Here's our Thalictrum, which Dave named Theo. Theo is blooming now, sending out clouds of tiny pink flowers. He seems a bit late this year, maybe because of the dry summer. We tried to keep him watered but he may not have been entirely happy. He seems healthy enough.
There has been no progress on the broken bench on Finchley Road. I first blogged it in May, it gained its warning cones not much later, and then some wag declared it postmodern art. But it's still there, looking worse and worse. It's stuff like this that convinces people that Britain doesn't function well anymore. I'm not sure why the council (or whoever is responsible, and maybe that's the problem -- maybe no one is) couldn't remove it, if not replace it, within the past four or five months. It must be on someone's radar because they put those cones out there. Why the foot-dragging?
I've been meaning to blog this picture for a while, mostly because it cracks me up. That hair! Yes, that's me in the early 1980s, at the age of 15 or so, playing video games at my dad's house. We had an Atari game system (which you can see on the cabinet behind me) that loaded games using a cassette player. It was cutting edge at the time! We played Space Invaders, Missile Command, Asteroids and other games on that console, which plugged into a color TV monitor (out of the frame at left).
I've been thinking about this picture, and my not-very-extensive gaming history in general, because of the revelations about Charlie Kirk's shooter and the fact that the guy apparently spent vast amounts of time online. I hear about young people nowadays who spend almost all their waking hours playing video games or plugged into some device. (As Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, "Go outside and touch grass.")
I remember that I could only play on that Atari for a couple of hours before I'd start to feel yucky. I just had to get up and move around after a while. Maybe it's because the ergonomics of gaming were not as advanced back then, and I could only spend so long sitting cross-legged on the floor. Kids nowadays have fancy desk chairs. But I like to think I also had a built-in "off switch" that helped me know when I'd had enough. Some people don't have that.
I doubt kids sit cross legged on the floor at home these days when gaming. I imagine they will be less agile as they get older due to the lack of movement in general! I wish we could all tear ourselves away from modern technology, even if it's only one day a week.
ReplyDeleteToo many people don't have any kind of off switch at all. You had great hair! I'm useless at video games, by the time I work out what to do it's too late, the game is over and I lost. My oldest grandson was the genius with those and had to be banned from playing at age ten because his A+ grades were falling.
ReplyDeleteI think some games become addictive and it's hard to tear yourself away from them. Like blogging!
ReplyDeleteMost people, especially kids but not exclusively, don’t have that on/off switch. You’re fortunate. You were also fortunate to have all that hair at one time. But, wow, the style! The situation with the bench speaks volumes for city and neighborhood maintenance and pride.
ReplyDeleteI know that 'yuck' feeling when playing computer games. With my 3 ear old grandson balanced on my knee he would use the driving wheel while I had to foot pedal or something for a racing game on the computer. I think it is a middle ear problem.
ReplyDeleteThat decrepit bench clearly irritates you and I would feel just the same if it was in my neighbourhood. I cannot remember if you have messaged the council about it but such a message might spark some action - or at least an explanation. Alternatively you could message the relevant elected councillor(s).
ReplyDeleteYour hair was so lustrous!
Don't worry about the bench, it will disappear just before November 5th - make some-one a splendid bonfire!
ReplyDeleteI love the hair...and just the word "Atari" brings back memories for me. I remember when my boys were little playing nintendo with them on a game called Mario Brothers or something like that. I always had to put a time limit on these games because after an hour my body was tired from sitting on the floor and one of my sons would always get mad when Mario didn't get to the next level.
ReplyDeletePeople these days are addicted to their devices and their games and pay no mind to the actual world around them. I feel somewhat lucky that I don't find those games at all interesting and never really played any.
ReplyDeleteI left that to the whippersnappers.
Your were a cute lad, with big hair.
ReplyDeleteI was never a gamer, aside from Pong on a tv screen.
It is only when you reach a certain indeterminate age that you realise the importance of bench seats on streets. C'mon Camden council. Fix it.
I'm with you Steve, I don't understand how kids can spend that long playing video games. Back in the Atari days, I was like you and nothing has changed. I occasionally play video games with my kids on a WiiU and my limit is even less. Maybe 20 minutes or so and I have to tap out.
ReplyDeleteWe've always had a rule in our household with our kids. Absolutely no electronic devices during the school week. On weekends and summer, we limited them to just a couple hours per day. This included television as well. We started doing this when we noticed behavioral issues when our eldest was very young still after long sessions of watching television. She would get surely and have lots of emotional outbursts. After we implemented these rules, it was a 180 turn on their behavior which is why we have stuck with them all these years.
Come Hallowe'en the traffic cones will be adorning someone's head. There seems to be very little civic pride.
ReplyDeleteMy son and his dad played with Atari. Do you remember Atari thumb? Aching after pushing the button too long. I would play briefly but none of us spent much time there.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering about why some kids spend all their time playing video games. I wonder if it gives them some sort of feeling of control that they don't have in real life. That kind of activity seems to be a common thread among shooters we hear about.
ReplyDeleteI love that photo. I noticed the Atari box right away. It's so funny to think about the evolution of technology. I still remember my dad's first cell phone that was the size a brick and weighed almost as much.
I worry deeply because Owen spends a great deal of time gaming with his friends. This seems to be the way of it now and I know it's not good. It can't be.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest 2 grandkids (19 and 20 years old) play video games a LOT and have for quite a few years now. They play with people online from around the world. But they still have jobs and work a lot of hours and have friends. They are open minded and care about the world. So maybe it depends on the individual?
ReplyDeleteLove The Thalictrum - Classic Bench In Shambles - But That Smile - Nothing Like Reminiscing Through Old ACTUL Photos And Catching Moments Of Pure Joy - That Photo Is Totally Worthy Of A Thousand Words - And Yes , That Elementary Version Of Space Invaders Captivated My Eyeballs For Hours - And Yes , I Was Never As Good Of A Player As The Neighborhood Kids Who Owned Those Atari Machines - Anyway , Happy Friday There Brother Man - Enjoy Your Weekend
ReplyDeletePlay On ,
Cheers
I think you're right about the off switch, or maybe you just have a hard time sitting still; I know I do.
ReplyDeleteYour plant looked familiar, so I looked it up. I know it as meadow rue. And the bench, there is probably a long list somewhere that it's on. Big cities have long to do lists.
We had an early game system, probably Atari but I don't remember it looking like that. It was fun at first but the games were very basic and eventually I got bored with it. Marc played on it more than I did. Online games nowadays are so elaborate, she says though I've never played one. I guess these virtual worlds are so much more exciting than the real one these kids live in. And apparently there's a whole virtual world where you can buy property with real money! How big a con is that?
ReplyDeleteWhat is that bench in front of, a housing unit? If so maybe a previous renter put it there who has since moved on.
I have a series of posts up and planned on the benefits of gaming that I'd like to invite you to. The Atari is hilarious. The equivalent now is what do you mean you only play on one screen?
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of online gaming. My son, in middle school, loved it and my husband liked the game, "Civilization."
ReplyDeleteNeither do much gaming today so I guess it was just a phase.
I think there's more danger in spending countless hours on social media and in chat rooms than gaming. In fact, I read somewhere that gamers make great air traffic controllers.
ReplyDelete