[Gamma on...] Things I Like?

While I think we'd all like to post more, I find that life of a 20 something has a way of interfering with our writing habits.  With Mass Effect 3 coming out, and monetary issues becoming more of a struggle to survive as of late, not to mention school and work, I don't think that there will be a huge amount of posting going on that frequently.  I will make a marked effort to make sure that I post more frequently, even if it is just a one off rant about something trivial.  It's important to get into the habit of writing so that it is fresh on the mind and easier to find time to do.  That said, I realize that we don't have a huge reader base, and this post is more for myself than it is for readers.  In that spirit, here is a list of things that I like.

Two complimentary colors displayed prominently next to each other.
The smell of smoke on clothes.
"Alternative" hair styles with bright colors and accessories.
Decades old scotch.
Chip tunes.
The feelings of low level electrical currents running over my skin.
The taste of aluminium when drinking out of a coke can.
The texture of cotton candy.
Cold silk.
The sting of cold air on the lungs early in the morning.
The feeling of well worn shoes.
The sound of a metal blade hitting leather.
The weight of a full ammo clip in my hand.
Butterflies.
That floating sensation just before falling asleep.
The soft hum of an electrical generator.
Poster board.
Throwing cards at a wooden wall.
The crunching sound snow makes when you walk on it.
The feeling of a cool breeze on a warm spring day.
The way things look in black light.
LEDs.
The sound cigarettes make when you first pull on them after lighting.
The taste of gin.
The feeling of thunder's sounds waves passing through my chest.
The ring of scattered light around the moon on a cold night.
The sound of water dripping into dirt.
Petrichor.
Slow color changing primary lighting.
Bubbling, clear water in a glass tank.

That's all that comes to mind right now.  There's more, but who cares?

[Gamma on...] Cigarette review, Round 1

I’m finding more and more that my cigarettes are harder and harder to find outside of the three places I constantly buy them from.  Fearing the worst, I started sampling other brands and types of cigarettes to see what all there was out there, and if anything stacked up to my beloved Camel #9 mentholated 100’s.  Sadly, our little blog isn’t what you’d call “profitable” or “a business” or even “read by anyone we don’t know”, so en lieu of charging things to the company expense account I had to spend out of petty cash.  And by that, of course, I mean I picked coins up off the ground until I could afford stuff.  Due to my financial constrictions, the list below is a bit short and by no means comprehensive.

[Rin on...] Mass Effect 3 Demo

I'm writing this after having given it a day to sink in and after reading various articles and reviews on the demo. The one I'll reference the most here was written by a friend of mine from the 'Scapist days, Remy van Ruiten, who has a blog of his own. I'll quote him throughout this post so you know what commentary I'm referring to, but if you want, just read his article here before reading mine.

Let me preface by saying I'm a super, super serious Mass Effect fan. I played both 1 and 2 multiple times, doing every single side-quest in both. So, needless to say, I have been frothing at the mouth impatiently for the release of ME3. I even pre-ordered the N7 Collector's Edition. [Hah! I say even like it's a surprise.]

[Rin on...] ACTA

I digress, my post on SOPA wasn't much of a post at all. It was a spur-of-the-moment attempt to kick this blog back to life. I was inspired by all the internet backlash, of the countless websites protesting SOPA in their own way. Let me hereby apologize by making a real post.

SOPA and PIPA have effectively been shut down.Thank you internet, for waking up. However, a new challenger has approached. Meet: ACTA.

[Rin on...] SOPA

How to Strike

How to Write Your Congressmen

A great article on SOPA / PIPA


And to TL,DR;

[Kenna on...] Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms

The average person does not appreciate the full capacity of intelligence, wit, and work that most authors put into their works. When the average reader’s eyes glaze over a novel, they read the basic story; not the background, not the in-depth characterization, not the symbolism, nor the motifs, themes, and language.

[Rin on...] Anime Voice Actors

     This is a journey concerning two specific voice actors, and how much fun it is to trace one voice actor through all those animes you've watched, full of "Oh shit! That was him?!" moments. Moreover, this is about how much of a weeaboo I really am, if you ever doubted it before. I follow my mind and wikipedia biographies through J. Michael Tatum and Christopher Patton's work. Step in, enjoy the ride, and remember, keep your arms and feet inside at all times. Otherwise they'll be ripped off due to the G-force of my nerdy awesomeness.

[Rin on...] I Saw the Devil

     I'll admit, I'm kind of in love with cinema from Asian countries. Japan of course, China, and more recently, Korea. I find that their dedication to the story-line, to the music, to the acting itself just seems so much more intense than our Hollywood counterparts. It's dedication on film. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, good films we've made and bad films they've made... But, well, you'd have to share my love to understand. And yes, I know I'm biased.
     I Saw the Devil is a Korean horror/thriller by director Kim Ji-Woon, with brilliant screenplay by Hoon-jung Park. The film stars Oldboy's Min-Sik Choi and The Good, The Bad and The Weird's beautiful Byung-hun Lee. In short: Byung-hun's character, Soo-hyeon, goes after his fiancé's deranged killer. Soo-hyeon is a special agent, so you'll see a bit of fancy footwork, all very, very impressive. As an article I read stated perfectly, "He’s also an imposing physical presence, maneuvering through a series of fights and cat-and-mouse chase scenes with authentic stunt-work, which explains why Hollywood tried to utilize, but ultimately wasted, his talents to play Storm Shadow in 2009’s poorly executed G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra." ...But we're not going to talk about that one.