Back To Square One

The question for you is: what's considered indulgence? Buying a new phone even though your old one works? A new laptop because you like to be connected everywhere you go?

Here's an even better question: how's it feel to live in a recession with no job and have gas prices skyrocket wildly out of control? What's it like to start having to sell off your electronics to make ends meet?

We nerds are arrogant creatures, and I annoy even myself sometimes. But now it's time to let go of all the goodies I have purchased recently and go back to the starting point. It's def con one, people. It's only here where I can orient myself completely.

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) Review

Poor Snake, they really worked you hard this time around. Get ready for an epic end to his journey, with cinematography, back story, and action to make a weekend Lord of the Rings trilogy a mere walk in the park. And to just be clear, this is no walk in the park. The game played on hard will give you quite the run for your money and will test the most skilled of gamers. Litter that with Hideo's ingenious vision and dedication to send Snake on a righteous fairwell, and you've got millions of more dollars coming in for them boys at Sony. 8.8/10.

I Built This Wall To Keep You Safe

As I relentlessly raped the internet doing the impossible - planning for the future - I stumbled upon a small, yet slowly expanding (so all you fucktards stay away) field of information design, architecture, and interaction studies. Basically, these guys build the site map for what makes a website model, a gaming interaction map, and are heavily responsible for the success or failure of a web-based company.

Thus, it incorporates my favorite ideas from Neurobiology, my passion for computer science, and my new found love of architecture in a digital landscape (which is perfect since I've realized I kind of hate AutoCAD due to its tedious nature).

Even if this bubble were to burst in 10 years, I don't think I'd have many regrets not going to medical school as my parents had wished. As Johnny Bunko's guardian always says, "There is a no plan, just think strengths and weaknesses - your persistence trumps talent, and there are no such things as stupid mistakes; just excellent ones."

Persepolis Review

As the lilies fall, you'll bear witness to an amazingly artistic autobiographical rendition of what it was like to grow up in Iran during the reign of the Shah and later, the Islamists. It is a cultural piece that is powerful, humourous, and highly accessible with its beautiful hand-drawn styles mixed with digital animation. The results are stunning to say the least. A must watch. 8.8/10.

Australia Mixtape #1

More ultra-incredible, the disco-stained indie madness for the misses overseas.

Animals Talking - Letters (Demo).mp3
Cloud Cult - When the Water Comes to Life.mp3
CSS - Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above.mp3
Cut Copy - So Haunted.mp3
Finn Riggins - Hraka.mp3
Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin.mp3
Midlake - Roscoe (Remix Beyond The Wizard aka Erol Alkan & Richard Norris).mp3
Mobley - Carry On.mp3
Patti Smith - Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect.mp3
Phosphorescent - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.mp3
Royal Treatment Plant - Undercurrent.mp3
Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes.mp3
Seabear - Teenage Kicks (Undertones Cover).mp3
Sophie Zelmani - Most of the Time.mp3
Souvenir - Au bord du soleil.mp3
The Tides - Lying.mp3
TMDP - TMDP.mp3
Vampire Weekend - Walcott.mp3
Wolf Parade - California Dreamer.mp3

Download it here: Australia Mixtape #1 (Expires 7/5/08)

David Ling: The Architect

Living like a dream, we're all architects in a world divided by age, cultural differences, and juxtaposed desires. This is why my needs are changing. This is why the world deserves it.

Along With My Favorite Shot This Week

From Marlon and Jace's house tour featured on AT and Unplggd a few days back. I love the retro modern! Someone save me from myself!

We Is The Design Freaks

And we believe in its never ending pursuit towards trendsetting.

Chocolate Review

It's been a while since my last extreme Thai fighter film, and what better way to set it off again with the highly stylized, female-led action flickr, Chocolate? Like many action flicks, it's going to lack storyline, have tons of plot holes, and be filled with tons of cliché enemies. That said, I must admit there is something scintillating about watching a cute girl kick the living hell out of literally hundreds of stuntmen in a variety of environments. Originality-wise, it does pay homage to the cult classics such as Ong Bak, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee, but has enough original substance (especially the end fight scene over sign posts on the side of a building) to justify a watch if you claim to be a fan of action movies. 8.0/10.

In Party We Trust

Keep keep keep it funky fresh. It's good to see France keepin' it real hood, as Busy P teams up with Living Legends god, Murs the Almighty.

Busy P - To Protect and Entertain (feat. Murs) (MP3)

There's A Calling From Afar

Who the fuck it be? You know it. Fuckin' Bobby Digital, the RZA!

Oasis Review

Stemming from a director whose background is originally a novelist, it's no coincidence that the majority of Oasis flows much like a book. This film heavily covers the topics of "borders" and "communication," along with the difficulties of crossing those borders. Throughout you'll come witness to an upward mutation by the main character, Jong-du, whose mutation is miraculous as he builds relations with a handicapped woman named Gong-ju. The film shows the thin line between the desires of the individual and the needs of society and forces us to look at the disparity between the reality we see and that seen by others. This might mean the ultimate mesage may come somewhat ambiguous, the film itself offers a compelling vision of what love truly means, as it often transcends reason, beliefs, and logic. 8.7/10.