#321 Contact

[thefugitivesaint]

Al Nagy (1907-1981), ''321 Contact Magazine'', October 1982 Source

[schibborasso]

START >< FINISH 1979

[nerds-yearbook]

On its 7th season, 3-2-1 Contact aired its final episode on November 18, 1988 ("Island: Conch", 3-2-1 Contact, TV, event)

[ryansholin]

How many times per week does this song pop into your head, on average?

Is more than 12 normal?

[xtrablak674]

I've Never Been Stopped by a Cop

I’m a Black man living in New York City and I’ve never been stopped by the police. I suppose I should be more specific, I’ve never been stopped and frisked by the police. And for absolute transparency I have gotten summons, two for riding my bike on the sidewalk and one for trespassing which I deliberately did fully aware that a patrol car was watching but that isn’t this story.

I was participating in a discussion amongst Black men and a scenario where police pulled guns on me and my family in our car as we pulled up to our home. Umm first I’m a bachelor and haven’t any children, so this scenario is dead in the water. A college friend that was in my breakout group prodded an adjustment to the scenario and I stated something equivalent of the first sentence in this piece. The bigger question was why hadn’t they? And for purposes of discussion I’m a dark-skinned Black person with locs that reach to tip of my spine. You would think that this would make me a prime candidate for getting swooped up in some mistaken identity situation but that has never happened.

As a child my interaction with police was negligible if not totally non-existent. I want to be careful not to get into respectability politics, but I was a good kid and a fair teenager. I can recall an incident in high school where a couple of my friends had gotten pinched by Tower Records security for shop lifting some CD’s, and I was with the ladies one who was clearly of European descent the other Latina, we called ourselves 3-2-1 Contact because of our natural diversity. Our understanding of the law seemed to differ greater than our ethnic backgrounds.

I have always been a sensible person even as a child, I was never prone to peer pressure ever, I had a clear understanding of my mind and what I would do and what I wouldn’t do. It didn’t seem particularly sensible to me as a young Black male to be participating in petty theft especially in a neighborhood adjacent to Lincoln Center, where we went to school. Furthermore I was being raised in a very Christian home by my grandparents who would be disappointed in me for not using good sense.

My mother had always encouraged me to use ‘common sense’ it seemed to be the most important thing in the world and even though she had passed, her lesson had not. Common sense ruled my decisions in a way that made me a pariah amongst my peers. I had no interest in drinking having witnessed drunken family members be abusive to others, I also hadn’t the slightest desire to try that wacky tobacco that seems so intertwined with adolescence. My father and mother both partook of the herb and as a boy I had said not for me to all of the vices and even within the last decade sex, but that is another story.

In all attempts to disseminate all pertinent details I think it’s also good to know I’m a pedestrian, and most of my peer group is probably tired of me talking about how this is a multi-generational trait going back as far as my great grandfather. But like myself and his other son my father never had a drivers license, which is and isn’t peculiar to me because like him I was raised for a time in a two car home and hadn’t the slightest bit of interest in learning to drive still don’t. I haven’t been invited to that century old club of Driving While Black because well I don’t drive.

I do walk though and ever since my dad dragged me all over New York City on subways and buses, I have always walked with a clear destination and purpose. I’m not a lingerer I’m a fast paced impeccable dressed New Yorker. I’m not sure if my pace has made me seem less suspect or the fact that my fashion lends itself to a very non-traditional urban style. This too was a choice I made in my formative years when my peers were running around trying to follow the latest fad in clothing I made a clear attempt to distinguish myself with my unique choices.

Some of these decisions were made because I thought my grandparents had a fixed income, my grandmother was the No Frills Queen, this was a generic store brand often found at Pathmark. I wouldn’t learn till way into my adulthood that I was being raised in a two income middle class household. This is important because my clothes were purchased by my grandmother usually at the Macy’s discount outlet or Burlington Coat Factory.

Due to my mother’s passing and my separation from my siblings, I was a bit withdrawn as a pre-adolescent and teenager. I would stay in the house making my own toys, reading comic books and creating my own worlds which I never really left unless I had to go to school or church on Sundays. Once again I’m not attempting to justify the behavior of the white supremacist tendencies of the NYPD, but I wasn’t a typical child and I grew into an atypical adult.

A queer adult who currently identifies as non-binary transgender. But when I was still gay and had a penchant for wearing Daisy Dukes and thigh high moccasins I still never fell under the purview of the boys in blue, I even dated a couple of cops who in my opinion had a bit more baggage than your average date.

I’m left with the question what about me makes me worthy or unworthy of being stopped and frisked? Does my non-traditional performance of masculinity factor in the equation or is in my private college education? I didn’t even know I was being raised in an upper middle class household but I did know that I wasn’t living at the poverty level anymore not that I even knew that because my life was so full of abundance. My dark chocolate complexion which had faced all kinds of colorism, didn’t seem to rate.

What makes some Black people suspects and others not?

[Photo by Brown Estate]

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

Normally we don’t try to hide things in plain sight - it’s such a cliche’ way for ciphers to be laid out. In the episode of “The Bloodhound Gang” from 3-2-1 Contract they learned that “ELJB PTBBQ ELJB” actually means “HOME SWEET HOME”. That’s a cute HORIZONTAL code, but what if your hidden info is VERTICALLY hidden in plain sight? Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion to this conundrum!

Aries 

Hotels are rife with murder mysteries, it seems. And one of the best murder mystery movies has GOT to be 1985’s “CLUE”. The cast is amazing, the deliveries are on point, and if you wanted to see the full movie you needed to watch it THREE Times… Hey, that’s a clue to the “Home Sweet Home” puzzle. So This Week… Tim Curry said this was his favorite film that he appears in. Why this instead of Muppet Treasure Island? Watch them both and think about it.

Taurus 

Every once in a while there’s what feels like a punishment thanks to The Universe. Feeling like you got one step forward and four steps back. Yes it feels worse than the more common version of the expression, and that’s why we said it. Just remember it’s not that you deserved it, but that sometimes Bad Things just Happen. So This Week… When the next rain storm happens, change into your swimsuit and stand out in the rain. Close your eyes and just listen to the rain falling on you. It’ll be soothing for your mind.

Gemini  

Attention to detail is going to help you solve this week’s code, and you’re one of the people we expect to solve the challenge first. It’s not the same attention as so many others have, you just hate it when things are out of order… kinda like how everyone else’s Horrible-Scope is in 12 point font, but yours is 11.5. Oh, now you’re going to want to check it for yourself, won’t you? Typical. So This Week… Do you have any idea how predictable you are? Look up what “The Batman Gambit” is, because it was written about you. 

Cancer Moon-Child 

Recreating entire Solar Systems on your computer with Universe Sandbox is fascinating! Imagine it - giving Earth rings like Saturn’s, just to see what the skies would look like is cool and all… But what happens if you replace the Sun with a Black Hole of equal mass? You know what happens? You know how long until the Earth falls into it? So This Week… Study up on your orbital mechanics, because we’re pretty sure you got the answer wrong.

Leo 

Tango Dancing is sexy as hell. You don’t think you can do it, but have we got news for you - not only CAN you, but we bet you’ll be great at it! All you need to do is learn the dance steps, then learn how to be aware of everyone around you, where they’re moving to, where you’re leading to, make sure you don’t fall over any chairs, and all the while explain right where you’re leading your partner without uttering a word or keeping eye contact. Simple, right? So This Week… Take a dancing class and learn how to do this. You’ll become the sexiest version of yourself in no time! Trust Us! 

Virgo 

Silly, silly Virgo! You thought The Stars were going to be demeaning to you, but you learned otherwise. Not everyone is looking to insult you. You’ve just been gut-punched so many times that you’re expecting it even when it’s not going to happen. You need something resembling vacation time. So This Week… The term, “demeaning” means “to talk down to someone”. We thought you’d like to know.

Libra

Terrible things are waiting to happen to you. But then you’ve had terrible things happen to you already. You’re still here, still making your way through, and still someone we believe in. So This Week… Was this the ‘Scope that only tells lies, or the one that only tells the truth? Which door will you choose? Which. Door? 

Scorpio 

Repulsion of Like-Poles on a magnet is how MagLev transportation works - it makes trains float just over the surfaces. But did you know that it’s possible, if not maybe efficient, to use that same system on a planetary scale! Imagine it! Orbiting a planet and using its own magnetic field to adjust your velocity and direction. It’s almost science fiction, right? So This Week… Every evolution in human transportation has been a change in how we push against something. See if you can envision how we can Fall Into something instead. And, yes, technically that’s Star Trek Warp Drive, but so what? Work on it!

Sagittarius 

In case you’re unaware of the course of tonight’s clue-fest, you’re an important part of it all. Oh, as just yourself you’re not a make-or-break, but when you work with everyone else you’re the bridge that connects all the dots. Does that mean you need to print out this week’s Horrible-Scopes and connect all the periods with red markers to see the secret message? Oh, come on, now. Do you really think we’re that good with spacing everything out? So This Week… Get a cork board, red thread, and some push-pins. You might, and we repeat, MIGHT just find what’s encoded in these Scopes. Good Luck. 

Capricorn 

Nothing special for you this week. But that’s not at all unusual. Because if something special happens all the time, it becomes, definitionally, common, right? And if nothing else you LOVE to be right on technicalities, right? So This Week… Did you get a DQ BLIZZARD YET?! We told you last week, we’ll tell you again: GET THEE TO A D.Q.! 

Aquarius 

Getting afraid we’re coming for you again? Relax, we’re having fun at everyone else this time, so you get to enjoy their discomfort with us. But since we need to have you learn something special, we’re going for this. So This Week… Find your local Coast Guard Station and take a boating course. Not because you’re planning on piloting a watercraft, but because you get to learn all the cool knot-tying techniques.

Pisces  

So you think you’re the special one in the group, do you? Just because you come last doesn’t mean we’re letting you off the hook here. You heard all the other clues, all the ideas on how to find the message, and now it’s up to you to figure it out. We’ve got you a really cool clue on how you can find the solution. So This Week… Download this week’s ‘Scopes, remove all the control and special characters, do a ROT13 encode on it, feed THAT through a UUDECODE utility, and finally find a program that’ll display an Amiga IFF-ILBM image. You thought this was going to be easy? HA! Shows what YOU know!

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.

[the-haunted-toybox]

[stelly38]

Iconic imagery from my childhood. Looks like someone compiled a couple different opens from the show in the eighties. I remember the first one best.

[miscpav]

3-2-1 Contact Opening Theme/Intro (1983-1986)

[lgmindustries]

Girl On Beach With Flying Avocados

[gothhabiba]

[ID: Several photos of a cross-stitch piece with colorful geometric designs. End ID]

Fiber art auction to benefit Palestine

This is a copy of a cushion from Al-Khalil (Hebron), stitched in cotton embroidery thread on cream linen. It is suitable as wall art, or to be repurposed as a cover for a cushion, tote bag, &c. The linen is slightly sheer and will show some color from whatever is placed behind it. Thread from behind the canvas is all tucked away and does not show from the front. :)

Bidding starts at $100 USD and proceeds in $5 increments. Bidding to be done in the replies or through my DMs (I will update the highest bid in the replies).

Payment will be in the form of a donation receipt to any verified evacuation fundraiser from Gaza. This means that 100% of the price you pay goes into the fundraiser, with nothing deducted for shipping or materials.

Bidding ends on May 9th at 0:00 UTC (May 8th 8:00pm EST) with a soft close (each bid extends auction time by 1 hour).

This is a physical product and you will need to be willing to give me a shipping address.

Do contact me with requests for commissions :)

9.5" x 11.25" (24 x 28.5cm)

Cotton on linen

Stats for nerds:

Stitched 3 over 2 on 28 count linen evenweave (14 stitches per inch)

Knotless back

Colors are: DMC 310, 321, 336, 732, 743, 818, 947, 29, 3805

Pattern from Stickerei aus Palästina, traditioneller 'Fallahi' Kreuzstich, Widad Kamel Kawar and Tania Tamari Nasir, 1992, p. 77.

Here is the back:

[sfstranslations]

UPDATE: The S-Ranks That I Raised (321)

“I’m not really interested in anything else. Other than stuff related to you, there’s only one thing I can say I’m interested in, and that’s fighting.”

Read Chapter 321: Brothers Fighting (1) now!

Request access to the My S-Ranks translations by sending us your email through our contact form.

[gooberscollage]

This has been in my drafts since April and it needs to go lol. Just two 80s ads.

1. 321 Contact Magazine - December 1985

2. 321 Contact Magazine - June 1985

[apod]

2023 September 21

Tagging Bennu Image Credit: OSIRIS-REx, University of Arizona, NASA, Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio

Explanation: The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's arm reached out and touched asteroid 101955 Bennu on October 20, 2020, after a careful approach to the small, near-Earth asteroid's boulder-strewn surface. Dubbed a Touch-And-Go (TAG) sampling event, the 30 centimeter wide sampling head (TAGSAM) appears to crush some of the rocks in this close-up recorded by the spacecraft's SamCam. The image was snapped just after surface contact some 321 million kilometers from planet Earth. One second later, the spacecraft fired nitrogen gas from a bottle intended to blow a substantial amount of Bennu's regolith into the sampling head, collecting the loose surface material. And now, nearly three years later, on Sunday, September 24, that sample of asteroid Bennu is scheduled to arrive on planet Earth. The sample return capsule will be dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft as it makes a close flyby of Earth. Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire its thrusters to divert past Earth and continue on to orbit near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230921.html

[angelasscribbles]

Cordonian Karaoke: Riley Take 4

Series: Cordonian Karaoke

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Characters: Drake Walker, Liam Rys, Riley Brooks, and the rest of the gang

Rating: Fun                                                                                  

Warnings: Depicts drunkenness generally

Word count: 321

Everything else: Master list.

It’s karaoke night in Cordonia and everyone is drunk. Drake persists in singing suggestive songs while shooting suggestive glances in Riley’s direction and dragging her up onto the stage for duets. Duets about lovers.

Riley has had enough. Leaning over she whispers softly in his ear, “I'm calling your bluff”, before making her way to the stage with a mischievous glint in her eye.

She flips through the book, chooses her song, and makes direct eye contact with Drake before giving a mesmerizing rendition of Love Karaoke by Blaire Reinhard keeping her eyes locked on him the entire time.

On her way back to her seat she drags her fingers across the back of his shoulders and then retakes her seat. Oblivious to the others at the table, she takes a long sip of her drink then makes direct eye contact with him and runs her tongue over her upper lip.

Riley: (stands up) I'll be up late in my room if anyone wants to drop by later. One time offer.

Drake: (eyes wide like a deer in the headlights, watches her leave then spins to the others) She didn't mean.... She wasn't.... You don’t think.....

Max: Dude. I'm fucking gay and even I know....

Hana: are you really this dense? (Then under her breath to herself) what the hell does she see in you?

Liam: (returning from the restroom) What did I miss?

Drake: Riley….

Max: No!

Hana: Nothing!

Liam: (retakes his seat) okay….

Drake: I’m drunk, you should go home! I mean you’re drunk; I should go home. I mean…..

Max: (leans toward him) You’re drunk and you should go home?

Drake: Yeah, thanks, buddy! Bye now! (Claps Max on the shoulder and bolts from the room).

Liam: Where’s Riley?

Max: (pulling him out of his chair) Never mind that, it’s your turn, let’s go sing! Have you ever considered men?

Liam: What?

Max: (laughs nervously) Nothing, never mind.