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Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

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Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#11

Post by hinkley »

amayne wrote: post #7
butterisgood wrote: post #3

One of his buddies is Rob Pike.

I once got to have dinner with Penn and Rob Pike years ago. I had no idea at the time who Pike was. Looked him up afterwards (this was pre-Wikipedia) and felt like an idiot.

Everyone needs to be taken down a peg from time to time.

I knew someone who rode the Monorail in Seattle next to Jeff Bezos. No idea who he was, even after he introduced himself. Told others they "met someone named Jeff Bozos on the train."

Yep, that sounds about right.

Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#12

Post by masonic »

alanwil2 wrote: post #8

Penn created Desert Bus...worst computer game ever. https://www.polygon.com/2013/7/10/4510388/why-teller-created...

That article credits Teller only, in the title, and primarily, in the body. And Desert Bus was a parody, not a game per se.

Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#13

Post by torgoguys »

I remember reading that column regularly. One in particular that I recall was a joke he proposed for the (then much less serious) airport security. If I'm remembering correctly, back in the day they wanted you to turn laptops on to show someone that it really was just a computer. Jillette proposed that maybe you should set your autoexec file start the computer saying something along the lines of "bomb detonating in 5...4...3...2...1" to freak them out...or it was something like that. Obviously pre-9/11. You'd probably get detained at the very least (and maybe arrested) if you did something like that these days. Maybe I will be able to find that column again...

Edit: oops, the article mentioned that very incident at the end.

Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#15

Post by perl4ever »

masonic wrote: post #12
alanwil2 wrote: post #8

Penn created Desert Bus...worst computer game ever. https://www.polygon.com/2013/7/10/4510388/why-teller-created...

That article credits Teller only, in the title, and primarily, in the body. And Desert Bus was a parody , not a game per se.

I would like to see an update of Desert Bus that uses all the latest 3D technology and satellite data like they put in flight simulators.

I mean, Teller referred to it as "a game that just reflects reality", so how real could you make it?

Recreate a real bus, but the most boring one possible.

...Desert Bus 2020

Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#16

Post by chiph »

alanwil2 wrote: post #8

Penn created Desert Bus...worst computer game ever. https://www.polygon.com/2013/7/10/4510388/why-teller-created...

Here's a Desert Bus playthrough. The player collects 3 points by completing the trip three times, a feat which normally takes 8 hours each way, but the video is at 3x speed, so you see it in "only" 8 hours. Catch the excitement at 2:45:20 as the player scores their first point!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LtiHla1dNg

Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#17

Post by wincy »

perl4ever wrote: post #15
masonic wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That article credits Teller only, in the title, and primarily, in the body. And Desert Bus was a parody , not a game per se.

I would like to see an update of Desert Bus that uses all the latest 3D technology and satellite data like they put in flight simulators. I mean, Teller referred to it as "a game that just reflects reality", so how real could you make it? Recreate a real bus, but the most boring one possible. ...Desert Bus 2020

You could probably make a mod for American Truck Simulator VR.

Re: Penn Jillette’s Surprising Success as a Computer Columnist

#19

Post by BubRoss »

masonic wrote: post #12
alanwil2 wrote: post #8

Penn created Desert Bus...worst computer game ever. https://www.polygon.com/2013/7/10/4510388/why-teller-created...

That article credits Teller only, in the title, and primarily, in the body. And Desert Bus was a parody , not a game per se.

A parody game is still a game.
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