How one gets addicted to Spotify

I admit it. For a long time I opposed to the idea of having streaming apps installed on my phone. I always prefered to have the music directly on the device in case of lack of Internet connection. Of courseyou can only have so much music as not to clatter the memory. So, instead of having the whole music library, I started creating music lists- and only they would be synchronized. Of course, that way stopped working at some point. This is why I've finally installed Spotify. The idea of having access to all the music in the world is something else. But what I believe is the greatest strength of this app is the ablility to make suggestions, to create playlists that contain not only aleeady popular songs, but some that are rather unknown.

I'm driving home for Christmas

Or how the Christmas music literally drives you crazy.

In the beginning of the season, I think most of the people are rather pleased to hear a Christmas song. It reminds them of the upcoming holidays, lets us feel a little nostalgia for the good memories we associate with this time of the year (of course, it is scientifically proven that the brain represses unpleasant memories). Over the course of the couple of following weeks, one hears the songs so many times that you simply start to detest it. I mean, how long can you endure the same tune? Sure, if it were a great music, but even if it is, the same song over and over again just makes you want to punch something. There is a solution, and that solution is moderation. We can try not to actively search for these song and listen to them only if we have no other choice. That is whenever we are going to llok for the last minute presents for example.
This is another topic worth mentioning. how many times do we swear that the next year we'll buy something in advance? Why doesn't it work out (except for this minuscule precent that actually manages)?


You can find an article on the subject here:
Science behind Christmas songs

You're Tarzan and she is Jane

Last night, out of the blue, I've stumbled upon the trailer for a new Tarzan movie. More accurately "Legend of Tarzan". Normally, remakes of this story are rather weak. However, I have to admit that m expectations are a bit higher towards this one. You just need to take one glimpse at the cast: starting from the main protagonist, played by Alexander Skarsgard, to his true love Jane, played by Margot Robbie (who is that rare exception, where beauty is complemented by acting skills) to secondary characters, among which we see Christopher Waltz (and nobody with two Oscars and his actual position in Hollywood has to play in bad movies to earn some money), Samuel Lee Jackson (who always creates characters that aren't fully serious and has that air of black humor), Djimon Hounsou (whose name you might not recognize, but his face for sure).

Let's wait and see in July 2016 if it really measured up to the expectations.

Here you have the teaser trailer:

  

Long long ago in a galaxy far far away...

In just a couple of days, we are going to have a worldwide premiere of Star Wars: Force Awakens. What is interesting is whether the hype connected to this film will actually fulflll the expectations of everyone involved. Whatever the case may be, it would be great to see people reprising their roles. Of course fan beloved Harrison Ford who plays Han Solo, will also appear.

What is truly amazing is how many fan theories have appeared. Videos, podcasts, blogs analyzing every second of the trailers, promotional photos. What will defiintely not dissapoint is the score. John Williams comes back with new music to complement the action happening on the screen.

Update 18/12/2015
Here you can hear one of the songs composed by him- Rey's Theme

What can really put you to sleep

You know how sometimes nothing can make you fall asleep? I'm not even talking about insomnia, I rather mean the time when you still adjusting to the new schedule. Not being able to get up late, around 10-11 hurts. It hurts a lot at first.

Couple of weeks ago, I accidentally found this page:
http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/
I don't know how exactly, but it works as a charm. A guy under the pseudonym (or not) Scooter talks in a bit of nonsensical way, with the soothing timbre of his voice he basically bores you to death. If you make yourself listen to one of the episodes, after couple of minutes you're out like a baby. No kidding. I would believe it if I haven't tried it myself.

You can either find it on Internet, or via one of the podcasting apps that allow you to suscribe to this sepecific one.

Expanse or not another SF show...

It is basically, an adaptation of the books by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (writing under alias James S. A. Corey). At first, there are many point of views and characters and you get a bit lost in the plot. But once you find yourself a little more informed, it is really somethign different.
You could find the underlying comments about the modern world and politics. The so-called Belters being exploited by the other, stronger parties: Earth and Mars. The validity of torture. whether one can stay corupt-free in the modern world. How the means of pressure are being used on the police force.

I believe that SF movies are really interesting (of course not al of them, but in general), because they show us what can happen with our world in the future. There are many posibilities, but which one will we take is ratehr unclear.

Crawl out through the fallout

Or one of the songs that appear in the newest game of Bethesda studio, mainly Fallout 4. Thanks to my brother, the whole soundtrack of the game is latched into my memory.
Apparently, some time has passed since the last game in the Fallout series, namely 5 years. That is a lot of time for developing another sequel. The game was intensively promoted, with adverts in cinemas, bus stops and even App Store, where you could play a free game where you build your own vault. Everything to put you in the post-apocalyptic mood.

Has the gameplay reach the hype that was generated? Well, the haters will always hate, there is nothing that will stop the that. Definitely one of its strongest suits is the freedom given to the player as to how he wants to play and which aspect go the playthrough to focus on.

How to get away with murder

Of course the plot is getting so convoluted it's getting hard to follow all the twists. What is gripping abot this series apart from the fast- paced dialogues (filled with lawyer lingo) is how complicated the characters are. i mean, no one is innocent. There are no goodie goodie protagonist. Each one has their motivations, something that drives them. And of course the skeletons in the closet. What kind of series would it be without a little mystery?

Annelise and her crew of ruthless students (who sometimes try to walk out, but as in life, it isn't always possible) take on controversial cases that make you a little bit uncomfortable at times.

Holiday longing

Even given that we have just started a new academic year, I feel like having some time off already. With my internship that took most of my summer and the phantom of my thesis hanging over me, I kinda need some time for myself. While looking for an interesting place to go, I’ve stumbled upon various pages with possible suggestions and I want to share some of them.

http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places-to-see-before-you-die-2/

I quite enjoy visiting new cities as a major part of my trips. Here are some of the possible destinations that are being recommended.

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/weekend-trips

The more the better… or not?

Why so many superhero films (and series as well)? And most of them reboots, sequels, prequels? Of course, they sell, so that is probably why the film studios create more and more. The question is, do we really need a remake of a series of films that were released 10 years ago? It just seems forced.

A quote from one of the articles on this subject: Hollywood has become sensational at predicting what its audiences want to see. And, ironically, for that very reason, it's become better at making relentlessly average movies. Apparently, people want their expectations to be fulfilled on the screen that is the plot lines should be tailored as to deliver the most satisfaction to the viewer. The test-audiences decide what they dislike and the production team changes it. They instinctively want the next blockbuster reminds them of the last summer’s one.

The thing is, that the superhero films tend to dominate the entertainment news. The rivaling studios want to come out on top of this race. Honestly, I don’t mind watching a film of this genre from time to time but it looks as though most of the promotion materials are about these films.

You can read more:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/05/hollywoods-real-superhero-problem/370785/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/01/07/batman-iron-man-and-wolverine-arent-taking-over-hollywood/

http://www.blastr.com/2014-8-11/30-superhero-movies-6-years-too-much-good-thing

The Order: 1886 and why do games look like that now

A week ago I decided to buy my brother a little gift for his upcoming birthday. He has to study a lot lately so he has to relieve some of that tension as well, right? And we have a PS4 that was just waiting for a new game:) Anyway, I bought him The Order: 1886. Not going into details, I watched as he played for some time. This game was certainly beautiful when it comes to graphics, but what was really surprising was how cinematic it was. Apparently the whole game, including the cinematic cutscenes, is made on the same engine and because of that you never know when the cutscene starts, which causes to whole game to look like a one big movie sequence. That you play. It actually looks like a film. Well, a film that you are part of. How is it that games are getting more and more lifelike nowadays? My brother played the aforementioned game in the original version and the voice acting was extraordinary, you could distinguish many London accents. Of course, the Polish version lacked the same care from the distributors, but it is rather rare for some things to be translated without parts of the meaning being lost.

Somehow, this part if the market is getting more prestige finally. I have read recently that apparently, the more well-known titles are generating more revenue than blockbuster films.   The example that was given in the article was Grand Theft Auto V, which made $800 million on the first day of release, whereas The Avengers, one of the highest grossing films worldwide, made a little over $207.4 million during its opening weekend.

In the end, I wanted to write about something different entirely, but maybe I am going to continue the issue in the next post.

Why is it different with books?

As I’ve started my little spring cleaning and organising, I’ve stumbled upon a dilemma. What to do with the books? Surely, there are some that I no longer want on my shelves, whether it’s because they were a one-time read or because I’ve outgrown them. Why do I feel it’s necessary not to throw away them, in opposite to, let’s say, magazines? Although sometimes jettisoning them can prove to be a bit challenging too.

Maybe it’s about being sentimental. You know, when a particular title causes you to feel nostalgic and remind you of certain time. Although, personally, I feel that more with music than with books.

Other option: it’s like you are throwing away knowledge and it makes you feel like a thug. Come on, what does every kind of regime do first or every revolution? Imagine piles of books being lit up with gasoline. And then you see that they are burning paintings as well. So, basically, maybe subconsciously we want to preserve our culture? But there is culture and culture. 

Some of the books are not really masterpieces. They might have been entertaining at some point, but you may not feel like going back to read them ever. Then maybe somebody else can enjoy it? We can always donate the books if they are in somewhat good condition. Some may be given to friends.