Intellivisionaries and Intellivision for 2023?

[+nurmix]

This feels a little silly, like I'm placing more importance on this and myself than it warrants, but I've been getting PMs here, on social media and in email asking about my apparent departure from the Intellivision community.  I'm not quite sure where that started, but after getting so many, I figured maybe I should post something.

 

As most of you know, I've been doing The Intellivisionaries Podcast - along with @Rick Reynolds, @cmart604, and in the early episodes, @BurgerTime - since September 2013.  It's been a fun and entertaining ride for me, and hopefully for the listeners too.  Along with my co-hosts, I have put a tremendous amount of time into the show, and for the most part, I've enjoyed the process.  But the whole thing has started feeling more like a second job than a fun hobby.  And I realize a lot of that is my fault, since my style was to do a lot of editing and production, silly bits, sound effects, 'corrections robots', time travel, etc. etc. etc!  Oh, and I'm also a perfectionist, so that just adds to the mix, so to speak.  But at this point in time, I'm completely burned out on it.

It's partly down to the current workload of running my IT business, but also because I've been getting back into writing and recording music again, after a very long break.  I've been reworking my studio setup, repairing and upgrading synths, drum machines, samplers, cabling, mixers, acquiring new gear, etc.  I'm also considering another podcast project with a long time musician friend of mine, discussing these very things; electronic music production, gear and repair.  Sure, The Intellivisionaries was an outlet for me to use some of my music, but most of the tracks are things I wrote years ago.  And even though I've wanted to write again, because my free time was taken up by the podcast - and because my studio was configured for podcasting, not music creation - I wasn't writing or recording anything new.  And I missed that, even if, ultimately, I'm just doing it for myself as a creative outlet.

I think like most of us, my hobby interests wax and wane over time.  These days I'm definitely in a 'waning' period when it comes to retro-gaming.  And some of my feelings about it have to do with my previous involvement with Intellivision Entertainment, and the way everything went down with Amico and the retro-gaming community.  It really soured me on a lot of things in the space, and my participation in forums and gaming groups fell off a cliff, and hasn't really come back.  But I don't intend to leave the community, and I'm not currently selling any of my collection (I've been getting offers and requests about that).

As far as The Intellivisionaries Podcast goes, after I get the Atlantis episode out (some time soon), I'm stepping away from the show.  Rick, Cmart and I are still talking about what will happen after that.  They'd like to continue doing it, in some form.  And I may have some level of participation, since I still have a lot of interviews in the can, but I won't be producing or editing the show.

I'm also not planning to make any of my Flashback adapter cables, ColecoVision Y-adapters, or Dual Action Controllers any time in the foreseeable future.  Yes, I still get a lot of emails and messages about that too, and that's also entirely my fault, since last year I bought a boatload of supplies to make hundreds of them, and I posted here - and mentioned it on the podcast - that I would be starting up again.  I'm not saying that it will never happen, but right now, the thought of sitting in my garage for hours and hours soldering cables has zero appeal.

So that's it.  Feel free to reply if you have any questions or want to offer your thoughts on the podcast going forward.  Just don't ask me about selling my Intellivision collection, that's not happening!
 

[AJChandler]

Best of luck in your new venture.

[wolfy62]

Do what you love and want to do with your valuable time!

Thank you for your many contributions to Atariage through your podcasts.

Your happiness and well being is the most important thing always.

Maybe we can get together and play some more games sometime down the road!😊

[dpisacane]

Thanks so much for doing it as long as you did.  Intellivisionaries is what got me back into retro gaming (and collecting), but it's also what got me into podcasts!

 

Do what makes you happy.  That's what matters. 😄

 

...and thanks again for all of the amazing information, laughs and memories.  You should be really proud of what you created!

[+Gunoz]

Best of luck to you, and...

[majors]

The podcast gave me the Intellivision bug and have enjoyed every episode. We still have the episodes and look forward to future endeavors from the 'visionaries.

 

To continue the prior posts theme... "If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything". ...mental health too!

[MGG]

I've enjoyed the podcasts for quite a while now, but totally understand the burnout that can come from the whole production.  Take a break, get refreshed, and whatever the future holds for you we wish you the best of luck. 🙂👍

[BBWW]

Wishing you well in all you want to do. I’m sure you’ll be hangin’ out some with us Ne'er-do-wells from time to time. 

[Popeye]

Good luck with your passions @nurmix!

[+KylJoy]

I've really enjoyed the podcast.  Good luck in the future.

[Flojomojo]

Your music is great, and every moment spent doing something else is an opportunity cost. I really liked the Intellivisionaries podcast, especially the interviews with the original programmers from the old days. Your long-form naturalistic approach with minimal editing really allowed a much deeper look into the business and design challenges that era. Having Keith Robinson as a special guest was always a treat, as well. 

You've already accomplished so much with Intellivisionaries, it stands alone as a body of work, and I would consider wrapping it up as "finished" if you're also satisfied with it. The only thing I would consider adding would be an insider postmortem of the Intellivision Amico adventure, breaking all the old NDAs and telling what you saw, giving the people watching some facts to go along with the outsider assumptions. But I also understand if that's not a place to which you care to return. 

Thanks for the hours and hours and hours of Intellivision entertainment, Nurmix! 

[+cmadruga]

I enjoyed listening to the podcasts!

Thanks for all the work!

Here's hoping the baton will be picked up. 

[Rev]

Great podcast over the years!

 

I look forward to a potential deep dive episode into the Amico scamdal. 

[TrekMD]

Thanks for the update and all the work you put on the podcast. 

[+cmart604]

I posted this on FB but forgot to do so here. @Rick Reynolds and I will most certainly be continuing with the podcast and will definitely have @nurmix join us for the Hockey game review episode and he will be most welcome to join us whenever he wants. More info to come in the next few weeks. See you soon. 

[Morpheus]

10 hours ago, Rev said:

I look forward to a potential deep dive episode into the Amico scamdal.

Is there any news about Amico?

[+JasonlikesINTV]

I've loved the podcast and will continue listening as it enters its new era.  I'll fondly remember you as the one who wore pants.  Music creation is absolutely a worthy endeavor and I'm sure it will bring you more happiness and satisfaction than you've been getting from your waning phase of retro gaming.  Definitely stay in touch, even if only to share some music.

[+fdr4prez]

1 hour ago, JasonlikesINTV said:

I'll fondly remember you as the one who wore pants.

Yes, this means that with Rick and his Sharp Shot (and Carnival) obsessions and Cmart with his "other" obsessions, things are going to be getting really crazy on the podcast now. 

[+cmart604]

1 hour ago, fdr4prez said:

Yes, this means that with Rick and his Sharp Shot (and Carnival) obsessions and Cmart with his "other" obsessions, things are going to be getting really crazy on the podcast now. 

We will no longer be contained 

[+Gunoz]

Special Edition 14: Geraldo Rivera opens CMart's secret vault, finds Al Capone

[+fdr4prez]

On 5/13/2023 at 1:18 PM, cmart604 said:

We will no longer be contained 

Intellivisionaires Gone Wild

[+cmart604]

4 hours ago, gunoz said:

Special Edition 14: Geraldo Rivera opens CMart's secret vault, finds Al Capone

I can't confirm nor deny. 

[mdoerty]

On 5/11/2023 at 3:02 PM, nurmix said:

This feels a little silly, like I'm placing more importance on this and myself than it warrants, but I've been getting PMs here, on social media and in email asking about my apparent departure from the Intellivision community.  I'm not quite sure where that started, but after getting so many, I figured maybe I should post something.

 

As most of you know, I've been doing The Intellivisionaries Podcast - along with @Rick Reynolds, @cmart604, and in the early episodes, @BurgerTime - since September 2013.  It's been a fun and entertaining ride for me, and hopefully for the listeners too.  Along with my co-hosts, I have put a tremendous amount of time into the show, and for the most part, I've enjoyed the process.  But the whole thing has started feeling more like a second job than a fun hobby.  And I realize a lot of that is my fault, since my style was to do a lot of editing and production, silly bits, sound effects, 'corrections robots', time travel, etc. etc. etc!  Oh, and I'm also a perfectionist, so that just adds to the mix, so to speak.  But at this point in time, I'm completely burned out on it.

It's partly down to the current workload of running my IT business, but also because I've been getting back into writing and recording music again, after a very long break.  I've been reworking my studio setup, repairing and upgrading synths, drum machines, samplers, cabling, mixers, acquiring new gear, etc.  I'm also considering another podcast project with a long time musician friend of mine, discussing these very things; electronic music production, gear and repair.  Sure, The Intellivisionaries was an outlet for me to use some of my music, but most of the tracks are things I wrote years ago.  And even though I've wanted to write again, because my free time was taken up by the podcast - and because my studio was configured for podcasting, not music creation - I wasn't writing or recording anything new.  And I missed that, even if, ultimately, I'm just doing it for myself as a creative outlet.

I think like most of us, my hobby interests wax and wane over time.  These days I'm definitely in a 'waning' period when it comes to retro-gaming.  And some of my feelings about it have to do with my previous involvement with Intellivision Entertainment, and the way everything went down with Amico and the retro-gaming community.  It really soured me on a lot of things in the space, and my participation in forums and gaming groups fell off a cliff, and hasn't really come back.  But I don't intend to leave the community, and I'm not currently selling any of my collection (I've been getting offers and requests about that).

As far as The Intellivisionaries Podcast goes, after I get the Atlantis episode out (some time soon), I'm stepping away from the show.  Rick, Cmart and I are still talking about what will happen after that.  They'd like to continue doing it, in some form.  And I may have some level of participation, since I still have a lot of interviews in the can, but I won't be producing or editing the show.

I'm also not planning to make any of my Flashback adapter cables, ColecoVision Y-adapters, or Dual Action Controllers any time in the foreseeable future.  Yes, I still get a lot of emails and messages about that too, and that's also entirely my fault, since last year I bought a boatload of supplies to make hundreds of them, and I posted here - and mentioned it on the podcast - that I would be starting up again.  I'm not saying that it will never happen, but right now, the thought of sitting in my garage for hours and hours soldering cables has zero appeal.

So that's it.  Feel free to reply if you have any questions or want to offer your thoughts on the podcast going forward.  Just don't ask me about selling my Intellivision collection, that's not happening!
 

I think you are facing what many of us are starting to feel -- a lot of things you want to do and limited time in which to do them.

Follow your passions as that is what will make you happy -- though be sure to pass along your special skills so they will not be lost.