Month: August 2023

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Science Fiction Museum

The web site is live at scifimu.org. And yes, all my IT friends, it is not yet redirecting 80 and there is insecure content on 443. We are working on it. But I think the content is gorgeous. The designer is incredibly talented and great to work with.

Today I got up at 5:30AM. I do not believe I’ve seen the ugly side of 8AM since retirement. The Warren-Youngstown Chamber of Commerce had their annual breakfast today, and in order to accommodate the crazy people who still have to work they start it really early. I got there an hour early to help set stuff up. Lots of pushing heavy things around. Down the ramp from the U Haul was OK; up the ramp was… not pleasant.

But it was a great day and went really well. Lots of blinky lights. Story here:

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/l-a-prop-maker-valley-native-donates-work-to-valley/

OPM shoutout: the President of the chamber is named Guy Coviello. My heart skipped a couple of beats when I read that name on the program.

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Baldur’s Gate 3

My OPM career has been bookended by RPGs. Skyrim going in; Baldur’s Gate 3 going out. Well, kinda. It’s been more than a year, but I consider it a bookend.

25 years since Baldur’s Gate 2. Three years in early release beta testing. It’s an anti-Bethesda game – 40 hours in; no crashes; no bugs. It’s a wonder.

I’ve been playing these since my first one with Corey. Eye of the Beholder in 1991, by SSI. By ‘these’, I guess I mean D&D games. We did Ultima IV earlier, but that wasn’t D&D rules. And, of course, the grandaddy, Zork, which pre-dated him.

This is the best. I’ve never played a game this engaging; this fun. A game that makes you think like this one does. Do I want to accept a vampire into my group? Should I just kill him now, or make him promise to behave? What will be the repercussions down the road? It follows the rules. And Instead of my usual save scumming I’m letting things happen organically. With a reported 177 hours of cutscenes – I’m not going to be finishing it this year. Hooray!

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The Annihilator

I’ve mentioned that I’ve started working with the Trumbull County Historical Society. I don’t think I’ve mentioned their new project.

John Zabrucki was born in Warren and ran a company called Modern Props that supplied high tech props for science fiction movies. Star Trek, Ghostbusters, Men In Black, etc. He retired last year and donated a few props to the historical society.

11 full truckloads of props.

They’re trying to get a museum going. In the meantime, all of the props need to be cataloged and stored. And guess who volunteered for that?

I’m wielding The Annihilator. No idea what movie it’s from, but when one runs across a box marked simply ‘THE ANNIHILATOR’, one must open said box.