My Front PorchSam Houston is a syndicated columnist and newspaper executive. He is also an author, playwright, actor, and entertainment producer/promoter.It has to be five o’clock somewhere!Over …

I’ve been a big fan of the Sims franchise since I encountered the first game by Will Wright, 1989’s “Sim City.” If you think micro-managing a city is a bunch of fun, then “Sim City” is for you. The game is built on an isometric grid. Zone your city for residential, commercial, and industrial, put down your roads, place a power plant and run your electrical grid to your city to power it. And don’t forget the water supply!

I was first introduced to this game by a friend back in 2009, and immediately loved it. It features an adorable little robot named Josef who’s trying to save his girlfriend Berta from the Black Cap Brotherhood gang, a bunch of bad robots who seem to have taken over his city.

Computer games have been around for almost as long as we've had computers. But until 1972, the computers weren't small enough to fit inside your house. My love of home computer gaming started in 1979, when my dad brought home a TRS80. It ran on Basic. To run a program on the computer, you had to type it in, line by line. It took days. If you wanted to create a graphic, you had to enter data for each pixel, including duration, location and color. Then you had to debug the program and make sure every line was correct, or it wouldn’t run correctly. And you couldn’t save the program either, so if you wanted to play the game again, you had to type it in again.  

My Front Porch Volume 303 for Publication the week of August 14, 2023Sam Houston is a syndicated columnist and newspaper executive. He is also an author, actor, playwright and entertainment …

I started playing "Kingdom of Loathing" (by Asymmetric Publishing) back in the old days, when the Internet was really slow. I think I still had dial up. 2003s "Kingdom of Loathing" …

I have suffered with asthma since I was a child. Attacks were usually a major incident in the spring, and a second attack in the fall. For the balance of the year, I was pretty much asthma-free. As I …

Letter to editor Will someone please explain the new type of mailboxes that are showing up on the northwest side of Azle, on Kerry and Vickie Streets. Cannot believe any homeowner would install …

FROM MY FRONT PORCH   Valentine’s Day has come and gone…thank goodness!   SAM HOUSTON Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, …

FROM MY FRONT PORCH   Valentine’s Day has come and gone…thank goodness!   SAM HOUSTON Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, …

Here’s to the pioneers!Here’s to those with pioneering spirit, both past and presentDisclaimer: For my readers in Azle, today’s headline has no reference whatsoever to our across-the-lake …

I am an old guy, almost 84 years old. What an adventure I've had to be an American. Wow! from the moment I was born in 1939, to this very day in February 2023. My dad died in 1945. My mother …

Gov. Greg Abbot has issued a disaster declaration for Texas counties affected by the early February ice storm and is seeking a federal declaration as well for areas in Southeast Texas affected by …

Icy winter weather creates a variety of unfortunate problemsWe all know the weather last week caused upheaval in everyone’s life. I do not really dislike cold weather per se, but the part of winter …

I love libraries.  Specifically, the Azle Memorial Library. We moved to Azle in the spring of 2017.  Within three weeks of our arrival, I set out to find the town’s library.  I expected to …

I love libraries.  Specifically, the Azle Memorial Library. We moved to Azle in the spring of 2017.  Within three weeks of our arrival, I set out to find the town’s library.  I expected to …

The year was 1984. I had practiced the introduction at least 30 times. I had it memorized, and I delivered it flawlessly over and over again to the mirror. As a junior at Auburn University, I co-led …

Jefferson was once one of the largest inland ports in the United States.  Riverboats brought merchandise and people to town. “They came from New Orleans up through Shreveport and they would hit …

Jefferson was once one of the largest inland ports in the United States.  Riverboats brought merchandise and people to town. “They came from New Orleans up through Shreveport and they would hit …

FROM MY FRONT PORCH   Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?   SAM HOUSTON Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, …