The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live hit differently for me. Half a century is a milestone that demands more than a nostalgic glance backward — it demands the full archaeological dig. So I did what any reasonable person with an overactive sense of completionism would do: I started at the very beginning, all theContinue reading “Live From 1975, It’s Saturday Night: A Season 1 Review”
Category Archives: Culture & Content
Game Sack in Boulder
Today I had a delightful surprise. I was working from home when my canine alarm system let me know that someone was approaching the front door. Assuming it was a delivery, I stepped away from a Zoom meeting to see if they needed a signature. It was a delivery, but it was also so muchContinue reading “Game Sack in Boulder”
The TurboGrafx-16 Legacy: How a “Failed” Console Created a 35-Year Love Story (Plus a Secret Trick Never Before Published)
Recently, my 7-year-old clutched my TurboExpress as we boarded a plane. “Dad, can we beat Cadash together?” they asked. Watching them discover the same wonder I felt 35 years ago, I realized the TurboGrafx-16 wasn’t just a console—it was a lifelong companion that has shaped both my gaming journey and now his. Summer 1989: WhenContinue reading “The TurboGrafx-16 Legacy: How a “Failed” Console Created a 35-Year Love Story (Plus a Secret Trick Never Before Published)”
Military Madness Strategy Guide: Dominating the Lunar Battlefield
I still remember the day in 1990 when I brought home my shiny new TurboGrafx-16 game, Military Madness (known as Nectaris in Japan). Little did I know that this turn-based strategy game set on the moon would become a lifelong passion. In the decades since, I’ve beaten the game more times than I can count,Continue reading “Military Madness Strategy Guide: Dominating the Lunar Battlefield”
Tecmo Super Bowl: The Perfect Play in Sports Gaming History
As millions gather today for Super Bowl LVIII, I find myself thinking about a different kind of Super Bowl – one that, for me, represents the perfect distillation of football into pure joy. Some say you can’t go home again, but they’re wrong. All I need is an NES controller, that distinctive click of theContinue reading “Tecmo Super Bowl: The Perfect Play in Sports Gaming History”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapters 24/25
I think Harry is so much better at resisting the Imperius Curse than he is at Occlumency because . . . he had a better teacher for resisting the Imperius Curse. That’s right, a Death Eater pretending to be a mad ex-auror is better at teaching than career educator Severus Snape. Fake Moody prepared theContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapters 24/25”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapters 18/19
Chapter 18: The leader of my Harry Potter book club pointed out that Hermione sounds a lot like Mrs. Weasley in this chapter, chastising Sirius for taking unnecessary risks. Oedipus much, Ron?? Chapter 19: It’s interesting that teaching is the first thing that Harry has been really good at since flying. Now that I thinkContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapters 18/19”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 11
I wonder why Slytherin House remained at Hogwarts after Salazar Slytherin left. It would seem that someone so passionate about his views on the worthiness of students might have left and started a competitive school – and surely the students/parents who agreed with him would have followed him. Along the same lines, it seems weirdContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 11”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 10
On the topic of thestrals, this continues the theme of “mundanization” of magic found in the last book. The first books are all wide-eyed wonder at magic: carriages that pull themselves, a majestic feast that magically appears on the tables. Now we pull the curtains back and realize that those are the results of theContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 10”
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Review
Tonight we attended the first showing of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker and boy do I have some thoughts. My TL;DR non-spoiler review is that the film isn’t terrible, but it’s very disappointing. It was mostly an OK film, but then a couple of key decisions ruined it for me. In hindsight,Continue reading “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Review”