Pac Man
Namco/Midway (1980)
This is what happens to the screen in a Pac Man arcade machine after many years of service [source: Dewshan on Imgur].
Mar 2, 2014
Burned Into Our Memory
Pac Man
Namco/Midway (1980)
This is what happens to the screen in a Pac Man arcade machine after many years of service [source: Dewshan on Imgur].
Mar 1, 2014
The Art And Culture Of Moosylvania
Moosylvania: A Group Art Show Tribute To Jay Ward
Van Eaton Galleries (2014)
An art exhibition that is inspired by the works of Jay Ward is having its opening reception tonight in Sherman Oaks, California. One hundred artists, designers and illustrators have each created a single piece that was inspired by the legendary creator of Rocky & Bullwinkle. All of these will be on display at Van Eaton Galleries.
Feb 28, 2014
Feb 25, 2014
You've Earned It
This photo came up at work while I was tagging mentions of Nestle Crunch bars across social media. It's a small tribute to Harold Ramis on the sidewalk outside of the Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8, which was the filming location of the Ghostbusters headquarters.
Feb 24, 2014
Feb 23, 2014
Guarding Vintage Pepsi
I've been going to Ring Of Honor shows at the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia since 2005, and I'm always amazed by the Pepsi machine near the restrooms. It's a vintage machine from the 80's that is still in operation, and it's in pristine condition. It looks like it was just installed yesterday.
I wonder if C.M. Punk ever took a selfie with it.
Feb 22, 2014
ROH TV Taping
Ring of Honor TV Taping: Episodes 130 - 132
Pennsylvania National Guard Armory - February 22, 2014
Philadelphia, PA
We brought our friends Roberto and Jeanette to this show. It was their first ROH event, and my first in seven years since the taping of The Wrestler in Dover, NJ. They taped three weeks worth of programming that will air from March 15th through the 29th.
The card was a mix of familiar faces that I remember from back in the day and newer talent that I learned about tonight. Of those, I was especially impressed with Michael Elgin and Tommaso Ciampa. The Briscoes have reinvented themselves since I last saw them at a live show, and they're still one of the best tag teams I've ever seen.
Episode #130 Results
air date: March 15, 2014
| |
| Tag Team Match Hanson and Raymond Rowe defeated Team Benchmark (Bill Delay and Will Ferrera) | |
| Singles Match Kevin Steen defeated Homicide via disqualification *Eddie Kingston interfered in the match which caused Homicide be disqualified. | |
| ROH Television Championship Match Tommaso Ciampa defeated Jay Lethal to retain the title | |
| Six Man Tag Team Match The Decade (Roderick Strong, BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs) defeated Adrenaline Rush (ACH and TaDarius Thomas) and Andrew Everett | |
| Singles Match RD Evans defeated The Romantic Touch via countout *The Romantic Touch is Rhett Titus under a mask. | |
| Singles Match Cedric Alexander defeated Adam Page | |
| Tag Team Match The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe) defeated Adam Cole and Mike Bennett | |
|
air date: March 29, 2014
| |
| Four Corners Survival Match Silas Young defeated Caprice Coleman, Matt Taven and Takaaki Watanabe | |
| ROH Tag Team Championship Match reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated The Brutal Burgers ("Brutal" Bob Evans and Cheeseburger) to retain the titles | |
| Singles Match "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. Michael Elgin went to a 30 minute time limit draw *Adam Cole did commentary with Steve Corino during the match. After it was over, he ran to the ring and used the ROH World Heavyweight Championship as a weapon to knock out both men. Kevin Steen and Jay Briscoe ran to the ring to run Adam Cole off. | |
Feb 17, 2014
Ice Ice Baby
Welcome to Northeast Pennsylvania, where the icicles start on the roof and end halfway down the living room window.
Feb 16, 2014
Big Prediction From The Big Piece
I'd be satisfied if he could learn to stop hitting into the shift.
Feb 14, 2014
Is He Talking About His Pickle
Big Mac Valentine
McDonald's (1974)
Try getting the visual out of your head of a giant humanoid cheeseburger policeman eating his own heart. Happy Valentines Day!
Feb 13, 2014
Feb 12, 2014
Building With Burnett
If Cole is healthy before the end of April (as the reports indicate), I think that adding AJ Burnett to the rotation could make the Phillies legitimate playoff contenders.
Feb 11, 2014
Snow Day In Yokohama
Cup Noodles Museum
Yokohama, Japan
This Cup Noodle may have chicken, but its mascot isn't too chicken to brave the winter sidewalk with a snow shovel [source: CopyRanter].
This Cup Noodle may have chicken, but its mascot isn't too chicken to brave the winter sidewalk with a snow shovel [source: CopyRanter].
Feb 4, 2014
Flying Off Into The Sunset
The Chase #12 cover art
Hiroshi Nagai
A series of twelve spoken word records for a story called The Chase were released in Japan during the early 1980's. The stories that are told on these records were written by novelist Sidney Sheldon, who is also the man responsible for creating The Patty Duke Show and I Dream Of Jeannie among other television projects. The albums are narrated by Orson Welles, and they were created as a tool to help Japanese speakers learn the English language.
I haven't had an opportunity to listen to any of these records, but I'm fascinated by the pop art on the cover. Each of the albums features the work of artist Hiroshi Nagai. The cover of the 12th and final album in the series is my favorite, but they're all very good. You can see the rest of them (except for volume #5) on Flickr courtesy of David Faulhaber.
Feb 3, 2014
70's Television
Vintage RCA Television
Nathan's Furniture in Hazleton is set up like a series of mini bedrooms and living rooms to show you how their furniture will look in your home. Some of the items aren't for sale, including this television, which appears to have been at the store since the 70's.
Feb 2, 2014
Feb 1, 2014
Monsters Are Real
Bray Wyatt
Artwork by DaceDestiny
I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling since I was four years old. I still remember sitting on my father’s lap and watching Brutus Beefcake wrestle Hulk Hogan. From 2005 through 2007, I attended a ridiculous number of WWE, Ring of Honor, Chikara events as well as other indy promotions whose names I’ve forgotten. In recent years, I’ve spent much less time watching wrestling. This wasn’t really due to a lack of interest, but a lack of time and money. I dedicated a lot of time to my studies, earning a degree in psychology, I’ve moved forward in my career, I’ve gotten married, bought a house and a puppy, and the money that I do have budgeted for entertainment has gone toward vacations with my wife and Phillies games.
One event I make it a point to never miss is the WWE Royal Rumble. It’s almost always an incredible show. This year’s event was pretty good (despite fans displeasure with the battle royal itself), but it peaked at the opening match. Anyone whose been to a show with me will tell you that I’ve been a fan of “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson for many years, and I am extremely happy that he’s gotten as over as he has in the WWE as Daniel Bryan. It truly couldn’t happen to a nicer or more talented guy. However, Bryan wasn’t the inspiration behind this long and wordy post.
Bryan’s opponent was Bray Wyatt. I’ve only heard about this guy from other people, and the impression that I took away was that WWE Creative was going for a gimmick where Duck Dynasty meets Deliverance. While this is a fairly accurate description on the surface, it doesn’t do this man or his gimmick justice.
From start to finish, the Bray Wyatt character is pure brilliance. From the intense music to the ominous lights-out entrance that surpasses even The Undertaker in its creepiness to his absolutely flawless verbiage and ring psychology, his work is tremendous. His style reminds me a bit of Bam Bam Bigelow, and this is meant as a very high complement. Bigelow was one of the most physically impressive big men in the business, and Bray absolutely is deserving of the same distinction. I honestly can’t find enough good things to say about his work.
I did a little research on the guy and found that he is the son of Mike Rotunda, better known to many as I.R.S. (and answer to the trivia question of “Who is the only man to have wrestled in Wrestlemania 1 and 10”). He’s also the grandson of Blackjack Mulligan and the nephew of Barry and Kendall Windham.
Ok, I’m done marking out, but if you’ve ever been a wrestling fan and you’ve gotten away from it over the years, check out the career thus far of Bray Wyatt. You will not be disappointed. Also, if you're bored when you're done with that, come check out my Tumblr. It's mildly amusing!
Jan 31, 2014
Video Mania
Toys R' Us Video Mania Flyer
January 1994
Seven dollars off plus a free pair of shades? How can you go wrong? Click here for the full size image
Jan 25, 2014
French Zombies And Pizza Bagels
Les Revenants
Canal+ (2012)
This is the first French television that I've ever watched, unless you count episodes of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold that had been dubbed in English for Nickelodeon in the 80's. It's about a small town in which a number of people who died suddenly come back to life at the same time. However, they're not coming back as zombies or monsters... they're the same people and the same age as they were when they died, and they have no memory of their death. It's fascinating, and one of the most interesting shows about the undead that I've ever seen.
We made pizza bagels to snack on while watching this show. They weren't anything fancy... just bagels topped with pepperoni, cheese and chunky pizza sauce, but they were exceptionally good!
Jan 21, 2014
The Return Of The Wheeze Kids
Ruben Amaro is seemingly on a mission to bring back as many aging former Phillies as he can. It started in November when he signed Marlon Byrd to a 2 year, $16 million dollar contract. Byrd began his career with the Phillies in 2002, but was traded to the Washington Nationals just a month into the 2005 season.
In December, he brought catcher Lou Marson back to Philadelphia to compete for the spot to back up Carlos Ruiz. Mason was one of the prospects that the Phillies traded away at the 2009 deadline to acquire Cliff Lee, so it's possible that Lee could pitch this season to one of the players who he was traded for.
Today, they signed two time all-star Bobby Abreu to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Abreu was taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 MLB Expansion Draft and was then immediately traded to the Phillies for Kevin Stocker. He immediately became one of the Phillies best hitters and was our starting right fielder for the next eight and a half seasons until he was practically given away to the Yankees at the 2006 deadline for a few minor league players who didn't look like promising prospects at the time, and who didn't contribute for the Phillies (or anyone else) in a meaningful way. It was one of the most foolish trades that our front office has made in recent memory.
Abreu's best days are behind him, but he hit an encouraging .322/.416/.461 in 50 games for Leones del Caracas during the Venezuelan Winter League 2013-14 season, so there may be something left in the tank for one more productive season for the team where he became a star.
Jack on Beerleaguer proposed an interesting gambling exercise for the 2014 season: which of the five Phillies who were with the team back in 2004 will be more productive ten years later. Here are their slash lines:
Jimmy Rollins (154 games) - .289/.348/.455Chase Utley (94 games) - .266/.308/.468Ryan Howard (19 games) - .282/.333/.564Bobby Abreu (159 games) - .301/.428/.544Marlon Byrd (106 games) - .228/.287/.321
The chances of Abreu coming close to his 2004 productivity in his age 40 season are slim to none, but I suppose stranger things have happened. The rest of them have a reasonable chance, but if I had to put my money on one of them, it'd be either Utley or Byrd. Who knows... maybe they'll all put together a magical season and be the second incarnation of the Wheeze Kids who will lead Philadelphia to the World Series.
Jan 17, 2014
In The Morning With My Whole Wheat Toast...
I see this commercial every morning, and both the song and the dancing avocado haunt me for the rest of the day.
Jan 15, 2014
Exotic Snacking
Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups teaser trailer
Nestle (2014)
The teaser for our upcoming Super Bowl ad is... interesting. Have a look.
Jan 7, 2014
Jan 4, 2014
Retro Sticker Album
Retro Sticker Album
Tumblr (2014)
One of my favorite things in the world when I was growing up in the 80's was stickers, so I went ahead and tried to digitally create the experience. Check it out!
Dec 31, 2013
Dec 26, 2013
Dec 25, 2013
Dec 24, 2013
Yoshi The Green-Nosed Dinosaur
Super Nintendo Promo Sign
Pepsi (1991)
For the 1991 holiday season, Pepsi partnered with Nintendo in a promotion to give away SNES consoles and other prizes, including Super Secrets trading cards.
Dec 23, 2013
Nooooo Basket
Thursday, December 23, 1993
Los Angeles Lakers @ Miami Heat
Miami Arena - Miami, FL
Seats: section 124, row L, seats 1 - 2
Results: Heat defeat Lakers, 109 - 92 [Basketball-Reference]
Photo Gallery
The only basketball game I have ever been to was 20 years ago today. Someone that my Dad worked with gave us two tickets to the Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers on the night before Christmas Eve. It was one of the most fun and memorable nights I ever spent with my father, and one we still joke about to this day.
It really wouldn't make sense to anyone but he and I, but one of the funniest memories I have of that night happened at the end of one of the quarters. Someone threw up a shot that either didn't go in or hadn't been shot until after the buzzer. Over the speakers, we heard: "No basket. Naaaooooooo basket!". The announcer dragged out the word "no" to a ridiculous level. Dad and I looked at each other and burst out laughing like a couple of lunatics. Everyone sitting around us must have thought we had lost our minds. We didn't say a word because we knew we were thinking the exact same thing. My grandmother (his mother) would dramatically shout the word "no" in that same exact manner when she was in one of her moods. In the twenty years since this game, Dad and I must have said "Naaaooooooo basket" to each other at least a hundred times.
Another funny memory we have of that night was one of the little games they play with the crowd. I can't remember the game - something like a cartoon race on the big screen, or something along those lines. The announcer said that our section had won, and each person would receive a free Miami Heat Croakie. Without missing a beat, Dad looked at me and said "What the hell is a croakie?" A few people sitting near us thought that was hysterical, and they explained to both of us that it's an elastic band that you stick on your glasses. I still have mine to this day, and I never once put it on my glasses. I'm still not clear about what it's for.
Dec 22, 2013
Crispety, Crunchety, Peanut Butter Cupety
Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups
Nestle (2013)
Our office finally got a shipment of samples of the newest product in the Butterfinger line - Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups. The good news is that we're getting an opportunity to try them before they hit retail shelves. The bad news is that they only sent us enough for everybody to have one cup. Not one pack of cups... one cup. Come on, folks... at least let us bring a few home for our families to try too!
The center is a mixture of peanut butter with what I believe are small bits of the Butterfinger candy center. It reminded me a bit of a Nestle Crunch bar, because each of the hard pieces are almost microscopic, but there are enough of them mixed in to give it a crispy texture throughout. I wouldn't say that they're better or worse than a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, but the flavor is different enough to warrant buying both.
The center is a mixture of peanut butter with what I believe are small bits of the Butterfinger candy center. It reminded me a bit of a Nestle Crunch bar, because each of the hard pieces are almost microscopic, but there are enough of them mixed in to give it a crispy texture throughout. I wouldn't say that they're better or worse than a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, but the flavor is different enough to warrant buying both.
Dec 21, 2013
Dec 20, 2013
Dec 19, 2013
Sheetz Is Turning The Hose On Me
Sheetz MTO Sub Sauce
Sheetz (2013)
If you're going to spoof The Silence Of The Lambs for a condiment, it really should be something spicy so that you could call it Buffalo Bill Sauce.
Dec 18, 2013
Dec 17, 2013
Red Sea Crossing
Atari 2600 in the Red Sea
Salem Express Shipwreck
Source: Diver Magazine - June 2013
The Salem Express ship crashed into the Hyndman Reefs on the Egyptian just after midnight on December 17th, 1991, killing 470 passengers and sending the ship and its contents to the bottom of the Red Sea. This Atari 2600 has recently been photographed by scuba divers who are investigating the wreckage. Today marks 22 years since the Salem Express sank, and the Atari remains in the ocean to this day.
Update: More about the wreckage and this photograph can be found at Divernet.com. Information about the ship has been published by RedSeaWreckProject.com.
Dec 10, 2013
Thank You, Doc
Roy Halladay
Toronto Blue Jays (1998 - 2009)
Philadelphia Phillies (2010 - 2013)
One of the greatest pitchers to ever put on a Phillies uniform has ended his remarkable career. Thank you, Mr. Halladay.
One of the greatest pitchers to ever put on a Phillies uniform has ended his remarkable career. Thank you, Mr. Halladay.
Dec 7, 2013
Dec 4, 2013
Dec 3, 2013
You Have Sticker Anxiety, Charlie Brown
Peanuts Sticker Series: Volume 1
Sonic Drive-In (2013)
Does anyone else keep stickers forever without using them because you can't find the perfect place to stick them, and you just know that you're going to regret it the second after you do? I got these from Sonic earlier this year, and I have a hunch that it's going to remain intact on my bookshelf for the rest of my life.
The blue ones on the snowflake page are scratch and sniff. They smell like peppermint!
Dec 2, 2013
Dec 1, 2013
Would Their Offspring Be A Dragontoad?
Battletoads Double Dragon
Tradewest (1993)
I don't know which of these things gives me more of a warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling, the game or the toy store.
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