Sunday, May 13, 2012

I'd Like That

Not only a preview of our Facebook page, but also a peek into the life and browser preferences of myself.

The 1005 now has a Facebook page/group/thing.  Mainly because I was updating my personal profile and realized that bands/interests/etc I had entered years ago are now hyperlinked to their own page, and the pathetic, generic looking 1005 page was practically begging to be created.

Perhaps this will spur myself or a my 1005 mates on to create more music.  It will at least give us a good medium to share news and updates we have about a Christmas cd in the future!

"Like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/The1005!

-Sisco


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Computer Games of My Past

Wolfenstein 3D title screen


While searching the App Store on my iPad, I stumbled upon an old MS-DOS game remake called Wolfenstein 3D.  Wolf3D was one the first DOS games I ever played, which, I suppose, makes it one of the first computer or video games I played.  So I downloaded it (the lite version, of course, as you never know how well or poorly a game will port to iOS) and got my 1992 DOS game on.  I had a blast taking out , and even remembered where many of the secret rooms were. 

Having whetted my appetite for DOS games I Googled "famous MS-DOS games" to see what other forgotten treasures awaited me.  Of course, I started making a list of games (on Evernote this time, not Excel) I remembered playing a lot, and after seeing screenshots of them, I thought I should shake the dust off my blog and post them in hopes of you having shared some of the same experiences.  

In order for this list to be all-encompassing of games I enjoyed as a kid, I did not limit this to just DOS games.  Also, a number of these I played at the computer lab in elementary school, I'm sure you will at least recognize those.  Let me know which games you remember or what you played!


Computer Games from Childhood (in order of increasing nostalgia):

20. Number Munchers

















19. Treasure Mountain















Treasure Mountain and Number Munchers are two games I vaguely remember playing in elementary school when we got to go to the computer lab, but I loved them as a child.  There just weren't enough minutes to be spent in the lab playing them.  Literally, I don't think I ever had time to get past the 2nd or 3rd level of Treasure Mountain...


18. The Incredible Machine















The Incredible Machine was basically one big DOS Rube Goldberg puzzle.  No clue how I got started on this game.  But it definitely wins the award for creative puzzle game.


17. Jill of the Jungle
Don't let those frogs touch you, they hurt

















Jill of the Jungle was a classic side-scroller/platformer game for DOS.


16. Ski Free
Run for your liiife!!!

















I hate that abominable snow monster so much.  He always ruined the most glorious 40 seconds of DOS skiing ever experienced.....why did anyone play this game?


15. Chip's Challenge


















Get it?  His name is Chip...like computer chip...


14. X-Wing


















This was the rebel alliance flight sim made by Lucas arts.  First flight-sim game of the countdown.  Also first Star Wars game.



13. Oregon Trail















Staple of early 90's K-12 computer labs.  You have died of dysentery.

Speaking of Oregon Trail, this youtube video is awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHps2SecuDk&feature=player_embedded

"Nobody wants to be the carpenter!"


12. The Lost Mind of Dr Brain


















I loved Sierra games.  This was a collection of mildly educational mini-games that you had to complete to restore the lost sections of Dr. Brain's brain.  This was where I had my first programming experience.


11. Sim City



















While I now favor as little government as possible, I had a fun time in my youth being the municipal dictator of Siscoville in Sim City 3000.  Also the news ticker had some amusing headlines:

"Sims Everywhere Agree: The Egg Came First, But Only After The Chicken"
"Sims Everywhere Agree: If You Throw A Stone, It Will Hit Something"
"*name of mayor* Sees Name In Ticker; Smiles At Irony"


10. Star Wars Rebel Assault (I & II)
Rebel Assault II box art














RA alternated between 3rd person action and Rebel flight sim.


















(I enjoyed these top 10 games so much they get multiple pictures.  Also FYI, in case you start to think I was too in to Star Wars games, all Star Wars games mentioned here came in the same special bundle.)

Fun fact, Rebel Assault I was the first CD-ROM only game by Lucas Arts.  RA was a very cinematic based adventure game, that featured digitized video of real footage (note the rebel pictured above), instead of just an animated character.  It followed Rookie One, a farmer from Tatooine (so basically Luke Skywalker), on his journey from nobody to hero. 



9. Timelapse: Ancient Civilizations
Timelapse cover art














The puzzle-solving adventure begins on Easter Island.



















Timelapse is graphic adventure/puzzle solving game much like Myst was.  I remember I was so excited after I got Timelaspe that I had a nightmare that night and I literally woke up trying to scream but couldn't.  It was terrifying and awesome at the same time.


8. King's Quest 7: The Princeless Bride
King's Quest 7 cover art














Point & clicking Princess Rosella's way through Ooga Booga Land



















I loved the King's Quest games, though I guess I really only played KQ6 & KQ7.  These were third-person adventure games (also made by Sierra) that incorporated other mythical/folklore/fantasy characters (Rumpelstiltskin, Headless Horseman, Dracula, Little Red Ridinghood, etc) into its own world where the player (King Gramham, Prince Alexander, Princess Rosella, and others) is trying to save, or return to, their kingdom of Daventry.

Here is a video of the beginning of KQ7 (first part is the intro video, fast forward to 4:30 for gameplay).  The nice part about the KQ games (the later ones at least) were that they could actually be played without having to use a walkthrough, unlike Myst.


7. Star Wars: Dark Forces
Dark Forces box art















Star Wars, first person shooter style



















Just a fun 1st person shooter made by Lucas Arts.  I actually only played the demo of this game I think so I only got the first three levels, but man did I love it.  If only I was older than 11 or 12, so that I could have driven to Walmart and bought the full version...


6. Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold
Blake Stone scientists.  Some were informers and would give you items,
others were enemies that would start shooting you if talked to them.

















Yet another first person shooter that I only had the shareware version of, so I didn't ever get to complete the game.  Blake Stone was a great early first person shooter produced by Apogee Software.  The gameplay is similar to Wolfenstein 3D, but this is set in the future at an genetic R&D corporation, where Blake Stone was sent by the British Royal Navy to stop Dr. Goldfire.


5. Star Wars: Tie Fighter
Tie Fighter cover art














Cockpit view of a Tie Interceptor























In Tie Fighter, you worked for the Empire making sure to squash any rebel alliance rebellion before they could get a foothold.  This made for a fun, fresh perspective on the whole rebels vs empire story.  While more simple than some complex flight sims (see #4 below), Tie fight found a sweet spot in terms of giving you lots of control over your ship but not making the cockpit or controls too complicated.

There was so much I loved about this game, but one thing I will mention was weapon some ships had an ion cannon laser, which would disable ships after there shields were gone.  Nerdy, I know.  #4...


4. Falcon 4.0
Falcon 4.0 box art














Dogfight over the Korean peninsula



















Looking at this screenshot makes me want to go buy a joystick and PC so I can play Falcon 4.0 again.  Man, I loved playing this game.  This game made me want to become a pilot for the military when I was young (you know before I realized accounting was much more exciting).

One of the many cool parts of F4.0 was how each of the buttons and gauges in the cockpit actually have a function and display important real time info.  Also, there were all sorts of cool things you could do to pre-sortie, like choose your loadout.  I'll continue on with the list before I bore you anymore though...


3. Myst
Myst box art.
Ground breaking game.
NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT P--too late...

Amazing graphics for 1993














Like Rebel Assault, Myst used digitized real video footage making for engaging cinematic cutscenes

Hard to put Myst at #3, it was such a enthralling adventure game.  Which is quite the feat considering it is basically impossible to beat without a walkthrough guide.

Here is link to the first 8 minutes of gameplay, I highly recommend watching part of it if you ever played Myst  (also if you haven't heard of Myst the video gives you a good idea what the point and click adventure was like).  The eeriness being the only person walking around a seemingly empty world was almost palpable.

I almost feel like Myst deserves its own blogpost.


2. King's Quest VI

A shipwrecked prince


Prince Alexander vs the Minotaur

































































First off if you haven't played King's Quest or if you have want to relive 9 mins of nostalgia, here is a link to a video of the beginning of King's Quest 6.

King's Quest VI was similar to KQ7 except it had worse graphics.  It is higher up on my list because it came before KQ7 and was also my first experience with KQ.  Here Prince Alexander is shipwrecked on a fantastical group of isles on his way to find his love, Princess Cassima, with nothing but his wits and whatever items he can find on his journey.


1. Wolfenstein 3D
























It may be basic, and it definitely was pixelated, but it was my first 1st-person shooter and it was a blast.  So simple but so fun.  There were only three different guns, if I remember correctly.  Roaming around Nazi territory, where all I could see of myself was my hand and my gun.  Running against every wall pressing spacebar trying to find hidden rooms...those were the days.  It also had great DOS-y music.

There is also a iOS version of Wolfenstein 3D out there, FYI.



Let me know what games you played when you were growing up!

~Sisco

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Brad Brown Resigns from NCSU

Below is the shocking resignation email from Brad Brown received this morning. Efforts to reach Coach Brown this morning have been made but no response has been received yet. The entire NCSU program seems to be in disarray, as they too appear to have been caught off guard by Brown's announcement. Brown was hired as the head coach of NCSU at the end of July, after he finished his last section of the CPA exam and went 7-2 through the first 9 games. Check back soon to "I'd Blog That" for more info.



I, Brad Brown, Head Football Coach of the North Carolina State Wolfpack hereby tender my resignation effective 9:38 a.m. on this day, Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

I would like to thank all of my family and friends who supported me throughout my brief tenure as Head Coach of this great football team.

I would like to thank my players for their efforts on the field and in the classroom.

I would like to thank our Commissioner, Daniel Sisco, for his fine efforts of cultivating a competitive environment and affording me this opportunity to serve as a Head Coach.

I regret that my resignation comes prior to the end of the season. It is unfortunate that other responsibilities of life have pulled me from the game I love. I would very much enjoy an opportunity to continue as Head Coach of the mighty Wolfpack, however I regrettably must accept that it is best for the team and all those involved for me to step down at this time.

I would like to wish all of my players and supporters the very best of luck and fortune in their future endeavors. The University will continue to hold a special place in my heart as I continue to support the school that has already given me so much.


Wolfpack for life,

Brad Brown

Sunday, July 3, 2011

EA's (Kinda Creepy) Game Face Feature

EA Sports has a web tool where you can create a "Game Face" of yourself by uploading pictures and it can be used in certain EA games (right now just FIFA 11, FIFA 10, FIFA World Cup, and I assume FIFA 12).  So I made one and here it is!

My EA Game Face
(my head might not be proportional...not my fault.  Hopefully EA can fix this prob.  Also the hair isn't ideal.)


Here is a link to create your own!



Thursday, June 30, 2011

Top 40 1990's Songs

I love making lists and charts so what better topic to compile a list of than my favorite songs from 90's.

This list started out as a Top Ten list and within three minutes I realized I was about to be spending countless hours creating a list of way more than ten songs.  So in tribute to my favorite countdown during the 90's hosted by Mr. Rick Dees (the voice of Shaggy from Scooby Doo cartoons), I decided to narrow my list down to my Top 40.  And I mean narrow down.  I started with a pool of 206 songs that I had hand picked as I reminisced on my favorites from the decade, and also as I refreshed my memory by reading through various top 100 pop charts of each year of the 90's.

When deciding on my top 40, I chose songs based on how much I liked them when they came on the radio when I was growing up during the 1990's, not accounting for  1) Liking the song less now because I have overplayed it,  2) Liking the song less because in hindsight it is clearly an annoying/stupid/crude/talent-lacking song, and lastly not taking into account songs I  3) Grew to like more after the 1990's were over (i.e. Bone Thugs n Harmony's "Crossroads", Counting Crows, Dispatch's "The General"...).

So, in short, this list is made up of the top 40 songs that provide me with the most nostalgia.


Top 40  90's Songs (in alphabetical order):

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Bryan Adams
1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
All for You - Sister Hazel
All-Star - Smash Mouth
Are You That Somebody - Aaliyah ft Timbaland
As I Lay Me Down - Sophie B. Hawkins
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something
Brick - Ben Folds Five
Closing Time - Semisonic
Crash - Dave Matthews Band
Crush - Jennifer Paige
Father of Mine - Everclear
Fly - Sugar Ray
Foolish Games - Jewel
Good - Better Than Ezra
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
Kiss from a Rose - Seal
Kiss the Rain - Billie Myers
My Name Is - Eminem
Only Want to be with You - Hootie and the Blowfish
Push - Matchbox Twenty
Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry
Semi Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
Strong Enough - Sheryl Crow
Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin
The Boy is Mine - Brandy and Monica
The Sign - Ace of Base
Too Close - Next
Twisted - Keith Sweat
Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
You Make Me Wanna - Usher
If You Could Only See - Tonic
When I Come Around - Green Day
Never There - Cake
Inside Out - Eve 6
Will You Be There (from Free Willy soundtrack) - Michael Jackson
You Get What You Give - New Radicals



Feel free to reminisce and comment your agreeings and disagreeings!  Also, the post below are my honorable mentions that did not make the top 40.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Honorable Mentions to My (Forthcoming) Top 40 List

Before I post the my list of Top 40 songs from the 90's, I feel as though I owe it to those songs that just missed making the cut to write a short post honoring them.  While they don't have quite the meaning/memories behind them as the actual Top 40 songs do, this list represents the secondary tier of songs, the "deeper cuts" if you will, of songs that shaped my childhood and memory of the 1990's.

Perhaps this will whet your 90's appetite for the Top 40 entree that will be served to you tomorrow.

(Disclaimer:  There are actually 44 honorable mentions here.  I realize and acknowledge the absurdity of having more honorable mentions than actual songs on the list, and I take full responsibility for the superfluous nostalgia created by this.)


1990's Honorable Mentions:

2 Become 1 - Spice Girls
All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow
All My Life - K-Ci and JoJo
Another Night - Real McCoy
Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Basket Case - Green Day
Don't Speak - No Doubt
Dreams - The Cranberries
Everyday is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow
F.N.T. - Semisonic
Freak of the Week - Marvelous 3
Happy - Sister Hazel
Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette
Hey Leonardo - Blessid Union of Souls
How Bizarre - OMC
I Believe I Can Fly - R Kelly
I Want You Back - 'N Sync
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
I Will Buy You a New Life - Everclear
If You Had My Love - Jennifer Lopez
Ironic - Alanis Morissette
Just a Girl - No Doubt
MmmBop - Hanson
One Headlight - Wallflowers
One Week - Barenaked Ladies
Pink - Aerosmith
Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) - Backstreet Boys
Run Around - Blues Traveler
Santeria - Sublime
Satellite - Dave Matthews Band
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground
Shine - Collective Soul
Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb
The Difference - The Wallflowers
The Impression I Get - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
Two Princes - Spin Doctors
Until I Fall Away - Gin Blossoms
What is Love - Haddaway
Wild Wild West - Will Smith
You Were Meant for Me - Jewel
You're Still the One - Shania Twain
Zombie - The Cranberries


...With that out of the way, I plan on posting the actual Top 40 list sometime within the next Willennium.  But for real, it will probably be tomorrow...




Wednesday, June 22, 2011

14 Springbrook Residents

In honor of 14 Springbrook Circle, Beau and I, along with the help others, have compiled a timeline of everyone who has lived in Springbrook since the Waldrep's bought it in 2003.  It was the home of 19 guys, countless episodes of 24, Lost, and Survivor, and approximately 5,142 roaches throughout the years.