Awhile back, I scanned and redrew the bezel artwork for Moon Patrol:

It looks like this will be going to print very soon. If you want to see this happen and need one, please head over to KLOV.com and add your name to the list!

Hey there. This a quick note, mainly geared towards helping other people who might be Googling for the same info I was just a few nights ago. I was looking in vain for an answer to this question:

Q: If I install 8GB of RAM in a Gateway GM5664 desktop will the computer’s BIOS recognize it?

A: Yes

This computer came with Windows Vista 32bit, 4 DIMM slots, and 3GB of RAM as follows:

(2) 1 GB chips

(2) 512 MB chips

If you do a lookup on this by model # at just about every site that sells memory it will tell you there is a max of 4GB total, and a max of 1GB per slot. I believe this is because with Windows Vista 32bit installed by default, if you were to install 4GB, Windows will only see 3.5GB. In order to keep people from complaining after popping in more than 4GB and not seeing it in Windows, they must have listed the max memory as 4GB. However, if you upgrade to Windows 7 64bit and pop in (4) 2GB DIMMs it will recognize it and boots fine.

8Gb is probably overkill, though my computer is running faster than it was.

Here’s the exact RAM that I have installed:

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=BF123C48A5CA7304

OK…first, check out my last post if you haven’t already. I’ve used Novus #2 and #1 a bit in the past but never for anything major and never on a bezel. The bezel on my Mario Bros. was scratched very badly. It had many scratches all over the place and also a fine haze in the middle. The scratches where so noticeable in the center that it actually made it harder to play the game. If I had to rate it, I’d say it was about a D at best.

I had a very hard time getting a picture of this damage, but here is one from a side angle that shows a bit:

That picture is actually not of the worst damage. The center was an absolute crap fest.

For a couple of years I’ve been looking for a replacement. I even ordered one off of eBay and unfortunately the seller didn’t describe it very well. It was cracked and had some sort of sludge all over it so it went unused. I thought I could possibly clean mine up with some Novus but was a little wary of the paint that is on the outside of the bezel. I decided to give it a shot, and it worked wonders:

You can click on those pictures above to see them larger. I spent about 45 minutes on this. I started with #3, and kept going over it several times paying special attention to the worst scratches. I kept that off the painted area. I followed that up with #2 on the entire thing including the paint (though I did it sparingly over the paint). The paint actually had some scuffs and the Novus removed them. I followed that up with #1 and unless you were looking for faults you might think it was NOS. The only real flaw you can see now is where a deep gouge was. It actually almost removed it, and softened the edges to the point where it is hardly noticeable. If you shift your position while staring at it there is a subtle distortion and that’s about it. If I doubled my time on this I think it would have looked even better.

This bezel was so bad, if I got a replacement I would probably have tossed it. Now its about an A-. Novus kicks serious ass. Go buy some.

I just got some crazy quantities of Novus in the mail. Crappy cell phone pic:

I think I should be set for awhile now. I had a small bottle of #1 and #2, and no #3. I’ve been using it more lately and wanted to get some #3 to try to get some scratches out of my Mario Bros. bezel. This stuff isn’t cheap, but I got a good deal on eBay at $60 for all 3.

For those new to Novus, it is designed for cleaning and polishing acrylic. #1 is pretty much a cleaner. You should never use Windex or anything similar on plexiglass, it will damage it over time. I use #1 to clean bezels and marquees, buttons, joystick knobs, etc…

#2 has a tiny bit of grit. You can use it to remove very light scratches. #3 is heavier and will remove slightly deeper scratches. If you have to use #3, you should then follow it with #2 and then #1. If you use #2, you should follow it with #1. If you just use #1, you should follow it with a Sam Adams.

Note: I’ve added a poll to the right hand side of the site. Please vote after you read this.

Here’s some more flea market finds. I did not buy these, though it was tempting.

Here’s a Charlie McCarthy type doll/puppet/zombie. It looks like it lost its clothes long ago, shortly followed by its head. Some kind soul secured the head to its mid section with some good ol’ masking tape.

I can’t decide if this clown is more sad than creepy, or more creepy than sad. I think creepy is winning at about 58%.

Finally, we have a mixed item masterpiece. Up top is a stuffed deer head with a badly damaged and taped up nose (masking tape to the rescue again). Below is a demented version of Ronald McDonald. While you can click on all the pics above to view them larger, to get the full impact of Ronald I present to you this closeup:

1. His right shoe is untied

2. He seems to be missing his butcher knife

3. His whistle makes him look like an evil taskmaster. I bet he blows the whistle every time the fries are done.

4. Why is Grimace in his pocket?? That defies physics.

5. What in God’s name is up with his hips? He has child bearing hips!!!

I don’t think I will be able to sleep tonight.

I just spotted this ad on a website:

This is an ad about refinancing your home. So, why did they choose this particular picture to go with this ad? I would expect a picture of a house, or an old dude cutting his grass, etc… I would not expect a shirtless Rob Zombie look alike (don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against Rob Zombie).

I just got the TELEPHONE plexi sign from Brian at GameStencils.com. It is beyond awesome:

Here you can see how the white is 3D. It sticks out about 1/16″:

Here’s some pics of it lit. My camera doesn’t do it justice:

I decided to leave the top open, so it is a bit like a sconce. Now I just need to restore the phone and I should be done with this.

I finished building my Payphone enclosure! In case you didn’t read my last post, here’s a 3D mockup I made before building this:

Here it is mounted on the wall:

I designed a TELEPHONE sign in Illustrator for the top. Brian Jones from GameStencils.com is turning it into a real plexiglass sign that I can back light.

The phone was converted for home use before I got it. It does not require money to call out, but I’d like to change that if possible. I’d also like to put a bell inside so it rings on incoming calls. I have no idea how to work on these, so if anyone has any resources please let me know. The dial sticks, which I think I can probably fix by taking it apart and cleaning it up.

Here are a few shots of the build: