Meteornotes

^Damn, that's an EXCELLENT suggestion, especially since I regularly threaten him with being auctioned off to the highest bidder! Then again, he'd get returned very quickly. He's quite the troublemaker. I still need a way to make all the old games I have be possessed so they'll sell for higher prices. Where are demonic spirits when you need them?!? They're always haunting lame crap like toasters and pens and such, you'd think that demons would be lining up to inhabit old Dungeons & Dragons books... dt

OK, Mary got a new lense for her camera and was taking random pictures of stuff, and happened to capture this cat moment, where they were involved in a mighty struggle for domination of the couch...enjoy! dt

SCREW COASTER!!! I still think Elissa saying this the first time is the funniest thing in any of your videos! It still cracks me up every time. Love the little disclaimer at the end. Kind of sad you have to put these on there, but then again there are too many people out there with far too much time on their hands that really need to take more valium... dt

I think it would end up being pretty hard on your body. I've done some long consecutive riding, like Rebel Yell at PKD 30 times in a row (without exiting) or Phoenix for about an hour without leaving my seat (really small ERT event with just enough people to fill two trains), and this was probably about all I could take. I think I'd get sore and get bored. Like Elissa said, even if it's my favorite coaster in the world, I think I'd just get tired of it after awhile... Dave "Phoenix was fun for that hour" Thomas

I got one when I lived in LA. I had to go to traffic school. That was amusing, as the class was full of all sorts of malcontents and the easily irritated and not so bright. The guy running the class made some off-hand mention of pot at some point, and this upset the more conservative folks in the class, and the discussion for the rest of the class was amusing. Among the amazing pronouncements by the class: drunk driving should be legal as long as you don't cause any damage to anything buy yourself or your own property, you shouldn't have to stop at a stop sign if there's not a lot of traffic around, and having a dog in the car should count towards the two people you need in the car for the car pool lane. Yes, traffic school did all of these people a lot of good, I'm sure... dt

Yeah, basements rule! I'm in mine now. Of course, it doesn't rule as much when the water heater breaks and floods half of it, like ours did last week. That was annoying! And Knoebel's opens soon! I'll have to go up there in May... dt

My DVR is recording this. I love crappy disaster movies! Dave "Don't forget about 'Locusts' next Sunday on CBS!" Thomas

Many years ago, my ex-wife and I shared the 7 layers of death chocolate cake thing, and we couldn't finish it! That slice of cake is just frightening. It may be larger than some of the apartments I've lived in. It is indeed a marvel of dessert horror... Oh, and the corn bread at Claim Jumper does indeed kick ass! I remember that as being quite tasty. I haven't eaten in a CJ in well over five years, but recall the food not being too bad. dt

It's kind of sad that you have to lower your expectations to enjoy (or at least not get irrirtated with) Knott's, but I guess that's what you have to do these days. I remember when this was once one of the top parks in the country, if not the world...*sigh*... Anyway, as always, the photos are hilarious! It's a damn shame that kid didn't get sucked into the ball machine, maybe then the manager might have gotten up off his ass and checked on his kid. I guess he was distracted by the no doubt constant host of problems that you would face as a bowling alley manager. After all, there are life and death decisions to be made! Who will order more flash frozen corn dogs from Sam's? Who will make sure that there's plenty of Raid-style disinfectant spray for the shoes? Who will make sure to hold off the armies of zombies constantly attacking the place, using only a pool cue and a 15 pound ball to defend against the ravenous hordes of flesh eating dead? The Bowling Alley Manager, that's who!!! Well, maybe not the last one. Depends on his level of initiative that week, I suppose... Anyway, on to a more important topic: WHAT DID ELISSA EAT?!? Saying Elissa tried and enjoyed new food is one of the signs of the apocalypse, I think... dt

Blue Zoo at the Dolphin rocks! We stayed at the Dolphin last month, and just randomly went down there for dinner, and the food was amazing! I'll have to go back there again on my next trip... dt

Does this question really need to be asked?!? It IS Six Flags, after all. I think they could figure out a way to break the sun if they put their minds to it... Dave "still needs his Mindbender credit" Thomas

KENNYWOOD Phantom's Revenge: B (certainly superior to what it replaced!) Exterminator: A (best spinning coaster ever!) Thunder Bolt: B (no single rider rule sucks ass, though) Jack Rabbit: A (one of the best airtime moments on any coaster!) Racers: B (a great "fun" coaster) DORNEY PARK Talon: C (2nd worst B&M inverted i've been on) Steel Force: C+ (better when it opened) Thunder Hawk: C (nowhere near the ride it used to be!!! stupid brake) Laser: A (one of the most intense coasters out there) Wild Mouse: F (if you look up "suckdom" in the dictionary, this should be pictured. also has some of the worst operations i've ever seen on a coaster) HERSHEY PARK Storm Runner: A (kick ass!) Great Bear: B- (pretty good inverted, lame ending though) Roller Soaker: B/A (A "B" for the ride experience, "A" for all the water insanity that surrounds it!) Comet: C/A (A "C" for how it runs now, an "A" for the way it used to be. Those that never had brakeless rides on this thing just have no idea how damn good it was...) Sooperdooperlooper: C (my first looping coaster. certainly showing it's age, but then again, it's a better ride than Revolution) Lightning Racer: B (another "fun" coaster) Wildcat: C (my last ride on this was pretty painful) Trailblazer: D (pretty damn weak) Wild Mouse: B (not as good as it was duing it's non-braked glory days) And let's not forget a certain PA coaster: Phoenix - A+++ (best wooden coaster EVER!!!) Dave "Knoebel's rules" Thomas

Florida all the way. The quality of the rides there blow away pretty much everything in CA. I suppose CA might have the edge in the wood coaster department, but since I've not been on the DBH I really can't comment for sure on that... dt

It is official, the old people have sold their souls to satan, who in exchange makes them not lose even though they get lost and do stupid things that would eliminate anyone else EVERY WEEK!!! I actually sort of hope they win now, since they've become so amusing... dt

Man, that's it! Every thing I take out of my basement to sell on Ebay will now be haunted! I will be rich and be able to buy my own island from the proceedings... Dave "buy my haunted old games!" Thomas

Age: 43 Middle Name: Allan Pet Peeve: Stupid People Color of your bathroom: White and green Best Movie of ALL time: The Matrix, Clerks, Hard Boiled, Girls Of Double D Best Song of ALL time: Either Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World, or Superior - Be Mine (our wedding song) Best TV Shows: Current: Lost, Alias, 24, Amazing Race, Deadwood, The Wire, The Shield, Six Feet Under, Sopranos. Best Ever (besides the above): Babylon 5, Fawlty Towers, X-Files, Millennium Favorite Band/Artist: Dream Theater, Opeth, Savatage, Rush Favorite Ride at Disney Parks: Tower Of Terror (MGM), Space Mountain (WDW) Yummiest Ice Cream: Chocolate If you could eat lunch with one person, who would it be: Christy Canyon. And she better be wearing something low cut! Seriously, as I've spent a good chunk of time around "famous" people (mostly musicians), I'd rather eat lunch with people that I know and don't get to see often... Morning Person or Night Person: Night person Pets: Two cats (Jasper and Katie) and a dog (Sadie) Favorite Color: Black (until they make a darker color) Where you would go for fun (not an amusement park): White Water Rafting! Coke or Pepsi: Diet Coke Opinion about Peanut Butter and Jelly: PB, Yes. Jelly, nah Best Vacation Spot: Outer Banks, NC Cook or Go Out: Go out. I love sushi, but don't make it Beach, Desert, or Mountains: Beach

^You saying "black anaconda" sets up about a billion or so jokes, but I will refrain... dt

Bwahahaha! That's comedy gold! And "Pyromania" goddamn owns!!! dt

As someone that worked at a game company, and has made money doing 3D stuff, let me add my opinion. A lot of stuff that you read in that EA article is true. EA is probably the worst offender, but all development places have "crunch time". Pretty much any part of the entertainment industry is like this. I used to work in TV, and can tell you stories of sleeping in edit bays between takes on projects. You have to understand, practically everyone on the planet wants to work in entertainment/games, as they think it's "cool". While it may be, it's also work, just like every other industry. You will put in long hours. While things are changing, it will happen at a glacial pace. There are tons of people applying for what (when compared to other industries) are very few positions. Sometimes the pay is great, sometimes it sucks. You have to decide is this something that you really want to do, something where you'll get just as much satisfaction out of doing the job as you do collecting the check. The entertainment industry also is packed with people with lots of enthusiasm but very little business sense, which can also add to the trouble. You need to not only be skilled with your area of knowledge (animation, programming, whatever you do), but have really well developed people skills, and a strong sense of when a situation might be going "bad". The net is full of tales of entertainment houses suddenly going out of business. Job security is not a given in this industry. You may have to move (unless you live in CA) to get your job. And your first job will likely NOT have anything to do with animation! To get in the door, you'll likely have to take a position as a tester, or doing tech support, or some other low-end position, as someone getting a game job right out of school is pretty unusual. Of course, 3D is not confined to games. There's more TV or advertising related work out there. Yeah, most of it will be lame assed logos for bad infomercials that will air at 3AM, but it's production experience, and you'll learn how to get stuff done fast (all TV deadlines are usually defined as "yesterday") and on shoe string budgets. So don't limit yourself to games, at least not right out of school. And the most important thing you can get in school is not software training (if you figure out one 3D program, you can likely teach yourself any of them), it is CONTACTS. The more people you meet, the better. These people can help you in the future. Knowing someone that works at a company can often be the edge you need to get an interview over someone else, especially in the beginning. Do internships, go to Siggraph and other user group meetings, take advantage of any sort of interview programs your school offers, and above all else, learn to deal with all sorts of people. You'll often have to work with people that you would likely not want to have hang around your house, but being able to work with people and be part of a team will be to your advantage later on. OK, I'm sure that's enough of my yammering for anyone. If there's something specific you want to know, or just have general 3D related questions, ask away... dt

You can see why the folks in Vegas complained about that potential coaster, since the area around the Stratosphere is so classy and all... dt

I found it to be the most disorienting ride I've ever been on, and also one of the roughest. It's especially hard on your legs, since you have no way to support them, and they end up banging against the seat. I'd probably ride it again, though on an inside seat, and I would certainly never wait an hour or more for the ride like many do. It's an interesting concept that I'd like to see another company take a stab at producing... dt

Yeah, that was the Take Two Baltimore office. I used to work there too. I, um, don't miss it a whole lot... dt

Here's ten of the greatest recordings of all time: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (GREATEST ALBUM EVER!) Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime Porcupine Tree - In Absentia Joe Satriani - Flying In A Blue Dream Yes - Close To The Edge Dream Theater - Awake Conception - Flow Pain Of Salvation - The Perfect Element Opeth - Blackwater Park dt

I don't watch AI, but when I saw that guy's photo my first thought was "I bet he has some skeletons in his closet", which was followed by "And I'm sure he does a lot of disturbingly unspeakable things with them too". dt

Woo+Katamari would = THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!! Sucks that that's not true... dt