TRON

As we all bask in the seasonal goodness that is the release of TRON: Legacy, let's not forget the original movie, shall we? What? You don't remember?
Really, neither do I. But, I do remember the standee arcade-style game Discs of TRON. You can play the original game here at the official Disney TRON website.

 

There were quite a few TRON-based games out there in the day.  

• The Original TRON Arcade Game
• TRON: Deadly Discs (for Intellivision)
• TRON: Solar Sailer (also for Intellivision)
• The Adventures of TRON (for Atari 2600)
• TRON 2.0 (for Mac and PC)

By far my favorite, though, is an unofficial game all of us can (probably) download and play on our computer. GLTron is pure lightbike excitement fun. And did I mention addictive? 

In fact, many of these games are available for download and playing on the PC or Mac platform. All you need is a game ROM and an emulator for the various game systems. And, thanks to Xemnu, I've searched the interwebs and found them for you. 

Say, "Thank you, Xemnu."

"You're welcome."

Enjoy your gaming TRON-o-philes. I have more TRON-related goodness coming in a while. Until then, be patient and break out the Jolt Cola, sit back, download a few ROM's and emulators and get to it!

PLEASE NOTE: The dubious legality of game ROM's and of game emulation means I take no personal responsibility for your actions. I merely provide the links as an educational and demonstrational service.

TRON game links:

MAME is a multi-machine emulator for playing game ROM's. Xemnu highly recommends!

Discs of TRON

Adventures of TRON

TRON: Deadly Discs

TRON (set 1) - for MAME

TRON (set 2) - for MAME

TRON (set 3) - for MAME

TRON (set 4) - for MAME

Best of Ghost Videos

I owe YouTube a great big ol' sloppy seasonal kiss.
Oh, and thanks for the paranormal vids, too!

Random Stuff

It's been hectic around here for ol' Xemnu during the holiday season. Here are a few random links and things to tide you over while I'm scrambling for secure footing.





Links:
147 years later, you're still screwed.
Hello Kitty personal vibrating massager. No, seriously.
CalArts AnimaTRON meme. Via Facebook.

WTF Blanket

Looks a little like a Wookiee Life Day ceremonial robe. Speaking of which...



And speaking of horrible abominations...



At least we still have this...

You're a Mean One...

...Mr. Grinch! But we love you anyway!

Alien Interviews

Alien autopsies aside...weird and bizarre.

Tom the Cat

Xemnu has a few heroes floating around the interwebs and real life. Tom the Cat is distinctly one. Not because he's a bad guy. Not because he's misunderstood. No, no. He just doesn't know when to quit! Never give up!
Tom first appeared in the short 'Puss Gets the Boot" in 1940. At first his name was (gasp!) Jasper but was quickly changed in the next animated short to Tom.
Over the years Tom has been beaten, battered, flattened, burned and blown apart so many times the infamous nine lives' were gone long, long ago. Anyway, here are a few of my favorites!

The King

Geek Jokes

A poet and a scientist were traveling together on a plane. The scientist was bored and said to the poet, "Hey, you, do you want to play a game? I'll ask you a question, and if you get it wrong, you give me $5. Then, you ask me a question, and if I can't answer it, I'll give you $5."
The poet thought about this for a moment, but he decided against it, seeing that the scientist was obviously a very bright man. He politely turned down the scientist's offer.
The scientist, who was really bored, tried again. "Look, I'll ask you a question, and if you can't answer it, you give me $5. Then you ask me a question, and if I can't answer it, I'll give you $50."
The poet agreed. "Okay," the scientist said, "what is the exact distance between the Earth and the Moon?"
The poet, obviously not knowing the answer, didn't stop to think about the scientist's question. He took a $5 bill out of his pocket and handed it to the scientist.
The scientist happily accepted the bill and promptly said, "Okay, now it's your turn."
The poet thought about this for a few minutes, then asked, "All right, what goes up a mountain on three legs, but comes down on four?"
The bright glow quickly vanished from the scientist's face. He thought about this for a long time, taking out his notepad and making numerous calculations. He finally gave up on his notepad and took out his laptop, using his Multimedia Encyclopedia. As the plane was landing the scientist gave up. He reluctantly handed the poet a $50 bill.
The poet accepted it graciously, getting ready to stand up. "Wait!" the scientist shouted, "you can't do this to me! What's the answer?"
The poet looked at the scientist and calmly put a $5 bill into his hand.

Top 10 Fun Things To Do In The Hoth System

10. Playing high-stakes dodgeball with asteroids.
9. Seeing how bad things smell on the INSIDE.
8. Snowball fights.
7. Salvaging wreckage.
6. Watching your pee freeze before it hits the ground.
5. Pitching rocks into Space Slug's cave; running away when he comes out.
4. Hunting Wampas with a bowcaster.
3. Tauntaun tipping.
2. Leaving.
1. Reminding yourself, "At least this is better than Dagobah."

Why Star Wars is Better Than Real Life

In real life, bar fights with strange looking people are often looked at as bad and sinful; In Star Wars, bar fights with strange looking creatures is heroic and the way of the just Jedi Knight.

 In real life, people drive "the Pacer", "the Pinto", and "the Station Wagon;" In Star Wars, people drive "Speeder Bikes", "X-wing fighters", and "the Millennium Falcon."

In real life, people that talk to small fuzzy creatures are called crazy; In Star Wars, people that talk to small fuzzy creatures are called galactic ambassadors.

In real life, people who dress up in tight plastic/leather outfits are considered tacky and queer; In Star Wars, they're called "Storm Troopers" and are feared by all.

In real life, people often stink up the bathroom with their fecal odors, toilet paper runs out, and people get diarrhea; In Star Wars, no one has ever used the bathroom.

In real life, tall hairy, humanlike creatures are rarely seen by backwoods alcoholics, and are named ridiculous things like "Bigfoot" and "Sasquatch"; In Star Wars, tall hairy humanlike creatures are called Wookiees, and have their own language, planet, social structure, and carry formidable weaponry.

In real life, people must deal with the problems of children; In Star Wars, children do not exist.

In real life, it is often difficult to understand the languages of others, such as 7-11 employees, fast food window operators, and college profs.; In Star Wars, everyone understands everybody, regardless of language barriers.

In real life, the extremely obese are often sadly shunned by society; In Star Wars, the extremely obese Jabba the Hutt is a pimp daddy, and has his own sail barge, lounge room, and dancers to keep him occupied--he is envied by all.

In real life, people often have problems doing simple mechanical things like operating can openers, programming VCRs, and playing Nintendo; In Star Wars, Droids do all the busy work in half the time.

In real life, some people are complete losers; In Star Wars, everybody has a story to tell that's worth listening to.

In real life, people sometimes smell; In Star Wars, people are never "ripe", and yet they need not shower

Blade Runner

Much different from the original:




I had this game when it came out. Lots of fun.

Transformers: The Search for Alpha Trion

Krampus

Today, my children, is December 5th. Now, I know many of you are busy shopping for Christmas, hanging ornaments on the tree and decorating for the big day on the 25th. However...beware. If you haven't been a good boy or girl this year, tonight is the Night of Krampus.
And who, you ask, is Krampus? Glad you asked.

He's the cloven-hoofed, goat-horned demonic creature accompanying St. Nicholas during the Christmas season. His purpose: to scare the living crap out of children everywhere! Particulary Austria, Sweden and parts of Germany.
And he's pretty damn scary-looking.

 

Krampus traditionally accompanies St. Nicholas to the homes of naughty boys and girls, scaring the holy sh!t out of them. 

The tradition of young boys dressing in Krampus-gear and running through the villages is so popular it spawned several yearly festivals and events. Noticeably the festivities focus mainly on consuming large quantities of beer or other alcohol, with fear and mayhem a distant second. Sounds like fun!

But for tonight...lock your doors, turn out the lights and be very, very quiet...Krampus is coming!

Some Krampus links for your pleasure. Or not. It's up to you.
Wikipedia entry.
Krampus: Sinister Sidekick of Santa
Krampus on Flickr and Deviantart.

30-Second Bunnies

What happens when you take some of the greatest movies ever made and turn them into animated shorts with cute and fuzzy bunnies? Angry Alien Productions knows. Run, don't walk, to their website to see more hilarity.

Some samples:








Seriously, head to their website now.

The Green Lama!

Not to be confused with the Blue Iguana, the Green Lama is a lesser-known superhero and pulp adventurer from the 1940's. Amazingly enough, the character was a practicing Buddhist!

The Green Lama was popular enough to appear in pulps, comics and even a short-lived radio program featuring the great Paul Frees.

He has experienced a bit of a resurgence lately being resurrected for Dynamite Comics by Alex Ross.

For more adventures of the Green Lama, check out these radio episodes found at the Internet Archive, and a few other links below. I think you'll find them entertaining!

• Apparently, the Green Lama is rampant via social media websites: MySpace & Facebook. Oh, and Facebook again.
• Green Lama merchandise at DarkHorse.com.
• Wikipedia entry.
• Go green with these Green Lama items at Cafepress. Me? I want the wall calendar.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Way, way back...back before Mickey...there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for Universal Pictures in the 1920's, he is the quintessential proto-Mouse. Disney released a collection of Oswald cartoons in their Treasures DVD line, but there are a few on YouTube.
Enjoy!

Ahh-nuld!

The 160 Greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie Quotes. Brought to you by YouTube. (Someone has way too much time on their hands.)

Monkeys!

Monkeys are funny. Don't believe me? Just watch these videos!

Lightsabers 'R Us

What happens when you replace swords with lightsabers in some of the more famous movie fight scenes of all time? Awesomeness, that's what! Take a look...

Turkey Day!

Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving today! Xemnu will be gorging on the steaming remains of a turkey carcass later today. Be safe out there and take a minute to remember what you're thankful for.

In Search of...The Abominable Snowman!

From season 4 of the television show In Search Of...narrated by Leonard Nimoy.

More 70's TV Shows

Even more classics from the '70's. Sit back, relax and enjoy!














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The Spider!

Harry Steeger created the pulp character The Spider in 1933 and the character punched, clawed and fought with .45's blazing through the '30's and '40's pulps like worms through a rotten apple. In many of those stories (written by the intensely talented Norvell Page), that rotten apple was New York. And in 1938, as the Nazi's were storming through Europe, The Spider fought his own battle against the Nazi allegory in the pages of his own pulp magazine.
Now, Age of Aces Books is releasing the collected three-story anthology, titled Fight The Empire State. There's even a nifty little website to promote the book.
I've only read a couple of these pulps but I'm completely hooked already. I love characters like this and the old pulps in particular. If you're interested in learning more about the pulp era or The Spider in particular, check the links below. You won't be disappointed.

Spider Links!

• Go to this website. NOW. Then, when you're finished, come back here and check the rest of the links.
• Girasol Collectibles publishes tons of pulp-related items and pulp reprints, including The Spider.
• So, you like The Spider, eh? It's a tad late for Halloween, but you can still hunt villainous criminal thugs dressed like The Spider thanks to Chris Kalb. Tell him Xemnu sent you.
• Moonstone Books has published a prose anthology as well as several graphic novels featuring The Spider. Now, a new bi-monthly comic is coming in January, 2011!
• A nifty blog started about Norvell Page.

70's TV Show Intro's

A few infamous TV show intro's. Enjoy!

Braaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnnssssss!!!

Some of the best zombie and zombie-related links on the interwebs. Shamble along, now!

• Zombieharmony - best dating site for shambling undead (or maybe the only dating site for the shambling undead)
• Zombiepinups.com - zombie hotties. I'm not even sure what to say about this one.
• 5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Really Happen
• http://www.allthingszombie.com/ - Everything. No, really. Everything.
• http://www.zombiegames.net/ - Like it says, zombie games. Lock 'n load!
• http://zedwordblog.blogspot.com/ - a fellow blogger w/up-to-date zombie news and entertainment info.
• Zombies and bacon at Thinkgeek.com.
• Prepare yourself for the coming apocalypse at zombiedefense.org.

A Real American Hero!

G.I. Joe: Kicking ass around the globe since 1964.











And...a really well done book-and-record tribute.




Links:

• The Official G.I. Joe website
• The Official G.I. Joe Collector's Club
• The Official G.I. Joe Collector's Convention
• Yo Joe! Collectors website (awesome!)
• JoePedia

Delbert the La Choy Dragon

From Muppet Wiki:

Delbert the La Choy Dragon appeared in television commercials for La Choy chow mein from 1965 to 1967.

Though originally built as a full-bodied character to engage with actors in a supermarket setting, a live-hand version was used in later spots with Mert, a meek, bespectacled Muppet spokesman, as his foil.

The puppet was capable of emitting fire from its mouth, creating a unique effect in the commercial he appeared in.

This is one of Frank Oz's few full body performances with the Muppets. He hated full body suits so much he never optionally performed one again.

Although he's not named on screen, Delbert's name is documented elsewhere.^[1][2]

A rebuilt version of Delbert has been seen in recent exhibits such as Jim Henson: Puppeteer.

Delbert also makes a cameo in the ending of The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion, except being much larger than before and having a much more ferocious personality, being shown attacking a building.

NAME: Delbert, The LaChoy Dragon 
BIO/STATS: Pitchman (pitchdragon) for LaChoy Chinese food in the 1960s 
APPEARANCES: Multiple LaChoy commercials 
SPECIAL TALENTS: Breathing fire 
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE MOMENT: Running down a supermarket aisle, knocking down cans with his tail. 
LIKES: Crispy, crunchy Chinese food 
DISLIKES: Soggy noodles 
FAMOUS FOR: Using his fire breath to cook Chinese food 
ALWAYS SAYS/DOES: "LaChoy Chinese food stays crisp cause it's quick cooked in dragon fire. And remember...you heard it from the LaChoy Dragon!!!" 

Monster Cereals

Wow. It's been almost 40 years since General Mills introduced the monster cereals Count Chocula and FrankenBerry. In fact, it will be 40 years next year in 2011.



The first two cereals proved popular enough to spawn several follow-up/sequel cereals, including:

BooBerry -



Fruit Brute -



and Yummy Mummy -



The popularity of these cereals waxed and waned over the years but General Mills continues to produce the 'Big 3' monster cereals (Count Chocula, FrankenBerry, and BooBerry) every year around Halloween. The Big 3 are available year-round at Amazon, though, so you don't have to worry about a monster cereal shortage anytime soon. Fruit Brute was discontinued in the early 1980's only to be replaced by Yummy Mummy which was unraveled at some point in the early 1990's.
Not to wax too nostalgic, but I have particularly fond memories of these cereals from my childhood. Especially Fruit Brute, which was my favorite. Occasionally the discontinued creatures feature into monster-cereal-themed merchandise, like these bobbleheads from a couple of years ago.

I really, really hope General Mills has enough respect for an all-time great cereal line to do something uniquely special for their anniversary next year. Like, maybe, re-release Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy? Please, please, please!?!

Link: It hasn't been updated in awhile, but here is a neat monster cereal blog. Enjoy!

Thundercats, ho!

From around the internet, some of the best only Thundercats links. Thundercats, ho!

• In case anyone missed it, there's a new Thundercats cartoon in the works. MTV got the scoop here.
• Everything you ever wanted to know about the Thundercats (but didn't know where to look). Try here.
• Deviantart search for Thundercats produced some nice artwork.

For all you haters...it's Mumm-ra, bitches!

The Castle of Fu Manchu

The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969); Christopher Lee, Richard Greene, Rosalba Neri. Directed by Jesus Franco.

The 5 Days of Halloween: Day 5

Well, little creeps, it's finally here! The best day of the year! Time to warm up the cauldrons, dust off the broomsticks and unchain the ghosts in the basement. Happy Halloween!
Today I think I'll share my final list for you (at least this All Hallow's Eve). Now, I know some of you will disagree with Xemnu on this list. That's fine and dandy. But you're wrong! I've decided to feature the 5 Scariest Movies of All Time (That Xemnu has Seen).
So cozy up my little corpses! That's it, move a little closer...a little closer...there are Things out there, in the dark. And they're coming...for...YOU!

The 5 Scariest Movies of All Time (That Xemnu has Seen)
5. Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock was a master storyteller and this movie builds with a slow burn. From the beginning things aren't what they seem, and it only gets closer to the horrifying truth when Anthony Perkins and the Bates Motel enter the scene. This movie lingers long after it's over.

4. Alien (1979) - This movie holds a special place in Xemnu's heart, as it's the first real horror movie I watched all the way through. Some people would mistake this movie for a sci-fi flick. But, no, science fiction is merely the setting for this terrifying and claustrophobic look at H.R. Giger's most famous creation. In space, truly, no one can hear you scream!

3. Friday the 13th (1980) - Best. Slasher. Movie. EVER. They still haven't topped the creepiest sex-crazed, gore-flavored teen slasher flick. And probably won't.

2. Halloween (1978) - Okay, maybe this is the best slasher movie. EVER. Still John Carpenter's best horror movie (although The Thing comes pretty damn close), the master storyteller knows how to spin a tale of the Nameless Shambling Horror. Except his name is Michael Myers. Still gives a good scare after all these years.

1. The Exorcist (1973) - This is the only movie on this list I didn't see until adulthood. And let me tell you it creeps the hell out of me. I was afraid to walk into a dark room for two days after I saw this and just watching the trailer gives me goosebumps. If any of you have any doubts about an afterlife, and what might be waiting for you...don't play with a Ouija board. No, seriously, don't do it. But do watch this movie.

Well, that about does it, creeps. Next year we'll do some different stuff. Until then be safe and enjoy yourself tonight. Tomorrow Xemnu is going to take a break, but I'll be back with more goodies the day after.

Trick or treat, boys and ghouls!

The 5 Days of Halloween: Day 4

It's day 4, creeps! How about some more interesting Halloween stuff, eh?
How about some Halloween trivia.

• Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
• Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
• Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!
• Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
• Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
• The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
• Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
• Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
• Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
• Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
• Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.
• Signs of a werewolf are a unibrow, hair palms, tattoos, and a long middle finger.
• Vampires are mythical beings who defy death by sucking the blood of humans.
• In 1962, the Count Dracula Society was founded.
• To this day, there are vampire clubs and societies with people claiming to be real vampires.
• There really are so-called vampire bats, but they're not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.
• Many people still believe that gargoyles were created by medieval architects and stone carvers to ward off evil spirits.
• Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.
• If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.
• Worldwide, bats are vital natural enemies of night-flying insects.
• The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal it's size, with a life span averaging 32 years.
• In about 1 in 4 autopsies, a major disease is discovered that was previously undetected.
• The Ouija Board ended up outselling the game of Monopoly in its first full year at Salem. Over two million copies of the Ouija Board were shipped.

Tomorrow is it, creepers. The Big Day. I'll have my own, special list for you the. Until then, keep yourself content with these interesting places to visit:

• Find a witch near you.
• A handy guide to demonology: here and here.
• American Scary, a history of the tradition of horror movie hosts.
• The possession and subsequent exorcism of Robbie Mannheim inspired William Peter Blatty to write The Exorcist.
• Watch episodes of Rod Serling's Night Gallery online at NBC.com.

The 5 Days of Halloween: Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 here at Xemnu. Today we're going to focus on cartoons! I am admittedly a cartoon junkie, so it's only fitting to provide you a list of (my) Top 10 Halloween (or related) Cartoons. Enjoy!

10. Flying Sorceress (Tom and Jerry) - 1956


9. Trick or Treat (Donald Duck) - 1952


8. Transylvania 6-5000 (Bugs Bunny) - 1963


7, Vincent (Tim Burton) - 1982


6. Bewitched Bunny (Bugs Bunny) - 1954


5. Night on Bald Mountain (Fantasia) - 1940


4. The Halloween Tree (Ray Bradbury) - 1993


3. Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons) - 1990 to the present


2. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney) - 1949


1. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Charles Schultz) - 1966