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David vs. the Google Goliath

We all love fighting a good moral brawl.  When Slide stole 3,000 fake money coins from me in April of 2009, I was livid and I wrote about it in the early morning hours of the 23rd:

I enjoy playing Slide.com’s SuperPoke Pets and I’ve raved about SuperPoke Pets and ranted about SuperPoke Pets. Today, I am enraged — not by the game I have come to love — but rather by the lack of an artful and loving Slide.com technical response to what should have been a simple problem to solve.  This is the story of a false accusation — an unfair incarceration of character if you will — and its ultimate unraveling in the light of indisputable, human, facts.

After I wrote my article, Google bought Slide for $200 million and recently decided to close down all the Slide games.  There is now no more SuperPoke Pets.  The game is over. People are furious.  I was intrigued that I was mentioned last week in a Facebook comments stream where people are trying to save the game:

Continue reading → David vs. the Google Goliath

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John Oates Goes the Mississippi Mile

John Oates’ new solo album — Mississippi Mile — dropped today, and it is a welcome addition to the brackwater Blues oeuvre we have come to appreciate from established greats like Eric Clapton and Tom Jones, but not Cyndi Lauper.  John Oates is the other, guitar playing, half of Hall and Oates and it is so great to see John strike out on his own to sing and play the kind of music that branded him growing up:

Continue reading → John Oates Goes the Mississippi Mile

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Warren Haynes, Duane Allman and the Super Slide Slapdown

Today, in the spirit of — The Great Capo Showdown — we proudly present, “The Super Slide Slapdown!”  If you play guitar, you might be curious how to use a slide to give your sound that Bluesy, moaning, growl.  Our friend Warren Haynes — of Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, and soon-to-be Man in Motion fame — can show you how to put your finger into a slide and play in video, or you can buy his new book and go page by page to learn slide guitar from the modern master.

Continue reading → Warren Haynes, Duane Allman and the Super Slide Slapdown

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Warren Haynes Electric Blues and Slide Guitar DVD Review

Warren Haynes — of The Allman Brothers Band — wants to teach you how to play Electric Blues and Slide guitar as part of Arlen Roth’s ongoing, and outstanding, Hot Licks video series.

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How Slide and SuperPoke Pets Stole 3,000 Fake Money Coins

UPDATE April 23, 2009:  After getting the inappropriate comment on this article from Slide this morning, my wife and I have decided to quit the game.  It’s over.  Any links to our SuperPoke Pets sites are no longer active and should be considered dead.  Why should we pay for that sort of attitude from a company?  We’re voting with our wallets and the answer is “No thank you.”

I enjoy playing Slide.com’s SuperPoke Pets and I’ve raved about SuperPoke Pets and ranted about SuperPoke Pets. Today, I am enraged — not by the game I have come to love — but rather by the lack of an artful and loving Slide.com technical response to what should have been a simple problem to solve.  This is the story of a false accusation — an unfair incarceration of character if you will — and its ultimate unraveling in the light of indisputable, human, facts.

Continue reading → How Slide and SuperPoke Pets Stole 3,000 Fake Money Coins