Note: I've adjusted my schedule. I am now taking Thursdays and Fridays off. These are the same days my wife takes off, so now we can enjoy our weekend together!
Saturday, September 11th - Writing the new script
Lots of new Patron sign-ups! Hello and welcome to all you new folks. I spent my morning shipping out your rewards! After lunch, I sat down and wrote the Mario character names script. Last week, I outlined everything, so the writing process was fairly straightfo...
2021-09-15 22:18:37 +0000 UTC
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Friday, September 3rd - Rough Release Day :(
I released the U-Force video this past Wednesday (September 1st), and unfortunately, it did not go well. I scheduled the video for noon and shared it around my socials. But soon after its release, I got a flood of messages from people saying YouTube didn't tell them I had a new video.
I've never gotten messages like this before, so I was concerned. I contacted my network, who said they would look into it. Several hours later, YouTube ...
2021-09-07 22:39:03 +0000 UTC
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Friday, August 27th - Let me upgrade ya
Today, I started finalizing the U-Force video. For this, I rewatch the video in Premiere and make a note of any errors or changes I need to make. This includes color correction, audio issues, video issues, etc. For this video, the biggest problem I had was the quality of the interview footage.
I interviewed Dave Capper over Zoom, which isn't the b...
2021-08-31 22:00:42 +0000 UTC
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Friday, August 20th - Recording U-Force Power Games
Today was, unfortunately, an incredibly frustrating day of production. Today I had to record myself playing U-Force Power Games.
This required a unique setup. U-Force Power Games was never released, so I had to play the ROM. So I loaded it onto a memory card and played it through my Analogue NT. Next, I hooked the Analogue NT to ...
2021-08-24 23:34:03 +0000 UTC
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After a long wait, the U-Force video is finally here! Remember, YOU guys voted for this topic, so a big thank you to you all.
This video required a lot of filming (as most hardware videos do) and went through quite a few revisions, script-wise. I think it turned out great. The video still needs to be audio-mixed. But for now, please enjoy! I'd appreciate any feedback you have.
Edit: You might come across "New Frames Need Analyzing" in one part near the end. For some reason, ...
2021-08-23 20:24:57 +0000 UTC
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Friday, August 13th - I Hate This SD Card
This is the SD card I use for recording b-roll. I'm not too fond of it, until now. The reason I was not too fond of this memory card was that the lock slider was loose. Every time I inserted it into my camera, the slider would move to locked, preventing me from recording. I'd say I wasted about 10 minutes a day messing with this stupid thing.
Bu...
2021-08-20 23:21:51 +0000 UTC
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Friday (08/06/21) - U-Force Intro Preview!
https://youtu.be/ayAQbEEPnhM
Before getting to Part 2, I wanted to clean up and nail down the introduction. Have a look for yourself (For some reason, Patreon won't let you embed videos in posts. So you'll have to click the link!). I wanted this to set the stage for the video, introduce our interviewee (Dave Capper), and show how the technology i...
2021-08-13 21:12:03 +0000 UTC
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Friday (07/30/21) - Koosh!
Today I filmed the section about Koosh. I ended up making significant changes. Originally, this section was about 1 minute long. It explained the origins of Koosh, other Koosh products, etc. I thought it was interesting. However, after watching it during edits, I felt it was too long.
If you are wondering why Koosh is even in this video, I'll fill you ...
2021-08-03 20:43:18 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons, and welcome to a brand-new blog format!
I've looked back at old blog posts and decided they are hit and miss. Some of them provide good updates on the show, while others are lackluster. So, to get some consistency and provide you all with the best updates possible, I'll be re-working the blog posts from here on out.
Basically, it is a log of every workday: What I did, interesting stuff I noticed, pictures, etc. This way, you get a better sense of what working on the...
2021-07-27 20:45:42 +0000 UTC
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Hi all,
I just wanted to let you know that the U-Force script is all done. I'd estimate it to be a 40-minute episode. We will be editing the script tomorrow and start production right away.
This episode will feature an interview with U-Force creator Dave Capper, never-before-seen promo footage, insider stories, and more. I'll be bustin' my butt to get it done as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience, and have a great weekend!
- Norm
2021-07-17 20:10:07 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Here is what I have been up to the past week.
Super Mario World Delayed??
Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to put this video on hold. The reason is shipping delays. I've ordered several magazines from Japan to get translated for research, but a few have not even shipped yet. I was hoping to have this video done before the North American 30th-anniversary date, but it looks like that won't happen. I still expect it to be done in the fall. ...
2021-07-09 21:52:35 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! The Super Mario World episode is underway. As I continue research, I have started purchasing supplies for the episode. Here is what I have so far.
Super Mario World (Super Famicom)
While North America got Super Mario World packaged with the console, players in Japan had to buy the game separately! Luckily it was a launch title. The box and manual have some gr...
2021-06-21 23:56:57 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons. Here is what I've been up to the past week.
Mega Modem Video is Live
The SEGA Mega Modem is now live and available to the public on YouTube! The final version contains a few new B-roll shots along with mixed audio. Thanks for all the great feedback on the video. I think people are genuinely surprised by all the cool information we were able to dig up!
...
2021-06-01 14:15:56 +0000 UTC
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It's finally here, my exhaustive look at SEGA's Mega Modem!
I picked this topic at the beginning of the year because I thought it would be relatively easy to make while I worked on bigger projects and did grad school. Little did I know that this would grow into a big topic of it's own.
Thanks to your support, I got over 30 pages of Japanese articles translated, purchased just about every piece of hardware / software, and more.
I believe this to be the most ...
2021-05-19 22:28:46 +0000 UTC
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It's officially May, and I'm back to working on content again! Thank you all for your patience during April. My grad school semester is almost over. I have to present my research paper next week, but that's it.
I'm continuing to work on the Mega Modem video. It's a beast of an edit. In part 1 alone, there are 43 different B-roll shots. But with school wrapping up, I think I can make some outsta...
2021-05-01 13:35:39 +0000 UTC
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Hi Patrons!
On Wednesday, I finished my massive 20-page paper for grad school. I still have some follow-up work to do, but I did find some time this week to also edit more of the Mega Modem video.
I thought I'd share with you the introduction to this story. I am also using a new camera (Sony A7C) to shoot my B-roll. Let me know what you think! I absolutely love it.
Have a great weekend!
- Norm
2021-04-09 21:36:36 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patrons
Not sure if you knew this - I certainly didn't - but there is a Community tab where you can post questions or discussions!
Kristin pointed it out to me the other day and I couldn't believe it! I apologize if I never replied to anyone. I went back and replied to messages from the past year. I'll keep a better eye on this from now on.
So yeah, just wanted to mention that. Enjoy!
- Norm
2021-03-30 13:24:09 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Just wanted to give you all an update on what I've been working on and what next month is going to look like.
Mega Modem Editing
Right now I'm editing the Mega Modem video. It's a bigger video, around 30 minutes long. I anticipate this getting done in April. This has the usual flare: guest quotes, storytelling, etc. I should have a little preview for you ne...
2021-03-25 15:45:09 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons,
I wanted to update you on the Mega Modem video. Kristin & I have finished editing the script, so now the video will go into production!
Remember when I thought this would be a quick video before tackling the U-Force? I think I got a little carried away. This script ended up being 13 pages, which I estimate is a 30-minute video. Whoops!
Thanks again for your support. It allows me to take my time on these projects.
2021-03-17 12:26:46 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
Just wanted to update you on my work this week. I spent two days outlining the Sega Mega Modem episode. I had 89 sources to go through, so I spent time organizing everything and outlining the script. In addition, I had to verify a few facts at the last minute. This involved getting some things translated, so it caused a little delay.
On Thursday, I started writing the script. I should have it written and edited by early next week. Then production can begin! My...
2021-03-06 17:05:50 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Here is a recap of what I have been working on this week.
LJN's Roll & Rocker episode is live!
In case you missed it, the LJN Roll & Rocker episode is now live on YouTube. I changed a few things and got the audio mixed professionally.
https://www...
2021-02-26 14:33:59 +0000 UTC
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On this episode, I dive into LJN's Roll & Rocker and attempt to answer the ultimate question: Why?
YouTube picked a great thumbnail this time!
2021-02-20 19:59:03 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Here is what I have been working on this week.
New Video This Weekend!
Be on the lookout for my latest video on the LJN Roll & Rocker. I should be finishing my edits today. I'll have an ad-free version available sometime this weekend. I think this episode turned out really well. My favorite part was opening it up to see how it worked.
2021-02-19 14:17:06 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons,
I've decided to pivot to another topic. Right now, I'm getting 30+ Japanese articles translated for the Sega Mega Modem episode, which has caused some delay in script writing. So instead, I am pushing that video back to March.
The U-Force episode will come out in April, most likely.
So how about we talk about the Roll & Rocker? I actually did quite a bit ...
2021-02-10 20:18:40 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons. This week's post is a little different. It's all about one of my best friends in the whole world, Peanut.
Last week, my beloved pup of thirteen years, Peanut, was diagnosed with lymphoma. The veterinarian said she had about one month to live. Peanut already had a few medical problems. She had diabetes, cataracts, a crooked paw, arthritis, and a bad liver. But despite all of this,...
2021-02-05 16:00:24 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! What do you think of my clickbait title? Here is a recap of my workweek at Gaming Historian Headquarters!
Here is the first version of the U-Force
Today, I had a 2 1/2 hour-long interview with Dave Capper, the U-Force inventor. Not only did we have a great conversation, but he gave me a little tour of his collection room. Inside, he showed me the origin...
2021-01-30 04:15:37 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Here is a recap of my work week.
U-Force Interviews
This past week I interviewed three people involved with the U-Force.
Dave Capper - Capper was the man who came up with the idea for the U-Force and was in charge of its development. We had a great conversation, and he even sent me never-before-seen footage and showed off the original prototype of the U-Force! Capper also agreed to be in the video. We will be recording a vid...
2021-01-22 16:47:46 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
The U-Force episode is coming along nicely. I've finished all of my initial research and even spent an evening using the device on different NES games! You can view the archive of that stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/871537017
Right now, I'm scheduling interviews with people that were i...
2021-01-14 18:38:25 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons!
Production is moving along smoothly on the U-Force episode. As usual, I'm asking for suggestions for games I should play using the U-Force. These will be featured in the episode. So please comment below with your ideas!
I'm definitely going to try Top Gun, Rad Racer, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out. These are the games Broderbund kept advertising with the U-Force.
- Norm
2021-01-08 20:07:03 +0000 UTC
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Here it is, everything you ever wanted to know about Homework First. This was a lock for the Nintendo Entertainment System. There honestly isn't much to the lock. It's pretty silly. But the video details the reason why someone even invented such a device.
Hope you enjoy!
- Norm
2021-01-04 16:48:10 +0000 UTC
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