Whose hand is on that controller? Why, that's me playing the little guy, and I am also the witchy girlfriend who follows him everywhere. I thumb the joystick and push the buttons. AND if they die, I just respawn and play again.

That, my friends, is... (wait for it) an analogy. Imperfect, to be sure, but serviceable. What if we are the mere pixel smears? Who is the mysterious pervasive presence that I feel, as I am writing this, as I am speaking? I can feel attentive awareness all around, suffusing everything, bringing this scenario to life. That's me too. The meta Dan.

Careful now, this analogy is subtle. I am not the meta Dan's puppet, and neither are you controlled by your expanded self. The analogy points to a wider awareness; we are standing outside the game while still intent, deeply interested, involved. There's an experience beyond duality, just as this room is not contained in the code that defines the parameters of Diablo software on the Nintendo switch. I, Dan Kelly, am transcendent. I might fix a snack, take a dump, or laser the cat. The game knows nothing of these things.

Here's how I justify playing computer games when there's a looming deadline for a feature film. (1) as a means to bulk out my podcast episodes and (2) simulate spiritual epiphanies. Everything I do makes sense, is genius!

Imagine how much more fun life would be if we could feel the play, experience playing ourselves.

And, justification the third: (3) looming deadlines are exactly why computer games are efficacious; procrastination helps to soften my focus. Deflecting attention from an all-consuming goal gives those unseen hands an opportunity to help. The universe is handling all the details. My job is to stay happy.

Such a subtle transition into the pragmatic. We're already talking about the plan for movie completion. Simply stated — work less!

Episode 124 included a sneak peek of the charcoal weathering treatment on an M1A1 Abrams tank model, one of several miniatures in Uncle Joe's bicycle scene. The M1 was a low-cost Revell SnapTite kit that Greg built and primed. At this month's Great Lakes Scale Modelers Club in Traverse City, Greg and I brought in the Abrams and a Tamiya Humvee he's wrapping up. I also showed a mediatronic test using the Abrams and shipping containers I built. My secret agenda was to entice another one of the club's high-level builders to help with DOG miniatures. No word on whether we hooked him yet. Meanwhile Greg is also wrapping up a more detailed Abrams tank by Cyber Hobby. With the two Abrams, a Humvee, the shipping container, skeletons, and so on, we've got most of what's needed to block the shot and take pictures.