Classic Gaming Poetry Contest

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

         THRIFTING
      by Lee K. Seitz

We "chase the Chuckwagon"
   whenever we can
To own the most cartridges,
   that is our plan

Sum Guy was just here?
   Oh, how cruel fate
He even took Combat!
   That really does grate

But look over there
   amongst the refuse
I spy Lost Luggage
   and a copy of Squoosh! 

For fifty cents each
   I take home my plunder
Upon r.g.v.c
   my brag, it will thunder

For some reason, the half a line about "Squoosh!" popped into my head while I was going through my cartridges today (9 May 2018). (I don't even own a copy of Squoosh.) I knew I'd written it, but didn't remember anything else. One quick Google Groups search later and I found it.

Someone named J. Manazar at the University of Utah Computer Center held the "Classic Gaming Poetry Contest". And there were prizes! Sadly (spoiler), I only received an honorable mention, which is a nice way of saying I entered but wasn't selected as one of the top three. You can find three posts about it: the announcement, an update, and the winners.

June's Finds [heavy sixer, Chuck Norris, H.E.R.O., blue 2600 catalog, original Odyssey games, Pong coin-op, Scramble handheld, Vectrex]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Well, I kept meaning to write up weekly finds, but never seemed to get to it. Here's a summary of what I found in June (or thereabouts).

1. A six-switch 2600 (possibly an original) with 40+ games for $18. (Less than $0.50 per game plus the system for free is how I figure it.) Highlights include Chuck Norris (Xonox single-ender), Star Wars: The Arcade Game (my second; no offers yet, please), H.E.R.O. w/manual, and Space Shuttle w/manual & overlay (I bought it new post-Crash, so I got a black & white manual and no overlay, but blue label.). Many other games had manuals as well, plus some game catalogs. One catalog was an original blue Atari which, combined with how heavy I thought the system was, leads me to think it's an original. I haven't had a chance to test it or the carts yet. I seem to have misplaced my alcohol for cleaning them.

One pair of paddles has been "fixed". The guy put new knobs on them, which are stiffer than the old ones. He said he'd been meaning to give it all to his grandchildren, but he never remembered. When he was cleaning out his shed for the yard sale, he decided to put it out, too.

2. Some boxes of original Odyssey games. I was amazed. I never figured I'd see anything like these. I was disappointed to find out each game didn't include a new card. Nevertheless, I now have cards 7 and 8 to go with 1-6, 9. 8) Oh, and they've already been traded for a bunch of neat stuff, so don't ask.

3. Pong coin-op by Atari. Yes, the first commercially successful coin-op video game is *my* first coin-op! Unfortunately, it doesn't work . . . yet. Oh, and yes, I found it at a thrift store. The same day, I saw a Zaxxon coin-op at another thrift store, but it was more expensive and I never really cared for Zaxxon. It was the first time I'd ever seen a coin-op at a thrift store.

4. A few good Atari 8-bits carts: Miner 2049er, Decathalon, Popeye, and Star Trek: SOS. Can you say "trade bait"? I knew you could. 8)

5. Scramble "hand-held" by Tomy. Works great and in good shape. I'm impressed by how fun and challenging it is so far. Between it and the Coleco Frogger mini-arcade I bought last year, I guess I've got a collection started. 8)

6. Something good should be on it's way to my house. I don't want to say anything more for fear of jinxing it. Let's just say I'm adding a new system to my list to collect for (currenty 2600, 7800, and original Odyssey (I guess)) and finding cartridges won't be easy.

7. A co-worker knew I collected old video games, but asked if I also collected memorabilia. Of course I answered yes, so the next day he brought me a Robot Tank poster in mint condition! His parents had brought it down with a bunch of his stuff from their house. It's been a while since I've seen the RT box, but I'm almost positive this art isn't the same. Does anybody know the scoop on how one originally got these? Send UPC's or what?

[The first set of 2600 items came from a yard sale.

The boxed original Odyssey games came from a Magnavox dealer that was going out of business. Oddly enough, it was where my regular comic book store, The Deep, is now located at N. Memorial Parkway and Mock Road. These were sets of games still in the shipping boxes. After buying one, the manager (owner?) told me there were more in the trash. They took me around to a room outside, in the back. There were many more of these shipping boxes of original Odyssey games! I left behind many that were water damaged, a decision I now regret some. I wound up trading away all the extra boxes for a lengthy list of items from Jerry Greiner, a major collector who had made a business out of classic video games. They were available from his site, www.atari2600.com, for a long time, but now I no longer see them there.

The story of my Pong coin-op can be found in an 18 June 1996 entry. The Zaxxon I saw at the Downtown Rescue Mission Thrift Store, back when it was still on 9th Ave. SW, just around the bend from Seminole Drive. I'll say more about #6 below. The Robot Tank poster came from the same co-worker who I later bought his complete 5200 collection. — 2 July 2010]

---

Date: 9 July 1996

In article <4rf1r0$o6h@taco.cc.ncsu.edu>, John Vivian Matthews wrote:
>But isn't there a multicart for the Vec...oops.
>
>matt
>
>ps And I'm only guessing...

Well, it was a good guess. My Vectrex finally arrived yesterday (Monday) evening. One controller, no overlays, no manuals, Minestorm ('natch), Armor Attack cartridge, and Berzerk on a PROM board with no case. A multicart and converted Sega controller are definitely on my "wish list" now. AFAIK, I'm the first rgvc'er in Alabama to get one. I know one guy has some cartridges, so we'll have to get together some time and test them. (Hi, Ralph.) This is a neat system and it's not going anywhere for a long, long time, emulator or not.

[The Vectrex came from Russ Melanson, who also did the original logo for my website, the Classic Video Games Nexus (defunct). He gave it to me, asking nothing in return. I was amazed. I still sent him some money, not nearly enough, as a high school graduation present.

Ralph was Ralph Hulcher, a collector in Birmingham, who I'd met the year before. We never did get together to test his Vectrex carts and eventually fell out of touch, unfortunately. — 2 July 2010]

Lee has a good week (and a riddle)

On Thursday, 27 June 1996, I correctly answered the following riddle, sent to Riddle du Jour by Doug Mattox of Rolla, MO:

Decapitate me and all becomes equal. Then terminate me and I become second. Cut me front and back and I become two less than I started. What am I?

The answer is below, but here's something to make up some spoiler space. I won a 1996 Parrothead Club Caribbean Soul T-shirt for my trouble. And my home page was linked from the "Previous Riddles" section for a week and the "Sphinx's Hall of Fame" for who knows how long. I've been answering their riddles (or at least attempting to) for several months now. I probably get the correct answer about 30-40% of the time, but I was never selected as a winner. This time I was one of 93 people to answer correctly (out of 1316 who guessed). I don't always pay attention, but I'm pretty sure there has usually been more people with the correct answer when I've gotten it right before.

I'm sure this page will seem silly in a few weeks, but I'm writing it shortly after I found out I won, so I'm still excited. It's been a good week, as my (Useless) Super-Hero Generator was selected as a Surfers' Pick by Tony over at Yahoo! on Monday, 24 June 1996. I don't know how he found it since I haven't gone out of my way to advertise it, but I'm not complaining. 8)

Okay, I've wasted enough of your time. The answer is the word "seven."

What, you don't get it? Okay, here's the progression:

seven
 even (equal)
 eve  (2nd person, according to the Bible)
  v   (Roman numeral five; two less than seven)

Gee, do you suppose my (Useless) Roman Numeral Convertor gave me an advantage? :-)

[This is an early example of what one would later call a blog post. This was posted as two separate pages -- one for the question, one for the answer -- to my personal web site back on 28 Jun 1996. Now I'm putting here, therefore saving a whopping 3 Kb by removing it from my site after twelve years. And yes, it does seem a bit silly now. Oh, and the Riddle du Jour and Yahoo! destinations are long since gone, but the links are maintained for posterity. — 8 Oct 2008]

Tip of the Moment (washing machine hoses)

Tip of the moment: Replace both washing machine hoses at the same time.

I came home from lunch one day to find water coming out from under the door. One of the washing machine hoses had burst and been shooting water out for up to three hours. Two days later, the other hose did the exact same thing. We had to replace the floors in three rooms. If I had been thinking straight when the plumber was there the first time, I would have had him replace both hoses. It's hard to think straight while you're trying to clean up a flooded house.

[From my "Past Tips of the Moment and Past Thoughts" page. This was the fourth tip and eighth post overall. At least we got some nice hardwood floors out of it. — 28 May 2009]

[A more complete account can now be found in the 14 May 1996 entry. — 17 June 2010]

Pong found

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.arcade.collecting as "Pong found & help needed."]

Well, I'm *this* (| |) far away from being able to join VAPS. Today I finally bought a copy of Atari's Pong. (I figured I'd start at the beginning. 8)

I collect Atari 2600 cartridges. This is the only extent to which my finances have allowed me to collect video games. (Otherwise, I'd have a house full of coin-ops.) When looking at a local thrift store, I saw Pong standing there. I looked closer, and it said "Atari" and "Syzygy Engineered" on it. Wow, an original Pong! It was $40 and the electronics guy said it worked. I didn't have the money right then, knew my wife would kill me if I just brought it home, and didn't have a way of getting it home by myself anyway.

That evening I discussed it with my wife and we (okay, she) decided I could get it if the money didn't come out of the bank accounts. (This was incentive for me to finally sell my old computer.) A week and a bit later, the computer was sold, but I hadn't cleared out a space for the coin-op yet. Monday evening, she asked if I'd bought it yet and I said no, but took that as a go ahead. 8)

Today I went back to buy it with a coworker to help. We started to look around, and discovered they'd removed the TV and taken the cabinet outside! Aiiigghh! It didn't look like it had been outside long enough to get rained on, thank goodness. Unfortunately, one of the paddle knobs, which I'd noticed had been loose before, was
missing.

I went inside and talked to the people there (and found out their electronics guy was "no longer with them"). They said they'd tested it and it didn't work. Further discussion revealed that the TV didn't work. We went back and examined it. We came to the conclusion that it didn't seem to be missing any pieces, it was just empty because there wasn't much to it. I got it for $25 and we hauled it home.

[VAPS is the Video Arcade Preservation Society. It was a group of people owning arcade video games at home. They established a web site in the early days of the Internet. Being able to join it seemed like a big and unattainable honor at the time.

This post was originally made to ask a bunch of questions of coin-op collectors about my new acquisition. For the sake of the blog, I've edited them out. —11 June 2009]