Life After Glastonbury - Ballard<>Lovecraft etc.
The Ballardian has an article about JG Ballard & HP Lovecraft. Now if only they could have gotten Masamune (Wikipedia) into the equation my triumvir of authors would have been complete.
These are the comedown days after Glastonbury; reading Dominion by Masamune Shirow, finding out about the new Cthulhu movie (jump from here), toying with the idea of reading another Ballard novel, watching Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex Second Gig...
RP
Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Showing posts with label JG Ballard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JG Ballard. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sunday, March 25, 2007
One Daffodil
One Daffodil Can Make a Difference
Visiting the Centre for Alternative Technology has been like opening the door to a Wonderland. I've been reading the Crazy Idealists? The CAT Story and everything just resonates.
During my visit there were two things that really struck me. At the beginning, the intro video playing at the site which stated that if the rest of the world behaves like we have done in the West, we'll require something like two more earths in addition to this one to support it! From then on it was if the door had been opened, I'd passed over the threshold and I'd come home. Just before I left I saw the daffodil growing on the living roof of a building and I thought, that's what I want.
CAT was set up in 1974 - I was 14. It's taken a long time for me to reach this point and I've been on many journeys but the biggest one begins now. We are planning our sustainable house, a not so Grand Design but oh, so great for the environment.
I'm at the last chapter of Ballard's 1973 novel Concrete Island - another 'must read'. This is the third of his books I've just read and every one of them is socially pertinent to today and tomorrow. I'm finding they dovetail with what CAT are saying - he is the Oracle of Shepperton.
rustle
(Just watched the Bioshock teaser over on Eurogamer - WoW!)
Copyright © 2007 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Shepperton's Oracle
J.G. Ballard: Shepperton's Oracle a film by French filmmaker Thomas Cazals on Ballard. There's a 10 minute preview available on The Ballardian and Postcardsfromthefuture (Cazals blog). It's scheduled for an April film/website release.
rustle
Copyright © 2007 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
rustle
Copyright © 2007 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Batman & Mario
Bandaged Batman
Bleached Mario
I finished reading High-Rise by JG Ballard what a story! Once again, it is as though you have really existed through this story. Written in 1975 but as fresh today as ever - Alsatian never tasted so good...
Walked at Avebury and photographed
Stone
My PIN came through so now I'm a registered nurse.
Copyright © 2007 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
2006: The Best and the Worst
2006 has been a year of survival. Surviving a move of house, surviving the final year of my degree, surviving a year long placement and surviving and surviving on a lack of money. But it has also been a year of amazing things as well including music, books, games and writing. There are many but here is a stab at the best and the worst of 2006
THE BEST OF 2006
MUSIC
The year I saw Blind Guardian in Concert
Seeing Blind Guardian live at KoKo in London was an ambition fulfilled. It was their first tour to Britain and it was amazing. Valhala and The Bard's Song (In The Forest) stand out as memorable forever!
my Permalink
The year I bought some more Albums
BOOKS
The year I discovered JG Ballard
JG Ballard's 'Kingdom Come' is his latest book, the first I've read by him and the most excellent book I've read! Ever! Closely followed by 'The Drowned World', his nth book. Hauntingly good, and poignant for today's global worries. Both books work on your mind long after reading. I cannot praise Ballard enough! Check the website - The Ballardian.
The year I read Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams - 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy', 'Life, the universe and everything' and 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' all inspired me to get my writing off the ground earlier than I had planned.
The year I built a Rupert the Bear book collection
'You have to see Bestall's endpapers!'
The year I discovered Rackham
'The French roleplaying company, not Arthur'
GAMES
The year I got into games
Nintendo DS Lite - cool piece of technology with great games
____________ (space where Nintendo Wii should be)
COMICS
The year I got back into comics games
WRITING
The year I wrote a Short Story or three!
And started a Novel
And wrote more Poems
WEB
The year I developed the website and started a blog and found cool stuff
Wonderland- games related, has to be checked every day, cool, games-related stuff from around the world
Rackham- tabletop roleplaying from France, amazing graphics
Nintendo- the best
UK Gamespot, Pocket Gamer Blog, Eurogamer, British Gaming Blog, Joystiq, SPOnG - all for game news
Firefox - where would I be without it? Thanks Mozilla
THE GREEN ORCHARD, Tales of Magistery... and A Green Orchard (this blog!) ;-)
FILMS
'Cinema, DVD, TV etc.'
PLACES
The year we discovered Dorset
THE WORST OF 2006
MOVING HOUSE
Had to be done but it was the most traumatic episode I ever had to go through!
DEGREE
Struggling through this final year of my BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing degree, working, being on placement, no money and having to write a dissertation made this DIFF-I-CULT beyond belief!
FINANCES
What finances?
Wii
Should have been the best thing of 2006 but didn't manage to get one! >>> best of 2007 :-)
WARS
Wars, all wars, no exceptions!
rustle
Copyright © 2006 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
THE BEST OF 2006
MUSIC
The year I saw Blind Guardian in Concert
Seeing Blind Guardian live at KoKo in London was an ambition fulfilled. It was their first tour to Britain and it was amazing. Valhala and The Bard's Song (In The Forest) stand out as memorable forever!
my Permalink
The year I bought some more Albums
- Blind Guardian's 'A Twist in the Myth' came out. Brilliant artwork, excellent songs, a nod to a more commercial offering but memorable anthems and they work well live.
- Mastodon - 'Blood Mountain', heavy, playable heavy, play it!
- Dragonforce - 'Inhuman Rampage' Not normally what I regularly listen to and not what I expected but I keep coming back to it. I love the speed and the flourishes of humour.
- My most played album this year was Blind Guardian's 'Live'. Coupled with the DVD, the hairs still stand out on the back of my neck.
- Mozart's 'Cosi Fan Tuti'. I actually watched all this and it was sooo funny!
BOOKS
The year I discovered JG Ballard
JG Ballard's 'Kingdom Come' is his latest book, the first I've read by him and the most excellent book I've read! Ever! Closely followed by 'The Drowned World', his nth book. Hauntingly good, and poignant for today's global worries. Both books work on your mind long after reading. I cannot praise Ballard enough! Check the website - The Ballardian.
The year I read Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams - 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy', 'Life, the universe and everything' and 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' all inspired me to get my writing off the ground earlier than I had planned.
The year I built a Rupert the Bear book collection
'You have to see Bestall's endpapers!'
- 'The life and works of Alfred Bestall illustrator of Rupert Bear' - Caroline G. Bott.
- A tatty 'A Bear's Life' - George Perry with Alfred bestall
- Rupert Annual 1961
- Rupert Annual 1969
- Rupert Facsimile Annuals 1955, 1957 & 1958
- Plus others...
The year I discovered Rackham
'The French roleplaying company, not Arthur'
- Cadwallon The Free City - Player's Handbook
GAMES
The year I got into games
Nintendo DS Lite - cool piece of technology with great games
- New Super Mario Bros.
- Animal Crossing: Wild World
- Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
____________ (space where Nintendo Wii should be)
- The legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess - for Wii (no Wii yet though!)
- Metroid Prime 2 - Echoes for Gamecube (I'll play it on my Wii when I get one)
COMICS
The year I got back into comics games
- Mnemovore - Vertigo [review]
- Army of Darkness - Dynamite Entertainment
- Wonderland - SLG Publishing Disney
- Fear Agent - Image
WRITING
The year I wrote a Short Story or three!
- The Old House
- Dead Manse
- Bedlam
And started a Novel
And wrote more Poems
- Dark Wonderland
- The Dark Tide
- Rust Hut
- The Mission
WEB
The year I developed the website and started a blog and found cool stuff
Wonderland- games related, has to be checked every day, cool, games-related stuff from around the world
Rackham- tabletop roleplaying from France, amazing graphics
Nintendo- the best
UK Gamespot, Pocket Gamer Blog, Eurogamer, British Gaming Blog, Joystiq, SPOnG - all for game news
Firefox - where would I be without it? Thanks Mozilla
THE GREEN ORCHARD, Tales of Magistery... and A Green Orchard (this blog!) ;-)
FILMS
'Cinema, DVD, TV etc.'
- Howl's Moving Castle - saw this at The Watershed in Bristol - Wow!
- Night Watch - Author - Book - Film - DVD: BBC review
- Doctor Who Up Close exhibition (for my birthday :-))
- Dracula & The Ruby in the Smoke - my permalink
PLACES
The year we discovered Dorset
- Lyme Regis - the best restaurants with a cool old bookshop
- Bridport - the best place with a cool old bookshop
- Dorchester - the best teashop and a cool old bookshop
- Castleton, Derbyshire - was great at Christmas and a cool old bookshop
THE WORST OF 2006
MOVING HOUSE
Had to be done but it was the most traumatic episode I ever had to go through!
DEGREE
Struggling through this final year of my BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing degree, working, being on placement, no money and having to write a dissertation made this DIFF-I-CULT beyond belief!
FINANCES
What finances?
Wii
Should have been the best thing of 2006 but didn't manage to get one! >>> best of 2007 :-)
WARS
Wars, all wars, no exceptions!
rustle
Copyright © 2006 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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