Attention Power Joy Aficionados: Atari 10-in-1

It looks like the anticipated Atari 10-in-1 TV game is finally available. It's a whole-game in one joystick type of system like the Power Joy. My understanding is that the graphics and sound are pretty accurate replicas of the orginal Atari -- so don't expect any improvements or be duped by claims to "arcade" authenticity. I take no responsibility if it sucks, though I'll probably order one... in a moment or so. If I do, I'll tell ya about it here.

Metal v. Punk In the Battle to the Death

The New York Times asks this question: why is the death of two rock stars, just one day apart, considered so differently? The Ramones' Dee Dee Ramone died June 5 of this year with recognition while Ratt's Robbin Crosby died June 6 with little notice.

Let me admit that I have a few Ratt albums, and have really enjoyed them, too, though I wouldn't call myself a "fan." I think I first heard Ratt before I heard the Ramones -- probably around 1984 when I was 13 "Round and Round" was an MTV. I don't think I heard the Ramones--or at least recognized the Ramones--until at least a year later. I bought my last Ratt album in 1990, "Detonator." Though I don't think I've listened to it in at least 6 years, I remember it as a damn good album, and also the last Ratt album that I could give a shit about (two more followed).

It's easy to forget that in the mid to late 80s pop/cheese/hair metal was metal, and that much of it was pretty hard and pretty good. It seems that Poison and Warrant ruined the image and memory of it all. That isn't to say that it all was very good. But, then again, not all of 80s punk was very good, either. Each genre had its fair share of party amthems and stupid songs about getting laid. At its worst, hair metal was just more crass and commercial.

I think the article's writer, Chuck Klosterman, sums it up accurately with his final paragraph:

Now, I know what you're thinking; you're thinking I'm overlooking the obvious, which is that the Ramones made ''good music'' and Ratt made ''bad music,'' and that's the real explanation as to why we care about Dee Dee's passing while disregarding Robbin's. And that rebuttal makes sense, I suppose, if you're the kind of person who honestly believes the concept of ''good taste'' is anything more than a subjective device used to create gaps in the intellectual class structure. I would argue that Crosby's death was actually a more significant metaphor than Ramone's, because Crosby was the first major hair-metal artist from the Reagan years to die from AIDS. The genre spent a decade consciously glamorizing (and aggressively experiencing) faceless sex and copious drug use. It will be interesting to see whether the hesher casualties now start piling up. Meanwhile, I don't know if Ramone's death was a metaphor for anything; he's just a good guy who died on his couch from shooting junk. But as long as you have the right friends, your funeral will always matter a whole lot more.

The Apparent Authority on Power Joy Last May I wrote an entry about this cheapy video game system I bought off of QVC called Power Joy. Since then, every so often I receive an e-mail or two from someone who's interested in them and probably found this site using Google.

In the last week or so the number of e-mails has spiked, mostly from people who bought one or received one as a X-mas present and either can't get it to work, is disappointed with it (thinking it was more sophisticated) or is looking for more games. Unfortunately, I can't answer any of those questions, but getting these e-mails and comments (in fact, Power Joy comments are the first ever comments to mediageeklife) sparked my interest in answering the eternal question: why me?

Luckily, it only took a few keystrokes and google to answer that one. And the search makes it clear why me -- the mediageeklife entry is the #2 result when searching Google for "Power Joy." Of course, this answers how people are directed to me looking for answers. But it still only begs the question -- why is this entry #2 out of all the possible sources of info on this toy on the web?

I guess everyone else is too embarrassed to admit on their webpages that they bought this thing.

The Punk Gods Are Dying

First, it was two Ramones. Now, Joe Strummer has died, apparently from a heart-attack. Of course, since he was only 50, one has to wonder if drugs were involved.

Maybe this is the way hippies and boomers felt when they realized Pete Townshend had turned 40, but it's curious and bit bewildering to see the punk pioneers dying off in middle-age, after having survived their youth. We're less surprised when rock stars die young, but somehow we don't expect them to die before they're (really) old.

A Brain Lives in Buffalo

From the Beast's "50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2002":

13. SEAN HANNITY

Misdeeds: Without question one of the most smarmy, vile, hypocritical talking heads on television. Has the uncanny ability to vilify and generalize those who disagree with him, and then state that he's not a partisan person. Exploits his devout Catholicism and patriotism to the point that it makes you think he's selling something—like his book, whose cover features his giant head in front of one of the glossiest, waviest American flags ever. Much of his wrath can probably be traced to his displeasure that Reagan still can't remember his name although he's met him many times.

Aggravating Factor: Since 9/11, pretends to be genuinely convinced that anyone who disagrees with the Bush administration does not want America to be safe.

Aesthetic: Repressed kid from Long Island who got to college, was scared of sex, discovered other repressed white kids in conservative student group, joined them, devoted rest of life to blasting people who didn't.