Free Nine Inch Nails Download

I need your discipline.
I need your help.
Because once I start I can not help myself.


http://dl.nin.com/discipline/nin

Iron Man Advance Screening

I’m not even going to attempt to write a critical review of Iron Man.

I love comic books.
I love Robert Downey Jr.
I love action films.

Objectivity? Yeah, right!

Iron Man rattles along from the word go. Attention deficit disorder kids high on Coca-Cola will have no trouble following this film. Audiences literally aren’t given enough time to get bored, and the plot is typically Summer-Blockbuster-Lite.

Robert Downey Jr. is perfectly cast as Tony Stark, the alpha of alpha males. One imagines only Downey Jr. and his infinite charisma could make the arrogant swagger of this genius billionaire remotely lovable.

Gwyneth Paltrow comes off well as Tony Stark’s loyal secretary, Pepper Potts, despite some fanboy apprehension about casting her.

Jeff Bridges is equally on form as Obadiah Stane, the number two executive at Stark Industries. He fills the role of the elder statesman of the weapons company easily.

Sharing the billing with Tony Stark, is of course, the suit itself. Some of the film feels like a high tech version of the A-Team, as Tony Stark builds the Iron Man suit. However, this only serves to fuel the anticipation of when Stark dons the red and gold armour of his Mk II suit.

For those who don’t have comic book credentials – Tony Stark is a genius weapons designer. He is quite literally a merchant of death. In the original comic the action took place in Vietnam, but the film has been updated and ret conned to take place in Afghanistan.

However, when Stark finds his weapons falling in to the wrong hands he gains a sense of accountability. This is by no means a meditation on the ethics of global weapon sales, nor is it Shakespeare. It is a hell of a lot of fun. In fact, I was surprise how much comedy they smuggled into the film. Although the set pieces are few, they are very satisfying and the path is wide open for some big budget sequels.

A State Of Flux

It’s not everyday you find yourself flat sitting for friends, feeding their ancient (and ever hungry) cat, and generally wondering where it all went wrong. However, that’s exactly the position I find myself in.

After four and half years I’ve parted company with my good Lady, and left our lovely nest, near Old Street. Said split had been on the cards since early on this year, and despite relationship counselling, the Lady and I decided to go our separate ways.

Currently I’m in the unenviable position of trying to find a flat in London town. However, I do have a familiar accomplice to live with, rather than end up taking a room in a house full of Randoms. The current intended destination is Greenwich, which is great at this time of year and boasts a huge park. My new flat mate is also a music lover, and has decks too. So I can console myself by spinning tunes and raiding his CD collection for the stuff I never got around to buying.

In a further downturn in fortune, DK Findout, the four-weekly magazine for eight to twelve year olds, has been canned. Gone are the days that I could write about some geeky subject close to my heart and get paid for it. Gah! Still, I had a good run, and turned out articles on Samurai, Greek gods and monsters, the Kraken and spiders.

However, despite ending up in this odd state of affairs, I’m determined not to revert to some men-behaving-badly type of shenanigans, living off bacon sandwiches, and spending all my time in the boozer.

Watch this space for further developments…

Deadringer by RJ D2 - Album Review

I’m hardly cutting edge on this one, it was released in 2002, but I have to mention it; little else has been on my headphones for the past week.

RJ D2 is an Ohio-based producer that fuses a broad church of genres onto one album. Comparisons with DJ Shadow are almost too obvious. However, connoisseurs of the UK trip hop scene and works from The Cinematic Orchestra and Bonobo will find there is much to be enjoyed here. In fact it is no surprise he has ended up on the most recent Ninja Tunes compilation You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts.

Deftly mixing great breaks and beats from hip hop, RJ D2 shuns making ten tracks the same, instead making an interesting tapestry. Nor does he stick to the same samples and instruments, but includes horns, organs, pianos and guitars (both acoustic and electric). He’s no slouch when it comes to scratching either.

There are guest spots from rappers on tracks ‘Final Frontier’, ‘June’ and ‘F.H.H.’, which are dexterous and satisfying, but it’s on tracks like ‘Work’ and ‘Good Times Roll Pt2’ where his skills really shine.

I would recommend this album to anyone, it’s a glorious slice of, at times low tempo, upbeat and quietly humorous hip hop.

Interview With Little Kid

I’m having trouble writing a proper post, so I nicked this interview from The Independent, and pretended I was famous and funny. Here goes:

The house I grew up in ... was a detached place in Swanage, Dorset, on Priests Road. We had great neighbours, an apple tree I was too scared to climb, and a rhubarb patch that provided a lot of deserts.
We stayed there until I was about eight, and my parents split up.

When I was a child I wanted to be ... Han Solo. Then I wanted to be in the army, because of Action Force comics (G.I. Joe to you American readers). Then in a complete about turn, I decided to train as a dancer.

The moment that changed me forever ... I don’t think there has ever been one moment that has really changed me. I’m looking forward to it though. I think.

My greatest inspiration ... probably (in no particular order): 2000 AD comic, my Mum, London at a young age, George Lucas.

My real-life villain ... the British National Party. Or the knuckle-dragging Neanderthals at school; who gave me a hard time.

If I could change one thing about myself ... I should say ‘procrastinate less’ or ‘be happier’ but I’ll go with ‘earn shit loads of money’.

At night I dream of ... not much, I rarely dream, in fact I have trouble sleeping. When I do dream I frequently don’t have sound.

What I see when I look in the mirror ... pale, pale, pale. And bad limp hair that is impossible to style.

My style icon ... is Johnny Depp.

My favourite item of clothing ... probably a grey cavalry style jacket by the designers Day Berger & Mikkelsen. I got it cheap in a warehouse sale.

I wish I'd never worn ... lot of things, but mostly baggy shorts and Doc Martens whilst I was sixteen.

It's not fashionable but I like ... Dungeons and Dragons, the roleplaying game. I’ve been involved in gaming since I was twelve.

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at ... entertaining. I love to cook for other people, make sure they have enough booze and tell odd anecdotes.

You may not know it but I'm no good at ... have you got all day?

All my money goes on ... London. F*ck me it’s an expensive city. It doesn’t help the wages at Titan suck.

If I have time to myself ... I write, or think about writing.

I drive ... myself up the wall. Seriously, I never learned; never had the money or the inclination. I was quite a carsick child, on account of heavy-handed acceleration and breaking, courtesy of Dad.

My house is ... in a state of flux.

My most valuable possession is ... all of them. Because film, books and music bring me joy. I love my PC because that’s where I write at home. I don’t really have much ‘sentimental’ stuff.

My favourite building ... Battersea power station in London. But I also love the Flat Iron in New York.

Movie heaven ... I can’t possibly pin this down to one film. Don’t even ask.
Oh, Donnie Darko if I must. Or Aliens. Or Fight Club.
Oh bugger.

A book that changed me ... was the Elfstones Of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I took it from the library at the sheltered accommodation where my Grandpa lived. He told me no one ever read them anyway. After that I was into the Fantasy genre in a big way. I know most people get hooked with Tolkien – but not me.

My favourite work of art ... frankly I’ve no idea. Nemesis the Warlock by Kev O’Neill. Although I like Alphonse Mucha too.

The last album I bought/downloaded ... probably Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails. Sublime.

The person who really makes me laugh ... Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore, or Eddie Izzard. My friends Jesse and Frazer are a formidable comedy double act also.

The shop I can't walk past ... nothing too high falutin’. It’s called Moist in Southampton. They sell Carhartt clothes and skate trainers. I always drop in when I am down there.

The best invention ever ... the Internet? Antibiotics is a better answer though.

In 10 years time, I hope to be ... sane, richer, less pale, with a family (preferably mine, but any will do), richer, in good health, and richer.

My greatest regret ... is not having studied art at school, I wish I’d learned to draw. I did drama instead – GCSE Drama was such a cop out subject. I wish I’d stayed on for A levels too. I convinced myself I wasn’t academic and had no confidence in myself.

My life in seven words ... angst, debauchery, writing, comics, science fiction, misbehaving.

My Week In Comics

It seems my bid for Internet stardom crept an iota closer to fulfilment when I, and the rest of my team, appeared on the podcast show called the 11th Commandment.

You can see it here:

http://eleven.btpodshow.com/

Strangely my voice sounds completely different to me when played back. I seem to be… squeaky? Anyway, score one for comics, and score one for my team.

The other good news is that my first three-page strip has been released. It’s a rather dark affair, making use of the formidable skills of Sarah Anne Langton, to illustrate the dark corners of my mind. It is called Trashed and you can buy it here:

http://www.myspace.com/doyouwanttokissitbetter

or here:

http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/products/34529

And you can feel good about it when you do, because it’s for charity! The first issue is called ‘Green’ and has an environmental bent (as if you couldn’t have guessed). I have another strip in Issue 2, providing the artist draws it in time!

I’ve also been slipping in odd bits of freelance too, which has been getting easier, and will no doubt keep the bank manager off my back too. I have it on good authority from the editor of DK Findout my skills will be required more in the future.

NOTE: For some reason blogger won't let me put links into my posts - which is very annoying and makes me look like 'teh dumb n00b'. I'm not happy.

Extrasolar

Yesterday the BBC reported that a ‘look-alike’ star system had been located. Bearing the somewhat unwieldy sobriquet OGLE-2006-BLG-109L, the star has two planets that are equivalent to Jupiter and Saturn in our own star system. With nearly 300 extrasolar (planets outside our own star system) planets discovered, it can only be a matter of a few decades until we locate a planet capable of supporting life. However, with current methods it is very difficult to determine which planets are habitable: planets that fall in the so-called ‘Goldilocks zone’ – planets that are not too close, or not to far away from their parent stars. Hopefully technology will continue to meet our needs and make the search easier and easier over time.

Being a big science fiction geek this is pretty damn interesting to me. And being a dyed in the wool daydreamer, the prospect of buggering off to a different star system is equally entertaining. However I fear my enthusiasm for actually leaving Earth would be tempered by the prospect of spending months cooped up in a spacecraft just to reach Mars. Reaching other star systems with current technology is unthinkable. (sigh)

Virgin tapped into this idea this year for their April Fool’s day joke – asking for potential applicants to settle on Mars. The web site itself was well thought out, and the questionnaire is very funny. Check it out for yourself:

http://www.google.com/virgle/

The fact of the matter is that it’s going to be a long time before any of us leave Earth, and as much as I love ferociously environmentally unfriendly space exploration, we really need to sort out problems with our own planet before fouling up another one.

It would be nice to believe any potential colonies would be socialist, environmentally sound, harmonious collectives, where we work four-and-a-half-day weeks for ‘the greater good’ – but the fact of the matter is it will more likely be some corporate sponsored hell.

Built by Halliburton, no doubt.