RickR

And one more piece of advice that's going to sound really stupid....try out one of the "Rock Band" games. The PS2 versions are super cheap. They do nothing to teach you how to really play except for one thing: They are really good at getting your brain to understand the timing between getting your left hand set first and strumming with the right after. It's your right hand that has to have perfect timing, and lefty must be a step ahead. If you can get your brain working that way, it's more than half the battle for guitar.

Oh yes, absolutely there is hope. My guitar has a very thin neck for my smaller fingers. I have trouble playing other guitars. You might also consider bass guitar. Only 4 strings = you don't need super long fingers. My brother-in-law plays banjo, which requires strong fingers with those super-tight metal strings. I'd suggest a smallish sized acoustic guitar for you to try on for size. When you look at them in person, note the different thicknesses on the necks and try out the thinner ones first.

Piano: I remember the term "Chopsticks and Forks". "C" is the note to the left of the two black keys (that look like chopsticks) and "F" is the note to the left of 3 black keys (that look like a fork....well maybe a threek). Guitar: My youngest son has taken my electric guitar and is learning to play. He's getting better! I used to play, but it's been many years. @socrates63, it's a matter of finding a guitar neck that fits your fingers. And longer nails are perfect for an acoustic guitar. If you are seriously interested, find a good music shop that will help you find a guitar that fits your hands.

I'm trying to think about what my children will say when this question is presented to them in 20 years. Mom rarely played Dad introduced them to video games and would get his butt kicked by kids if the controller had more than two buttons. DS multi-player games were a family pastime. Mario Party DS being an all-time fave.

I think @CrossBow has a good idea -- mount those speakers on the wall. There should be hangars on the back (and if not, easy enough to add them). Then you can place a few of your gaming stuffies or other stuff on top of them.

Observation from another "trying to improve" player. Your lap times look good, but you'll notice that your lap 1 time is slower than Justin/Harry. I was having trouble on lap 1 too, but then I realized you can time your gas pedal at the start, and it cuts at least a second off. Do it like this 3...2...1...(and stomp on the gas about half-way between 1 and the start). If you do it right, you'll immediately be in second place with only yellow in front of you. Hopefully Justin and/or Harry will refine what I typed, as I'm not 100% sure that's the best advice.

2'23'29

2'26'11

I'm only about a quarter of the way through, but the new book does a very good job of describing the problems at Atari. And it's entertaining. Laugh-out-loud funny at times.

Stop what you are doing and go get this game right now. It's a modern remake of the classic game "Rescue on Fractalus". Available (FOR FREE!) for Windows, Mac, Linux and (woah!) Oculus VR! https://www.lsdwa.com/blog/2020/12/18/fractalus-1-0-released/

Oooh! I love Lode Runner on the Atari 8-bit. I'll bet the NES version is even better.

What's the NES game on the top?

I remember that Pac Man XMas special too. It sure seemed like any attempt to make a Pac Man cartoon was just weird. Just for you @HDN, these are the specials my family watched this year: Charlie Brown Christmas - choppy tone, yet still outstanding Rudolph - Fun and funny. It remains a classic, even with the bullying (which is really done with a humorous wink-wink tone). The Little Drummer Boy (another Rankin Bass stop-motion short). I'd never seen this one before. It's OK. But I'm kind of intrigued by the way they did the Christmas star. How did they do that effect? It looks quite real. SpongeBob and Simpsons Christmas DVD's. These are more winter-themed. My favorite is the SpongeBob episode with the snowball fight.

I just purchased the Kindle version and have read up to chapter 3 today. It is excellent so far.

Check it out! Stolen from a DKOldies e-mail: Everyone who has owned a GameCube will probably recognize the iconic startup sound after turning on the system. You can listen to the sound as the blue block rolls around to create the even more iconic logo. But did you know if you hold down the "Z" button during startup the sound will change as it builds the logo? There is even a third hidden startup sound you can hear by holding the "Z" button when you have controllers plugged in to all four slots. Try each one and listen to the sounds inspired by different genres of music.

Test it out. If everything works, I would not touch it. The 5200 was designed well. It doesn't break like the joysticks do. No lousy plastic membrane for the buttons for example. The only thing I've seen go wrong is rust on the inside. If that happens, you have to carefully brillo-pad the rust off, then lubricate everything. But if you keep it stored in a dry place (and it looks like you do by the condition of the outside), I'll bet it works perfectly.

Yes, I couldn't figure out how I was a full minute behind. Do all Europeans have this same obstacle in high score challenges? The game plays slower!

2'28"08. That's better! It turns out I had the PAL rom file before, and the game was slower. Oops. Corrected.

I'm with @socrates63 on this one. I have intentions to watch, but never do. I figure I've seen them before. That said, I do have fond memories of the various Rankin Bass stop animation shows. Especially Rudolph. That one has a bad modern interpretation -- they only care about Rudolph and his "special ability" when they actually need him. I can't argue with that, and coach Comet and that sob Fireball need an atomic wedgie. But honestly, watching the show, it's a lot softer and tongue--in-cheek that we make it out to be. A+ to that show. My favorite, and I'll probably really watch this one this year due to being stuck at home is the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. That one actually captures that "WTF are we doing?" feeling I always have during the holiday season. Commercialization and consumerism are depressants for me. Good grief!

Wow! That's quite an accomplishment. Very nice job.

Great prices on the O2 games. Somebody jump on those! Makes me (kind of) wish I needed those games.

Oh man that is cool. Congratulations. I hope you enjoy it. I've never seen a small one like that.

I shall try that pink car next. I've been using yellow because I'm mellow.