Bit by bit

My latest obsession is incremental games, a type of idle game where simple actions are performed to earn rewards, which can then be invested to earn rewards faster. The goal is to incrementally increase income or an asset (money, computing power, paperclips, potatoes) to progress and the gameplay includes upgrades and power-ups. I especially enjoy story-driven games, games that simulate computer work, and games that have a simple GUI.

My favorites, so far, are Skynet Simulator, Universal Paperclips, and SPACEPLAN. Games I’m trying to get in to include A Dark Room, Candy Box, Crank, Bitburner, Idle Loops, The Barnacle Goose Experiment, and Increlution.

There’s a gallery for incremental games, an ultimate list, and a guide on how to build an incremental game.

BE NOT AFRAID

These biblically accurate angels by Jonas Pfeiffer are terrifying.

The Cherub, Ezekiel 1: 4-14, with the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle. Be not afraid.
And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. …and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides… Their wings were joined one to another… 10 …they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion… and… the face of an ox… and… the face of an eagle.

The Seraph, Isaiah 6: 2-6 & Revelations 4: 8, with their six wings full of eyes. They endlessly chant, “Holy, holy, holy.” Be not afraid.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy. —– 8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

The Ophan, Ezekiel 1: 15-19, with it’s fiery rings full of eyes. Be not afraid.
…and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

The Kraus House

One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last commissioned Usonian-style homes, the Kraus House grows out of a hill and overlooks a small persimmon grove in Kirkwood, MO. The house features a carport, attached shed, zero 90 degree angles, and a stunning studio.

Here is a gallery of some (illegal) photos I took during my recent visit. Check out the unique drawer shape in the bathroom, the origami chairs in the living room, and the pronounced cantilevered roof off the studio. The master bed is in the shape of a parallelogram and requires custom sheets. The house also has three Taliesin lamps.

This House, on Youtube, did a complete video tour of the Kraus House and provides more detail.

I Wish I Didn’t Like It So Much

I recently learned about Whitney Houston’s relationship during the 80’s with “tall, slim, and severely handsome…” Robyn Crawford. How did I not know this? Anyway.

I’ve been on a listening binge ever since and ‘So Emotional’ is one of my favorite songs to play on repeat. It has manic lyrics, frenetic tones, and sultry spoken lines. It’s fast, catchy, and full of sound from start to finish. It’s so good.

Nobody Beats Becky’s

After her father died in 1977, Becky Rothman, eventual Saint Louis icon, took over the family business with her brothers. She was 22. They changed the name to Becky’s Carpet & Tile during expansion in the 80’s and Becky became the Queen of Carpets. She ran a successful local marketing campaign where she was often featured hovering over the city of Saint Louis on a magic carpet. Pretty awesome. Becky’s became a local flooring empire during the 90’s and then began to struggle after the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008.

She was voted RFT’s Best Local Girl Gone Bad in 2012 when she abruptly closed up shop due to the family business, Rothman Properties, being delinquent in paying more than $150,000 in property taxes from 2011 at four of its five St. Louis area stores.

The Rothmans may not have been the most business savvy, but Becky was the queen of local TV media marketing. Her 90’s commercials are burned into the memory of every person in Saint Louis. Just ask. Everyone knows Becky.

In the earlier commercials, Rothman appeared alongside a family friend, Wanda, who was dubbed the “princess of tile.” They would hover on the magic carpet near the Gateway Arch and sometimes even flew into outer space.

Rothman said she would write the commercials as she was putting on her make-up. And many of them were improvised on the spot.

She did a lot of ads involving The Arch including one where she jumped from it and used The Arch to perform a gymnast bar routine. See below the succint bit from Show Me St. Louis covering her rise to stardom and fame.

Jumping off The Arch
Gymnast bar routine on The Arch
Interview at South County store on Baptist Church Road.

Darth Vader Loves Surprises

This breakdown of the betrayal on Bespin is everything:

But… Vader tells Lando, … I want you to invite them to dinner. Bring them to the banquet room. Then when you enter the banquet room, I will be sitting there waiting for them and it will be a huge surprise. I even have a funny line prepared.”…

Lando: “Okay, but why will you be sitting? …

Vader: “Calrissian, I want to be sitting. It adds to the effect that I’m just sitting down for a meal like anyone else would be. But when they enter, I will stand.”

Fett: “Wait, I’m also sitting at the table?”

Vader: “No, bounty hunter. You come in later, after I deliver my punchline.”


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