Today I'm going to write of whatever comes to my mind. Firstly - the computer and internet. Take a step back sometimes, and look at your screen. No, I mean look at it - look at the frame, look at the objects besides it (a pen stand, a fruit basket and a handkerchief in my case). It's a window - to everything! Who'd have ever thought a century ago that amidst a bunch of pens and apples, a foot away from the nearest wall, is a window. A magical, mysterious window suspended by a hinge. You look from the back and you see a black surface with a logo on it, but look from the front and you can see concerts from around the world. You can read articles written by unknown people from around the world, as you are reading this one. Look away, look at your room. You may be in some dingy basement, or in a tiny 3m x 3m room in some hostel in some college, or even lying in the sunset, with red rays emblazoned on the shores. But look back at the screen, and you're in an entirely different world, maybe even in multiple worlds. Ctrl + tab, and I'm reading about the city of Constantinople on Wikipedia (another unappreciated website, by the way), Ctrl + tab again, and I'm reading Painting for Beginners. What I'm stating may seem obvious or unappealing to some, but just take a step back, and look.
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Ikuinen Kaamos ('an eternal polar night'). Probably not heard of this band, but if you have, a pat on the head for you. This stuff is incredible @ the EP, or rather half-album, Closure. Listen to this stuff. It has emotion leaking all around it.
Speaking of emotional music, a lot of Japanese anime music is highly underrated. Just listen to Rain from Fullmetal Alchemist, or the violin solo from Sailor Moon. Very good stuff here.
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Dan Simmon's Hyperion, one of the most readable books you'll find. This is science fiction at its best. The Canterbury Tales in a futuristic setting, this story is all about totally unmasked horror. While you probably won't be shuddering yourself, you can only imagine the bleak thoughts of the pilgrims who head towards an almost certain doom. Set in a time wherein a human hegira has taken place from earth, resulting in the colonizing of a hundred worlds. Hyperion, unlike the works of Isaac Asimov, quite shamelessly throws in a variety of alien life into the many colorful worlds, although humans still remain the only sentient species. Or not, if you factor in the mysterious AI that have escaped human control and now maintain a cordial relation with our race.
The entire setting of Hyperion is just so colorful and vibrant, although the story itself is bleak and depressing, that you immediately succumb to its wonders. And the pilgrims themselves have so much to divulge, each one being more mysterious than the last. From a tortured priest and an infamous soldier to a likable old father and a brawny detective, each character has his own tale. And each tale is ultimately linked to the enigma that is Hyperion, a world that houses the Time Tombs, structures that emit 'anti-entropic fields' and travel back through time. And guarding these tombs is an inexplicable monster - the Shrike - a demon of blades. Described to be covered in spikes and razorwire, this time-defying monster has known to kill anyone who ventures too close to the Tombs. Already interested? Go buy it, this is one book that is worth every penny.
- - -
Ikuinen Kaamos ('an eternal polar night'). Probably not heard of this band, but if you have, a pat on the head for you. This stuff is incredible @ the EP, or rather half-album, Closure. Listen to this stuff. It has emotion leaking all around it.
Speaking of emotional music, a lot of Japanese anime music is highly underrated. Just listen to Rain from Fullmetal Alchemist, or the violin solo from Sailor Moon. Very good stuff here.
- - -
Dan Simmon's Hyperion, one of the most readable books you'll find. This is science fiction at its best. The Canterbury Tales in a futuristic setting, this story is all about totally unmasked horror. While you probably won't be shuddering yourself, you can only imagine the bleak thoughts of the pilgrims who head towards an almost certain doom. Set in a time wherein a human hegira has taken place from earth, resulting in the colonizing of a hundred worlds. Hyperion, unlike the works of Isaac Asimov, quite shamelessly throws in a variety of alien life into the many colorful worlds, although humans still remain the only sentient species. Or not, if you factor in the mysterious AI that have escaped human control and now maintain a cordial relation with our race.
The entire setting of Hyperion is just so colorful and vibrant, although the story itself is bleak and depressing, that you immediately succumb to its wonders. And the pilgrims themselves have so much to divulge, each one being more mysterious than the last. From a tortured priest and an infamous soldier to a likable old father and a brawny detective, each character has his own tale. And each tale is ultimately linked to the enigma that is Hyperion, a world that houses the Time Tombs, structures that emit 'anti-entropic fields' and travel back through time. And guarding these tombs is an inexplicable monster - the Shrike - a demon of blades. Described to be covered in spikes and razorwire, this time-defying monster has known to kill anyone who ventures too close to the Tombs. Already interested? Go buy it, this is one book that is worth every penny.
