Gone Review
GONE BY MICHAEL GRANT!!!
I have been reading this series of book and i think it is AMAZING no joke this book is one of the best I have EVER read I luuuuve it i i would recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach!!!!
It’s axiomatic that for the fun to start the adults must be disposed of. Michael Grant does this in the most perfunctory and audacious way. From a chunk of southern California, everyone over the age of 15 vanishes in an instant, just like that – poof! Teachers in mid-sentence, drivers from cars, parents at home, all gone. These opening pages are excellent; the “liberated” children’s swift modulation from thrilled excitement to panic is deftly, economically and wittily written. (The first screams come when the kids realise their cellphones and the internet are down.)
It transpires that the small town of Perdido Beach and its environs have been isolated from the world by an egg-shaped force-field. Our hero, Sam Templeton, and his friends Astrid, Quinn and Edilio assume responsibility for holding anarchy at bay. A sweet girl called “Mother” Mary takes charge of the pre-school nursery. In a lovely touch, a boy named Albert sombrely reopens McDonald’s, aware that the availability of number-one combos is the linchpin of civilisation as we know it. Then a convoy of cars from Coates Academy creeps into town. Coates is a residential school for “difficult” (for which read “deeply weird”) children. The leader of the contingent is Caine, a charismatic boy who mellifluously assumes power. He is, of course, Bad, and soon enough a battle between Sam and Caine, Good and Evil, develops.
We would seem, then, to be in Lord of the Flies territory. But Gone is no dystopian parable. It is not bothered overmuch with questions about social cohesion in the absence of authority. Grant addresses a far more pressing FAQ, namely “What the hell can we write to lure boys away from their PlayStations and Xboxes?” His answer – and he’s not a lone voice – is “Books that are prose versions of games”. And he has succeeded brilliantly in producing one. The action is incessant; the kids discover or acquire superpowers (death ray or healing hands, telekinesis, invisibility); they mutate (into Gravel Boy or Whip Hand); violence is continuous and incrementally gruesome; there’s a clock running (both Sam and Caine, who turn out to be – surprise, surprise – twin brothers, are fast approaching their 15th birthdays); religion is scattered throughout the text, but it’s nothing more than another grab from the tool bar. It’s like reading through your jittering thumbs.
Writing the “game novel” involves certain sacrifices, of course, but these are only literary. In Gone, the characters are crude two-dimensional digitisations, their motives sketchy. Dialogue is recycled from American action movies. Narrative moves from level to level, answerable to no logic other than its own, unconcerned with authenticity. Like the game, it refuses joyfully to have anything to do with real life. It’s very exciting.
Grant knows exactly what he’s doing. Now and again, he allows himself irony. In the best chapter of the book, Albert goes to the library to research the meaning of “work”. “He found a set of encylopedias – like Wikipedia, but paper and very bulky … It was exactly like following hyperlinks, but slower, and with more lifting.”
Does it all work? Well, yes, in one respect at least. Gone comes across the Atlantic on a tsunami of rave reviews, most of them posted on websites by teenagers. That’s a result, and you really can’t argue with it. Grant left me wondering if it might be possible to marry the reductive conventions of the game console to real writing. In total there shall be 6 books in order 1 to 6 Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Darkness, Light. The book has quite a large online fan base on a site of which I am a member of called http://www.gaiaphage.com on the website people can chat and make there own F,ART and Fan Endings and there is even a text RPG forum on there it is a community of around 170 users I hope that anyone who CAN read reads this.
Sourced from TheGuardian.co.uk
ShareDailyBooth
Okay guys sorry I haven’t posted for ages but i though i would post about a new social netwoking site i joined recently but have only just discovered the website is http://www.PhotoBooth.com. So this site pretty much no one knows about but it sees that it is quiet poular in america here is a small summary oh the site hope u like it:
DailyBooth is a photoblogging website designed for users to take a photo of themselves every day with a caption, in order to document and share their life with others, thus the slogan “your life in pictures.” It is similar to social-networking websites such as Twitter in that you can follow other users and allow them to follow you in turn and get real-time updates on what other people are doing. The user base is geared towards teens.HiIn August, 2009, the site was reported to have over 3 million unique visitors a month with a growth rate of about 35% a month.
History:
Dailybooth is funded by the startup funding firm, Y Combinator.
DailyBooth was founded and opened in February 2009 by Jon Wheatley and lead developer Ryan Amos, gaining popularity after several YouTube stars and Internet celebrities joined and encouraged their viewers and readers to join. The site recently passed the 1,000,000 photo mark and the user who posted the 1,000,000th photo won a Throwboy pillow. In early 2010, the website reached 3,000,000 photos and 10,000,000 comments.
Rumors have been stated that many venture capital firms want to fund Dailybooth.
Y Combinator stated that they had once considered a name change for DailyBooth, but were afraid it would cause a revolt with the community.
Features:
The Live Feed is a feature which displays a real-time stream of recent photos and activity from all members on the site. The Live Map displays real-time updates on a map.
Dailybooth allows users to automatically post a link to their Twitter account when they take new photos. Dailybooth also offers short URLs for users to link to their photos. In alot of ways this site is similar to Twitter as u can follow the people you want.
Events
Friday holds the optional tradition of “Naked Friday”, which involves people taking their daily photo in the nude, but with objects or camera angles strategically set up to keep the photos suitable. This is similar to dress down friday, but incorporating nudity. Other phenomena include secretbooth, an account similar to PostSecret, set up to post user submitted images where they confess something, and accounts dedicated to reviewing books, films etc.
Some people have organised small gatherings of users, with larger ones planned for the future.
You can find me on PhotoBooth at www.photobooth.co/Superanm
and also on www.Facebook.co.uk/superanm
TY and Peace out plz feel free to comment Tweet or Digg
ShareCrayon Physics Deluxe – Review
I don’t know if anone has heard of this game but it is very good
Crayon Physics Deluxe is a fairly unique game, but it doesn’t feel it. If anything it feels very familiar and easy to get into – like your favourite pair of mud-caked shoes. The very premise of being able to draw all over the screen and have your doodles turn into in-game objects is an interesting innovation, but at the same time it feels like it’s old news at best.
The reason for this familiarity is simple; the games concept is one nearly all of us have thought up at some point or other, usually while struggling with a game of Tetris or being frustrated by a point and click adventure. Wouldn’t it just be easier if I could just make what I need in the game?
As familiar as it all is though, Crayon Physics Deluxe still is very innovative and compelling – enough that it won developer Petri Purho the grand prize in last year’s Independent Games Festival, prize money and all.
It was only with the beta that Purho managed to bag the much-clamoured for cash though – and in beta the game has been since, only recently emerging to give players a chance to play the full game.
The finished product is actually quite different from the beta though, laying the individual puzzles out over a large explorable game-world reminiscent of the early Mario Bros. games. There are just shy of eighty levels in the entire game that are spread out over about seven islands, each of which focuses on a different aspect of level design.
The missions themselves aren’t complex either, each one filling a single non-scrolling screen. The levels are typically littered with visual clues and hints at how you’re supposed to beat it, which is done by guiding a crayon ball to a pulsing star.
As the title suggests, physics play a rather large role in solving the crayola conundrums. If the star is above the ball then you’ll need to build a simple lift. If it’s off to the right then you’ll need a ramp or a swing to hit it with – simple physics tricks like that.
The first few islands in the game in fact actually do little more than introduce you to these ideas, slowly making sure you’re aware of how to place pivots and use pulleys, where to use hammers and how to build towers that don’t fall over.
The use of the crayola-style graphics is persistent throughout too, with coloured lines flickering a little and shimmering around as you lay them down on the yellowed paper backdrop. Petri has built some nice touches around this too, letting players doodle and write messages all over the world map, for example. Though it makes no actual difference to the gameplay you can switch through different colours with the mousewheel too.
The game itself is totally without story and context though and, to be honest, we’re quite glad that that’s the case. Arthouse games like Braid and super-cute squealers like World of Goo are great in small doses, but we’re honestly getting a bit sick of the irrepressible sense of smug joy those games ooze.
Like the writing on bottles of fruit juice in trendy coffee shops those games are just a little too sickly-sweet for regular indulgence, so finding an indie game that isn’t so pretentiously twee for once is a welcome breath of fresh air.
Crayon Physics Deluxe from Petri Purho on Vimeo.
NEW GORILLAZ ALBUM – PLASTIC BEACH
YOU CAN NOW LISTEN TO THE WHOLE OF GORILLAZ NEW ALBUM HERE
Review:
The Plastic Beach back story – colourful fluff about cyborg bassists, kidnapped singers and islands made of trash – might make you think the whole cartoon band conceit is wearing a bit thin. Listen, though, and it makes more sense than ever.
Only behind such a distracting smokescreen could Damon Albarn get away with conducting a project as sprawling, daring, innovative, surprising, muddled and magnificent as Plastic Beach: not just one of the best records of 2010, but a release to stand alongside the greatest Albarn’s ever been involved with and a new benchmark for collaborative music as a whole.
Not that you’d think that from the first couple of tracks. After a meandering, seagull-strewn string intro, Snoop Dogg phones in his contribution to lounge rap number Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach. You’d be forgiven for assuming Gorillaz had found their place as Damon’s token hip hop side project. Then, the first handbrake turn in what will be a head-spinning ride. White Flag opens as the world’s only Shinto Bollywood track before Kano and Bashy trade anti-war, anti-crime and anti-religion rhymes over trashy Casio beats. It’s the first of a plethora of jaw-dropping surprises on what might possibly be the least predictable album ever made.
From here Plastic Beach simply flies. Rhinestone Eyes (brilliant) is all 80s synths and M.I.A. skipping chants, first single Stylo (also brilliant) manages to merge Bobby Womack’s soulful croon and Mos Def’s raps into something resembling a Gary Numan or Grace Jones track from 1983, and Superfast Jellyfish (particularly brilliant) finds Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys delivering an OutKast-meets-The Rentals elastic pop bouncer in keeping with his colourful cartoon surroundings, right down to the trumpets that sound like a sad clown at the end.
The celebrity guests all step up to the raised bar. Lou Reed’s fragile turn on Some Kind of Nature is the kind of New York piano charmer he does best, and Mark E. Smith is a spectral, menacing presence on Glitter Freeze. But it’s when Albarn takes centre stage that Plastic Beach really thrills: Empire Ants is a trickling ballad to rank alongside Blur’s best, and On Melancholy Hill is a hazy pop gem with the sugary 80s sparkle of Strawberry Switchblade or early Lightning Seeds.
The scope and depth of Plastic Beach is staggering. For anyone frustrated that Blur never quite managed their White Album, look no further.
ShareThe Gathering
The Gathering is a Christian music event held at Telford International Centre. The event is run by Serious4God ministries (S4G) the event this year is on the 25th of February and finishes with a final concert on the 27th. The Event this year is themed about Dying to Live with the main verse for the weekend being Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” There will be many Bands and speakers such as :
Bands:
29th Chapter – In a music industry filled with one hit wonders, superficial thug rap and commercialised copy-cats The 29th chapter distinctly set themselves apart in their sound, their purpose and their individuality. Just as likely to be seen in a high school speaking openly with a room full of young people as they are blowing up a stage in front of thousands of fans. The 29th Chapter are hip-hop’s bright new hope.This top London-based group will be in concert on Saturday morning.
[Dweeb] – The Midlands based rock group, who attend Coventry Elim, will be opening the weekend with a concert on Friday night and will be leading some of the Gathering Create seminars on Saturday afternoon.
Shell Perris – Shell is an evangelist, singer, songwriter, speaker and author. Her passion is to get people of all ages excited about God and to let the world know that He is head-over-heels in love with every single one of us. Her bubbly personality and powerful life-story challenge and inspire the hearts of many. Formerly of Christian girl band TBC, Shell is now a solo artist attending King’s Church, Warrington and has just released her latest album. She will be performing during the Gathering Girls seminar and will be sharing her story of how God has transformed her life.
Speakers:
Reggie Dabbs (The Original, original Brotha) - Born to an unwed teenager who at one time considered abortion as a viable option for solving her “problem,” Reggie Dabbs considers himself fortunate to be alive. From being a “Problem” to an unwed teenager, Reggie is fast becoming one of the most in-demand speakers who helps teenagers meet their problems head-on and overcome them.
Glyn Barrett (Audacious) - Glyn is the architect of the !Audacious revolution and the senior pastor of !Audacious City Church. He is a powerful and sought after communicator; his messages and motivational teachings have impacted the lives of thousands of people around the world.
Andy Frost (Share Jesus International) – Andy Frost is a surf-obsessed, movie loving, bible reading, globe trotting Londoner. He is the Director of SJI and is passionate about seeing how the Church can re-connect with society and culture. He loves dreaming big and pioneering new initiatives. He has written God on the Road and has co-authored books including The Church has Left the Building, Destiny and Freestyle.
Mark and Nita Pugh (Serious4God) - Mark and his wife Nita lead Serious4God from the new, Malvern-based Elim International Offices. Mark is an inspirational visionary, passionate about seeing this national won for Christ. Mark also heads up the Serious4Youth Ministry Course run by Regents Theological College, seeking to train the next generation of youth workers. The tag-team style of Mark and Nita has long been a highlight of the Gathering weekend.
Miles Hilton Barber (Motivational Speaker / Blind Explorer) – is a blind adventurer and internationally renowned motivational speaker. Having gone blind in his early twenties he has not let that stop him from achieving his dreams. He reminds his audiences that attitude is what determines altitude and that we too can live our dreams because the only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves. He has flown a microlight from London to Sydney, walked across Antarctica,completed the toughest foot-race on earth and much, much more!!
The schedule will be:
If you would like to express any interest in coming for any of these days please visit http://www.serious4god.co.uk/
thanks from Aaron
below is a link to a youtube Video about the gathering
SharePivot Video
Check out this awesome pivot movie by my little sis Rebakah
Hiroshima
Okay so i did this for work at school but wanted to upload it. In 1945 Colonel tibbets was a guy who flew a plane called the Enola Gay over the japanese town of Hiroshima and bombed it the bomb was called the little boy:
I fly over Hiroshima in the Enola Gay armed only with a bomb called the Little Boy. I do not know much about it only that it is one of a kind and truly devastating! I have been told that my mission will be a massive contributing factor to the end of the war to the the final end of the war. Hopefully now Japan will surrender to us, if not there will be more bombs like this one.
We are at the target location now, and the photographer plane next to me gives me the thumbs up to initiate the attack. I slowly move my index finger toward the the button. The time space before I push it feels like a decade even though I know it’s not. Now my heart is racing , like a horse, fighting to break out my chest. My hands feel as if buckets of water are tipping on to them as I press the release button. Now I struggle to think, as I see a large black shape drop towards the ground. The Captain of the photographer plane shouts, “Get the hell out of there now,” over the crackling radio.
I turn the plane around just as i see a blinding orange light through my special goggles, and then hear a loud bang; it is a cacophony so immense that it hurts my ear drums. Then I wonder what is happening to the plane, as it starts to shake uncontrollably. I try to ignore the shaking as much as I can as I fly over the East China Sea. I just want to get home to my family, and try not to think about the devastation I have caused, as much as I can, although I cannot shake it off my mind. I feel like my are drenched with blood as I think of all the people I have killed. Then i think of the families who would have dead relatives and I feel their grief as they do.
Colonel Paul Tibbets
