Seriously…Wow! I don’t know what else to say. It was a dream. Purely an out-of-body experience at some moments. Truly a success, a lovely evening!

Thank you to our friends, family, neighbors, and he Wasatch Back community, for supporting a group of local artful friends! The reception was full of delightful people sharing, chatting, and enjoying artful moments together.

Thank you wba artists…for making a lovely show, for delectable food, presentation, and for your amazing artful work!

And a success: two sales and 4 commissions later…Thank you!

If you missed the reception but will be in town between now and December 18th, please come on over and enjoy the show…we sure are!

San Diego is home port to one-third the U.S. Navy’s fleet and now the city has a naval museum to rival any on the east coast: The USS Midway. And what a splash it has made.

Attendance at the museum has exceeded expectations ever since it opened in 2004.

A visit to the museum makes it easy to see why the attraction is setting box office records. With all the precision you would expect from a military-based organization, the founders of the Aircraft Carrier Museum have put together an impressive visual and historical experience that appeals to all ages, and especially to those who have any sort of fascination with things military.

The way we saw it, the Midway offered a great balance between being orderly and structured and yet still individualized to each person’s interests. As part of the $13 admission, each visitor is loaned a “Walkman”-like audio device and headphones to hear pre-recorded explanations of 29 different points of interest in various locations around the ship. But you’re totally on your own – you can see these points of interest in any order or even skip some if you like. The explanations are relatively brief, but usually you can get further explanation by just pushing the play button. Each visitor can go at his or her individual pace and linger where there is the most interest.

We’ve experienced this type of audio system before, but the Aircraft Carrier Museum does it right. By way of comparison, the Jimi Hendrix museum in Seattle uses a similar system, but the audio units are big and unwieldy — and the explanations can’t be individualized.

So why is it worth visiting the U.S.S. Midway? Just visiting an aircraft carrier, for one thing, is a treat unto itself. But in the Midway’s case, there is a 47-year history that is good to keep in the back of your mind as you get a real sense of what it’s like to live and work on an aircraft carrier.

The Midway was the world’s largest warship when it was launched in 1945 and remained so for more than a decade. Named for the famous Battle of Midway, the carrier did not actually see service in that battle, but did serve in combat during the Vietnam War and was one of six carriers sent to fight Iraq during Desert Storm. The ship also played a vital role in many historical achievements – the first rocket fired from a ship was fired from the Midway, and the first jet takeoff from an aircraft carrier was made from this very flight deck.

Visitors get a good up-close look at the living and working conditions on board the Midway. Entering on the massive Hangar Deck, they are first treated to several exhibits offering history on the ship and its aircraft. Then doorways open here and there to allow visitors to step into the galley and mess deck area – where 13,000 meals were served each day – and into such work areas as the weapons control station, metal shop and post office. Nearby, a bank of computer simulators are available so you can try your hand at “flying” some of the Midway’s jet aircraft.

Walking through the ship, we could easily picture this vessel as a “city at sea.” While significantly smaller than today’s carriers – and, by the way, the brand-new U.S.S. Ronald Reagan is visible just across the bay from the Midway – the ship had a crew of 4,500. It has 200 miles of piping, 3,000 miles of copper conductor and storage capacity for 2.23 million gallons of fuel – not including 1.24 million gallons of jet fuel.

Up on the Flight Deck, visitors see aircraft and the systems that help pilots bring their aircraft in to land on a “postage stamp” in pitching seas. The superstructure houses the primary flight control area and bridge, and offers visitors the chance to see where flight operations were controlled. A suggestion: when you visit the Midway, go first to the superstructure area because this was the only place on the ship where we encountered lines.

Originally designed to carry propeller-driven fighter aircraft, the Midway soon adapted to the new jet aircraft that became the mainstay of American naval airpower. The deck was reconfigured and catapults and electronics were upgraded to handle the ship’s F/A-18 Hornets, A-6 Intruders and A-7 Corsair II’s – up to 68 jet airplanes on any given mission. Today visitors will find examples of those aircraft on the flight deck as well as an E-2C Hawkeye and an F-4 Phantom II, one of the workhorses in the Vietnam War. Helicopters and historic propeller-driven aircraft also are on display.

Interestingly, aircraft drivers also are on display in the form of docents who volunteer their time to give first-hand accounts of their time on the Midway. We came across former A-7 pilot John Burkholder giving visitors an impassioned explanation of the “meatball” landing system that optically arranges lights to help guide a pilot down the glide slope to the carrier’s flight deck. Burkholder’s enthusiasm for the system was heartfelt as he remembers one dark night in the mid-70’s when it took him four times to land his jet on a pitching, rolling U.S.S. Midway.

Burkholder, who lives in the San Diego suburb of Fallbrook, is one of 160 docents who each volunteer up to 20 hours a month to share their stories with up to 5,000 Midway visitors on any given day. Usually there are about nine docents on board posted at various locations on the ship to give the museum a feel of “living history.”

As you might expect, Burkholder is proud of the ship that served as his base of operations for a three-year period in the 1970’s. Like many Midway veterans, Burkholder is a believer in the “Midway Magic,” a lore that has grown up as the carrier seemed to prove itself better and more reliable than many of its sister ships. Burkholder points out it was no accident that the admiral conducting the Gulf War chose Midway as his command ship during that war.

While visitor attendance on the Midway is running more than double what was expected, Burkholder noted that, at this stage, more men than women are visiting the attraction. But he says that’s just a matter of getting the word out to women that there is more here than meets the eye.

“As soon as we tell them the Midway served 13,000 meals a day,” Burkholder said, “they want to see that.”

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: The San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum is located on San Diego’s waterfront, 910 N. Harbor Drive. It’s easily accessible from downtown and there is ample parking in the general vicinity.

WHAT: The San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum is the only naval museum and attraction of its kind in a city that is the largest military complex in the nation. This is a chance to tour a historic aircraft carrier and learn about its past through exhibits and the people who lived it.

WHEN: Any time of year. San Diego has the most dependable weather in the nation.

WHY: A well-organized exhibit in a scenic city loaded with visitor attractions of all kinds. The product of 10 years of hard behind-the-scenes work by local volunteers, this museum will appeal to visitors of all ages, women as well as men.

HOW: To learn more about the San Diego Aircraft Museum, visit www.midway.org.

So last night I’m at my moms house in Midway in St. Paul and a strange car is hanging out in the alley. Three black dudes in Pontiac Grand Am. It’s dark green and I cant read the plates. My brother and I find that one of these guys is checking out peoples houses. So we scare them away.

5 minutes later, they’re on the other side of the block hanging out. Yes we were watching for them. They take off again when they see us.

10 minutes later they’re in front of my moms house and one of them is in a neighbors yard. What the fuck?!?!!? Of course they see us and take off. They don’t want any part of what weapons we have. They didn’t come back but we warned all the neighbors that we had seen them scope out.

This morning I hear that another neighbor was burglarized between 3-8am. Fucking lame sauce. I can’t wait for Karma to catch up to these clowns. Times are hard enough for most folks that they don’t need you to come in their house to feel like they’re losing.

I passed along what info I had to the St. Paul Police. This particular neighbor is a saint who doesn’t deserve this kind wake up. Fuck that shit.

Let’s see, would a reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise have been more successful than the MK Vs. DC game? Looking at these designs, it’s safe to say it would have pulled off the meanest fatality. Former Midway artist Vincent Proce proposed “mixing modern muti-player and dismemberment game design with the original fighting mechanic,” which was soon rejected by Midway bosses.

He shows designs of four character: Raiden, Kano, Scorpion and Sonya Blade. Proce described Scorpion as a resurrected “wraith wearing the yellow blood of the demon;” Kano as “half Japanese half US military bad ass;” Sonya asthe daughter of a Texas Ranger who’s sex appeal weakens her opponents while her Special Forces training kicks their asses;” and Raiden as “a god [whose] feet rarely touch the ground.”

Damnit! Warner Bros. better step their gaming division up b/c this is a great idea just from the concept art.

the old pumping station by janice trane jones, 8 x 10 watercolor w/mat, $100 unframed

There’s only one word to describe Midway, Utah and that is QUAINT.  I have always loved that town and visited often as a child. When one enters Midway from Heber there is a scene that just grabs your eye because of the brilliant red gas pumps and Swiss theme of the building. The building is no long used as a filling station but a person can sit and imagine an old VW Bug or Chevy Impala pulling up to the pumps to have the attendant filler up!  I could not resist the impulse to paint this scenic station. It was fun and several locals stopped by to make sure I was sketching and painting accurately. ~ janice

First, a link:  http://deanoc.ytmnd.com/

D

A view from the hotel room. Not missing the KC weather at ALL.

The Midway: A big boat (with my kit lens)

Ooh look, planes! (With 70-200 mm)

Cruisin.

Only tall and skinny palms around here.

More to come!

The Mortal Kombat series, probably better known for its violent array of finishing moves, exaggerated display of blood, and curiously inconsistent misuse of the letter “K” than its actual gameplay contributions to the fighting genre, continues on in this third installment, aptly titled Mortal Kombat 3 (in contrast to, say, the Street Fighter series, which failed to demonstrate its ability to count past the number two until around the ninth installment or so, depending on whether the Street Fighter EX series counts).

So what’s different this time around?

• More characters.
• Multi-tiered levels.
• Umm…a “dash” button.
• Wait, you can turn into an animal, too, which is kinda neat I guess.
• What the…who the hell is this Stryker guy? He looks like some ex-frat guy working as a bike messenger. Or someone’s dad.
• Cyborgs.

Stryker will fuck you up for some Pringles.

Alright, so what’s the same?

• A handful of old characters, most with the same moves as in the previous two games.
• An oddly large amount of blood spewed forth every time you punch someone in the face.
• UPPERCUTS.
• Character sprites are still stretched vertically, which makes them look a bit taller and leaner when fighting, but unnervingly short when you knock them down.
• Cheap AI.
• ADDITIONAL UPPERCUTS.
• My general lack of skill and disdain.

Defeated by myself, proving yet again that I am my own worst enemy. Especially when wearing a mask and wielding iron hooks...no wonder no one wants a hug.

If I recall correctly (unlikely, but possible), the game was still fairly successful, helping keep Midway more or less in the black for another few years. Of course, Midway banked too much on the arcade market for too long, as well as trying to continue to milk what they could from their old arcade franchises well past the point at which people stopped caring about them. There’s obviously more to their demise, but that’s a topic better covered elsewhere. I’m mainly just here to pick apart old, defenseless video games and yell at fictional characters, and my qualifications as to those are questionable at best. My parents must be so proud.

Day 1 – Nov 4, 2009

8:10 AM PST – I leaves Seattle (SEA) on a Southwest flight. Pretty smooth. I’m able to secure a window seat with no one in the middle. I love non-full flights.

10:35 AM PST – I arrive at the Las Vegas Airport (LAS) and am welcomed by the rings of slot machines. A quick restroom break and salad from Wendy’s before boarding on the 11:20 AM flight to Midway.

11:20 AM PST – I depart Las Vegas on a super packed flight. I unwisely board in the Bs when I had an A ticket. I’m still able to snag an aisle seat but unfortunately a mother with two children sit in the row behind. At one point I feel a yank at the top my head. My pony is loosened. The last hour of the flight was pure nightmare. One of children, a girl, a toddler, screams for an unbearable amount of time. I put on her earphones which is not quite enough to drown out the crying but better than nothing. Thankfully the flight arrived on time.

4:55 PM Central – I arrive at MidwayAirport (MDW). It’s the smaller of the two Chicago Airports but still pretty decent sized. S is already at baggage claim, but they still have to wait for the baggage claim to be assigned. It’s pretty quick, and my luggage is among the first to come out of the baggage shoot.

S has thankfully already gathered information while waiting. We discuss an airport shuttle but decide to take the train (the El or Loop). It’s a short trek to the train entrance. When we arrive, there are a number of ticketing machines, however no map of the train system. S calls the hotel for directions while I spot a Chase ATM and get some cash. Unfortunately for S, no Wells Fargo ATMs were there. There were a few pass choices available – 3 day pass for $14 or a 7 day pass for $23. They opt for the CTA 7 day pass for $23.

A few notes:

• The machine was supposed to take American Express, Visa and MasterCard, but my American Express did not work. Oh of course, it also took cash.
• The pass is good for all CTA Transportation (Chicago Transportation Authority). This includes the El and CTA buses.
• It is “Valid for unlimited rides on CTA for 7 consecutive days from date & time of first use and no value can be added to pass.”
• There is an expiration date, but it was Feb 1, 2011 so there’s not any danger of not using it before then.

RIDING THE EL TO THE MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN MAGNIFICENT MILE

• Ride Orange Line at Midway
• Transfer to Red Line at Roosevelt
• Get off at Grand Ave Station
• Walk on Grand Ave towards Michigan Ave
• Marriott is on the left, across the street from Nordstrom

SOMETIME AFTER 6PM Central – We check in at the Marriott. Assigned to the 12th floor, which considering the low rate, very reasonable. We conclude that we are most likely on the lowest floor possible because floors 1-10 seemed to have function rooms and administrative offices. In my opinion, the colors… reds, greens, and yellows —pretty dark tones of these, not great. But again, can’t really complain with the low rates.

AFTER THAT – Dinner at Giodano’s. This is because I wanted to check off deep dish pizza on my list of things to try. The smallest was a 10″ and we decide on the one with the works – with sausage and mushrooms. We are advised that it would be 20 minutes to prepare – in actually, it was probably longer. When the pizza arrived, we were pretty overwhelmed by the size.  It was…. overrated. It was good pizza— but I actually prefer thin crust.

AND THEN AFTER THAT – We stroll along Michigan Ave and enjoy the city lights and architecture. More on that later.

Jag har tidigare bloggat om nyheten att sopor som driver runt i världens hav bildar stora sammanhängande sjok som blir som flytande öar och tar upp allt mer plats i haven.  Nu såg jag på nätet att dumpade sopor bidrar till att allt fler albatrossar går en för tidig död till mötes. Fåglarna vet inte bättre än att de tror att allt som flyter på ytan eller strax under kan vara mat och fångar det i tron att det är fisk eller smådjur och sväljer det helt. Sen går de en grym svältdöd till mötes. Detta är ju för bedrövligt att det får fortgå så.

Engångständare överlever Albatrossar i livslängd.

Bilderna är från http://chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11

zenger barn by katrina madsen berg, 16 x 20 oil on canvas, $525 unframed. 

Another valley treasure that may not be for much longer. Nestled in the hillside below Interlaken in Midway, Jack & Holly Zenger’s barn is downhill from their home. Jack & Holly are known for many things, but the first thing I knew about Holly was how much she loved singing in the church choir. While my husband & I lived in Midway, Jack & Holly opened their home to choir members each Sunday for practice. Holly also was the initiator of the holiday Creche exhibit in Midway. Originally, Jack & Holly again opened their home to share nativity treasures. As you probably know, this has become such a large event that it is held along with the Swiss Christmas & Gingerbread Homes for the Children, in downtown Midway.

Because of a potential development on the Zenger property, the barn will most likely be moved. However, it’s charm will always grace the beautiful hillside in my mind. ~ katrina

Con questo post su Midway, ultimo lavoro del fotografo Chris Jordan, si apre la collaborazione di Fabio Severo con minima & moralia. Fabio è fondatore e autore del blog hippolytebayard, uno spazio che ospita interessanti ragionamenti sulla fotografia contemporanea e interviste esclusive con alcuni dei protagonisti. Ci sembrava importante aprire un canale di comunicazione con questa forma espressiva anche perché le speculazioni sulla fotografia e, più in generale, sullo statuto delle immagini sembrano avere l’incredibile capacità di dirci dove ci troviamo.

di Fabio Severo

Questa fotografia mostra gli oggetti di plastica rinvenuti nello stomaco di un giovane albatross di Laysan, raccolti e disposti dalla dott.ssa Cynthia Vanderlip, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawaii.
Foto: Rebecca Hosking/Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society

Atollo di Midway, “a più di duemila miglia dal continente più vicino”, alcune settimane fa.
Carcasse di piccoli di albatross fotografati come reperti investigativi, la stessa immagine per ogni animale morto, la più triste forma di tipologia fotografica. Dentro ciò che è rimasto di questi uccelli, e dove una volta c’era il loro stomaco piccoli oggetti di plastica dai colori sbiaditi formano composizioni astratte, racchiuse dallo scheletro degli animali. Questo è Midway, l’ultimo lavoro di Chris Jordan, una documentazione del disastro ambientale che sta accadendo in “uno dei più remoti santuari marini”, vicino a ciò che è stata chiamata la Great Pacific Garbage Patch, un vortice di spazzatura al centro dell’Oceano Pacifico del Nord che si stima sia diventato grande almeno quanto lo stato del Texas.

Difficile pensare un modo più forte di esprimere come l’idea di un luogo incontaminato nel nostro pianeta sia praticamente perduta, una volta che ci si rende conto che questi cuccioli in fondo sono stati uccisi dai loro stessi genitori che li hanno nutriti con spazzatura che hanno raccolto dall’oceano credendo fosse cibo.

Dopo Running the Numbers, in cui aveva realizzato enormi immagini utilizzando migliaia e migliaia di diversi oggetti la cui massa rappresentava la portata dei principali dati dell’inquinamento e della produzione di massa, Jordan cambia drasticamente approccio pur indirizzando il suo lavoro verso le stesse problematiche globali: mentre nella precedente serie le immagini erano assemblate dall’autore in dei murali di strati di informazioni e di significato che quasi schiacciavano lo spettatore, qui la realtà parla da sola, come lui stesso tiene a dirci. “Neanche un singolo pezzo di plastica presente in queste fotografie è stato mosso, disposto, manipolato o alterato in alcun modo. Le immagini riproducono l’effettivo contenuto dello stomaco di questi uccelli”, scrive Jordan.
La stessa persona che ha prodotto quei mosaici che nascondevano terribili verità dietro immagini innocue ora ci mostra come quegli oggetti che lui stesso manipolava possono presentarsi in composizioni ancora più assurde: creature viventi che celano l’impossibile nei loro stomaci. La natura è quindi ora letteralmente invasa, come le muraglie di merci di Jordan suggerivano che stesse accadendo. Ed è riuscito a esprimerlo nel modo più semplice possibile, ritornando ad una delle radici dell’immagine fotografica stessa: la registrazione della realtà.

In fotografia spesso si sceglie di affrontare problematiche sociali, dichiarando di cercare una qualche sorta di verità e suggerendo un “Io c’ero” del fotografo, sostenendo le immagini con la verità della storia che queste vogliono raccontare. Ma spesso queste immagini sono confuse, mostrano poco e cercano di colpire lo spettatore con uno stile aggressivo. Non c’è verità riconoscibile in questo tipo di fotografie, ma le loro didascalie ci informano di un luogo, di persone, di un momento che starebbero mostrando e noi quindi in qualche modo le crediamo vere, le assumiamo come elementi della storia, come una forma distorta di prova.
Ma con Midway l’atto che il fotografo compie dicendo “è esattamente come state vedendo” ritrova una dignità e un’importanza, l’affermazione di verità si trasforma in un’assunzione di responsabilità e il compito diventa raccogliere tracce da un luogo lontano e mostrarle nel modo più fedele possibile.

Paolo Pellegrin, uno dei fotografi in prima linea della Magnum, ha detto: “Mi interessa di più una fotografia ‘incompiuta’, una fotografia che sia suggestiva e che possa suscitare una conversazione o un dialogo. Esistono immagini che sono come chiuse, finite, in cui non c’è modo di entrare.” Che possiamo dire delle immagini di Midway allora? Sono immagini “incompiute” così come lo intende Pellegrin, oppure sono “chiuse” e “finite”?
Raramente mi è capitato di vedere un lavoro che abbia affrontato una tematica sociale in modo così forte come Jordan ha fatto con queste immagini, raramente ho visto uno stile visivo semplice, sincero e tanto efficace come questi ritratti post mortem di un’innocenza primordiale. La cosiddetta fotografia documentaria qui esprime il suo senso più profondo, quello di ‘produrre documenti’, proprio come un autore così apparentemente ‘manipolatore’ come Chris Jordan è riuscito a fare.

All images except image n.1 © Chris Jordan

A notícia não é muito nova (TOP) mas só a gora resolvi colocar aqui.

É o último trabalho do Chris Jordan. Todo mundo tem um pouco de culpa nas fotos que ele fez. Lembrando que também acontece aqui com tartarugas, por exemplo. Uma simples manisfestação religiosa pode ser motivo para mortes.

Veja as fotos no vídeo abaixo. Você faz parte?

É, a gente acha que a sujeira que a gente faz é pequena. Mas é necessário ver o conjunto. Nada como um outro trabalho do Chris Jordan Running the Numbers para uma noção melhor do conjunto.

Aqui em Porto Alegre, existe a coleta seletiva terças e quintas. É incrível o que a gente junta de lixo reciclável. Inicialmente eu era meio contra pois achava que estava trabalhando de graça para outros ganharem dinheiro. Mas a gente acostuma e fica um lance natural a separação do lixo. Depois a gente não precisa se preocupar muito em dar esmolas pois, com a separação do lixo, já estamos ajudando outras pessoas a ganharem um dinheiro (melhor eles trabalharem e vender o lixo recilável do que ganharem uma moeda em troco de nada). Cascas de frutas e outras coisinhas orgânicas voltam para a terra (para quem mora em apartamente já fica complicado) e viram adubo para algumas plantas e árvores.

Outra coisa que a gente faz aqui em casa é colocar o azeite utilizado em frituras em garrafas pet. Depois vai para o posto de coleta para ser reciclado.

Não, não sou santo. O lixo orgânico vai em sacos plástico (mas pelo menos vai, ou deveria ir, para um local relativamente adequado). Gasto energia elétrica, combustível, etc. Mas não sou um cara totalmente prejudicial ao meio ambiente.

Um acelerador e um volante é tudo o que é necessário para se divertir com qualquer Cruis’n. Nesse série estilo arcade, só a vitória é o que interessa - literalmente – e por isso freios e câmbio são dispensáveis, provando que a simplicidade e a diversão também se sobrepõem aos detalhes e à complexidade também nos jogos de corrida.

Dois anos depois de serem originalmente lançados para arcade em 1994 e 1996 respectivamente, Cruis’n USA e Cruis’n World ganharam versões para o Nintendo 64 devido ao enorme sucesso nos fliperamas. Ambos foram criados nos mesmos moldes e guardam muitas semelhanças, sendo praticamente o mesmo jogo a não ser pelos carros e pistas diferentes.

O próprio nome dos jogos revela o pano de fundo – Cruis’n quer dizer “cruzando”, ou seja, no USA você viaja os Estados Unidos de oeste a leste e no World, o jogador vai do Havaí às pirâmides de Gizé, passando pela Muralha da China. Em ambos os títulos, cada pista tem cenários únicos, atalhos e outras particularidades que, embora pouco notados por conta da velocidade das corridas, enriquecem a experiência do jogador. A inclusão de um botão que trocava a trilha sonora no meio das corridas foi benvinda, mesmo que a música ficasse em segundo plano, encoberta pelo ronco dos motores.

O estilo arcade da série Cruis’n é essencial na estrutura dos jogos. Como já foi dito, tudo o que importa realmente é vencer. Se o lugar atingido no pódio não for o primeiro, a próxima corrida não é habilitada – e a imagem de uma beldade entregando o troféu de campeão não aparece na tela. Dessa perspectiva, parece complicado ser sempre o vencedor, mas o nível de dificuldade é absolutamente equilibrado, não sendo tão duro com os iniciantes e nem um passeio para os mais experientes. Esse equilíbrio deve-se à mecânica simples da série: no modo automático, basta acelerar o tempo todo e guiar o carro. O desafio fica para quem tenta trocar as marchas no manual, o que requer muita prática e ao mesmo tempo deixa tudo mais divertido para quem consegue se habituar com a oscilação do motor. 

Os carros são uma atração à parte. Ferraris, Corvettes e Mustangs são clichês nos jogos de corrida, mas Cruis’n inovou e trouxe um ônibus “old school”, uma viatura de polícia, um táxi nova-iorquino e uma Romiseta como algumas das máquinas selecionáveis, entre outras bizarrices.

Em 2000, a série ganhou um terceiro jogo, Cruis’n Exotica, no qual os elementos fantásticos foram elevados ao extremo – com viagens a locais intransitáveis em carros, como o Alasca, a Amazônia e Marte. Houve algumas adições, como manobras que na verdade nada alteravam o andamento das corridas, mas a estrutura e a jogabilidade permaneceram as mesmas. O título, entretanto, não teve o sucesso que os antecessores, mesmo porque seu lançamento coincidiu com a chegada da nova geração e, consequentemente, de novas versões de Gran Turismo e Need For Speed, além das séries que primavam pelo realismo. As máquinas de arcade dos Cruis’ns, entretanto, podem ser encontradas na maioria das casas de fliperama.

Fichas técnicas
Cruis’n USA
Plataforma: Nintendo 64/Arcade
Produtora: Midway
Gênero: Corrida
Ano: 1996

Cruis’n World
Plataforma: Nintendo 64/Arcade
Produtora: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Gênero: Corrida
Ano: 1998

Fan of TNA Wrestling? Fan of video games? Worried what would happen to the TNA video game license with Midway’s demise? Well, worry some more.

From that awesome game blog site, Destructoid.com:

In its financial report, SouthPeak Interactive revealed that it had acquired “certain assets” from Midway relating to the TNA iMPACT wrestling brand. Already announced are two games that will be released next year — TNA iMPACT: Cross the Line for PlayStation Portable/PSPgo and Nintendo DS.

The good news, there will be a TNA video in 2010. The bad news, it’s for the PSP and the DS. The even worse news, it’s being made by SouthPeak Games. SouthPeak… eww!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with SouthPeak, think your lucky stars. They’re notorious for making really shitty games. Shitty games like… Two Worlds and Legendary, to only bore you with two. I’m almost giddy with anticipation to see what kind of abomination these guys at SouthPeak can cook up for a TNA game. It’s gonna be epic. Congrats TNA!

And no, that isn’t a screenshot from the PSP or DS game being made by this horrible, horrible company. That’s from the TNA game for the iPhone/iTouch, which is actually decent.

One of my favourite photographers, Chris Jordan, has a new project: Midway – message from the gyre:

Chris Jordan
Midway est un travail photographique dans lequel on découvre
comment de jeunes albatros meurent l’estomac rempli de divers morceaux
de plastique trouvés à la surface de l’eau et ramenés par leurs parents…

[chrisjordan.com / via la matinale]

Better to use the flyer than the title screen that everyone else uses

There are many arcade games out there which have been ported to a console or two but not many games can claim to have been ported to at least 16 different platforms (if you count compilations like Midway Arcade Treasures). Smash TV is one of those games and with dual-stick games like Geometry Wars being a popular item on consoles today, it only seems natural that someone at the company-formely-known-as-Midway would want to bring Smash TV back from the dead again.

And it appears that they were working on a new console port of the game not long ago, right before Midway went completely down the tubes. According to the news about the SmashTV update, it looks like the idea is still on the table but I would count the possibility of a return of the game coming to arcades being a minimal one (I actually mentioned that to Eugene Jarvis at AMOA 08 but it wasn’t something they were considering) although it would be very cool to see the game coming back to it’s “natural habitat” once again.

I do realize that this is the third post dealing with the home conversion of an arcade title(which we don’t normally focus on) in the past couple of weeks but don’t blame me – blame the slow arcade news!

[Via Destructoid] [Discuss on the Forums]

I spent time in the mountains this weekend in Wasatch Mountain State Park. It was, of course, bliss up at my parents’ cabin. And for the first time in my life, I went four-wheeling.

Have you ever been on an ATV before?

I want to find a job where I can drive my nieces and nephews up and down the trails in the mountains all the time. Is that too much for a girl to ask?

It was just one of many experiences that made up a great weekend. The only thing that really kept it from perfection was losing my soccer game. That was a bummer.

I needed the great weekend because in a week from today, you might not want to talk to me… for a week or two, or a month. Once this new project at work goes to production, I may not have a life outside of watching it to make sure it behaves. It better be cooperative by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.

Nobody wants to miss out on my Mom’s incredible Thanksgiving dinner to sit at work in front of computers.

Se lembra desse joguinho muito legal pra SNES e Arcade? Smash TV! onde havia um reality show futurista em que os participantes detonavam hordas de inimigos, robôs e outras ameaças para concorrer a milhares de prêmios e dinheiro – isto se sobreviverem ao programa, naturalmente. Era show de bola! Recentemente novidades foram dadas sobre uma continuação cancelada do game! Foi o que disse seu prorprio programador Mark Turnell em uma entrevista ao podcast RetroGaming with Racketboy.

Turnell afirmou que a Midway chegou a iniciar uma versão atualizada do primeiro game antes desta fechar as portas e se vender. A Midway estava trabalhando no novo “Smash TV”, mantendo o clima do original mas com visual em 3D, quando foi cancelado ainda em fase de programação. Mas Mark espera a compra da Midway pela Warner Bros e a popularidade de jogos de tiro usando duas alavancas analógicas em serviços como Xbox Live e PlayStation Network o tornam um produto interessante que pode ser continuado.

Espero que o jogo volte pois me divertia muito com ele! em breve vamos colocar ele na coluna Do fundo do Baú!

Até mais!

Ces photographies, prises par Chris Jordan, nous font honte.

Ventres ouverts qui mettent à jour cette nourriture qui les as tués,

ces albatros de l’île du Midway dans le pacifique n’ont pas été touchés, ni manipulés pour les photos.

chris jordan albatros morts en avalant du plastique

La vidéo complète…

Mister Lo

]]> http://thenoisingmachine.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/national-game-registry-1993-mortal-kombat-ii/ Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:17:44 +0000 kicknz http://thenoisingmachine.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/national-game-registry-1993-mortal-kombat-ii/

MORTAL KOMBAT II
original platform
arcade
developer/publisher
Midway
key personnel
John Tobias (design)
Ed Boon (program/design)
Dan Forden (music)

Mortal KombatII offers the same as the original, but amped up in every way. The gameplay in particular is superior and the imagery is overall much more interesting.

Mortal Kombat II was inducted on November 6th, 2009.

Return to the National Game Registry to view more inductees.

investigating the streamflow by marilynn z. nielson, 12 x 16 oil on board, SOLD

I couldn’t resist these two young boys enjoying the first warm days of spring.  It reminded me of my own two sons who always enjoyed playing in the water. I loved their hats, the water on the rocks, the rushes and the bright light and shadow. This was actually done from a photo my daughter-in-law brought to me.  She knows how I am always looking for something new to paint.  She is a great photographer and when she shot this scene, she knew I would love it.  I was able to use her photo as a reference, but I also visited the spot to get the right feeling and lighting. This was a fun painting to work on. ~ marilynn

As you know, I turned 25 in August, which means a), I’m older than a lot of people I graduated with, and b), I can now rent a car! That is one, if not the only, perk about being 25. I’d have to say it’s the only benefit you get when turning 25. I wish there was more to say about 25, but if you’re 24 and looking forward to being 25, I apologize– it’s pretty much the same as being 24. Maybe a few more grays, wrinkles here and there, the realization that you’re now in your mid-twenties, and just plain feeling old (halfway to 50!). But if you ever need to rent a car? Well, now you can!

Yes, for the first time ever, I rented a car in Chicago. I rented a 2010 Ford Fusion (not like I had a choice in the matter, but she did handle nicely. Not a plug, I don’t work for Ford. In fact, I’m probably the worst authority on driving. See previous post on how I do not own a car, and therefore rarely drive.) Anyway, I rented a car from Midway Airport because I was taking a road trip with some friends down to Atlanta.

Renting a car made me feel pretty important, since I was the only person in our road trip crew who was able to do it. It also just made me feel old. Moral of the story? If you’re not already 25, get excited for it. If you are 25 or older… let’s grab a drink. Then take a road trip!