Edward's July 2016 Mix

Had a two week vacation this month which kept me busy in real life (away from the computer) for a spell anyway. I took the time to see the Arch in St. Louis, Missouri with a friend I’ve known a very long time. You gave me memories that will last me all the days of my life. And the City Museum gave me a chance to visit a world Jules Verne would have created had he been alive today, again, thank you. Despite my real world adventures, I had to report back home to the mother ship as always, and was able to accomplish the following:

1.      The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft  on Kindle: I’m about 75% through this tome. Despite the similar vein that seems to run through each of Lovecraft’s stories, the man definitely carried the baton between Edgar Allan Poe and our modern day, Stephen King. Lovecraft definitely honed his craft in each ensuing story. It’s like watching a glorious woodwork appear out of a tree stump from a simple penknife. I’m currently reading “At the Mountains of Madness” and I can kind of get a taste of what possibly inspired, John W. Campbell’s famous short story, “Who Goes There?” which was later made into two stellar movies, The Thing From Another World and John Carpenter’s The Thing.

2.      Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 on Blu Ray: Just finished this remarkable season. At this point the characters are starting to feel like family to me. The tumultuous arena of the writers on the show in the first two seasons appeared to have settled down by this third season since Michael Pillar took over as head writer, and he actually allowed anybody to submit a script for the series. At the time (1990) it was the only television series to accept unsolicited screenplays. Kudos to Paramount for that. The series ended on a cliffhanger, actually a part 1, of Picard being turned into a Borg. But my favorite episodes were probably “The Offspring” in which Data creates a daughter and learns a lesson in human grief, and “Sins of the Father,” in which we see Lt. Worf forever shunned by his homeplanet. The episode had me reaching for a handkerchief. And then, of course, “Deja Q” where we see Q stripped of his godlike powers and reduced to a simple human male. I also enjoyed “Transfigurations,” in which Dr. Beverly Crusher almost falls in love with an alien being rescued from an escape pod. This was Gates McFadden at her all time best.

3.      The Long Dark on PC: Despite its lack of story mode (yet) Andy Kelly, my favorite writer from PC Gamer Magazine said this game was worth playing simply for survival mode. The man was right. I picked it up on this past Steam Sale, and was immediately engrossed in its ambience. It’s a conglomeration of so many things, my winters as a child in a cabin in Indiana, John Carpenter’s stellar movie, The Thing. The winter scenarios in the first Call of Duty game. It took me three attempts to garner the achievement for staying alive for 5 days. This is a game that will keep me coming back again and again, if simply trying to stay alive for as long as I can.

4.      Assetto Corsa on PC: Still my go to PC racing sim. Another patch has been released which introduces better racing AI and better usage of pit stops. I’m at 45% now. And the game is still giving my wheel and shifter set a good workout. There is still so much untapped potential in this game; I’ve not even touched online racing yet.  

5.      Road Redemption on PC: Remember the old arcade game, Road Rash? The one where you rode a crotch rocket down western desert highways and used chains, axes, shovels and firearms to defeat fellow cyclists trekking down the same road? Well, Darkseas games has released a spiritual successor (rip off?) of that very game. I’ve never laughed so hard playing a video game. Best played with an Xbox controller, if you like arcade games this is a must buy. And the beauty of it is it’s EA, so it’s not finished yet. Still more joy to come. :P

6.      The 69 Eyes Devils on CD: Described by fans as “Goth and Roll” this is about the best way I can think of to describe them. From Finland, their lead singer sounds like an opera singer suddenly out of a job who decides to become a rock singer. If you like Type O Negative give this band a listen. I think you’ll be impressed.

  

7.      The Book of Eli on Blu Ray: I’ve mentioned this movie before on my mix. Just re-watched it. Gary Whitta, I love you. You are my childhood dreams come to fruition: a gamer who becomes Editor in Chief for PC Gamer Magazine, and ends up playing the hell out of Fallout 3, and then pens the screenplay for the best movie I’ve seen up until Mad Max: Fury Road. (Obviously another gamer’s brainchild.) I’m a big fan of spiritual movies, and Whitta’s movie made me want to go back to church. Influential.

8.      Stranger Things on Netflix: I heard too many of my friends telling me I had to check this out. I knew three of them who set out to watch the first episode and binged watched the whole season (of which only the first season exists presently.) It reminds me of something Stephen King has already covered, but it’s still compelling. Set in 1983 in the state of Indiana, it really hits home (pun intended.) There are some glaring anachronisms: Middle School wasn’t called as such back then, it was called Junior High School. The term “mouth breather,” was non existent then. And kids calling each other “douche bags” was unheard of at that time. The IMDB forums will tell you differently, but bear in mind this is Indiana, the Flinstones’ Bedrock of America. We would have been the last state to become “in the know.” This is X-Files mingled with a late 70’s early 80’s Stephen King miniseries. Wynona Rider's role as a hysterically grieving mother who believes her son is still alive is played impeccably. But the real star of this show is the music. I even watch the opening credits each time because I love the music accompanying it. It's as if John Carpenter, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream all came together to compose the soundtrack. And not to mention, Joy Division. It’s well worth a Netflix subscription.