Wordless Wednesday: That's It, I Quit!

Wordless Wednesday Conclusion: The Final Product

Wordless Wednesday Hand-(mine)Crafted Costumes

Wordless Wednesday: The Merging of 2 Obsessions

Anyone Who Enjoys Lego or Marble Runs Should Take a Look at This. In Other Words, Everyone Pay Attention!

While taking a look at The Brothers Brick blog, I stumbled upon this absolutely amazing, spectacular, mind-blowing...you know what, I'm going to run out of adjectives and adverbs before I can do it justice, so just go ahead and watch the video.  You're going to want to watch the full seven minutes, trust me.  It keeps getting better.



Shhhh, no words.  Let's just enjoy the fact that our worlds are now a little brighter.

My Sincerest (Hypothetical) Gratitude

Transformer Generation Dad's Retro-Gaming Museum (TGDRGM) has been up and running for a few weeks now with rave reviews.  All visitors (yes, all eight) to the TGDRGM have been wowed by the selection of titles from yesteryear and the authentic retro-gaming experience it provides.  If you recall, the TGDRGM is even accepting donations.  Click this link to find out how to make yourself one of TGD's most favoritest of all readers by donating your old game cartridges today.

If there is one thing that we here at Transformer Generation Dad take more seriously than retro video games, it is anti-piracy laws.  Which is a real shame because I hear through underground channels that one can, if one were so inclined, procure an old Xbox console and outfit it with hundred if not thousands of retro video game emulators from various systems.

Of course, I cannot speak as to whether or not this can actually be done because I will never admit to having seen it first hand.  At this point let us just consider the possibility that it might just be an urban legend (an extremely geeky one at that) and that none of us will ever know if it can truly happen.  Thus, we can discuss the awesome potential of such an outfitted system in hypothetical terms.  Let the parenthetical comments commence.

TGD is Now Accepting Donations

With my Retro-Gaming Museum now fully functional (and fully awesome!), we here at Transformer Generation Dad just cannot get enough of the old school majesty that was.  My sons have held still to date for several history lessons and have even come to accept the realization that learning their times table via the Atari 2600 is a better option than flashcards.

Now I turn to my loyal readers for help.

Sure, I have collected a good number of classic video games, spanning five different consoles (Atari 2600, NES, SNES, N64 & Gamecube), but for history's sake I am constantly looking to amass even more titles.  I may even be willing to gather some other as yet unrepresented consoles.

Do you have any games you are looking to get rid of?  Would it pain you to think they may end up in a landfill?  How environmentally responsible of you.  Are you hoping to send them to a good home where they can be repurposed for the education of our youth, that they might learn to appreciate the games you used to play as a child?  Are you eager for your old game cartridges to be fired up again for the sake of enlightening future generations of their gaming roots?

The Transformer Generation Dad Retro-Gaming Museum (TGDRGM...yes, that is the official name henceforward) would be happy to accept your donation.  Let us dust off those cartridges, blow gently across their contact surfaces and install them in their rightful place: the reception port of their intended functioning consoles and the halls of gaming history.

Your donation would be greatly appreciated.  While the TGDRGM is not considered a charitable institution (yet), you will receive for your donation our undying gratitude and the promise that, if you are ever in our neck of the woods you might have the honor of watching your cartridge live the remainder of its golden years in a happy home and even partake of a few beers from the nearby fridge.  Who knows, if you donate a significant number of cartridges, perhaps a TGD t-shirt might be in order.  If you are interested, feel free to email me at madcap1417@gmail.com and I would be happy to discuss the details regarding how to donate your piece of gaming history with you.

Here's to we gaming geeks working together to keep our history intact.  Do it for the children...in all of us...but especially in me.

The Secrets of My Man Cave

Living in a family with two growing boys, space in our home is already at a premium.  Thus, when the early onset of middle age came nipping at the back of my neck and caused me to desire a man cave of my own, I naturally thought outside the box.  By "the box" I mean our house because it is rather shaped like a box.  The unpredictability of Chicago weather caused me to scratch off the tent possibility and that left me with either the back of the minivan since we have pretty much removed the middle row of seats permanently (pay attention, this will be relevant later...oooh, foreshadowing) or the garage.  So, into the garage I went.

After clearing space of all things hoarded, I assessed the remaining half of the garage and imagined how I might use the space.  The one thing I had known for some time the cave must include was a collection of retro video games.  I procured my old systems dating back to my childhood and gathered as many games as I could.  The result was a functioning NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Gamecube and, the flagship of the museum (because that's what I considered it, a museum to the history of gaming) my old Atari 2600 as well as several boxes full of game cartridges.  I also took back an old 32-inch tube television from my brother-in-law, which was much heavier than I ever remembered it being, and received an old 20-inch tube TV from my parents.  I then found the original DVD player and found that both that and my old college stereo were still working like champs.  Things were shaping up nicely.

The problem that I faced was a lack of shelving to display my old video games.  I imagined those slick looking metal shelving units you see in the Sears tool catalogs lining my garage walls.  You know, the ones with the exposed riveting and the textured shelves that make your testosterone levels sky rocket just looking at them.  Yes, your testosterone levels too ladies, that's how manly they are.  This was pondered for about a minute, then I came to my senses.  Such a major overhaul costs a pretty penny and I was short on money.  The money I did have could certainly not be earmarked for man cave renovations.

So, my eye became more analytical.  I started searching for possibilities where others might not see them.  I scrounged.  I considered all things old and discarded that could find both new life and purpose in a new place, like a washed up Cubs' pitching prospect traded to another team.

That was when I noticed the old beat up under the garage patio's overhanging roof.  They stood there patiently holding my sons' long overlooked outdoor toys.  Buckets and sand shovels, wooden blocks and dry-rotted water guns were removed from them and I quickly found the perfect space for them to fit in.  They would do nicely, but they were in terrible shape.

That's when a stroke of genius hit me: Duct tape.

Simpler Times

I have spent the last two weeks creating a space in my garage dedicated to retro video games.  There were several steps to this project which I will let you in on over the next week or so (watch out next Wordless Wednesday) but the culmination came two days ago when I finally acquired all of the assorted cables and adapters to make all the archaic devices function on more modern televisions.

And so it was, with great fanfare, that I ushered my sons out to the garage Wednesday night, when they probably should have already been in bed (especially with their impending return to school), sat them down on the old recliners and fired up the Atari 2600.  And so it was with quite the exact opposite of great fanfare, my sons' reaction to the awesomeness that was old school games came with a resounding, "Meh."

Surprise and disappointment would not even begin to describe my feelings at the moment.  I was hit square in the jaw by the disheartening, soul-crushing reality that the detail and immersive nature of modern video games left my boys completely devoid of appreciation for something that had absolutely floored me at their ages.  I sat dumbfounded by the fact that their ability to move a blob of blocks around the screen did not completely set their imaginations aflame.

Happy Birthday, Gene Roddenberry

Gene Roddenberry holds a special place in the sacred halls of sci-fi fame and fandom.  Millions upon millions of nerds would have had to obsess over and absolutely pick apart ad nauseum episode by episode some other television show for the past fifty-six years had he not created the space epic that boldly went where no man had gone before, Star Trek.

Roddenberry is one of the elite when it comes to sci-fi and fantasy.  He cooked up an entire universe in his head and told the story of it.  Too often, our imaginations are stifled by the real world.  We conform to societal pressures and don't let the vivid images that swim through our imaginations take flight (I think a fish just became a bird in that analogy, but you understand).  Had he, Tolkien or Lovecraft listened to the mainstream, the people who ridicule those who continue to dream and wonder at the possibilities of the universe even as they grow older, the world would be a darker and far less awesome place.

Were he alive, today would have been Gene Roddenberry's 91st birthday.  So, I decided to celebrate his life the way I hope people might do after I have been released of my mortal coils.  I looked up his Wikipedia page.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I found (and I'm not sure how this fact escaped me up to this point) is that he was a police officer and sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department for just over seven years.  According to the site, his letter of resignation read:

• I find myself unable to support my family at present on anticipated police salary levels in a manner we consider necessary. Having spent slightly more than seven years on this job, during all of which fair treatment and enjoyable working conditions were received, this decision is made with considerable and genuine regret.

Being a police officer is, of course, a noble profession.  But I respect Roddenberry even more having decided he wanted better for himself and his family.  I respect the hell out of ol' Gene for wanting to following his dream, a dream we should all keep a hold of, to live long and prosper.

About Last Night...

While I was frantically typing a post regarding Lego team-ups last night to get something done while it was technically still Friday, a post existed on another fabulous blog.  A bit of research would have easily led me to discover it and thus bolstered the credibility of my rantings (not that credibility has ever been something I cared about).

It takes a big man to admit he's made a mistake.  I happen to wear size 14 shoes (you know what they say about a guy with big shoes?...big feet) so I suppose that qualifies me as being rather large and gives me the ability to admit my lack of preparation and try to make it up to you now.

In last night's post, I referenced "rumor" that a Lego Lord of the Rings video game was being developed.  Little did I know in my haste that not one but two different trailers for said game had actually been posted earlier in the same day over at the Brothers Brick.  I link to them below for your enjoyment.

Two Great Things That Go Great Together

It doesn't happen very often, but every now and then, Lego makes a product I'm not entirely excited about.

Take, for instance, the whole line of Ninjago sets.  I readily accept that they are popular.  They continue producing sets, adding new ninjas (or the same ninjas in new outfits) and have a successful cartoon based upon them currently on television.  When the minifigures were first released and it looked to be more of a card/role-playing game where you could construct your own ninja weaponry, I thought it had potential.  Fast forward several months to ninja jets, tanks and motorcycles and you've lost me.

Occasional flops aside, Lego does a pretty stellar job of choosing wisely which products make it to the toy store shelves.  Today, while checking out the Lego CUUSOO site for the first time in a while, I was reminded of just how savvy the world's greatest toy company is at selecting other franchises with which to affiliate itself.

Lego Star Wars might very well be the greatest sequence of three words every uttered.  The sets are phenomenal with all the overwhelming down-to-the-last-detail of the original Star Wars toys from the seventies and eighties (remember thinking "Was that character even in the movie?" when you saw the blister pack with the action figure on the rack and always finding out that, yes, he was in the movie?).  The video games have been some of the best produced I have ever seen, not to mention the closest things you can get to actually playing through the two trilogies.  They even make Episodes I-III relevant.

The Lego superhero lines have also been a success.  The DC versions are heavy on Batman, but I'm not complaining (stick with the date that brought you to the dance, I say).  The Marvel sets have some of the best minifigures in recent memory.  I'm waiting for the Lego Avengers video game to be developed.

Lego Lord of the Rings sets have already hit the stores and each trip I make to Target allows me to claim I'm letting my sons take a stroll through the toy aisle when really I just want another opportunity to linger in front of the Battle of Helm's Deep (#9474) set for a few moments and drool.  I secretly wonder if there is a handle on the Gimli minifig so that minifig Aragorn can throw him at the Uruk-hai.  Speaking of waiting for a video game, I've heard rumor this one is already in the works (fingers crossed).

And today I realized that the long awaited Lego Minecraft Micro-world set has already been released.  When I first heard about this, I thought it was a great idea, but my sons and I had not had the luxury of becoming completely and hopelessly addicted to Minecraft yet.  Now that we have traveled down that very shaft in what has resulted in a much more indoor summer than I originally planned, we are all just waiting for the set to become available again.  Wouldn't you know, it's sold out.

Overall, Lego has their stuff together when it comes to choosing their relationships.  They pick winners to collaborate with.  In fact I believe that Lego's official press release regarding such projects reads something like, "We are awesome and we know it.  Still we recognize that there are other awesome things out there and if you want to make sweet corporate love with us and see what our offspring look like, give us a call."

Of course, I'm sure that while every company with any kind of toy product out there is salivating over the chance to get in Lego's corporate pants (I know the anology is getting a little racy, but stay with me, I'm almost done), it must be pretty intimidating to think you might have a shot with the brick giant.  Which is why the rest of the statement reads, "But, again, we know just how awesome we are, so if you think you can hang, hot shot, you had better be sure that you are awesome.  And we don't just mean awesome, we mean really f***ing awesome."

Of course, I'm paraphrasing, but you get the picture.

Third Person Thursday: Curiosity Lands

Ten kilometers below the planet’s surface, Kylgax-3 sat in silence and awaited word about the events above.  One hand supported his double-cleft chin while the second rapped its two fingers and both opposable thumbs against the desktop.  His other two hands were folded in front of him over his stomach.

Soon, he heard the patting footsteps of someone approaching down the dusty tunnel.  Hypheron-27 appeared at the tunnel’s opening where he abruptly stiffened and remained standing with all four arms rigid at his side, waiting for permission to speak.

“I assume you bring word,” Kylgax-3 said.  “Relax your posture and let me have it, please.”

Hypheron-27 sighed and his straightened form bent into one resembling a question mark.  “It has not gone as expected, sir.  It landed safely.”

Kylgax-3 opened his nostrils wide and snorted as each of his tongues poked out of the corners of his mouths as was their species customary method of showing displeasure.  “That shall prove to be quite a nuisance,” he spoke.  “And what about the quality of the surveillance equipment?  Has there been any analysis on its range?”

“We only know that there are a great many lenses and the quality is higher than the previous versions.  The observers are in the process of attempting to intercept transmitted images to try and determine the distance.”

“So that is to say that images are already being transmitted?”

Hypheron-27 stiffened again, apparently concerned that he had let too much information slip to his superior.  “Unfortunately, yes sir.”

All four of Kylgax-3’s hands went to his head.  “Be sure that the protocol remains in place that there are to be no excursions to the surface without clearance from an authority of my level or higher.”

The Fallacy of the Trilogy Pattern

With the third and final of Christopher Nolan's Batman films now in theaters, I spent some time recently reflecting on some of the more well-known film trilogies.  I remember reading that the overwhelming opinion of many film-viewers was that the quality of each of the three films in a trilogy followed a predictable pattern.


The first, it was said was good enough to draw attention to the franchise.  It developed the characters and injected interest in their story into the consciousness of the general public.


The second film was the crowning achievement.  With the main characters established, new challenges and trials could be introduced.  the story hit the ground running and gave you the most bang for your buck.


The third film was usually the source of heated debate.  Did it end the franchise successfully or did it stagger off into the sunset like the athlete with injury problems who should have retired three seasons back?  Regardless, the third film showed a significant drop off from the second, often held in regard as the best of the three.


I argue that this is really not much of a pattern at all and below, I set out to provide evidence toward my argument.  Please peruse the following graph and think of each trilogy mentioned (I know I left a number out, but the graph was becoming rather cluttered) as you saw it...

Two things should be evident from looking at this graph.  First, I am not very skilled at graphic design. Second, the suggested pattern does not hold as steadfast as some would suggest.  In fact, several trilogies had the second film in the series nearly knock the success of the franchise off the rails before the third could be released.


I welcome any and all questions, challenges and debates regarding the opinion expressed above.  Of course, I am speculating on where The Dark Knight Rises might fall on this graph and I have ignored that extra film that had Indiana Jones in its title for reasons which I hope are obvious.

TGD Week Late Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

I don't have to tell you that books and movies are very different forms of media.  Yet, so very often we see popular books made into movies and expect them to entice us in a similar way.  The latest book to movie project in theaters is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Having enjoyed the book, I was encouraged to read that Seth Graham-Smith, the popular, geeky, historical sci-fi fantasy novel's author was also the writer of the screenplay.


But this alone does not a successful book to film transfer make.  Let me elaborate.

Does DC Stand for Decision of Courage or Deceptive Cowards?

So it's out there.  After a few weeks of buzz about which DC Comics superhero was to be outed as gay, the word has finally come that it is the exact hero whom I thought it would be.  I now find myself wishing I had documented this prediction so that my prophecy could be recorded for future generations.  Alas, I will have to fall back on the old, "I swear I knew who it was going to be.  Just ask my wife."


Who is it, you ask?  None other than Green Lantern.  And the media seems to be celebrating DC for its courage in making one of its more well known heroes gay.


But while many are applauding DC, I am a bit suspicious.  Not at all because they made an iconic character gay.  I'm all about superheroes being more human and realistic.  It makes for a more compelling story.  I have no problem with a homosexual character.  What leaves me suspicious is the way DC has gone about its decision.  It has insulated itself.  Allow me to explain.

Finding the Tipping Point

I have long been an apologist for movies that tweak the details of a classic character (be it from comic books, toys or literature) to make them work on the big screen.  The original Transformers film was acceptable in my mind.  I gave Watchmen a shot and mildly enjoyed it even though I knew all the essential details from the graphic novel could never fit into a movie any shorter than thirteen hours.  I am even holding judgement on Michael Bay's conversion of the Ninja Turtles into aliens.


But I know a lot of other people, call them nerds if you want (because it's probably accurate), are sticklers to detail.  When Optimus Prime's front end stuck out instead of being flat in vehicle form, they were enraged.  When Wolverine was obviously taller than 5'7", they cursed Hugh Jackman, then subsequently embraced him as the films, most notably Wolverine: Origins, drove the character and several others (*cough* Deadpool *cough*) into the ground.


It is the great debate over just how much change is too much change that is now on my mind after watching the newest trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man, which is due in theaters July 3rd and which you can watch here.  I recall that when the Tobey Maquire's first Spider-Man movie was released, many a geek was upset over the fact that Spidey's web shooters had become biological in nature rather than his own invention.  It didn't seem a major deviation from the original character to me, but it made a lot of enemies at the time.  So how will Spidey fans around the world react now that a slew of other changes are apparently being made to the story-line?


To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it myself.  For once, it appears that the changes made for the sake of conversion to film may even be too much for me.  Sure, they got it right by making Gwen Stacey his first girlfriend and having Peter Parker build his own web shooters, but there now exists the suggestion that Peter's real parents are somehow linked to Oscorp.  Also, the specific choice of words is that his parents "left" when he was a kid.  Is there a big Darth Vader reveal moment in mind down the road?  Because that would be lame.  What's more, listen closely and you'll hear the one-armed Dr. Curt Conners suggest that it was no mistake that Peter acquired his Spider powers.  Is this to suggest that Spider-Man is being rewritten as a biological experiment?  Has Marvel gone Weapon X all over Spider-Man's origin tale?


More questions than answers have arisen from the newest trailer and it makes me feel all icky inside as I fear what the new movie might do to my beloved Spider-Man.  I suppose I'll let you know what I ultimately think after going to see it in the theater at the first chance I get.


You can lead a nerd to a super hero movie, but you can't make him see it more than three times.

Assembling the Avengers

My youngest son's birthday saw him receive the full compliment of Lego Marvel Super Heroes sets based on the Avengers film.  He was extremely happy, but not quite as happy as I was.


Over the several days following, we began assembling the sets together.  The minifigures themselves are most certainly the prize of the sets, Iron Man's mask flipping open, Cap's shield, a mini-Mjolnir for Thor to carry as his flowing golden locks frame his bearded face and the oversized Hulk figure make the sets worth it on their own.  But during the completion of one set in particular, I discovered the sort of nugget of insight that makes obsessive nerds smile on the inside with glee.


Below is our finished set of #6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout:

At this point, I must throw a quick warning out there.  SPOILER ALERT: the references to be made below this point in this post reference events from the Avengers movie.  If you are so lame that you have not seen it yet and want everything to come as a surprise, then do not read further.

Now Anarchists Take Over

This weekend, my beloved city of Chicago will see numerous world leaders and far more protestors descend upon it, each hoping to achieve their agenda.  But for those of us caught in the crossfire, things can get awfully inconvenient.


Enter the wisdom of the comic shop owner.

I happened to be passing by my local comic shop the other evening, happened to have my good camera in the car with me, happened to be at a stoplight and saw his message to those in town for the festivities and wanted to share it.


Good luck to any of you in Chicago this weekend.

Action Figures, Assemble!

Back before The Avengers were in the coolest movie since Star Wars, yours truly already had an obsession with them.  That obsession manifested itself as I began collecting memorabilia whenever I could sneak some in the house.


I was subscribing to the comic books, slowly "accidentally" breaking the stylish glassware from our cabinets and replacing them with Marvel character tumblers and buying action figures here and there under the guise that they were for my sons.  Needless to say, I was prepared to have my sons supplied with plenty of Avengers swag before any of their friends realized how awesome it was.


But the prize items in my collection stayed on the shelf in my office, out of their reach.  The flagship of my Avengers love, although un-boxed (because I can't help myself) remained in mint condition where my sons knew they dare not reach lest they invoke my wrath.  Thanks to eBay and a few closing toy store who knew not what they had in stock, I have managed to collect the four major characters from the film in 12-inch legendary action figure form over the years and I reveal them to you now, posed in my best attempt to recreate the movie poster:

Yes, I know.  Drink it in and be not jealous, true believers.  Assembling such a mighty group was no simple task.


Even more difficult has been keeping it from the hands of my sons and I have finally broken down and allowed them to play with them in an effort to cultivate their love of all things Marvel.  But the rules have allowed no friends to touch them and no smashing them against anything.  Also, they are to wipe them down with a damp cloth and mild soap after each session.


Most importantly, I always get dibs on Captain America.