MC Frontalot - It Is Pitch Dark
MC Frontalot5 HN recommenders · recommended in 5 months, 2012–2026
music · general · evergreen · 2012–2026 on HN
MC Frontalot's nerdcore rap about the text adventure Zork, made for Jason Scott's Get Lamp documentary and featuring a cameo by Steve Meretzky. It was filmed over an evening in a basement.
HN shares it whenever Zork or text adventures come up, as a fun tribute for geeks.
Up next
1 mo on HNCode Monkey
spiffworld
1 HN recommend · 2020–2021
3 mo on HNWild Tricks for Greenscreen in Blender
IanHubert
3 HN recommender · 2020–2026
6 mo on HNRobust-first computing: Demon Horde Sort (full version)
Dave Ackley
3 HN recommender · 2015–2023
2 mo on HNPrejudice by Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin
1 HN recommend · 2015–2026
1 mo on HNTed Nelson's Eulogy for Douglas Engelbart
Computer History Museum
1 HN recommend · 2018–2025
5 mo on HNEric Bier Demonstrates Cedar
Computer History Museum
3 HN recommender · 2020–2025
5 mo on HNWorld Building in Blender - Ian Hubert
Blender
4 HN recommender · 2019–2026
2 mo on HNUnbelievably busy bicycle crossing in Amsterdam
Thomas Schlijper
2 HN recommender · 2021–2026
11 mo on HNVideo explains the world's most important 6-sec drum loop
Landon Proctor
15 HN recommender · 2011–2026
10 mo on HNFear the Boom and Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek - The Original Economics Rap Battle!
Radical Discourse
10 HN recommender · 2010–2024
6 mo on HNAdriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol
Le Pietre Rotolanti
6 HN recommender · 2016–2024
4 mo on HNYoutube duet: Miles Davis improvising on LCD Soundsystem
Alessandro Grespan
4 HN recommender · 2021–2024
9 comments from Hacker News
MC Frontalot - It Is Pitch Dark: ▶ this video >Front geeked around for an evening in a basement in Massachusetts. It got filmed in HD. Then Jason Scott made a whole video out of it. The song and the video are in service of Jason's upcoming documentary about text adventures, Get Lamp, but you get to enjoy it now. Peek the cameo by Steve Meretzky. "Get Lamp" documentary: link Trailers: link Full archive: link Interviews: link
Wrong game, but I expect that's the joke! Now enjoy this immortal tribute: MC Frontalot - It is Pitch Dark ▶ this video
Rap can be as diverse in terms of subject matter and style as any other musical genre. If you want some more "nerd" or parody rap here's some MC Frontalot[0] and Optimus Rhyme[1] that HN might enjoy. [0] ▶ this video [1] link
I feel that this post also needs a link to MC Frontalot's It Is Pitch Dark[1]. Also starring Steve Meretzky. [1]: ▶ this video
For those who aren't familiar with MC Frontalot, might I suggest you check out "It is Pitch Dark," his rap about Zork. ▶ this video
I take it you never played The Sims? The simulation madness ship sailed 26 years ago, if not in 1986 with SimCity! ;) Palm is a fictional character in a text adventure — same tradition as Zork, LambdaMOO, and every MUD since 1978. The emojis are deliberate (navigation aids for LLMs, actually, and ethical simulated person flagging). The whimsy is intentional. I've been building simulated characters, world and city building tools since before The Sims shipped. This is just the next iteration. You may recognize tributes to many classic simulated characters in MOOLLM. MC Frontalot - It Is Pitch Dark: ▶ this video The Grue monster carries his own game mechanics with him, eating you if you go for long enough in the maze without your lamp lit: grue: link The Wumpus has prototypes for his game playing pieces in his character directory: link wumpus-snorax: link BOTTOMLESS-PIT.yml: link SUPERBATS.yml: link And yes, it works great, and is fun and easy to author, for much less money than Steve's costly "Infinite Number of Typewriters Communicating Via Carrier Pigeon" approach.
In MOOLLM Adventures, you can have NPC characters with entire game mechanics, rules, and playing piece prototypes embedded in them, that can run cooperatively in parallel in the same game! The Grue — The Darkness That IS The Game: link Hint: GET LAMP link MC Frontalot - It Is Pitch Dark: ▶ this video Snorax the Patient — The Wumpus Who IS The Game link Bottomless Pit: link Superbats: link Hunt the Wumpus BASIC source code from 1973 to resolve any rule ambiguities: link With a classic Zork mailbox integrated with the postal system, including junk mail, stamp collecting, chain mail, and offers you can't refuse: link Postal System: link Not to be confused with the Postel System: link
If this predicament seems particularly cruel, consider whose fault it could be: not a torch or a match in your inventory. MC Frontalot - It Is Pitch Dark ▶ this video Featuring Steve Meretzky! link
"You are likely to be eaten by a Grue. If this predicament seems particularly cruel, consider whose fault it might be; not a torch or a match in your inventory." ▶ this video