Mundinator

Working Nintendo Entertainment System Coffee Table

Yes, this is a working NES coffee table.  This coffee table just kicks ass in so many ways.  I can't tell you how I would love to get my hands on this thing.  I was asking a few people around Snowblind what they would offer this guy for it I got ranges from $300 to $1000.  I am thinking he could get $1000, but I would be willing to take it for $500 (if you are out there, d00d...email me).

The Atari 2600 Mario Brothers Cartridge FTW

There comes a time in everyone's life where we decide to go through things and reduce the clutter that we have accumulated over the years.  Sometimes we call it spring cleaning.  Sometimes it happens when we need more closet or garage space.  Sometimes it just happens when we move. When we move we're forced drag things out of closets, cupboards and drawers and look at all the crap we have all at the same time.  We realize then that we have saved things we don't really want and will never use again...so we choose.

We choose what is no longer of value and what still remains a part of who we are.  Yeah, we like to say we are not defined by our stuff...and I like that idea, but truth of the matter is that one very intelligent woman in my life explained that our past really can be defined by what we save.  What we look back upon and recall a memory of a time we spent with someone we may never see ever again.

I have all sorts of objects and reminders of my previous 28 years.  I turkey caller from the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Novato, CA that my dad bought me.  My tiny boy scout shirt from when my mom was den mother.  A trinket box that my sister made for me.  It is covered in .22 shells from a trip to the high desert with my college roommate Jeff.  It was where I actually fired an M1 from WWII (wow, what a kick that thing has).

Noelle and I recently picked up and moved all our things to Seattle, forcing me to really reevaluate all the things that I have saved.  Going through my stuff this time around, I took yet another look at all the video games and systems that I have kept over the years.  I really have tried to keep them all...and I still can't part with any of them.

Colleco Vision, Atari 2600, NES, Sega Master System, Genesis, SNES, Dreamcast, Playstation, Playstation 2, Xbox 360 and the Wii.  Let's, of course, not forget all the fun that was had in the heyday of the PC game...with companies like Sierra, Interplay and Bullfrog.  I did miss a bit of the Nintendo Generations (the N64 and the Gamecube), but then again I have always considered myself a bit more of a fan of more mature games.

While I may not play all these systems very much, they bring back so many memories of how I became the person I am today...so they will remain with me as long as I have a place to store them.  Since I don't have a place to display them physically, I have decided to start a little project.  I am taking all those games that have meant something to me.  All those crazy manuals from Sierra, all those catalogues for games and all those cool game covers...and scanning them to share with you.  Some have stories and some are just nostalgic in their own right.  At the top of this post is my first scan...of an original Mario Bros Atari 2600 Cart.  While I can't say I have any particular memory tied to this game...but come on, its Mario Bros!

I'm in the middle of a crunch at work, but I'll try to get the next post up with some maps from the original Everquest packaging.

More Team Fortress 2 Costumes

Just a few more people who I found that dressed up as TF2 classes.  These guys are not from any company...just a bunch of friends who rock!  I have two observations about all these TF2 costumes that I have reviewed.

1) This has to be the most popular gamer costume theme I have ever seen.  The only one that might be able to trump this for all time record could be Mario, but I bet that Mario lost this year for sure.  Sorry GameJew, but I'm gonna say it.  Hate me if you want, but Mario is tired.  Let the man retire in peace and come up with some new Nintendo IP for the love of gawd (more on this later).

 

2) Why did so many people pick the red team?  What does this day about society?  Are there simply more red options out there?  Are people saying the red team is better?  Does the world really prefer RED over BLUE?

Ok Guys, you rule!  You got everyone from the looks of it.  Too bad the Heavy didn't shave his head.  The Pyro needed some red pants.  Shoulda asked the Demo guy where he got his.  Ok ok, you guys rock for getting the whole thing together, but ya missed a lot of the smaller things.  Overall, really nice job!

Grade: A-

So not at all close to the entire list of classes, but you guys really seem like you are into it.  Right on!  The two on the left really rock the poses.  You two on the right seems to be a little bit less studied...maybe its time to play more TF2. 

Grade: B-

Another NES Emulator...This Time for the iPhone!

So it didn't take long for someone to find a way to put an emulator on the iPhone.  Even tho I am rather not all that interested in this phone, I am interested that someone made an emulator where the screen acts as both the game window AND the controller.

If you take a look at the guy operating the phone, he only pressed to the right by taping the virtual D-Pad.  Mario then runs off to the right non-stop.  Sooo...not a perfect emulation and, in fact, not complete if this is the unfortunate limitation at the moment.

He had quite a library of games, which is nice, but the jury is still out for me as to if I really care that much that people can emulate an ancient system on every fucking electronic device known to man.  Shit...next  Super Mario Bros will be a mini game on my toaster.  STOP MAKING NES EMULATORS!  How many fucking times can you play the same game!

**Note** Making an emulator just to prove it can technically be done I respect, but don't you think the NES has been emulated enough!**

Tesla Music Machine

Tesla Electric Current Plays Music - Watch more free videos

OMG this thing is so cool I wanna build one!  Sometimes I come across the coolest shit.  This thing was shown off at Duckon 2007 in June.  Here is some additional information thanks to Haunted Frog.

Steve Ward's Singing Tesla Coil

This is a solid-state Tesla coil.  The primary runs at its resonant frequency in the 41 KHz range, and is modulated from the control unit in order to generate the tones you hear.

So just to explain a little further, yes, it is the actual high voltage sparks that are making the noise. Every cycle of the music is a burst of sparks at 41 KHz, triggered by digital circuitry at the end of a "long" piece of fiber optics.

What's not immediately obvious in this video is how loud this is.  Many people were covering their ears, dogs were barking. In the sections where the crowd is cheering and the coils is starting and stopping, you can hear the the crowd is drowned out by the coil when it's firing.

This Tesla coil was built and is owned by Steve Ward.  Steve is a EE student at U of I Urbana-Champaign.  He and Jeff have been going to Teslathons, which is where they met.

It's been suggested that a good name for this coil would be the "Zeusaphone". "Thoremin" has also been mentioned, though personally I think we need Theramin type inputs for that.

To answer a few questions I've received, YES, someone did yell "Play Freebird!" after the first round of music.

Some People Have Too Much Free Time

Is it a fake?  Is it real?  I have no idea, but assuming this is for real it sure took a long time to make.  I know I'm impressed.  More from the Cult of Mario!

Mario's Last Life!

Mario: Game Over - Brought to you by Break.com Video Search

This just happens to be a decently put together filmette about Mario's last life after returning to the real world with the Princess.  The film goes into how the man unfortunately become so tied to his experience's trying to rescue the princess that he continues to use mushrooms in back alleys just to get his fix.

The beginning was quite well done, but I feel it broke down a bit when they tried to make him bigger and then invincible.  All things considered, a fun one.

It's really interesting all this attention that seems to have cropped up in the last few years over the Cult of Mario.  Video's like this really prove to me that games are not just background noise.  Sure, I personally don't debate it, but it goes to show others that this is the case.