Good Game and the Sacking of Junglist.

Junglist has been sacked from the show he helped create, Good Game, in favor of a young attractive female, Hex. I sent a letter to the ABC offices and Good Game, which I will make an open letter by posting here.

{{{letter begins here}}}"I know you've probably already recieved plenty of mail on this topic, but Junglist was a brilliant presenter. He had charisma, he was very knowledgeable, always had great comments and reviews, wasn't afraid to give a game he didn't like a very low score, was very technologically minded, and he and Baj had such brilliant chemistry with one another.

While I have nothing against Hex personally, I simply cannot believe that she was brought in to replace Jung. Jung represented the more professional, knowledgeable of the two, and Hex simply cannot fill in this gap that has been left with his sacking.

In sacking Junglist, you have alienated Good Game's large, hardcore fanbase, consisting of gamers from around the world. Your endeavor to bring in new viewers, however, is futile - non-gamers simply don't care about gaming news and reviews, and introducing a younger, more attractive hostess is not going to change that. Gamers want to hear more professional, serious reviews, which Jung delivered but neither Baj nor Hex does not. That worked with Jung and Baj, but the two younger, more goofy hosts cannot work off each other.

In addition, I do not know what you were attempting to accomplish, but adding a female presenter to the lineup at the expense of the older, more professional host not only alienates hardcore fans, but does not attract a new audience of female fans. The only females who are interested in the show are gamers, who are no different to male gamers in their desires for a gaming TV show.

I am aware that Junglist made some unnecessary comments after being notified about his sacking, but I believe that he has every right to. He was just shocked that he was removed from a show that he helped build from the ground up, and did not have the right words at the time. Allow to me apologize on his behalf for any unsavoury comments that he may have made at the time.

I am worried about the future of Good Game. I have been an avid fan since it started, and have watched it slowly build a name for itself as one of the most respectable, best video game TV shows in the world. I do not want to see it head down the same road as the ill-fated G4 channel in the USA. I would stongly encourage you to reconsider your decision to remove Junglist from a hosting position."{{{letter ends here}}}

I won't blab more here - that letter contains all I have to say. Read and comment.
Matt

Sparklehorse first impression and my studying method.

Today, the Sparklehorse album that I ordered on eBay arrived in the post. 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain'. It really is a magnificent album. It was released in 2006 so isn't eligible for best of the 2009 which I will do in December, but if it was available then it might have even beaten the new Lips album and gotten to number one (so far). It's just amazing. All the qualities I like, really. Kind of shoegazing, dream pop, ethereal style. The songs are all beautiful, they demand your attention and yet still let your mind wander abroad, with their musical landscapes really forging an image in your mind. Excuse my cliché-ness. But from the opening track, to the Tom Waits' featuring track 9 to the closing 10 minute title track consisting of the same brooding chord progression repeating, the album really puts you in a trance. It's magnificent.

In other news, I now have a new, hopefully successful, study plan. From now on (well, starting Monday) I will listen to one record a day from start to finish, any one, and while it is playing I'll do homework+study. This way, every day I have varied study time from 30 mins to 2 hours, and get in some good last.fm scrobbles in the process. I think it's something that I'll be able to stick to, even if I do spend another 15 minutes picking what to listen to =p

Anyway, toodles for now. I want to play Pokémon Silver, but the internal battery's broken so i can't save, and an emulator isn't the same, I can't play it in bed haha. I can't wait till HeartGold and SoulSilver come out :) that day will be beautiful.
Matt
now listening to "Dreamt for Light Years"... (2006) by Sparklehorse

food food:)

This afternoon I became the proud owner of a rare, large-size jar of iSnack 2.0. Not with the new name - it's labeled iSnack as well.

With any luck, Vegemite collectors from all over the globe will be flocking to buy my jar for millions of dollars :). I know it will happen :)

In other news, I also aquired some of the outcomes of the 'pick your flavour!' campaign that Smith's Chips ran a few months ago. I have four packets in my possession; not sure if this is the only four flavours, there could be more. I haven't eaten them yet :)
BBQ Coat of Arms (not sure how this would be different to normal BBQ, but whatever. Maybe it's kangaroo and emu flavour?)
Caesar Salad (this could be very nice if pulled off)
Late Nite Kebab (hmm. could work, could fail.)
Buttered Popcorn (see 'late nite kebab'.)
If these are the only four, then I'm happy. Little disappointed that something more exciting didn't replace BBQ but. That one's boring. And popcorn could turn out horrrrrrrible.

Anyway, that's all my exciting news for the day. Stay tuned:)

writing Blogs

How am I supposed to write them? Everywhere else, the only punctuation I worry about is apostrophes. But here I do capital letters and everything :)

I know that no one reads this, or I'd get comments, at least every now and again. So should I write as though I am aware no one reads? Or should I write still pretending to myself that people listen and take my advice all the time? I spose that the only reason I write is in the hope that people read; I don't exactly write self-exploring, deep stuff on here. So maybe I'll go for the latter?

Just writing this blog is confirmation that, yes, I am going to continue telling myself that I'm nearly crashing Blogspot's servers cause everyone is flocking onto my blog. Maybe I should start advertising, make some money? :)

nowlisteningto "Document" (1987) by R.E.M.

the most beautiful pokémon.

"Embryonic" (2009) by the Flaming Lips (NR, M) quick.

The Flaming Lips are a space rock band with roots in punk and alternative. This is a band who brought fourth a quadruple-album with four CDs featuring different parts of the same songs, intended to be played simultaneously. The band who conducted the 'parking lot experiments', in which they gave 40 volunteers cassettes to be played in their car in a crowded parking lot, and the 'boombox' experiment, similar to the parking lot but where they were actually 'conducted' (volume up/down, channel l/r, etc).

This time, they release their first album with no true singles since 1999's "the Soft Bulletin". This album screams at the listener to show his or her undivided attention, during the quiet bits and the loud bits. It also demands constant replays, and with these replays the listener can discern the more commercial songs (Karen O's spotlight "I Can Be A Frog" and MGMT's featuring "Worm Mountain) against the buried, musical brilliance ("If", "Watching the Planets").

Led by frontman Wayne Coyne, co-founding multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd and longtime member Michael Ivins, with new member Kliph Scurlock on drums at live shows, the Lips really do present a true musical masterpiece, original and unrivalled by anything released within the last year.

10/10.

"Embryonic" (2009) by the Flaming Lips (NR,M)

This is the second album this year that I've been looking forward to. The Flaming Lips' twelfth effort, "Embryonic" is their first double album yet (but not in Australia, because we're the only region in the world who decided to shove all 18 tracks on one CD). This new record is even more space-y and hard to get into then "At War With the Mystics" (2006) - while it spawned such singles as "the Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)" and "the W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)", their new one has no tracks with any real commercial potential. They somehow pulled it off, however. Due to there not being one standout track, you are coerced into listening to the whole record at once, the sort of pull that very few 70 minute double albums achieve.

Quoting a reviewer from Mag (JB Hi-Fi magazine), "if the aliens made contact, the band playing the soundtrack while they landed would be the Flaming Lips." This record goes even further in cementing their place as the world's most out there, space rock-y band.

Opening with strange, seemingly random effects-driven guitar in the right channel and feedback bursts, the record seems a little too weird. Then the driving bass line enters, the reverb laden vocals follow and drums not far after. All this while retaining the effects in the left channel, and you know that you're listening to a very distinctive Lips album. The second track, "The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine" continues on the effects-driven style introduced in the first. Oddly enough, it also has the longest track name on the record (odd for them, as their last record contained such names as "Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber)", "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action)", and "The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight And Puts On His Werewolf Moccasins").

The track "Evil" then really introduces the album's main thematic concern of people being, well, evil. Opening with the most commercially-friendly bit of the record yet, when the seemingly out of time drums enter you know that even this isn't one for the radio. Wayne's haunting, yet beautiful vocal "I wish I could go back, go back in time.... I would have warned you those people are evil, and it's hard to understand." really drives this track forward. After the vocals leave, distorted bass guitar keep interest high and the song returns to its first verse. The fourth track, "Aquarius Sabotage" introduces the theme of tracks being named after Zodiac signs. It juxtaposes against "Evil", as it is very fast and sharp. If you listen hard, you can really hear how amazing Drozd's work is on drums (assuming that Kliph isn't doing this track, you never know.) Towards the end of the track, spoken word enters, and the track builds up a climax that leads into possibly the most single-friendly track on the record, "See The Leaves". Be warned, while it's the most commercially friendly track, don't expect any Linkin Park - it's still challenging, loud, heavy, effects laden, and really the Lips at their best.

"If" continues the evil theme though a soft, quiet piece, beginning with Wayne's coughing and another beautiful vocal performance. "Gemini Syringes" is an instrumental piece, with the only vocals acting more as an collaborating instrument then as the forefront with lyrics. A mathematics teacher, Dr. Thorsten Wörmann, is recorded teaching his students on polynomials. Karen O, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, also appears in this piece. "Your Bats" is another of the more commercially friendly pieces, although it is very nearly an instrumental.

The first side then closes with track nine, "Powerless". It is the record's longest track, clocking in at 6:58. It is also one of my favourite songs. Wayne's vocals are amazing, again, and piled with reverb and echo - not the kind of reverb that bad singers use to conceal their shitness, however. The Lips use it to create the more space-y, futuristic feel they go for in this whole album. This piece borders on post rock, while retaining the space rock that Lips fans love so much. The bass line is exceptionally amazing.

For the second side of the record, the songs seem to mush together into one big piece. "The Ego's Last Stand" is a great introduction. It is followed by Karen O's most notable contribution, "I Can Be A Frog". Without her vocals, the song would seem very serious and thoughtful. Wayne sings "I can be a *insert animal here*", and Karen follows with her best impromptu imitation of the animal, which seems to be recorded over the phone. Her chuckles and Wayne's giggles while he's singing are funny, and really lighten up the record. "Sagittarius Silver Announcement" build up the epic-ness and space feel of the album. This is followed by "Worm Mountain", another of the more commercial songs on the record. It notably features MGMT on vocals and instruments, and is very, very loud in parts. Three tracks later, Wayne's strange vocals introduce us to "Silver Trembling Hands". I think that it is the first single that will be released. With good reason, from memory it's the only track that even slightly follows verse-chorus-verse format. If you want to download a track to test the record out, get this one. It will introduce you to the Lips' distinctive sound, the album's space feel, Wayne's recognizable vocal delivery style, all in an easy-to-digest, 4 minute package.

The record then closes with "Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast" and "Watching The Planets". There would be no better way to close the album. They retain the space rock element running throughout, really acting as the perfect full stop after "Silver Trembling Hands". "Watching The Planets" especially, acts as such a brilliant closer and a brilliant song in its own right. It also musically quotes some of Karen's pieces in "I Can Be A Frog" and some original vocal bits from her.

"Embryonic" is possibly the best Lips album yet. It's a member of a very small club of double albums I can listen to in one sitting. It does not represent a shift to commercialism by the Lips, in fact, quite the opposite. Myself, as a big Lips fan, can appreciate this record as I like their style, however, beginning or non fans may have trouble enjoying it. It really has to be listened to as a whole - the tracks meld and sound as though they were created as one big piece of music. The Lips have created, yet again, a masterpiece.

Re-playability: 19                           
Overall song quality: 18                      
Flow as an album: 20                     
Does what it tries to: 20             
Packaging/art: 18                           
My mark /20: 19                           
Overall mark /20: 19.0

iTunes quiz.

Open iTunes/iPod (or whatever) to answer the following.

Total number of tracks:
18099

Sort by song title:
-First Song: ● by Pearl Jam
-Last Song: *** by Regina Spektor
-Shortest Song: tie between 'Item' and 'Secret' by 近藤浩治, both 0:03
-Longest Song:not including stand up comedy, Helio)))Sophist by Sunn O))), at 46:18

Sort by album:
-First Song: "Come Together" by the Beatles
-Last Song: "Zebra" by the Magnetic Fields
-First Album: "Abbey Road" by the Beatles
-Last Album: "69 Love Songs" by the Magnetic Fields

Top 10 Most Played Songs (i'm going off last.fm  because itunes has just been reset):
1) You Never Wash Up After Yourself - Radiohead
2) Paranoid Android - Radiohead
3) Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Spiritualized
4) Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Radiohead
5) Exit Music (For A Film) - Radiohead
6) 4st 7lb - Manic Street Preachers
7) Faust Arp - Radiohead
8) The Trickster - Radiohead
9) Pop Is Dead - Radiohead
10) Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony? - Ween

First five songs that comes up on Shuffle:
1) Inner City Blues - Rodriguez
2) I Am The Supercargo - The Drones
3) Zoot Allures - Frank Zappa
4) Second Bad Vilbel - Autechre
5) The Talk Of Creatures - The Residents

Search...
"sex", how many songs come up?: 71
"love", how many songs come up?: 764
"you", how many songs come up?: 1969
"death", how many songs come up?: 590
"hate", how many songs come up?: 67
"wish" how many songs come up?: 85

Why Australia needs an R18+ Rating

So, Left 4 Dead 2 has been cleared for release in Australia on an MA15+ rating. Censored. Fucking OFLC. Zombie dismemberment and decapitation has been removed completely, making killing zombies essentially the same as in the first game.

You all know my stance on an R18+ rating on video games. Not having one (which is the current method in Australia) both:
a) Bans/censors games that are suitable for adults (ie Fallout 3, L4D2), and
b) Causes games not suitable for under 15 year olds to be squashed into the MA15+ rating (ie Fallout 3, GTAIV)
Without such a rating, high profile games such as Fallout 3 (in which specific body parts can be attacked, causing effects such as exploding heads; innocent civilians can be killed) are squashed into the MA15+ category. Interestingly, the game was originally refused classification - the OFLC's main complaint was that the drugs in the game were named after real world drugs - ie pain killer was called 'Morphine'. Drug addiction is also present in the game. Once the names of the drugs were changed, the game was passed.

In addition, GTA IV is a game in which, as you all know, you control a character who is rewarded for completing tasks against the law in the real world. The character can, and is rewarded for, going on grand theft autos, killing cops and civilians, etc. This game is not suitable for undeveloped 15 year olds, however its high-profile nature intimidated the OFLC into passing its release.

Another example is Call of Duty 4, which was given an MA15+ rating. The game is set in the modern era, where you play as both an American and British soldier fighting in various locations around the Middle East and Russia. In this game, the player is engaged in fair warfare - the other side is shooting back. There is no unjustified killing. This game garners its MA rating, as it is not the same unjustified civilian murder as present in Fallout 3 and GTA IV.

Now for Left 4 Dead 2. Set in a fictional city based on New Orleans, four survivors work together to fight off a zombie holocaust caused by a rabies-like pathogen. The zombies are, as zombies do, trying to kill the survivors. New to L4D2 is a feature that really should have been in the first game, melee weapons. This seems to be the cause of the OFLC's objection, but really, if zombies came at you and you had no ammo left and there was a fire axe sitting on the table next to you, what would you do? I'd pick up the axe even if i did have ammo left. And they don't like the dismemberment. This is a feature that's been regularly implemented in games since the last century. When you could blow civilian's heads up in Fallout 3, the OFLC didn't mind. But lopping off a zombie's? They can't allow that.

Don't take this the wrong way. I'm not condemning violence in video games. 99.999% of 16 year old gamers (such as myself) step away from the controller/mouse+keyboard and don't feel like they are still in the game world. If I have just played GTA for a whole day, I don't feel the urge to go on a rampage myself. A gamer always dissociates himself from the world of the game, even if that world is similar to his own. There has been NO - I'll repeat that - NO proven or even evidenced link between a murder and violent video games. Don't believe what the media says - Marilyn Manson didn't contribute towards Columbine, and neither did CounterStrike.

Video games have been known to save lives, however. Paxton Galvanek witnessed an SUV roll on a highway in 2007 - though use of what he had learned on the video game America's Army, he safely extracted two passengers from the smoking car and was able to control heavy bleeding, saving their lifes. Galvanek claimed that he had learned about controlling bleeding from playing the Medic class on team-based shooter "America's Army", a game developed by the US Army as a recruitment tool, often condemned by critics for being overly violent.

So why doesn't our great country have an R18+ rating for video games? I wouldn't even be against R21+, or R25+ (supposedly the age where the brain stops developing). But the fact is, these games are perfectly suitable and safe for people of a mature age. There is no link between video games and violent behaviour.
Our country is going backwards technologically. We are the only first-world country without an R18+ (or equivalent) rating for video games. This, coupled with the Labor Government's planned introduction of a mandatory filter for all Australian internet users, has made our country the "laughing stock of the internet" (a quote I found on a forum somewhere). Is this how we want to be known?