Some good developments here in California! Cap-and-Trade (now rebranded as Cap-and-Invest) is renewed, and a larger share of funds now goes to reducing electricity bills. Important for speeding up the pace of replacing all the obsolete fossil burning cars, furnaces, stoves, lawn mowers and whatnot.

1cc #880: Don Doko Don. A quirky single-screen platformer by Taito with lots of charm. It feels so bad to power down on death that it's frustrating to clear. One of those video game experiences that some outdoorsy people might call "type II fun".

Maybe I've just seen too many posts by @oocbiffo.bsky.social , but Don Doko Don features a level that looks like it's haunted by Biffo the Bear.

Deep puppy thoughts.

Photos from Peace Pies. They do a good pizza.

Walking a friend's dog. Look at that face. That tiny doggy face.

My democracy homework is complete - a batch of letters with @votefwd.bsky.social are on their way!

Signs from this week's Lively Civic Gathering!

Trey Magnifique performing a song from a show that was definitely originally titled Smooth Jazz Demon Hunters before they decided to go in a different direction.

Come visit our booth at the Mira Mesa Street Fair on Saturday, October 4th! Should be a fun chance to meet neighbors, take action together, play cornhole, and buy some snacks.

she little.

Someone posted this inspired by the firing of Jimmy Kimmel (or Stephen Colbert, or both). Cue Shirley Bassey singing: "it's all just a little bit of history repeating".

A month from today, we will gather for the largest peaceful protest in American history. The only way to protect our freedom of speech is to exercise our freedom of speech. Join your local event to make it clear there are still NO KINGS in the USA: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

Only got a short walk because of rain, but he's still happy.

***500*** postcards to help get out the vote with @environmentalvoter.bsky.social dropped off at the post office today. Huge thanks to everyone who dropped in to one of the postcarding sessions and helped write some!

Sometimes dogs curl up into a croissant, and sometimes they just look like they've been deflated.

Mark your calendar for October 18th - nokings.org

Postcard sweatshop at the coffee shop. Er, I mean party! Postcard party!

1cc #879: The Fairyland Story. 101 levels of single-screen platforming! It's fairly generous with extra lives, which is good because it took me 10 tries to clear the devilish stage 99. Taito hadn't perfected the recipe that led to Bubble Bobble yet but most of the ingredients are here...

San Diego friends - you are invited to join the GO Team to get out the vote! The Grassroots Organizing team will be out and about with door hangers to help pass Prop 50 in the special election. Check here for training sessions: www.mobilize.us/sandiegodems...

Yard signs: Check. Postcards: Check. Happy dog: Check. We've got everything ready to get out the vote for #prop50.

The US marquee of the arcade game The Fairyland Story is now here to haunt your nightmares.

When it's our turn to bring snacks, we....went to Costco. But also! Homemade Chex mix and blueberry muffins.

New sign at the weekly protest - doing my bit to get out the vote for #prop50, temporary redistricting to counter the gerrymandering in Texas.

1cc #878: Metal Clash. A fun dumb GAME where you pilot a giant robot to KICK other giant robots and make all their PARTS fly apart. You get weapons, then usually fumble them. This clear is technically a new MARP world record score (although I know @iast.bsky.social has scored even higher)

A few snapshots from today's Workers Over Billionaires #LaborDay march.

Oh god...it's right behind me, isn't it? Selfie from today's #LaborDay march featuring a special guest.

Happy Labor Day from the wonderdogs!

1cc #877: Megablast. A rather silly Taito game with cameos from characters of their other games - like Bub from Bubble Bobble. Between Mega Phoenix, Mega Zone, and Megablast, it's been a Mega Arcade Weekend!

Okra stew ❤️

1cc #876: Mega Zone. Cleared one loop and died very quickly on loop 2, which gets much spicier. This is an early shmup that's pretty bare-bones...but there's something satisfying about getting the hang of dodging (and manipulating) the enemy attack patterns. Love the ANGRY FACE the final boss makes.

Arcade 1cc #875: Mega Phoenix. Love how the big space birds make Owen Wilson "WOW!" noises when you shoot them.

1cc #874: Fisherman's Bait: Marlin Challenge. A slightly unhinged arcade fishing game where you start out landing realistic fish and end by catching a cartoonishly large MONSTER FISH. If The Old Man and the Sea were a melodramatic anime...

Patatas bravas! My wife wanted just a taste, so she just got one patata brava.

FUCK YEAH SCIENCE arstechnica.com/science/2025...

Spotted around town. I can just imagine the conversation: "You had ONE JOB, Mark. Or should I say...Mmark?"

Sidewalk chalk at the palk. Er, I mean, the park. Labor Day gathering coming up at Waterfront Park in San Diego...and at a thousand other locations around the country.

The face of a dog can say it all. Especially the mouth part of the face.

California friends - an invitation to help push for cheaper electricity rates: actionnetwork.org/letters/make... High electricity rates are a strain on budgets; they're ALSO bad for our health because high electric rates slow the rate of electrifying cars, home furnaces, water heaters, etc.

An alternate route for world 3-2 of Marvel Land. You're intended to jump on a barrel floating in the water and roll it left and right while dodging lightning, spears, and croco-fish. Or, you can say "how about no?" and just jump across the jetpack jerks who drop the spears.

A neat thing about arcade games is that how grim or cutesy the theme is has no correlation with difficulty. If the local game center has a DemonFist II cabinet right next to Li'l Bippo's Grand Day Out, it's anyone's guess which game is easier to finish.

1cc #873: Marvel Land. A game with a cute amusement park theme but a murderous difficulty level. Draconic Prince Paco battles an evil mole to rescue Princess Luxcie. At the end of the game, the cave starts to collapse (King Mole is a load-bearing boss), and you have a single chance to escape.

Some delicious peanut noodles, if I say so myself.

Snapshots from the weekly protest. We got a LOT of honks and waves. Putting out the word about nationwide demonstrations Labor Day, September 1st.

Fan art for Push To Reject. The journey through lesser known arcade games covered the game Insector X, so...here's a crossover with Winnie the Pooh for some reason?

POV: You're a piece of food that fell to the floor.

Aloo gobi! A classic cauliflower and potato dish with a million different recipes out there, each putting their own spin on it. The version i learned bakes the cauliflower and potatoes first and only then adds them to the onion, tomatoes, and spices.

1cc #872: Hammerin' Harry. A fun romp - not easy, but generous with lives and not very long. The corny pop culture reference "hammer time!" is very on brand for 1990. I remember seeing this in the arcade and seeing the demo player getting murdered by bowls of noodles.

A feast from the Vegan Food Popup in Vista. Stone Monkey combination plate, birria melt, Donuttery donuts.

Music for a Friday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaG5...