Been reflecting on my NYE catastrophe and an idea came to me. Often in life, you glimpse events and occurrences that never get explained. So, I’ve decided that when they happens to me from now on, I’m going to post them here and ask you all to join me in coming up with explanations. It’s a game of sorts, I guess, and an intellectual exercise for writers and story makers. Feel free to add your own events/occurrences as well, and we can exchange ideas.
The event I’m going to start with happened on NYE. It’s not particularly startling but I’m still bugged by it.
On the final leg of our epic train trip home there was a young guy sitting in our carriage. He was trash talking with four or five other young people, teasing them about their religion and and asking if God would forgive them for drinking on NYE. At first I though they were friends, and travelling together but the others got off and left him alone.
He became quite agitated after they’d gone (because, I think, being alone was an issue for him). He got off a few stops later. As he was waiting for the train to stop, he began to unbutton his white shirt. I noticed and wondered what he was doing. He was bare-chested underneath and it wasn’t especially hot in fact it was cooling off quickly.
When the doors opened he leapt out of the train and bolted down the station. When the train started again, we caught up to him. He was heading into the darkened car park and had taken his shirt off altogether and balled it up in his hand. It was after midnight, as I said, not especially warm, and no one was meeting him.
What the hell was he doing? Tell me what you think.
Hi everyone! As part of MDWeb’s mission to support great emerging Australia creative talent, here is an interview conducted by Cels Jansink with up and coming Aussie game developer Garth Pendergrast from Stirfire Studios.
CJ: Hi Garth, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us about your new exciting venture, Stirfire Studios. Can you tell us a bit about the concept behind Stirfire Studios and what has led you into this field?
GP: Stirfire Studios was born out of a need to give a platform for talented, independent game production in Perth and Australia. There’s a lot of talent in this country that gets ignored because simply they don’t have the voice that a larger company can provide. Our other aim is to give resources to game developers that might have a great idea, but cannot execute it as they lack the financial or skills base required.
CJ: The first game you have coming out is Orbeats. So just what is Orbeats about?
GP: Orbeats was developed by the supreme-beat-guru, Jason Wong. It’s a music-rhythm game based on making you excited to use a touch-screen device and with a retro feel to it.
CJ: So what kind of “Rhythms” can we expect to pop up during the game? Are they tunes we will recognise or brand new music developed for the game?
GP: You’ll see some of our own in-house tunes, but we are working on bringing you recognisable artists that you’re likely to see at music festivals or performing at your favourite venue. We are currently in talks with several major acts and we love our independent artists as well.
CJ: Are there any plans to develop it onto Android systems for those that don’t have an iPhone?
GP: Sure are. We would love to migrate it to Android and WP7, but we need to have some success on Apple iOS first to make this a reality.
CJ: Games designed for smart phones certainly seem to be a booming business. Not only are some games becoming water cooler conversations and totally addictive, but some like Angry Birds even have a merchandise range. Is this something you’re aiming for?
GP: Yes, we can’t wait to see the T-shirts! We have created a culture with Orbeats as much as a game. As we aim to grow the game and add sequels, we will be aiming for it to become its own ecosystem of titles. Unlike Angry Birds, the game itself grows via downloadable content, but we can’t wait to hit with our own take of music genres or artists. This really gives us a chance to play with the art and feel of the game.
CJ: You’re based in Perth and it’s fantastic to see another Aussie enter the industry. Do you think it’s harder for non-American based companies to gain notice?
GP: Not at all. This is a global industry and you find hotspots all over. Eve Online comes out of Iceland and Korea is the Starcraft capital of the universe, which proves anyone, anywhere can make it successful, provided you have something that is just a little cooler than normal.
CJ: Can you give us a little sneak peek at what else you have coming up?
GP: Hahaha! We will be dipping into a little bit of post-apocalyptic weirdness and also into some post-punk-feminist-burlesque action soon. We are very much looking at the social network space as our next platforms to focus on.
CJ: And I guess the most important question. When and how can we get our hands on Orbeats?
CJ: Well it certainly sounds like something new and no doubt a lot of addictive fun!. Thanks so much for stopping by Garth, and all the best with Orbeats release.
You can see Garth interviewed below (begins at 3min 13 secs).
Most of you know that I do rather like my TV these days. It’s taken over what used to be a passion for film. So I thought I’d share some of my latest favourites with you and say why they appeal. Then it’s your turn!
Spirited: an Aussie series about a middle-aged female dentist who can see ghosts, and falls in love with one. This appeals to me on a number of levels. There’s the romantic comedy hook, but for me its largely the dialogue which I think is brilliant – so authentic and not at all cliched. Some excellent characters, especially Suzie’s sister, Jonquil, and her ex hubby, Steve. Occasionally an episode will get a bit slow, but usually something nasty will usually happen to shake it up, soon after. This is some of Claudia Karvan’s best work. I’ve always found her quite ‘cool’ (as in cold) on screen and Suzie’s character fits her really well. Matt King is also a perfect dead rocker.
Zen: a three part cop series based on Michael Dibin’s Aurelio Zen novels set in Italy. Love, love, loved this one! So sad they’ve only made 3 episodes. The political machinations and the corrupt pollice are beautifully counterbalanced by Zen’s (Rupert Sewell) quiet but devilish humour as he walks a tightrope trying to keep his job and reputation in tact. Location filming is sensational, theme music not so. Caterina Murino is both beautiful, sexy, confused and selfish all at once. Great acting on the part of both main characters, I thought.
Luther: Am only two episodes into this series penned by Neil Cross. Idris Elba (The Wire) is a strong and charismatic actor and the stories are suitably twisted. The dialogue gets a little clever for itself sometimes, and Idris is altogether too brilliant at joining the dots on crimes, but I like its energy and Luther’s tortured character.
True Blood: what can I say that millions of fans haven’t? Nothing really, other than to add … if Joss is Boss then Ball is Better … ok, maybe not better, but certainly as good. Thumbs up for casting Alex Skarsgaard too. This is backwoods melodrama at its most vulgar and raunchy with some sly social commentary thrown in.
Fringe: I love Fringe but sometimes it bothers me because none of the concepts are particularly fresh to this SF writer (me). When I get past that though, I love the characterisation – I mean, you’d have to be comatose not to appreciate the talent of John Noble, Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson. Leonard Nimoy, however, doesn’t really work so well.
Leverage: The stories are cute and the chemistry among the team is really fantastic. Who wouldn’t want to be Parker? I once saw an interview with Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge (Hardison). They were asked who, out of all of them, was most like their portrayed character. They agreed instantly that it was Christian Kane. How cool – Eliot rules!
In a near-future where privatised health care has sent the cost of over-the-counter medicine soaring, terrorists execute a well-planned attack on the world’s pharmaceutical companies.
Ella West is an ex-pat Australian living in New York City when the coup begins and is mistakenly imprisoned for suspected terrorist activity.
On her release she finds her partner, Joah, has passed away because of lack of treatment due to the malfunctioning health care system. As the city descends into chaos, she plans to leave, but is is asked a favour by a friend — to transport his teenage daughter to safety in South Carolina. Ella heads south, planning to honour her friend’s wish and then find a way back across the Mexican border and home to Australia. But in the turmoil that unfolds, her life changes forever.
Been reflecting on my NYE catastrophe and an idea came to me. Often in life, you glimpse events and occurrences that never get explained. So, I’ve decided that when they happens to me from now on, I’m going to post them here and ask you all to join me in coming up with explanations. It’s a game of sorts, I guess, and an intellectual exercise for writers and story makers. Feel free to add your own events/occurrences as well, and we can exchange ideas.
