Once bitten, twice go fuck yourself
just some crap reviews cause im bored. enjoy. i was gonna write some concerning games that ive been enjoying lately. Dead Rising, Oblivion, the Wii, World of Warcraft, blah blah blah but i then realized i wanted to play said games. so maybe later.
BOOKS
Neuromancer by William Gibson:
Okay im cheating, ive already read this...but still i thought it was worth re-reading again because it had been awhile. as in years. so i re-read it. fantastic book. beyond the usual cyberpunkyness (is that a word? it is now) of it i found it very very sad. i dont remember that when i read it as a teenager. its possible i was too angsty and teenagerish to appreciate it, but that book is profoundly sad. any book that can evoke that kind of emotion must be fantastic.
Word War Z by Max Brooks:
A oral history of the great zombie war. what could be better?... nothing really. this just about takes the cake. im sure all of you have read this already (or at least should have), but in case you havent let me give you a summary of sorts. Max Brooks heads around the world a few short years after VZ Day to interview some key people, and some not so key people, in the winning of the zombie war. some of the stories make your heart soar because of the courage and tenacity thats displayed. others make you want to cry because it is so sad and the loss of life and humanity is immense. laugh or cry, these are the stories that make us human. every child should read this book. if nothing else then to prevent it from happening again.
Apocalypse 2012 by Lawrence E. Joseph:
I picked this one up on a whim. I was walking through borders and saw this on one of the table near the front. the title caught my eye because being the apocalyptic nut that i am means that im drawn to things on the genre. hoping that it would be a good post-apocalyptic slightly cyberpunk novel i was surprised to see that it was science not fiction. Joseph goes into detail about how the world could possibly end. Much like World War Z he goes around the world interview experts, mayan shamans and elders, scientists, and officials. he makes reading it enjoyable with personal stories while at the same time inundating it with information and scientific facts. the Mayans calculated the length of a lunar month to 29.53020 days, withing 34 seconds of what we know now to be its actual length of 29.53059 days. is it coincidence that they predict the end to be coming on 12/21/12. a year that is also a year of solar maximum in a period where the solar minimum has been more intense then past maximums, and a year when yellowstones supervolcano is predicted to blow, throwing millions of pounds of ash into the sky sending the earth into a nuclear winter and beginning of another ice age? yes, it is coincidence. doesnt mean you shouldnt read the book.
MUSIC
Mythmaker by Skinny Puppy
I have to say, i really am enjoying this CD. ive been listening to it in the car, which is to say not as much as id like. i havent gotten around to loading it into my ipod yet, which i listen to far more. but i dig it. the first track is a little iffy, but the second and third are good. its like a mix of cevin keys solo stuff, ogres solo stuff, and whoever they have guesting on the track. ive heard that most people dont like it. i dont know if these people think its a travesty that SP would make anything other then Rabies or Cleanse Fold, but bands have to grow and i like where they are growing. or maybe most people just have their head so far up noisey industrials ass that they cant appreciate anything that isnt the same beat and synth like for 20 measures a time and cant be successfully stomped too. overall a good album, i look forward to the tour.
Left of the Dial by V/A
I got this boxset for xmas. it is a collection of songs from the 80s that werent on the radio. its a huge mix of everything from Suicidal Tendencies, Mission to Burma, The Cramps, to The Pixies, Kate Bush, and Nick Cave. and a whole host of other bands youve never heard of, but you definitely know their songs. with 82 tracks on 4 CDs there is more then enough to enjoy and with only one or two repeated bands much diverse music.
Supernature by Goldfrapp
Holy crap on a crap cracker. i really dont ever get impressed by music much anymore. i bought this CD because i wanted to hear that first track. and yeah, its a great club track and super catchy. but i wasnt really impressed. i mean it had good writing and arrangement and great sounds, but nothing i hadnt heard before. but when you get to the second track it really hits home. the sounds they use and the way they put it together is really amazing. industrial bands need to take cues on this bands. they dont over layer stuff, they use restraint. something most bands cant imagine. im not saying its industrial and that we need to make industrial sound like it. im saying that these guys (well guy and girl) can handle a synthesizer with finesse and skill. and the songs are great too. i am in fact listening to it right now
CARS
Imprezza WRX STi by Subaru
Holy Motherfucking Shit. This car is fucking fast. 300 horsepower 300 ft. lbs of torque and all wheel drive. the goddamn thing rides like its on rails. i got to test drive one in the rain and since all the sales guys were busy they sent me to test drive with a porter. read: a guy who doesnt give a shit. he drove 2 blocks then let me get in the drivers seat. slowly let out the racing clutch, ease on the gas and....stall. man that clutch is delicate. the sweet spot is there, and tiny. so he says give it more gas when you let it out. result: tires squealing and launching off the line. holy christ on a crutch i want that fucking car. comfortable? not especially...but who fucking cares. 300hp with symmetrical all-wheel drive and a fucking dial to change the differential while driving!!! i mean the things got a fucking button on the dash to spray the intercooler with cold water before hitting the gas so the turbo gets nice cold air. its a fucking race car. no two way about it.
TC by Scion
At the urging of B7 i also test drove one of these. it makes a great first impression upon walking up to it. sleek body lines, great looking car. i love coupes. getting in it is surprisingly roomy. enough for a 6foot5 guy like me to drive. took it out on the street for a test drive. drove the 5 speed manual in all black. nicely fast, not too shabby. almost no body roll when cornering. only complaint i could have is it needs better suspension. too cushy for me. but that can be solved by ordering TRD springs and struts on it from the factory. Great car and most likely the one im going to buy. although i want the spoiler, just looks better.
well thats is, just some random reviews cause i was bored. enjoy. or dont...whichever. berate me if you think my opinion is crap and i know nothing. it is entirely possible. have a nice day ;)
see some of you chicago people in a week or so when i visit.
BOOKS
Neuromancer by William Gibson:
Okay im cheating, ive already read this...but still i thought it was worth re-reading again because it had been awhile. as in years. so i re-read it. fantastic book. beyond the usual cyberpunkyness (is that a word? it is now) of it i found it very very sad. i dont remember that when i read it as a teenager. its possible i was too angsty and teenagerish to appreciate it, but that book is profoundly sad. any book that can evoke that kind of emotion must be fantastic.
Word War Z by Max Brooks:
A oral history of the great zombie war. what could be better?... nothing really. this just about takes the cake. im sure all of you have read this already (or at least should have), but in case you havent let me give you a summary of sorts. Max Brooks heads around the world a few short years after VZ Day to interview some key people, and some not so key people, in the winning of the zombie war. some of the stories make your heart soar because of the courage and tenacity thats displayed. others make you want to cry because it is so sad and the loss of life and humanity is immense. laugh or cry, these are the stories that make us human. every child should read this book. if nothing else then to prevent it from happening again.
Apocalypse 2012 by Lawrence E. Joseph:
I picked this one up on a whim. I was walking through borders and saw this on one of the table near the front. the title caught my eye because being the apocalyptic nut that i am means that im drawn to things on the genre. hoping that it would be a good post-apocalyptic slightly cyberpunk novel i was surprised to see that it was science not fiction. Joseph goes into detail about how the world could possibly end. Much like World War Z he goes around the world interview experts, mayan shamans and elders, scientists, and officials. he makes reading it enjoyable with personal stories while at the same time inundating it with information and scientific facts. the Mayans calculated the length of a lunar month to 29.53020 days, withing 34 seconds of what we know now to be its actual length of 29.53059 days. is it coincidence that they predict the end to be coming on 12/21/12. a year that is also a year of solar maximum in a period where the solar minimum has been more intense then past maximums, and a year when yellowstones supervolcano is predicted to blow, throwing millions of pounds of ash into the sky sending the earth into a nuclear winter and beginning of another ice age? yes, it is coincidence. doesnt mean you shouldnt read the book.
MUSIC
Mythmaker by Skinny Puppy
I have to say, i really am enjoying this CD. ive been listening to it in the car, which is to say not as much as id like. i havent gotten around to loading it into my ipod yet, which i listen to far more. but i dig it. the first track is a little iffy, but the second and third are good. its like a mix of cevin keys solo stuff, ogres solo stuff, and whoever they have guesting on the track. ive heard that most people dont like it. i dont know if these people think its a travesty that SP would make anything other then Rabies or Cleanse Fold, but bands have to grow and i like where they are growing. or maybe most people just have their head so far up noisey industrials ass that they cant appreciate anything that isnt the same beat and synth like for 20 measures a time and cant be successfully stomped too. overall a good album, i look forward to the tour.
Left of the Dial by V/A
I got this boxset for xmas. it is a collection of songs from the 80s that werent on the radio. its a huge mix of everything from Suicidal Tendencies, Mission to Burma, The Cramps, to The Pixies, Kate Bush, and Nick Cave. and a whole host of other bands youve never heard of, but you definitely know their songs. with 82 tracks on 4 CDs there is more then enough to enjoy and with only one or two repeated bands much diverse music.
Supernature by Goldfrapp
Holy crap on a crap cracker. i really dont ever get impressed by music much anymore. i bought this CD because i wanted to hear that first track. and yeah, its a great club track and super catchy. but i wasnt really impressed. i mean it had good writing and arrangement and great sounds, but nothing i hadnt heard before. but when you get to the second track it really hits home. the sounds they use and the way they put it together is really amazing. industrial bands need to take cues on this bands. they dont over layer stuff, they use restraint. something most bands cant imagine. im not saying its industrial and that we need to make industrial sound like it. im saying that these guys (well guy and girl) can handle a synthesizer with finesse and skill. and the songs are great too. i am in fact listening to it right now
CARS
Imprezza WRX STi by Subaru
Holy Motherfucking Shit. This car is fucking fast. 300 horsepower 300 ft. lbs of torque and all wheel drive. the goddamn thing rides like its on rails. i got to test drive one in the rain and since all the sales guys were busy they sent me to test drive with a porter. read: a guy who doesnt give a shit. he drove 2 blocks then let me get in the drivers seat. slowly let out the racing clutch, ease on the gas and....stall. man that clutch is delicate. the sweet spot is there, and tiny. so he says give it more gas when you let it out. result: tires squealing and launching off the line. holy christ on a crutch i want that fucking car. comfortable? not especially...but who fucking cares. 300hp with symmetrical all-wheel drive and a fucking dial to change the differential while driving!!! i mean the things got a fucking button on the dash to spray the intercooler with cold water before hitting the gas so the turbo gets nice cold air. its a fucking race car. no two way about it.
TC by Scion
At the urging of B7 i also test drove one of these. it makes a great first impression upon walking up to it. sleek body lines, great looking car. i love coupes. getting in it is surprisingly roomy. enough for a 6foot5 guy like me to drive. took it out on the street for a test drive. drove the 5 speed manual in all black. nicely fast, not too shabby. almost no body roll when cornering. only complaint i could have is it needs better suspension. too cushy for me. but that can be solved by ordering TRD springs and struts on it from the factory. Great car and most likely the one im going to buy. although i want the spoiler, just looks better.
well thats is, just some random reviews cause i was bored. enjoy. or dont...whichever. berate me if you think my opinion is crap and i know nothing. it is entirely possible. have a nice day ;)
see some of you chicago people in a week or so when i visit.