Bathroom Readers' Institute's Blog, page 183
November 27, 2012
Nintendo: Now You’re Playing With Power. Back Then, Not So Much.
The Wii U, the latest home video game console from Nintendo, could be the hot toy this holiday season—several of them are already selling for over $500 on eBay.
So let’s hit the pause button on our shiny new (and very expensive) Wii U and take a look back at Nintendo’s first home console.
Most gamers assume the company’s first foray into the home market was the Nintendo Entertainment System. Wrong! The incredibly popular NES, which helped Nintendo resurrect the floundering video game industry and rule it like a God during the latter half of the ‘80s with games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Duck Hunt, was predated by a console that debuted in Japan in 1977. The uninspiringly-titled Color TV Game, which was never released stateside, was a huge hit in Japan—more than three million units were sold there between 1977 and 1980.
The first console, the Color TV Game 6, contained six tennis-like games that were, basically, Pong knock-offs, and in color (the background was green, just like in real-life tennis!). Players sat close to the TV and controlled their on-screen paddles not with joysticks or controllers, but dials on the machine itself, which was powered with batteries or an AC adapter. A year later, Nintendo released Color TV Game 15, which featured over twice as many variations of tennis/Pong along with the breakthrough technology of controllers connected to the console with wires.
Meanwhile, the American video game market was dominated by the more advanced Atari 2600, with games like Frogger, Centipede, and Pac-Man. The Atari wasn’t officially released in Japan until 1983. Nintendo tried to compete a little bit with its third console in the series, Color TV Racing 11. It included a racing game and two controllers along with a steering wheel and a gearshift attached to the console. The final two Color TV Games featured a knock-off of Atari’s Breakout and a version of Othello respectively.
Here’s a Japanese TV commercial for the first two consoles. Exciting.
While the Color TV Games were fairly unambitious, they did allow one plucky young student to get his foot in the door at Nintendo. Shigeru Miyamoto was hired to help design the casings for the consoles, and went on to create many of Nintendo’s most popular titles like Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda. He is now considered one of the most successful video game creators of all time.
The Color TV Games are a collector’s item these days. Depending on their condition and whether or not they still have their original box, the consoles sell for between $100 and $2,000.
November 26, 2012
Forgotten Fad: Moon Parlors
Meet the BRI: Melinda
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.
Today we introduce Melinda:
Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?
A. Six-and-a-half years. I’m a developmental editor, which means I work with writers, designers, and a ton of other freelancers to put together some great books. I do a fair amount of writing too. My favorite book so far is probably “Plunges into Canada, Eh.” Long live the Great White North!
Q. What is your favorite part about working on Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers?
A. I learn all kinds of interesting trivia (like…when you meet the Queen of England, address her as “Your Majesty” the first time and as “Ma’am” afterward), and I get to work with a fun, creative bunch of people.
Q. Which stall is the best: the first, the middle or the last?
A. The middle. It’s important to be fair.
Q. Complete this sentence: When life gives you lemons ______?
A. Make a nice lemon bar, not too tart and just sweet enough.
November 23, 2012
Unbreakable Coded Message Found on Dead WWII Carrier Pigeon
It was found just a couple weeks ago:
ELITE code-breakers from Britain’s most secret intelligence agency have admitted they are completely stumped by a secret World War Two message found attached to the leg of a dead pigeon.
The coded series of hand-written letters written on a cigarette paper-sized sheet of paper headed “Pigeon Service” was discovered in a small red canister attached to the bird’s skeleton up the chimney at a house in Bletchingley, Surrey.
David Martin, 74, a retired probation officer, was renovating his 17th century home, when he found the remains of the dead “secret agent” carrier pigeon which is believed to have got stuck in the chimney on its return from a top secret mission to Nazi Germany.
They go on to say that the British intelligence agency GCHQ says the message is impossible to crack without its original accompanying codebook:
Unfortunately, much of the vital information that would indicate the context of the message is missing. It is undated, and the meaning of the destination – given as “X02” – is unknown. Similarly, while the sender’s signature appears to say “Sjt W Stot”, nothing is known of this individual or their unit.
• GCHQ has the message. (Nurp Nurp!) See if you can break it!
• GeekoSystem sees a mystery within the mystery…and possible fowl play.
• Short video interview of Mr. Martin on his mysterious discovery here.
And, finally, a pigeon joke:
“I can’t make it!,” cried Baby pigeon. “I’m too tired!”
Mama pigeon cooed, “Don’t worry. I’ll tie a piece of string to one of your legs and the other end to mine.”
Baby pigeon started to cry.
“What’s wrong?” asked Mama pigeon.
Baby pigeon cried, “I don’t want to be pigeon towed!”
November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
From the BRI family – have a gosh darn wonderful Thanksgiving day, everybody!
We hope you are warm and well fed, and among happy family and friends. Cheers!
Now pass the sweet potaters…
November 21, 2012
5 Projects That Lay the Groundwork for Disney’s Purchase of LucasFilm
The Walt Disney Company bought LucasFilm a couple of weeks ago, but this isn’t the first time that Lucas and Disney have crossed paths.
The “Star Tours” ride at Disneyland
In the late ‘70s, Disney’s “Imagineers” designed a space simulator attraction for Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland” based on the 1979 Disney sci-fi film The Black Hole. Once the film flopped, the ride was never built. (It was also slated to cost $50 million.) Almost a decade later, Disney approached Lucas about a Star Wars ride, looking to reuse some of its unused Black Hole developments. Lucas created Star Tours, which allows the park’s guest to blast off as “space tourists” and tag along on an attack on the Death Star.
It opened in January 1987 at a cost of $32 million. Disneyland stayed open for 60 straight hours to accommodate the throngs of fans eager to ride it over and over again.
Captain Eo
Lucas and Disney were professionally close at the time of Star Tours because of Captain Eo, a sci-fi film that ran in Disney theme parks. A “4-D” production (the extra dimension is for in-theater effects, such as lasers and smoke cannons), it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starred Michael Jackson, and was produced by George Lucas.
The Indiana Jones ride at Disney parks
Disney started running a daily Indiana Jones-themed stunt show at its Hollywood Studios theme park in the early ‘90s, based on the adventure films co-written and produced by Lucas. The show proved popular enough to lead Disney to make Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, a full-fledged ride that debuted in Disneyland in 1995.
Special effects provider
Lucasfilms’s special effects house, Industrial Light and Magic, also helped produce the visuals for Disney-produced movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Rocketeer, and the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians.
Pixar
Pixar was founded in 1979 as Graphics Group, the computer division of Lucasfilm. In 1986, GG was sold to Apple founder Steve Jobs (who redubbed it Pixar) after Lucas ran into money woes after a divorce. Pixar has since produced Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Brave, and other critically-acclaimed CGI feature films that were distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Disney bought Pixar outright in 2006 for $7.4 billion.
November 20, 2012
Spy Magazine’s 1989 Twinkie Test
Best joke we’ve seen so far regarding the death (or possible death) of the Twinkie (from here):
Those Mayans really knew what they were doing!
And by special request from BRI FaceBook fan Kim, from Uncle John’s ABSOLUTELY ABSORBING Bathroom Reader (page 56), the Spy magazine Twinkie test. (Click to enlarge.)
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November 19, 2012
Meet the BRI: Thom
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.
Today we introduce Thom, better known as BRI T. on our FB page:
Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?
A. I joined the BRI in 2002 as a part time newspaper reader and story cutter-outer, the idea being to use news stories to generate ideas for articles. I had a long songwriting history by then, but none as a non-fiction writer. But I liked what I saw at the UJBR and within a few months I was surreptitiously handing in articles to Gordon – just awful articles. After I did this enough times he finally got annoyed and started training me to write proper UJBR articles. Been a writer and editor ever since. And since 2010 I’ve also been the main UJBR blogger.
Q. What is your favorite part about working on Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers?
A. The research. Who knew it could be so much fun? I like doing nature- and science-based stories, and it means I have to read a ton of stuff about the subjects I cover, way too much really, because I want to know the subject well enough that I can then just sit down and, in a relaxed, fun way, tell the reader the story. I did a long article on cancer for Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Bathroom Reader, for example—what cancer actually is, right down to the nucleus of cancerous cells; the different ways we know of that can make cells go sideways; promising new cures being tested—everything I could get my hands on. It took probably a few months to read and absorb all that stuff before I could do the story. I just love stuff like that. Good for the brain!
Q. Which stall is the best: the first, the middle or the last?
A. The first. I don’t go unless I have to you, y’know?
Q. Complete this sentence: When life gives you lemons ______?
A. Say thank you. Lemons are real nice. And if you’re thirsty…you can always have a beer or two.
• We’ve asked the staff to pick a favorite Uncle John’s article. Thom picked “Gander,” from Uncle John’s AHH-INSPIRING Bathroom Reader (page 370). And here it is. (This was written by the BRI’s Ol’ Jay. You’ll be seeing his bio before too long.) Click on pics to enlarge.
November 16, 2012
Mr. Toilet’s Toilet Theme Park
It’s the #1 place in the world to go—and the #2 place, too! If you can, you should drop everything and head there now! (Note: All those links go to the same place. We just wanted to make sure you got all those jokes.)
I’ve been to some bizarre spots in South Korea, from DMZ tunnels to a seaside park dedicated to giant penises, but a new theme park in Suwon is at the top of my must-see list: it celebrates toilets.
The Restroom Cultural Park is billed as the world’s first toilet theme park. It’s a monument to the colorful former mayor of Suwon, a man known as Mr. Toilet.
The late Sim Jae-duck was himself born in a toilet and had an affection for loos throughout his life, rigorously promoting public facilities while mayor.
Sim also founded the World Toilet Association and wrote a book entitled “Happy to Be With You, Toilet.” He died of prostate cancer in 2009.
And there’s video. Weird video:
Wee should send them books.
Meet the BRI: Ginger
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we think it might finally be time to introduce you to the people behind this amazing series. We will be posting brief interviews with each of the staff members throughout the month of November.
Today we introduce Ginger:
Q. How long have you been with the BRI, and what do you do?
A. 5 whole years, but it feels like it’s only been the blink of an eye. I’m responsible for the marketing here, which means I’m in charge of thinking about all the stuff that helps to put the books in front of your faces: the website, advertising, radio tours, social media, etc. I also do a bunch of stuff behind the scenes that helps to get the books into bookstores and online stores to get them in your hands or on your ereader.
Q. What is your favorite part about working on Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers?
A. There is never a dull moment. Between all the fun stuff we get to do as we work on getting the books out the door and the quirky and fun personalities of everyone on the team, it’s always interesting!
Q. Which stall is the best: the first, the middle or the last?
A. The last. Obviously.
Q. Complete this sentence: When life gives you lemons ______?
A. Keep them! Free lemons would be awesome!
