Input Update

What I'm Reading: The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. Interesting post-cyberpunk, but insanely inaccessible. Reads very much like Transmet, with all the humor, perversion and fun filed off, if you can still imagine Transmet under those conditions. It's effectively a very simple tale, complicatedly told, which is my very favorite format; a woman breaks a thief out of prison to commit a crime for her shady employers. Sounds simple, but add in enough quantum mechanics, sentient AI, nanotech foglets, identity pirates and bizarre, otherwordly tech, the novel becomes surprisingly difficult to swallow. The story's certainly picking up, but initially, I was somewhat moonstruck.

What I'm Listening To: Boss Wave, by Xilent. I'm on the record as disliking dubstep, but I actually find that opinion softening somewhat, in my old age. There's a certain undeniable energy to the genre that I'm finding a useful inspiration for my late-night writing binges and far be it from me to deny what works. This track, in particular, has a nice retro wave to tide me over and I'm far from ready to divebomb into Skrillex just yet.

What I'm Watching: Last Exile by Gonzo, I guess? As stated on this blog previously, anime is also incredibly hit-or-miss for me and Last Exile, a WWII-esque zeppelin drama, is precisely the correct amount of straight-faced fantasy for me to click into. It's far from the greatest thing I've ever feasted my eyes upon (for some reason, this series' version of Captain Emo McDarkPast is particularly grating on me), but I'm interested in the aesthetic and the ask-no-questions nature of the worldbuilding. Plus, the missus likes it, which is always a plus.

What I'm Playing: Fractal, by Cipher Prime. Puzzle games, especially when devoid of narrative, are typically my anathema, but the visual aesthetic here is so gorgeous I couldn't resist. When I purchased the Bundle containing this one, I assumed it'd be my least favorite but, with the shitty gameplay of Organ Trail, the forgettability of Stealth Bastard and the pretentious bullshit of Aquaria, I find that its, in fact, devoured more of my time than any of the previous three.