"Hurricane" Andrew

The Rockford Anthology Screw Capital of the World. Forest City. Home of the Rockford Peaches of A League of Their Own fame. Rockford, Illinois, has many identities, most oriented toward the past. These days, the fastener in...

I wrote a piece for this remarkable book about my hometown, and I'd love for you to read it - and all the other people who share their experience with Rockford.

It's a tiny price for a book full of art and great stories - plus you help support other local artists with your money!

Wordle 1,591 2/6

⬛⬛🟨🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I credit Magic: the Gathering for this feat of intellect.

They'll have an obstacle course with pits and a gigantic pendulum.

Wordle 1,584 2/6

⬛⬛⬛🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Thank you for your applause.

It should absolutely be revisited at some point. I'm certain these shows and the drama of GTA5 on NoPixel kept a lot of us sane and entertained at a difficult and strange time in our history.

And a whole new music scene emerged. Characters formed record labels, performed Live Concerts, promoted artists, started rap beefs, and shared fan art.

Players and streamers celebrated New Years with parties at virtual mansions, concerts at the Vinewood Bowl, and at the casino during lockdown.

At that time, Twitch did not allow streams to include copywritten music to be available in the video playbacks of the streams, so the well-known, ubiquitous radio feeds in GTA could cause streamers to lose whole streams, making clipping and sharing impossible. So NoPixel turned off the radio...

It was called NoPixel, and it was the most watched GTA server on Twitch.

This alone would've been remarkable, but there was something else that made it wholly unique... Music.

While we were all trapped inside in the height of the Pandemic, a community started growing on Twitch that followed a group of players that weren't trying to defeat the Grand Theft Auto game, but rather to recreate a working version of it's version of LA - if a bit more soap-opera-like.

@romanmars.bsky.social
Really enjoying the Hidden Levels podcast. Wanted to tip you off to a remarkable story that created a live music scene in the middle of a pandemic made possible by GTA 5.

Wordle 1,574 3/6

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟨🟩⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

This was a minor miracle.

Wordle 1,570 2/6

🟩🟨⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Solid effort all around.

YouTube video by MLB WHAT??? Javy Báez starts pickle running to 1st, gets a run scored, somehow gets to 2nd!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO4h...

Only player I've ever seen steal first base.

Wordle 1,565 2/6

⬛⬛⬛🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Two-bagger!

Dearest Martha,

The war ravages on in Chicago. Several dozen combatants were spotted ahead of me in the concessions line at Wrigley. Suzuki bombed one over the ivy in left in the 2-0 victory. Several others were spotted being disruptive as the Bears brigade invaded Vegas.

Dispatches to continue.

The threat of invasive species African land snails, Asian silver carp and kudzu are some of the invasive species that cost the U.S. at least $120 billion annually

He's referring to this... I think? He's not exactly known for fully thought-out sentences.

The threat of invasive species - CBS News share.google/MqIFfcHTdZKh...

Falstaff was the butt of more than a few jokes...

@romanmars.bsky.social Been meaning to ask - is your tag "Beautiful uptown/downtown Oakland" a Gary Owens "Laugh In" reference by chance?

The impossible is possible tonight. (The Smashing Pumpkins)

I thoroughly enjpy writing these stories. It's a privilege to share expertise delivered by proud, brilliant people.

Sometime when these birds are pushed out of their nest, they fly. Others... don't. Nature is a cruel mistress.

Yipes!

My love of reading is strongly link to this man…

@tolariancommunitycollege.com
Dear Professor,
You do delightful product testing for common Magic products like deckboxes and sleeves.
Have you considered doing a product test for the various scanner apps in the app stores?
Would love to see your grades!
Sincerely,
A Spinning Mass of Wind & Rain

Also worth consideration... probably the first pope to refer to the world's most popular game as "Soccer".

If the new Pope has been a steadfast Chicago sports fan, it's safe to say he has the patience of a saint.

D'awwww....

YouTube video by Luca Stricagnoli EMINEM ON GUITAR (Lose Yourself) - Luca Stricagnoli - Fingerstyle Guitar Cover

And if one needed more convincing...
youtu.be/9h5nEQpErJg?...

YouTube video by Candyrat Records Luca Stricagnoli - FEEL GOOD INC. (Gorillaz)

Saw your book in a second-hand store a couple years back and picked it up. Been enjoying your podcast ever since. Thought I'd give you something back... I never believed a guy could make a guitar rap until I'd seen this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6_H...