Archive for April, 2012

Nerd Lunch Episode 31: Nerdy Lunchy Bucket List

Posted in Boba Fett, movies, pop culture, Star Wars with tags , , , , , on April 4, 2012 by Paxton

Nerd Lunch Podcast

Episode 31 is live and ready to be shot into your ear on a rocket sled. In this episode Jeeg, CT and I do a “3 way dance”, ie we fly without a fourth chair and just talk amongst the three of us.  Our subject? Life, man.  We just sit and talk about life, love and just being alive, my friend.

Just kidding, this isn’t an Oprah podcast.  This week we are talking about our own personal Nerd Bucket Lists.  You know, the list of things I’d like to do before I die in a hail of gunfire and lightsaber blades.

My bucket list

Actually, CT has deemed it Nerdy Lunchy Buckety List, or something like that.  We list things we’d like to do, places we’d like to eat and places we’d like to go before we kick the bucket.  We even discuss a few bucket list items we’d like to do before we retire from podcasting in like 50-60 years (trust me, you’ll be stuck with the Nerd Lunch Podcast for a while).

So download this episode and start thinking about your own demise.  It’s fun.

Download this episode from iTunes or listen to it on Feedburner. And yes, we are still on the Zune Marketplace.

Happy Atari National Pac-Man Day

Posted in Atari, Pac-Man, pop culture, video games with tags , , , , on April 3, 2012 by Paxton

Cavalcade Arcade

30 years ago today on April 3, 1982, Atari announced National Pac-Man Day.

Atari National Pac-Man Day

National Pac-Man Day coincided with the release of Atari’s port of the Pac-Man arcade game.

Atari Pac-Man
Via John Mundy

Despite that game being one of the worst ports of a game ever created, it was the highest selling game of the year and received an enormous marketing push from Atari.

Pac-Man Phenomenon

Above is an ad touting the popularity of Pac-Man and it includes pictures from Pac-Man release parties all over the world.  Atari even held several Pac-Man Championships. Here’s an ad for the UK Championship.

UK Pac-Man Championships

Atari’s Pac-Man, along with E.T., probably killed not only Atari but the entire home console video game market.  At least for 4 or 5 years until the Nintendo Entertainment System took off. Because, despite selling millions of Pac-Man cartridges (as well as E.T.), Atari had over estimated demand and made many, many more than was sold and they were left with tons of extra cartridges.

So, enjoy Atari National Pac-Man Day! One of the nerdiest holidays ever!

Other Pac-Man articles:

1. Anniversary of the 1st Perfect Game of Pac-Man
2. America’s Love Affair with a Man Named Pac