Max Ernst

My problem is that Huxley had an interesting premise, that of reflexivity through adversity, and buried it with an audience surrogate who made no sociological or anthropological sense. I understand that Bernard fully rejecting the only thing he knows is too much to ask, but the savage came from strange circumstances and yet is extremely well adjusted and very intelligent. He doesn't experience any real culture shock, just a fundamental, cerebral disagreement with the city's institutions. Also, characters were flat and chemistry between them was non existent.

Just want to go and say that I didn't care for Brave New World as much as I initially thought. I chewed it over and there are too many holes in the book's message to really endorse it wholeheartedly.

The Verve are cool and their second album is weird and kicks ass.

After Brave New World (which I really liked), I am about to start Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea because I am trying to read less books by white dudes.

Correcting a literary blind spot by finally reading Brave New World. Out of all the dystopian future societies, I would say that Idiocracy still looks to be the most accurate.

If you like Nightvale, one of the creators used to write for the Something Awful front page and was consistently great. Here are his archives. I have a soft spot for this article.

That's interesting to note because Camus' whole jam was that life's meaning was to be created and cultivated by the individual and not the universe. His philosophy assumes that a lack of universal order and meaning is not the end, but the beginning of the self's journey and realisation. An indifferent universe means that human agency is the key to a satisfactory life. Where as, as you have said, Hemingway's characters are philosophically treading water. I disagree that it makes for dull reading. I like watching the struggle, because the struggle is never validated. Everyone is still miserable and unhappy because they do not have direction. It may not ask the philosophical questions that The Plague does, as 'direction' is a societal creation rather than a cosmic question, but it beautifully shows how an absence of direction and expectation does not increase freedom and opportunity, but instead creates a sense of emptiness within the self.

Are you like me, and when you see your iPhone full of music you become paralysed by choice? Do you just go to a playlist because you don't know what you actually feel like listening to? Do you have dozens of album you have only listened to a handful of times, only to leave a fuzzy impression on your memory? Remember when you used to love records, front to back, knowing every word and every little sound buried in the mix? Do what I did: delete all your music on your portable device. Start again. Download three or four albums, and listen to those. Forcing yourself to listen to records is the best way to know and love them. The four albums I currently have are Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap, Minor Threats EP Collection, Black Marble's Weight Against the Door, and Tim Hecker's The Piano Drop. Here is my favourite song from the Black Marble record. If you like Joy Division style poppy bass with eerie, distant keyboard sounds, this will be your jam.

If you are interested, here is an interesting article that provides an evolutionary explanation of our over-sharing culture. I'm not entirely convinced by the article's arguments, I think it is a bit narrow, as it doesn't address our culture of narcissism. Still, worth reading if you are interested. To be clear, I am not anti-social media. I have two social networks in my forums signature, and I am writing this message on an internet bulletin board. I just think that privacy is an important part of identity management and social agency and to have it stripped away by our own desire to document and project is worrying.

Privacy will be the final form of rebellion.

Just got around to finishing the latest chapter of Kentucky Route Zero. Surprise! It's still the best game ever made. If you like Kafka or Brazil you will like this chapter. Also, I like how the game lets you figure out what the major, overarching plot is without banging you over the head with it. I am fairly certain I have it figured out, but it's exciting to see the premise explored through further chapters.

This book and A Farewell to Arms are extremely tender and do not live up to Hemingway's reputation. They are about love, loss and struggling to live up to your own moral code. This book in particular isn't about good people. It's about flawed individuals who are just treading water, with no purpose, and struggle to find any happiness. They have every luxury available to them, but they are miserable because they are not chasing something. The epigraph is extremely important, I believe. Also, I love the understated prose, so this book is a joy to read. He is incredible at saying so much with so little.

Oh hey, the dialogue in Infinite was super corny so if this is a game with a lot of voice over trying to emulate a Marlowe voice I think I will give it a miss. That said, I always liked this image from Bioshock 2, so the setting appeals to me. I am just skeptical that I can stomach a game that will possibly force a groan from me every two minutes.

"Billy, come to dinner. Your father's getting mad that your food is going cold!" "In a second, mom! I'm just here tearing this indie guy apart because he thinks he is so much better than me. I'll show him." (Important detail to make this amazing satire work: the son is fat and white).

I am a little into The Flamethrowers and I want to echo everyone's love for it. It's one of those books that hooks you with the premise, and then keeps you gripped with its excellent storytelling and characters.

It parodies such a specific area of television, that the acting just has to be bad. Also, the dialogue is wonderfully terrible, in that it tries to be super wordy and edgy but comes out incomprehensible.

As far as British comedies go, it doesn't get much better than Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.

Comedy's don't get more overrated than The Mighty Boosh. Being zany and 'cute' isn't a sufficient substitute for quality. How is Lauren Lapkus in this? I'm a big fan of her work.

Starting Heart of Darkness for the first time and it has that classic text feel where a wonderfully executed story is also very much racist.

We should thank the internet lord (Steve Jubs?!) that podcasts are a thing, because they exposed me to James Adomian. What a wonderful, strange man.

The new Pixies song is bad and I can't see why they went "oh wow, this underwhelming cut is definitely the way we should break out musical silence".

My local bookstore still doesn't have this in stock. I'm getting impatient.

I honestly think the bond between the two characters is so much more natural and meaningful than any other game. I love how empathy was created (like the tragic fish scene), and how the ending (which plays upon an old philosophical thought experiment) tests the experiences of the entire game and the limits of the friendship. Also, the dialogue wasn't corny and the game didn't rely on any tropes so it is already better than most video games.

It links in to some Korean text that was on the Steam twitter that said referenced the unforeseen consequences speech in HL2:E2. I think it is going to be the Summer sale so let's not lose our shit.