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Enlightenment in a J. C. Penney’s
Apr 7th, 2008 by Pinback

I’ve read and studied and practiced various forms of cognitive therapies and mindfulness practices for the past few years, a process in which Eckhart’s books have played a major, if not primary role. This period of time was wonderfully healing, and helped bring me out of what in retrospect was basically a low/mid-grade lifelong depression and self-loathing.

I had reached a point where life had basically been going in cycles. Longer cycles, as when I would slip back into depression for a week or so, then gradually come out, restart the practices, gain a sense of peace and fulfillment, get frustrated with my inability to stop the cycle, becoming depressed again for a week, etc. And shorter cycles, during a single day, of “getting it”, of then getting tripped up, of having to remember the practice, “getting it” again, losing it, etc.

I would practice giving up the idea of ever “totally getting it”, which was fairly effective, until the cycle started again. I was content enough to continue these cycles, though, as even the worst of it was still better than what I’d dealt with prior to finding the practice, finding the power of Now.

And then there I was, walking into a J. C. Penney’s this past weekend, and as I walked mindfully toward the jewelry section, looking at all the shiny things, I was suddenly hit full-force with one simple, incredible revelation which would have sounded ridiculous before, but afterward seemed so obvious that I couldn’t believe I could have ever not known it. It was this:

Nobody is seeing this.

There was the seeing, the feeling, all of that was still there, but there was absolutely nobody doing the seeing or the feeling. Of course all of the great books talk about this, and before this moment I could “understand” it, and would occasionally get to the point where I thought, “maybe I’m feeling it now?” But in this moment, walking into the store, I knew as surely as the sun would come up the next morning that there was nobody there. The Ben I had been carrying around my whole life, the Ben who I’d been protecting and judging the whole time, the Ben who I thought was doing all of this seeing and feeling and thinking, honest to goodness just dissolved, and there was nothing left but the big Me, the creative intelligence which pervades every inch of the universe, and which is using this body as a host to become conscious of itself.

Since then, there have been cycles, but much much smaller ones, and the days just flow with an ease I never thought possible. Having Ben dissolve so completely that time, it’s much easier for him to dissolve again every time he reincarnates.

Knowing that the creative intelligence is using this body as a host, I’ve been able to keep greatly dis-identified from thought and feeling, from form, by reminding myself of something like: “this is a thought/feeling which the human form experiences”. Since there is no Ben, nobody at all doing the experiencing, it’s quite easy to play the role, our true role, of the One creative intelligence allowing itself to unfold in the proper manner, letting Me do My thing. If you know what I mean.

– Ben (sort of)

Awareness And How It Will Affect Your Sorry-Ass Life
Apr 8th, 2008 by Pinback

I was recently asked, in reference to the practice of living effortlessly as described at my website (effortlessnow.com), “How do I stop caring what other people think about me?”  I offered the following answer:

It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that by doing this practice, you will naturally see all those silly, unenlightened human tendencies fall by the wayside, and become the confident, fearless person you really want to be… and then when you find out that you still have those silly unenlightened human tendencies, you think, uh oh, I’m doing it wrong, this feeling is not what I’m supposed to be feeling, I want it to go away!

Right now you get depressed, you get anxious, you care what people think, you get embarrassed, you worry about how your hair looks.

You think once you are enlightened, you will not care what people think. But here is the good news, which sounds like bad news:

Once you are enlightened, you may still care what people think, but you won’t care that you care what people think. No problem is a problem, because the problem is no longer happening to “you”. You’re just observing “silly unenlightened human tendencies”, you just happen to be seeing it from the perspective of one particular form. It’s not YOU who cares what people think, it’s this human form you have the privilege of getting to experience.

“When I was unenlightened, I was depressed. Now that I’m enlightened, I’m still depressed.” But it is of absolutely no concern at all.

So when you feel the flush of nerves and sinking feeling that comes with caring what someone thinks about you, it is your job to feel that fully, and say “it is feeling nervous”, or some other phrase which helps you disidentify from it.

Then the question of how to prevent it from happening never needs to be answered, because it’s never asked.

Ten Fidy
Apr 9th, 2008 by ChainGangGuy

For many of us, Jolt Country has been the centerpiece of our internet experience. Much of it has to do with a local populace that treats each and every visitor like an old favorite friend. Some of it has to do with the entrancing mixture of soul-crushing sorrow, personal triumph, and flawlessly executed side-splitting humor provided by Ben, Robb, and many others which kept the heart of this institution beating for many years. It also helps that from time to time we were visited by SERIAL RAPISTS, Medium-Sized Bears, and bugs awaiting new keys (6-8 weeks).So, it goes without saying the upcoming END of the great Jolt Country BBS on March 31st is indeed a sobering thought for us. What really begs to be said, though, is that this sobriety is killing me. It’s fucking killing me. So I have decided to raise a glass aloft in honor of a fallen friend, and will continue to do so (drinking all the while) until that final, fateful hour.

BEER: Ten Fidy

Brewed by Oskar Blues of Lyons, Colorado, a relatively new brewery who engages in the uncommon craft beer practice of canning all their beers. Ten Fidy is their latest release, an Imperial Stout weighing in at 9.4% ABV that serves as the brewery’s winter seasonal.

What gurgles forth from the can is a thick gunky, crude oil black body sporting a dark tan head. Scents of thick blackstrap molasses and roasted grains greet the nose, followed by notes of chocolate syrup, licorice, and espresso. The beer flexes its muscles and punches you in the mouth with flavors of sweet, roasted maltiness. The flavor abounds in molasses, chocolate fudge, and fresh-brewed coffee with bittersweet smoky undertones. The long, smokey-sweet chocolate laden finish is heavenly. The beer, hefty though it may be is still exceedingly smooth, mildly carbonated, and leaves a lingering creaminess on the palate. All in all, a perfect example of an imperial stout.

Beyond Ten Fidy, the brewery’s canned line-up includes Dale’s Pale Ale, Gordon, and Old Chub.

To Jolt Country!!

A Suspicious-Looking Individual
Apr 10th, 2008 by bruce

Hanging above the mantel was an elvish sword of great antiquity.

That told me everything I needed to know about the client, right there.

Snap judgments and stereotypes might not be fair.  Funny thing about stereotypes, though: they’re usually right.  That’s why you probably know all *you* need to about the client now too.  But hey, if you don’t, let me point out a couple other things about this scene: threadbare, but clearly very old and very expensive Oriental rug, and, I shit you not, a trophy case.  An actual goddamn giant *trophy case*, full of shiny-looking trinkets and gewgaws, and this putz standing in front of it, wallowing in the warm torrent of his own logorrhea.

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Masters: First Round Analysis
Apr 10th, 2008 by Pinback

FIRST ROUND SCORING ANALYSIS, based solely on how it affects Tiger Woods.

After the first round, Tiger stands at even par, tied for 19th, and four shots back of the leaders.

The appropriate description for Tiger’s first round is “not good, not bad”, although fans should definitely feel grateful that it could have been worse. After plodding along at par all day, he bogeyed two holes in a row (including a par 5 that he had a clear shot to the green on his second shot and managed to completely botch the hole). This was the point at which I cancelled this thread. However, being Mr. Bounceback, he then chipped in from 25 feet on the 15th hole for an eagle, bringing him back to even par.

The bad news is that he is four back of the lead. The good news is that he is within two shots of all but five players.

Read the rest of this entry »

Masters: Round Two Analysis
Apr 11th, 2008 by Pinback

ROUND TWO SCORING ANALYSIS without regard for any player other than Tiger Woods

Well, okay, it’s going to be a little harder to paint a pretty picture today, but I’m going to try:

After round 2 of the 2008 Masters, and an up and down round, Tiger Woods is tied for 13th place, at 1 under par. 13th place sounds like an improvement from 19th place, but whereas yesterday he was four back, right now he is seven back. But let’s take a look at the competitors and see what that really means:

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Saison Dupont
Apr 14th, 2008 by ChainGangGuy

As these final days wind down, often I find my thoughts turning to long-lost members. As I was sitting there, stemless Reidel in hand, waiting for the next beer to chill, I thought of Matedire. Surely you all remember him, right? The young man who’s frothing hatred of “FAT WOMEN” won him a special place in all our hearts. He enriched and embettered a young, growing Jolt Country, and I dare say we are all much poorer for his loss. At last count, over four years have passed since his last post, and so today’s Jolt Country Toast is partially dedicated to his memory.

BEER: Saison Dupont

Saison, meaning “season” is often referred to as a “farmhouse beer” because it hails from the rural farmlands of Southern Belgium and is currently produced by breweries that are located on the sites of former (and occasionally working) farms.

Originally, saison beer was brewed in winter prior to the advent of modern refridgeration and were meant to slake the thirst of local field labourers as they toiled endlessly during the hot summer months and brewed upwards to a strength of 8% ABV to keep their minds off their meager, meaningless existence. Nowadays, saison beers are being brewed up throughout the entire calendar year, with many more each year being produced by American breweries (e.g., Southampton Saison, Victory V-Saison).

Well-known as one of the classic benchmark examples of the saison style, Saison Dupont comes to us from the Brasserie Dupont, located in the Wallonian region of Belgium, who’ve been in the business of churning out fine saisons since 1844. The brewery currently produces several varieties of saisons, including their Foret (an organic saison) and Bons Voeux (a saison brewed specifically with the end-of-the-year holidays in mind).

A rustic-looking, shimmering blonde body capped by a tall, rocky crest of airy foam. Already a fine aroma of white pepper, meadow flowers, and citrusy lemon peel great the nose. A delicate bready malt flavor with a touch of sweetness start things off. Lemony citrus esters marked by an adept acidity sway the taste, accompanied by a complex, peppery yeast character and just the perfect amount of hop bitterness. Overall, there’s a slight funkiness betraying its farmhouse heritage. The body of the brew is relatively light and abundant in carbonation. Finishes crisp and refreshing, with a hint of yeast and a slight citric bite. The flavors gracefully gliding across the palate and the strong bitterness culminates into a beer that’s an unrivelled thirst-quenchener.

Mmm-boy! That’s good saison.

Recommended Food Pairing: Chorizo & Roasted Poblano Quesadillas

As far as food pairings are concerned, the saison is a tremendously versatile style. In this case, the potent hop character and altogether crisp finish will not only stand up to, but also complement and contrast the chile-strewn concoctions of our very own Ben “Pinback” Parrish.

It’s perfectly normal for people to change and make new internet friends; those old websites no longer fitting in with their lifestyle anymore. A damn shame for sure, but that’s life. As they say, Matedire, you may be gone, but you’re not forgotten.

Goodbye, Matedire. We hardly knew ye.

To Matedire!! To Jolt Country!!

Cryptozookeeper Pre-Hype
Apr 15th, 2008 by Ice Cream Jonsey

ICJ: Does this look like a game you would want to play?
Pinback: As long as I don't have to look at that picture anymore.

Emily Short is doing a cover-art drive, for text games. There is an amazing resource called the Interactive Fiction Database. You can upload little icons for your text games. A lot of games never had this sort of thing, so she got artists together with the game makers, and much good has resulted. You can check out the gallery right here.

Cryptozookeeper, the game, isn’t done yet, but it won’t be too much longer. It’s on schedule, anyway! The look I was going for was that of the Grindhouse-style posters, that became a mini-meme recently when the movie Grindhouse was released. But I think it’s a good style to use for CZK. Enjoy! Unless you are Pinback, in which case, do not scroll down!

Cryptozookeeper by Robb Sherwn

 

 

I Wrote This JAMMA 48-in-1 FAQ
Apr 16th, 2008 by Ice Cream Jonsey

“There is… this machine!” — Nick Montfort

The machine we’re talking about today is a circuit board that lets you make your JAMMA-compatible arcade cabinet capable of playing 48 games instantly and easily. It really is an amazing piece of work, and I am going to hotlink a picture of it from Lizard Lick Amusements.

It’s a cute little guy that I’ve had the pleasure of installing and running the last couple of nights.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of JAMMA, it basically allowed arcade operators to swap circuit boards and have themselves a brand new game in a cabinet they already owned, to generate more CASH. Ops love CASH. (Usually, when swapping a board in this manner, they’d swap the marquee and control panel at the same time, but hey, not always.) JAMMA eventually had some extensions to account for the extra buttons in a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat machine, but for the purposes of the 48-in-1 you just need three buttons wired up, a joystick, and then some for service and starting the game and so forth.

If you’d like to buy one of your own, check out the KLOV forum here, or just leave me a comment in this post. This post over at Engadget shows you how to get JAMMA going if you don’t happen to have a full-size arcade cabinet, y’know, just hangin’ around not doing anything. �For the rest of the FAQ, I’ll see you after the jump!

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Pinback’s Top Ten Games of All-Time: #10
Apr 17th, 2008 by Pinback

This list has a few different purposes. One, I think the people here (or at least I) would like to see a list of top games completed some time in their lifetime. Two, I’d like to offer a different perspective from ICJ’s original list, in that 1) I haven’t played nearly as many games as he as, and thus have no business giving a top anything list, and 2) he put Mr. Do at #23, so obviously any other list is automatically superior.

Come with me, now, as we take a journey through… The Top 10 Games Of All Time!

 #10: PYRO II (1990)

Pyro 2 is unique, I think, within every “Top (x)” list that’s ever been created, in that it was never done before, and it has never been done since. Every other game you’ll ever find was either a copy of a copy, or was about to be copied after copied. Not Pyro 2. It showed up out of nowhere (for free, I should add) in a brilliant burst of creativity, and then was left to be, a shining singularity in the gaming world. Which I think is a shame, because if there’s ever been a game shouting from the hilltops, begging to be remade with modern technology, it is Pyro 2.

Not that it would be any better.

The goal of Pyro 2 is simple. Burn down every building you walk into. There’s a purity and nobility to that, especially when you consider that the first building you’re tasked with torching is the IRS building. You do this by pouring gasoline all over the place, or setting full gas tanks around to explode, as soon as the fuse trailing you hits them.

And the miracle of Pyro 2 is that even in 40×24 DOS mode, using nothing but ASCII characters and a few cracks and blips from the computer speaker, when the fuse hits the gas and lights the whole fucking screen on fire, you are experiencing the most visceral satisfaction you will ever experience from a video game. No 3D, shader-enhanced, high-definition, photorealistic explosion in any game ever made has come close to this moment. It is, in many ways, orgasmic.

Except you’re ready to do it again 30 seconds later.

So you do. You go around in your little pink jumpsuit and burn shit to the ground. That’s it. That’s the game.

And it’s the tenth best game of all time.

(Pyro II also happens to be the only game that my father was ever better at than I was.)

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