At the risk of revealing my innate nerdiness and losing my facade of coolness, I thought I'd review here are a few things I've been watching, reading and listening to recently. Who knows, it may even become a semi-regular fixture on this blog.
What I've been watching:
Game of Thrones: Not much of a surprise really, seeing as though everyone else is watching too. Although definitely in the fantasy genre, it still has plenty to offer for viewers not overly keen on the sword and sandal gear. Essentially Game of Thrones is about the base natures of people: lust, greed, deceit, and the desire for power. Has been compared more to The Sopranos than Lord of the Rings. It can be best summed up by the phrase "you win or won die." Gratuitous nudity undoubtedly helps with popularity.
Frontline: Seminal program from Australia's premier comedy team, Working Dog. A satirical take on current affairs, they often took real events and fictionalised them to give them a black edge. Was quite unpopular with the real current affairs programs of the time on account of its thinly-veiled parodies of real people involved in current affairs and television networks. Similar shows like The Office, Frontline is at times painfully amusing as much of what the characters do could actually occur in real life.
What I've been listening to:
Robert Gordon: Rockabilly act of the late 1970's who claims not to be an Elvis Presley, 50's rock 'n' roll revivalist. Fair to say I'm still a bit sceptical about that after listening to his work. However that's not to say his music isn't any good. I mean if you've got a good voice, big guitar riffs and some standard blues bass lines you can't really go wrong. His cover of The Boss's "Fire" is perhaps better than the original.
Hunters & Collectors: Another act I was a bit sceptical of, given that many of their songs have become bogan anthems. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of their less well-known work, which was more representative of the 1980's Melbourne pub rock scene, and generally more interesting to listen to. Of course, any band that write songs with brass and saxophone parts is all right with me.
What I've been reading:
Brandon Sanderson: I first came across Sanderson when he took over the writing of the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. now without wanting to speak ill of the deceased, Sanderson has definitely given a greater drive and focus to a series which could occasionally get bogged down. I've since read a few of his other novels, most recently the Mistborn series, all of which create imaginative, fully realised worlds without getting bogged down in dense description. One slight criticism I have is that the follow-up novels don't quite have the same punch or clarity as the first in the series, or his stand alone novels.
The Elements of Moral Philosophy: Despite its dry title, this book is actually quite a good read. It gives a good insight into the basic theories and principles which have guided society in recent history, especially for those not overly familiar with some of those ideas. It covers philosophical beliefs of Aristotle, Locke and Rousseau as well as the theories of Utilitarianism, Feminism, Kantism to name just a few. All this in just over 200 pages!
What I've been watching:
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| Season 1 poster for Game of Thrones |
Frontline: Seminal program from Australia's premier comedy team, Working Dog. A satirical take on current affairs, they often took real events and fictionalised them to give them a black edge. Was quite unpopular with the real current affairs programs of the time on account of its thinly-veiled parodies of real people involved in current affairs and television networks. Similar shows like The Office, Frontline is at times painfully amusing as much of what the characters do could actually occur in real life.
What I've been listening to:
Robert Gordon: Rockabilly act of the late 1970's who claims not to be an Elvis Presley, 50's rock 'n' roll revivalist. Fair to say I'm still a bit sceptical about that after listening to his work. However that's not to say his music isn't any good. I mean if you've got a good voice, big guitar riffs and some standard blues bass lines you can't really go wrong. His cover of The Boss's "Fire" is perhaps better than the original.
Hunters & Collectors: Another act I was a bit sceptical of, given that many of their songs have become bogan anthems. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of their less well-known work, which was more representative of the 1980's Melbourne pub rock scene, and generally more interesting to listen to. Of course, any band that write songs with brass and saxophone parts is all right with me.
What I've been reading:
Brandon Sanderson: I first came across Sanderson when he took over the writing of the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. now without wanting to speak ill of the deceased, Sanderson has definitely given a greater drive and focus to a series which could occasionally get bogged down. I've since read a few of his other novels, most recently the Mistborn series, all of which create imaginative, fully realised worlds without getting bogged down in dense description. One slight criticism I have is that the follow-up novels don't quite have the same punch or clarity as the first in the series, or his stand alone novels.
The Elements of Moral Philosophy: Despite its dry title, this book is actually quite a good read. It gives a good insight into the basic theories and principles which have guided society in recent history, especially for those not overly familiar with some of those ideas. It covers philosophical beliefs of Aristotle, Locke and Rousseau as well as the theories of Utilitarianism, Feminism, Kantism to name just a few. All this in just over 200 pages!
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