RickR

Here's something new I am trying now. Burt's Bees Natural Shave Cream. This stuff is really very strange to me, as there is no foam at all. You put it on as a cream -- like lotion or sunscreen. That takes some getting used to. But how does it work? Surprisingly: Excellent! The shave is close...like really close. And that's with an old razor! Pros: It works great. Close shave. No nicks. It smells great. Even my wife comments on it. Smells of lemons and flowers. Very nice. Not terribly expensive - between 4 and 8 dollars for a tube. Cons: The lack of foam takes some getting used to. I don't think the tube will last as long as my usual gel. Two to three weeks of shaving daily is my guess.

And here's the first trailer. I'm quite excited for this, given the excellent quality of the Madalorian/Boba Fett series.

Art by Gaz Williams

Pro tip...watch and finish the shows you like. Then cancel. In a few months, they'll offer you a free month to rejoin.

No argument. Given time to think more about it.... Season 1 of Picard was completely forgettable. It really shined when someone from the old cast showed up (Data or Seven or even Hugh, for example). And that one episode with Riker/Deanna was outstanding. I thought all of the newer characters were meh. Several scenes were downright disgusting. Why'd they have to go there? Season 2, Ep 1 has a bit more of the older characters and a lot of little Easter eggs. That's what makes it good. Hopefully, they can keep it up.

A step too far.

@Justin, your post is so good and I can't disagree with a word of it. Well done. I agree that it wasn't a premeditated scam. I think it was a dream and plan that was done in the worst possible way by folks that didn't really know what they were doing and in way over their heads. I also think it's weird -- really weird -- the have Mr. T calling youtubers on the phone to talk about things but also demand they don't reveal it. Dude, don't you have any real friends? WTF? For me, that kind of encapsulates the whole weird feeling about this system I felt since day 1. People use the word "cult", and I think a better word is "crusade". It was made so personal and schmoozy and no professional company would ever run things that way.

OK, I've watched S2, E1 just now. That was a lot of fun! Very good so far.

BOOM! Rot usually starts at the very top. That's been my experience in corporate live over the last (gulp) 35 years.

I didn't go (LOSER!), but here's an overview from a local youtuber for anyone that's interested. It's a swap meet hosted by PRGE and a local gaming store.

Amen to this. Another great "what-if" in the Atari story. What if they'd have released that Pam system as a gaming console as originally intended and skipped the computer market? In hindsight, we know that the 5200 was a sign of a company that had innovation decay. I hope no one misunderstands -- I don't hate the 5200. It's just that it was 4 years too late. They didn't take the time to push for new technology but instead just reused existing tech. I think a lot of us read Atari-lore of how Nolan Bushnell was ready to move off the 2600 and release a new better console when Warner took over and think "No!". Or that he did that on purpose just to get booted. But I think now how right he was.

Thank you guys. I hope anyone else that has one will share their story. This is so fascinating! I've been thinking about whether I've ever actually seen one in the wild or at a show. I'm sure we all have that experience where you finally learn about something new-to-you and then realize "oh yeah, I've seen those once in a while at Goodwill!". For example, the Sega Pico is a personal example of this. But no, I can honestly say the CDX is something I haven't ever seen in person.

Fees for me for most items are holding steady right between 14 and 15%. Shipping costs are a lot higher now, and you paying fees on those is what takes you above their stated fees for each item category. Still, sales are brisk. The ebay economy is in good shape. My monthly sales continue to rise if I spend time keeping a stock of listings up and active. There is simply no better place to get top dollar for specialty items. Ebay is king, and all other sites are too small to compete with the ebay customer/seller base.

This reminds me of the time recently when I decided to re-watch Star Trek:DS9 for the first time since it originally aired, and I found a bunch of small pockets of episodes that I had never seen before. It was the most amazing thing ever. When that show aired originally, my kids were young. Ages 3 and infant. So I must have fallen asleep or been busy reading books and putting the kids to bed or something.

You know that feeling when you're an old crusty fart who things you've seen it all, and then something you never heard of turns up? And by a major gaming company no less! WOW. So let me get this straight: The CDX was a portable CD player that you could take with you and if you plug it into a TV, Sega CD games and also has a cartridge slot for Genesis carts??? HOLY SH@T! So even if you skip the portability part, you get a miniaturized Genesis + SegaCD system that doesn't need 2 giant power bricks and a slew of extra wires! Man. I want one. Are they easy to find?

While I've heard of the Nomad and tried it out at PRGE, I have never heard about the CDX until now! OMG you guys, can you start a thread on that? As for the Nomad, I think it was an awesome idea. But it was available for such a short time that it's hard to find one to collect now. Imagine if Atari had offered a portable 2600 in say 1983 or 84...It would have been a great way to extend the life of the system..take games with you in the car for road trips or whatever. Man, I would have loved that back then. The Nomad is the same idea. You may have a newer system at home, but hey, you can still take those older games with you on the go.

I will post pictures of stuff for sale here as a "status update" first. That way, atari.io friends get first dibs.

Great review @Silver Back. I like your format and write-up.

Here's that review from John Hancock. He mentions our local heroes @Video 61 and @CrossBow

I haven't started Season 2 of Picard yet....we are waiting to finish Discovery season 4 first. While I'm not mad at it, Disco:4 hasn't been great IMO. <Spoiler alert> Writing Tilly off the show was not a smart move.

Who knew they made Half-Life for the Dreamcast (prototype)? https://videogamecritic.com/dchh.htm?e=18467#rev5605 I don't remember how to burn a Dreamcast CD, but I think I might try it just to give this game a go.

Next up for sale from me on ebay will be: Atari 8-bit computers. I have too many. Probably the 800 and an XEGS need to go. Also my Atari ST. I never touch it and I'd rather play with the Amiga.

They'll be back, don't worry! If Portland and SoCal have opened the doors after the pandemic, all other areas will follow suit. And it makes sense for you if you have a system you are openly collecting for. I kind of envy that situation, yet I don't want to be in that position right now. It's time to focus on playing all that I have and getting rid of the systems I don't touch.

I'm glad you found something! I've decided to skip the Portland retro-gaming swap-meet this weekend. I'm sure the prices won't be as high as you mentioned, but I'm just not in the mood and I don't think there is anything I want or need. Paying to get in and paying to park are a couple of disincentives too, although those prices aren't bad either. I guess I'm just really not feeling it. "OLD FART ALERT!" I do feel bad about it.

Read this set of books to learn more: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220993-the-fifty-year-mission They absolutely struggled with a story that would give both crews equal time, and I think everyone involved agrees they failed.