Conrad

@ericconrad.com

1566 Followers 645 Following

SANS Fellow, CTO of Backshore Communications, GIAC GSE #13, SABR member, golden age arcade restorer. Peaks Island, Maine

Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown, with "Card is card" in the word balloon
Text from page 3 of this brochure: The photos illustrate the results obtained with a Carl Zeiss "Tessar" F/4.5 of 5¼ inch focal length in combination with "Distar" and "Proxar" Supplementary Lenses on an Ideal B Camera. The top left-hand picture was taken with a "Distar", and the right-hand one with a "Proxar". The bottom picture, from exactly the same point of view, with the "Tessar". COPYRIGHT 1930 BY CARL ZEISS, INC., NEW YORK, N. Y. **Page 3:** **Choosing a Camera** Zeiss Ikon is the merger of the former firms of Ica, Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann, and Goerz, Europe's largest and best known camera manufacturers. It is rather a difficult matter for the amateur to decide which camera suits him best, when one considers the number of different camera models on the market today. However, the following important points should be considered before purchasing a camera. *The Question of Price:* A really good camera represents an initial outlay only, and films, plates, developing and printing cost just as much, size for size, no matter what brand of camera you use. In fact, a cheap camera with a poor lens will result in a high percentage of wasted materials, and will be far more expensive in upkeep than a Zeiss Ikon camera. An examination of the specifications and prices given in this catalogue will show you that the price of a Zeiss Ikon camera is dependent, to a large extent, on its optical and shutter equipment. *Size of the Picture:* With a Zeiss Ikon camera and a Carl Zeiss lens, the question of the size of the picture is not so important, for all Zeiss lenses give such splendid definition that enlargements even from smaller sizes up to 5 x 7" and larger can be made. With such small sizes, owing to the great "depth of focus", a greater margin is permissible for errors in focusing, and consequently small cameras are easier to work than those taking larger pictures.
Here's the transcription of this cartridge: **Top edge label:** CAKEWALK **Front label art:** An illustration (abstract/colorful geometric-style artwork) with text reading **"CommaVid"** (the publisher name, stylized) near the bottom of the label, along with small print (copyright/manufacturer text) that's too small to read reliably in this image. **Spine/side (repeated):** CAKEWALK This appears to be **"Cakewalk"**, a game published by **CommaVid** for the Atari 2600 — a much rarer, non-adult title from a different independent third-party publisher of that same era. The cartridge shell is the standard black CommaVid case with an orange-bordered label.
Here's the transcription of this box: **PlayAround™** (top left logo) **Badge (top right):** WORLD'S FIRST 2-IN-1 ADULT VIDEO GAMES CARTRIDGE **Main title (on cover art):** BACHELOR Party™ *(Illustration credited "Palombi '82" in the lower corner)* **Insert box (bottom right):** ALSO PLAYING GIGOLO™ **Bottom text block:** 2 TOTALLY DIFFERENT ADULT VIDEO GAMES IN 1 CARTRIDGE! NOT FOR SALE TO MINORS Fits: ATARI® 2600™, SEARS® VIDEO ARCADE™ & COLECOVISION™ (with adapter) PlayAround™ is not affiliated with Atari, Inc., Sears, Roebuck & Co., or Coleco. This is another entry in the same early-1980s "adult Atari game" niche as the Mystique title you shared earlier — PlayAround was a competing publisher (also tied to American Multiple Industries) that put out several X-rated cartridges for the Atari 2600, with *Bachelor Party* and *Gigolo* bundled together as a "2-in-1" cartridge, illustrated by artist Rebecca/Palombi (the credit reads "Palombi '82").
This is the box art for "Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em", an Atari 2600 game released by Mystique in 1982 as part of their "Swedish Erotica" adult game line. Full transcription of the box text: Top left (logo): Mystique Top right (badge): ADULT VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE Below logo: PRESENTS SWEDISH EROTICA (in pink script) Vertical text along left side of illustration: BEAT'EM & EAT'EM Bottom text block: AN ADULT VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE For use with the ATARI® Video Game System NOT FOR SALE TO MINORS Fine print at very bottom: MYSTIQUE™ IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ATARI, INC. The box itself is a teal/turquoise color with a grid pattern, and the central illustration shows a stylized cartoon woman with orange/blonde hair against a purple background with a floral motif. This was one of several notorious adult-themed titles Mystique produced for the Atari 2600 in the early 1980s — a small but well-documented niche in early video game history that's popular among retro collectors today.
Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown, with "Card is card" in the word balloon
My signed 1981 Renata Galasso baseball card
The bridge of the Enterprise at the Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga New York
Super Chexx USA vs USSR 1980 Miracle on Ice. Spotted at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Chexx
Natalie Merchant singing Birds and Ships, from Mermaid Avenue volume One
A downy woodpecker enjoying a suet ball in my BirdBuddy feeder on Peaks Island "The smallest woodpecker in North America, the Downy Woodpecker is common and widespread, although it avoids the arid southwest. In the east this is the most familiar member of the family, readily entering towns and city parks, coming to backyard bird feeders. Its small size makes it versatile, and it may forage on weed stalks as well as in large trees. In winter it often joins roving mixed flocks of chickadees, nuthatches, and other birds in the woods." Source: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/downy-woodpecker
Sign that reads: El va ors
A poster that says: Ireland The land of eternal youth
**Solid Sound — Wilco's Music and Arts Festival** **June 26–28 | MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts** --- **Performers:** - **wilco** - Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key: Wilco and Billy Bragg Perform Mermaid Avenue - The Breeders - **Gang of Four** - Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band - Jeff Tweedy & Friends - Rich(ard) Dawson - Billy Bragg - S.G. Goodman - John Hodgman's Comedy Cabaret: Emmy Blotnick, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Jordan Klepper, Demi Adejuyigbe - **l'rain** - The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - Mini-Mekons - Living Hour - **Sharp Pins** - Respira (Eucademix, Azumi O E, Waldo Walle) - Elizabeth Moen - Setting - Nels Cline's Consentrik Quartet - **Prewn** - The Autumn Defense - Official Claire - George - Hannah Cohen - **Souled American** - …and more! - Expandards - Sam & Louise Sullivan - Story Pirates
A 1969 Topps Tom Seaver baseball card to the left of a 1973 Topps Rollie Fingers card
Image on a TV screen in the Fourth Wall restaurant in Boston: "This is an English bar fuck off"
The Seven Sisters 2018 Tjungkara Ken, Sandra Ken, Yaritji Young, Freda Brady, Maringka Tunkin, Pitjantjatjara people, National Gallery of Australia
Bryce Harper in clown makeup, with Gritty the mascot behind his left shoulder, Duracel batteries flying towards his head, and a cold german lager between him and Gritty.
Text from the included link: The Elvis BMW lives on. At the House of Technology in the BMW Museum in Munich, discover how vivid science can be. In the lightweight construction area you will find a chassis that can be lifted by one person. In the BMW engine gallery you will encounter some real horsepower units. And finally, we have even made Elvis` legendary BMW 507 available to the public again. Long thought to be lost, it was rediscovered and faithfully restored by BMW Group Classic specialists. You really should see this!
My Bluesky License, which describes the following metrics: Web of Trust: Mutual follows — people you follow who also follow you back. Engagement: Total likes + reposts + replies your recent posts received. Generosity: Total likes you've given to others. Velocity: Posts per day (total posts ÷ account age). Streak: Your longest run of consecutive days with at least one post. Veteran: How long your account has existed. Mileage: Your total number of posts — like an odometer. Peak (UTC): The 2-hour window, in UTC, when you post the most. DID: Your decentralized identifier (did:plc:…) — the permanent ID behind your handle. Handle ✓: Your @handle. A green ✓ means verified: a custom-domain handle, or Bluesky verified / trusted-verifier status. License Class: A rank from your stats: Newcomer → Explorer → Citizen → Veteran. Valid Thru: A playful "expiry": last activity + 3 years. Sampling: Analysis covers up to your most recent ~1000 posts/likes and up to 2500 follows (for mutuals). Bigger accounts show "+".
A pine warbler at our bird feeder on Peaks Island, Maine. "Well-named, the Pine Warbler is not often seen away from pine trees, especially during the breeding season. More sluggish than most of their relatives, Pine Warblers forage in a rather leisurely way at all levels in the pinewoods, from the ground to the treetops. This species is only a short-distance migrant, and almost the entire population spends the winter within the southern United States. Unlike most warblers, it regularly comes to bird feeders for suet or for other soft foods." Source: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/pine-warbler
Germans are protesting the surge of far-right AfD by raising their middle finger By Alexandra Ma Sep 25, 2017, 1:34 PM GMT+2 Anti-AfD protesters in Berlin on Sunday night. Maja Hitij/Getty After the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party surged to third place in Germany's election on Sunday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Berlin to voice their dismay. The nationalist, anti-same-sex marriage, and anti-euro party won about 13% of the national vote in Sunday's election, marking the first time a far-right party has sat in the German parliament's lower house since the collapse of the Nazi party in World War II. Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and Bavarian Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) came in first with about 33% of the vote — down from 41.5% in the last election four years ago. Demonstrators fashioned creative signs — including some of Mickey Mouse's hand with the middle finger up — to stand up against AfD. Other signs said: "Refugees welcome." "Nazis out." "Never again." Text from: https://www.businessinsider.com/german-election-protesters-raise-middle-finger-after-afd-wins-seats-2017-9#on-sunday-night-protesters-brought-out-signs-championing-refugees-and-lgbt-rights-issues-that-afd-has-stood-against-1
A collection of Punk Rock band stickers outside, centered on "Hamburg Punk Rock City"
The mid/late -1970s Ballantine/Fantasy paperback edition of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien,: The Enchanting Prelude to 'The Lord of the Rings.'" (Price: $1.65)
"Éowyn & The Nazgûl" - Artwork by The Brothers Hildebrandt, first published in the 1976 J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar Image source: https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/File:The_Brothers_Hildenbrandt_-_%C3%89owyn_%26_The_Nazg%C3%BBl.jpg
Not Found Account has been suspended
Ned's post tagged as "Adult content": Ned Pyle ‪@nedpyle.com‬ ABE? Adult Content Labeled by @moderation.bsky.app. Learn more
A tiny dog wearing a POLICE K9 harness at Mini-Hofbräuhaus im Englischen Garten
Simple cartoon with a baby carriage, person, and grave captioned WHAT JUST HAPPENED
Nintendo's Popeye arcade game. This cabinet was converted from Donkey Kong before I bought it, and I converted it back. I had to rotate the monitor because Popeye is a horizontal game, and Donkey Kong is vertical
A Nintendo Donkey Kong cabinet in the bed of my truck. There's a Taito Qix cabinet next to it (converted to Terra Cresta)
Nintendo Donkey Kong Junior cabinet with Donkey Kong artwork (marquee, bezel, and control panel) swapped in. Front view.
Lucy yanking the football away from Charlie Brown, with Charlie yelling "Card is card"
Snapshot of Babe Ruth's lifetime stats, here's the link: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml
Babe Ruth and lL Devormer wearing looking dapper in their Yankees cardigans. There's a Bell Telephone photo in the background on the left and a Model T on the right
A Macbook connected to a widescreen monitor with an Apple trackpad, and an Atari 600XL acting as the keyboard
An original IBM PC version of Infocom's infamous (and amazing) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe text adventure Text from the image: --- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy™ nDON'T PANIC! INFOCOM™ IBM PC, PCjr XT, AT (PC DOS 2.0 OR HIGHER) (5¼" DOUBLE-SIDED DISK, 64K) and MS-DOS 2.0 (or higher) compatibles: TI Professional, Wang, Sanyo, Leading Edge, AT&T, and many others INTERACTIVE FICTION SCIENCE FICTION STANDARD LEVEL
Google search for "never mind," also treated as an AI input prompt
Sad Yankees fan after Houston takes a 6-5 lead in game four of the 2022 American League Championship Series. Houston swept the Yankees in four games
An obese chipped sparrow that we have nicknamed Chubbs. Resting after his eleventh meal of the day at out BirdBuddy bird feeder or Peaks Island Maine
CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE: From College Stars to Big League Futures If someone described an amateur regional baseball league that had produced 18 future major leaguers, that would probably seem impressive. The Cape Cod Baseball League has produced many, many times that many – more than 1,800 alumni have gone on to play major-league baseball. Yes, 18 HUNDRED. It's become such a destination for development and the showcasing of college talent that there are more than 18 new such players every year. Indeed, for the decade from 2016 through 2025, the average number of such players per year exceeded 63 – and that included the pandemic season of 2020. Perhaps as impressive, in other respects, is how the league was born of, and remains nurtured by, a true community of volunteers rooted in Massachusetts and on Cape Cod. Players typically stay with host families, sometimes working in family shops or other local businesses. Volunteers staff the games, which are all free to the public. Interns help with operations for the 10 teams, and a good number of interns find a future in baseball, too, working in the fields of scouting, analytics, writing, photography, broadcasting and more. Some 25 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a number of invited guests offer here some of their experiences and perspectives. Peter Gammons now lives on Cape Cod but still enthuses about being "lucky enough to go to a Cape League game" and remembers stopping by to see a game and getting to see a player he's never forgotten. Former Los Angeles Dodgers GM Dan Evans called his earlier work on the Cape as "the greatest scouting experience of my life." Many can rightly marvel at the baseball talent seen on Cape Cod each summer, but even the casual visitor can be impressed by the true sense of community spirit one can absorb just watching a game come together.
Screenshot from Twitter in 2018 that says: Love this Sadaharu Oh quote "Baseball in America is a game that is born in spring and dies in autumn. In Japan it is bound to winter as the heart is to the body."
A ruby-throated hummingbird at my BirdBuddy hummingbird feeder on Peaks Island, Maine --- The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only breeding hummingbird in eastern North America. Hovering in front of a flower to sip nectar, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings more than 50 times per second. Despite their small size, impressive migrants may migrate from Canada to Costa Rica. In general, hummingbird feeders are safe, but they should be placed out of reach of cats and windows, avoid red food coloring, and cleaned often. Source: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ruby-throated-hummingbird
A red male Northern Cardinal in my BirdBuddy bird feeder on Peaks Island, Mane. -- One of our most popular birds, the Northern Cardinal, is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states. Abundant in the Southeast, it has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens winter days with its color and its whistled song as far north as southeastern Canada. Feeders stocked with sunflower seeds may have aided its northward spread. West of the Great Plains, the Northern Cardinal is mostly absent, but it is locally common in the desert Southwest Source: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-cardinal
Text from the article: Nintendo's VS Hogan's Alley Helps Police Take Aim Nintendo's VS Hogan's Alley catches the eye of the Rice University Police Department . . . not just for amusement, but a training tool as well! Franz Amusement Company, Nintendo's Distributor for the greater Houston area, was recently contacted by the local police department. It was an unusual, but very welcome inquiry . . . they were asked to install a Hogan's Alley video game in the Rice University Police Department. ## VS. Hogan's Alley Is A Game Where Players Test Their Skills FBI training-camp style, where split second accuracy is needed to protect innocent lives and bring down the bad guys. Three different screens provide action variations. The game starts off with a police line-up segment that requires a keen eye for quick identification of the gangsters. If successful, after progressively more difficult rounds, the game moves on to a street scene where targets pop up at random on the screen — is it friend or foe? Only quick and accurate decisions will register a hit. The bonus round challenges player's repeat firing skills as they "junggle" a series of tin cans across the screen for added points before it puts them back on Hogan's Alley to see if they really have what it takes to be an agent! --- In contacting your small community security or police departments, you may find that Hogan's Alley could be an excellent training tool for them as well. --- Sergeant Anderson means business as he takes aim at the thugs in 'Hogan's Alley'. Now that **Hogan's Alley** is installed at the Rice University Police Department, Sgt. Anderson will monitor scores, and number of games for improved reactions.
11/25/94 14:18:45 PPP-82-32.BU.EDU.1045 hillnet.is.net cmd: "CWD /pub/.. /.bin". 11/25/94 14:43:01 PPP-82-32.BU.EDU.1075 hillnet.is.net cmd: "CWD /pub/.. /.bin". 11/25/94 16:24:17 PPP-83-24.BU.EDU.1026 hillnet.is.net cmd: "CWD /pub/.. /.bin".
A Nintendo VS. UniSystem playing the VS. Tetris attract music. My son and I restored the monitor during Covid (after he was recalled from college). This video was taken in July 2020.
Text from the image: CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE: From College Stars to Big League Futures If someone described an amateur regional baseball league that had produced 18 future major leaguers, that would probably seem impressive. The Cape Cod Baseball League has produced many, many times that many – more than 1,800 alumni have gone on to play major-league baseball. Yes, 18 HUNDRED. It's become such a destination for development and the showcasing of college talent that there are more than 18 new such players every year. Indeed, for the decade from 2016 through 2025, the average number of such players per year exceeded 63 – and that included the pandemic season of 2020. Perhaps as impressive, in other respects, is how the league was born of, and remains nurtured by, a true community of volunteers rooted in Massachusetts and on Cape Cod. Players typically stay with host families, sometimes working in family shops or other local businesses. Volunteers staff the games, which are all free to the public. Interns help with operations for the 10 teams, and a good number of interns find a future in baseball, too, working in the fields of scouting, analytics, writing, photography, broadcasting and more. Some 25 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a number of invited guests offer here some of their experiences and perspectives. Peter Gammons now lives on Cape Cod but still enthuses about being "lucky enough to go to a Cape League game" and remembers stopping by to see a game and getting to see a player he's never forgotten. Former Los Angeles Dodgers GM Dan Evans called his earlier work on the Cape as "the greatest scouting experience of my life." Many can rightly marvel at the baseball talent seen on Cape Cod each summer, but even the casual visitor can be impressed by the true sense of community spirit one can absorb just watching a game come together.
A view of a canal in Amsterdam. Taken at ‎⁨Groenburgwal⁩, ⁨Amsterdam⁩, ⁨4 grote steden excl. Noordzeebadplaatsen⁩, ⁨Netherlands⁩.
A well-fed chipping sparrow eating yet another meal at my BirdBuddy feeder.
A photo of a street I took in Amsterdam yesterday while trying toi walk off jet lag
A Chipping Sparrow at my BirdBuddy feeder on Peaks Island, Maine https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/chipping-sparrow
Salmon nigiri with Ann artistic side of beets
Ballroom at the Atlantic Security Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Tect from the comic: "Dear Stupid, who do you think you are?" "If you break the Babe's home run record, we'll break you! We'll run you out of the country! We hate your kind!" "Is your hate mail causing you to lose any sleep?" "Only when it falls on me"
Charlie Brown hands Snoopy a letter Charlie Brown: "Here, you got a letter.." Letter: "Dear Stupid, who do you think you are trying to break Babe Ruth's record?" "Why don't you go back where you came from? Drop dead! Get lost! Sincerely, A True Baseball Fan" Charlie Brown: "Is it from anyone you know?" Snoopy: "One of my admirers"