Having to write a computer science program in three days without having been taught the language. -______-
I would love to blog but I have to work. Once this is done I'll update, I swear. Probably about Cthulhu.
Oh! Go check out Alan Moore's "Neonomicon", it's fantastic and spooky. It totes gave me nightmares, so check it out if you like Cthulhu.
Stay metal and for the love of Satan don't be a CS major.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
XVI: "The Final Frontier" - A Review
Good evening, metalheads. This week I've decided to review Iron Maiden's new cd, "The Final Frontier."
This is because if you say "metal" to a random person, there's a good chance that Maiden will be one of the first bands they think of. Awesome at their best and occasionally shameful at their worst, Iron Maiden has held a steady grip on the heavy metal world for quite a while, over the course of these 15 albums. Of course, this means at least 15 versions of their beloved metal mascot, Eddie.
Eddie, as seen during the Final Frontier World Tour.
But enough about mascots; I know what's on your mind. "But Bill, is the music good?" I'm sure that after some of Maiden's more recent albums you may have a few doubts here and there. I'm not here to address concerns about the past, but rather to say that "The Final Frontier" shows off a musical direction that Iron Maiden seems to have been perfecting over their long journey. It's still not quite there, but every cd had a jump of evolution from the last one, and this is by far the biggest.
The songs are longer than usual, with the longest clocking in at around 11 minutes, and all of them carrying a far more progressive feel than previously shown by Maiden. Changes in time signature pop up more often than one would expect from this band, but they (for the most part) don't feel forced and often contribute to the complexity of the songs.
Speaking of which, some of these songs are the most musically complex Iron Maiden songs out there, with riffs and licks not bounded by the contemporary limitations of the minor scale. The guitar harmonies play off eachother wonderfully, and the solos...Oh god, the solos.
The guitar solos on this cd are amazing. Right now I'm listening to the solo from "Coming Home", a piece that begins slowly and builds up to be quite climactic, and frankly every time I hear it I love it more.
Bruce still hits his notes with dignity, and the band keeps up with due force. I've heard rumors that this will be the last Maiden cd to grace the metal world, which is slightly depressing news, but I can totally see it listening to this album. The songs are each strong and masterful, occasionally lacking in certain areas but on the whole each has it's charms. Iron Maiden clearly has put a lot of work in this album, like a frenzied last push against crappy music.
Overall, I think this is a very good album. It showcases all the musical skills that Maiden has been harboring since the beginning, and if it truly is a goodbye album, it leaves a shining metal masterwork in their wake to continue to shape and inspire metal. Some particularly good songs are El Dorado, Mother of Mercy, Starblind, and The Talisman. Check them out if you want a good feel for what the rest of the album sounds like. Expect lots of harmonies, awesome riffs, and face-melting solos.
Viva la metal!
This is because if you say "metal" to a random person, there's a good chance that Maiden will be one of the first bands they think of. Awesome at their best and occasionally shameful at their worst, Iron Maiden has held a steady grip on the heavy metal world for quite a while, over the course of these 15 albums. Of course, this means at least 15 versions of their beloved metal mascot, Eddie.
Eddie, as seen during the Final Frontier World Tour.
But enough about mascots; I know what's on your mind. "But Bill, is the music good?" I'm sure that after some of Maiden's more recent albums you may have a few doubts here and there. I'm not here to address concerns about the past, but rather to say that "The Final Frontier" shows off a musical direction that Iron Maiden seems to have been perfecting over their long journey. It's still not quite there, but every cd had a jump of evolution from the last one, and this is by far the biggest.
The songs are longer than usual, with the longest clocking in at around 11 minutes, and all of them carrying a far more progressive feel than previously shown by Maiden. Changes in time signature pop up more often than one would expect from this band, but they (for the most part) don't feel forced and often contribute to the complexity of the songs.
Speaking of which, some of these songs are the most musically complex Iron Maiden songs out there, with riffs and licks not bounded by the contemporary limitations of the minor scale. The guitar harmonies play off eachother wonderfully, and the solos...Oh god, the solos.
The guitar solos on this cd are amazing. Right now I'm listening to the solo from "Coming Home", a piece that begins slowly and builds up to be quite climactic, and frankly every time I hear it I love it more.
Bruce still hits his notes with dignity, and the band keeps up with due force. I've heard rumors that this will be the last Maiden cd to grace the metal world, which is slightly depressing news, but I can totally see it listening to this album. The songs are each strong and masterful, occasionally lacking in certain areas but on the whole each has it's charms. Iron Maiden clearly has put a lot of work in this album, like a frenzied last push against crappy music.
Overall, I think this is a very good album. It showcases all the musical skills that Maiden has been harboring since the beginning, and if it truly is a goodbye album, it leaves a shining metal masterwork in their wake to continue to shape and inspire metal. Some particularly good songs are El Dorado, Mother of Mercy, Starblind, and The Talisman. Check them out if you want a good feel for what the rest of the album sounds like. Expect lots of harmonies, awesome riffs, and face-melting solos.
Viva la metal!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
XV: Your 2-Ton Exploding Death Machine and You
I've got a joke for you guys. What weighs about 4 thousand pounds, is full of explosive, combustible liquid, is made out of metal, and travels at dangerously fast speeds?
I'll give you a hint: it sounds more badass than it really is.
I'll give you another hint: it's one of these.
If by this point you haven't guessed that cars are the subject of this week's blog, I regrettably have to ask you to leave this blog forever and never return.
Anyway, with terrain and weather hazards, repair work, and terrible other drivers, driving is hard enough as it is, yet (like many of the silly things featured on this blog) it is actually pretty metal when you stop to think about it.
You're in control, and you love the feeling of going fast. So you go faster and faster, speeding down a long strip of rock-hard pavement with a total disregard of the danger that looms ever-nearer. Maybe you pass someone, or take a turn like you're Speed Racer. Now you're just showing off, but damnit, your heart is beating and you feel alive. Thanks to that fancy frontal cortex, you may begin to worry about safety issues and put on your seatbelt. The brutality in this is subtle and not immediately apparent. The seatbelt puts you into a false state of security, making you believe that it will save your life when you need it to. This in turn makes you drive more recklessly, because you think "Well, the belt will save me, so I can be a little more of a dick behind the wheel." Granted, many windshield- and human-bullet-related deaths are avoided by the wearing of seatbelts, but there are some situations where being strapped down can be interpreted as a problem.
Truly, thanatos at it's finest! Nothing says "I need to die" like speeding along a very hard surface in a metal coffin filled with explosive fuel, with other high-speed metal coffins in very close proximity. I swear, it sounds like a videogame...oh, wait.
So you're making yourself into an explosive-packed bullet, but you're still not satisfied? Take a moment and think about how many people are killed because of cars every year, every day, and literally every single minute. There's got to be some positive aspect to all that danger. Wait a minute, yes, there totally is.
Chicks dig cars.
Yep, you read it right. And to be honest, what part of civilization wasn't conceived as a plan to win over the opposite sex? Cars are dangerous death-traps that explode upon impact, sure, but you can totally have sexy car washes.
And in the end, isn't that all that really matters?
P.S.
When I searched for "car" in Google's image search engine, this is the first image that came up.
I don't know how this future-car would work, but it looks totally banging and I felt it was my duty to share this.
Stay metal, friends.
\m/
I'll give you a hint: it sounds more badass than it really is.
I'll give you another hint: it's one of these.
If by this point you haven't guessed that cars are the subject of this week's blog, I regrettably have to ask you to leave this blog forever and never return.
Anyway, with terrain and weather hazards, repair work, and terrible other drivers, driving is hard enough as it is, yet (like many of the silly things featured on this blog) it is actually pretty metal when you stop to think about it.
You're in control, and you love the feeling of going fast. So you go faster and faster, speeding down a long strip of rock-hard pavement with a total disregard of the danger that looms ever-nearer. Maybe you pass someone, or take a turn like you're Speed Racer. Now you're just showing off, but damnit, your heart is beating and you feel alive. Thanks to that fancy frontal cortex, you may begin to worry about safety issues and put on your seatbelt. The brutality in this is subtle and not immediately apparent. The seatbelt puts you into a false state of security, making you believe that it will save your life when you need it to. This in turn makes you drive more recklessly, because you think "Well, the belt will save me, so I can be a little more of a dick behind the wheel." Granted, many windshield- and human-bullet-related deaths are avoided by the wearing of seatbelts, but there are some situations where being strapped down can be interpreted as a problem.
Truly, thanatos at it's finest! Nothing says "I need to die" like speeding along a very hard surface in a metal coffin filled with explosive fuel, with other high-speed metal coffins in very close proximity. I swear, it sounds like a videogame...oh, wait.
So you're making yourself into an explosive-packed bullet, but you're still not satisfied? Take a moment and think about how many people are killed because of cars every year, every day, and literally every single minute. There's got to be some positive aspect to all that danger. Wait a minute, yes, there totally is.
Chicks dig cars.
Yep, you read it right. And to be honest, what part of civilization wasn't conceived as a plan to win over the opposite sex? Cars are dangerous death-traps that explode upon impact, sure, but you can totally have sexy car washes.
And in the end, isn't that all that really matters?
P.S.
When I searched for "car" in Google's image search engine, this is the first image that came up.
I don't know how this future-car would work, but it looks totally banging and I felt it was my duty to share this.
Stay metal, friends.
\m/
Friday, January 7, 2011
XIV: The Duality of Winter
Good morning, metalheads. Last week's post was a day early, and I was preoccupied yesterday so I figured I would just post again today. One day plus negative one day equals a balanced blogging schedule, right?
Right.
Moving right along, it's snowing outside and it doesn't really seem to be stopping. Some people would complain about this due to chores and safety hazards, but I've always loved the winter. Not just because it's cold either, but because it can be pretty metal. I mean, just look at any aspect of Norse religion if you want to see how frost can be metal.
However, there are anti-metal elements of snow and winter too. This produces a clash between a badass winter and a cute winter. Read on and decide for yourself which is more accurate, or more importantly, whether or not winter is metal.
Which it totally is.
Cute Winter: Snow as a pretty thing
I'm sure you all know this one quite well: traditional imagery of snow flurries and frost-covered branches, nostalgic Americana in which rosy-cheeked children fog up their windows to draw little smiley faces and pentagrams, and the mass creation of snow men and snow angels.
Not that kind of snow angel, but hey, I wouldn't complain.
Badass Winter: Snow, the ultimate trapper
One day in the 1800s, a group of eager and headstrong pioneers known as the Donner party decided to head out to California. Due to a series of unfortunate occurrences this included crossing the Sierra mountains during the winter. This is commonly regarded as one of the stupidest decisions in history, just below "invading Russia during the winter."
The pioneers became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Cursed to an icy tomb with dwindling supplies, the frigid and forlorn pioneers waited until their prison thawed. However, with every passing day supplies became lower and lower. In the name of survival, they did the only thing they could do: cannibalize those who died from sickness or starvation, bundle up for another cold night, and never speak of your hellish ordeal again.
Although while it should be clarified that a fraction of the members did actually survive, it was many, many years before they could even admit to themselves what had happened. And all because of a little not-so-harmless snow.
Cute Winter: Snow giving you a means to be cute with your girl
Every guy knows the drill of the "cold girl game" by now. If she's cold, offer your jacket. (Bonus gentleman points.) If she's shivering, hug her. Put your arm around her so you guys can both benefit from body heat in the cold. Subtly suggest getting under a blanket to warm her up. The tools of the trade for a cold day are endless, and often snowy days with a loved one can be quite romantic. Hot chocolate by a fire is basically a surefire key to a woman's heart.
Badass Winter: Snow, the maimer
That picture basically says it all, but suffice it to say that frostbite is tissue destruction caused by exposure to the cold. Think of blackened toes, fingers, and limbs, amputations due to frozen body parts, and the fact that it can spread like an ice-infection and just TRY to tell me that's not metal.
Cute Winter: Snow bringing joy to children
Ah, the adorable sight of children scampering up a hill only to sled down on some modern, super-advanced red and black piece of aerodynamically designed plastic. One of the oldest and purest forms of fun, sledding has probably been enjoyed for as long as man has known that it's fun to go fast and that snow makes things slippery.
Probably.
Badass Winter: Snow, the destroyer
Driving is hard enough as it is, and actually pretty metal when you stop to think about it. (Totally blogging about this next week.) But when you make the roads slippery and icy, you're basically turning your two ton explosive death machine into a two ton explosive SUPER death machine...that doesn't turn or brake.
Cute Winter: Snow bringing joy to everyone
I can't tell you how many different local rituals are performed to convince the snow gods to offer children the boon of a snow day. There's the classic "wear your pajamas inside out for snow" route, or the more modern "flush ice cubes down the toilet because the septic tank definitely controls weather patterns" path, but in the end all these children are doing are silly things to get off from school. It's not just the kids looking forward to snow days, though: everyone who would get off from their job secretly hopes that there is a snow god and it is merciful. However, sometimes nature smiles on these hopeless, stupid prayers and dumps a whole bunch of pretty, icy death all over the roads. Talk about fun!
Badass Winter: Snow, the killer
As if frostbite wasn't a bad enough consequence of exposure to the cold, you can totally die, too. Hypothermia is the process by which cold shuts your body down and kills you. That's pretty metal, but it gets even better- right before you die of hypothermia, you experience an intense euphoria. The brain reacts to all the stimuli of freezing to death in such a way that you become at peace and totally happy. By that point, you want to die. You have a smile on your face while Jack Frost is killing you with a curse.
I've run out of cute things about winter, but I could still go on about snowball fights, icicles, and how much shoveling sucks. But more importantly, there's one more badass thing about snow that pushes it over the edge of brutality.
Badass Winter: Snow, the Force of Nature
The avalanche. One of the most powerful natural disasters, and also one of the most easily provoked. Like a resentful sociopath, the avalanche waits for just the right provocation. It seems like nothing more than ordinary snow, but then with one spoken word too many, or in just the right pitch, the frozen onslaught is begun. Many tons of snow cascade down the steep face of the mountain, picking up speed and more snow as they fall. They cover all they can, smothering everything in a boundless snowdrift.
I realize that this post will not help those of you afflicted by this storm, and will probably only make it seem colder. Do what I'm about to do and get revenge on the brutal blizzard! Take up your shovels and I shall see thee on the battlefield! There may come a day our ancestors tell stories of when men and women didn't stand up to snow.
This is not that day!
Viva la metal!
Right.
Moving right along, it's snowing outside and it doesn't really seem to be stopping. Some people would complain about this due to chores and safety hazards, but I've always loved the winter. Not just because it's cold either, but because it can be pretty metal. I mean, just look at any aspect of Norse religion if you want to see how frost can be metal.
However, there are anti-metal elements of snow and winter too. This produces a clash between a badass winter and a cute winter. Read on and decide for yourself which is more accurate, or more importantly, whether or not winter is metal.
Which it totally is.
Cute Winter: Snow as a pretty thing
I'm sure you all know this one quite well: traditional imagery of snow flurries and frost-covered branches, nostalgic Americana in which rosy-cheeked children fog up their windows to draw little smiley faces and pentagrams, and the mass creation of snow men and snow angels.
Not that kind of snow angel, but hey, I wouldn't complain.
Badass Winter: Snow, the ultimate trapper
One day in the 1800s, a group of eager and headstrong pioneers known as the Donner party decided to head out to California. Due to a series of unfortunate occurrences this included crossing the Sierra mountains during the winter. This is commonly regarded as one of the stupidest decisions in history, just below "invading Russia during the winter."
The pioneers became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Cursed to an icy tomb with dwindling supplies, the frigid and forlorn pioneers waited until their prison thawed. However, with every passing day supplies became lower and lower. In the name of survival, they did the only thing they could do: cannibalize those who died from sickness or starvation, bundle up for another cold night, and never speak of your hellish ordeal again.
Although while it should be clarified that a fraction of the members did actually survive, it was many, many years before they could even admit to themselves what had happened. And all because of a little not-so-harmless snow.
Cute Winter: Snow giving you a means to be cute with your girl
Every guy knows the drill of the "cold girl game" by now. If she's cold, offer your jacket. (Bonus gentleman points.) If she's shivering, hug her. Put your arm around her so you guys can both benefit from body heat in the cold. Subtly suggest getting under a blanket to warm her up. The tools of the trade for a cold day are endless, and often snowy days with a loved one can be quite romantic. Hot chocolate by a fire is basically a surefire key to a woman's heart.
Badass Winter: Snow, the maimer
That picture basically says it all, but suffice it to say that frostbite is tissue destruction caused by exposure to the cold. Think of blackened toes, fingers, and limbs, amputations due to frozen body parts, and the fact that it can spread like an ice-infection and just TRY to tell me that's not metal.
Cute Winter: Snow bringing joy to children
Ah, the adorable sight of children scampering up a hill only to sled down on some modern, super-advanced red and black piece of aerodynamically designed plastic. One of the oldest and purest forms of fun, sledding has probably been enjoyed for as long as man has known that it's fun to go fast and that snow makes things slippery.
Probably.
Badass Winter: Snow, the destroyer
Driving is hard enough as it is, and actually pretty metal when you stop to think about it. (Totally blogging about this next week.) But when you make the roads slippery and icy, you're basically turning your two ton explosive death machine into a two ton explosive SUPER death machine...that doesn't turn or brake.
Cute Winter: Snow bringing joy to everyone
I can't tell you how many different local rituals are performed to convince the snow gods to offer children the boon of a snow day. There's the classic "wear your pajamas inside out for snow" route, or the more modern "flush ice cubes down the toilet because the septic tank definitely controls weather patterns" path, but in the end all these children are doing are silly things to get off from school. It's not just the kids looking forward to snow days, though: everyone who would get off from their job secretly hopes that there is a snow god and it is merciful. However, sometimes nature smiles on these hopeless, stupid prayers and dumps a whole bunch of pretty, icy death all over the roads. Talk about fun!
Badass Winter: Snow, the killer
As if frostbite wasn't a bad enough consequence of exposure to the cold, you can totally die, too. Hypothermia is the process by which cold shuts your body down and kills you. That's pretty metal, but it gets even better- right before you die of hypothermia, you experience an intense euphoria. The brain reacts to all the stimuli of freezing to death in such a way that you become at peace and totally happy. By that point, you want to die. You have a smile on your face while Jack Frost is killing you with a curse.
I've run out of cute things about winter, but I could still go on about snowball fights, icicles, and how much shoveling sucks. But more importantly, there's one more badass thing about snow that pushes it over the edge of brutality.
Badass Winter: Snow, the Force of Nature
The avalanche. One of the most powerful natural disasters, and also one of the most easily provoked. Like a resentful sociopath, the avalanche waits for just the right provocation. It seems like nothing more than ordinary snow, but then with one spoken word too many, or in just the right pitch, the frozen onslaught is begun. Many tons of snow cascade down the steep face of the mountain, picking up speed and more snow as they fall. They cover all they can, smothering everything in a boundless snowdrift.
I realize that this post will not help those of you afflicted by this storm, and will probably only make it seem colder. Do what I'm about to do and get revenge on the brutal blizzard! Take up your shovels and I shall see thee on the battlefield! There may come a day our ancestors tell stories of when men and women didn't stand up to snow.
This is not that day!
Viva la metal!
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