Robert Gomez's Pages of Fun

Pages of Fun Have Moved to: www.robertgomez.org

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

NEW WEBSITE!!!! http://www.robertgomez.org/
NEW XML!!!! http://www.robertgomez.org/rss.xml
THIS URL IS GOING AWAY NOW!

RSS Migration Reminder - LAST WARNING

Sat, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

UPDATE YOUR RSS LINK NOW! http://www.feed43.com/5185026116140505.xml - I am trying to automate my RSS feed using Feed43.com. Up until now I have been hand coding my RSS using FeedSpring. However, FeedSpring is starting to crap out as my feed gets longer and longer. So please, update your RSS aggregator (Google Reader is the best) with the new URL: http://www.feed43.com/5185026116140505.xml

RSS Migration

Sat, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

I am trying to automate my RSS feed using Feed43.com. Up until now I have been hand coding my RSS using FeedSpring. However, FeedSpring is starting to crap out as my feed gets longer and longer. So please, update your RSS aggregator (Google Reader is the best) with the new URL: http://www.feed43.com/5185026116140505.xml

Revisiting Old Music Part (Do-Es)

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:27:47 GMT

More musical note taking to bore you.

Updated Art Gallery

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:04:31 GMT

I'm doing some under the hood updates of this site (click the Quick Links title bar. Magical, right?). The first major change is an updated portfolio page. No, no new art—just a fancy new thumbnail browser.

Martian Law CDs Are Now Free to Download

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:04:44 GMT

For those of you who don't know, I like to make music with my computer and have done so in one form or another since the days of The Music Construction Set on my old Apple ][+. In the mid-Nineties I began compiling my solo musical output under the moniker, Martian Law. The first record I produced was actually a cassette tape that I gave away as a bonus to people who bought one of my wood engravings. In hindsight, this tape is pretty embarrassing, but it did contain a few numbers that I still can appreciate.

In 1999 I followed my debut with my first full-length CD release, The Exciting Sounds of a Compaq P133. This disc was comprised of my first purely digital (no more cassette 4-track recording!) musical compositions. The sound is a little rough due to the primitive, non-pro software I used, but I am more-or-less happy with the way it turned out. I have now converted the CD audio tracks into super high quality MP3's and have made them free for you to download and add to your digital library. In addition, I have taken the songs that I composed in the years after P133 and assembled them into their own proper release, Upgrade Downgrade. This four song EP is sonically superior and is, I think, my finest work to date. Download and enjoy, and please let me know what you think.

These files are available through the file hosting service Drop.io. Each MP3 can be previewed and then downloaded to you local machine using the "download" links throughout the page. The preview versions are a lower quality MP3 than the actual download you will receive.

Neil Hamburger Pays Tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:47:40 GMT

My tribute to Planet Pimp Records has expanded! I finally got my hands on a copy of Neil Hamburger Pays Tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. Read my insightful commentary and make sure to listen to the audio clip from side B. Prepare to shed yet another tear for Our Fallen Angel.

Revisiting Old Music Part (De-Di)

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:47:00 GMT

My methodical journey through my CD collection continues.

Bacon Dogs!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:05:17 GMT

These dogs look awesome. Even the ones served off a dirty push cart.

I've Added a Quick Links Nav to the Site

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:01:09 GMT

A little maintenance note here: I added a few links to the home page in the form of that quick links widget off to the left. If you click the bar at the top it disappears. Pretty neato keano I'd say.

Twilight Zone for Your Listening Pleasure

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:30:35 GMT

Yesterday I came across this incredible Web log, Twilight Zone for Your Listening Pleasure. This guy posts tons and tons of great garage and rock 'n' roll records with large cover scans and links to the full albums in MP3 format. Usually, you just click in to the comments of each blog post and you are given a link the the MP3s in zip format. Cut-n-paste the link and you can grab the files for free. There is a limit of one package download per hour, but it's worth the wait to get your ears on some of these comps.

Revisiting Old Music Part III (Ch-De)

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:36:44 GMT

Happy New Year! My overview of my entire CD collection continues.

Revisiting Old Music Part II (Bu-Ca)

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:20:57 GMT

My overview of my entire CD collection continues. Lots and lots of Cabaret Voltaire!

Revisiting Old Music

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:19:55 GMT

The past year or so I have been an iPod owner and have not paid much attention to my wall o' CDs. Well, the same songs are popping up just a bit too often during shuffle, and I thought it would be a fresh change of pace if I started popping in a good old CD every now again. To make sure not to miss anything, I decided to pull the CDs down for listening in alphabetical order... Read more

Retro-Gaming Continued: Grim Fandango

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:32:43 GMT

My overview of the video game classics continues with the LucasArts adventure game, Grim Fandango. Read more...

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:14:36 GMT

Well, I just finished The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and I have to say that it does live up to the hype. Read more...

The Triumphal Return of Robert Gomez's Unofficial Tribute to Planet Pimp Records!

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:47:07 GMT

Long ago, back in the dark ages of the Internet—say around 1997 or so—I put together a little tribute to one of my favorite record labels, Planet Pimp Records. Well, that Web page has just risen from the grave! Check out my Unofficial Tribute to Planet Pimp Records!

Move Over OMG, Here's Something Leaner! Just WTF does BTG mean?

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 03:17:38 GMT

It's the latest craze sweeping the nation, and you heard it here first! It's the meme to end all memes. It's the acronymiest acronym around! What is it? It's BTG! I intended it as a replacement for hackneyed OMG, BTG is my chat shorthand for "By the Gods!" A statement of amazement. A proclomation that you have been witness to the divine, usually in the context of having your ass handed to you by a 12-year-old in Counterstrike...

A Homebrew Atari 2600 Cartridge Design

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:02:19 GMT

Recently, I took the time to enter an art contest. It was sponsored by AtariAge.com—a Web site devoted to the the preservation of the Atari 2600 and other ancient Atari computers and consoles. Read about my entry and view the finished product.

Champaign/Urbana Music Scene and the Rise and Fall of Der Lugomen

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:52:45 GMT

Last weekend Nonagon took a little mini-tour to play a gig at the Iron Post in Urbana, Illinois. The town was buried, ball-deep in snow and was completely dead. All the old haunts have been sterilized, commercialized and bland-o-fied. From what we hear, gone are the days of Cham-bana's vibrant music scene. Sure, there are still some good bands down there, Triple Whip for example, and I hear the Poster Children are still alive, but the spark is gone.

All this said, our show was a blast, and we were very thankful to the people who brave the weather to come out that night. But cruisin' around the town brought back many reminiscences of gigs of years past. For me it was my college-years band, Der Lugomen. We only played out three times, but each show was an event to behold.

Der Lugomen was comprised of Robert Gomez (hey, that's me), John Burgess, Thom Burbrink (who now goes by the professional moniker of Frank T. Burbrink, PhD.), and an Alesis 16-B drum machine. Our music was much influenced by Big Black and The Jesus Lizard, basically that late 80s early 90s Illinois indy sound.

At the time we all lived in the same apartment and seemed to have endless hours available to us for dicking around and writing songs. We would have full-volume practice sessions in our 3rd floor apartment unit, and the neighbors never seemed to complain (at least not to our faces). All of our work cumulated in the release of 2 tapes full of songs. The first was a patchy hodge podge of songs entitled, "No Rules Barred." The second was our magnum opus, "Honky Lips."

I have put together a DVD of footage from our last show. Here's a clip from it that I posted on YouTube.

Der Lugomen only performed out three times. This show, at Treno's pizzeria in Urbana, was our first non-house party show and our last show ever. We basically played our songs while Thom sang, threw garbage and terrorized the folks near the front.

For those of you with good eyesight, you may be able to see Jay Ryan taking my shoes off. After us, Jumpknuckle played (featuring John of Nonagon), then Snapcase, and finally Hot Glue Gun. The local bands were all great. Snapcase was awful. Retarded NYC punk--they actually had guys on stage who would accentuate song changes by punching in the air. We theorized that they would have to pull the tour van over every couple of hours so that they could all take punch breaks at the side of the road.

If you are interested in obtaining some Der Lugomen music send me a note and maybe we can work something out.

Sniggle's House

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 04:06:44 GMT

Ahhh... I finally realized that I can digitize VHS tape into my PC using my video camera as a bridge. This has allowed me to give bring back Sniggle to the world. I have many more goofy videos on file. Expect more soon! Fear comes from Satan!

My Virtual Garage Sale Is Open at eBay

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:22:37 GMT

Hey, we just moved to a new place and, in the process, I have begun to assess my junk collection. I have decided to start selling off some of my stuff on eBay. I will be posting items over the next few weeks. Please check out my auctions!

You're the Best of the Class this Year...

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:58:06 GMT

For the past year or so I have been keeping a log of all the movies, books and media I have consumed throughout the year and giving personal ratings for everything. I can now present you with my top ranked items for the year of our Lord, 2006! Read more...

For Your Height Only

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 03:02:15 GMT

I take a look at the vertically-challenged secret agent flick For Y'ur Height Only. Dick Randall has given us another classic "piece" of exploitation gold.

Nonagon Live at The Note

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 16:09:07 GMT
Come see Nonagon play live on Dec. 12, 2006 at The Note in Chicago.

Ennio Morricone Box Set Mania!

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 04:18:28 GMT
I take a listen to 3 new Ennio Morricone box sets.

Challenge of the Tiger

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:30:29 GMT
I review the 80s cheese-fest, Challenge of the Tiger.

More on the Philips DVP3040 DVD Player

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 04:11:52 GMT
A reader gives me some more DVD player advice.

Philips DVP3040 Tweaks

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 02:01:57 GMT
I found a way to stop jerky DivX playback on my DVP3040 player.

Nonagon: Live, August 5th 2006

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 04:24:35 GMT
Come see Nonagon play live at The Note in Chicago on Aug. 5th!

Easter Fun

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 03:36:45 GMT
One of my first Flash projects I ever created has been given an overhaul.

I Love My New DVD Player: A Philips DVP3040

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 02:38:26 GMT
I recently purchased a DivX capable DVD player. Read my mini review and find out what I think of this new toy. Hint: I likes it a lot!

DOSbox Gaming: King's Quest III - To Heir is Human

Mon, 29 May 2006 02:21:40 GMT
In this edition I take on a Wizard! And some sweeping... and more sweeping... and a bit of dusting... just read the stupid thing.

The Incredible Shrinking Art Studio

Sat, 27 May 2006 02:23:38 GMT
I've added a new image of my post-Nova art studio.

DOSbox Gaming: King's Quest II - Romancing the Throne

Sun, 21 May 2006 04:07:17 GMT
More retro-gaming action. My thoughts about King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne.

The Newegg Saga Is Over

Fri, 19 May 2006 06:05:26 GMT
Okay, NewEgg has redeemed itself, UPS still sucks though. I checked my credit card statement and we finally, 7 days later, got the ten dollar credit we were offered. The CF card is still working, faster and better than ever.

DOSbox Gaming: King's Quest I

Sun, 14 May 2006 12:00:00 GMT
Recently I have discovered the joys of DOS emulation on my Windows XP machine. Read as I revel in the nostolgia of Kings Quest I.

The New Camera Card Arrives

Sat, 13 May 2006 06:07:13 GMT

Success! The new 512MB camera card arrived today and, so far, is working out well. Check out Wika's latest set of photos from Nova's daycare birthday party.
However, the saga of NewEgg/UPS will not be over until I see the refunded card and ten dollar credit appear on my credit statement. It looks like NewEgg make have absolved itself--for now.

NewEgg Update

Wed, 10 May 2006 04:59:03 GMT
Okay, my initial frustration over my NewEgg order has been diminished a little. I was offered ten dollars off of a comparable product and went ahead and ordered a larger flash card. I hope my ancient Canon Powershot can handle a 512MB card. It has already destroyed a 256MB PQI card and I was concerned that it was size limited. Anyhow, I will following the tracking info to the minute if I have to this time.

CD Universe Has a New Contender for Crappiest On-Line Shopping Experience

Tue, 09 May 2006 04:53:50 GMT

I still have not done much in the way of updating this site but I needed to get some info out another horrible on-line shopping experience I have had.
The culprit this time is NewEgg.com. This was the second time I ordered anything from this store--they are widely regarded as a top-of-the-line on-line shop. However, my experience has been pretty lousy. To be fair, I guess my complaints should be directed at UPS. They are the idiots who make a daytime delivery at a residence, and then never leave a note that they attempted delivery. On top of that, the delivery guy lies to cover his lazy ass by saying, firstly, that they delivered the package and then, two days later, that I refused delivery! They then proceeded to send the package back to NewEgg. UPS's customer service phone system is one of the most annoying voice mail apps on earth. I finally figured out that you can scream, "Talk to person!" to circumvent answering a slew of "yes" or "no" questions.
NewEgg's third-world sweatshop tech support has been nothing but stock answers. They want me to wait until the item is back in their hands, at which time they will refund my Credit Card and make me order it again. I'd hold my nose and do this, except that the item I ordered is not out-of-stock. NewEgg, you and your retarded partner UPS suck. Feel the wrath of my deadly "blog" post!

Major Overhaul of the Site in Progress

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 20:25:03 GMT
What the heck happened to my site?! Well, in an effort to kick my butt in gear, and force myself to reorganize and redesign my site. I've stripped out the look-and-feel elements and will slowly be working on applying an automated system of templates. I will also be deleting and or rearranging sections to help reign in some of the urban sprawl of my site architecture. This is a bit of an experiment. It's somewhat unsual to put the design process of a site out in the open. This should be interesting... check back soon for updates

Robert Gomez's Pages of Fun

Pages of Fun Have Moved to: www.robertgomez.org

RSS Migration Reminder - LAST WARNING

RSS Migration

Revisiting Old Music Part (Do-Es)

Updated Art Gallery

Martian Law CDs Are Now Free to Download

Neil Hamburger Pays Tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales

Revisiting Old Music Part (De-Di)

Bacon Dogs!

I've Added a Quick Links Nav to the Site

Twilight Zone for Your Listening Pleasure

Revisiting Old Music Part III (Ch-De)

Revisiting Old Music Part II (Bu-Ca)

Revisiting Old Music

Retro-Gaming Continued: Grim Fandango

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Triumphal Return of Robert Gomez's Unofficial Tribute to Planet Pimp Records!

Move Over OMG, Here's Something Leaner! Just WTF does BTG mean?

A Homebrew Atari 2600 Cartridge Design

Champaign/Urbana Music Scene and the Rise and Fall of Der Lugomen

More Videos from my VHS Archives

Sniggle's House

My Virtual Garage Sale Is Open at eBay

You're the Best of the Class this Year...

For Your Height Only

Nonagon Live at The Note

Ennio Morricone Box Set Mania!

Challenge of the Tiger

More on the Philips DVP3040 DVD Player

Philips DVP3040 Tweaks

Nonagon: Live, August 5th 2006

Easter Fun

I Love My New DVD Player: A Philips DVP3040

DOSbox Gaming: King's Quest III - To Heir is Human

The Incredible Shrinking Art Studio

DOSbox Gaming: King's Quest II - Romancing the Throne

The Newegg Saga Is Over

DOSbox Gaming: King's Quest I

The New Camera Card Arrives

NewEgg Update

CD Universe Has a New Contender for Crappiest On-Line Shopping Experience

Major Overhaul of the Site in Progress