Somnopolis

I have finally cracked and will be buying a PS3 later in the year so that I can enjoy Tim Schafer’s latest title Brutal Legend. Darn you Mr Schafer!

In the meantime though I have discovered another combination of nerdy matters and heavy metal music. Now bands like Rush and Brock Samson’s favourite band Led Zeppelin have riffed of J.R.R. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings books a few times in the past -

- would either of them have dared to write an entire album about the Silmarillion?

Blind Guardian did.

In fact they’ve gone one better and are about to release an album based on Robert Jordan’s interminable Wheel of Time series. They have also composed music inspired by Michael Moorcock and George R.R. Martin. I gotta say I’m impressed. Below is a track from the new album. The artwork featured comes from the Dabel Brother’s comic series based on Jordan’s The Eye of the World, with pencils by Chase Conley.

So I’m reading the infamous ‘revamp Superman’ pitch by Tom Peyer, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Mark Waid (here) and I notice the following line.

We believe that the four of us understand the new face of Superman: a forward-looking, intelligent, enthusiastic hero retooled to address the challenges of the next thousand years

The next ‘thousand years’, you say? Isn’t that the projected amount of time for a …..Reich? Oh my goodness!

Der Ubermensch!!!

Just kidding. I’m sure it was unintentional. A thousand Nietzsche scholars just cried out in their sleep.

I haven’t really been paying attention to this years World Cup (ouch Australia….ouch…), but vuvuzelas are like, totally fucking annoying yeah?

Yeah.

Folks, I’m trying something new. My wife challenged me a short time ago to set up a new site that exclusively reviews books. That catch is that I would have to read a new book each and every day for the duration of my visa application to stay in Australia.

Then I post a review in the evening, with a word count of no more than 500 – 750 words.

Linky -

A Book A Day Til I Can Stay

No fear, I am not abandoning Somnopolis, but it’ll be nice to try something different.

Dennis Hopper – RIP. Go with the Sandman.

Dude……dude….

io9.com

So the Neptune Cinema in Seattle apparently has a habit of running marquees with amusing subtitles (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY in bed; WATCHMEN byo squid), but this little stinger directed at Terrence Howard, who got Stuart Townsended in favour of Don Cheadle for the Rhodes/War Machine part in Iron Man 2, gets big laughs.

I’ll say it again…ouch.

I have just watched the harrowing documentary Ghost Land, an investigation into the after-effects of the property bust in Ireland. With deserted housing estates, stranded home-buyers desperate without facilities or habitable conditions and the parties responsible having the slate wiped clean courtesy of NAMA.

RTE are hosting the programme on their player for a short time here.

Many viewers vented their anger on Politics.ie at the extraordinary degree of short-sighted planning development. The Sligo Today newspaper carried a feature on lecturer Dr. Chris Sparks, who is appears in Ghost Land. At one point he discusses the arrogance of the Irish construction sector, the belief that the boom would somehow plateau and that everyone was entitled to get rich through property sales.

His analysis acts as a counterpoint to the quoted statements of Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen and Donnie Cassidy, encouraging young buyers and those looking to advance upward on the property ladder, that there was no better time to purchase a house thanks to generous tax breaks and continuing ‘development’.

Unfortunately the construction industry followed the Kevin Costner/Field of Dreams ‘If You Build It They Will Come’, school of thought. Supply outstripped demand and now those who purchased a home are left sunk in debt and negative equity.

It’s heart-breaking viewing, but also inspires great anger at the negligence of our public officials, regulators and county councils.

Oh and Dave McSavage got here first, taking aim at the Monasterevin estate (skip to 3.40):

Been feeling nostalgic for this song lately. First was treated to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah after a colleague made a copy of their album for me. Synonymous with lazy afternoons in the sun, out by Portobello. Pleasant memories.