An Invitation to l33ch

First of all, congratulations to Journey on becoming a true-blue grad student. Though I know that the ooshing has just begun, good job anyway.

I'm currently in the process of ripping every CD I own (and still care about--i.e. not those I just haven't got around to selling) to FLAC.

Because of this, it is now easier than ever for me to share tunes with you, the masses who adore me (NO, NOT RLY).

So, if at any time any of you heard anything in my house/car/at a LAN party/any other time that intrigued you, speak up now and ye shall receive.

Journey, I have the converter apps you need to put FLAC files on your iPod, and am looking into software (for everyone) to burn directly to CD from FLAC. Lady J mentioned knowing of one for Windoze, and I'm looking into rad bad Mac FLAC apps. Sorry, couldn't resist.

So, this will include:
-Therion, about whom you've heard me rant and rave
-Nightwish
-Epica
-Blind Guardian
-Blur (Corenn will remember the film-noir-esque music video for "To the End," Journey has heard Rendaw and me talk about them, Lady J should remember some of their stuff from CDs I've made her)

-Final Fantasy 5-10
-Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, DDS, Devil Summoner, and Persona 2 and 3

-E.S. Posthumus


And many, many more.

In other news, saw "Eragon" yesterday from a ripped DVD. Journey, it probably isn't your cup o' tea. Not quite "a boy and his dragon" but close, and not much brain food. Jeremy Irons at least put on a good performance (lol@Dungeons and Dragons).

I'm just shy of halfway through "American Gods." So far I'm enjoying it quite a bit. The random sex scenes caught me off guard, especially the first which was truly bizarre, but otherwise it's a decent read. I've heard it's darker than "Neverwhere," but so far it hasn't seemed so. Maybe it picks up later on.

Also, finally finished Farscape. I'll try to keep the fangushing to a minimum, but...

Definitely my #1 series. Babylon 5 comes in 2nd for its intricate plot, but Farscape's characters and plot twists keep it in the lead. Plus, "The Peacekeeper Wars" is definitely the best series-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen. For all of Whedon's attempts at, as Rendaw says, "Wise talkin' and fast crackin'" (yeah, reverse much?), the dialogue of "Serenity" doesn't come close to gems like "Great, I'll cut it out!" or "But...but shooting makes me feel better!" Plus, its brief space battle had nothing on the final unveiling of the wormhole weapon. The "Babylon 5" movies work very well within the context of the show, but were never intended to be grand finales or wrap-everything-up-and-go-out-with-a-bang closers.

Favourite character: Scorpius, most certainly. Diabolical, but with a curious childlike innocence that sets him apart from the usual evil overlord type. I also LOVED that he was completely free from the encumberments of so-called "morality" and was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

Runner-up: Crichton. This one shouldn't even need to be explained.

Best/most defining scene: Season 3. "Thanks for Sharing." The "Who's your daddy?" exchange. Absofragginlutely priceless.


In other news, registered for a statistics class at the oh-so-shittily-run Harper College this summer. Got my approval for the credit to transfer to IIT so I can save a wee bit o' cash...okay, actually save GOBS of cash. Now I just have to figure out if I can borrow Journey's or my brother's calculators, or if I'd be better off getting that HP 50g from NewEgg. The 50g gets high accolades in geek circles as being the best for programmability and efficiency, but I dunno...we'll have to see.

Got the results of my two spring classes, and I must say I am pleased. I did better than ever before in my coding class, and found I can hold my own after all in old-fashioned science despite my exposure since high school being effectively nil.

Well, "Brave Fencer Musashi" disc 2 is done ripping, so I'd best get back to work.

Cheers,
-ADN