A bit of speculative fiction showing how the world would deal with a zombie apocalypse. The book is written as a collection short vignettes, each told by a different character. Overall, it was an interesting read, but I would have preferred a bit more of a continuing narrative structure to keep me turning pages. Although, thankfully, it avoids the “the real monster is us humans” zombie fiction clichés.
I just got back from a short little weekend excursion to visit my cousins up in Windsor, Canada. Windsor can be described as Detroit’s Gary, Indiana… if Gary had weird money and lots of Tim Horton’s donut shops (or do they say shoppes in Canada? Or doughnuts for that matter?). One area where Windsor has Gary (and Chicago) whipped, is great Lebanese food (El Mayor). On the other hand, the whole “Beer Store” thing is really, dare I say, stupid and backwards. We got to witness a little bit of the Canadian healthcare system when we met our cousins at the E.R. while they had their son treated for his fevery sickness. The free thing is great and all, but they definitely had a much longer time waiting than you would see in most U.S. emergency rooms. They did manage to treat the fever and all was well by the end of the weekend. Other notable events: full monty vehicle search at the border coming home, vandalized key-drop at the Enterprise car-rental return and a guy with tourettes at the Swiss Chalet who would be an awesome back-up vocalist for Naked Raygun!
Aside from the hour or two of GTA 2 that I played on the PC years ago, this was my first Grand Theft Auto game. I don’t find that whole gangsta thing terribly appealing. However, mature rated games are very hard to come by on the DS so I decided to try this out. Having finally completed the main storyline, I have to say this one of the best games on the DS by far. The world is massive, with tons of little nooks and crannies to explore and distract you from your main goal. There is just so much attention to detail here. Every corner offers some new sights and sounds. Liberty City feels alive within those tiny screens.
Even though at its core every mission is just about either driving or shooting, there is plenty of variety in things to do. I have finished the game and there is still tons to accomplish. My only gripes are with the mediocre story and dull, trying-too-hard-to-be-funny dialogue. Otherwise, I loved the psuedo 2-D perspective, the music / ambience, and all the crazy mini-games to accomplish basic tasks. Virtual scratch-off lottery tickets? Awesome!
I have discovered the best sound to use for a new mail notification in your e-mail client. It’s the object pick-up noise form Atari’s Adventure for the 2600. I’ve attached the WAV file to this post so that you to can feel like you are grabbing the goblet next time you get a v!@gr@ ©ialis spam in your in-box!
Part of a Cabaret Voltaire three-pack I bought. Natural sounds take dominance over the usual electronic noise. If you like early Cabaret Voltaire, especially 2×45, you will like this.
Not as ska-rific as their first record, yet lacking the pop brilliance of their later records. But still, it’s Madness so it’s good.
A one-off single featuring drummer extraordinaire Martin Atkins, Jesus Lizard’s David Simms, Bowie clone Chirs Connelly and someone named Mary covering Dudley Moore’s Bedazzled. Much more groovy/trippy than the original.
A hit-or-miss collection of covers and home-recording style noodling from ex-PIL guitarist Levene. Not as grating as Metal Box era PIL, but not as catchy as later PIL either.
Raw grrrl rock backed with a cheesy Alesis 16-B drum machine.
For the first 20 minutes or so I couldn’t see why this film got such bad reviews. I was really enjoying it. And then they introduce the “love interest” and the story starts to focus on the jaded sci-fi trope of the robot who thinks he’s a man. There are plot holes galore and editing jumps that feel like place holders for commercials. We don’t care about the new terminator, all we want to see is the story of John Conner and Kyle Reese. At the very least, there are enough nods to fanboys to keep it watchable until the end (the digital surprise cameo is jaw-dropping). But the last moments of this film which are soooo cringe-worthy will make you eject the DVD with a sour taste in your mouth.
