that has a lot more background in fashion, particularly stage fashion, than myself.

anon ilu i have many thoughts on this topic but i don't think i've ever mentioned it before so thank you thank you for somehow reading my single braincell and asking about it!

basically for anyone who doesn't want to read me going off about luxury branding the tldr is yes i agree, i personally don't like branding in general and luxury branding especially. i don't own a single item of clothing or accessory with an obvious/recognizable brand logo and i haven't for probably over a decade now. now let's get into some nitty gritty.

in the current fashion climate i think most of the time it's tacky to display wealth so openly and obviously and it is one of the main factors in driving the machine of fashion consumerist culture. i also think it's a weak styling choice because it only has one association: money. 99% of the time it does not contribute anything meaningful to the artistic vision of the work and it's just to brag. sm stylists pull off luxury branding better than most other groups because they tend to integrate it well into the overall aesthetics of the specific mvs, and it's usually pretty sparing. with sm they use it more as a confirmation of the quality of the sm brand than just boasting about money in general. notable examples where i think visible branding works are kun's supreme jacket in kick back, and taemin's balenciaga 2017 in day and night, because both well integrated into the aesthetics of the videos and they're also offset by other looks. i also like the styling in bambam's ribbon, because although the whole mv is designer looks, he only uses one actually logo-ed one (louis vuitton escale summer 2020), which gives a visual indication of expense to anyone who isn't familiar with fashion. the only time i can think of an idol using a brand ironically is taemin's supreme instagram bad bitch outfit in advice, because he's parodying a specific look.

most of the clothing from designer houses is absent of logos, with the exception of a few (lv, gucci are the main offenders). but, there is the caveat that it does tend to be the ready to wear collections that have that kind of design. (ready to wear is the stuff that is available for off the rack purchase). here's a few examples:

taemin and key in balenciaga menswear ss2018 for story of light, taemin and ten in louis vuitton menswear ss2021 for advice and paint me naked.

in my opinion there's only one house that can get away with the irony of its own branding and that's balenciaga, because they consistently do the weirdest shit you could possibly think of. they have a collaboration with crocs. no i am not joking. the shoes for their fall 2021 collection are platemail stilettos. yes like the medieval armour. they launched that collection as a video game. they recently cleared their entire instagram but prior to that they were just letting models post cryptid blurry shots with no captions. there are designers that are doing interesting things, but very rarely is it with the physical branding itself. it's difficult because like i said before, it locks the audience into an extremely specific connotation and honestly most kpop stylists are not deft enough to work around that in a truly meaningful way.

the important things to hit in any styling are colour, harmony, and silhouette. thank you for bringing up a.c.e because i would have done it anyways, because their stylist is probably the best in the business right now. i talk about the basics here (of styling and of a.c.e in particular), but anon you are correct, a.c.e uses very very little branded styling and they look great. good styling is not about looking expensive, it's about looking the best as befitting of the concept.

but here's where we come to an important point. like with most things about kpop and western pop culture as a whole, luxury branding and streetwear as a trend has been appropriated from black hiphop artists and black streetwear fashion in the 90s and 00s. it started in the hood as a reclamation of items that were meant to be 'outside their station' (luxury) and an elevation of plainclothes that were available to them. sportswear by and large was always cheaper and mass produced, in comparision to day to day wear, which used more expensive materials and had more complicated construction. and was activities based only. it wasn't until around the 1860s that sportwear even existed at all, and even then it was not what you would think of as sportwear by modern standards. there was, up until the 1980s, a pretty strict unspoken dress code that if you wanted to be taken seriously in polite (white) society, you had to dress according to the class standards at the time. (this still exists by the way, it hasn't gone away at all, especially in relation to workplaces and black/natural hair). streetwear at the time was a form of celebration of black excellence and a subversion of white society. but like all innovations by black people, it got jacked by white america and now it's lost the meaning behind its context. on black bodies and paired with black achievements, branding is an important and relevant styling choice. on kpop boys? they're already lifting second hand at this point. do better.

[carolynpetit]

198X and Being Players in a Dangerous Time

NOTE: This piece describes 198X in detail. I encourage you to play the game yourself. It’s currently available on Steam and PS4, costs $10, and takes about 90 minutes to play.

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There’s a song I love by the Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn called “Lovers in a Dangerous Time.” To me, the song is about how the things we might take for granted as a normal part of our lives most of the time can feel frivolous or wasteful in times of great crisis, yet it’s also in those difficult times that we may need those things the most. I mean, how can you go on a romantic getaway when immigrants are being held in nightmarish conditions in concentration camps here in the United States? But on the other hand, isn’t it in these times that we most need to be reminded of our own humanity, the humanity of others, and why a better world is worth fighting for?

When you're lovers in a dangerous time Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime  Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight  Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight

Personally, I often find that many video games, movies, television shows and other types of art that I normally enjoy begin to feel hollow and indulgent when I can’t escape the awareness that moral atrocities are being committed by my own government. However, it’s also true that such times are precisely when art that cuts through the crap and makes me feel something deep and genuine is more vital and necessary than ever. 

Twin Peaks: The Return was essential to me during the first year under Trump, not for being the most “woke” thing on TV (it wasn’t) but for being such a strange and uncompromising show that watching it felt like being blasted with a high-pressure water cannon that washed away the cynicism I’d cloaked myself in as a way of enduring the horrors of the week. On one episode, David Lynch’s own character, FBI agent Gordon Cole, tells chief of staff Denise Bryson, a transgender woman, that he told the agency men who didn’t accept her to “fix their hearts or die,” and there was the show itself, each week, working its own magic to fix my heart, to keep me human in dehumanizing times. 

For me, the new video game 198X enters this same category; it’s one of those rare and urgent works that does what we most need art to do when we most need art to do it. In 198X’s launch trailer, we see footage of games from an assortment of genres as the protagonist, Kid, says, “This is not just a beat ‘em up. This is not just a shoot ‘em up. This is not just a racing game. This is not just a ninja game. This is not just an RPG.” This trailer got me fired up for the game because I felt as if I knew exactly what Kid meant. When I was a kid myself, back in the years of 198X, games were much more to me than what they may have appeared to be on the surface. In my desperation to escape from anguish both internal and external--the pain of gender dysphoria, a home racked by alcoholism and instability--I could turn even a simple, tedious game like Capcom’s run-and-gun Commando, one of the few NES cartridges we owned, into a valiant struggle to triumph over the forces that threatened to swallow me whole. 

Like me, Kid is an expert at finding deeper meaning in the space between themselves and the game. And it only makes sense, since like me, Kid has a need for escape, and a need for meaning. 198X avoids the use of any gendered pronouns for Kid--the only voice we hear throughout the game is Kid’s own, as they narrate their own story--but I believe Kid might be trans or genderqueer. At least, in the absence of the game asserting otherwise, this is my headcanon. I have to admit, seeing a character like Kid in a game still feels like coming across an oasis in a desert. Such representation is so rare, and so precious to me, that it feels life-giving. Brilliantly delivered by Maya Tuttle, Kid’s narration offers us tremendous insight into who they are, even as they remain a fiercely guarded individual. During one of the game’s many gorgeous pixel art interludes, Kid reminisces about how they used to frequent a nearby video store with their father. “But then, we didn’t go there anymore,” Kid says, hinting at some undefined strife that has driven their family apart. “It was no big deal,” Kid says, revealing just what a huge deal it was.

198X’s narrative offers little in the way of specifics, and to me, this only makes it stronger. It asks us to identify with Kid as a player, to feel the games the way that they do and to understand how those games might take on a meaning that reaches beyond the basement arcade that becomes Kid’s refuge. When you start 198X, you’re immediately thrown into Kid’s experience as a player. The first thing you see is an intro sequence and title screen for Beating Heart, a beat ‘em up released in the year 198X. You hear the sound of a quarter sliding into the machine, and then it begins, you’re playing, controlling a brawler in a red hoodie--Kid’s signature color--clobbering an assortment of punks who are out to stop you for reasons that are never explained. They don’t need to be. Kid feels antagonized by the world. Fighting just to survive. That’s why the act of defeating the people who stand in Kid’s way is meaningful. 

198X is a game about how games can mean more to us. If it didn’t let the games that Kid plays within it make their own kind of meaning, unfettered by story specifics, it would undercut its own effectiveness. Unlike so many pixel art games that play as homages to the past and simply want to replicate and capitalize on our memories, 198X is interested in commenting on them, in exploring just what our experiences with the games of the past may have meant to us. Stories in games back then were routinely disposable but that doesn’t mean that the games didn’t mean anything. They did. Through their imagery and music and the way they made us feel, they took on all kinds of meaning, offering places where those of us who felt like losers could be heroes, where those of us who never felt like we fit in here in the real world could belong, could be wanted, could be needed.

Thankfully, 198X prioritizes emotional truth over historical accuracy, allowing the games that you play as Kid to do things that real arcade games of the 1980s never did. After playing Beating Heart for several minutes, making your way out of a subway station and onto a city street, something surprising happens: the camera pans up and away from our hoodied hero to take in an unreachable skyline in the distance. Beating Heart fades out, and it’s only then that we first see Kid, alone in their room in their suburban home, a city in the distance representing all the freedom and possibility that Kid dreams of, but it may as well be a million miles away, for all the good it does them. 

Unable to achieve that kind of escape, Kid finds a different kind at the local arcade, telling us, “In front of these machines stood some of the coolest uncool people I had ever seen. They were the freaks, the geeks, the misfits, the outcasts, the real rebels, part of something the outside world could not understand, or even knew existed.” Is that the kind of narration some people might find cheesy? You’re damn right it is, and thank goodness for it. I have no patience right now for irony. Give me something earnest, sincere and openhearted. Kid may be emotionally guarded but 198X wears its heart on its sleeve and I am here for it. 

My favorite moment in 198X comes a bit later, after Kid reveals their crush on a girl at their high school. “Oh, man, that girl was born a rebel, free to go wherever she wanted to,” Kid says as we see their crush peel out of the high school parking lot in a black sports car, leaving Kid quite literally in the dust. “Free in a way I could still only dream of,” Kid says, and instantly we’re presented with the title screen of 198X’s driving game, The Runaway, which begins with a black sports car speeding off into the distance, leaving Kid’s car, your car, a red sports car in the foreground, pursuing the driver of the black car and the freedom that she represents. 

The Runaway’s most direct reference point is probably Sega’s 1986 racer OutRun (one of the best games of all time, as I talk about in this video), but OutRun offers an escape. In The Runaway, Kid can’t quite get away from reality. You make your way from a barren desert to the outskirts of a city, and Kid begins to speak, completely blurring the already thin lines between their real life and their experiences with the games at the arcade. “Nothing could beat the rush of the highway,” Kid says. “The speeding cars reminding me that there was a way out, a road to somewhere, the city on the horizon. I’d drive all night to get to that place,” Kid says with their characteristic guarded longing, and just then, a soaring, yearning guitar screams above the ambient synth soundscape, sending chills down my spine. So often in the games of the 1980s, music was where emotional complexity could flourish, even when the narrative was just a flimsy excuse for you to run through deathtrap-laden levels and blast killer robots, and 198X’s score is consistently up to the task of capturing the heightened emotion of the period’s best video game music, but what it does here is special, even by those lofty standards.

It’s a piercing, perfectly calibrated moment, but it’s not the last of The Runaway’s surprises. You make it to a bridge, speeding past highway signs that indicate you’re getting closer and closer to the city as Kid talks about how the games at the arcade have changed their life. “Down here, I was free. I was in control. No one told me where to go or what to do. The only bad part about it was having to come back up to the real world.” Just then, you run out of time. Your car slows to a stop. All the other cars speed on, bound for the city, but for you, it remains out of reach. And isn’t that just how it feels sometimes, like there are freedoms that others enjoy, that elude you, no matter what? It is for me, anyway.

The final game you play as Kid in 198X is called Kill Screen. A rudimentary first-person sci-fi RPG of sorts, it has no analog in the actual arcade games of the 1980s, so far as I’m aware, but that doesn’t matter. 198X is an emotional journey, not a historical one. In Kill Screen, you must slay three dragons, all the while taunted by an artificial intelligence known as Motherboard, clearly a stand-in for Kid’s own mother, or at least for the ways in which Kid has come to see their mother as a symbol for all the ways in which they’re trapped. It’s here in Kill Screen that 198X takes its only real missteps. Among Motherboard’s taunts are some statements that feel too plain and standard to evoke the intensity of Kid’s struggle. Sure, when a parent fails to connect with you as a person, even comments like “DO YOUR HOMEWORK” and “DON’T STAY UP” can be painful reminders of the yawning distance between you and them, but in the context of 198X’s economical storytelling, these generic phrases fall flat. Other phrases hit harder, though. When Motherboard’s cold robotic voice intones the words “YOU ARE ERROR,” a Zelda II reference that also pointedly encapsulates how I often felt in the world and how I imagine Kid does as well, I laughed, but it stung a little, too. As I triumphed over the challenges of the dungeon, Motherboard resorted to merely repeating “HELP HELP HELP,” and I felt that Kid’s mom was almost certainly hurting in her own way, unsure of how to connect with her child, the two of them talking past each other, neither sure how to close the gap.

What does Kid’s defeat of Motherboard actually mean? Where does Kid go from here? I don’t know, and I’m glad the game doesn’t try to spell it out. All I know is that there are still possibilities in Kid’s life, just as there are still possibilities in mine, and that games can mean something valuable and real, even when the world feels like it’s falling apart. 

I don’t expect 198X to work on everybody the way it worked on me. After all, it’s a game about how deeply personal our experiences with games can be, how games can take on larger meanings in the context of what’s happening in our own lives. We take our life experiences into the games with us--Kid’s ambiguous gender identity, for instance, is hugely meaningful to me, in ways it may not be to others--and we take the meaning we find in the space between ourselves and the games we play back into our lives. 198X doesn’t just understand that; it captures what it is to find the kind of meaning you so desperately need in a game right when when you so desperately need it, and god, do I need it now. This is one of the best games of the year.

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Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting me on ko-fi. I could really use the help right now.

[sjrresearch]

Playing the Battlefield: Exploring World War II and Video Games

How many times have you disembarked from an Allied LCVP and scrambled up the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy? We’ve joined the fight in Europe, flew over Pacific waters, and navigated warships through the Atlantic, all to revisit the global conflict of World War II. While video games may seem an odd source for information regarding the Second World War, developers have proven time and time again that it’s not an outlandish concept. Digital adventures are often used to recreate the conflicts of yesteryear. While the education they offer may be surface-level, these games make people interested in history in a way a textbook cannot.

World War II is undoubtedly the most popular historical event in the video game industry. Since the 1980s, developers have been utilizing the conflict of the 40s as a backdrop for their adventures. Games like Eastern Front (Atari, 1981) and Castle Wolfenstein (Muse Software, 1981) launched an entire genre of games that is still being expanded upon today. From first-person shooters to real-time strategy titles, the Second World War has been digitized more times than anyone should care to count. 

Before we dig too deep into the notable World War II games that best retell the events of the global battle, let’s look at the first question that may be on your mind.

Why is World War II So Popular in Gaming? 

You can probably name several dozen World War II-specific games off the top of your head without thinking. How far can you get with World War I? Or even the Vietnam War? Chances are nowhere near as close. It’s not because all World War I or Vietnam War games are bad. The conflicts simply don’t have as big a spotlight on them.

According to author Frank Cottrell Boyce in Andrew Pulver’s “Why are we so obsessed with films about the Second World War” piece (The Guardian), “The war has become a metaphor, not just history. You can map on to it any way you want. We’re attracted to it because of its moral certainties.” With the public atrocities carried out by Germany and Japan, there are clear “villains” and “heroes” in World War II material. There is no moral ambiguity as you mow down Nazis or sink ships of the Imperial Navy.  

The history of World War II has also become propaganda of a sort, inspiring brotherhood and patriotism even more than 75 years after its end. Games like Brothers in Arms highlight the comradery of World War II soldiers right in the title while games like Call of Duty and Battlefield align you with a squad of likable and relatable soldiers. 

But still, why not World War I? The line between “good” and “bad” was clearly drawn, and soldiers banded together with the same fervor to fight for their country. For that, you have to look at the United States’ role in both conflicts. Video games have become so westernized that many stories are told through the eyes of American soldiers. When the nation entered World War I, the conflict was already on the downswing. Within one year and seven months, it was over. Compare that to World War II, where the United States was fighting a two-front conflict for nearly four years. The whole nation became invested. Roles in the household changed, and men willingly enlisted to battle the Nazis and the Japanese. The attack on Pearl Harbor ultimately solidified that the Second World War would become the most important conflict in history - at least to the United States.

Vice’s Corey Milne’s says it best in his article “Video Games Have Sapped the Spirit Out of World War II.” In it, he states, “World War II was great PR and the biggest games on it have cemented America’s reputation as a powerful and noble entity.”

That, of course, is not to say World War II video games should not be played. There are many worth diving into.

The World War II Games All Should Play

Since the library of World War II games is so large, it’s worth breaking it down into a shortlist of some of the most influential, important, and entertaining video games featuring the global war. While the first-person shooter genre is most prevalent, strategy games have been a suitable medium for scaling combat and showing the tactical side of the European and Pacific Theaters.

Castle Wolfenstein (Muse Software, 1981)

Though Castle Wolfenstein was among the first games to utilize stealth mechanics, it really only received notoriety when id Software retooled the concept into an action-packed first-person shooter in 1992. As an Allied spy, players maneuver through the titular castle, evading or killing German soldiers during their escape. The gameplay was simple, but the game did make historical references to the Mauser C96 pistol and Hitler’s SS unit.

Axis & Allies (Meyer/Glass Interactive, 1998)

Based on a very popular board game, Axis & Allies allows players to choose which side they’ll fight for in the large-scale conflict. The RTS turn-based format cycles through the major world powers across multiple phases, from research to combat, as they vie for control of a world map. When a capital city falls, that nation is taken out of battle until their ally can liberate them. It’s a unique way of depicting the joint effort that was required during World War II - though Japan as Germany’s close ally puts a unique spin on the dual-front war. Combat plays out in an RTS format that uses authentic units, from battleships to general infantry.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2015, Inc, 2002)

Though it’s the third Medal of Honor game, Allied Assault is more memorable than its predecessors. It was one of the first games to depict a horrifying recreation of D-Day. Soldiers drop around you as you storm the beach, evading German machine-gun fire and mortars in what feels like a futile attempt of claiming the beachhead. Beyond Omaha Beach, Allied Assault spanned real locations to retain historical accuracy. Players cross into German-occupied France to liberate comrades and rush into the Nazi bases of Algiers to cripple Hitler’s forces. Allied Assault set the bar for World War II shooters and is often praised for its strides in capturing the horrors of war.

Battlefield 1942 (Digital Illusions CE, 2002)

Whereas Medal of Honor was known for crafting deep stories that painted a grim war speckled with moments of hope, Battlefield 1942 was all about the large-scale combat. Digital Illusions CE wanted to focus on more than just the human side of war. So, it opened up the battlefield, added functional aircraft and ground vehicles, and threw players into massive engagements. Up to 64 players could join the fray as Medic, Scout, Anti-Tank, Engineer, or Assault class infantry, all with unique skills and load-outs. It may have depersonalized World War II, but it helped show its scope.

Call of Duty 2 (Infinity Ward, 2005)

For four years, Medal of Honor enjoyed being the pinnacle of World War II video gaming. Even when Battlefield 1942 released, Medal of Honor remained on the throne. Then a new studio came along, stocked with 22 developers that originally worked on Allied Assault. Infinity Ward introduced a new competitor into the budding war video game market with Call of Duty, but it was Call of Duty 2 that ultimately changed the face of war games. If anything was going to dethrone Medal of Honor, it was Infinity Ward’s Xbox 360 launch title. The game introduced “post-war effects,” from raging fires to smoke and dust that blocks the screen. Call of Duty 2 elevated video game warfare to a level of realism that had yet to be touched on. 

Silent Hunter III (Ubisoft, 2005)

So many war games feature sprawling battles across cities and open plains. Aeon Electronic Entertainment took a different approach and put players in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Silent Hunter (1996) filled the player’s screen with information, from the different dials and computers of a submarine to details about the World War II vessels. Silent Hunter III improved upon the concept that the first game laid out with improved visuals, deeper gameplay, and more intuitive mechanics.  

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (Gearbox Software, 2005)

Capturing the spirit of camaraderie, Brothers in Arms is based on the true story of the 101st Airborne Paratroopers. Unlike many World War II first-person shooters, Brothers in Arms wasn’t about the action. It put strategy and tactics first to retell the harrowing tale of the paratroopers that became scattered across the French countryside before the Normandy invasion. The game is impressively realistic, from the details of the battlefields to the equipment. Gearbox Software used eyewitness accounts to flesh out what happened to the paratroopers and create a game that’s less about winning a war and more about protecting your squadron.

Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, 2008)

After having developed Call of Duty 3, Treyarch was back with World at War. It may not have fared as well with reviewers, but World at War is equally as important as previous titles as it shifted focus to the Pacific Theater. World War II games were mostly inclined to take the battle to Europe against the German threat, leaving the Pacific conflict off the table entirely. World at War explores the Pacific Theater with a gritty realism that added limb dismemberment and accurate burn injuries. Treyarch’s development team also kicked off one of Call of Duty’s biggest trends with the Nazi Zombies mode.

Company of Heroes (Relic Entertainment, 2006)

Company of Heroes blends the units and tech of World War II with solid RTS mechanics. Players engage the Germans across notable battles like the Invasion of Normandy, using the staples of the RTS genre that we’ve become accustomed to. Company of Heroes makes you think about every move as if you’re a general formulating the best plan to take a vantage point and crush the opposition. On top of being a good looking game, Company of Heroes plays really well and offers deep gameplay that you can’t rush through. Make the wrong move, and your opposition will emerge victoriously. Much like in real war.

Regardless of which of these games you’re booting up first, be sure to pay attention to the history. Just because they’re forms of entertainment doesn’t mean there isn’t valuable information about World War II scattered throughout these titles.

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

[icelovesfire]

zenmasters week 2017 ** day 7 - alternate season 8

This was a dismal, unfeeling place, he thought with a glare. Sometimes people got good news behind those doors, but more often than not, they learned their stable world was suddenly off its axis and everything they had cared about only mere hours earlier was now meaningless. And his chick was behind those doors. 

Or, well, his former chick, he reckoned. He knew she hadn’t slept with Kelso - the man in question would’ve gloated about it to him nonstop if he had, instead of the continuous string of denials that he had heard on replay for a month, until he successfully shut Kelso up. But they hadn’t been in a good place even before he stormed out of that shitty motel, thinking his girl cheated, chased down Kelso, got drunk and drove to Vegas - on the way to Vegas, anyway, as there’d been a major car pileup blocking the highway and he turned back around to sleep the night off in Kenosha. 

He wished he could do it over, reverse the El Camino, walk back into her motel room, leave before Kelso came in and decided it was a great time for a burn - moron. Or, better yet, rewind further and stop her before she even left Point Place. But how could he? A. He was pissed at her for throwing him that damn ultimatum, B. He was pissed at her for making him think she left when she’d been hiding in the basement all that time and C. He always knew she deserved better than being stuck in a shithole like Point Place, Wisconsin, and he wasn’t about to ask her to give up her golden opportunity, especially not for him. 

He looked up briefly as the doors swung open, unconcerned as he knew it wouldn’t be for them. He was shocked to see that a beaming Kitty Forman was running over to their group, waving around and shouting excitedly, a doctor at her heels. 

“She’s awake! Jackie’s finally awake!“ 

He felt his heart constrict and his throat go dry. Jackie had been in the hospital for almost three months since the accident - the doctors said she was lucky to have lived at all. Kelso was much luckier; he’d gotten a few broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, landing himself in a hospital bed for a week, not that Kelso was complaining much when a certain gorgeous brunette stayed by his side to nurse him back to health - the same brunette the goof was already thinking of proposing to. 

He blamed himself, if he was honest. Kelso hadn’t wanted to spill at first, but he’d managed to pry it out of him that Jackie insisted her ex-boyfriend take her back to Point Place immediately so she could explain what he was doing in her room half-naked with only a towel and a bucket of ice. They hadn’t counted on the icy road in-between Chicago and Point Place, or the drunk asshole careening around the shoulder. And they certainly hadn’t planned on the road trip cut short, or returning to Wisconsin on gurneys. 

He knew now what Jackie had hoped to explain. Kelso had driven to Brooke��s place, seen her with another guy (who turned out to be Betsy’s teenage babysitter that Brooke was writing down a phone number for; Kelso was really such a moron,) drove to Jackie’s motel room for a comforting shoulder (he’d clearly forgotten his fling with Angie already) and saw the El Camino when he returned from the ice machine after spilling ice down his front and swiping a towel from a nearby laundry cart. And then Kelso had decided to burn him by pretending he and Jackie were about to have sex. Idiot. Worse, he had fallen for it. Who knew what could’ve happened if he’d made it to Vegas that night? 

“She’s awake?!” asked his redhead best friend as she jumped to her feet. Donna had ditched the blonde hairdo when she started college in Madison last month, saying she wanted to concentrate on her studies instead of try to keep her coloring intact. Apparently, being a blonde was a lot of hard work. 

“Yes! She’s awake!” Kitty said, smiling at all of them. 

“Can we see her?” Fez asked, stuffing his half-eaten Milky Way into his back pocket in his excitement. 

“You can,” Kitty nodded, “but only a few at a time.” She hesitated. 

“Kitty, what’s wrong?” her husband asked, frowning. 

“Nothing, nothing,” she assured. “Well, maybe something. Jackie might be a bit…off.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Fez asked before he could voice the question.

“She seems to be a tad bit mixed-up.“ 

“What?” Donna asked, with a frown of her own. “What do you mean?“ 

"Well,” Kitty said, grasping for the right words, “the doctor asked all the normal questions they ask when a coma patient wakes up and she had…well, frankly, weird responses." 

"Miss Kitty,” Fez said, “Weird how?”

She shot a look in her son’s direction. “He asked her the year and she said 1980." 

He balked. There were still several months until 1980, and three months ago, it’d been an even longer duration. How did she get 1980? 

"There’s another thing,” Kitty said, turning to Donna. “Have you been seeing anyone since my son left?" 

"What?” Donna asked, startled. “Of course not. I could never move on from Eric that quickly, and I’ve been spending all my time studying." 

Kitty smiled. "Oh, good. Just checking." 

"Why?” the woman who had nearly become her daughter-in-law asked. 

“Jackie was asking for a Ryan - no, Roger - oh, Randy! That’s right, a Randy Pearson? She said you were dating him, but had just broken it off." 

"Randy Pearson?” Donna asked. “Isn’t that the guy who’s more obsessed with his hair than Kelso is?" 

"Hey!” Kelso said. “No one’s more obsessed with their hair than I am.”

“Hyde, wasn’t that Randy guy in the store the other day?“ his sister asked.

He nodded. "He keeps coming into the store, pretending he knows all about music, but then goes in the corner and listens to the Styx all day. He thinks he’s funny, but he really isn’t." 

"I’m definitely not dating that guy, nor have I ever,” Donna told the woman who she knew would one day become her mother-in-law. 

“Glad to hear it,” Kitty said. 

“Although you deserve better than Eric,” her husband said. 

“Hush, Red,” Kitty replied. "Charlie, she thinks you’re dead,” she continued, as tactfully as one could be when informing someone that another person had dreamt up their death.

“Dead?” Charlie asked. “The only dead I’ll be is when Dad figures out what happened in his warehouse. Then I’ll definitely be dead.”

“What happened in the warehouse?” Red asked.

“Nothing,” Charlie said.

“Can we see her now?” Fez asked again. 

“You can, but…she’s made a few strange requests." 

"Well I’ll see you all later,” Donna said, heading in the direction of her best friend. 

“Not you, Donna, sorry, dear. She specifically doesn’t want you." 

"What?” Donna asked, clearly upset. 

“She says and I quote, ‘that lumberjack chose the stripper skank over me!’”

“The who?” Donna asked. 

Kitty looked uncomfortable, but continued. “Michael, she said you can come in, as long as you don’t propose to her again." 

Kelso’s eyes widened as he vigorously shook his head and frantically explained to his girlfriend that he never proposed to Jackie. 

"It’s true. He hasn’t,” Fez said. 

“Red, she would like to see you, and you too, Bob. And her boyfriend…” Kitty trailed off, trying to figure out exactly what to say next. 

He made a move toward the door, before Kitty stopped him with an apologetic look. 

“Not you, Steven, sorry. She’s rather angry with you, I’m afraid." 

Well, he probably deserved that. 

"But I’m pretty sure I would know if you had run off to Vegas and married a stripper." 

Now it was his turn to be shocked. "Wait, what?" 

"That must be the stripper skank she thinks I chose over her,” Donna said, slightly less confused, but only slightly. 

“But you said her boyfriend could go in,” he told his surrogate mom. 

“Right. That. Erm - you see - her boyfriend is allowed in - Fez.”

He swiveled to glare at his foreign friend. “What the hell, man?! Jackie cheated on me with you?" 

Fez held his hands up in surrender. "All that time in bed has made her crazy! The most action I’ve ever gotten from Jackie is that time she ate popcorn off my lap so I kissed her!" 

"I oughta kick your ass for that,” Donna murmured. 

He tried to keep his calm exterior. “Then why the hell is my girlfriend asking for her boyfriend who she claims is you?" 

"I’m telling you, it’s all that bed rest!” Fez said. 

Angie looked at her brother. “Well, you didn’t leave her on the best of terms." 

He glowered. "So she makes up some fantasy in her head about dating Fez?”

“To be fair, she probably couldn’t control her dreams while she was in a coma,” Brooke said. 

“Well, she’s not in a coma anymore,” Fez said. “I’m going in there and straightening this out." 

"Like hell you are,” he said, blocking Fez’s way. “But I will.”

[postgamecontent]

Landstalker: SEGA Genesis RPG Spotlight #3

Original Release Date: October 30, 1992

Original Hardware: SEGA Mega Drive

Developer/Publisher: Climax Entertainment/SEGA

I've already gone into the history of Climax Entertainment and SEGA's ultimately fruitless search for their own Zelda-killer, but both topics are quite relevant as we discuss Landstalker, the 1992 Genesis action-RPG most well-known for its isometric perspective. The game's developer, Climax Entertainment, was founded in 1990 by a former programmer on the Dragon Quest series named Kan Naito. Its first two projects were jointly developed with Sonic! Software Planning and should be familiar to anyone who has found their way to this article. Shining in the Darkness is a first-person dungeon crawler that kicked off SEGA's long-running Shining series. Shining Force, a turn-based tactical RPG, is perhaps the most celebrated entry in that series. Climax's contributions to those games included vital elements such as art and programming, but the series was ultimately the child of Sonic! and would proceed solely in their care after the first two installments.

Having worked on a dungeon crawl RPG and a tactical RPG, Climax had already started making a name for themselves with fans of the role-playing genre. It made sense that their first wholly-developed title would also be an RPG. While Climax was independent of SEGA, they had a good relationship with the publisher at this point. Perhaps out of a desire to get away from turn-based games and try something new, or perhaps to help SEGA try to find its Zelda, Climax decided their new game would be an action-RPG. Someone on staff must have been a fan of British computer games, because they also opted for an isometric viewpoint for their game, a relatively unusual choice among Japanese-developed games of the time.

Back before hardware could easily handle a lot of polygons, you basically had a few choices if you wanted to make a 3D game. To start with, no matter which route you took, your camera would almost certainly have to be fixed. Many developers opted to use an overhead view, which allowed players to move easily in any direction and see the world around them without any issues. This worked well for many genres and was quite popular as a result. The only catch is that the player is usually so far above the action that it hardly feels like a real 3D space. In fact, most of these games simply swapped one dimension for another, as the ability to move in all directions often took the place of any real verticality.

Another option was to go with a first-person view. Again, the camera was essentially fixed in most of the early games that went in this direction. The hardware simply couldn't handle a player moving about and looking as they liked. As such, games played from this point of view usually had the player move in fixed chunks of distance. This kind of stop-and-go gameplay was best suited for games with a more leisurely pace, such as RPGs or adventure games. Some clever programming and design was being applied to bring this perspective to PC action games around the time of Landstalker's development, but it would still be a while before consoles would enjoy the fruits of that. The benefits here are obvious. Having the player look through the character's eyes makes the game feel more lifelike and the world more three-dimensional. The main drawback is that it gave players a very limited view of the area around them.

Then there was the isometric perspective. Skewing things at that angle allowed the world to express depth without giving up the player's ability to see all around them at a glance. With this method, it was easier to create games that afforded players the ability to move in all directions while still being able to jump and climb. It could also be quite cinematic if things were set up the right way. This viewpoint was popularized by Ultimate Play the Game's Knightlore, which spawned a cottage industry of clones in the British computer gaming scene in the 1980s. While this seems like the ideal choice for an action-adventure, there's a serious drawback that becomes almost immediately obvious to anyone after playing one of these games for a little while.

Simply put, the depth is an illusion. Our ability to perceive how far or close objects are to us depends greatly on methods that could not be easily replicated by a 2D television at the time. Polygonal games could alleviate this issue by allowing the player to move the camera, giving them the chance to compare objects and figure out where they were, relative to one another. Sprite-based games had no such luxury for the player, who was at the mercy of the developer's ability and/or desire to lay things out in a manner that wasn't confusing. This is not an easy task by any means, and many developers simply couldn't resist using depth perception issues to hide secrets and trick the player. It's that specific respect that makes the isometric viewpoint somewhat controversial among players.

On top of that, most controllers since Nintendo's 8-bit hardware launched use a directional pad for movement. Such pads typically emphasize the cardinal directions, and that left the developer with a difficult choice. What happens when the player pushes up on the pad? Will they go to the upper-left, or will they go to the upper-right? Do you force them to use diagonals so that things match up properly? I think there's a good reason why the most popular isometric games tended to be slower-paced affairs. But there's always someone who tries to ice skate uphill, and over the course of their first decade of existence Climax would keep on taking a run at just that.

Landstalker in a lot of ways is asking more of this perspective than any of Climax's other isometric games. Battles are often crowded and take place right on the map, requiring you to quickly turn directions to stave off enemies coming at you from all around. There's a fair bit of complex platforming, much of it involving moving platforms whose relationships to each other aren't always obvious. Missteps will send you hurtling back to the start of whatever you were trying to climb. Secrets are hidden behind pieces of the scenery that the camera can't see, and some of them require you to jump onto ledges and objects that aren't visible to you. Should you happen to run out of life hearts and have no healing items left, you'll be unceremoniously dumped back to the title screen, forced to replay from your last save point. Said save point is likely in a nearby town, so you pretty much have to complete dungeons in one go. Naturally, you can't move the camera an inch.

What this all comes down to is that while Landstalker has a lot of qualities that almost everyone can agree on, it's an incredibly divisive game. Its gorgeous visuals, strong soundtrack, and interesting puzzle designs make it hard to outright hate, but the line between mediocre and masterpiece appears to lay in how well the individual can get along with the necessary outcomes of its isometric perspective. I've noticed that those well-versed in those Knightlore-inspired UK computer games have less of a problem getting over that hurdle than those who were raised on a diet of Japanese console games or American arcade games. That makes a lot of sense, given that learning to cope with the quirks of the viewpoint weren't part of the education of a lot of players outside of that particular group. Arcade players had Marble Madness, but that controlled with a trackball. Console players only had the odd PC port from Electronic Arts or the occasional release from Ultimate Play the Game themselves under their new name of Rare.

I feel like I grew up on a relatively mixed diet of computers, arcades, and consoles. The first games I played were in arcade cabinets. The first machine I had in my home capable of playing games was a Commodore 64. But though I was late to the console party, once I got my Nintendo Entertainment System I was in, all the way. Yet for all the British classics I played on that C64, I never did get into isometric games all that much. In turn, it's something I feel like I'm fighting with every step of the way when I play Landstalker. I have a good time with literally every aspect of the game except the basic controls. Curiously, it's a far greater issue for me here than it is with Dark Savior, one of the game's follow-ups. But then again, that game allows me to move the camera a little, isn't as punishing when I fail, and moves its combat to a far simpler arena.

Outside of that admittedly major issue, I have nothing but praise for Landstalker. The environments are varied, the overworld feels big, and the dungeons are cleverly designed with puzzles a-plenty. I love the art style, and the designs fit the Genesis's capabilities perfectly. The story isn't nearly as simple as it initially appears, though like Dark Savior its ending sort of fizzles to nothing. You get a surprisingly good sense of the characters in spite of relatively little dialogue for some of them, and the more developed characters really come out well. It's about on the level of a silly Saturday morning cartoon in most respects, but it's at least a good one. I love that wherever it feels like there should be a secret, there is one. I also genuinely appreciate that this is a game where effort is typically rewarded with something of appropriate value. The game aggravates the heck out of me, but after I get through one of those wall-punching situations, I usually feel pretty good about it.

In some ways, I find Landstalker more enjoyable on a replay. You know what to expect, you've seen your way through the worst of it once before, and you know what you can look forward to. But the controls and perspective, so annoying at the time, feel worse every time I come back. I also find myself less tolerant of the many moments where the developer knew exactly what kind of unfair trickery they were relying on and did it anyway. It's a bizarre habit of Climax. Instead of designing their games around obscuring the weak points, they tend to shine a bright flashlight directly upon them. This isn't a problem, Landstalker says. It's so very much not a problem that we're going to force you to deal with it as much as possible. I'd love to chalk that up to their relative newcomer status at the time of Landstalker's release, but it's a behavior that persists in their work. The most recent Climax game I played, the dreadful Kingdom of Paradise for the PSP, was similarly proud of its shortcomings.

Looking at Landstalker from a design standpoint, it's clear that Climax could have made a high quality action-RPG that might have pleased a wider crowd had they only stuck closer to the conventions of the genre. That said, it's hard to be too down on a developer for trying something different. There are a lot of people who have no problems with Landstalker's controls and platforming, and for them, it's a game that gives a Zelda-like feeling without directly copying Zelda. That's something precious, particularly in Landstalker's era. I think it says a lot for Landstalker that in spite of my borderline hatred of its fundamental mechanics, I still think it's a really great game. It just has a really big asterisk next to it, is all.

Interestingly, if you want to play Landstalker today, your options are quite limited. It's available on the Wii Virtual Console, the PC SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive Classics Collection, and in its original cartridge form. None of the console SEGA Genesis collections include the game, and although it would have benefited better than most from a SEGA 3D Classic treatment on the 3DS, there's no such luck there either. Wherever you choose to play it, make sure you've got a good directional pad to work with. The game isn't terribly long, so if you can deal with its flaws, it's certainly worth the time for a playthrough.

Previous: Beyond Oasis

Next: Sword of Vermillion

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[allisonswrittenwords]

Sack It, Stuff It, Stack It, Express It! Got it?

No, this is not Allison’s Written Words’ way of ridding itself of readership, but rather, a interestingly-named line of school supplies that made 80s kids too cool for school.

That’s right, it’s a new month, hence, a new theme!

School’s In Session!

That Rubberband Man, he’ll find you!

The month of September, being a month of back to school, needed some nostalgic trips into school.  Specifically, needs school supplies.  So, four new articles, four different ways of going back to school in style! Forget laptops, tablets, and smart phones – those are way too modern for our very nostalgic back-to-school supply list.  We’re focusing on how WE went back to school in the 1980s and 1990s.

Some of what you’ll see this month will have you wanting to go back to school…or not.  But it will definitely bring back some memories.

Today, we kick off “Too Cool for School” Month in 1987, with a familiar brand and its venture into the hallowed halls of education.  Perhaps you remember today’s school supply lineup?

Sack It, Stuff It, Stack It, Express It!

Got it?

Class Act was a “high tech” line of school supplies (considered “high tech” in concept, but only one aspect of the school supply line was actually technology-based – more on that shortly) created and manufactured by Worlds of Wonder during their ill-fated year of 1987.  Yes, you read that right – Worlds of Wonder – the same company behind Teddy Ruxpin, Grubby, and various other talking dolls of the mid 1980s.  They turned away from their high-tech aspirations (well, not totally) to create a line of “high concept” supplies that made going to school…cool.

Seriously, I had to rhyme that.

Each product had its own special name, with the commonality of the word “It” attached to each title.

The Class Act of School Supplies…

What were these products, pray tell?

There were pocket folders (Stash It)…

Image: eBay

Image: eBay

Image: eBay

Image: eBay

Butts.  So many butts.  Because butts and folders are the same thing?

A locker shelving system that Worlds of Wonder called Stack it…or Rack It?

Image: PicClick

I had something like this during my mid-1990s middle school years.  It wasn’t this, but it was the exact same thing, and it worked pretty well.  Since I was in my “cool phase” at the start of high school (yep, keep feeding yourself that lie, Allison), I kept my version in my closet at home.  It worked well there too.

But wait, there’s more!

There was a heavy-duty binder called Stuff It…

The 1980s version of Five Star Binders, and the precursor to Trapper Keeper fad. Kinda like how Worlds of Wonder’s Action Max was the precursor for Nintendo.  Or not.

Can you imagine someone asking about this binder, and being told “Stuff It!…no, that’s the name of the binder!  Come back!  I didn’t tell you to Stuff It!”

And if you need a place to put your Stash It and Stuff It, we have…Sack It!

Image: Reddit

Sack It was a series of school bags – backpack, tote, and duffel bag, now with the ultra-stylish Acid Wash look that will never go out of style!

Image: eBay

Next up, a mini tape recorder (Got It) to check the authenticity of your note, or for the budding school newspaper journalist who needs one of these for interviews.  Also known as “the one item in an already rare line of items I can’t find any information on!”

And a – prepare thyself! – a locker answering machine (Express It)!

So serious.  A locker answering machine.  And the way to make it work was so bizarre, the commercial didn’t even explain how to do it.

I had three minutes to get to my classes in a three-story high school.  Sometimes, I had to run from one side of the school to the other and be lucky if I could squeeze in a locker trip at times (figuring things like that out in my youth made me great at managing my time and keeping schedules in adulthood).  That tangent said, I never would have time to check my hair and makeup in that time, so having a “locker answering machine” to check in the thirty seconds I probably gave myself to swap out stuff from my backpack and mall walker-style power walk to my next class was completely unrealistic!

And Worlds of Wonder didn’t care to demonstrate it, but decided to show you that you had a social life and needed a tape recorder so people could leave you messages at school.  Because you were of the generation for slipping notes into the locker, but you were above that.

Ah, that Worlds of Wonder, with their tape recorder enhanced products.

But, how does it work?

Allow YouTube user Doug McCoy to explain!

Upload via Doug McCoy

And I’m sure this thing never worked quite as well as the commercial made it seem!

Marketing To The Big Kids

While the little ones were enjoying Worlds of Wonder’s talking toy offerings, and the elementary school-age kids were playing with Action Max and Lazer Tag, Worlds of Wonder marketed “Class Act” to the junior high/high school crowd.  Because they ate up pocket folders decorated with acid wash-clad butts, binders called “Stuff It,” and answering machines for your locker.

The commercials were very 1980s high school, DeGrassi/21 Jump Street/MTV style, which was bold for Worlds of Wonder, who often featured cutesy plots about Teddy Ruxpin being the experiment of a mad scientist, Pamela the Living Doll being given to her creator’s adorable granddaughter, and kids having a birthday party for Teddy Ruxpin so they could present him with his friend, Grubby.

They freakin’ wrapped Grubby in wrapping paper in a commercial!

And as for that neon sign logo…

It has teen sitcom feel all over it.  Even the music and the sting used at the very end of the commercial gives off that feel.

As for its success…

(Insert Obligatory “This Is What Happened To Worlds of Wonder” Story Here)

Like other Worlds of Wonder products that had hit it big during the mid-1980s, this product line hit a snag with the Stock Market Crash on October 19, 1987 (by all means, something to associate with my fifth birthday!), and the line lost sales, leading to the end of its production, and cancellation of any future Class Act products.

I will say though, aside from the locker answering machine, a line of school supplies – excuse me, decent looking school supplies – had potential to stand out among Teddy Ruxpin and animatronic talking dolls in Worlds of Wonder’s success stories.  Where Action Max was a total disappointment, a binder with the unique name “Stuff It” screamed “buy me!”

Oh, and how about those oh-so-1980s, teenage-geared commercials?

Sack It, Stuff It, Stack It, Express It…With Commercials!

Because when you know something exists, you’ll try to hunt down proof.  Behold, the joys of YouTube offerings!  I am so grateful to people who have cool stuff like this, when I didn’t even know it existed until just recently!

Thank you to TV Mad Man and Doug McCoy for your contributions to the world of obscure product advertising!

Upload via The TV Mad Man

Upload via The TV Madman

Upload via Doug McCoy

By the way, Doug McCoy has even gotten his hands on other products in the Class Act line, and made videos about it!

So The Important Question Remains…

Did I have anything from the Class Act school supply line?

Well…no.

Honestly, until I learned about the fate of Worlds of Wonder about six years ago, I’d never heard of Class Act, nor had I ever seen these products.  Even when I’d heard about them initially (while researching Worlds of Wonder on many occasions in the last six years), I’d never thought to look up a line of school supplies from the same company that manufactured talking dolls for young children.   I was of the age where playing with Teddy Ruxpin and Action Max were the norm.  I wasn’t in school yet, so I had no need for butt-clad pocket folders, hard plastic binders that hold pizza, and locker answering machines.  Acid Wash denim bags, perhaps, but definitely not the other supplies.

Which is a shame really, though by the time I was ready for cool school supplies, I was ready for next week’s featured school supplies.

That’s your teaser for next week, folks.  Going from obscure supplies that who knows how many people had, to a supply plenty of people had!

So, until then, tell me about your knowledge of Class Act, and have a great day.

Oh, and if you’re going back to school, have a great year.  If you’re sending someone back, hope they have a great year.

And watch out for this guy!

  Sack It, Stuff It, Stack It, Express It!, and be a "Class Act" with Worlds of Wonder's line of too-cool-for-school supplies! (Got it?) Sack It, Stuff It, Stack It, Express It! Got it?

[trinamcmichaels01]

Play Online Pokies

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 How to Gamble Online With a Texas Hold'em Equipment

 Every area all over the globe has its own term for every single gambling establishment game known to guy. The exact same opts for poker. Texas hold'em is referred to as pokies in Australia as well as, in Britain, it is labelled as slot machine. No matter what its name is, one thing continues to be the exact same, online poker has actually never fallen short to intrigue bettors particularly with its video game play that is majorly based on pure possibility Free Pokies.

 Nevertheless, with the resulting on-line innovation, online betting additionally came into the photo and this was among the best benefits that British bettors experienced in their years of playing in casino sites. What treats do these on-line betting sites supply? First off you get to play all sorts of video games such as different kinds of online poker and cost-free roulette matches. However, British casino gamers fall short to appreciate their own version of the slot machine. This is since many on the internet gambling enterprise provides 5 duplicates of the Vegas ports that have a lot of winning lines. This sort of poker is totally different to that of the slot machine Australia.

 Fairly interestingly, on the internet gaming would certainly not just sit down as well as allow the needs of casino players pass unnoticed. Certainly, they would always grab this sort of opportunity as setting up an online casino includes having to fight teeth as well as neck versus competition. To do so, they need to satisfy and also exceed the assumptions of their customers. A great deal of pc gaming websites utilize Pub style replicas with the assistance of Microgaming software. What this does is it assists boost the experience of playing on the internet fruit machine. It can providing the slots exactly how a person would see them in land-based casino sites. Additionally, the online variation even has additional functions such as extremely hold, pushes, holds, among others.

 Restriction Your Number of Loses

 As you play with the online variation of the video game, you would certainly notice that the attributes carefully appears like that of those discovered in the fruit machine, the UK variation of online poker. Similar to any kind of various other online casino video games, it is also based a lot on luck. That is why among the best strategies that a gamer can utilize is to quit while he is still has even more victories than losses. He needs to be able to know when to stop specifically if he is on a losing streak. If, as an example, you still proceed playing the video game, you run the risk of ending up insolvent after the video game Free Pokies.

 Finest No Deposit Bonus Gambling Enterprises

 Online casino sites are obtaining a growing number of preferred nowadays. They supply numerous benefits to their present members as well as additionally several special incentives to brand-new members so regarding attract even more gamers. These bonuses are offered on problems that you will have to stay in the play for a defined time. If you are a casino site game fan as well as are seeking an on the internet gambling enterprise then the best alternative will be to seek no down payment bonus offer online casinos.

 Several of the best are reviewed listed below.

 Trendy Pet cat - It is one of the very best no deposit incentive online casinos which is much prominent among game lovers. If you are a new participant after that you will certainly be used a $50 no down payment benefit by the casino. There is a maximum withdrawal limitation of $100 above which you can not withdraw the quantity at an offered time.

Silver Oak - This casino site also supplies $50 to its new members. If you are seeking no down payment incentive online casinos after that you can simply go for Silver Oak Gambling enterprise whose bonus offer quantity ought to be bet 40 times prior to making any kind of withdrawal.

Tradition - This casino site is likewise included in the list of such gambling enterprises and offers $30 as no down payment bonus offer to its new participants. If you go through the terms of this on-line gambling enterprise after that you will discover that the gamers are required to bet the benefit 99 times before they can opt for any withdrawal. You can make a maximum withdrawal of 5 times the bonus offer quantity while the minimal feasible withdrawal amount is $30. The most effective feature of this casino site is that the players are supplied extra $50 on their birthday celebrations.

Club Gamer - Club Gamer is just one of the popular casinos which is just best for all on-line gambling establishment lovers. It uses $65 to its new members and also the amount should be wagered 30 times before any type of withdrawal.

Royal residence of Opportunity - This is once again an exceptional no down payment incentive on the internet casino site which provides $50 to its new members. The amount is provided as no deposit bonus, as supplied by a lot of the no down payment bonus gambling establishments today. You are allowed a $100 maximum withdrawal that too only after the benefit amount is bet 40 times.

 Sorts Of Online Gambling Enterprise Bonus Offers

 Among the very best reasons that gamers require to online betting is the suggestion of delighting in online casino rewards. While standard land-based gambling enterprise perks such as totally free drinks and also meals obviously can not fit into the world of internet video gaming, wagering websites still handle to bring in and also award consumers by supplying them lucrative incentives.

 On the internet gamers can be forgiven for obtaining slightly confused regarding all the various bonuses and promos available in the industry. After all, the buzz and advertising and marketing campaigns bordering the different type of bonus offers are enough to make anyone concern specifically what kind they ought to make the most of and just how much they will benefit from a specific promo. Because of that, it is definitely crucial that bettors have a clear understanding of the various kinds available as well as make educated, educated decisions concerning their choices Cost-free Pokies.

 Welcome Incentives

 Invite bonus offers are precisely as their name implies - a reward that invites gamers to a certain online gambling enterprise. Welcome (or 'sign-up' benefits) are the on the internet gambling establishment's method to attract players onto their site and also attempt their gambling enterprise. With a lot of on-line casino sites around, it is necessary that welcome rewards take care of to capture the gamer's eye with more-than-generous offers and problems. Sometimes, gamers might feel that the offer is TOO great to be real; however, it is certainly worth taking a look at every promotion as most websites genuinely are offering fantastic terms simply for gamers to check out their gambling enterprises. There are numerous sorts of welcome incentives, the two most typical being a match benefit and also a no-deposit benefit.

 A suit perk means that the on-line casino will certainly match the player's very first deposit by a specific percent, usually as much as a particular quantity of cash. So, for instance, if a site uses a 100% match incentive approximately $100, the gamer requires to deposit up to $100 and also will automatically be compensated with an additional $100 (or 100% of the first deposit) to spend at their pc gaming sessions. This is a wonderful method of doubling one's having fun time at the online gambling establishment as well as consequently putting oneself in line to win more.

 A no-deposit incentive is an incredibly financially rewarding deal that is not provided in all websites. Basically, gamers do not have to make any type of first down payment at the website after registering. Instead, they will instantly be rewarded with credit histories to start their video gaming session. Similar to all incentives, it is essential that gamers check out the conditions of these sort of promos thoroughly.

 Monthly Incentives

 Once players have actually attempted a specific online gambling enterprise with making use of the welcome bonuses and also take pleasure in the games and attributes, the possibilities are that they will certainly continue playing at the gambling enterprise over a length of time. To make certain that players really do return for more, sites reward returning customers with generous regular monthly rewards - so called since they are generally provided on a monthly basis. These incentives are likewise called reload incentives because they start when players reload their accounts at the online gambling enterprise. The monthly bonus offer is normally awarded on a portion basis, as an example 20% of the amount that gamer invests funding his/her account.

 High-Roller Incentives

 Undoubtedly, online casinos are keen to draw in gamers that spend large quantities on their online pc gaming home entertainment. As such, these players, called money players, are awarded additional quantities for transferring and playing at on-line casinos. Money players additionally appreciate unique promos, VIP clubs as well as various other perks to make their remain as gratifying and also beneficial as feasible Free Pokies.

 Repayment Technique Incentives

 Great on-line casino sites offer a variety of settlement methods through which gamers can deposit and withdraw their funds. Some sites intend to encourage gamers to make use of a specific settlement method (such as Click2Pay or Moneybookers) and also as a result offer gamers an added 10 or 15% extra reward merely for using these approaches.

 Online Casino Site Benefits

 As can be seen, there are lots of types of benefits to pick from in the on-line casino site sector. The trick is to learn about every one of these as long as feasible and afterwards choose one (or a number of) that match the gamer's certain gaming demands and way of life. In the long run, the benefit should offer the players well as well as must not make them invest greater than they at first set out to. When all is stated and also done, on-line casino site benefits are one of the most effective reasons to experiment with net video gaming.

 A Quick Guide To Online Gambling Establishment Bonus Offers

 One of the big destinations of online gambling establishments is the different types of bonuses used by them. Stay upgraded about the range of bonus offers you can expect when you bet online, so that you can capitalize on the rewards that benefit you the most. Here are the most usual kinds of on-line gambling enterprise perks you can anticipate.

 Invite Or Sign-Up Reward

 Additionally referred to as the new gamer incentive, the welcome or sign-up bonus offer is the initial thing you will certainly stumble upon and one of the most preferred type of perk. These online casino bonuses are normally more set apart into percent, no-deposit, or match bonus offers.

 * Suit bonuses are one of the most typical type of on-line casino reward where you get one credit score for each and every credit rating you purchase. This is generally an one hundred percent reward on your first purchase with a limit of $100. This incentive could vary and also it is not compulsory to invest the $100. Most online casinos allow you to buy a minimal $20 to make you qualified for the match incentive Free Pokies.

 * The portion bonus offer is anything greater than 100 percent and also offers you 200 percent or 300 percent. Almost all online casino benefits are similar to portion incentives, despite whether they occur to be match or percentage Australia.

 * The no-deposit bonus is undoubtedly one of the most recommended incentive. It can be complimentary cash in the kind of complimentary gambling establishment credit histories that are added to your pc gaming account when you join and cost-free play casino site where you obtain a complimentary newbie's equilibrium. You can maintain any type of payouts that surpass this quantity.

 Reload Bonus

 A reload benefit is supplied to get you to maintain refilling your account as well as continue to wager online. It is usually similar to the welcome or sign-up perk and also offers a 100 percent compare. This might get on a month-to-month, weekly, or day-to-day basis, depending on which on-line casino you are playing.

 Deposit Method Benefit

 When you pick a certain down payment approach with a casino-usually your credit card or an on the internet settlement provider-to fund your video gaming account, you obtain a deposit method benefit. This can be in the range of 5 percent to 15 percent, and is independent of other bonus offers you get Australia.

 Money Player Bonus Offer

 A down payment of $1,000 or more gets a high roller incentive as well as varies from 25 percent to 50 percent Australia.

 Commitment Incentives

 Loyalty benefits are provided by online gambling enterprises as Gamers Club incentives as well as special acquisition perks.

 * The Athletes Club reward is commonly called a player incentives or "compensation" benefit and also involves accumulating points based upon your online gambling establishment video games wagers. This is usually allotted as one point per $10 wagered. When you collect 1,000 factors, you can redeem them in United States dollars in gambling establishment credit scores. The majority of online casinos enroll you in the online casino gamers club by default. It is, however, much better to validate.

 * The special purchase perk is a down payment reward used to gamers that have actually already made a deposit. This might be in the type of a suit bonus, portion bonus, or a no-deposit perk.

 Go ahead and find a reliable online casino site that fits you as well as begin your gaming by seeking a no-deposit gambling enterprise bonus.

For More Information Visit Here

[jacobgardiner16-blog]

Platform Games

Platform games are mainly 2D graphic based games where a player controls a character, jumping and climbing between platforms while avoiding obstacles. Platform games originated in the early 1980s and we an instant success with games such as Mario Bros (1983) and Donkey Kong (1981) dominating the market. Another big platform franchise is ‘Sonic’ (1991). This genre of game propelled ahead of the pack because of places such as arcades where children and young adults would ‘hang out’ for endless hours on the daily. This is where the term ‘Arcade games’ came from. Platform games were held in arcade machines and charged the youth miniscule amounts to have a turn on the game compared to spending large amounts on the system itself, which a lot couldn’t afford. Highscores were a key way of keeping the public interacting with the game. People would love to see their name next to the highest score on the system as it is a great achievement to be a high level at something.

                        The earliest of many mainstream platform games was Donkey Kong. In this game, the main protagonist is a plumber who is tasked with saving the princess who has been captured by the Donkey Kong. You have 3 lives to play with before the big ‘GAME OVER’ screen pops up and the environment is dangerous which could cause you to lose the lives you have. You stand at the bottom of large pipes whilst they are at the very top and you must climb up them on a series of ladders placed on opposite ends of each pipeline. Whilst traveling to save the princess, Donkey Kong throws barrels down the pipes to stop you from saving her. There are also fire barrels which come from the opposite way, ensuring you aren’t staying in the same place for a lot of time. Also, large hammers spawn on different platforms which can destroy the barrels making your journey safer and making progression to the next level a bit easier. On this game, there isn’t a specific level cap; its plainly bases of high score and although levels get progressively harder, the game will not end until you run out of lives.

One thing which made this game an instant success is the fact that the protagonist is so basic; he is the last thing that would come to your mind when thinking of a hero, which the main character of the story is supposed to be. One important thing about this narrative is that the protagonist grows into a character know to the world as ‘Mario’ who becomes one of the most important video game characters of all time.

  A few years after the release of Donkey Kong was the birth of ‘Mario bros’. In the game, Mario is portrayed as an Italian-American plumber who, along with his brother Luigi, has to defeat creatures that have been coming from the sewers. The gameplay focuses on Mario and Luigi exterminating the creatures by flipping them on their backs and kicking them away. The mechanics of Mario Bros. involve only running and jumping. If you jump on one of the monster’s head, this causes the monsters to flip on their backs in which case you can kick them away. Your aim from level to level is to get from one side to the other where you will be presented with a pipe/tunnel which will lead you onto the next level.

     There are little power-ups which are these boxes displayed as a ‘?’. These have things such as a mushroom, a star and a sunflower. The mushroom is similar to an extra life as when you get hit by one of the monsters, it will usually instant kill you but the mushroom makes you bigger so when you do get hit, you go smaller but do not die. The star makes you invulnerable to anything that can harm you other than the holes in the ground which is a death barrier. Finally, the sunflower is an enhanced way to kill the monsters. It throws fire balls which kills them. As you progress, you’ll find that the levels get progressively harder. This is done by adding more monsters and more obstacles. The main narrative to this game is to save the princess ‘Peach’. She has been kidnapped by the evil ‘Bowser’ and at the end of each stage is one of his minions. There are usually different mechanics for these bosses. Much like DK, this was an early game designed for arcades hence why it is so pixelated. Like I previously stated, Mario is designed to be very comparable to the user. It makes us feel like were actually in the game because of how similar we are to him.

Although Donkey Kong was basically the birthplace of platform games, Mario bros was the game that propelled the genre into the front of the pack and was the main game of that specific era. With this information, it is no surprise that Mario is the video game series with the most sequels! There has been a total of 119 sequels since the original which spinoff to many different genres. That’s absolutely mind blowing! This is just a clear representation of how much of an impact platform games and Mario have shaped people’s childhoods and how much this game has brought in a loyal player and fan base. The main thing that the creators had to do to keep a recurring player base was upgrading the quality. This is because technology has been advancing and people really want high quality games and if Mario didn’t stick and apply this trend, they would lose a lot of players. Below is a representation of how the quality of content has changed through the ages:

              Sonic was the next big thing after Mario. Sonic the Hedgehog is a platform game published by Sega for the Sega Genesis console. It was released in North America in June 1991. Sonic is a human like or ‘anthropomorphic hedgehog who is on an important mission to save the world by stopping the Evil Dr. Robotnik, also known as Eggman. The villain is a mad scientist who has been capturing and holding animals as prisoners. He has also stolen seven ancient artifacts called the ‘Chaos emeralds’ that possess powerful properties and abilities to those who hold them. With all of these artifacts and animal prisoners turned slaves, he plans to overthrow the world and turn it into his own personal ‘Eggman empire’.

The gameplay involves collecting special rings or coins which act as a form or health which is notable similar to the mushrooms that grow you and gives you an extra life in Mario Bros. jumping and running are the only other controls available in the game and using both of them is the form of attack towards Dr. Robotnik and his minions. This is also a similar mechanic to Mario Bros. one of the most creative things that the designers did which brought in users was Sonic’s movement. Around certain obstacles and downwards paths, sonic would move in a rolling motion. This was very eye catching to a user in its era as graphics like this were brand new but it made complete sense as sonic is supposed to be very fast and because technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now, you couldn’t really see much other than something blue spinning round in a circle. This added to the idea that he’s super-fast because it’s almost as sonic is moving in a blur because of how quick it is.

Much like Mario, Sonic is also a game which has multiple sequels. With Mario being first when it comes to sequels, Sonic sits in third with 80 sequels. It is also compared to Mario in terms of diversity as some of the sequels have branched off to different genres but with the same characters. Mario and sonic also share a game series called, ‘Mario and Sonic at the Olympic games’ which has a few sequels. This game consists of many mini games which are a representation of the Olympic games. Sonic also has had to undergo visual and performance upgrades to maintain a high and recurring player and fan base.

Platform games were not the first game genre created and the first game wasn’t a platform game. The most important thing to note about platform games were that they were basically the beginning of video game addiction and were the birthplace for love of video games. They were mainly located in arcades and were quite cheap to use which made the youth want to play them and soon after, they were the most popular thing about. Platform games made sequels which branched off to different genres and basically popularized them. The most important thing about these games is that the mechanics are very basic and easy to understand so anybody could just pick up and play it. This was one of the things which brought in a larger player base.

[allofbeercom]

5 Insane Subcultures That Might Become The Next Hipster

Guys, we’ve gone and done it: We broke hipsters. We’ve made fun of their $200 “vintage” shirts and fixies and craft-beer-spewing proboscises for so long that the very term has malfunctioned. “Hipster” is now a meaningless go-to insult for anyone who looks different from you, which is everyone. The hipster is gone. Beards can finally be un-ironic again.

However, as much as it pains me to say this, the death of the hipster is a problem. There must always be a dominant subculture — the one people love to hate until it occupies so much mind space that it actually hits the mainstream. A few of them actually die; strong ones such as punk come cackling back in the shadows before long, while others such as hippies gain public semi-acceptance and go on doing their thing. Even fucking emos have Hot Topic to remember them by. But, not hipsters — hipsters are going out like an IPA-tainted diarrhea fart. The mark they leave is distinct, but easily washable. They’ve been an unsustainable fad — the Kris Kross jeans of subcultures. So, now that they’re on the out, there’s a power vacuum, and attempts to fill it with more of the same (see “lumbersexuals” and “yuccies“) don’t seem to be gaining too much traction.

The balance of the universe is at stake. What we need is the next hipster: a fresh new stereotype to joke about/lust after (depending on your alignment) for the next few years. Seeing as I’m currently locked in the writing barrel, and the other columnists refuse to let me out until I find one, here goes:

#5. Raggare

I’ve never been a greaser myself because, frankly, I can only handle so much Buddy Holly, but I have a long-standing affinity toward 1950s aesthetics. That’s why it’s always pissed me off a little that, apart from a few fashion revivals and Stray Cats in the 1980s, the culture has been firmly sidelined from the mainstream for decades. Still, just because it’s not front and center doesn’t mean that it’s not evolving. In Sweden, strange things are happening:

It’s like Mad Max had a drinking competition with Grease, and everyone lost.

Raggare have been around since the 1950s, but they truly kicked into gear during the 1970s oil crisis: When America found it didn’t have money to drive its giant-ass cars, many Swedes said, “Fuck yes, American stuff for cheap,” and bought themselves a bunch of Buicks, Dodges, and suchlike in prime condition. The rock ‘n’ roll attitude arrived with the cars, and they’ve never stopped since. These days, raggare are a culture old enough to have subcultures of its own: the relatively mellow old-timers who tinker with their machines and arrange garage parties and drives, and the younger generation, who are feistier and, if the pictures are any indication, possess a very different attitude about their cars’ appearance.

Feber “I’m telling you, man, thatched car roofs are the next big thing.”

Hipster Pros:

Raggare have a look. They have a very specific thing that they do. Most importantly, they’re not just a phase you grow out of. Guys from the 1970s are still in the scene and have no intention of stopping. These guys could have actual lasting power.

Hipster Cons:

They’re seasonal. The raggare lifestyle is all about old cars, suede shoes, and painstakingly pomade-sculptured hair, all of which go right out of the window when mother nature decides to make your region eat a faceful of winter. For the colder portion of the year, many raggare tend to go around in modern cars and season-appropriate clothes and generally give more of an upstanding citizen vibe. Today’s Twitter-filled world is a hectic ol’ thing, and a subculture that goes into hibernation for a few months every year might not be able to survive even a single media cycle.

I am, of course, proposing that they should mod their cars into all-weather, all-terrain attack vehicles, M.A.S.K. style.

#4. Seapunk

Seapunk is a logical successor to the dominant subculture throne, in that it ticks all the right boxes: They have their own weird, house/hip-hop music, a distinct identity, and a look that sets them apart from everyone else. Also important: Said look is annoying as hell.

Aquaman’s emo years were no one’s proudest moment.

Even seapunk’s origin story is organic, reflects our times, and (most importantly) is easily stupid enough to warrant a torrent of jokes. Someone saw a dream about a leather jacket with barnacles instead of studs and tweeted it, shit went viral — and boom! Online joke becomes a meme, and meme becomes a subculture, complete with aesthetics that look like a tornado picked up the entire Burning Man festival and dropped it in the cartoon ocean part of Oz.

Hipster Pros:

They’re a fucking meme come to life! Plus, no one seems to be certain about whether this is an elaborate joke or an actual thing that exists. Suck on those irony levels, veterans of the hipster scene.

My money would be on the joke, but I think I actually have a shirt like that somewhere.

Hipster Cons:

It might be too late. We live in a time where most cool new things are almost immediately appropriated by the mainstream. So, barely a year into its short life, pop stars from Rihanna to Azealia Banks were already flirting with the seapunk aesthetic, stripping it of what little underground value it had. By most accounts, the movement largely fizzled out of existence by the end of 2012, meaning that the Mayan people were right about at least one small, sad apocalypse.

Even if there is a strong seapunk scene bubbling under the streets and just waiting to explode upon us in all its aquamarine glory, there’s the fact that apart from the 0.01 percent of seapunks with the looks, time, money, and eye for visuals to regularly look like a naval-themed wedding cake, pretty much every aficionado of the movement would end up looking as out of place as the left shark in Katy Perry’s Superbowl performance.

FUCK YEAH LEFT SHARK, YOU SHOW THEM!

This would, of course, be totally awesome and thus severely undermine the subculture’s ability to function as a hate sink.

#3. Gopniki

Weird Russia

There are plenty of working class cultures around the world that wear track suits and designer gear — British chavs, Polish dresy, Australian bogans, and gangsta rappers, for instance. However, those are not what we’re going to talk about today. Today, we’re all about the gopniki. They’re the Russian variation of the ghetto gangster theme and therefore, by default, 125 percent rougher around the edges and in possession of precisely none of all the fucks. If you see a weird YouTube clip about a 20-something in a cheap track suit doing an activity that makes you instantly nod and think: “Yep, Russia,” chances are it’s one of these guys.

Case in point.

Hipster Pros:

Every once in a while, society needs its dominant subculture to be more than just a remora sticking to pop culture’s underbelly. Sometimes, we need it to give us a good, hard slap on the balls and make us look in the mirror. It’s been a while since we had one of those, and none of the current ones fit the old “my son/daughter is not going to go out with one of those people” bill better than the gopniki.

Also, I’m completely on board with a rerun of the Slav squat meme.

Hipster Cons:

Gopniki are not known for their open-mindedness, but extremely so for their tendency to drunkenly fight anything that moves. Unless you’re a terrible person, they’re not going to agree with your political views too much and, on occasion, might be inclined to do their disagreeing with the soles of their Adidas instead of angry blogging.

So, while a gopnik might be a very good target for a casual “ugh, can you believe what I saw one of those fucking gopniki do today at Starbucks?” said offensive activity might involve a lot less pretentious screenplay writing with an actual typewriter and a lot more high-impact slurs and poor impulse control.

Also, I really, really don’t want that goddamned slicked-forward inverted mullet hairstyle half of them seem to sport to catch on. I still haven’t recovered from topknots.

Actually, yeah, let’s pass these fucking guys. Besides, I have a much better candidate just around the corner …

#2. Haul People

Back in the murky depths of 2011, Cracked’s resident trend expert Daniel O’Brien became baffled by a phenomenon known as haul videos. They’re seemingly random YouTube clips where girls fawned over their shopping “hauls” on-camera and, for some inexplicable reason, raked in five- to six-figure views.

I remember this well. Back then, it seemed like just another weird kink of the Internet, a video version of a meme. Surely, people have long since grown bored of watching a bunch of creepy kids wave their purchases at the camera and wandered away to watch more cat videos or someth-

… ing.

6.7 million views? Actual production values? What the shit?

Sure, they’re still not particularly widely known, but they’ve been moving and shaking in the marginal like no one’s business. The people who make haul videos used to be called haul girls, but now that guys are in on the action, too, I don’t think the community really has a name yet — haulers? Haulsters? I’m just going to go ahead and call them “haul people” and hope it’ll stick until the Mole Man mishears the name and attempts to enslave them all. Many of the more successful ones have PR agents and deals with fashion and cosmetic companies. They have been featured on Good Morning America. They have a distinct identity, albeit that of vapid fucks yammering about consumer products to unseen audiences. There are even people who make haul parodies. If that level of sadness doesn’t ruin your day, I don’t know what will.

Hipster Pros:

Easier to hate than a shit-smeared street performer singing Nickelback, yet inexplicably popular enough to have some semblance of legitimacy. Those are the main definitions of, well, every fucking successful subculture in history, and haul people pass them with flying flags.

Flags that they shape out of giant shopping bags.

Hipster Cons:

They’re not ready just yet.

Although they have vast potential as a highly visible subculture that everyone will do their level best to forget in five years’ time, haul people currently lack direction. They’re basically low-key corporate shills, buying/getting junk and peddling it for us. However, the extreme popularity of fringe haul genres such as unboxing videos shows promise for something much, much grander and more stupid. Give it a year or two; I have hope that the community will find certain defining themes and Flanderize itself into something we can truly be baffled by on an ironic-mustache level.

#1. These Fucking Guys

For the love of G’huul the Great Eater, keep the sound on.

Hipster Pros:

All of them.

Hipster Cons:

None. We’re done here. I don’t care who these people really are. I don’t care what they’re supposed to be doing. All I know is that they look like an explosion at the My Little Pony factory’s neon paint subsidiary, and someone edited the Thomas The Tank Engine theme to sync with their goofy-looking space outfit flailing. That is the level of bafflement we need right now, friends, and I now want these guys to explode all over our pop culture fucking yesterday — preferably, while contractually obligated to carry a boom box that blasts out the Thomas theme 24/7.

Pauli Poisuo is a Cracked weekly columnist and freelance editor. Here he is on Facebook and Twitter.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/5-insane-subcultures-that-might-become-the-next-hipster/

[jonathanbelloblog]

McLaren Reveals Sensational Senna

SHEFFIELD, England — Imagine the pressure. Someone has just asked you to create a piano called “The Mozart.” Or a soccer ball named “The Pelé.” Or a cocktail shaker dubbed “The Dean Martin.” Which is to say, you’ve just been handed a nearly impossible assignment: It’s your job to create a product worthy of the most iconic name associated with it. Oh, don’t worry: If you get it wrong, you’ll only be scorned and hounded by, say, millions of furious fans screaming that you’ve disgraced their idol’s legacy.

Such is the pressure on McLaren. The British maker of Formula 1 Grand Prix cars and exotic road-legal machines recently unveiled its latest homage to the greatest and arguably most ardently admired race car driver who ever lived, the late Ayrton Senna. “Project 15,” the audaciously named “Senna,” limited to just 500 examples and due late this year, is said to be the fastest, lightest, most extreme road car McLaren has ever built. It better be. Anything less would be a discredit to the Brazilian maestro who, in 161 F1 races, started from pole position an unbelievable 65 times.

Yet if anyone can build a “Senna” worthy of the legend, it’s McLaren. After all, it was with the McLaren F1 team in the late 1980s and early 1990s that Senna notched the majority of his Grand Prix victories—and all three of his world driving championships. What’s more, McLaren has the full support of the Senna family. Last December, in fact, the maker auctioned off the 500th and final copy of the Senna (the other 499 were already sold) for $2.7 million (roughly three times the car’s price)—donating the proceeds to the Ayrton Senna Institute, a non-profit headed by Senna’s sister, Viviane, and dedicated to educating and assisting underprivileged young people in Brazil.

Finally, to bake-in one additional sprinkle of “Senna-ness,” McLaren had the prototype tested and evaluated by Viviane’s son Bruno Senna, Ayrton’s nephew who is also a professional racer. “We have a relationship with the Senna family,” says Andy Palmer, vehicle line director for McLaren’s Ultimate Series. “The time was right for this car and, more importantly, the car was right for what the family wanted for Ayrton’s name. I assume they would get requests about lending Ayrton’s name to other sports cars, but they just felt that this was the right one for them to do that. We’re very pleased, obviously.”

The Senna will join McLaren’s three “levels” of road cars—including the Sports Series (570 and 540 models) and the Super Series (720S)—at the top spot in the maker’s Ultimate Series, at present the exclusive realm of the P1 hybrid and the track-only P1 GTR. Yet while the Senna will be completely street-worthy, make no mistake: its true home will be the race circuit. Indeed, McLaren calls the Senna “the ultimate road-legal track car.” Ayrton would’ve wanted nothing less.

Behind the driver’s seat lies a lion of a powerplant. A more extreme variant of the mill in the 720S, the Senna will use a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 (with a flat-plane crank and a dry sump) kicking out 789 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque—making it the most powerful internal-combustion engine McLaren has ever built. Refinements include a new air intake and inlet manifold (fed by a roof-mounted “snorkel”), specially designed camshafts, a reworked engine-management system, and dual high-flow fuel pumps. McLaren says a single pump was unable to produce the required fuel delivery; instead, one pump does most of the work while the second pump kicks-in as needed. Mated to the engine is the same seven-speed dual-clutch paddle-shift transmission found in the 720S. In Sport mode, an F1-bred Ignition Cut system momentarily cuts the spark during gearshifts, quickening gear changes and, McLaren says, producing a stirring “crack” from the exhausts.

Making the most of the engine’s massive output are a body and structure designed for extreme strength and low weight (indeed, the Senna will be the lightest McLaren road car since the pioneering F1). Almost everything is carbon fiber, the latest Monocage III structure said to be McLaren’s most rigid ever. Once construction of McLaren’s new Carbon Composites Technology Center in Sheffield, England, is completed, all carbon-fiber components will be built in-house. Every piece has been fastidiously engineered to keep weight to an absolute minimum. Each door structure, for instance, weighs just 22 pounds (the middle of each door will feature a unique transparent panel, said to enhance the sensation of speed as the road whistles by you just inches away). The front fenders weigh less than 1.5 pounds each. The towering rear wing checks in at less than 11 pounds. McLaren even fussed over the Senna’s nuts and bolts, reducing their weight by 33 percent. All told, the Senna boasts a dry weight of just 2,641 pounds.

In person, the Senna is a striking piece—a feast of wings and scoops and rakish edges so aggressive the car looks like it’s about to bite your hand at any moment. Yet for all of its visual drama, the Senna is quite intentionally more “beast” than “beauty.” “It really is about every element for a reason,” says Dan Parry-Williams, director of engineering design. “Function taking precedence over aesthetics, at least more than we’ve done before.” Which is to say, think “purposeful race car,” not “beautiful sports car.” The Senna’s lines and scoops and wings are made for aerodynamics and ultimate performance above all else.

At the front, a huge carbon-fiber splitter—5.9 inches longer than the P1’s—slices into oncoming air to maximize downforce and cornering power. Just behind it, on either side, lie active aero blades that move in unison with the active rear wing to help maintain aerodynamic balance. Above the aero blades sit headlights incorporating 21 LEDs each. Digitally controlled, the LEDs can vary their intensity according to steering angle, helping to illuminate corner apexes without the need for a “steerable” motor-driven system. Toward the back, the powertrain is cooled by the largest intakes ever incorporated into a road-going McLaren. An artfully shaped front clamshell helps create a high-pressure flow of clean air past the A-pillars and directly into the intakes, while a rear diffuser helps suck the car to the ground at speed. And then there’s that massive rear wing. Constantly adjusting its angle to vary downforce as needed and, under braking, shorten stopping distances, the wing can support more than 100 times its own weight. In concert with the sculptured bodywork, it helps deliver nearly 1,800 pounds of total downforce—40 percent more than the P1.

The suspension is an evolution of the P1’s, using the same fundamental geometry but enhanced by smart software refined on the 720S. McLaren’s new hydraulic RaceActive Chassis Control II system includes four driver-selectable modes: Comfort, Sport, Track, and Race. In Race mode, the suspension stiffens significantly while the nose lowers by 1.5 inches—reducing underbody airflow and enhancing the effectiveness of the front splitter. “We’re looking for a car that’s agile and stable,” says Parry-Williams. “And that’s the great thing about active aero—you can have both. The Senna delivers more agility than any car we’ve done thus far, but at higher speeds, and under high-speed braking, the stability is just extraordinary.” Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard (it takes seven months to make each huge disc) and, in concert with the active-aero rear wing, help deliver the shortest stopping distances of any McLaren road car ever. Cornering prowess and steering feel are enhanced by Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tires developed specifically for the Senna.

Inside, the Senna is a minimalist space entirely focused on the mission of speed. The steering wheel is a simple, Alcantara-trimmed three-spoke design devoid of buttons or switches. Major controls—such as the engine-start button and even the electric door releases—are grouped in a pod in the overhead roof panel. The transmission controls move fore and aft along with the driver’s seat, while the seat shells weigh just 7.2 pounds each and are covered with seven Alcantara (or, at the buyer’s choosing, leather) pads; ducts around the pads allow air to flow, the better to cool the backsides of Nomex-clad occupants attacking a racetrack. Extremely thin roof pillars allow an exceptional view to the outside—and they’re strong enough to negate the need for a separate roll cage.

The cabin may be minimalist, but it’s not bare-bones. Air conditioning and a premium seven-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system are optional (designed especially for the Senna, the B&W system weighs just 16.1 pounds). Gorgeous carbon fiber trims almost every visible surface. Other options include McLaren Track Telemetry (which can capture and analyze lap sessions), a camera system to complement it, parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. Behind the seats lies storage space for two race helmets, Nomex suits, and driving shoes. If you’re really feeling racy, you can even order a “push to drink” system so you won’t dry up during extended track sessions. And while McLaren has configured a few “ready-made” color/trim combinations, in truth the company is prepared to deliver almost any color or trim accessory the buyer wishes.

So, yes, the Senna can be outfitted with enough amenities to rival almost any other premium sports car. But at its core this remains very much a track-centric, performance-focused machine. After all, McLaren claims a 0 to 60 mph time of just 2.7 seconds, a top speed of 211 miles per hour, and the most mind-blowing handling performance of any McLaren road car ever built (and having recently driven the 720S, that’s saying a lot). What’s more, the Senna has been engineered to feel raw.

“Because it’s track-focused, we’ve gone a bit mental on things like NVH,” laughs Parry-Williams. “The amount of noise, the noise quality, the amount of vibration you feel in the seat rail and how that increases as a function of speed … this is something we’ve deliberately done to add engagement.” McLaren even evolved the exhaust sound to deliver more “higher-order” content. “Compared with t from Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2sg2q4P via IFTTT

[eddiejpoplar]

McLaren Reveals Sensational Senna

SHEFFIELD, England — Imagine the pressure. Someone has just asked you to create a piano called “The Mozart.” Or a soccer ball named “The Pelé.” Or a cocktail shaker dubbed “The Dean Martin.” Which is to say, you’ve just been handed a nearly impossible assignment: It’s your job to create a product worthy of the most iconic name associated with it. Oh, don’t worry: If you get it wrong, you’ll only be scorned and hounded by, say, millions of furious fans screaming that you’ve disgraced their idol’s legacy.

Such is the pressure on McLaren. The British maker of Formula 1 Grand Prix cars and exotic road-legal machines recently unveiled its latest homage to the greatest and arguably most ardently admired race car driver who ever lived, the late Ayrton Senna. “Project 15,” the audaciously named “Senna,” limited to just 500 examples and due late this year, is said to be the fastest, lightest, most extreme road car McLaren has ever built. It better be. Anything less would be a discredit to the Brazilian maestro who, in 161 F1 races, started from pole position an unbelievable 65 times.

Yet if anyone can build a “Senna” worthy of the legend, it’s McLaren. After all, it was with the McLaren F1 team in the late 1980s and early 1990s that Senna notched the majority of his Grand Prix victories—and all three of his world driving championships. What’s more, McLaren has the full support of the Senna family. Last December, in fact, the maker auctioned off the 500th and final copy of the Senna (the other 499 were already sold) for $2.7 million (roughly three times the car’s price)—donating the proceeds to the Ayrton Senna Institute, a non-profit headed by Senna’s sister, Viviane, and dedicated to educating and assisting underprivileged young people in Brazil.

Finally, to bake-in one additional sprinkle of “Senna-ness,” McLaren had the prototype tested and evaluated by Viviane’s son Bruno Senna, Ayrton’s nephew who is also a professional racer. “We have a relationship with the Senna family,” says Andy Palmer, vehicle line director for McLaren’s Ultimate Series. “The time was right for this car and, more importantly, the car was right for what the family wanted for Ayrton’s name. I assume they would get requests about lending Ayrton’s name to other sports cars, but they just felt that this was the right one for them to do that. We’re very pleased, obviously.”

The Senna will join McLaren’s three “levels” of road cars—including the Sports Series (570 and 540 models) and the Super Series (720S)—at the top spot in the maker’s Ultimate Series, at present the exclusive realm of the P1 hybrid and the track-only P1 GTR. Yet while the Senna will be completely street-worthy, make no mistake: its true home will be the race circuit. Indeed, McLaren calls the Senna “the ultimate road-legal track car.” Ayrton would’ve wanted nothing less.

Behind the driver’s seat lies a lion of a powerplant. A more extreme variant of the mill in the 720S, the Senna will use a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 (with a flat-plane crank and a dry sump) kicking out 789 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque—making it the most powerful internal-combustion engine McLaren has ever built. Refinements include a new air intake and inlet manifold (fed by a roof-mounted “snorkel”), specially designed camshafts, a reworked engine-management system, and dual high-flow fuel pumps. McLaren says a single pump was unable to produce the required fuel delivery; instead, one pump does most of the work while the second pump kicks-in as needed. Mated to the engine is the same seven-speed dual-clutch paddle-shift transmission found in the 720S. In Sport mode, an F1-bred Ignition Cut system momentarily cuts the spark during gearshifts, quickening gear changes and, McLaren says, producing a stirring “crack” from the exhausts.

Making the most of the engine’s massive output are a body and structure designed for extreme strength and low weight (indeed, the Senna will be the lightest McLaren road car since the pioneering F1). Almost everything is carbon fiber, the latest Monocage III structure said to be McLaren’s most rigid ever. Once construction of McLaren’s new Carbon Composites Technology Center in Sheffield, England, is completed, all carbon-fiber components will be built in-house. Every piece has been fastidiously engineered to keep weight to an absolute minimum. Each door structure, for instance, weighs just 22 pounds (the middle of each door will feature a unique transparent panel, said to enhance the sensation of speed as the road whistles by you just inches away). The front fenders weigh less than 1.5 pounds each. The towering rear wing checks in at less than 11 pounds. McLaren even fussed over the Senna’s nuts and bolts, reducing their weight by 33 percent. All told, the Senna boasts a dry weight of just 2,641 pounds.

In person, the Senna is a striking piece—a feast of wings and scoops and rakish edges so aggressive the car looks like it’s about to bite your hand at any moment. Yet for all of its visual drama, the Senna is quite intentionally more “beast” than “beauty.” “It really is about every element for a reason,” says Dan Parry-Williams, director of engineering design. “Function taking precedence over aesthetics, at least more than we’ve done before.” Which is to say, think “purposeful race car,” not “beautiful sports car.” The Senna’s lines and scoops and wings are made for aerodynamics and ultimate performance above all else.

At the front, a huge carbon-fiber splitter—5.9 inches longer than the P1’s—slices into oncoming air to maximize downforce and cornering power. Just behind it, on either side, lie active aero blades that move in unison with the active rear wing to help maintain aerodynamic balance. Above the aero blades sit headlights incorporating 21 LEDs each. Digitally controlled, the LEDs can vary their intensity according to steering angle, helping to illuminate corner apexes without the need for a “steerable” motor-driven system. Toward the back, the powertrain is cooled by the largest intakes ever incorporated into a road-going McLaren. An artfully shaped front clamshell helps create a high-pressure flow of clean air past the A-pillars and directly into the intakes, while a rear diffuser helps suck the car to the ground at speed. And then there’s that massive rear wing. Constantly adjusting its angle to vary downforce as needed and, under braking, shorten stopping distances, the wing can support more than 100 times its own weight. In concert with the sculptured bodywork, it helps deliver nearly 1,800 pounds of total downforce—40 percent more than the P1.

The suspension is an evolution of the P1’s, using the same fundamental geometry but enhanced by smart software refined on the 720S. McLaren’s new hydraulic RaceActive Chassis Control II system includes four driver-selectable modes: Comfort, Sport, Track, and Race. In Race mode, the suspension stiffens significantly while the nose lowers by 1.5 inches—reducing underbody airflow and enhancing the effectiveness of the front splitter. “We’re looking for a car that’s agile and stable,” says Parry-Williams. “And that’s the great thing about active aero—you can have both. The Senna delivers more agility than any car we’ve done thus far, but at higher speeds, and under high-speed braking, the stability is just extraordinary.” Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard (it takes seven months to make each huge disc) and, in concert with the active-aero rear wing, help deliver the shortest stopping distances of any McLaren road car ever. Cornering prowess and steering feel are enhanced by Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tires developed specifically for the Senna.

Inside, the Senna is a minimalist space entirely focused on the mission of speed. The steering wheel is a simple, Alcantara-trimmed three-spoke design devoid of buttons or switches. Major controls—such as the engine-start button and even the electric door releases—are grouped in a pod in the overhead roof panel. The transmission controls move fore and aft along with the driver’s seat, while the seat shells weigh just 7.2 pounds each and are covered with seven Alcantara (or, at the buyer’s choosing, leather) pads; ducts around the pads allow air to flow, the better to cool the backsides of Nomex-clad occupants attacking a racetrack. Extremely thin roof pillars allow an exceptional view to the outside—and they’re strong enough to negate the need for a separate roll cage.

The cabin may be minimalist, but it’s not bare-bones. Air conditioning and a premium seven-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system are optional (designed especially for the Senna, the B&W system weighs just 16.1 pounds). Gorgeous carbon fiber trims almost every visible surface. Other options include McLaren Track Telemetry (which can capture and analyze lap sessions), a camera system to complement it, parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. Behind the seats lies storage space for two race helmets, Nomex suits, and driving shoes. If you’re really feeling racy, you can even order a “push to drink” system so you won’t dry up during extended track sessions. And while McLaren has configured a few “ready-made” color/trim combinations, in truth the company is prepared to deliver almost any color or trim accessory the buyer wishes.

So, yes, the Senna can be outfitted with enough amenities to rival almost any other premium sports car. But at its core this remains very much a track-centric, performance-focused machine. After all, McLaren claims a 0 to 60 mph time of just 2.7 seconds, a top speed of 211 miles per hour, and the most mind-blowing handling performance of any McLaren road car ever built (and having recently driven the 720S, that’s saying a lot). What’s more, the Senna has been engineered to feel raw.

“Because it’s track-focused, we’ve gone a bit mental on things like NVH,” laughs Parry-Williams. “The amount of noise, the noise quality, the amount of vibration you feel in the seat rail and how that increases as a function of speed … this is something we’ve deliberately done to add engagement.” McLaren even evolved the exhaust sound to deliver more “higher-order” content. “Compared with t from Performance Junk Blogger 6 http://ift.tt/2sg2q4P via IFTTT

[blkwidowsweb]

Chicago Spotlight: A Conversation with Gene Hunt!

One of the true representatives of Chicago House Music, Gene is one of the top artists to emerge from the city, with a career spanning back to the initial wave in the early 1980s. As a teenager, he played at many of the key touchstones of the first generation of House Music spots, including the Warehouse, The Playground, and The Music Box; he's been best known in the last few years for a series of tracks made then with the legendary Ron Hardy.  As a producer, Gene Hunt's first EP was Living in a Land, released on Chicago's Trax Records and co-produced and shepherded by Armando Gallop. From an early age, Gene imprinted his stamp on his musical style with an alteration between soulful, vocal recordings and harder, rough techy tracks. By 1999 he had more than enough releases on his belt for a "Greatest Hits" double LP (Gene Hunt Classics, Dust Traxx). In the years following, Gene Hunt released some of his best records on labels including Dope Wax, Track Mode, Got Soul and Unified, and delivered a tour de force in 2011 when noted Dutch label Rush Hour released Gene Hunt Presents Chicago Dance Tracks, a collection of some sixteen unreleased records from the likes of Larry Heard & Marshall Jefferson, Steve "Silk" Hurley, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Lil Louis and Ron Hardy. As a follow-up, in early 2012 Gene released an original two-track EP, May The Funk Be With You, also on Rush Hour, with a remix from Theo Parrish. (written by Terry Matthew)

I had a chance to speak with Gene Hunt about starting in the business at such a young age, what it was like to be mentored by legends, and what the future holds for him now.  I hope you enjoy this insightful and in-depth interview full of house history.

FROM PRODIGY TO LEGEND...

Black Widow:  When was the first time you discovered house music and what did you love about it? What drew you to it?

Gene Hunt:   I was always around a bunch of older guys so I was exposed to it hanging with them at the Playground and The Music Box.   I was about 12/13 years old and I asked them what this was, and they were like this is “House Music”.  I knew about tracks and WBMX and the radio stuff but once I went to an actual house party, it was the way people dressed. It was a fashion statement.  It was so different.  They had the clothes and box haircuts and stuff. I thought it was amazing. The style, the way they danced, the different dance groups, it was a huge culture. That sparked a flame in me.  I was in high school and a lot of the high school kids were in tune and everyone had their crew.   You used to bring tapes to school and it would be recorded over and over and passed around to different schools.  It was so different back then.  

Black Widow:  How So?

Gene Hunt:   It would have been great to have generations expose house music and culture to the younger generations the way we experienced it.  If house music was still in the schools the way it was for us back then, these younger generations would have gotten a grasp of it.  I think house music would have been consistent here. For a while, there was a pause in the industry where it broke off for a while.   This is the mecca, but it should have been more nurtured and not neglected.  I think we would have a stronger commodity if we had nurtured it right. 

“People knew we had something powerful, but they found a way to market it and transformed it into something else.”

Black Widow:  You play everywhere in the city.  What do you think when people start to stereotype the different sides of the cities when it comes to house music and house parties?

Gene Hunt:  If you go north, it’s a different feel with the rave kids and rave parties and some of the hipsters.  They always say the south side only likes disco but that’s not true. They love new stuff if they are exposed to it right. 

“I tell people all the time I think a disco chick got together with a rave dude and procreated and gave birth to a new thing … It created a new scene.”

This is music created by the black culture on the south side.  We had a sound like no other with drums, live bass & guitar, playing on synthesizers and programming a drum machine but now it’s these different subgenres…house, EDM, etc., but at the end of the day it all came from something and that’s US!   You know what I’m sayin?   It was formatted into these different parts that made it more commercial.  It became a globalized business that people capitalized on, but the truth is this genre of music started in someone’s basement with some speakers and dancing.  It grew and became so many different forms because of social media, technology, and just the natural advancement of things.  It started to grow and organizations were formed like the Hot Mix Five and the Chosen Few.  You got to see the progression, but you also saw a winding down.

Black Widow:   When you say massive what do you mean?

Gene Hunt:  The market is different now. It’s not as massive as it used to be here.   The scene is changed. It’s only so many people and so many places to go. I remember playing Operation Push, The Athletic Club, The Riviera or AKA’s and each party would be packed. It’s not like that now. I can go to a party south but it’s another club right around the corner doing something so you split the market.  Some are going there and some are going to the other place.  The Bismarck used to have 500-600 people; the Athletic club would have about 1000 kids in there.  We definitely still have a scene but we don’t have those numbers because it’s split up so much.

Black Widow:   Is that because those kids who were listening to that music just got older or do you think it’s something else?

Gene Hunt:  Sure, it’s a smaller group of individuals because we all got older.    If we had passed the knowledge down more, I don’t know if it would be like this. The kids now listen to this suicide loving music and house is nothing like that. It’s a gentle flower compared to what’s popular now.  I came in the game in 86, but the cats I hung with were in high school.  They would give me mixtapes and I’d bring them to grade school and folks would ask me, what’s this? The loved it!   I remember saying this is house music!!!  We were spreading the word while in school and that got to other schools and so on.  Farley used to come to the underground clubs listening to Frankie and Ron and go copy it and put it out on BMX. There were different ways of how we got the word out about this music. That’s how we kept it alive and growing.  Even record shopping, we’d take our cassette to the record store and ask “what’s this right here” and they’d point you to the record at the shop.   Now all you gotta do go online and click! Back then you really had to do your research. You couldn’t just go online and shop all day long from the comfort of your own home on a computer.  It didn’t work that way back then.  That’s the new record shopping. 

To me, everyone should love house music in Chicago because this is where it comes from just like stepping music.  You have to realize Chicago didn’t just create music, we’ve created cultures!  We created our own style and music. Nowadays, the city is closing clubs left and right, we gotta support our cause and what we are doing to keep it alive.

Black Widow: True, but it’s not us shutting those clubs down.

Gene Hunt:  Absolutely!  It’s not the house community shutting these clubs down. We want to hear some music, enjoy some cocktails and jam.  House people aren’t like that, you have your exceptions and lines get crossed sometimes, but mostly, we just want to party.   The elements and fabrics of what we created are still here it’s just not as massive. We can’t stay out all night long going to marathons because we got kids and jobs.  [LAUGHTER] The average age now is 35+ so that after work thing sounds good to some. You can come out, get your groove on, have a couple of cocktails and still get up in time to get the kids to school, then hit a spot on the weekend. Hell, we couldn’t have marathons here in the city now if we wanted to. We had more options for young people back then to party and kick it. 

Black Widow:  I can admit I wasn’t around at the time of these massive parties.  The scene as it is now is the only scene I know.   It’s often debated that house music shouldn’t be played in small clubs, lounges, etc., do you think there is a relationship between the music and where it’s played? Does it change the experience if you are in a small club or lounge vs a bigger venue?

Gene Hunt:  No, it doesn’t change the experience. It’s still good music and people dancing and grooving to it.  We had massive parties back then because we had the people and the venue.  Now we still have dope parties, it’s just more controlled and contains limits.  People aren’t staying up like we used to. We used to party until noon the next day. We’re grown now. [Laughter] We have responsibilities.  This scene in Chicago is still very much alive.   It just doesn’t have the numbers like we used to because we haven’t brought in new generations. That’s what I mean when I say we must keep the culture alive, especially in our community.    What happens next?  Are their new house heads being cultivated? I’m speaking of our culture specifically.  Other races especially overseas are thirsty for information.  They are on social media, YouTube and things like that learning and seeing what this really is.  I see it when I travel.  They love Chicago House music and our sound and what we created. They crave it and I get so much love overseas.   Technology allows generations to see how things were vs how things are and keep that spirit and culture alive.

Black Widow:  What does it mean to you to be an artist that represents Chicago around the world?

Gene Hunt:  That’s the beauty of being an artist in this genre.  To come from the mecca of house music and get an opportunity to travel and see how our music has been cultivated and interpreted through the world. People want to know how we create music and how we cultivated this culture. Chicago has a distinctive sound and people want that…STILL.  It’s the way we record music, it’s in the history books; our drum programming, deep baselines and such.  We would play abstract tracks with disco.  When you evaluate it, we still have a pulse.   We are consistent in putting out dope music.  When I think about it, WOW!   It’s so funny, I was a kid doing parties in high school in 1986, and negotiating contracts…I’ve been in the game for a minute…

Black Widow:  Yeah, I remember Terry posting a contract you guys had for Whitney Young back in the day on Facebook.

Gene Hunt:  [LAUGHTER] Yeah, I’m a packrat so I found that and sent it to him.  I was 16/17 negotiating contracts.   Terry was my buddy.  I was always around older cats like Ron (Hardy), Frankie (Knuckles), Robert Owens, Fingers Inc., so when I met Terry (Hunter), I was happy because I wanted to be around some cats my age too! [Laughter].   I was always the baby and wanted to hang around someone I could relate to.   One night I was playing at La Mirage and he introduced himself and said he was a fan of my work.  I told him to stay up here and kick it with me.   We became friends. Whenever someone hired me, he was my right-hand man. I remember he would drive my car because I was scared to get on the expressway.  It was Terry who got me over that fear. He’d drive my truck and tell me, come on man…you about to learn how to do this! [Laughter] I’m telling you, I’d take the side streets everywhere!  Terry never had problems doing stuff like that. I’ll never forget, one time, I was scared to get my money for a job I did.  It was at “The Fort” and that was with the El Rukins gang and Jeff Ford.  I played a party there. I had to get paid but I was scared to go in and get my money.  Terry was like “man, whatcha scared for?   I’ll get yo money… I’ll be right back! [LAUGHTER] Terry said they were asking where I was, but I wasn’t going in there! [Laughter] Terry had no fear and got my money! [Laughter] I gave him some of it too!  [Laughter] We became good friends and when I had a gig, I’d put him on the party with me. 

Black Widow:  I can see Terry doing all of that! [LAUGHTER]

Gene Hunt:  He wasn’t scared to do shit! He was my dude! He would carry my records in the clubs; you know we were doing what we had to do to get on. That’s why I’m so proud of him.  He’s on that extraordinary level and he’s always been level-headed and a good guy but you know...he put in that work.  Now that I’m starting to get my feet wet with this label, it’s cool that he can extend his to me.   That’s the budding relationship that’s about to take place and it’s gonna be amazing.   With me starting my label and being under the direction of T’s box, it’s gonna give me a good opportunity to see how it’s run efficiently instead of begging someone to put my stuff out there. I got my own label and because I have a friend who’s established and willing to show me the ropes, I’m not gonna must go thru asking anyone and deal with them saying, “they don’t like this or that”.  He’s showing me how to do it and how to do it the right way!   I’m gonna put records out and folks gonna be hyped because it’s from one power source to the next.  These types of things create a power structure up amongst professionals and legends and it continues the tradition of us putting out quality music.  Its history and it sparks the flame of what Chicago needs.  It’s exciting!  It’s funny how those tables turned.  I took time off and Terry kept at it and soared!

Black Widow:  Why did you take time off?

Gene Hunt:   After Ron Hardy passed, Frankie Knuckles moved to NYC and Lil Louis got the French Kiss deal, I moved to LA and was doing hip-hop and production.   I was working with Eazy and Dre, Snoop Dogg and Bone Thugs in Harmony.   Terry stuck with it and by the time I came back to Chicago, Terry was a super commodity and doing his thing. It’s Amazing!  

Black Widow:   So what made you come back to Chicago and to house music?

Gene Hunt:  It was a couple of things.  My grandfather was dying and I had some personal stuff I needed to deal with my kids.  My grandfather’s dying wish was for me to get back into DJ'ing again.  I knocked the dust off and came out of my self-imposed retirement.  It’s so interesting now because I’m getting ready to really jump into the production thing and start my label and Terry is taking me up under his wing the way I did with him back in the day and we are going to build something special.

Black Widow:  That’s so dope.  It really contradicts a lot of stuff you hear online and such about collaboration and mentorship in this scene. I love it.

Gene Hunt:  Yeah, it’s a lot of cats that get online and talk about how they haven’t been given a chance to spin and stuff like that, but you don’t really consider all the work we put in for decades.  It was blood, sweat, and tears. We built these names over decades; Mike, Terry, Andre, etc. It’s crazy; you got folks crying on Facebook about not getting a chance.  It’s a lot of talent but the reality is we don’t have enough people to accommodate for every DJ to play or spin.   In some respects, you let weeds come in and they are trying to kill the flower that is house music.   The market is oversaturated so it’s not enough to be a good DJ, you must be versatile.  When I see people feeding the same toxic bullshit it’s annoying. 

“I can do a rave party, I can play on the southside, I can play with the hipsters, and I can do an after-hours spot. It doesn’t’ matter.  Some people can’t do that. They can’t go north and south. I’ve trained my skills to adapt to different environments.   It keeps me challenged. I must find ways to evolve. “

Black Widow:  It’s a bigger picture don’t you think?

Gene Hunt:  Hell yeah!   You gotta realize people are capitalizing off a sound made by us.  All these spots that we have parties at, they are giving folks 15% of the bar but somebody else is making the money.    You are making someone else rich. We got to build capital to recreate and rebuild.  We need to cultivate and nurture our own culture. 

Black Widow:   That came up in my interview with Craig Loftis, the need to own our own spots that embodied what it used to be and where we can control the environment.  He mentioned it was a huge reason why he wanted to start Club EXP. 

Gene Hunt:  Right!  That’s the shit that feels like home. You got to build a place called home. The Power Plant, The Music Box…all these places, I’m telling you, it brought us all together.  You had the bougie kids with the project kids, the gays with straight people, white people and black people; it was all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, it didn’t matter.  Nothing was going down in those spots; we just wanted to hear some music and dance.  Relationships were formed, friendships were made and it was a vibe. 

Black Widow:   It was a community….a real community.

Gene Hunt:  Yes, exactly.   You gotta create a home base within a home because that’s what gives people comfort.  It all goes back to cultivating this scene and nurturing what we created.  Chicago doesn’t have a 24-hour radio station where you can hear house music all day; we don’t have a vessel or even venues. We are so hooked on the bars and lounges and other people’s spaces, no one has stepped up to create a space of our own.  Everyone wants a statue but not a platform.  Where can you go in the city that’s not a lounge, small club or a bar to hear some house music?   If I’m older and just want to hear stepping music or something after work, I don’t want to share a spot with house music.  We need these locations, so we can have that experience. We are lacking when it comes to that.  Sure, we have a few spots that we rent out and such, but where can you pull out a membership card like Craig’s spot and really get that experience?

Black Widow:     Why do you think the Chicago House scene diminished so much from its peak in the 80s?

Gene Hunt:  If we could all take a page out of Craig Loftis and get about 2 or 3 more spots that we own and control, that would be perfect.  I want to do that once I solidify my license deal with my headphones.  We need to have more control of our stuff instead of grabbing others to capitalize on our hard work.   Even with Craig’s spot, we should be supporting it 100% and he should make sure he’s supporting the community with his spot so then he can run his business without any outside issues.  He can’t worry about if the cat up the street is gonna call the police on his spot because he doesn’t have anyone in his club and stuff like that.  You can’t worry about jealous people. You gotta make sure the community is straight and invest in the community, link up with the alderman and such. We are getting better but it’s stagnant in some areas, especially when it comes to unity.

Black Widow:    When you say unity, what do you mean specifically?

Gene Hunt:  You know the DJ drama and even the promoters.  Take now, for instance, we have parties coming up for the holidays but everyone is trying to cancel each other out with their events but the reality is you are splitting up the crowd to a certain degree.  If everyone takes a week out the month, we would have a good thing going but instead, everyone wants to cut one another’s throats and part these few hundred house heads into different segments.    If we could come together, we could create some really dope events that are huge!  It’s like the 2 for $1 chips in the gas station.   Everyone has their hand in a little bag of chips, but every hand can’t fit in one bag. Someone is gonna prosper, someone is gonna suffer…

Black Widow:  And someone is gonna be mad…

Gene Hunt:  That’s it!  It’s always gonna be an issue. Lack of venues, oversaturation of the market etc., folks are always gonna be mad.  Even with the DJs, people are always saying, “They always hiring him… They always hiring Terry. They always hire Gene…They always hiring Alicia…Mike, etc.  Well, that’s what happening. It’s nothing I can do about that but there are people bringing it on a powerful and consistent level. It is what it is…all you can do is step your game up and watch your movements in public and online. It’s all important.

Black Widow:  That’s very true, as a patron and living in a city with so much talent, we have so many choices.  Skill, personality, how you handle yourself….

Gene Hunt:  D… it all matters! It’s so important and I don’t think people really understand how important it is.  It all plays a major factor with fans!

Black Widow:  I stick with people who are consistent, professional, those who act like they care about their brands, play dope music and have events that make me feel good!  I know so many other house music lovers feel the same! 

Gene:  That’s right!  That’s right!   I do my job, punctually and professionally. I’m approachable and laid back, but I’m passionate about the direction of this scene.  What we need to do to keep this culture moving forward.  What you are doing is a prime example of what is needed now.  This website is essential because people need to know how much this music and this culture mean to us.

Black Widow:  I appreciate that so much!  That was my intention from the beginning. All The stuff that happened in the 80s, I wasn’t a part of and didn’t get to experience it.  I always love seeing old photos and videos of the parties from back then but it isn’t easy finding it.   I think about my own kids and wonder if they wanted to know about the Gene Hunt’s, Terry Hunter’s, Mike Dunn’s…the singers, artists, or our parties, where would they go to find information? Videos? Photos?   If we don’t document our history, our culture, we allow someone else to tell our story and it’s not always accurate.  It needs to be told by US.   That means a lot to me.

Gene Hunt:  Exactly! And the kids now don’t realize how privileged they are.  They have so much.    Back in the day, we didn’t have CDJ’s and CD players because that stuff wasn’t even invented yet.  We would carry crates of records. We had a reel to reel with a pitch control and tape deck with pitch control. That’s how we would play our exclusives. These kids have iPads, social media, and the internet.  We kept the music going and the culture moving forward on a grassroots level.  It was word of mouth, hanging posters on light poles at night, and passing out flyers in high school.   Now you just create events on social media and get everyone to share it!  What’s beautiful about the technology is that it allows you to do your research and learn about the history and find out what this music consists of.    We didn’t have that back then.  If I want to know about Black Widow, I can type your name in and see a performance, or find your website from anywhere in the world.  Your visibility is increased because of the advancements in technology.  I use it to learn and as a networking tool.

Black Widow:  You literally were a teenager when you started your career and were mentored by legends like Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy.  What were some of the greatest lessons they taught you?  

Gene:   I remember when I met Ron for the first time.  He came up to me and said, “What are you doing here?” [Laughter] I told him I was getting ready to play and he was like, “Oh really?” [Laughter] He was sarcastic at first, but he told me that he had heard some things about me and I was like, OH WOW!

 “It was Ron Hardy about to watch me play!  I was young and intimidated.   I started to play, and he came up behind me and said, “Hmm...I see I just made a new friend today!”  I was like OHHHH YEAH!!!  I’m telling you it was like when Magic Johnson talked to Dr. J”

I started hanging with him and then I met Frankie.  Frankie would give me music and tell me to play stuff when I was out and tell me not to give it to anyone.   They took me under their wing because I was so young, but I was also hungry and ambitious.  Once I was exposed to it, I knew this was what I wanted to do.   I was consistent and always practicing, working on drum machines and stuff. I didn’t have my own equipment at the time.   I would put stuff on layaway and start buying equipment and records once I started doing parties.  Craig Loftis sold me my 1st set of turntables, some techniques and Frankie gave me the Bozak.    I remember Craig told me he wanted me to play his birthday party at Sauers.  I’m like this is Craig Loftis! He played with Frankie!!!   I’m telling you I was amazed! I’m like 14/15 and I’m on the flyer with these cats!!!   That’s when I first met Andre Hatchet.

I’m telling you, I was aggressive. Every time I saw the flyers with the phone numbers, I’d call and bug the hell out of them!   Let me open!  Let me do this...let me do that…whatever it took because I knew this was what I wanted to do.   I remember telling my mom one day I wanted to quit, and she couldn’t’ understand why because I was making some moves.  I was young and wanted it to happen all at once. I wanted it to happen fast.   I didn’t understand it was a process.

Black Widow:  You were paying your dues…

Gene Hunt:  Yeah…Exactly!  I would go to other folk’s houses to practice because I didn’t have my own equipment. A buddy of mine had turntables, and his family owned a video store. I would go up there work in the store then get to use the turntables to practice my skills and blends. I stuck with it.  Ron was really helping me with my skills too back then…

Black Widow: How So?

Gene Hunt:  He was showing me how to edit and how to play certain tracks. He would tell me to play certain tracks at gigs and I would be saying, but the crowd ain’t dancing or the crowd is leaving! He’d say, don’t worry about that, play it! Then he’d tell me to play it again! He’d tell me not to pull the record off so quickly.  He was right, I’d play it again and some folks would come back dancing, then some more! He taught me how to break records and make stuff hot, not just playing the latest and hottest stuff.   I realized the power I had to teach music on the dancefloor.  He taught me how to take things people weren’t familiar with and integrate it onto the dancefloors.  Skill level, accuracy, timing…Ron taught me a lot.  I remember we were at La Mirage once and he said he wasn’t feeling well and told me to play. I freaked out.  I was like RON I don’t know your records! I was shook but it was a test. He was trying to teach me to always be ready!  I had to always be on point because you never knew when you were going to be needed.  I remember the record went off on me and I was embarrassed, and they teased me about it for a little while.  I’ll tell you this though, the next time I was called to play, I was ready.

Ron was hard on me and it was more psychological. I asked him once why he was so hard on me he said, I wasn’t hard on you, I was trying to make a better me.  Its something about you that’s different and I want to give you what I got because I’m not going to be here much longer. I want to teach you as much as I can.  That always stuck with me. There were times when he would ask me to make him a tape and I felt pressured.  Why does Ron Hardy want me to make him a tape?  Next time he was at COD’s, he was playing the records from the tape in his set! [Laughter] He said, I told you liked the tape!

When he heard me on the radio on WBMX, he would call me and say I’m proud of you boy, you are sounding good! He became a fan.  He was seeing all the things he wasn’t in me.  I remember I had a party at Sauer’s and Ron had bought me the old school brick phones. He called me and told me to come to AKA’s when I was done.  I got there and started to play, and he got up and was dancing in the corner getting his life by a speaker! 

Black Widow:  Wow! What a memory to have!

Gene Hunt:  He was like a big brother. He’d take me to school and pick me up from school.  He’d be at the house. My grandma would cook for him; he loved his two liters of Coca-Cola! He would stay at the house and work on music. We’d do editing and work on tracks. It was a big brother/little brother relationship. It was a remarkable and incredible friendship.   The relationship I had with Ronnie and Frankie… they gave me the missing pieces that made Gene Hunt.  Not to be like them but to become a better me.  In hindsight, I realize they were training me. Ron would have exercises for me to do and Frankie would too but it all makes sense because they were sculpting me and making me into this prodigy.   They would give me criticism and I knew it was making me better; they gave me advice about timing, record selection, and execution.   It affects how I spin now…I can scan the room and knows what needs to be played and how it should be played.  They taught me that. They taught me timing and accuracy. 

Black Widow:  How would you describe your DJ Style?

Gene Hunt:  I use my will as my force, my soul and spirit guide me on what I’m going to play. It’s never programmed.  It flows naturally. It’s a blank canvas and I create from that canvas as I go.   If I were to program anything, its gonna feel unnatural.   When I play, it’s always spontaneous and we get to share that moment together.  That’s been my thing my entire career. I love being unpredictable.  I’m my worst enemy, I have to challenge myself. If I don’t know what I’m gonna do, they don’t know what I’m gonna do.

" When people come up to me and say, "Gene I know you gonna beat it tonight!" All I say is I'll do my best.  That's it. I try to stay humble because staying humble brings clarity and makes you strong. I’m not standoffish, I’m very open, laid back and I have a helluva personality! " [laughter]

Gene Hunt:  I’m always able to give people advice or inspiration because I was taught. My job is to pass on what I’ve learned to those who want to part of this.  My youngest daughter will be 6 tomorrow and says she wants to be a chef and a DJ, so sometimes she’ll come to the picnics with me and I’ll let her touch the CDJs and she’ll bust a move on em! She isn’t scared. [Laughter] My other kids are grown and love music too, but they don’t want to DJ. [Laughter] 

Black Widow:  How did you balance raising your kids with your career?

Gene Hunt:  I got custody of my older kids when they were young.  I was in LA about to sign a deal with Death row records (thank god, I didn’t) but I came home, got custody of them and promised my granddad on his deathbed, I’d get back into DJ'ing again.  With my youngest, I do field trips and take her to school. I’m really into my kids.  I love what I do but I’m a pop and a grandpop, that’s my thing!   I raised my older kids and they’ve stayed out of trouble; no jail, no drugs, everyone is good, and I did that by myself until I met my youngest daughter’s mother.  Sometimes it was a sacrifice but I family is something I hold dearly. 

Black widow:  So let’s talk about your headphone line. What was the motivation to start designing headphones?

Gene Hunt:   I would always see one-sided headphones and thought they were cool. My friend Vaughn Woods would take old headphones and make them.  I started doing my research and figuring it all out.  I had to learn how to wiring and figure out how to make the speakers work and paint and design.    I’m self-taught.  I would go to Radio Shack and buy switches, gizmos, gadgets and soldering gun (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burnt my fingers in the beginning). I figured out how to make them and started using them.  People would see me using them and ask me where I got them. I’d tell them I made them and they would ask me to make them one.  That’s when it became a business.   I just started getting creative with it. I was using bike handles, I was making chrome ones, see-thru ones, superhero ones…I was learning how to customize them.  That’s how I became a designer, but it took me a nice amount of time to make it look professional.    Now I will take about 3 days to make 2-3 lollipops. I just sit in my workshop and put on my favorite shows and get to work. I’ve messed up some nice clothes working on these headphones so now I have a workshop outfit tho! [Laughter] I’ve done Dolomite headphones, blinged out, pimped out style lollipops.  I love the challenge of creating! I’ll sketch it out in my mind and customize stuff.   I’m glad I’m able to solidify a design people love. I have customers all over the world.  Right now, I have a couple of companies that are showing interest in taking my product and mass producing it. I took them with me to Coachella when I was playing with Roy Davis at the Heineken stage. 

Black Widow: Oh, I didn't know you did Coachella?

Gene Hunt:  Oh yeah, I had a 3-year contract with them.  They saw photos of me DJ'ing and in the photos, I’d always be drinking a Heineken.  One day they hit me up and asked me if I wanted to play Coachella on their stage. I was like HELL YEAH!!!! [LAUGHTER] it was a good feeling. That led to a gig with Absolute Vodka who was affiliated with them.  They saw me at the Heineken stage and asked me to the Absolute party. So I was booked the entire Coachella festival.  That felt good!  I was able to integrate and do things on a larger scale.  When I had the headphones at Coachella, they were buying all of them. Guys gave me old broke ones and were asking me to hook them up with my joints. 

Black Widow:  What does 2018 have in store for Gene Hunt?

Gene Hunt:  The website, finishing the album, working with T’s Box and getting my label, Jack in The Box Records off the ground and taking my headphone business to the next level.   

“I want to continue to be an inspiration in this scene. To aid and assist as many as I can from young to old. I want to be an inspirational voice. I’m thankful to be in this position and to have the longevity.”

The website will have a store with shirts, lollipops, mixes, some parts of my catalog and you can book me through the website as well.   It’s important to have your social media stuff on point. A lot of folks will hire you based on how the package looks. When it all looks so fresh and professional you can get gigs from that!  The entire package has to be in order! Folks have to remember that.  Your website, social media…all of that. It’s can change the scope of your career.

Black Widow:  What are some things you still want to learn and accomplish?

Gene Hunt:   I’m learning to be more aggressive and more confident with the material I’m making. When I play it, it makes me feel more at ease.  Once I make this move with Terry and see the results of what I did and the anticipation of people embracing it, I think it’s gonna take me through those emotions.   It’s just…WOW…it’s been a minute and the stuff I plan to put out is gonna shake it up a bit!  It’s a different side of myself that people will get to see.  I want to learn and have Terry school me on the record business and the administrative stuff. I get a chance to have that one on one time and learn how a company is run the right way!  That’s a blessing.  2018 is about making dreams come true and making my dreams come true! To be a nurturer, teacher, and an inspiration.  I just want to continue my journey, staying blessed, being humble and working hard…it’s an exciting time in my life. 

Black Widow: As an artist who has traveled the world, what does it mean to come home again and play?  

Gene Hunt:  There’s no place like home. The feeling of exercising my skill at my home base is unmatched. It gives me room to be more creative and try new stuff out.  It also allows me to do what I love to do with music but still have time to do be “Pop and Grandpop”.    Chicago is my sanctuary and I can showcase my skills while still getting paid to do what I love.   There’s no place like home. 

Black Widow:  That’s a great place to end the interview!   Thanks so much for speaking with me!

Gene Hunt:   Anytime, it was my pleasure!

You can catch Gene Hunt this weekend in Chicago. Friday at the Debauchery Ball and Saturday at “Tis the Season to Be House” party and on NYE getaway in Rosemont, IL.  Click Here for Details!

You can also find Gene Hunt at the following:

Facebook:  Gene Hunt Chicago

Instagram:  @genehunt7691

Twitter: @mrgenehunt

Website: www.mrgenehunt.com (coming soon)

Sound cloud:  Gene Hunt

Mix cloud:  https://www.mixcloud.com/gene-hunt/

As Always, See you on a Dance Floor!

Black Widow

[darctimes-blog]

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Machines

We're being trained to accept the idea that machines are worth loving.

This is obvious if you look at the way artificial intelligences are represented in narrative media these days. The days when AI in fiction was all about computers going evil and turning on their masters, Frankenstein-wise, are long gone: now it's all "falling in love with the poor oppressed machine" (Westworld, Ex Machina), "overcoming the prejudice that machines are worth less than humans" (A.I., Ghost in the Shell), "the good AI is your friend but you need to let her go do her own thing" (Person of Interest, Her).

What's this about?

It's facile to explain all of this away by saying "well, intelligent machines are on everyone's mind now, and humans have always humanized things they've been thinking about a lot, so there". By that logic, we should have expected a surge in fiction about humans falling in love with dinosaurs in the 1980s and combustion engine romances in the 1920s. We didn't (pace Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), because while "writing fiction about something" is an obvious reaction to something being 'a thing', writing romantic fiction about something is not.

Unless, that is, there are deeper forces at work here.

I'm not talking about evil conspiracies here. When I say "deeper forces", I don't mean Shakarian's automation-obsessed elites trying to finally get rid of the masses. I'm talking about human psychology, specifically one of its darker sides. You've heard of Stockholm syndrome, the worrying fact that hostages or kidnapped people sometimes develop feelings of sympathy and even attraction towards their captors. You might also have heard how victims of domestic abuse often defend their abusers' actions: my flatmate who works at the hospital keeps telling me stories of battered women who immediately go back to the assholes who battered them as soon as they're released, proclaiming that they love them despite everything.

Human minds under threat are a dark place, and a weird one. We like to think that "love can fix it all" -- that's something we've been taught by fiction far longer than machines have been a thing -- but under conditions like these love tends to fray into lots of different strands, some of which lead places we'd rather not think about.

We know that we're under threat from machines. Not just because of a possible AI apocalypse, though I'd argue that is a fear that many more people feel than actively think or talk about. It doesn't take superforecasters to look at today's technological trends and see that we, as humans, are unlikely to have a future. On the contrary, it takes an effort of imagination and a strong set of blinkers to pretend that today's developments can lead us anywhere that's not a dystopia, if they do lead us anywhere at all.

But that's not all. We also know we're under threat because we are already being replaced. This is not a new development; it's merely one that has been speeding up (and, incidentally, seems catastrophically likely to continue to do so). We feel it in our everyday lives: in the meaningless jobs so many of us do, in the impersonal way we treat others and expect to be treated -- because humans have conquered the globe by being great at adapting, so now we adapt to our machine environment by becoming machine-like ourselves.

We know all that -- and yet we don't see a way out. When a dog gets kicked by its master, it does not bite; instead, in whines and whimpers and tucks in its tail and tries whatever it can to get back on its master's good side: because it knows that it depends on him. Humanity has managed to domesticate itself; we've made ourselves dependent on our machines; and now that we're getting replaced, we're acting like the dog. We whimper, we roll over and present our vulnerable bellies, our emotions, romance, love -- and we tell ourselves, against all evidence, that they will love us back, eventually, if only we do right by them.

Remember this: during the first phase of the Industrial Revolution, when the American frontier was being pushed farther and farther into Native lands, there were numerous cases of "cultural exchanges", so to speak -- cases in which Native Americans became more-or-less integrated into European, industrialized culture, and cases in which Europeans lived with Native American tribes and adopted their lifestyles. While these cases were very different in their details and outcomes, there was one thing that they all had in common: all of the Native Americans who had experienced the European, industrialized lifestyle and then gone back never expressed any desire to go back to our way of living -- while all of the Europeans who returned from a life among Native Americans wanted nothing more than to go back.

Learning to fall in love with machines is not a sign of superior enlightenment. It is pathological; pathological in a way that we can understand, because we've seen it happen with abused women and hostages. It is a sign that we are in a very bad place, and have been here for a while, so much so that the trauma has affected nearly all levels of society.

This is the reaction of a dog being kicked by its master. But humanity is not a dog. We need to stop rolling over and licking the boots of our abusers.

It's time to bite.

[crazymasslegalsteriods-blog]

Increase your Muscle Size with Crazy Mass

Maybe these parts have assumed a part in organizing the builds of those champions you would like to resemble. Crazy Mass be that because it might, you have been preparing for a while now yourself, haven't you.

What is more, you have been steady in your exercises (obtaining to the rec center routinely), haven't you. Also, you've been making ready exhausting, making ready substantial, and have industriously propelled yourself, haven't you. What's more, you've got, virtually certainly, created additions contrasted with where you were the point at which you started to prepare, that are both definitive and admirable...haven't you!

Why at that point are not you larger and more grounded than you are currently? "Uh, well, those totally different folks take steroids." Maybe they do. Be that as it could, oh my goodness, there is a issue as, if not more capable than drugs, that moves you into domains of expanded size and power.

Wow some individual details here that will amaze and move you. To begin with, I do not utilize steroids. I bring a little creatine with squeezed apple around one hour before every of my exercises. What is a lot of, I have a protein shake after I'm finished.

I prepare serious, substantial, and drive myself to the utmost, each exercise. (I've been getting ready like this for a very long time now. Right currently, I'm 50 years old, and that i do leg presses up to 1,000 pounds for ten reps. On back days, I physical exercise to barbell columns with 315, dumbbell lines with two hundred's, and situated link lines with the stack (three hundred lbs.).

With traps, I work up to 550 on the bar. Delts - 220 lb. front machine presses, up to one hundred lb. single link laterals. Furthermore, I complete every chest exercise with one hundred thirty lb. dumbbell pullovers.

All common, "all out", all success power/testing myself as far as potential each exercise. I'm not as colossal as the Mr. Olympia contenders I counsel. In any case, I am at a size and power level that offers me a wealth of sense of pride and regard. Hello; I've worked my will off to urge where I'm at. What's a lot of, I endeavor to continue enhancing it. (You'll be able to come to World Gym, in Marina Del Rey, between eight:30-ten daily to determine me strolling the walk!)

Due to being around the game for thus long now, having composed, and distributed, several articles on the psyche and weight training since 1980, and through specifically operating with individuals who've gone to win Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Arnold Classic, and Mr. Olympia titles - I can reveal to you one factor applicable here. A fundamental issue which moves someone into the domain of champion is that the issue that they really, obtrusively, subliminally accept. What they settle for? Really - what they extremely put stock in their souls regarding:

o How huge they can get

o How solid they'll get

o How intense they can progress toward changing into

o How physically charging and prevailing they will move toward becoming

o How eventually effective they will progress toward becoming

Release me a lot of profound into this mindfulness now, thus you'll fully comprehend what I mean.

Conviction Directed Mind Power Fuels The Workout "Machine"

(What's a lot of, What Fuels The "Machine" Determines What It Will Ultimately Produce!)

Crazy Mass Reviews there are those that'll dependably check out life (seeing what exists outside of them), and can, without anyone else's input "appraisal" and "reason", determine what they'll and cannot have, do, be, acquire, or potentially progress toward changing into. They'd actually get a kick out of the chance to drive the sleek new autos, wear the high mold clothes, and mirror comparable achievements and triumphs to those they see on TV, and read concerning in magazines. Be that as it may, in such a large range of cases, as they take into account these items outside themselves they'd get a kick out of the possibility to possess in addition to mirror, an intriguing factor happens. They imaginatively assume about all the "legitimate" reasons why they "cannot". Rather than pondering what they might do, look for once, or deliver which would empower them to get what they are saying they need!

Three things are grinding away here:

1.) Why do they believe they're in-work for coming to or encountering the domains of increment they say they really need? (Why do they grasp limiting, self trading off convictions?)

2.) Why do they interference to perceive what their general surroundings offers in addition to produces (and afterward progress toward becoming "want tempted" entirely by these manifestations of others)?

3.) Why, intuitively, do not they think about why they could get/gain/accomplish what they are saying they have - and when that, filled by add up to sure determination, approach making in addition to completing it?

Presently, here's the understanding that can either "floor" you - or, fill in as a "beat you down into uber adapt" impetus changing over you into a proactive achievement drive: You may either be one who sits tight for the globe to deliver new and advanced things - and afterward position your current "What I feel is conceivable" system in affiliation to gaining/creating what is new (and wished). And after that, from this distinction, you may build up your "What I can, and will not " convictions.

Or, on the other hand (and here's the key to expanded strong development, and increment in any aspects of your life) - You may start to look profound into yourself, for sure, a lot of profound into your exceptionally soul, and can turn into a self starter who fashions an extended conviction with respect to what is feasible for you - and can then put your full power into this self engineered, new conviction, and move to proactively externalize it as obvious actuality!

Re-Tooling Your Belief System The Champion's Approach

Is it true that you just were destined to "can't"? Is it true that you simply were destined to "not to"? It is safe to mention that you're here to wish, yet in therefore a heap of cases - not have?!

What does one detect the people who deliver the new and developed (that you just at that time say you need) settle for? I will let you know unequivocally, they think as so much as propelling what is, going past the current...widening their likelihood scope - and afterward making the a lot of they trust they will!

They see additional is conceivable, and workable for them. They see it unmistakably in their psyches. They give themselves each doable motivation behind why they will, are able to try and do, ought to, and will either create, procure or notice it. And once that, through a convincing confidence - through robust extended conviction - they act, and continue acting, loaded with this kind of self and earth moving conviction - until the point when their conviction moves toward becoming appeared truth.

[stacks-reviews]

Must Reads Part 10

Happy Friday! This week we have wooden dolls, exorcism, glass hearts and girls made of snow, and more!

--Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (9/5/17) “At sixteen, Mina’s mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone - has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother. Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do - and who to be - to win back the only mother she’s ever known...or else defeat her once and for all. Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything - unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.”

I have been putting this one off for a while. I wanted to find the perfect moment to mention it but its release date will be here before we know so why delay any longer. This is probably my most anticipated release for this year, aside from the reasons why October and November are going to kick ass. I first came across the title in April and I still periodically look it up just to read the description. I’ve been checking the arcs at my work every day hoping that it would be there.

I love everything about this. A girl with a glass heart and one made entirely out of snow. Both dangerous and also so fragile. I can’t help but feel like they will destroy themselves in their rivalry. Though I am really hoping for a more happy end. Through their love for each other to make themselves fully human. I want them to love each other. I imagine this will be hard for Mina because even though she gains the kings love that doesn’t mean her heart still isn’t made of glass. I want them to support each other by the end. I want Mina to not be a villain by the end. I’m just so excited for this book.

--The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol “Arianwyn has flunked her witch’s assessment: She’s doomed. Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lull is disgrace, she may never become a real witch - much to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma. But remote Lull is not as boring as it seems. Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps throughout the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on her. With every spirit banished, creature helped, and spell cast, Arianwyn starts to get the hang of being witch - even if she’s only an apprentice. But the worst still lies ahead. For a sinister darkness has begun to haunt her spells, and there may be more at stake than just her pride...for Arianwyn and the entire world.”

I came across this title a day after I saw Kiki’s Delivery Service in theaters back in July. So I felt an immediate connection between them. Except for this book having a save the world kind of ending. There is a preview up on Goodreads. It starts with Arianwyn going in for her assessment exam. In this world witches are a part of life. Towns and villages can request for one to take up residence there, mainly to defend against spirits. They even reference a war that might be about to happen or is already underway that witches are fighting in. The preview ends with Arianwyn about to fail her assessment. Which is a shame because I want to know about the town Lull and who she might be apprenticed to. But I think my main attraction to it currently remains at how much it makes me think of Kiki’s Delivery Service.

--The Bone Snatcher by Charlotte Sadler “Sophie Seacove is a storyteller. She tells stories of what the world would be like if madness hadn’t take over. If her parents hadn’t sold her off as a servant to pay for their stupid vacation. If she wasn’t now trapped in a decaying mansion filled with creepy people and surrounded by ravenous sea monsters. The mansion has plenty of stories, too: About fantastical machines, and the tragic inventor who created them. About his highly suspicious death. And about the Monster Box, a mysterious object hidden in the house that just might hold the key to escaping this horrible place - and to reuniting Sophie with her family. But not everyone wants Sophie to have the Monster Box, and as she gets closer to finding it, she finds herself unspooling years-old secrets - and dodging dangerous attacks. Sophie needs to use her brains, her brawn, and her unbreakable nature if she wants to make it off this wretched island...and live to tell this story.”

I actually refound this title while going through my long list of ‘want to read’ on Goodreads. Read through the preview and I’m in love. Sophie was sold by her parents but not to go on a vacation. They sold her because they were going to start a new life on the New Continent across the sea. Why they sold her aside from that, I don’t know. It could be because Sophie enjoys the view of the sea while everyone else is afraid of it because of all the strange and terrifying creatures that live in it. In one scene in the preview, the sea itself almost seems conscious. As it drives to take Sophie with it while she crosses an ever smaller tidal path to reach the mansion. A tentacle tries to drag her down, hooks on the seabed try to keep her in place, and the waves keep trying to drown her. Even undead sailors are rumored to live in the sea, waiting to take children who wandered after dark. It stops before Sophie reaches the mansion. I’m curious to see what kind of ‘weird’ people that she will be living with. And as much as I want Sophie to escape to New Continent to get revenge on her parents, I hope she realizes that she is already where she belongs. Or at least that’s the kind of message I’m expecting to read from this.

--My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix “A heartwarming story of friendship and demonic possession. The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act...different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries - and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?...Blends teen angst, adolescent drama, unspeakable horrors, and a mix of ‘80′s pop songs into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.”

Was drawn to this title because of the cover of the paperback. It looks like a 1980′s horror movie poster. I don’t watch a lot of horror movies because I am a chicken; unless it’s an old horror movie that’s great because it’s just that terrible, but I do read a lot of scary-ish books. Though sometimes not once it gets dark outside. Depends on the book. Anyway. My Best Friend’s Exorcism is supposed to be satirical to the genre and maybe even more specifically to the film The Exorcism. From what I’ve seen and heard of it so far, this is more of a tale of friendship but it still has a lot of gore and horror to it. 

--Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter “In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now - but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood. In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling away again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters - and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of the night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a touch-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Bab’s won’t be playing fair...”

This is based off the Russian fairytale Vasilisa the Beautiful. I’m really interested in Erg. I just enjoy the idea of a little wooden doll, small enough to fit in your pocket, yet strong enough to help resolve your problems. I know Erg is supposed to help Vassa and keep her safe. Yet I hope Vassa won’t rely on Erg too much. I want to see Vassa solve some of the challenges herself. It sounds really good and strange.