Warp Drive

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Tributes Live Forever (Ancestry with the Haleys - Progress Report #2.5)

When it comes to personal tributes, I am certainly no stranger. In March of 2009, my cat of 14 years passed away, and to commemorate his life, I put together a somewhat elaborate two part photo tribute tied to graphics and sound. That same year, my dad was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, and within just weeks of that diagnosis, he too passed away. It was the hardest thing I ever had to deal with, and to this day, I feel that a part of me is still missing. That is why, in 2010, I began a video anthology series titled "...with the Haleys." Its aim, to collect some of my fondest memories of my dad in video; for myself, for my family, for anyone else that knew him, and for those that may not have had a chance to know him. Working on these videos, I have always felt an eerie sense, as if my dad is right there with me. It is why I continue to feel passionate about these projects. From Merry Christmas from the Haleys to Disneyland with the Haleys to Nintendo with the Haleys, it is like writing a beautiful sonnet that which echoes across time. It is my firm hope that others receive at least half as much enjoyment watching them as I do making them.


Disneyland with the Haleys


Nintendo with the Haleys

Monday, February 11, 2013

Space Ruckus? What?

Much time has passed since last we saw an update to the design of Space Ruckus: The Official Site. Earth presidents have been elected and re-elected, entire planets have come and gone, and Hostess stopped making Twinkies. In actuality, it was last revised on February 22nd, 2009 with some very minor changes to the design originally developed in July of 2008. I still think that the CSS, HTML and PHP code are robust enough for another go, so things have only slightly been reworked under the hood. The most obvious changes come in the form of a revised logo, background art by Micheal Cross (previously used with permission for The Grig Post), and an additional bar that includes Google Search as well as a number of links to social media networks in which the Space Ruckus project has touched base with. This update also makes a few corrections to the various media pages. Nothing spectacular. Just a few dead link fixes and updated embed code for YouTube videos. As you may have noticed, the forum is still in need of a face lift. That update will come at a later time.


Space Ruckus: The Official Site v2.5

Friday, February 1, 2013

Interview with Ken Allen

Ken Allen composed computer game music for Sierra On-Line in the early 1990s, and later, for Parallax Software in the mid-1990s. During this period of his career, he is perhaps best known for his Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (1991) soundtrack. He also composed music for The Colonel's Bequest (1989), King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! (1990), Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in The Sarien Encounter (1990) and Descent (1994), among others. Later, he would become employed at Atari, where he took on the role of Senior Producer for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (2004). Finally, in January of 2013, he returned to his music composer roots with the launch of his Under The Half Dome album on Kickstarter. Ken happened to read a few of my articles about Space Quest and SpaceVenture, and asked if I would conduct an interview with him. My answer was a resounding "YES!" What follows, after the Space Quest IV soundtrack, is that interview. I recommend listening to it while reading.


Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers Soundtrack (MT-32)