Kojima's Final, Legendary Tale - The Guns of the Patriots

In 1987, in a fit of creative frustration and inspiration, a young Japanese game developer named Hideo Kojima decided that the Famicom Entertainment System was capable of delivering video games as an artform rather than a simple pastime. Scouring his own passions and dreams, he emerged with a simple idea: intelligence. He felt that intelligence was completely absent from the gamut of twitchy arcade-based shooting games that dominated the Famicom at the time. Fusing his uncanny knowledge of fun with his desire for complexity, Kojima conceived of a new, artistic video game experience with intelligence, depth and precision. This Famicom game would be called Metal Gear, and would later be released in America for the Nintendo Entertainment System to critical acclaim.

Mashing together a globe-spanning plotline with the personal story of a soldier, Kojima's first masterpiece augmented truly revolutionary gameplay with the passion of a single man. The story revolved around Solid Snake, a United States Foxhound Secret Operations unit rookie embarking upon his first mission into Outer Heaven. Through the twists and turns of his story, he emerges to find that Outer Heaven is the realization of the dreams of renegade soldiers worldwide: a land where war is the rule. A place where warriors could reject those in the lands of peace who had rejected them. Where they could use the skills that had grown unnecessary during these global ceasefires. Penetrating further into this twisted oasis, Snake emerges to find that Outer Heaven is in fact the dream of his own mentor at Foxhound: Grey Fox. The game closes with their final, epic hand to hand duel in a disintegrating Outer Heaven. Among other things, Kojima paints the battle as the one between justice and freedom.

Over the course of 20 years and 4 sequels, Kojima has expanded his tale to encompass many themes: honor, nationalism, freedom and love among others. Expertly weaving the tale of the individual through the tale of nations, Kojima has brought the character of Solid Snake through the many epiphanies of life that the author himself must have had.

Finally, next year, Solid Snake, his predecessors and descendants have finally come to see their conclusion in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Genetic clones, the nature of identity, the corruptibility of government power, the value of our DNA, family and death are a few of the ideas that Kojima is to imbue into this final tale. Armored walking tanks fused with biologically grown legs (show above), robotic viruses with the power to eliminate infected people at the push of a button, hormone-controlling microchips, war nations (similar to Outer Heaven) and walking Nuclear Tanks are his modest contributions to the world of stealth gameplay.

To me, the man's a genius.

To see a cinematic trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, click here. To see a high quality version of the first gameplay movie for this radical new game, click here.

Real Time Music

Under the pressure of mind-crushers Rage Against the Machine, my entire concert history flashes before my eyes. I see every live band that ever had the heart and guts to flood my and my friends' ears with their message. Peace, Love, Drugs, Death, Pantslessness (Louis XIV)... It's all a ball to me. I got into concerts only a few years ago, around 2003, and it's easily the realest, most mysterious exchange of energy that I've ever come across in this life.

Here's a list of every show that's ever moved me. I started writing it for myself, but I thought I'd post it and see what you guys had to say about your favourite concert, or concerts in general.

• Kasabian at Club Soda, Montreal
• Shout Out Out Out Out at Main Hall, Montreal
• Green Day at Phoenix (along w/ 500 people to first debut American Idiot)
• Green Day in ??? (the big show)
• Sum 41 in London
• The Killers at Kool Haus
• The Killers at Molson Amphitheatre
• Oasis at Molson Amphitheatre
• Louis XIV at Mod Club
• OK Go + Kaiser Chiefs @ Mod Club
• Rage Against the Machine at Randall's Island, New York
• Foo Fighters @ Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Kool Haus
• Danko Jones @ Les Saints, Montreal
• Billy Talent @ the UBC Pub, Vancouver
• Metallica in Vancouver Hockey Arena
• The Strokes at Toronto Ricoh Colliseum
• The Strokes outdoors at Plaza of Nations, Vancouver
• The Living End, The Vines & Jet at Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
• Hawksley Workman at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
• Hawksley Workman at some performance hall in Hamilton
• Mistakes in NYC
• Incubus at Copps Collisseum
• Psychotic 4 at Main Hall
• Death from Above 1979 @ The Horseshoe Tavern
• The White Stripes at the Molson Amphitheatre
• Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill & Public Enemy at Randall's Island, NYC
• Nobuo Uematsu @ Jump Festa 2004, Makuhari Messe, Tokyo
• The Trews @ Element Nightclub, Kitchener

My Still-to-See List:

• The Hives
• AC/DC
• Wolfmother
• Muse
• Arctic Monkeys
• Velvet Revolver
• The Bravery naked

My Biggest Regrets:

• Missing Muse on a rainy day at the Montreal Island to sleep in and get in a fight w/ my ex!
• Missing The Music as openers for Incubus at Copps Colliseum (thx 2 tim)
• Missing the opening song, American Idiot, TWICE (at both Green Day shows I saw) (thx 2 tim)

cruelty, compassion and the chance for change

Her lips are pulled back in a snarl as she circles the quivering mass of sinew, blood and tangled fur on the cement floor. The lightbulb in the centre of the room moves back and forth with the rippled momentum of the recently expended energy below. Its harsh light is reflected in her teeth - the teeth speckled with saliva and blood, the teeth that are about to meet in a rattling throat, the teeth with the power to extinguish life. Having just dealt a whiplash blow to the broken dog's right flank with her powerful forearm, she growls low, the flavour of victory on her hot breath. Her broad, heaving chest swells as the men around her roar for blood, more blood and not her blood.

She tenses. Leaps. Not even a sigh leaves the shattered throat of the nameless one as she rips its life from its already fading form. Back and forth she shakes the limp body, spraying the cracked grey walls with warm reds and sending the men nearest to her reeling back in gleeful disgust. The crowd erupts in shouts of victory or disbelief, money is violently shoved from one palm to another, but the dog notices none of it. With crazed thirst she vaults over the unidentifiable mess at her feet, careening towards the top of the dull, thick walls surrounding the ring of death. The belching perpetrators leaning on the barricade have no time to drop their beers before the wild beast is upon them. Her ears scream with muffled silence as her brain roars for blood, more blood and not her blood...

Recently indicted NFL superstar Michael Vick has been accused of participating in the extremely violent torture of animals; specifically dogs, destined to be used in dogfights. He has been hosting, funding and betting on these deathly matches for years as the case by the prosecutors will claim, and had even been present (and perhaps the hand behind) the drowning, hanging or electrocution of dogs which did not perform up to specific standards. Michael and three of his co-accused entered a plea of not guilty on July 26, while one of the accused is expected to plead guilty on Monday.

This disgusting practice is apparently a multi-million dollar illegal industry in the United States that sees the death and torture of uncountable, innocent animals for entertainment and gambling purposes.

I ask of you what I hope to be a rhetorical question: Is this right? Can this be justified in any way?

Dogs are bred to be killing machines. They live lives of darkness and violence, before they are shoved into a ring and ordered to kill or be killed. They are tools of bored, mindless people (or monsters if you prefer: one can hardly call individuals who thrive on such violence people in light of the moral connotations this word should carry with it) who exist outside the realm of rationality and compassion, and whose pathetic existence is given some illusory purpose through witnessing two animals disembowel each other.

This is a disgusting practice. I sincerely hope you all agree.

Imagine having lived your life without experiencing joy, peace, freedom, love, compassion. Every day darker than the last. Wire mesh, dull cement and hatred enclosing you in a cage you were born, raised, and will eventually die in.

Is it any better for a cow, a pig or a chicken to be mentally and physically broken for the pleasure of society than it is for a dog to be subjected to such horrors?



Whether the end result is a 5:1 win on a dogfight or a $6.95 cut of grade A beef, there is no justification for supporting intensive cruelty to our fellow creatures. Animals are not goods. They are not items. Their existence here on earth is not for the sole purpose of satisfying our insatiable appetite for entertainment or gluttony.

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men."

- Alice Walker

For more information on how easy it is to begin the transition to a cruelty-free lifestyle, visit PETA or The Global Action Network .



- L.

name that album cover!

Alright, so if you guys have been keeping up on the news in the past few months, you might've noticed that NASA has been getting a lot of flack for numerous issues (stalkers, sabotage, missing millions... all the makings for a smash summer intrigue flick). Aaaand the most recent debacle this highly-funded brain trust has had to face? Drunk flying. Seriously. A couple of astronauts flew/ attempted to fly a multi-billion dollar piece of irreplaceable equipment today, totally smashed and against the protest of fellow co-workers and doctors.

I believe this calls for an acronym-oriented organization to spring up under the wings of MADD (possibly called CRAAZIES - Citizens Reacting Against AstronautZ' Inebriated Explorations in Space) or *gasp* a look by the American public into how the 16++ billion dollar funding that this organization gets each year could be better spent to prevent the mental break that had to have occurred in these otherwise brilliant individuals. Really, there is no way that a person with a strong grasp on reality would get behind the wheel of the Endeavour spacecraft, a vehicle worth roughly 18,000 times a Porsche 911 Turbo (some really cool, really expensive car...thank you wikipedia) completely sloshed out of their minds.

Almost as a side note to this story (as reported on the CBC the National today) was the final quote, "Alcohol is not allowed on the International Space Station. The Russians have proposed lifting the ban.", along the bottom of a hastily done, clip-art intensive image of a wine bottle floating through space with NASA on the side...classy :P

Cheers comrades!


- L.

Rolling Stone - The Record Industry's Decline

If there was one thing I learned about the music industry during my yearlong foray into its rigors, it's that -- just as in every area of business I've ever researched -- only a handful of people have any idea what the fuck is going on. From the retail manager to the label CEOs, from the artist & repertoire to the artist themselves, from rock n' roll to drum n' bass, from compact disc to mp3, there is only one solid, ubiquitous piece of information: I know I have no idea what will happen to this industry tomorrow.

Ever since vinyl demolished the first established music industry monopoly, which at the time was sheet music, music sales systems have taken on the characteristic of perpetual reincarnation. While unpredictable, it is today's major label heads who deeply understood this unpredictability, and were the ones who, despite their age and apathy to the cause (and probably music in general), understood how important it was to put Kurt Cobain's face on MTV.

But a new era has emerged. And in this period of change, the nature of music sales (and music itself, in fact) has become too turbulent to predict. The sales model has shifted. There is no more need for a deliberate campaign to get people into record stores. Every second online is another possible sale to a customer. There is no reason for anyone to buy more than a single track, unless the album is an absolute opus, beginning to end, track by track.

So in this time of change, where do we look to predict the future? As music lovers of course, please continue to not give a fuck about the future, and fuck this article, go put on The Hives real loud. That's what I'm going to do.

But...

If you're interested in what is happening, and what has happened to the most recent of music industry phenomenon, I present The Rolling Stone's latest article on the industry, entitled Rolling Stone: The Record Industry's Decline. Die, All Right!

If...

If it bothers you that our cultural landscape is being reshaped by faceless media and corporate giants, take action.

If it scares you that nearly every click of your mouse or word typed on the keyboard in front of you is watched, recorded, stored and analyzed by corporations and governments, take action.

If it pulls at your heartstrings to think of the children working tirelessly to make the shoes on your feet, calloused fingers pulling the strings of thread through an infinite number of leather slabs they will never see any profit from, take action.

If you've ever wondered why your stomach growls, moans, complains and cries out after you've just eaten a money-friendly but nutritionally devoid meal at a fast food restaurant, take action.

If it is unsettling to you to see 10 year old girls mimicking the perfect, plastic, unattainable woman by ignorantly embracing mini skirts, eyeshadow and eating disorders, take action.

If you've ever felt short of breath outside for no apparent reason, then looked to the sky and saw only a dense smog of pollution, take action.


If you care about anything at all, do something. Write a letter. Join a protest. Shop smart. Walk, don't drive. Research. Stop and think. Question. Be critical. Support what you believe in. Jam the system with the choices you make in your daily life and watch the world change.

Take action.

- L.

When the world gets you down

Just remember, there is art and beauty everywhere... even in the grime on the back of your car ;) (Click the pic to check out some more dusty art)

muses on: missing having cable...

The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are two intelligent, entertaining avenues for getting in touch with the world around you... now if only there was a Canadian parody, eh?

-L.

*edit* thanks to my ghostlike friend Mladen (you can't fly, give it up) I have been informed that the above video has disappeared into the ethers of cyberspace... if it is still not working, move your mousey over here and click

**note: not the original video, deal with it :P

When Did it Become Acceptable to Progress in America by Refusing Competing Ideas to be Heard?

In a recent on-air Fox News segment regarding high school drug and sex education, a Colorado high school student's defense of in-class drug education bothered ultra-conservative republican host Bill O'Reilly enough for the host to became slanderous. O'Reilly, supporting the idea that open discussion of drugs and sex only leads to promiscuity and addiction, was infuriated by the idea that Boulder High student Jesse Lange felt he gained "good real-world advice" from a recent school-wide forum on the topics. Play the interview below.



In the video, as Jesse slowly presents a convincing display of calm rationale, O'Reilly begins to speak progressively louder, eventually starting to cut off the student's sentences before counter-points can be made. Then, in the piece de resistance, O'Reilly, representative of the show he runs on the network he owns, loses his remaining poise and yells Jesse down: "I know what you pinheads think".

The main issue to me: If O'Reilly is confident in the basis of his ideals, why is he constantly attempting to suppress the information of his opponents? Is this what his republican viewers -- Republican Americans -- condone and support? Is it acceptable to progress forward in America by refusing competing ideas to be heard at all? Because that is exactly the message that is being delivered to millions of Fox News viewers every day.

Think this is a one-time occurrence? An over-reaction? After all, O'Reilly did bring Jesse on to speak his opinion on the show, right? Wrong. They're constantly up to sophisticated spin work. Don't take my word for it: NewsHounds.us and FoxAttacks.com fight tirelessly every day to bring attention to the horrifying techniques now regularly employed by Fox News. On any given issue, the network will occasionally bring in a single voice of opposition (up against two competing conservative voices), and upon inspection it's clear that the ultimate purpose in this 'debate' is to lynch the opponent, thereby strengthening the resolve of the conservative ideal. When stronger debaters begin to challenge the agenda, Fox pulls the plug: "Shut Up", "Turn his mic off" and the mid-sentence "Thanks for your time" have become staples of the network. Play this video below for a collage of their best work.

But as is human nature in our new high-speed information world, the obscenity of this censorship quickly piques our concern and just as quickly fades away; the heart of the problem for which this is a symptom escapes unscathed. I'm asking: what exactly is the root of this repeated censorship, and why is it tolerated by the viewers of Fox News? Is it accepted out of fear? Ignorance? Aggression? Patriotism?

I contest that misinformation and the suppression of any average American's point of view is becoming an accepted and desired method of maintaining the order of the existing conservative ideals.

I contest that in the face of the rational disciplines of science and democracy (and the least popular campaign in Presidential history), conservative proponents are beginning to exhibit a cornered-dog mentality, and those that feel threatened will do anything to defend themselves from a perceived loss of power.

I contest that the few who have the most to lose by the progress of diplomatic peace and capitalistic new enterprise actively and knowingly use their power (through private media outlets, for instance) to persuade the less fortunate to feel that they will also lose in a new America.

I contest that these same less fortunate conservatives are never even remotely exposed to the science, democracy and diplomacy that aims to strengthen America in the inevitable global fight for social and economic progress.

I contest that most people at Fox News feel that they're contributing to the safety and success of America, while they simply protect the bank account of the handful of people who run the station.

I submit that in these changing times, those in power callously believe that the only path that will lead back to a conservative Republican Christian America is to ensure with full force that competing ideas are suppressed and remain unheard, regardless of the long term consequences.

Finally, I genuinely hoped that this insecurity-driven, groupthink method of 'progress' would not be reflected in the direction of the upcoming new generation of the Republican Party, but if you've at all been following the GOP Republican Debates...



... then I have to say that a preemptive nuclear strike on a country sounds no different to me than a preemptive verbal strike on a person's opinion.

Your Personal Communication Supplement

WordWeb 5.0 is my personal choice for supplementing my daily browse (and daily write). It's a dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia that will tell you anything about any word in any program. Simply highlight the word, hit "ctrl+alt+w" and you've got a lightning quick dictionary reference. If you need more information, there are tabs for wikipedia and a fantastic thesaurus.

I was hesitant to give away the secrets to my esoterism (WordWeb is informing me that this isn't a word) but seeing as I'm often incorrect I figure I should give the power to he/she who can properly harness it's potential.

Download it for free here.

Great Teacher Onizuka

GREAT TEACHER ONIZUKA EPISODE ONE

Face value: Gangster kid grows up and tries to become a public school teacher in contemporary Japan where a rebellion is currently underway.

Message: The story of the next generation of carefree unruly Japanese, crushed between the West and the East, freedom and conformity, and sometimes horrible acting.

Bullet In The Brain

For me, the feeling of creating a story is imbedded in this video. Creation is in fact an abstract, non-linear process, but at the same time it requires an organizational discipline to keep it coherent.

StumbleUpon & StumbleVideo

I can never adequately express the entertainment qualities found in StumbleUpon and StumbleVideo.


It's the simplest and most effective way of finding entertainment on the internet. For instance:

Red Team Impossible Brain Drain Game: Control Two Characters at Once

Hikaru Utada - Keep Tryin'