Inspiring Lyric of the Day – P.O.D. – Alive

And all this time you thought this was only an anthem for extreme sports?!?! P.O.D. came out with this gem back in 2001 and the video was released on that fateful Tuesday in September of 2001. Not only is the song uplifting, but the lyrics are inspiring. The group’s name, “P.O.D.” stands for ‘Payable Upon Death’.

The meaning becomes clearer if you read 1st John 4:8 and then substitute that for the word, “love”.

You can check the song out by clicking here: P.O.D. on Napster (They’ll make your register, but it’s free.)

“And now that I know You, I could never turn my back away.” I hear you, fellas. I hear you loud and clear.

Alive – P.O.D. (from the album, “Satellite”)

Everyday is a new day

I’m thankful for every breath I take

I won’t take it for granted

So I learn from my mistakes

It’s beyond my control

Sometimes it’s best to let go

Whatever happens in this lifetime

So I trust in love (So I trust in love)

You have given me peace of mind

.

Pinball Lovers Rejoice!

As much as I love gaming, something about pinball tables have always drawn my attention. The flashing lights, the bumpers…. and as we moved into the 90s, tables got even MORE elaborate. All sorts of contraptions under the glass — the Terminator 2 cabinet had a Terminator head, the NFL Table has a goalpost — they’re really creative works of art.

In the spirit of Mame (the Multi Arcade Machine Emulator), a gentleman named Randy Davis created an emulator that would play pinball tables on PCs in a simulated 3D Space. He called it Visual Pinball and it’s pretty awesome.

I am not completely sure about the legal implications of running the ROMs. It’s odd because unlike Mame, the arcade cabinets didn’t run solely on ROMs — taking ROMs from the old pinball cabinets probably gives you the logic that the game used for rules, but someone still has to draw the objects (like the flippers, bumpers, etc.) Folks are doing this and you can more than likely play some of your old favorites. Back in my old college days (which weren’t that long ago!! I’m holding strong!!) my favorite game was the Addams Family pinball game. (I can hear Raul Julia now — “That’s it Thing! You’re really on the ball!”. I played that game in it’s full glory and it worked just like the old game.

What’s better about Visual Pinball is that you can actually manipulate the tables (if you know what you’re doing). So, for instance — does that chute on the side keep making you upset by taking your ball? Put a big bumper in front of it. Heck, you can block off the holes and run up the score as much as you want! Uh…not that I would do anything like that.