Retro Rogue Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Here's how the "Atari Landfill" episode of Mythbusters would likely look: If they were looking for a mythical vault. The Atari landfill isn't mythical, what's often told to be in it (5 million ET cartridges) is. What a dig up of the landfill would most likely look like (ignoring the concrete cap) is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrkCAevrCF8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 The dump was not 5 million copies of E.T., that's the myth. Agreed. I think years ago we argued back and forth about this before realizing we were on the same page. Companies dump products a lot, it's not uncommon to get rid of even perfectly fine working equipment and products. The fact people were saying almost no E.T. sold, and that the ones that did sell were returned is the myth. I know lots of people that had E.T. as a kid. The fact every lot on eBay contains an E.T. should be a clue at least some were kept. Not only do I not know anyone who returned a copy of E.T. I don't even recall us discussing about how we hated it, or that we were even considering return it. The game was great fun I always thought! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarigal Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Here's how the "Atari Landfill" episode of Mythbusters would likely look: Geraldo was so much more entertaining when he was getting bashed in the face with chairs and blasting through vaults. But, ya know, even if you found an Atari landfill site and dug down and pulled out some squished garbage, people would still say you weren't digging in the RIGHT landfill. It's an unsolvable mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Here's how the "Atari Landfill" episode of Mythbusters would likely look: Geraldo was so much more entertaining when he was getting bashed in the face with chairs and blasting through vaults. But, ya know, even if you found an Atari landfill site and dug down and pulled out some squished garbage, people would still say you weren't digging in the RIGHT landfill. It's an unsolvable mystery. Geraldo can check out my closet anytime....he's bound to find about 40 copies of ET in a box with a bunch of busted joysticks and consoles waiting for repair!!!! (a much better haul than Al C's vaults) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Was it even POSSIBLE to return a opened game for a refund in those days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Was it even POSSIBLE to return a opened game for a refund in those days? Yes, no problem usually. Even disk-based games. I did it, so I know first-hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbudrick Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 The difference between this and the Capone vault would be if MythBusters found nothing people would still perpetuate the myth saying they dug in the wrong spot. Well, that and the ratings. -Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 The difference between this and the Capone vault would be if MythBusters found nothing people would still perpetuate the myth saying they dug in the wrong spot. They'd try to dig with a frozen chicken and come to the conclusion that holes cannot be dug with a frozen chicken, therefore no hole was ever dug in the first place and that means no cartridges were buried. After they receive enough negative fan mail, they'll try to dig with those little plastic shovels that kids use at the beach. The most important question isn't "Are millions of E.T. cartridges buried there?" the most important question is "What is the Harmony Cartridge?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickNixonArisen Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I agree about mythbusters... they don't usually explore every avenue - like when they tried to figure out if a gun could split open and flower like Elmer Fudd's; they welded a piece of metal into the barrel to block the shot - that actualy Strengthened it. Also, to be really accurate, they'd need to try various barrel weights representative of what has been used historically and even different types of metal etc etc etc. I think most people understand that the landfill exists but only some believe that such a large number of ET carts were crushed and buried there. Anyone have any informed idea of what game carts crushed and buried for thiry years would look like? Is there some way to find reports of what equipment WAS destroyed and buried and what procedures were used for the destruction? My song - alamogordo pitfall Five million aliens lost under the desert sands such a friendly face, buried in a lonely place roswell, new mexico - you don't even know now I'm in some deep shit, get me out of this damn pit i want reese's pieces bits, i want my telephone kit 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Okay, good points made by everyone above.Here's MY own little conclusion on the matter.There is definitely some "Atari product" buried at the site possibly buried with other waste and whether or not a small number or millions of E.T carts along with it? I don't know and "I'M" fine with that.That's not saying i think others who believe the E.T. part are wasting their time insisting or trying to prove it as fact because any more info is a good thing, each to his/her own, and i hope more info is revealed, it's always fun and interesting to read about this stuff anyways, that's what this discussion thread is all about!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 ...Anyone have any informed idea of what game carts crushed and buried for thiry years would look like? Interestingly, things buried in a landfill, even organic material, can end up breaking down very slowly if there is no oxygen (or other reactive materials nearby). I read somewhere that after 20 years or something, a hot dog was dug up from a landfill under 10 feet of other garbage, and it was still intact. I would suspect that bits of metal and plastic, unless buried with a bunch of banana peels and rotting meat would probably be preserved pretty much the way it started, especially if it was encased in cement. Also, if large piles of ET carts were driven over with a steam roller, I would expect some, possibly most, of the small cartridge-size pc boards to be unbroken. Regarding the economic feasibility of finding and liberating any functional ET carts, eventually at some time in the future (although it may be centuries), those potential games will become more valuable than the cost to dig for them. We therefore have a responsibility to future historians to make sure we preserve this thread, and continue to add our individual wisdom to it. They can sort everything out when some archaeologist eventually commissions a dig at the site of what was once the mythical Atari New Mexico landfill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixitguy74 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Here's how the "Atari Landfill" episode of Mythbusters would likely look: Geraldo was so much more entertaining when he was getting bashed in the face with chairs and blasting through vaults. But, ya know, even if you found an Atari landfill site and dug down and pulled out some squished garbage, people would still say you weren't digging in the RIGHT landfill. It's an unsolvable mystery. Geraldo can check out my closet anytime....he's bound to find about 40 copies of ET in a box with a bunch of busted joysticks and consoles waiting for repair!!!! (a much better haul than Al C's vaults) He could, but once he's in there, would he be willing to come out of the closet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 The percentage interested in proving the cartridge landfill is VERY small compared to the rest of the population, realistically the rest of the world couldn't give a RATS ASS.Forget about Myth Busters doing this, that has already been discussed numerous times before in this thread, NOT the type of thing they would do period.Well for example, Myth Busters tried to solve the Jimmy Hoffa where he was buried mystery some argue, so why not the Atari landfill? because the Hoffa thing holds a high interest with the general population.This is something classic gaming buffs would have to do on their own time and expense because no TV show will.Maybe the Atari landfill mystery has never been proven because "we", a relatively small community wait for the media to do it.If the damn site exists and the location known, is it too hard or too much to ask to dig for the evidence?, i mean it's not like this is Ultra Top Secret military Technology or highly poisonous waste or something.I don't understand all the supposed controversy by the media and hush hush attitude, why all the secrecy?, it's just damn game cartridges, or is it something else? It's not "damn game cartridges" those are only a small subset of what's buried there. Honestly it's a non-issue, there's nothing to be proved about a landfill being there. This was one of (emphasis on one of) the dump sites they had around the country and it was a couple different lines of cartridges, unsold computer and peripheral inventory, and other related products. The dump was not 5 million copies of E.T., that's the myth. Likewise as far as digging - it's a landfill that had everything crushed (steamrolled) and then concrete poured over as a cap. Then dirt on top of that and now a parking lot. Besides getting permission to break through that parking lot, you're talking about equipment for digging down at least 15-20 feet, breaking through a concrete cap, and then extracting the crushed muck of what's left down there. Then resealing the cap, putting the dirt pack, and fixing the parking lot. How is the expense justified for that just to verify something we already know (there's a landfill of Atari products there) and verify that the myth attached to it (it's a landfill of 5 million E.T. carts) is still just that - a myth? I get what you're saying and I agree.It's the naysayers that don't believe, some have to make a conspiracy out of EVERYTHING, and demand PROOF.I should of explained better, I MEANT, let the naysayers get together at THEIR expense and prove it among themselves if they want.Me myself I have more important things to worry about, but if others would want to do this, fine, it's their choice to do so, and I'm totally okay with that.Another thing, is it necessary to go to all that trouble to bury waste if it is not toxic or Hazardous to humans and the environment?, I'm not a waste expert so i don't know myself.Unless the "Atari" waste was buried together with other waste that IS toxic and hazardous, then why go through all the trouble with concrete, were they hiding something else.That something else doesn't necessarily mean Atari was up to anything clandestine, just doesn't make sense why they would pay for such an elaborate, (expensive i might add) burial for waste that they lost millions on in the 1st place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My song - alamogordo pitfall Five million aliens lost under the desert sands such a friendly face, buried in a lonely place roswell, new mexico - you don't even know now I'm in some deep shit, get me out of this damn pit i want reese's pieces bits, i want my telephone kit This is one of the funnier things I have read in a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mock Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Haven't we let this thread go yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mock Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Haven't we let this thread go yet? nope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Haven't we let this thread go yet? nope! No good bump goes unpunished. You must watch the two videos below and read every page in the related links section near the bottom of this post. There will be a test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAoIThBDyA&rel=0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh4U3BwlTcY&rel=0 Related Links: To What Degree Do You Love E.T.? E.T. Manual and Tips Sheet Map E.T. Tips and Reminders E.T. Appreciation Page E.T. Cake 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtshark7 Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I think RT played way too much E.T. I hate taking test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Grade on a curve. I'll get 100%, so everyone else will be screwed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I'll just skip the homework, say I don't like E.T. as a game (but am fascinated with the interest in "The Legend of the Landfill") and if I am forced to take a test, will just get the answers from the end of the chapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinKarpis Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Just read this entire thread and loved it! Took about 3 hours with doing things around the house every 30 mins or so It was well worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGameCollector Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 The OP should have posted the so called video on youtube. (Unless youtube was unusable back in 2005). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 The OP should have posted the so called video on youtube. (Unless youtube was unusable back in 2005). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February of 2005, on which users can upload, share and view videos. A lot of us didn't know that YouTube existed until late 2005 or the first quarter of 2006. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahfish Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) The most important question isn't "Are millions of E.T. cartridges buried there?" the most important question is "What is the Harmony Cartridge?" i've always wondered what the Harmonyca Rtridge is .... some unreleased prototype burried in a desert? Edited September 6, 2011 by jahfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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