Well, it's been quite some time since I've bothered doing any on camera work (2004 to be exact) and I was kind of itching to do something a bit different again, so I came up with the idea for "The Goodnight Gamer", where, late at night, after my family goes to sleep (and already in my "jammies"), I go downstairs and do quick 10 minute or less episodes covering all kinds of (mostly vintage) videogame and computer content, much like Armchair Arcade itself. This first episode breaks that rule by being much longer than 10 minutes (hence being broken down into four parts), but was necessary to provide the baseline tour of the "facility". The idea is to have fun and knock these out quick - in one take - with minimal editing and post processing from a cheap flash memory-based pocket camcorder. I'll of course refine the concept over time. Enjoy and I'd love to hear feedback (bad and good). Thanks! [Note: I had to use Revver this time due to exceeding 10 minutes, but I'll get it down for the next episode so it also fits YouTube]

Episode 1, Part 1 (of 4):

Episode 1, Part 2 (of 4):

When it comes to the old "computers vs. consoles" debate, I've always come down on the computer side. Even though nowadays the PC has lost much of its edge when it comes to graphics and what-not, you can't beat it in terms of versatility and software diversity.

As many of you know, for the past what, two years+ now, I've been working on a book to be published by No Starch Press and distributed by O'Reilly online and at bookstores everywhere in October 2007 (tentative, but looks likely). One of the issues I and my co-author, Matt Barton, have been struggling with with the publisher has been titling this potential opus.

Without a doubt, the highpoint of my sojourn last week to NYC was stopping off at Bill's home in New Jersey for a day of absolute gaming goodness. As all long-time AA'ers are well aware, Bill has an ginormous collection of vintage computers and consoles, to say nothing of an even more extensive software and game-related book library.

David Levy's book Robots Unlimited: Life in a Virtual Age is a great introduction not only to robots, but also the various technologies that must work together in their creation: logic, artificial intelligence (AI), speech synthesis, natural language processing, sensory recognition, personality training, emotion--does it ever end? Although most people assume that we're centuries away from the invention of an intelligent, human-like android like "Data," Levy shows just how close we've gotten and just how soon we'll be interacting with amazingly smart robots on a daily basis. Robots will enhance our lives in countless ways; they'll not only help us in our daily tasks, but also become our friends and even our soul mates. They'll talk to us and show a sensitivity to our emotional states that not even our mothers could match. Furthermore, they'll be wonderful inventors and artists, breathing new life into every field of creative endeavor. Sound like science fiction? Levy shows that the only "fiction" is that robots won't play a vital role in the (near) future of the human race. David Levy will make you a believer.

Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer, authored by--you guessed it, Stan Veit--is a roughly edited collection of memoirs and editorials Veit wrote during his tenure as editor-in-chief of Computer Shopper. Veit's personal experience with personal computer history is tremendous. He was the first personal computer dealer in New York City, and got to know almost every early luminary in the industry on a first-name basis. He's one part technician (he can talk chips and boards with the best of them), one part salesman, and one part patron. In short, it's hard to find an author better qualified to take us on the journey from the Altair to the IBM PC. However, the book is not without its flaws--it's poorly organized, and the typos make your head hurt.

In order to replace the void left by our affiliation with the now defunct Lik-Sang, we have entered into a relationship with Play-Asia. You can check it out under our "Merchandise and Special Offers" section or try it out below: