Thirteen Reasons Why – Suicide of a Young Girl

In our society, suicide is a taboo subject. Those who have suicidal thoughts are made to feel abnormal, and people worry that if they acknowledge suicide they will somehow encourage it. Sufferers are forced to repress the idea, in the hope it will go away. Sadly, if unattended, the idea can eventually translate to action.

Thirteen Reasons Why exposes the harsh reality of suicide. The novel is not, as might first appear, teenage fiction (at least not in the derogatory sense); it is better seen as a social mirror. Thirteen Reasons Why provides a highly relatable insight – through the medium of a high school environment – into the nature of suicide, and challenges the social constructs that can push people over the edge.

“I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of my reasons why,” begins the voice of Hannah Baker. Clay Jensen, one recipient of said tapes, can only listen to Hannah’s ill-fated story with horror. Why did she do it? How was he responsible? He could have loved her, but now it is too late.

Roles We Play

“Hello, my name is Michael,” the doctor said, sitting down beside me in the waiting room. As he described the procedure – a lumbar puncture (otherwise known as a spinal tap) – his young, rounded face held the shadow of a smile. He asked whether I was happy to go ahead, to which I responded with sarcastic, bitter banter, as seems to be my preferred means of dealing with medical maladies. I wonder if anyone is ever happy being needled in the spine?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest (3DS) – Challenging Assumptions

I almost never played this. After beating the standard questline of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (subsequently referred to as OoT), I told myself that a mirrored game world, with a few room changes and double-damage dealing enemies, did not justify another playthrough. In making this judgment, based on a vague notion of what Master Quest is, I nearly denied myself a fresh, intense Zelda experience.

Penguin Great Ideas - Making the Intellectual Accessible

In 1946 George Orwell wrote, “there are also those books, chiefly Penguins and cheap editions, which one buys and then loses or throws away.” An amusing irony, as the quote is from the title essay of Books v. Cigarettes, a small essay collection and one of 100 books in the Penguin Great Ideas series. This series has taken select-works from notable thinkers of the last 2000 years and released them, without foreword or introduction, in volumes of approximately 100 pages.

Bip, Bap, Boring! Welcome to Firefight.

The Halo: Reach survival mode, Firefight, pits the player against relatively dull bullet sponges. To compensate, matchmaking relies on ridiculous loadouts, damage modifiers, and a large, if not infinite, pool of lives. The only plausible explanation I can think of for playing Firefight in its current form is that is offers a sizeable pay out of credits. Campaign lacks even a plausible explanation.

However, like many aspects of Halo: Reach, both Campaign and Firefight are frustratingly close to providing a great gameplay experience. The levels, with regards to movement and cover, are well designed (unlike Halo 4), and the AI can flank, rush, and fall back, when necessary. The problem is that the current set-up does not lend well to any of these AI behaviours. You can choose to face dim witted and weak opponents, or more coordinated foes with near impregnable shielding; neither option is particularly enjoyable and both restrict variety.

"What are you reading?"

Smiling Mask, painted by Caballero Salguero, 1990

Oh, here it comes. Pulling into the train station, I see more people bustling at the platform than there are seats. Sat alone, by the window, I move my bag—my last line of defense—begrudgingly from the seat to my right, onto the floor.

And here he comes.

Bungie Co-Founder Jason Jones: On Legacy and Destiny

Until this year, the elusive co-founder of Bungie, Jason Jones, had not allowed himself to be interviewed for more than a decade. On the 7th July, he finally opened up to Ryan McCaffrey, of IGN. The gaming community has since barely said anything more than, “Jason Jones is awesome”. As true as that may be, the interview is filled with greater insights on his game creation philosophies. The role of Jason Jones, as a watchful guardian at Bungie, deserves more exposition.

Tomb Raider (1996) - A Relic from a Different Time

Tomb Raider (1996) turns 17 this year. This is good news for those drawn into gaming by Lara Croft’s rampant objectification, but what about those who appreciate a good game? I revisited the classic, curious how age has treated Lara. What I found myself asking was whether we, as gamers, have aged badly.

Walk With Me

'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

As this quote from Maya Angelou suggests (unintentionally perhaps), we are limited by natural laws and processes when interacting with others. This advice is both insightful and frustrating. Insightful, as it is important to consider how a person might feel as a result of your actions, or else your relationship could suffer long after the event. Frustrating, as we are not always capable of making the right choice. It is also potentially dangerous to only remember how we felt, without perspective and context. In reading Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer and Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, some of the natural laws and processes governing human interaction were made clear to me. I would like to share my new-found understanding, and my insights on whether it is possible to overcome our limitations.

Star Trek: Into Darkness – Boldly going where the first film dared not

Standing in line for Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) I could not understand... Why had I no recollection of the first Star Trek (2009)? I knew it had been 4 years, but even so I expected to remember something. And why, after having watched it, had I felt no inclination to watch it again, or to immerse myself in a universe with an esteemed cult following?

I now know the answers to these questions, having since watched Into Darkness, rewatched the first film, and ventured beyond. In this review I will explain how director J.J. Abrams's second outing continues the fabled trend (or 'curse') of good even-numbered Star Trek films, and the good that his newest film has done for the franchise.

This is Water

On the 12th of June I swam 500 lengths of a 25m pool (12.5km/7.77 miles). The feat took 7 hours, an hour longer than intended. The reason: I was ill throughout.

It appeared a classic case of Murphy's (sod's) law. With all the training, and with a friend having traveled halfway cross-country to watch, my body betrayed me.

Favourite Film: The Ladykillers (1955)

This post has been reposted here

Whenever asked my favourite film I say The Ladykillers, without hesitation.  Considering I have difficulty deciding my favourite colour this speaks volumes.  The 1955 black comedy blends social-commentary caricatures, meaningful music, and a perfect cast, to create something that is, in my mind, unparalleled in charm.

The film is set in post-war Britain, close to King’s Cross railway station.  Policemen stand dutifully on every street corner, a red telephone box is never more than a stone-throw away, and steam trains endlessly billow by.  These are relics of a fleeting British dynasty.  Sitting amongst the remnants is a sweet little house, advertising rooms to let.  It is here a gang, who caricature all that threatens society, decide to base their operation.  They intend to use the owner, a dotty old dear called Mrs. Wilberforce, in their plan to steal £60,000, by having her carry the money without her knowledge.  To paraphrase ‘Professor’ Marcus, leader of the criminal ‘quintet’ (their cover story is that they are a travelling musical group), what could possibly go wrong?

Book Review: Quiet

"Speak with conviction.  Even if you believe something only fifty-five percent, say it as if you believe it a hundred percent."  This quote was exorcised from Harvard Business School, an institution within which a significant number of CEOs and influential politicians are educated.  It is a scary reflection of a society that recently verged upon financial ruin, and has suppressed 1/3 to 1/2 of its population -- who are, by nature, introverted.

Quiet by Susan Cain is a wake-up call. 

Writing on a Hot Tin Roof

In my edition of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Penguin Classics, 2001) Tennessee Williams issued a challenge, of sorts. He provided two versions of the play's third and final act: the original version, and the version which first appeared to the public on Broadway. Both acts concern the future of ‘Big Daddy’s’ plantation (who of his sons and their spouses will own what of his fortune) now that he is dying of cancer, and the reveal of that fact to his wife, ‘Big Mama’. Beyond this a number of substantial changes were undergone, due to the influence of the director Elia Kazan. Williams left it to the reader, if they so wished, to decide the better version. And, as I like a challenge…

Wind Waker: Flawed but Perfect

Ten years and two days after its Japanese release I began Wind Waker.  You’re probably wondering why, after all these years, I decided to buy a Gamecube.  There were two main reasons.  The first is that my interest in gaming, which had been waning for quite some time, was given a near fatal blow by Halo 4 (the review I co-wrote can be read here).  It managed to almost kill both my passion for a franchise that had occupied my devout attention for a decade, and for Xbox in general.  I could no longer stand the direction the gaming industry is inexorably moving.  The second reason was a concoction between longing to relive my memories of Ocarina of Time, and having a close friend who was forever reminding me of what I’d missed out on (or more accurately tempting me, and sharing pictures of their very pretty limited edition Zelda 3DS).  Finally I decided to begin making amends.  I sold Halo 4 and put the money towards a number of Ebay bidding wars.

Perception: not as constant as you might think

Reality cannot be accurately defined by the eyes of man.  This is because what we see and how we process it has infinite variation, dependent upon both characteristics and conditioning.  We’re already aware when walking through an art gallery that some see art and others see a splattered canvas.  What I want to talk about is how perception has more depth than the visual, and can be altered.  It was in reading two books randomly alongside one another, The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley and The Chosen by Chaim Potok, that I really began to appreciate this fact.

In The Doors of Perception Huxley recounts his experiences in taking mescaline for the first time.  Upon taking it he finds his world completely transformed.  Colours, ‘an intellectual luxury rather than physical necessity’, took upon new vibrancy and became ‘innumerable in difference’; folds in trousers became ‘labyrinths of complexity’; and a chair could be gazed at for hours. This chair, it is claimed, was ‘obviously the same in essence’ to that seen by Van Gogh (embedded after the jump).  In looking at his piece there is a certain… seductive phosphorescence, but Huxley feels that even this, in spite of Van Gogh’s genius, fell short of the extreme reality. 

Doomed Youth?

I was looking through my old school work, and happened to stumble across a gem that I thought lost, after my old computer was wiped by a virus.  What I found was a near completed draft of a ‘creative coursework piece’.  It was the only real opportunity throughout the entirety my A Levels to write something creative, and it was entirely optional:

Prose Text Coursework on Regeneration by Pat Barker

For this essay you can:

·         Either write a conventional essay that explores some aspect of the text, like characterisation, theme or structure, with a focus on your personal informed interpretation of the text.

·         Or you can do a piece of creative transformational writing, such as an alternative ending, a ‘missing chapter’, a letter from a diary of a character in the novel.  This piece will be assessed against the same Assessment Objectives as a more conventional essay, so it will need to reflect the writer’s style, the way the characters are realised etc. 

What might surprise people is that only two members of the class (perhaps even the whole year!), including myself, took up the opportunity.  For education to have crushed creative sparks so completely that the majority are inclined towards the conventional stresses the conformist, and almost drone like quality, that is unfortunate outcome of our education.