Welcome
to the catch-all page! I can't believe you were interested
enough to actually click "Misc", but I'm happy
you're here, so how about I show you some pictures for starters?
Opinions
& Rants
Below
are some subjects that have come up in conversations that
I find I have a strong enough opinion about to state my
position to the world once-and-for-all. Enjoy.
Topics:
Church
The way to "do church" is in a small group, preferrably
meeting in a private house, not a gigantic cathedral with
hundreds of people. Not only is this the Biblical model,
but it's also the only way to REALLY get your questions
answered, and, if the doctrine and theology teaching is
sound, your soul fed. The only thing a big, corporate conglomerate
church is good for is entertainment and anonymity, so if
that's what you want, hit the biggest megadome church in
your area.
However,
God doesn't need big, rich churches. A hundred tiny churches
in an area is better than one huge church. In fact, when
I see hundreds of people at a big, "successful"
church, it tells me that the message is likely so watered
down that it appeals to a wide range of people, and watered-down
Christianity is no Christianity at all. When you're ready
for "solid food", or what I've heard called ADVANCED
CHRISTIANITY, find a small group that teaches the true gospel
of Jesus Christ. I suggest Grace
Christian Assembly. Not only is it a beacon of Truth
in this world, but you can listen in and participate from
anywhere in the world 24x7!
Remember,
Jesus didn't focus on appealing to EVERYONE and having a
big audience. Neither, then, should we. The Gospels are
about Jesus hand-choosing and saving HIS OWN. We are called
to preach the Gospel to every living creature, but not everyone
GETS the Holy Spirit, because God (being in absolute control
over everything) is SELECTIVE about whom He chooses. If
you can just understand and ACCEPT this Truth (which makes
most people angry, because they love the idea of their "free
will"), the Gospel truly becomes GOOD NEWS, and the
entire Bible makes sense, as well as your own life.
Pop
Music
There were two great decades for pop music in the 20th century.
Both were marked by an explosion of recording technology
and experimentation, creating whole new aural experiences.
They were the 60s and the 80s. Personally, I'm partial to
the 80s, the greatest decade in the history of pop music.
In the 80s, it was cool to be technologically savvy. Reagan
was in the white house, Alex P. Keaton was on TV, and the
soundtrack of the future was being made with digital synthesizers.
Top 40 radio was worth listening to, and MTV actually stood
for Music Television. Click here
for a list of some of my musical influences.
Web
Entertainment
Homestar Runner
is, hands down, the funniest web cartoon and most entertaining
web site on the planet. Suitable for all ages.
YouTube
is still the place where I waste the most time online!
Video
Games
#1) The classics are the best.
The arcade-style games are still popular today on home consoles,
web sites and cell phones because they were better games
than 99% of what passes for "gameplay" today.
The simpler, the better. That's what putting quarters in
those machines was all about - a quick, fun experience that
was easy to learn, but hard to master. Here are the greatest
ones:
Before
Super Target and Super Wal-Mart, there was one special
strip mall department store in town: Zayre.
I would go with my parents to Zayre when I was a very
small child, and it was the biggest store I'd ever seen,
other than Treasure Island. I was always fascinated by
the huge flashing sign letters on top of the building,
so I made the animation above as a tribute. Oh, and Zayre
was the first place I ever saw a Pac-Man machine. Or was
it the Austell Road K-Mart? Whichever one it was, I was
usually eyeing the game and ICEE machine with equal interest
while my parents checked out. If I got a quarter or a
slurpee, it was a good day.
#2)
Nintendo has always
made the best home products.
Neither Microsoft nor Sony can hold a candle to Nintendo,
the only company who has been solely dedicated to gaming
perfection for over a century. Microsoft and Sony have a
broad range of products, and tend to go for quantity over
quality when it comes to games, which is why you always
see scores of PlayStation and Xbox games in the bargain
bin, and precious few Gamecube titles. The fact is PS and
XB games don't measure up, Sony and Microsoft routinely
underestimate the demands of the gamer and the importance
of a good gaming experience. Sure, they've had their diamonds
in the rough, but they are few and far between. They cater
to the college male only, which is boring. The target audience
for Nintendo, on the other hand, is ageless. Nine or ninety,
Super Mario Bros (for example) will ALWAYS be a fun game.
At some
point, I may have to purchase some sort of PlayStation just
to play a couple of choice titles ... maybe, but I will
NEVER own an Xbox.
| Best
Ever Console Games |
| Megamania
Metroid Prime
Pitfall
|
Super
Metroid
Super Castlevania IV
Tetris |
| Best
Ever Computer Games |
| Blake
Stone
Doom
|
Gubble
Heretic
Jumpman |
#3)
The DOS platform was awesome for gaming.
I equate DOS' uses as a gaming platform with the Commodore
64 in its time. The early 90s were a great time for PC gaming.
The whole "shareware" scene really opened up as
BBS and Internet usage reached new heights. I haven't had
much luck with DOSBox,
although it's probably just my lack of configuration skill,
because it's supposed to work pretty well. Thankfully, I
have an old DOS machine that still lets me run my favorite
games like Heretic, Blake Stone, and Doom
in all their original glory. Some great sites for researching
DOS games are:
Comedy
The funniest television shows ever are: Monty
Python's Flying Circus, Seinfeld,
Curb Your Enthusiasm,
The Office,
Dr.
Katz, Professional Therapist and The
Young Ones.
The
funniest living comedian is Brian
Regan.
Jerry
Clower was a funny, funny man. Sure, he became somewhat
derivative in the 80s and 90s, but when I met him in the
70s, he was at the top of his game.
The
funniest radio personalities are Rick
and Bubba.
The
funniest man in British television, and the host of the
number one podcast in the world (also the funniest) is Ricky
Gervais.
