I'm currently in the largest arcade I've EVER been in, there are many RARE games in here dating back over 60 years, and EVERY game happens to be on free-play! Almost every game is in primo condition, shiny, new and playing correctly, and RUSH is blasting out of the PA system. Is this some kind of pinball-induced delirium? Or have I perhaps died and been reborn in videogame Valhalla? No, it's the Houston Area Arcade Expo, and it's happening RIGHT NOW!

If all this sounds like your kind of thing, and you can make it to Houston, do yourself a BIG favor and come on out here. Here's proof (I promise I'll shoot and edit a better walkthrough tomorrow, but this should give you an idea of what you're missing!)







Games I played Friday night:
Quantum (real one's easier than my emulation at home)
Sally (still hard as hell)
Kings & Queens (Legendary electro-mechanical [E.M.] Gottlieb game)
Mayfair (LOTS of stuff going on for a 1965 EM! Damned game almost plays ITSELF.)
Slick Chick (totally restored... lots of fun! Can't wait to get mine repaired)
Banzai Run (used to LOVE this one when it was new, still love it)
Black Hole (mega challenging but I got to multilevel multiball after a few plays)
Black Pyramid (run of the mill early 80's Bally)
Medusa (total dark horse, WOW what a game... if I ever run across one I'm picking it up.)
Apollo 13 (great game, didn't make it to 13 ball multiball)
Lord of the Rings (played it practically in my sleep at 1:30am, got #1 high score. This game is too easy)
Gorgar (original talking game, not in good shape, couldn't hear speech over the din)
C.S.I. (Stern's newest game is MUCH better than expected)
F14 Tomcat (I used to kill at this game, unfortunately couldn't even get to multiball)
Spy Hunter pinball (never played this before; much better than expected)
Simpsons Pinball Party (great game, and I made it to multiball; difficult on this game)
Varkon (rare vertical pinball - wow... need to play this one some more)
Pinbot (lousy condition playfield, but it played really well)
High Speed (amazing restoration, with some really cool 'custom shop' touches and BLINDING lighting)
Earthshaker (great restoration, but I didn't like the look of the LED lamps the owner had used.)
World Poker Tour (I always liked this game despite the BAD artwork & poor reviews.)

I also played some great Williams EM's that weren't at any past expos. Unfortunately I can't remember the names...

LED lighting seems to be the new trend, and there's a bunch of companies selling the aftermarket bulbs. These bulbs are brighter than the incandescents they replace and put out less heat than their predecessors, which is great for reducing wear on the game's transistors and heat damage to a game's plastics and paint. However, on a couple of these games, the light is TOO blinding - distracting in areas that never had so much light output, and MPU controlled lights (feature lights) tend to exhibit an annoying stroboscopic effect, as LED's have no filament and therefore no 'phosphor lag' - so you can see their refresh rate. This leads to a 'digital' look as your eye follows the ball around the playfield (sort of like the LED taillights on cars these days.) Nevertheless, I think I will be treating my games to some LED's on the more inaccessible areas of the playfield, next time I do a major shop job on them...

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

Sorry for the lack of info. I've just been really really busy... doing the backstroke in a really complex flow of projects, plans and evil schemes!

This week, I'm simultaneously working on:
Writing new music (Evil is Fun!!!) I'm making Wednesday nights our new 'music writing' night. Having a regular night for this will accelerate things...
Casting the perfect Lab Girl (still searching...) Also casting another backup musician; everybody needs a backup. Possibly even me! My vow for next year is NO GIG TURNED DOWN.
Fooling with electronics (fixing Z's old Western Electric telephone, an old Peavey amplifier, the C.O.G.'s PA system, and the usual pile of computers.) LOVED the old school telephone BTW - gotta get one to go with my old school (1974) modem! Yes, it actually works...
Working on making my day gig last by upgrading my company's products' compatibility with Windows 7 (actually with Vista & 7, although I haven't had to really worry about it until now due to Vista's extreme unpopularity with the I.T. crowd.)
Cleaning up some more 'Morgus' TV footage for his forthcoming first DVD (I already did this 4 years ago - but I have learned a lot about video since then. Also I can now do MUCH better color correction with this nice Macintosh and Final Cut Pro.)

The coming weekend will be a real break from all that, as I'm going to be hitting the Houston Arcade Expo. Yeah, I know I had vowed that my next trip to Houston would involve a C.O.G. performance, but fear not. I've got an Evil Plan to make that happen soon... soon as I line up a good band to perform with over there, or a con that will play along with my plot (still looking for THAT too unfortunately...)


P.S.: New 'Sarah Jane Adventures' was lightweight fun, but I'm stoked for November 16th, for some REAL 'Doctor Who'. (Anyone else think K-9's acting kind of schizo lately?)

aiyatheydidnt
The Chinese version of ONTD, AIYA is a dynamic international community that welcomes users who share a love of contemporary Chinese pop culture. Dedicated to celebrity gossip and entertainment news, you'll enjoy gorgeous photos and breaking stories featuring the glitterati of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

wendylady2
Designed to rescue fashion victims everywhere, this Brit-based community reads like a rag-ezine. Published once or twice weekly, you'll view bizarre highlights of the global fashion scene through captivating photos and delightfully snarky editorial. Sit tight for a virtual fashion tour from the runways of New York to Milan to Paris and back home again to London in homage to the adage: you can't buy good taste.

soldiers_heart
A passionate community for veterans of all ages (mostly American), plus families, friends, and supporters. View poignant snapshots detailing life in combat and back on civilian soil in the form of original artwork, personal narratives, poetry, and photos. Be forewarned that members don't shy away from describing their disappointments, disabilities, and struggles.

EDIT: If you're reading this, our maintenance is OVER! The problem was not found on our equipment, which means we'll have to work with our ISP to fix this small problem -- which also means another maintenance window in the future -- but at least we have eliminated our side.

Thank you everyone, and a special shout out to rekoil for giving me a great suggestion AND also the opportunity to feel like I've just called in to a local radio station.

Have a great day, night or afternoon wherever you may be.

---

Hi everyone, sorry for the late notice but I'm going to have to do some testing on 1 of our 4 internet circuits TONIGHT; Friday night or Saturday morning depending on which time zone you're in.

Most of us shouldn't notice any impact, though there may be some slowness or lag when I switch traffic on to our other ISP circuits and then another hit when I stop the tests. If a page won't load or times out, try hitting refresh 1 or 2 times and it should load then. If it doesn't work at all... trust me, I'll be typing really really really fast to try to undo whatever I just did. Hopefully you'll have some Halloween candy (if you're in the USA and celebrate that kind of thing) nearby to take away the bitterness of a small site outage. :(

Here's the handy-dandy Website That I Always Use to get a feel for when the maintenance will start in your area. Our site traffic historically dips on Friday afternoons until Saturday morning which is why we tend to pick this time for maintenance work.

( tech details )

status.livejournal.org will, of course be updated before and after the maintenance window. Or else marta will get mad at me. :D

bt

In response to user comments from last week, we want to let you know that we'll remain LJ cut-free for the next month in order to get more eyeballs on our evolving newsletter. As for product coverage, that continues to be our top priority. For more granular detail, however, we recommend you join lj_releases.

Super-tweak for Yandex search

Some of our beta testers expressed privacy concerns using the Yandex search engine. Here's why: Last week, when you ran a search, you could see the usernames (and only the usernames) of everyone who commented on an entry, even if that entry was switched to Private or Friends Only after it was originally indexed. You could NOT see the actual comments from Friends Only or Private posts. In response to your input, we've implemented a fix to keep all user activity currently marked Friends Only or Private completely hidden. If you'd prefer your public content not to be indexed by Yandex, click here and use the settings labeled Search Inclusion (this covers your entire journal) and/or Comment Search Inclusion (which covers comments only). To test drive Yandex search now, click here.

Postcards from the edge

Several years ago, we asked LiveJournal users to send postcards to help us decorate our dull, white-washed offices. Since a good idea warrants repetition, we're at it again (same issue, new address). We hope you'll surround us with LiveJournal love by sending your postcards to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. We'll post snapshots right here. Be sure to include your username, since we'll randomly pick 10 lucky recipients to win free paid account time.

Conquer Writer's Block

Here are some excerpts from this week's most popular question of the day:

If a friend or relative makes a racist or homophobic remark, do you tend to confront them or let it slide? Are you more likely to confront them if it offends you directly or someone else who seems reluctant to speak up?

1. I find it easier to stand up for other people, and i wouldn't let it slide if they made a rude or hurtful comment.
2. Usually if a friend makes a racist or homophobic remark, I tend to let it slide. I think that while i would not say such things myself, I have no right to censor those around me.
3. This happens all of the time. I confront some relatives, but I refuse to if they are drunk or watch Fox News.
4. I'd let it slide if it was just a private remark... As much as I despise bigotry and intolerance, I know that you can't change people-they have to change themselves ...
5. Confront! confront! confront! Politely, but without equivocation.
6. SPEAK UP. Always, always, always speak up. Letting something slide lets ignorance win. No matter if it offends me directly, or someone else, I will confront the speaker and let them know that's not ok.
7. I don't get offended personally. As an immigrant, woman, gay and person of color if I took every single potentially offensive remark seriously I wouldn't get anything done.
8. I punch them in the balls. With my mind.
9. I do speak up, but often very timidly because I feel that I'm white and therefore I don't really have any authority to lecture someone on what's racist and what isn't...
10. Generally speaking, I do not let this shit fly, because it reduces me as a person, to this non-person and it replicates the destructive discourse that makes sure that sexual minorities, racial minorities, women, people with disabilities, trans people and every intersection thereof into something other than human... And sometimes... I'm just too tired to deal with it, so I roll my eyes, make a sarcastic remark and hope the conversation moves on quickly.

For more daily questions and user comments, join writersblock. FYI, we don't want to invade your privacy, so we haven't credited individual users for their responses. We'd appreciate your feedback on this!

Spotlight community of the week

We can't resist making one last midnight trip to the ol' pumpkin patch. If you adore crazy costumes, fiendish festivities, and bottomless candy consumption as much as we do, this community has just what it takes to light up your jack-o-lantern.


halloween_fan

Photos of the week

We received so many incredible photos, we had to close our eyes and point. We uploaded a selection of awesome images at our new lj_photophile community. Please join and start posting (try to keep the width at around 625 for the sake of consistency)! We'd love for you to tell us more about your photos! You can help us select spotlight photos by commenting on your favorites. Once again, we thank you for making our online world more beautiful!

shutter	pancetta	ilya_gorokhov

Curtains

Thanks, again, for tuning in. We look forward to seeing you next week.

Let's see... the C.O.G., having been ostracized from Voodoo Music Fest for the 7th year in a row, confronts a choice: do we meekly apply for next year, or do we DESTROY VOODOOFEST?

What was that? We're EVIL BASTARDS? Oh yes, I almost forgot!

In that case, Filbert, plug in the WeatherTron! Time for me to have some FUN...

A friend in Texas writes in: "Did the Houston remount fall through?" This question probably deserves to be addressed in an entire post.

For the moment it's been pushed back, yet again. The problems are twofold - first, my current band lineup objects to doing a show without a guarantee and consequently taking a loss, just to get a foothold in a new city. Understandable, but I can get around that.

The thing that really needs to happen to get C.O.G. to Houston (or any other city outside Louisiana for that matter) is connecting with a compatible band, or a promoter, who can help get a crowd in. There is no sense in us transporting hundreds of pounds of equipment hundreds of miles to play to 20 people. Unfortunately, to clubs, the intensity of fan support is only expressible in number of bodies. This is due to the simple fact that clubs stay open by selling alcohol.

As some people have pointed out, a con might also work, but the problem with cons is that they're generally underequipped to handle a live band. I'm unwilling to haul a PA system (an entire extra truck's worth of equipment) that far, and most cons would be unwilling to rent a PA system (which can easily cost more than they would even be willing to pay the band.) However, if anybody knows of a con that might be willing to talk about making it happen, I'm all ears.

My favorite Houston band, Black Math Experiment, is reforming to play a show in early December, and we had made overtures about getting on this show, but the promoter was skittish about putting an out of town band on the bill. I aim to open for them the next time they perform, likely to be spring, but that's not been booked yet.

If anybody knows a drawing (and compatible) Texas band that would be willing to perform with us, PLEASE let me know! I really want to make this happen, finally. We just need some smart ideas and connections to blast 'reality' out of the way!!!

My aching body is slowly recovering from last night's onslaught at the House of Shock. Fun night, albeit small crowd... one of those nights where the frustration of waiting to go on made me say 'fuck it' and rock out till I couldn't speak once we finally got the 'go' signal. Even if there's just a few people getting really into it, it's possible for me to channel my energies their way and make an impression. We rampaged through the first set after starting at 10, and, knowing that we'd only get one set in, just continued onto the 2nd set afterwards, until I totally ran out of wind (following a great rendition of 'M.I.L.K.' 45 minutes into the set, it was practically impossible to hit the high notes in 'Black Plague'.) Guess I should have paced it out better, but how was I to know we'd be allowed to keep playing? (Also - warming up by singing Rush probably didn't really help either! But it certainly felt good.)

BTW, 'Die Barney Die' with new video backgrounds worked a LOT better than it did last week without!

Well, at this point I've got nothing booked, though I'm working on a couple in-town shows (as well as a Mardi Gras secret project...) What I'm really interested in doing now, however, is following up on recording some new material. We're far behind on recording of our next album, and really need to pick up the slack there. I'm gonna start working on recording/writing on a 2nd night of the week - probably Wednesday - and having that be a regular thing in addition to our normal rehearsal night. It's the only way I forsee getting the CD done.

Also got another promising Lab Girl audition coming up next Monday...

halloween_fan
Here at LiveJournal, we never balk at an opportunity for high drama, wicked costumes, and gluttonous sugar consumption. But this community takes it one step further: Here, everyday is Halloween. Of course, the hallowed eve is particularly sacred to this spirited crowd. If you're looking for last-minute costume ideas for your black cat, faux eyeball candy, or stand-out haunted houses, dive in for a splash of pagan merriment.

picturing_food
Designing gourmet? Feast your eyes on these pixel perfect dishes with an accent on presentation. A visual smorgasbord of eclectic cuisine, ranging from fusion to down-home comfort foods. If the way to your heart is through your stomach and the way to your stomach is through your eyes, you're sure to leave with a good taste in your mouth.

bookish
Passionate readers share well-penned reviews on a broad sweep of genres, including fiction, YA, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, and good ol' pot-boiling suspense. Those of a lit crit persuasion are invited to introduce themselves before posting. And for the silent majority who prefer to bask in our neighbors' labors, there are thoughtful reviews, book list suggestions, and even great gift ideas to keep your library card and dowtime filled.