Weird. Trying jinx.com from here gives me "Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)".

A pig in a cage on antibiotics?

Check that Bird's Barbershop URL I posted earlier (after removing the extra characters that somehow got added to the end). The other two games they've got currently besides Space Duel are Crystal Castles and Space Invaders. That particular Birds is just up the street from Magnolia Cafe and the old Future Protocol building. Both places I believe you documented with photos when you were in Austin, Wil (for Linucon, maybe?).

I had a "geek Norman Rockwell moment" a few weeks ago at Bird's Barbershop here in Austin. They've got a few old arcade games that you can play for free (in fact, they list them on their web site: http://www.birdsbarbershop.com/south_congress.html). I played my 11 year old at Space Duel. It was funny how he floundered at first with the Asteroids-like controls, but I felt comfortable right away. Once he settled in, he definitely enjoyed himself. I had a hard time pulling myself away when it was my turn for a haircut. (I managed to suppress a whiny "Awwwww...Mooooom", but just barely.)

Though this (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12998963@N03/2898419393) is actually the one I had. It included Bond 77 from The Spy Who Loved Me instead of All Time High. It must've been prior to 1983.

I had that 13 Original Themes album on LP. Judging from the copyright on the AMZ page, I'm guessing I got it somewhere around 1983. To play on my Sears combination record player, cassette deck and radio. With my big headphones and the coiled cable. Your move.

Sorry to hear that Wil. My 15 year old dog died August 14th. He died overnight and sleeps outside, so I wasn't with him when he went. I know it's much harder, but I wish I had been. It's worth the extra heartache, I think. Here's a set of him with my oldest son from 2004. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thechunk/sets/72157622140277778/ Good dogs. RIP Sam and Ferris.

I had a flashback as soon as I saw the picture without even reading the post. I had this when I was a kid. When we moved to Dallas in the early 70's we spent a year or two in the apartments right across from T.I. and became friends with several families of employees who worked there. We probably got it when it came out. I remember getting bored with it pretty quickly.

Thanks for the input, Wil. I'd talk to at least two doctors and do more research if I were going to go through with it for sure. I'm also wondering if it's generally covered by insurance. Do you mind mentioning if you had to pay out-of-pocket and, if so, ballpark costs? Not to hijack the thread, but others who've had the surgery can feel free to chime in. Or you can find me via my TypePad profile page.

"We're not hitchhiking anymore, we're RIDING" I don't know much about sinus surgery. It sounds like it was a nightmare to recover from it. I would've expected that you'd be free from the Sinus Orcs after going through such an involved procedure, but I guess that isn't the case? Does it make it better? Do you regret having the surgery or was it totally worth it? I'm curious because I've had allergies and sinus problems all of my life as well and surgery has been suggested to me in the past (with the mention of some wonder at the size or frequency of my nasal polyps ostensibly due to the frequent infections), but I've just continued to deal with the one or more sinus infections per year. Just curious if you don't mind sharing and detouring from the usual fare.

I hesitated on "The 300" last year and missed out. I'm not going to hesitate this time. Glad you've made a similar, yet slightly different offer this year.

I hesitated on "The 300" last year and missed out. I'm not going to hesitate this time. Glad you've made a similar, yet slightly different offer this year.

One more thing lost on those Damn Kids Today (TM). They need to include that on the DVDs for the holiday shows. The General Cinemas bumpers are the movie theater equivalent for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5mNAZ_bGjE . And I'll never be able to separate the 20th Century Fox bumper from the beginning of the original Star Wars.

One more thing lost on those Damn Kids Today (TM). They need to include that on the DVDs for the holiday shows. The General Cinemas bumpers are the movie theater equivalent for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5mNAZ_bGjE . And I'll never be able to separate the 20th Century Fox bumper from the beginning of the original Star Wars.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. No, I hadn't read it before. Yes, I'd heard of it, but hadn't really paid much attention until he died recently. It's massive and I'm not far enough into it yet to know if I like it or not. I'll add to the group who recommends Pattern Recognition over Spook Country. I also picked up Snuff, Chuck Palahniuk's new one. I'm not expecting much. Lullaby is still his best post-Fight Club book as far as I'm concerned.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. No, I hadn't read it before. Yes, I'd heard of it, but hadn't really paid much attention until he died recently. It's massive and I'm not far enough into it yet to know if I like it or not. I'll add to the group who recommends Pattern Recognition over Spook Country. I also picked up Snuff, Chuck Palahniuk's new one. I'm not expecting much. Lullaby is still his best post-Fight Club book as far as I'm concerned.

Riff Raff weighs in.

Riff Raff weighs in.

He was just here doing a book signing and I missed it. He always takes time with each person when he signs, which is awesome and like someone else we all know. He also usually plugs another author on his tours and even sells their books. The last time, it was Max Brooks and his zombie stuff. What's he plugging this time?

He was just here doing a book signing and I missed it. He always takes time with each person when he signs, which is awesome and like someone else we all know. He also usually plugs another author on his tours and even sells their books. The last time, it was Max Brooks and his zombie stuff. What's he plugging this time?

And, as a follow-up to my last comment, I talked to my mom in Maui last night for the first time since she arrived. It's not uncommon to spot celebs on Maui since it's a popular vacation spot and not all that big. Before even getting a chance to mention that Wil had been there last week, she told me a story of meeting Alice Cooper and his wife and daughter over the weekend. The even more amusing part is that both of my kids (9 and 5) were completely psyched to hear about it because they're familiar with Mr. Cooper...from playing "School's Out" on Guitar Hero III...And the geek universe comes full circle.

And, as a follow-up to my last comment, I talked to my mom in Maui last night for the first time since she arrived. It's not uncommon to spot celebs on Maui since it's a popular vacation spot and not all that big. Before even getting a chance to mention that Wil had been there last week, she told me a story of meeting Alice Cooper and his wife and daughter over the weekend. The even more amusing part is that both of my kids (9 and 5) were completely psyched to hear about it because they're familiar with Mr. Cooper...from playing "School's Out" on Guitar Hero III...And the geek universe comes full circle.

Love Maui. I've been lucky enough to go several times over the past 20 years. In fact, my mother's been there for the past week. She spends six weeks there every summer. Oheo Gulch on the Hana side is amazing and worth the notorious drive. Wailea (well, the whole island) is pretty much over-developed at this point. Mama's Fish House is a must for lunch. The Trilogy is a great day cruise to Lanai and back. The thing I love about Maui (and Hawaii in general) is how much cleaner the air is than the mainland. You can feel it as soon as you step outside. I've got a couple of Flickr sets from 2001 and 2003.

Love Maui. I've been lucky enough to go several times over the past 20 years. In fact, my mother's been there for the past week. She spends six weeks there every summer. Oheo Gulch on the Hana side is amazing and worth the notorious drive. Wailea (well, the whole island) is pretty much over-developed at this point. Mama's Fish House is a must for lunch. The Trilogy is a great day cruise to Lanai and back. The thing I love about Maui (and Hawaii in general) is how much cleaner the air is than the mainland. You can feel it as soon as you step outside. I've got a couple of Flickr sets from 2001 and 2003.

+1 to hours of poring over the Sears catalog. I knew that thing forwards and backwards and knew how to skip all of the boring stuff like sheets and clothing. Just show me the toys, dammit! I've always had a soft spot for the land speeder. It was the first thing that I got after the initial figure mail order set. I managed to get the x-wing, tie fighter and millennium falcon eventually. I was a lucky little bastard. Of course that didn't stop me from trying to rip off some of my friends new figures that I lacked a year or so later. The picture of the Death Star is how I remember it. I remember it being a bitch to keep the whole thing together. A lot parts that were easily lost. I gradually lost pieces of it as time went on. The foam "garbage" and the monster went first. I lost whatever rope swing mechanism went over the bridge. I lost one of the supports for the roof and the crank handle that make the compactor "compact". The walls with the display screens were cardboard and slid in from the side. It didn't take long for the mechanism that made the gun pop out of its mount to simulate a "hit" to stop working. I'm not sure why making a clicking sound when you swiveled it was cool. The elevator was the coolest feature, in my opinion. The lever that raised and lowered it let you lock it at each floor by turning it. I didn't keep any of the Star Wars stuff though I do still have some of the old GI Joe figures. If I remember right, there were some GI Joe / Star Wars mashups involving the Death Star set before it was finally put to rest by puberty.