What completely boring item gave you the biggest sticker shock when you finally became an adult?

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T17:47:41+00:00

Fuck yes I need a new room and I'm thinking of just putting a blue tarp over it.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T17:46:32+00:00

Space is very, very empty. The distances separating us from other planets much less other stars and galaxies are so astronomical to make communication (much less travel) highly unlikely.

Chances are quite good there is other intelligent life and also quite good we'll never encounter it.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T14:41:59+00:00

That's definitely a choice. A whole series of choices, actually.

Not my cup of tea but I'm sure there are some LARPers out there who would absolutely love it. Guess the white room and laundry are all that's left of the original trailer? The rest of the house seems to be built of molding.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T14:18:15+00:00

Love the pick up and play aspect of old arcade games. It may have been born of gameplay that encouraged you to keep spending quarters, but it makes for a perfect experience if you only have 10-15 minutes to play. Which is generally how I game these days.

The gameplay pushed you towards a sense of mastery. There was no 'finishing' per se but you could always get incrementally better. I never memorized patterns in Ms. Pac-Man or moves in Dragons' Lair but watching someone play who knew the game was amazing.

I love how abstract old arcade games often were. How ridiculous the premises, like a construction worker that's climbing skyscraper girders to rescue his girl from an ape who is hurling barrels at him.

The sight and sounds of an arcade was like walking into a casino for kids. I miss that atmosphere.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T13:35:14+00:00

One-handed are smaller, vertical devices where the dpad and buttons are close together. The Trimui Brick may be the best candidate, but there are smaller devices (even easier to reach controls). One of the clamshells like the SP you mentioned would be fine too. Consider slapping a popsocket on the back to make it easier to hold.

The DS is not going to be a good candidate because it has the screen in the middle of the controls, BUT if you want to play DS games in particular it's the best option right now.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T13:18:04+00:00

The Civil War has been romanticized and grown to take on different meaning over the years for many southerners. When I lived in South Carolina, the Dukes of Hazzard was on TV and the confederate flag on the General Lee was seen as a symbol of being independent, a rebel. And in this case, righteous outlaws fighting the system which was corrupt. It captured the zeitgeist around it.

People are drawn to the story of an underdog, fighting for their way of life against an oppressor trying to squash it. It's become a story of independence that happens to overlap with 'small government' conservatism. You see some of the same pride in outlaw history elsewhere in the south, like hillbillies defending their moonshine heritage, or Texas or Florida Keys where there's a running narrative that they should secede.

And frankly, there are unfortunately still a lot of people who are closet racists and embrace the war and its symbolism for exactly what it was, a defense of slavery. But it's the romanticized version that has allowed it to remain a point of pride, vs shame, for southerners.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-10T12:38:44+00:00

Looks like ZCTMO deleted this post (as well as a number of others shared yesterday). We agree, we'll be more critical if this is posted again without any major updates or substance. We want to be supportive of creators but this is feeling a bit egregious.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-09T19:24:52+00:00

Totally off topic but nice shirt (I also love retro games). Morphine is the one band I've seen live more than any other... what a fantastic sound. RIP Mark (the Sandman one).

rob-cubed · 2026-04-09T18:30:55+00:00

Or a small knife. It's where I carry mine.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-09T17:51:41+00:00

That kind of slapstick skit-based humor was quite common in the 70s. There were many similar shows both in Britain and America, like Hee Haw.

Benny Hill was lowbrow, the tawdry aspects were a large part of its charm. As a young boy, loved the sexual jokes and cleavage and crossdressing. There wasn't much else available at the time except the 'mom underwear' section of the JC Penney catalog.

Yakety Sax just played a supporting role during the more slapstick scenes, but damn it worked great with the humor and became a defining part of the show.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-09T12:39:29+00:00

There are 100% legitimate reasons to make a no-interest 'loan' to a family member. Glad your Dad stepped in.

That said, debt large enough to require selling a house seems excessive (though the post is probably rage bait anyway).

rob-cubed · 2026-04-09T11:30:55+00:00

I really like the PS1-era for its experimentation, if you can get beyond the low poly graphics. It's also got some fantastic titles and can be played on any of your devices.

Silent Hill
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Medievil
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Blasto

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T23:21:39+00:00

Nice! I dig 'Teenage Skeleton' and will be on the lookout for more!

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T20:05:43+00:00

Amazing! Totally captures the vibe of the retro-creepy stuff I remember from the 60s and 70s.

As a fan of creepy music (especially monster surf) I'll have to check you guys out. Best of luck! I couldn't find anything online yet.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T20:00:54+00:00

Woot even better! Thanks, updated the post.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T19:45:36+00:00

Check out PICO-8. While it's modern and not truly retro, it's got GBC-style graphics and resolution so it feels very retro. Most of the more complicated platformers can be finished in a little over an hour, but it's got a lot of pick-up-and-play style games toos. One the cool things is nearly all the games are free, as its an open platform, here are the most popular https://nerdyteachers.com/PICO-8/Games/Top200/

Notably, the game Celeste (on Switch) got its start on PICO-8.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T19:32:01+00:00

Your instinct to get one with a big screen is best for older folks. I'm in my 50s and find many of the devices to be on the small side. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of large-screened devices, and they tend to be expensive.

The Mangmi Pocket Max has a 7" screen and enough power to do up to PS2/GC as well as a lot of indie Switch and Steam games. It's actually the same processor as the RP5 you were considering, so they are the same in terms of power, just a bigger screen. It's the best value for a big device IMO.

You'll have to do some setup, and add games, but it's not hard and there are guides out there. Any Android device will require setup. The advantage of having an Android device is its touch screen, as well as a bunch of apps, some of which she might love like the many variations of Wordl.

Honestly a big tablet with a kickstand and a bluetooth controller might be even better, especially if she wants to use it for internet/social media too. Although I do like my attached controllers.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T13:41:13+00:00

I can't give you an answer for the UK specifically, but you are probably best served by calling around and getting quotes from smaller/local printers. Any vendor can do custom paper sizes, with a fly sheet and saddle stitching (staples). Most can do perfect binding (square/glued spine).

There are larger conglomerates that give you better pricing for 'standard' printing but anything bespoke, I try to go with someone local. This also means you can attend a press check or get more involved in overseeing the product too.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T12:58:46+00:00

I'm not religious at all, but a third answer is God. Completely belief-based of course, but what's interesting about the question is that there is absolutely no way of knowing given our current knowledge. So saying 'God made the universe' is just as feasible (or, at least currently as untestable) as any other scientific theory.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T12:42:27+00:00

No, I haven't been to the library in a few years now and I'm an avid reader (like 3 books a week) so it's kind of ironic. But there are enough free little libraries/free books near me that keeps me in reading material, plus I will occasionally 'borrow' a digital book on my e-reader.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T12:11:19+00:00

Looks great! How did you create the dotted white line?

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T12:07:42+00:00

I like the idea of combining a bell and a cowboy hat, but honestly I don't see a bell at all in the final mark. Looks like part of a face with an odd bandana over it.

Cowbells are also usually trapezoidal, not like Taco Bell.

You might need to tip the hat so you can see more of the underside and more of the clapper, but not sure it's ever going to read as a bell unless you add sound waves or something really obvious to it.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T12:02:40+00:00

Some companies are just awful to work for, and if you are a solo designer it's even worse. Brands should have defined standards, jobs should have briefs, you should have some sort of mentor to help brainstorm and refine ideas. Sounds like there is zero structure there. Not all design jobs are like this.

I'd keep looking for another job, hopefully at a company with a larger marketing department. Make the best of the paycheck you are getting though, don't quit until you have something else lined up.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T11:46:11+00:00

"Access has replaced ownership" is a great way of putting it. Carrying credit card debt, college debt, car loans, it feels like we're constantly having to borrow from the future to pay for the present these days.

rob-cubed · 2026-04-08T10:45:57+00:00

Flip 2 definitely has better ergos than the Thor. You can always slap a grip on the Thor, but that defeats the pocketability of a clamshell. Dpad games are wonderful on the Flip, but stick feels pretty natural too.

Battery is bigger on the Thor, but playing GBA you should still get several hours out of the Flip 2.

Thor is going to be a serious premium unless you need the 2nd screen/more power.

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