I got my Girl Scout cookies yesterday! My next-door neighbor’s granddaughter always comes over to take my order and then I am forced to wait a few weeks to eat them!
The Author "Flying Up" from Brownie to Girl Scout
A favorite memory of mine was back in the early 60’s when my sister and I and two friends (all of us about 8-10 yrs old) set up a small table just outside the door of Peachin’s IGA, a small grocery store in my hometown of Wichita, Kansas. Much like it’s done today, we would hawk cookies to their customers as they came and went. Usually a pretty dry activity, but this one year was a memory-maker!
They watch you as you drive by, trying to catch your attention one more time before they fade into lost memories. Maybe you glanced at them while waiting at a light. Or maybe they’ve been there for so many years they no longer register in your consciousness.
I’m talking about the painted advertising signs that grace the old, downtown buildings. Often called “Ghost Signs”, other names are “ghost ads”, “phantoms”, “fading ads, “brick ads”. Few and far between, some still remain around town; the graphics and lettering often the only reminder of the what was once sold. Some are visible only after it rains, which is where they get the nickname, “ghost signs”. Continue reading →
It was 1973. Bored on a Sunday afternoon, my boyfriend and I were strolling the local mall. Let me set the scene: no smart phones, no cell phones, no texting, no MP3 player, not even a Walkman! We played 8-tracks in my VW Beetle and I kept getting the default LP record album from Columbia Record House every month (I couldn’t ever seem to get my card returned in time).
As we strolled, we spotted a funny-looking machine with a tv screen that sat unobtrusively along one wall. As we began to pass by, we noticed electronic lights on the screen; a single, small white square moving back and forth across the screen that would bounce off of two small vertical dashes moving up and down, one on either side of the screen. Whatever this was, it seemed to be on the fritz! But it was intriguing nonetheless. We moved closer.
Now, living in the age of analog pinball machines, we were well versed in the fact that if there’s a slot for a quarter, it must be a game! Without even reading the instructions, we dropped what would turn out to be the first of MANY a quarter. I commandeered the left paddle, he operated the right paddle — Game On!
Returning to the mall over the next few weeks, it was fun learning the exact split second to turn the dial so the “paddle” hit the “ball” to get it past the opponent. And the longer the volley, the faster the ball moved.
It wasn’t long before the trip to the mall was a must. Life as we knew it would change forever. Because the digital age was made available to the common man through a video game.
And that’s what makes Pong the best game ever.
I found a great website if you’re looking for the history of Pong. Check it out HERE.
But if you’re like me and want to PLAY it again, BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) has a great (and FREE) online game of Pong. Click HERE.
The very best part of any hunting excursion is “the reveal”, like they say on those design shows. Just reading about them is B-O-R-I-N-G! So I put together a little 3 minute video to let you “come along” with us this year.Continue reading →
