It's Sad to See Retro Games Basically Vanishing From Existence

A new article by Levi Winslow on Kotaku discusses how a shocking 87% of retro/classic games are essentially vanishing due to a lack of preservation, availability, and so forth. People essentially have to turn to piracy or have a bunch of expensive old gear to have the ability to play old games. Even things that can be played could disappear easily if the online storefront folds. It makes me think of how streaming releases also are suddenly vanishing and how now disc, "Sales," are booming regarding bootlegs of shows and movies as viewing something illegally can sometimes be the only way to see it. 

We need to make sure we preserve shows, movies, games, and so forth. The Library of Congress is great for publications, and you have websites like Archive.org for lots of stuff online, but one worries about some stuff simply just being gone and only existing as a memory in the future. It would be awful.

Today's ToyMan Show Was an Incredibly Good Time!

I was able to be at the ToyMan show today for a smidgen in the morning and had a ball! I saw plenty of friends, found some cool stuff, and otherwise was impressed as always with the wide variety of good stuff for sale. 

I started the show by chatting with my good chum, Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles. I then talked with Tom from Alliance Comics, Toys, and Games about how he'd been doing. Kristen and Andy of Grapes Games were at the show with lots of neat stuff for sale as well! Vince of VK Toys had a ton of awesome comics and we did a big trade, I was pleased to see him. I had fun talking with Tim Metzger too, he's a cool guy with great stuff! Also, I ran into my friend Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics and acquired this awesome, "Daredevil," slabbed comic from him featuring the first cover appearance of Maya Lopez AKA Echo: 

In the upstairs area, I first ran into Jessica Mathews and we chatted about how her latest books were coming along. I also saw Lindsay Hornsby and admired a lot of cool buttons she's been making and selling now! Debbie Manbe Kupfer and her son Joey Kupfer were at the show and I bought a children's book of logic puzzles they collaborated on titled, "Paws4Thought." I'm bad at physical puzzles but enjoy using logic, so I thought it would be fun to grab. Here's a picture:

When I saw all my friends at today's ToyMan show I let them know I'd probably be missing the next one in late August as we're going to be busy very soon with our upcoming baby. Today's show was full of great finds and cool folks for sure. If you can visit the next ToyMan on August 27th I'd recommend you do so as clearly I had a stupendous time!

Bad Idea Actually Has a Good Point (For Once) About Digital Comics

Bad Idea is a comic book publisher I mostly quit caring about a while ago. They got so focused on doing strange publicity stunts it managed to drastically overshadow the fact they were putting out some cool comics. Pretending they were going out of business, switching to selling doughnuts, or other nonsense just got old. I and many other folks simply quit caring. Bad Idea has announced a new Kickstarter campaign for their digital edition of, "The Ends," as a, "Pro Edition," and in the press release for it do something I really didn't expect...they make a good point.

As Bleeding Cool discusses with their reproduction of the press document, Bad Idea points out that Amazon ruined digital comics. Many folks recall there was Comixology, Amazon bought it, and then utterly destroyed it. Bad Idea doesn't even delve into all that so much as discussing how digital comics are a pain to read and lack any kind of cool bonus features we were promised might happen much in the same way cool stuff has been done with streaming shows/movies. "We gave up quality for convenience," with a bunch of comics thrown online in a haphazard fashion, Bad Idea points out.

Now, Bad Idea isn't just hating on Amazon and digital comics without a reason. As I said, they're launching a Kickstarter campaign for a deluxe digital version of, 'The Ends: Pro Edition," by David Lapham and Maria Lapham. One would assume this special digital comic will contain things Bad Idea states in their press release comics you read on a device should have, "...access to the artist's original page layouts. The pencils and inks. The writer's original scripts. The editor's notes. Trivia. Easter eggs. Millions of new colors only digital can display. The ability to zoom in on the tiniest details. Deleted scenes. Alternate endings. Additional story. And so, so, so many brand-new digitally native features." Bad Idea has surprised me by making a good point, will they follow through showing what digital comics could be and really shock me by having a good idea for once? I suppose we'll have a better idea once the Kickstarter campaign launches. I'll be watching as Bad Idea has caught my attention again, so hats off for that, at least.

Meta's New, "Threads," Has Launched and Shows Potential

 

Ol' Mark Zuckerberg of Meta has done something new. He's got Facebook and Instagram along with other projects and now Meta's development team has released Threads. Threads is basically Meta's way to compete with Twitter. It has potential and is relatively easy to use. A number of features are missing in comparison to Twitter, but that is being worked on. Threads has been rapidly downloaded by those curious about it as well as people who are fed up with Twitter and how Elon Musk--its current owner--seems desperate to run it into the ground. If you already have Instagram it is really easy to import some stuff over into Threads. I feel like it has potential but clearly is in its earlier stages.

One nice bonus of Threads is that it is making Elon Musk really angry. He is threatening to sue Meta for all kinds of things ranging from poaching Twitter staff to somehow stealing, "Trade secrets," as if other sites haven't done a knock-off of Twitter before. Plenty of folks have sites like Twitter that want to be better, threads just has the money and public interest to possibly actually succeed at it--sorry Mastodon, Bluesky (although it is getting buzz), and etc. I don't know if Threads will replace Twitter, but it seems to be the biggest contender for the metaphorical crown in quite some time. We shall see and in the meantime, I'll enjoy how when I use it Elon Musk won't be there. Should you want to find me on Threads, I'm thenewestrant there as well as basically all other social media.

"Notion," is a Lovely Notetaking Website and App

Readers may recall how last week I discussed that a certain notetaking website/app was going to start charging me double. I stated how I would not stand for such a thing and had been testing other options. Well, I'm pleased to report I've fallen in love with Notion. It is a clean and crisp notetaking app that is quite intuitive and has many easy-to-use features. I mainly jot down thoughts and to-do lists so I don't need a lot of the cool extra stuff, but it is nice to have. Plus, the things I use Notion for make it free! There are paid levels and they are quite inexpensive, but I don't need them yet. I've basically switched totally over to Notion after it made it easy to import my Evernote files and I've canceled my Evernote renewal.

I was surprised when how after I confirmed 3 or so times I wanted to cancel Evernote it offered me a discount so that my price would only go up only a little (under 10 bucks). I'd already transferred everything into Notion at that point and really dig how Notion works so I declined the offer. I figured even if I got that offer this year I would just have to quit Evernote next time I'm due to renew--when I doubt such an offer would occur again. You can learn more about Notion on its website and utilize it on your devices should it appeal to you!

Television Tuesday: "Based on a True Story," Humorously Examines the True-Crime Genre

"Based on a True Story," has all eight episodes streaming on Peacock of the first season. Featuring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as a married couple with Tom Bateman as the friendly plumber they figure out isn't who he seems, the show starts quite dramatically, slows down a bit, but when it features everyone going to a crime-themed convention in Vegas mid-series it really picks back up and gets quite crazy until ending on some big cliffhangers. If I may spoil a chunk of the first episode, Cuoco manages to figure out that Bateman's character is a well-known serial killer and instead of turning him she and Messina decide to basically blackmail him into doing a podcast where he discusses who he is and why he kills.

"Based on a True Story," manages to be critical of the true crime genre and all the popular podcasts without outright trying to make fans of the stuff feel guilty. It points out there is a whole industry making money off violent deaths in the name of, "Helping the victims," but while the victims are being spotlit a lot of money is being made. It's also a damn funny show with Bateman stealing scenes as a serial killer who also manages to be creepily easy to like--when he's not stabbing people. Cuco and Messina's excuse for doing a podcast with Bateman's character is they can make him stop killing and get out of a bunch of financial trouble they're in, but the show doesn't hesitate to point out they're being pretty despicable themselves. That said, is a podcast talking with a serial killer while they're still on the loose really that inexcusable in an industry full of gory details where once the killer is caught fans eagerly read about/listen to the bloodshed?

Thanks to a strong cast and a clever plot, "Based on a True Story," is quite twisted fun. It dives into the true crime genre with a critical eye and makes some good points while also making viewers laugh--when they aren't cringing from the body count. I really hope a second season happens and would encourage anyone with Peacock to check this show out.

5 out of 5 stars.

Be Aware, This July 4th

Stay safe this July 4th! If you are grilling, be sure everything is cooked through. Should you set off fireworks, practice caution. If you're drinking a bunch, don't drive. Should you be a reasonable and caring human being look out for the six members of the Supreme Court who seem eager to disassemble social progress in our Nation via gutting Affirmative Action, making it legal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ folks, and so forth. Last year I wrote about how Independence Day felt a lot less like a celebratory occasion due to Conservatives (such as those on the Supreme Court) wanting to move our Country backward. I still am hopeful for the future of America and believe it can live up to its ideals of being a nation, "With liberty and justice for all." Things just seem extra troubling lately. So yes, be aware of the dangers you might face on July 4th and the rest of the year in our Nation if we don't fight against ignorance, hatred, and the regressive policies that boost them.

July 2023 News and Links Roundup

Do We Work Today, Do We Take it Off?

It's July 3rd and a Monday. So many people have taken today off with the National Holiday known as July 4th falling on a Tuesday this year. It's made things a bit messy when it comes to figuring out what stores are open or closed. Plus, we didn't have mail yesterday but should get some today, and then none tomorrow, with it back Wednesday. Don't worry about me taking today off, though, I'm here with some assorted news I found interesting and thought I'd link to.

News and Links to Kick Off July

A massive rollercoaster was shut down when a park attendee named Jeremy Wagner noticed a huge crack had appeared upon it. Known as the Fury 325 one wonders how bad things could have been considering it was a support pillar. Upsettingly enough, when Wagner first alerted the park they seemed less than concerned about this massive issue. Once the fire department and media were alerted more action was taken. Scary stuff.

It's a bit baffling when a game that is barely a decade old gets a remake, but rumor has it Ubisoft is planning to give us a next-generation and remastered, "Assassin's Creed IV." That was the AC game that heavily incorporated sailing pirate ships and inspired the still heavily-delayed, "Skull and Bones," game. Apparently, the tech being used for that money sink might go towards this remake, salvaging some funds.

HBO used to be a big deal. Now, owner Warner Brother Discovery insists HBO's streaming service HBO MAX instead go by MAX and farm a lot of its biggest shows out to other streaming networks--that's if they aren't outright taking shows/movies off the internet (making them hard-to-impossible to watch legally). David Zaslav was brought in to save Warner Brothers Discovery but he seems more interested in breaking it down piece by piece for any scraps of change he can scoop up. That, or I'm just still bitter about what happened to "Batgirl."

A big-but-short event is launching from DC for a couple months called, "Knight Terrors." It is a four-issue series focusing on the DC Universe fighting a villain named Insomnia (they use dreams and nightmares to fight everybody, it seems). There are a slew of tie-in comics that are replacing the usual DC output for two months and while it is a clever idea this doesn't sound like anything I'm in a rush to go buy a ton of tie-ins for. That said, the two-issue one for the Joker actually sounds kind of genius. He--basically accidentally--kills Batman and with that done goes and gets a regular office job now that his life lacks purpose. The Joker's worst nightmare is essentially Batman dying and his life being boring. That's pretty fun. I might check out the first issue this week as it just seems quite clever.

I was bummed to hear about the passing of Alan Arkin. He was 89 and known for a ton of roles, but my absolute favorite has to be, "Little Miss Sunshine," where he plays an incredibly ornery but kind-hearted Grandfather. He will be missed. 

To conclude, I'm definitely getting old because I'd never heard of Colleen Ballinger or her, "Miranda Sings," character that younger folks apparently love. That is, until a big scandal broke involving her having toxic relationships with fans. She handled this scandal by singing a half-apology half-denial song on the ukulele. What even is reality, anymore?

Get Ready for the 4th!

Tomorrow will be July 4th so if you live in the United States get ready for a whole lot of fireworks, grilling, and--for some folks--drinking. Make sure to stay safe out there!

Ketchup Goes in the Fridge

In a manner a bit like the ongoing debate regarding if shoes should be left on or taken off in the house, people are arguing about ketchup. That is, whether ketchup should be stored in the refrigerator or not. Most brands of ketchup are completely shelf-stable so they don't have to be in the fridge, but I and a number of other people I know prefer it in there. I don't want crusty table ketchup if I can avoid it. I'll take some smooth and tasty stuff from the fridge. Whether you agree with me or think I'm way out of line, I'm going to store my ketchup in the fridge.

"Magic: The Gathering," Manufactured Scarcity, "The Lord of the Rings," and Comics

"Magic: The Gathering," is an immensely popular card game. I have friends who tried to get me to play it but I always would state how I had so many other hobbies that took up my money adding another one just seemed silly. Because, boy, do some cards in, "Magic," take a lot of money! People will buy packs and randomly, "Pull," good cards, but plenty of players and collectors will shell out big bucks for rare and powerful cards. Now, there was a partnership between, "Magic," and the Tolkien estate for a, "Lord of the Rings,"-themed expansion. True to the literature, there was a card for, "The One Ring," and I do mean a single card was produced. News of this extremely limited card resulted in players and stores offering million-dollar or more bounties for whoever pulled the card. It's been announced someone found it.

A person who has wished to remain anonymous pulled the card and get it graded right away with PSA. It scored an impressive 9 out of 10 and this individual now can either take up one of those offers online or I wouldn't be surprised if this goes to auction and pulls in some significant cash. "One Ring to Rule Them All," indeed. Between the kind of sports cards on that Goldin show I watched and these, "Magic," cards clearly this can be a pricey hobby. I can't judge because if I had a ton of money lying around I'd probably buy some fancy comics, but the manufactured scarcity of trading cards is always interesting to witness, a bit like ratio variants of comic books or Bad Idea and their limited comic releases. I prefer being able to buy and read a comic without hoops to jump through and that's one reason my interest in Bad Idea diminished some time ago; it is also why I don't mess with ratio covers much unless I find a cool one for cheap. This is a model that works with trading cards, I suppose, but hopefully not with comics outside of some fancy variant covers and silly companies such as Bad Idea. Time will tell.