I liked him a lotf

Put On Your Raincoats #17 | The Erotic Reveries of Rinse Dream

Cafe Flesh opens with a title card orienting us to its post-apocalyptic setting. After a calamitous apocalyptic event known as the "Nuclear Kiss", the world is made up of 99% "Sex Negatives", and 1% "Sex Positives". The Sex Negatives can't have sex and can only watch. The Sex Positives escaped such a fate, but are instead forced to perform for an audience of Positives for their vicarious enjoyment. There are many such venues but the one we spend the movie in is the Cafe Flesh of the title, a nightclub where the decor and patronage evoke a cross between punk rock and retro-futurist aesthetics and a hint of Rat Pack era cool. A smarmy comedian in a white tuxedo introduces the sex acts, which are elaborately staged performances that play almost as genre parody with their tongue-in-cheek choreography (plenty of costumed grinding, as with a performer in a rat costume early on, and mimed thrusting, as with another performer in a pencil costume in a later scene) until the turn into the real thing with the requisite close-ups. Futuristic jazz reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti's music plays over the proceedings.

This serves as the background to a story about a woman who may or may not secretly be a Positive (played by scream queen Michelle Bauer and, in certain scenes, a body double) and the impending arrival of a legendary Positive performer known for his virility (a towering, square-jawed Kevin James, introduced in black sunglasses and an oversized blue suit). We also get a sense of the tensions in this nightclub ecosystem, particularly between the heroine and her boyfriend, a new performer, the comedian, the owner (who puts the comedian in his place in one scene by having him cruelly recite "the rhyme"). (The comedian is played by Andy Nichols and the owner by Tantala Ray, both of whom played interview subjects in Gregory Dark's Devil in Miss Jones two-parter, which leads me to believe the latter was influenced by this movie, as Nichols in particular doesn't have many screen credits.)

This movie apparently was a bit of a success in the midnight movie circuit, and it's not hard to see why, based on the strength of the mise en scene and the performances. The cool, smoky backgrounds of the reaction shots provide a nice counterpoint to the avant garde looking performances and give the highly stylized setting a nice evocative quality. There's also a level of genre commentary here, as the story ultimately is about the heroine's agency over her pleasure and the roles sex performers are forced into by greater society, ultimately imprisoned by their own abilities. Truth be told I found the performances got a little less enjoyable when they got down to business with the penetration and whatnot (it gets harder to pull off inspired choreography when one of your appendages is stuck in another person, or vice versa), but I also think it's necessary for those themes to resonate.

Cafe Flesh was directed by Stephen Sayadian, credited as Rinse Dream, and he'd previously used that pseudonym on Nightdreams, for which he co-wrote the screenplay. (The director was Francis Delia, who went on to a career of directing mostly music videos and television, while the other writer was Jerry Stahl, known for his memoir Permanent Midnight, as well as writing for shows such as ALF and movies such as Bad Boys II.) This movie similarly concerns agency over female pleasure and is about two doctors (Andy Nichols and Jennifer West) conducting experiments on a mentally ill young woman by inducing erotic dreams and monitoring her brainwaves. There's a dream involving a giant, monstrous jack-in-the-box. There's one with a pair of cowgirls and something other than a gun stored in a holster, with the cowgirls spouting stilted dialogues in robotic monotones, a Sayadian trademark of sorts. Wall of Voodoo's cover of "Ring of Fire" plays over the action (I'm not sure if they paid for the rights, but Delia and Sayadian did direct videos for the band). There's one with a group of bedouins sharing a hookah and then her. There's a giallo-esque scene involving a masked assailant, but this happens after an aborted nightmare about a shrieking man with a hollow chest from his pants emerges a shrivelled up, monstrous baby. Did David Lynch jack off to this? I wouldn't rule it out, folks.

There's a scene where she blows an anthropomorphic box of Cream of Wheat, while a jaunty cover of "Old Man River" plays on the soundtrack and a man dressed as giant piece of toast dances and plays saxopohone. An IMDb user review cites this scene for its cutting racial commentary, but I found this tonally jarring with the rest of the movie. After this, there's a trip to hell where a demon and his minions subject her to such horrific tortures as prodding her with a giant claw and then an even more fearsome double-pronged contraption. The scientists argue over fears that they gave her too much stimulation. ("This woman's on the brink of an orgasm. Let her enjoy it. She doesn't need interruption from a man." "You call it orgasm. I call it breakdown.") The movie then makes way to its final set piece, involving fog, a background of blue sky and pillars and soft piano music. The cinematography in this scene is in stark contrast to the mostly shadowy, intimate imagery of the previous scenes, with the camera pulled up to admire both their bodies and the scene continuing for some time after the climax. It almost brings to mind a certain scene in Jerry Lewis' The Ladies Man that I found disarming in its stylistic and tonal break from the rest of the movie. Without revealing too much, the film's coda sets the record straight.

It probably doesn't say anything flattering about me that I found most of this pretty hot. The movie has a tinge of horror running through it, giving many of the sex scenes (especially the one in hell) a real tension, while the scientific framing device gives it a cold, calculating quality reminiscent of David Cronenberg. (Alas, this doesn't predate some of his most influential films, but for all we know, David Cronenberg jacked off to it as well.) A few of the character names (Mrs. Van Houten, Mrs. Chalmers) make me suspect that Matt Groening might have seen (and jacked off to) it as well. This is pure speculation on my part, but as far as I'm aware, none of them have denied it either. The movie's distinct tone is grounded in an impressive lead performance by Dorothy LeMay. I wasn't all too impressed with her work in Taboo II, but here I think she skillfully evokes the heroine's derangement and "erotic trauma", in the words of the scientists.

Sayadian and Stahl collaborated again for Dr. Caligari, a relatively mainstream effort that also found some success as a midnight movie. I say "relatively" because it's still pretty fucking weird. The movie positions itself as a loose sequel to Robert Wiene's classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, this time about the granddaughter of the original Caligari conducting illegal experiments in an insane asylum. From the earlier film it pulls a German expressionist influence, but combines it with a campy, MTV-inflected style to present the asylum as a warped funhouse. The dimensions of the architecture are distorted and full of odd angles, decorated in a mixture of pitch black and gaudy day-glo colours (lots of yellow and pink costumes). This is not a pornographic movie, yet it's hardly less obsessed with sex, as the villain's plan concerns the weaponization of female pleasure. There's also the occasional grotesque sexually-charged image to spice things up, like the sight of a woman with giant, phallic-shaped breasts. Some of the imagery also gives it potency as horror, like an oozing sore or a cake full of intestines. There's a lot of strange, stilted dialogue, as in this exchange:

"Describe your life in three words or less."

"Un-ending torment."

"Elaborate, please."

"Blankety blank blank."

"Thank you for being specific."

This is matched by the angular body language of the villain, played by Madeline Reynal in a deadpan yet very physical performance. This movie also brings into focus a voyeuristic theme, which was present in those earlier movies but didn't seem quite as confrontational in its presentation. A character utters, basically to the audience: "I know you're watching me. I feel your eyes like wet fingers touching me in special places." (This is a line of dialogue that appeared in the next few films I'll talk about.) Truth be told, I was a little exhausted by the sensory overload of Sayadian's style here, and in retrospect appreciate the way the sex scenes act as a counterpoint to his more aggressive tendencies in his more explicit films. But at the same time, this is full of memorable imagery and has a weirdly compelling lead performance. I don't know if there's much else quite like it (or at least operating at this force), so it gets a recommendation.

Sayadian followed up Nightdreams with a few shot-on-video sequels. I skipped Nightdreams 2 as I could only find it in a heavily degraded transfer, but I did make time for Nightdreams 3, which has a self contained story that's essentially a more explicit if relaxed version of Dr. Caligari, once again concerning a doctor conducting sinister experiments at an insane asylum. (This time her experiments mostly involve just fucking her patients and other staff.) There's more of the stilted dialogue, even closer to non sequiturs than they were in the earlier film, with the music by Double Vision providing an off-kilter soundscape to match the weirdness of the dialogue. (Highlights include "My pussy's like an erotic assassin" and "I happen to know she has a thing for longshoremen. Just mention On the Waterfront and she gets randy pants.") The video imagery quite frankly is pretty ugly, with the green carpet and purple drapes that decorate the set looking especially ungainly, yet Sayadian seems aware of this, as when he uses video's flattening effect to create a crude facsimile of a split diopter shot. The video collage style he adopts meshes uneasily with the plot, as if to call out its meaninglessness, giving the whole thing a slight MST3K vibe, especially as characters speak directly to the camera.

Some of these tendencies are honed to a more pleasing form in the two-part Party Doll A Go-Go!, where we spend time with a number of attractive, shapely women in bright coloured lingerie as they spout '60s-inspired dialogue at the viewer in between scenes of copulation. (Not all the dialogue is '60s-tinged, however: "They're overcome with retro wordplay...Us modern girls prefer synthetic future".) Like many pornographic films, this is a collection of loosely related sex scenes, but Sayadian's construction turns those genre requirements into parody, having his characters offer colour commentary (albeit channeled through his campy prose) on their own scenes and even getting interrupted by the stars of subsequent and preceding scenes. The number of quotable lines is even greater than those earlier films, and I admit I was scrambling to write down the choicest ones as there were so many. The best lines go to Jeanna Fine, who also has the huskiest voice and the most penetrating stare, so she was easily my favourite. I certainly was not unmoved when she insisted that she's "never run around buck naked and bubbling for man-winky" or "never wrapped[her] lips around a throbbing johnny". (She does not, however, deny having ever interacted with beef bologna.) Or when she asked the audience "Was I a bad girl?" (said three times in rapid succession) or if we've "ever seen a double orgasm on videotape?" (She adds "Watch, pornhound" and "Calling all porndogs, watch me work, uh-huh.") And I definitely wasn't unmoved when she demonstrated her talents on a dildo dangled in front of her (which she refers to as an "artificial man-thing", a "chubby rubber fella" and a "flying princeton"). No, definitely not unmoved.

There isn't much of plot here, except in the latter half when one of the girls can't stop "the wiggle" and needs to be rescued with an emergency injection of "boy jerky". Sayadian, once again bringing voyeuristic concerns into focus (the characters all talk to the camera), seems to be satirizing the very idea of porn having premises and certain their lazy execution. Even the production design is transparent in its chintz (the movie is shot entirely on the same set, with the bare minimum in alterations to the set dressing to make it look even slightly different), while the video images, which feature lots of Dutch angles, zooms and whip pans, match the campiness of the whole affair. This is probably a little long at a combined 2+ hours, but at the same time, it settles into a nice groove and is full of really attractive and reasonably charismatic actresses delivering amusing dialogue and indulging in "girl homo" (sometimes "big time girl homo") or getting "boy jerky". I don't have much interest in delving into '90s pornography and shot-on-video productions strain the dignity one can feel while trying to watch pornographic films as actual movies, but I'm not gonna pretend I didn't have a good time with this.

If you have any nerves about making a date with me, please take the time to read the reviews written by gentlemen I have spent time with.

I have a 100% positive review rate, spanning the last 7 years. It can be daunting meeting new people, so I’ve placed all the reviews here, to give you an idea of what our own chemistry could look and feel like.

Please also don’t be shy to leave a review if I have made a glowing impression on you.

“She is kind, funny and intelligent...A wonderful night with a wonderful person”

My date with Gia was absolutely perfect. From the initial contact, everything was very professional and first-class.

We shared a 2-hour dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and I easily could have talked to her for hours more.

She is kind, funny and intelligent.

A wonderful night with a wonderful person.

NARCISSUS123, Scarlet Blue, January 2020

“My eyes lit up when she walked out of the bathroom in her lingerie..”

Gia was just what I needed before a day full of meetings. Arranged to meet the week prior and communicating with her was a breeze. She walked through the door in activewear and I could tell how fit she was. My eyes lit up when she walked out of the bathroom in her lingerie. She knows how to work around your body and how she initiates is amazing. One word of advice is to marvel her physique from the back. Hope to meet her in the new year.

HEIANTH, Scarlet Blue, December 2019

“I have been back for many bookings since and have to say it’s something I really look forward too…”

I feel I definitely owe writing this for Gia and I’m sorry it’s taken this long -first when saw her website I really felt I would be punching above my weight in booking her but from the moment we met she made me feel very comfortable. Gia a such a complex and intelligent girl to speak with but still makes the booking seem like such a fun time that you don’t want her to leave. I have been back for many bookings since and have to say it’s something I really look forward too , always engaging ,relaxed ,funny and completely intoxicating is the time you will spend with

So if you really want to treat yourself to a one in million this is your chance to do so .

BC, Scarlet Blue, June 2019

“Gia is insanely beautiful in person. Tall, meticulously dressed and possessing a figure and curves that would make Leonardo Da Vinci retroactively call his Golden Spiral the Gia Spiral…”

It's quite the challenge to put into words what an evening with Gia James is like, but I will do my sincere best!. Gia has a highly visible social media presence, particularly on Twitter where she has probably one of the best Sex Worker feeds in Australia full of stylish, sexy selfies, food/cocktail pics and running commentary on her favourite television shows- I only know the details of Married at First Site due to her twitter feed. Gia's pictures are breath taking. It is hard not to be bewitched by her jaw dropping, awe inspiring beauty. She basically looks like a much, much hotter version of Angelina Jolie. Her 21st Century, neo-Bombshell look originally put me off seeing her due to me thinking a shlubby dude like me should not be bothering such a gorgeous, impossibly beautiful girl like her, but eventually decided to go for it and am blissfully happy I did.

Gia is insanely beautiful in person. Tall, meticulously dressed and possessing a figure and curves that would make Leonardo Da Vinci retroactively call his Golden Spiral the Gia Spiral, Gia is almost too good to be true. Gia is everything you could hope for from a Professional Lady. Booking was easy to make, she was on time and communicative.

Gia is without a doubt the best Provider I have ever been with. She is super friendly, smart and chatty and surprisingly cuddly in the booking. Her ability to make you comfortable and put you at ease (I am shy and get quite nervous) is unparalleled and I hate to mention it again, but her figure is just a sight to behold, it's almost impossible to believe she is not a 3D rendered vision of perfection.

I couldn't recommend Gia enthusiastically enough!

Saxon, Scarlet Blue, June 2019

“She is great, I’ll tell you that…WOW!!”

I spent a few hours with Gia a few weeks ago for the first time. Although we didn’t meet on time (mainly my fault) she was so kind and welcoming for my late arrival.

The first hour we had together was getting to know a bit about ourselves and interests sharing a drink along with a cheese platter.

Once we decided to go upstairs, Gia gave me a great lap dance and we started kissing. She is great, I’ll tell you that. She then went down on me, and wow does she give great blowjobs!!!!!

It was the best one I ever had, so great that she made me cum, before we could go any further. Again WOW!!

After I went to clean up, I asked if it was alright if we just spent the rest of the night hanging out. She was cool with that and we headed back downstairs and played PS4. She was having trouble with one of her games and I helped her out with that.

And that was the end of our time, thank you Gia so much, I hope we can meet again soon.

MWB, Scarlet Blue, April 2019

“…She looks even better than her photos…definitely memorable in every way !”

Had the pleasure of seeing Gia last Friday. Setting it up was a great experience, she is such a good natured person and made it all feel very natural. Down to the outfit and discussing how I wanted the meet up to go, she remained a pleasure to talk to. The actual occasion was great and she looks even better than her photos which look amazing. Definitely memorable in every way and time (and money) well spent.

DANTE12, Scarlet Blue, August 2018

"In short, this Goddess is everything that I’d hoped she would be."

A massive thank you to Gia James for saving the day and seeing me at very late notice this weekend (due to my previously booked escort going MIA, I hope she is ok).

Gia was great to deal with over text and arrangements were seamlessly confirmed. The fact that I’d actually be seeing this stunner in a little over 24 hours for 2 hours PSE was still amazing to me.

I first noticed Gia James a few years ago and had been a fan ever since but had never booked her. I am not a ‘regular’ punter and have only ever infrequently booked ‘touring’ escorts here in Melbourne at their hotel or if I was in Sydney, at their apartment.

We met at the hotel lifts. Gia was wearing a red dress and a leather jacket. She is gorgeous in person. Although I was a little star struck she was very down to earth and great to talk to. Having never heard her speak before I’d half expected a Russian accent but no, she speaks in regular Aussie albeit with a hardly noticeable but very cute lisp.

I had asked Gia to bring a few of her favourite toys and she did not disappoint. Her bag of tricks included a large pink dildo, a couple of butt plugs, another knobbly glass dildo and a hitachi vibrator. This was going to be fun.

A couple of highlights from my first experience with Gia James:

Gia is a fantastic kisser, Gia has wonderfully sensitive nipples that love attention, Gia tastes great, Gia is very vocal when she cums - love that, Gia loves being rimmed almost as much as I love rimming her, on her third orgasm, she squirted - I didn’t know that she could do that, bonus!

In short, this Goddess is everything that I’d hoped she would be.

Thank you Gia for a fantastic afternoon. You are a 10/10.

- Baz

SCARLET BLUE, JULY 2018

"On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate my time with Gia? 11."

I have wanted to book Gia James so many times before and finally circumstances prevailed where it became a reality. I followed her links from Scarlett Blue profile to her website and noticed amongst other things she provided a BDSM service both as Dom and Sub, and being a lover of this kink myself the only decision left was which role. I opted to be dominated so I must advise that this review is for such a session, if you’re not into that kink, you don’t know what you’re missing. What made things more appealing was that Gia has the same outlook in that it should be complimentary to the sexual act and not separate as some practitioners would like you to believe. So here is my review.

I arrived right on time, I buzzed Gia’s apartment number and as we couldn’t get the downstairs door to open, Gia said to me ‘hang on I’ll put some clothes on and come get you’. Now I was expecting her to come down in trackie pants and sweat top and then she appeared, in the stairwell. Now regular punters will know Profile pics and their accuracy has a high degree of variation not just on SB but on all sites. I was hoping, this wasn’t one of those occasions but yes it was. For as hot and stunning as her pictures in her profile are, Gia is far more attractive in person. When she came to open the door in a sexy red summer dress with white polka dots I was immediately reminded of Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Scarlett Johanson’s character. Following her up those stairs I congratulated myself on my decision and gave myself a pep talk. I had to be on my best performance levels to do justice to the beauty and the body that was swanking its way one step above me, the stairway to heaven. A cliché but oh so true in this instance.

Lauren began by slapping my already hard cock, firmly enough, then she shoved her beautiful natural breasts, bra still on into my face, I kissed and licked. Then she pressed her pussy, panties still on the same way, I kissed I licked. She then placed her lips on mine and we had an ever so fleeting glimpse of what a GFE with Lauren would be like. We kissed like we were in a Pedro Almodivar movie, ‘Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down’ comes to mind, tongues dancing a tango amongst saliva and ever warming breath. When Gia decided it was enough, she pulled back. She slapped my face a couple of times, licked the palm of her hand and rubbed it on my face, spat on my face and rubbed it in on me.

She then ordered me on all fours and to crawl to the bathroom and have a cold shower. Throughout she gave me strict instructions not to cum. This was easily said than done as I am the king of multiple shots. She said she was in charge and she would tell me when to blow and she wanted it to be one massive gorging orgasm. She ordered me to stand in the cold shower for 40 seconds and wank. Wank but don’t blow. Once I had completed that task, I was allowed to dry and crawl back into the bedroom and onto her bed.

Lauren took over as Director for the filming and ensured perfect camera angles, have already relived the magical moments. Unlike some others, Gia doesn’t place restrictions on her filming. In fact, a couple of times I caught her checking herself on my I Pad screen, she needn’t worry, she looked spectacular.

On the bed Lauren ordered me to kiss every part of her naked body from the top of her head, to the tips of her toes. After tha Ccc t I maneuvered my way back to her spectacular pussy for some DATY. That was most enjoyable for me and as I had done some research, also for Gia. Then she pressed her ass cheeks against my face, I slowly lifted my tongue, rimming around her asshole before I plunged in, I could feel the pleasure surge through her entire body, I went as deep as I could, and it was awesome.

She then had me on all fours and spanked my ass, slapping my still hard cock every now and again. Then pulling on the lead she placed her fingers in my ass. More a finger fuck than prostate exam, she released the chain to pull on my cock with her other hand. As soon as she felt I was about to blow she relaxed, retreated and I breathed a sigh of relief from unrealized expectations.

She then ordered me on my back, and began the best blow job I’ve ever had. I know that’s often claimed and to be truthful it’s hard to find a bad one but this was pure bliss, not porn star more the naughty GFE, kissing the tip and stem, licking every inch and then taking it all deep into her mouth. She had adjusted camera angle so that I could see those beautiful doe eyes looking POV as my rock hard cock disappeared lovingly past her pouty lips, and watching it again turned me on almost as much as live.

She then straddled me reverse cowgirl style, her slappable bubble but bouncing in front of my face as we fucked, slowly at first then I pounded her tight warm pussy, I was ready to blow but Lauren wouldn’t let me.

The coup de grace came in the form of the best doggy style fuck I’ve ever had. Broken up into three sections. The first two times when I felt like blowing, I would let Gia know and she would get me to relax and slow down but stay in that heavenly hole before resuming. As we began Round 3, she said to me ‘This time I want you to blow, and I want it to be the biggest load of cum you’ve ever blown. Make it massive’. I couldn’t let her down. I began pounding her hard from behind, slapping her ass, tugging on her dangling firm nipples from her bouncing breasts, kissing the back of her neck, her back, her ass before I blew this tidal wave of cum, a tsunami no less.

After I caught my breath, I showered and we had a nice chat while I waited for my Uber. On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate my time with Gia? 11. I am not kidding. I am already preparing for our next meeting, this time we may switch, or maybe I go the PSE, nah fuck it, I think it will have to be an overnighter.

- Cliptiger

PUNTER PLANET, JULY 2018

"An absolutely stunning and breathtaking beauty who will make your time unforgettable..."

I don't normally write reviews but the lady last night I met was an incredible soul so that's why I am writing a review. I had an absolute pleasure of seeing Gia last night for the first time she is everything her profile claims to be an absolutely stunning and breathtaking beauty who will make your time unforgettable, she was simply unbelievable , innocent, beautiful, educated and well mannered with a splendid body.

- K

SCARLET BLUE, DECEMBER 2017

My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2019

It's that time of year again! I'm gonna use the same introduction on this post like I will on the other for the most part, so don't get scared about reading the same post twice. Today we're gonna be looking at my Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2019! I did a video on my music channel where I just talk about the favorites, but here you will see them AND ALL the honorable mentions! I want to give a few disclaimers: 1) I am a metalhead, so most of the releases you will see are metal releases; 2) this is all based on my personal tastes and opinions as to what I found to be the best.

Before we get into the countdown, let's see the honorable mentions! How I rank them is if the release has ** following it then it means that I enjoyed the release, but if it has *** it means that it had the potential to make it into the rankings. So here they are!

Valcata - Valcata** (symphonic power metal / metal opera) The End of Melancholy - Paradox Intention** (alternative metal) Autumn - Stacking Smoke** (atmospheric gothic metal) Shokran - Ethereal** (djent / progressive metal / ambient) My Propane - Antidote** (djent / alternative metal) Celestivl - TenTimesTwo** (symphonic metal) Diabolical - Eclipse** (black metal) Degrees of Truth - Time Travel Artifact** (progressive metal) Ardours - Last Place on Earth** (gothic metal) Devin Townsend - Empath** (progressive metal) The Agonist - Orphans** (progressive death metal) Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings** (heavy metal) Verite - New Skin** (indie pop) Porselain - Duende** (avant-garde) Vetrar Draugurinn - Hinterlands** (gothic metal) Scarlet Stories - Necrologies** (dark metal) Port Noir - The New Routine** (alternative / prog rock) We are the Catalyst - Ephemeral** (alternative metal) Tarja - In the Raw** (symphonic metal) Kobra and the Lotus - Evolution** (hard rock) Rage of Light - Imploder** (trance death metal) FKA Twigs - Magdalene** (trip hop) Cellar Darling - The Spell** (progressive metal) The Dark Element - Songs the Night Sings** (power metal) Voyager - Colours in the Sun** (djent / progressive metal) Arcane Ritual - Witch-Heart** (gothic metal) Metalite - Biomechanicals** (power metal) Gone in April - Shards of Light** (melodic symphonic death metal) Pencey Sloe - Don't Believe, Watch Out** (shoegaze) The Murder of My Sweet - Brave Tin World** (symphonic metal) Symfobia - The Smog of Tomorrow** (symphonic metal) Ianwill - One Credit Left** (metalcore) Visions of Atlantis - Wanderers** (symphonic power metal)

Sharks in Your Mouth - Sacrilegious*** (symphonic deathcore) Glasya - Heaven's Demise*** (symphonic metal) Lacuna Coil - Black Anima*** (gothic metal) Lighthouse in Darkness - The Melancholy Movies*** (trip hop / sad Hollywood music) Banks - III*** (r&b) Saor - Forgotten Paths*** (folk death metal) Plague of Stars - Daedalus*** (gothic metal) Hecate Enthroned - Embrace of the Godless Aeon*** (symphonic black metal) Dorian Electra - Flamboyant*** (experimental / queer pop) Beast in Black - From Hell with Love*** (power metal) Shadow of Intent - Melancholy*** (symphonic deathcore) Leprous - Pitfalls*** (prog rock) Cathubodua - Continuum*** (symphonic metal) Reism - Dysthymia*** (gothic metal) Starset - Divisions*** (cinematic rock) The Lust - Lustration*** (gothic metal) Neverlight - The Quiet Room*** (progressive gothic metal)

And now let's look at the big boys!

10. The Offering - Home [progressive metal]

I would like to label these guys as "progressive power death metal", but prog is good enough since it rounds it out perfectly. Amazing production and very interesting riffs and song-writing. A bit chaotic, but there's structure to the chaos. The singer's voice is absolutely insane and he has an incredible vocal range.

Favorite songs: 1. Failure (S.O.S.) 2. Lovesick 3. Glory

9. Infected Rain - Endorphin [modern metal]

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I do. Epic production and full of epic songs. They really have evolved a lot over the years, but this album is still very much true to who they are. It's a very diverse album that experiments with different directions, but keeps its direction.

Favorite songs: 1. Black Gold 2. Earth Mantra 3. Passerby

8. Lindsay Schoolcraft - Martyr [symphonic gothic metal]

I've said this once and I'll continue to say it: this album is like a love child between Within Temptation and Evanescence. It's very dreamy and absolutely beautiful. This album was definitely worth the wait. And if you got the storybook edition (like I did), then you know the exclusive bonus tracks are absolutely wonderful.

Favorite songs: 1. Stranger 2. Into the Night 3. Remember

7. Muna - Saves the World [indie pop / queer pop]

This album is so much fun, but also very sad. These queens really know how to make good sad music, but then turn around and make it upbeat and fun. This album I feel isn't as dramatic as About U (which I LOVE), but instead is more from the heart and personal. It's a very touching album.

Favorite songs: 1. Stayaway 2. Who 3. Pink Light

6. Swallow the Sun - When a Shadow is Forced into the Light [gothic doom metal]

When I first heard Upon the Water, I knew right when they mentioned "nightingale" that it was about Aleah Stanbridge and had a strong feeeling that the whole album would be dedicated to her, and it very much is. It's definitely a very deep and hard album to listen to if you're someone, like myself, was very fond of Aleah. It's full of so much beauty, raw emotion, and heartbreak.

Favorite songs: 1. Firelights 2. Upon the Water 3. Never Left

5. Imperia - Flames of Eternity [symphonic metal]

I feel this album is very different from what they've done in the past, but still very much an Imperia album. Helena dove deep into her heart for this album just like the previous album, but it's not as heartbreaking which makes it easier to take in. I love the unique directions they went in with the song-writing to really make this album different.

1. Fear is an Illusion 2. The Scarred Soul 3. Book of Love

4. Fleshgod Apocalypse - Veleno [symphonic technical death metal]

This album is both very chaotic and well structured. It's pretty whimsical at times which helps it stand out compared to previous releases; not to mention they experimented with their sound a bit in general with this album. I really love the orchestrations and choirs on this album in particular since they don't sound like they have on previous releases.

Favorite songs: 1. The Day We'll be Gone 2. Fury 3. Monnalisa

3. Within Temptation - Resist [symphonic modern metal]

This is how you rebrand yourself. It's still very much true to who they are, but a very solid and different evolution. It really reminds me a lot of their older stuff, but with a modern twist to it. The production on it is absolutely amazing and the storytelling is done so beautifully. This is my new favorite album from them, and I haven't had one since The Heart of Everything.

Favorite songs: 1. Raise Your Banner 2. Trophy Hunter 3. Firelight

2. Starkill - Gravity [symphonic power death metal]

They really stepped their pussies up with this album. It's absolutely amazing. The production is light years ahead of that of Shadow Sleep (which was my biggest gripe with that album). I love the sci-fi feel to a lot of the songs off the album and just how dramatic and intense it gets.

Favorite songs: 1. The Real Enemy 2. Until We Fall 3. Castaway

1. Ex Libris - ANN (A Progressive Metal Trilogy) [progressive symphonic metal]

If you want to learn the stories of three Ann's throughout history and love super dramatic, powerful, gut-wrenching music, then this is the release for you. I know chapter 1 made it on my favorite EPs last year (and placed number 1 at that), but since the last two chapters were released this year, it makes since to just include the whole album here since that's what all three chapters make. Dianne and the guys really went above and beyond for this album and Joost did such an incredible job at helping them make this album as perfect as it is. I especially love how much Dianne emulated all three of them and how she channeled them perfectly.

Favorite songs (in no particular order): 1. Chapter 1 - Anne Boleyn: The Beheading 2. Chapter 2 - Anastasia Romanova: The Exile 3. Chapter 3 - Anne Frank: The Raid

And that's it for the albums! I highly recommend these EPs for those of you whom are interested. Follow this link to see the post all about my favorite EPs of the year!

Something that Seems Bad But is actually Good | Adopt 4 ‘Bad’ behaviors

Aren’t you tired of being too good? I am. But, you are also shy to be bad? Why? Society will punish you — with actions, words, and stares.

Imagine you’re Noland from Castaway, locked in an island.

In the midst of a solitary life full of uncertainties, you wish to get a tattoo, drive on the road’s the wrong side, smoke inside an elevator, play awful pranks, and party till late — only if you could go back where existence is.

But what if you’re not as lucky as Noland — who actually got a chance to relive? What if you spot angels before adopting so-called “bad” behaviors and depart with “I wish”?

Pity.

“We live, or we die by the clock!” Noland shouts. “We never turn our back on it, and we never, ever allow ourselves the sin of losing track of time.”

So, time is all you have.

Doing what society wants you to do, often, devoid you of real fun, wasting your precious time, stealing the joy of weird experiences.

So, there is no harm in being a little naughty and doing things which, otherwise, are seen as threatening.

Yes, to be polite is suggestive; to be productive is appreciated.

But today I’ll advise you to be bad because being “bad” doesn’t take much. Don’t trust me?

See for yourself, as unappreciative social behaviors peppered in this post suggest violating some restrictive social expectations. Let’s dive:

  1. Let Your Tongue Twirl

I have never sworn in public, like never. In third grade, I called my class fellow “stupid”, and that mama’s boy complained to the class teacher, destroying my image partially.

From that day, yes, life traveled a great deal — but the incident remained precisely in its place. I ensured to always maintain animosity against badmouthing.

Especially, swearing. But, as of writing now, my brain is nudging to change this hostility — all credit to the studies confirming how swearing helps one overcome frustration.

I used to roll my eyeballs on people who when stuck in traffic swear at others — but now I’m sure it helped them, as according to recent research, swearing helps people cope with anger.

Further, Richard Stephens of Keele University (UK), in his study published in Neuroreport, explains,

“There are many well-documented benefits of swearing, including improving pain tolerance, boosting physical strength, and helping social cohesion.”

Stephen carried out an interesting experiment where swearing helped in reducing and enduring pain.

People were asked to put their hand in an ice bucket; those who swore all the while were able to pull the challenge for two minutes, nearly double the time, than those who remained good mouth.

But, Stephen also explained how mainly occasional swearing helps alleviate the pain.

So make it only a casual habit, strategically deployed. Logic? Well, over-swearing will make it lose its emotional power, making it less effective in alleviating pain — after all, swearing is a dynamic language.

Don’t you think we need more such studies? Caught you!

According to another study published in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal by Yehuda Baruch of the University of East Anglia, swearing enables employees to channel frustration and develop strong social relations.

Take away: Swear, but strategically. 

  2. Get Disgusting

This one is probably the most disgusting. Weird. Strange. You name an awful feeling, and it is it.

But there has been research, so it’s worth a share. In 2008, Friedrich Bischinger, an Austrian lung specialist, explained how eating snot helps strengthen the immune system. He goes on telling,

“People who pick their nose and eat it,” he said, “get a natural boost to their immune system for free. I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their noses. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well.”

What is science?

Well, research says bacteria deposited on the nose when it hits the intestine acts as a medicine.

Bischinger was not alone. Even biochemist, Scott Napper of the University of Saskatchewan, shared a similar viewpoint, theorizing how hygiene improvement boosts allergies, so eating snot may strengthen the immune system by ingesting a few harmless germs into the body.

Interestingly, the same idea can be deployed on a lesser level of disgusting activity: nail-biting. I never had a habit of biting my nails.

Like never. But I had ample friends, always angry at their fingernails’ crooked appeal and stunted growth — clearly, they were nail-biters.

No matter how biting nails may appear displeasing socially, but medically, it’s right for you.

How so? Well, the biting inject germs directly into the orifice. Bringing in newer germs into the body strengthens your immune system as it repeatedly then fends off bacteria.

Additionally, according to Amy Standen of npr.org, nail-biting is now considered an act of “pathological grooming.” Amy interviewed Carol Mathews, a psychiatrist, who explained to her how nail-biting acts as a reward.

When met with anxiety, biting the right nail feels good. Mathew explains how it is an advantageous relief method over vices like smoking cigarettes.

I might be on the verge of losing my pretty nails — as the study of it being a stress reliever, illuminated me.

Take away: It’s alright to bite your nails for strengthening your immune system — but, occasionally. 

  3. Turn Into a Dull Useless Soul

Have you ever been subject to self-pity when boredom sucked the soul out of you?

After digesting this research, you probably would not, as boredom is psychologically useful.

Van Tilburg, from the University of Limerick, tells the Guardian:

“Boredom makes people long for different and purposeful activities, and as a result, they turn towards more challenging and meaningful activities, turning towards what they perceive to be meaningful in life.”

Interestingly, Adrian Savage, an editor at Lifehack, adds,

“Boredom stimulates the search for better ways to do things like nothing else does.”

Another study made people watch dull, boring videos, resulting in their increased performance in creative tasks.

So next time, when you feel an utterly useless person in boredom, think twice — as you are doing nothing but triggering your creativity.

Now I reflect why all the creative ideas always land in my mind when I have absolutely nothing to do — and the very reason why people’s random videos made during boredom go viral.

Takeaway: No matter how much society labels you as a useless couch potato, get intentionally bored for your next inspiration.

  4. Become that Rude Movie Character & Chew

Why in every movie is a shady character always chewing gum?

I don’t get why people don’t consider it a pretty sight and associate it with mannerless.

An interesting study, instead, showcases how it has cognitive benefits.

Chew it before performing any cognitive task to increase the blood oxygen level. In the book Senescence and Senescence-Related Disorders, Kin-ya Kubo expounds on how chewing gum helps with stress-related disorders.

I can vouch for this.

Even if I forget to keep a gum with me, my best friend always carries it with her because it wonders for anxiety, stress, nausea, nervousness, and whatnot!

Studies have also proved how chewing gum boosts thinking and alertness by 10% as nearly eight brain areas get affected, mostly concerning movement and attention.

Andy Smith of Cardiff University sums up:

“The effects of chewing on reaction time are profound. Perhaps football managers arrived at the idea of chewing gum by accident, but they seem to be on the right track.”

Takeaway: Ditch the etiquettes and smack the gum in.

Final words for Something that Seems Bad But is actually Good

Why adopt any of the techniques laid above?

It’s always good to have a change. Life is short. Tasting “not so acceptable” behaviors frequently add spice to your life — even if momentarily.

Remember good behavior exists because of “Bad”, so do not dismiss the idea of bad behaviors completely.

Rather explore bad behaviors, which sometimes can be good for you.

Violate some outworn social behaviors classified as bad and be intentional about it.

Remember, it’s good to be bad with awareness rather than being good without awareness.

So next time when your brain requests you to try something terrible, give it a thought, at least — before rebelling.

Also Here Are Some Related Massively-Transformative Resources You Will Ever Need.

21 Things to do to be Productive 

17 Best Advice for New College Students

19 Will Power Strategies & Tips to recharge self discipline

  My favorite FREEBIES for you 

 3 Epic PDFS For Instant Energy - Boost Your Productivity To An Insane Level

 3 Badass PDFS For Incredible Motivation - Fulfill Any Goal & Turn Any Desire Into Reality

 3 Essential PDFS For Remarkable Focus & Concentration -

 Grab 1100+ Journal Prompts To Tap Hidden Answers Of Your Life

 Grab 8+ Special Printables For Unstoppable Vision - Your Future May Depend On This

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ZIPPED FOCUS-BUNLE & MEET ME IN YOUR INBOX. I HAVE A SURPRISE GIFT FOR YOU ! 

Mobile Readers Can Simply Download the PDF:

Booklet #1 - Complete Concentration

Booklet #2 - Focus

Booklet #3 - The Entrepreneurs Guide To Focus

.et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_content { background-color: #000000 !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container .et_bloom_form_header { background-color: #000000 !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_content button { background-color: #fc7a3a !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_content .et_bloom_fields i { color: #fc7a3a !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_content .et_bloom_custom_field_radio i:before { background: #fc7a3a !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_content button { background-color: #fc7a3a !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container h2, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container h2 span, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container h2 strong { font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; }.et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container p, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container p span, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container p strong, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container form input, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_6 .et_bloom_form_container form button span { font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; }

DOWNLOAD

Welcome To The Community, Decoder!

The post Something that Seems Bad But is actually Good | Adopt 4 ‘Bad’ behaviors appeared first on You Decode.

Enlightening Cinema

gallop McKennaEnlightening CinemaMetaphysical Articles | February 6, 2005... Cinema By bound ... me tell you why you're here. You're here being you recognize ... What you know, you can't explain. But you atmosphere it. You felt it your unified life. so there' Enlightening Cinema aside Jed McKenna"Let me confess you cause you're here. You're hither because you know something. What you know, you can't explain. But you feel it. You caress it your entire life. That there's something inaccurate with the world. You don't experience what it is, but it's there. Like a splinter in your talent driving you mad." -Morpheus, The Matrix This isn't a flick review calendar and it's not comprehensive. It's just some report about a few feature I guess are profitable for the purposes of awakening and why, or that ardent and why not. alongside tools of understanding, unacceptable is repeatedly better thaw good. big themes interpreted on this list show to be these: - Heresy - Captive/Captor - Teacher/Student - Nature of self/man. - Death/rebirth. Cataclysm/epiphany. - Untrustworthiness of mind/memories. The apart thing I might advise with stare to cinema and album is to raise the material raise to the level position it incline of cost to you. Orwell potency have do writing an anti-communist manifesto, but Nineteen Eighty-Four is much also interesting explore as the struggle amid man and his confinement. Apocalypse immediately is backward something other than Viet Nam, after what precedent to receive Ahead modern Advertising is about being more that rampant commercialism, etc.::: americas Beauty"I feel like dive been in a stupor for the past tenet years. furthermore I'm equitable now rising up." I've included americas Beauty principally for what is wrong with it. Lester's major death/rebirth transition fair promise, but what accomplish he development to? Backward to teenage crap, not forward in any sense. A fear-based regression. simple car, ludicrous drugs, simple vanity, senseless skirt chasing. Not at all reclaimed when jester sees his own craziness near the end or by sappy/smarmy dead guy voice-over. climactic movie is slightly redeemed by the presence of the quasi-mystical neighbor youth and his video footage of a windblown bag:"That's the bright I completed that there was this entire growth behind things, and this incredibly humane force that wanted me to notice there was no reason to be afraid, ever."::: Apocalypse Now"In a hostility there are many time for sorrow and supple action. There are copious moments for ruthless action what is often called ruthless what may in many circumstances be alone clarity, noticing clearly what there is to be done and doing it, directly, quickly, awake, looking at it." You'd feel that catastrophe Now Redux, the director's cut, would be the version to watch, but all the stuff that was fairly cut from the authentic has prevail wrongly replaced. (Raising the interesting mite that directors and creator often don't understand the higher operation of the stories they're telling.) cane with the original past both Redux and contras Heart of Darkness.Apocalypse directly is all about the Horror. ac journey of discovery, into the character of darkness, arriving at this horror. What's the horror? after what precedent do you get there? Why would anyone prepare such a journey? Should you make such a journey? Why or cause not?Note the powerful epiphanies that commute the film. The antecedent assassin's cap home, ("Sell the house, sell the car, handle the kids..."), Dennis Hopper's youthful exuberance, Kurtz's ice bullet, paillards "...I wasn't even in their squad any more." ::: vitality There"Spring, summer, autumn, winter... then flexibility again."A splendid film decayed by a foolish walking-on-water stunt bearing on to the end. Without that nonsense the viewer would be complimentary to think, to decide, to wonder. Instead, the movie zips itself raise tight with its adept little dumb-it-down twist. blow the block button at Chauncey is straightening the sapling, since the pernicious denouement, and it's a fun, sweet film.::: shank Runner"I've look things you people wouldn't believe. intrusion ships on fire outside the accept of Orion. I've patrolled c-beams sheen in the dark near the man-house Gate. All those time will be lost in time like tears in rain. past to die." Were you born pentamerous minutes ago? Of development not, and you have the remembrance to explain it. ko'd know if they were artificial implants, because, uh...::: Cast Away"I couldn't even kill I personally the style I needed to. I had influence over nothing."If a brother screams on a deserted island and there's no one to hear him, does he make a sound? Is it full that he hears it himself? What if not? What's south when you take over everything?Self exposed bare.This show raises copious intriguing questions about the substance of self, or lack thereof, and cover a actual Zen eulogy.::: Dead Poets SocietyHeresy.::: hold and Maude"Vice, virtue. It's best not to be too moral... Aim superior morality."American Zen, master and disciple. ::: Harvey"For generation I was smart... I recommend pleasant."Elwood P. Dowd, wisefool. ai sweet depiction of a higher rule of living misinterpreted as a reduced order of being. intend we know the exceptional Man although we byword him? ::: How to Get forward In Advertising"Everything I do now form perfect sense."A thwarted request for freedom. A failed attempt to overthrow Maya. Enjoy the insanity of the epiphany.::: Joe opposing the Volcano"Nobody knows anything, Joe. weal take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and will see. that life, right?"Death and Rebirth. Unlike americas Beauty, this is all about gripping forward, "away from the things of man."::: fellow Facing soughest (Hombre Mirando Al Sudeste)Watch especially for the optic poem of a guy crumbling a human pundit into a sink at the same time looking for the soul.::: The Matrix"Like everyone else, you were born in the direction of through to bondage, born inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A confinement for your mind." plutos Cave for the people. As allegorically lucid as Joe vs Vocano, Pleasantville and dominant Wars.::: Monty Python's get-up-and-go of Brian"No, no! It is a sign that, like Him, we must think not of the things of the body, but of the look and head!"Sacred Cow-tipping at its best."Meaning of Life" also belongs on this list.::: Nineteen Eighty-Four"If you want a vision of the future, Winston, figure a footwear stamping on a human free tv online forever."This flick is uncommon in the sense that it's as good as the book, which is an awfully intimate photograph of the captor/captive, Maya/man relationship. Compare this to Moby-Dick or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's lair which are superb novel but worthless movies.::: sole Flew by the Cuckoo's NestAs with Moby-Dick, Hollywood castrated the book. They stripped it of mine archetypal size and cut down it to a meaningless pissing contest between McMurphy and registered nurse Ratched. huge entertainment, but for meaningful insight, scan the book.::: Pleasantville"There are some house where the road doesn't go in a circle. There are some neighborhood where it keeps on going."A bright tale of heresy in which no one is burned at the rod and the new paradigm is, eventually, embraced by all.::: affecting Razor's Edge"The dead stare so terribly dead."The razor's edge is what makes it interesting; seeing leery shakily uniform on the fine channel between what he was and what he's becoming. He is walking the edge among two lives. The check Murray variant is a bit unfocused... stick with Tyrone talent or read the book. Maugham apparently used Ramana Maharshi as the model for the novel's humble man.::: celebrated Wars"The force will be with you, always."The early one, point Luke compose the evolution from beef to spirit. The hero Journey.::: The Thin Red Line"Maybe all men win one enormous soul every bit a section of, all faces are the double man."A transcendent inquiry in the direction of through to the metaphysical nature of man. extra a sad/sweet song thaw a anecdotal film.::: climactic Thirteenth Floor"So what're you saying? You're saying that there's addition world on top of this one?"Layer after layer. Turtles on top of turtles. ::: Vanilla Sky/Abre Los Ojos"Open your eyes."If you agnate Vanilla Sky, check out the original, the French film Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). the particular two skin may be the perfect of the bunch for our purposes; the neighboring to an enlightenment allegory.Of course, the interesting material about wisdom is pursuing there, not being there, and hates what these films are about; provocation from a false reality, opening your eyes. They're not so much back what's actual as what's not. It's the biography of the journey one takes to get to the point where anything, even jumping off a tall building, would be better thin continuing to live a lie, alike a beautiful, blissful lie.Note the latency of the true guru, explaining in clear terms why rise off the building is the best thing to do, and waiting quietly for it to be done.::: Waking Life"They say that imagination are exclusive real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same piece about life?"Wide-ranging philosophical inquiry. Provocative. Amusing. Potentially disruptive.::: Wings of Desire"When the child was a child, it was the time of the particular questions: Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there? When did turn begin and where complete space end?"A lovely, intelligent, thought-provoking film. Can the awakened vitality return to the dreamstate? Would he want to?::: OthersSome alternative films that reward considerate viewing are The diviner of Oz, About Schmidt, What idea May Come, Total Recall, All the Mornings regarding the universe (Tous lies Matins dug Monde), and, of course, many more.-Jed McKenna ::: About the Author"Jed McKenna is an American original." -Lama surely DasJed McKenna is the author of "Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing" and "Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment", ventilated by Wisefool Press. Coming in 2005: "Spirituality X" and "Jed McKenna's Notebook". Visit WisefoolPress.com to get more.

Why 'Fahrenheit 451' does not age well at all

Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451 opens with one of the most iconic opening lines to grace modern literature: "It was a pleasure to burn."

The novel, fiery from the start, explores a dystopian society where books are illegal. When a book is discovered, it's burned, its owner is arrested, and the house the shelters both book and owner is burned down. The people responsible for policing those books are called "firemen," who are responsible for starting fires rather than putting them out.

SEE ALSO: Michael B. Jordan is straight fire in the trailer for HBO's 'Fahrenheit 451'

Fahrenheit 451 follows Guy Montag, a fireman who finds himself more and more curious about the literature he is destroying and the system that demands books be burned.

Since it debuted in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 has become a classic, taught in schools all over the country. But does Ray Bradbury's dystopian tale withstand the test of time?

Inspired by HBO's Michael B. Jordan-led remake of the Ray Bradbury classic, we decided to reread Fahrenheit 451 for the MashReads Podcast. 

Wow, that book does NOT age well.

The book's anxiety of tech — the novel particularly admonishes the increasing prevalence of television — comes across as curmudgeonly and simplistic. Modern readers who have grown up with tech, surprise, have not been reduced to TV-obsessed zombies. (Though many, many of the same fears of television have been leveraged against smartphones and social media.) 

"In its simplistic nature of telling how important books are, [the book] also simplifies television and entertainment in this type of didactic way," says Mashable Culture Editor Peter Allen Clark.

Furthermore, the book's treatment of women is completely abhorrent. Montag's neighbor Clarisse is a manic pixie dream girl at best and the narrative is exceedingly unkind to Montag's wife Mildred, who is written as a two-dimensional stand-in for everything that's wrong in Bradbury's vision of the future.

Where the book DOES succeed is in its world building, setting up a particularly unsettling atmosphere of this dystopian future. The novel's hunting robot the Hound, for instance, continues to inspire fear, due in large part to Bradbury's terrifying description of the beast:

"The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse... It was like a great bee come home from the field where the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with that over-rich nectar and now it was sleeping the evil out of itself."

It's these types of descriptions and this type of world building that has seared Fahrenheit 451 into our collective memory. But here's to hoping that HBO's new adaptation can update the critiques that the famously modernity-phobic Bradbury ("I don't describe the future. I try to prevent it," Bradbury often said, reports the Peoria Journal Star) tried to explore when he constructed a world that burns books.

This week on the MashReads Podcast discuss Fahrenheit 451. Join us in the episode above as we talk about the experience of rereading the book as adults.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Then, inspired by the novel, we talk about our other favorite books about books including Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, and How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee.

And as always, we close the show with recommendations:

Martha recommends Spotify music podcast Dissect. Each season of the podcast focuses in on one music album, devoting each episode in the season to dissecting one song. The show just launched their third season which focuses on Frank Ocean's album Blonde. "It's really, really fascinating. the host takes on each song and breaks down, track by track, the lyrics, the production. It's pretty fantastic."

Peter also recommends a podcast: The Next Picture Show. The show is a movie discussion podcast that takes a new movie and discusses it in relation to an older movie that it echoes. "They speak about movies with a level of depth and knowledge that I really hope to possess one day. I really love these voices and these people and I think they're some of the best film reviewers in the world and I am glad I get to listen to them every two weeks."

MJ recommends two books. First he recommends The Power by Naomi Alderman, a novel that envisions a world where women suddenly have the power to shoot electricity from their hands. The book then explores what happens when women are given this power that men do not have. "Once I started I could not put it down. What I love about the book is that premise is so simple, but I think the idea is so fully realized." He also recommends Tin Man by Sarah Winman, which follows two characters and looks at love, grief, friendships, and more over the course of their lives. "The book is so emotionally rich. It's beautiful, the entire book feels like poetry."

And as always, if you're looking for more book news, be sure to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter if you want to keep up with even more book news this year. 

WATCH: Four MIT graduates opened a restaurant with a fully functional robotic kitchen

Aside from going to the movies as much as possible I do love a chill night in with good ol’ Netflix. With the ENDLESS amount of content on the streaming service, Netflix also loves putting out their own original movies and T.V. In between my trips to the theatre I just so happened to be able to catch a movie here and there throughout the year and like last year, here are the list of movies l watched with a brief review of how they turned out in no particular order.

Okja 

picture via pinterest

picture via slashfilm.com

Starring Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano

An exceptional adventure of a little girl named Mija risking everything to rescue her best friend, a remarkable animal named Okja from a multi-national company. I found this movie to be exciting, fantastical, and touching friendship story with a satirizing message regarding the food industry. With comic and over the top performances from everyone involved including Jake Gyllenhaal, you will fall in love with the lovable Okja.

3 ½ out of 5

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

picture via imdb.com

picture via mistfts.com

Starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood

This dark comedy involving a woman whose home was burglarized and gets inspired to find the people who did it with the help of an eccentric and obnoxious neighbor. As they dig deeper they get entangled in a much bigger situation they are clearly not prepared to handle. This movie is not bad. I liked the wit of the script. Since it is a comedy, there are a lot of bumbling criminals running around the movie but I think the self help the depressed lead is going through is interesting enough to keep it realistic and a little relatable to anyone who feels like they get shit on every day and just can’t get a break. Check this out if you feel like something indie to watch. A comedy with a bit of substance.

3 out of 5

Naked

andcompany.com

picture via consequenceofsound.net

Starring Marlon Wayans and Regina Hall

With no explanation given at all, Marlon Wayans plays a man who happens to be caught in a time loop repeating the day of his wedding to his fiancé. Not only that, he wakes up completely naked. Only he remembers his previous day and must find a way to make it to his wedding and marry the woman he loves. The concept is nothing new you haven’t seen before and unfortunately, the hijinks were a bit too silly to be taken seriously. Yes, it is a comedy but it has to be funny and somewhat real even for comedy sake. No real interesting characters. Marlon is charming but he was given a horrible script to work with. Its an okay watch but once it is over you will forget you watched it.

2 out of 5

Little Evil

picture via imdb.com

picture via hypable.com

Starring Adam Scott and Evangeline Lilly

A horror comedy spoof of The Omen a man marries a woman with a 6-year-old son of her own. Typical modern family except that he believes the is might be the antichrist. I love the concept and Owen Atlas who plays the devil’s child is great in it as the brooding evil incarnate. Evangeline is funny as the naïve mother unaware of her son’s true destiny. Packed full of other known standup comedians and T.V. actors this has a bit of humor that keeps you engage but as the movie progresses it gets way too silly and a little boring. This is one I think can be scrolled pass but if you like the actors associated, give it a shot.  What do you have to lose? Your soul?

1 ½ out of 5

Take the 10

picture via imdb.com

picture via imdb.com

Starring Josh Peck and Tony Revolori

A comedy involving two friends who plan to make a big change in their life has to tie up loose ends when a drug deal goes bad. All taking place in one day, this movie is told in interwoven shorts from the perspective of a different character each time covering the same 24 hours. This movie would actually be worth recommending but the characters are not likable at all. In fact, one of them is just a straight up asshole who is too narcissistic for his own good. The Y generation may find this enjoyable and relatable as well as anyone who lives or knows southern California well to understand the joke within the title. It wasn’t boring just not a great movie.

3 out of 5

iBoy

picture via imdb.com

picture via inuth.com

Starring Bill Milner and Maisie Williams

Trying to capture on the superhero fad, a young boy is given the ability to control anything technological. Of course, no superhero with powers are created without a tragedy. He gets these abilities because pieces of his cellphone were implemented into his brain after being shot in the head while on the phone. Discovering his new gifts, he uses them to save his crush and take back the neighborhood that is being controlled by a mobster and his goons. This idea is about as bonkers as it sounds. It actually attempts to try and be a serious authentic crime drama. The acting is par and the movie isn’t slow. The way he uses his abilities is creative but this story is a stretch to be taken seriously. For you Game of Throne fans out there that want to see Arya Stark out of her war garment then check this out, otherwise, this is a movie you don’t need to see.

2 out of 5

#realityhigh

picture via imdb.com

picture via dailydot.com

Starring Nesta Cooper and Keith Powers

Combine the color and upbeat acting of Disney and the updated and modern teen experience of Freeform and you got yourself a high school comedy. This one involves a high-achieving high school girl who is supposedly someone who isn’t beautiful to get the man of her dreams because she wears glasses witnesses her crush dating someone who is the center of a reality tv show that follows her around. Through certain circumstances she is drawn into the world of being popular and getting everything, she wants but also risking losing the very thing she didn’t believe she had the whole time. I actually enjoyed watching this teen flick. All the characters were very likable, they all had brains and had a voice and it seemed that everyone got their fair share of screen time. I actually see this show being a great series. At the end of the day it is a cheesy teen flick that makes millenials look like technologic narcissistic zombies. If they decide to do more of these following up what happens next, I wouldn’t object. Honestly, if you watch the trailer and have interest in watching it, check it out.

4 out of 5

You Get Me

picture via imdb.com

picture via netflix.com

Starring Bella Thorne and Halston Sage

A thriller in the same vain as A Fatal Attraction, Swimfan, and anything involving a love affair turned deadly. Bella Throne is the new Glenn Close in this teen suspense movie when she has a one-night stand with a man who recently broke up with his long-time girlfriend. After a weekend of sex and cuddles, he tries to get back with his girlfriend realizing what he lost and she decides that he is the new love of her life and will destroy anyone that gets in her way. This movie was a little cheesy as some of the actions carried out seemed to unreal to be carried out. I don’t really feel sorry for the victim or protagonist of the movie. These movies tend to bug me sometimes with the idea that a woman can’t go without a man. Just think if this movie was Twilight and Stewart’s Bella went all postal in addition to her obsession with Edward. If you are a fan of Bella Thorne, check this out. If not, this is the same ol’ same ol’ tale.

2 out of 5

1922

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via basementrejects.com

Starring Thomas Jane and Molly Parker

The Stephen King adaptation of his novel 1922 sees a prideful father and farmer who is having financial troubles keeping his farm afloat. His wife wants to sell but he is to proud to give it up. Convincing his son to participate, they plot to kill his wife to make sure they can keep the farm. The outcome is far more than they would imagine. Paranoia, deceiving, and ghostly visions and dreams plague the father and son who try and keep up the charade that their mother just disappeared. Haunted by their crime the movie gives off a thrilling ride to possible insanity. This movie is more drama than horror and more depressing then suspenseful. Doesn’t mean this movie wasn’t good but just know that this movie may not be what you think it is. If you want to see a gut-wrenching story and the desperation of what one man would do to keep his livelihood, you may enjoy this film.

3 out of 5.

The Babysitter

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via bloodydisgusting.com

Starring Samara Weaving and Judah Lewis

This horror comedy is one of the best horror films in 2017. It is silly in a McG sort of way but has a lot of heart in it. This movie has everything: cults, bullies, spiders, shirtless hot guy, blood sacrifices, deflating implants all wrapped up in a big bow with McG’s signature stamp on it. That can only mean you are in for a bizarre, twisted, and funny flick mixed with some jump scares, some cool kills and the laws of gravity are thrown away because it’s McG. I love the cast and they played likable characters. This will make you laugh and there is a lot of blood. I think the script is clever and the friendship between the babysitter and her charge is the best part. A slow start in the beginning but once it happens it doesn’t stop.

4 ½ out of 5

Gerald’s Game

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via fhm.com

Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood

An adapted Stephen King novel adapted for screen was one of the best ideas in 2017. I have never heard of this novel before and it is terrifying to watch. What a well done film with suburb acting from Carla Gugino who is at a cabin with her husband trying to spice up their relationship but due to unfortunate events she is put through the most brutal mental test to find out if she has what it takes to survive. This was a gut-wrenching edge of your seat one woman show. It will have you spooked, bewildered, and any other intense feeling you can think of. I highly recommend this film and towards the end you will witness one of the most painful look away scenes of 2017.

5 out of 5

If you would like to read a full review of What Happened to Monday and Death Note, click here and here.

There are more to be seen and eventually I will get to more. Which Netflix movies did you watch in 2017? Comment below with your favorites and ones that were just the worse. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you at the movies.

title photo provided by vancouvereconomic.com

Netflix Original Movies 2017 Aside from going to the movies as much as possible I do love a chill night in with good ol’ Netflix.

Why These 100 Mission-Driven Companies Will Win [Part 2 of 2]

Discover something new that might improve your own life

I. Setting the Stage

In Part 1, we covered a small selection of mission-driven companies across beverages, food, shelter, apparel, and services, including business, banking, money, insurance and the real-world.

Their teams and their products take a different approach to the world which results in not just differentiation for their brands in consumer’s minds, but also in what we believe is bigger financial upside.

Big things have small beginnings, indeed.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

~Winston Churchill

VII. Hardware

Samsung: What started as a focus in TVs and appliances has moved onto the cutting edge of consumer tech with novel VR experiences. They’ve been on a tear lately. I live near their flagship experential store in the Meatpacking area of Manhattan, which had a line around the block over the weekend with a matte black truck out front. Say what you will about the industrial design battle with Apple, but one thing they definitely do better is experiential. Apple doesn’t do a lick of it and it’s where the consumer branding world is headed.

Awair: You know that invisible thing you can’t live without? The thing you don’t ever notice until it’s gone? Yah, we’re talking about the air we breath. It’s kind of important and stuff. This team built a cool wooden box that analyzes the quality of the air across 5 dimensions, gives you a score and recommendations for fixing it. Bonus points for working in tandem with Nest, Awair.

Remarkable: It’s a tablet that’s meant to feel like paper. Whether you’re reading, sketching or taking notes, the point is paper. And yes, it does come with a hardware pencil. That’s why they, and we, call it reMarkable.

Google Hardware: They spend the most marketing effort with their hardware products, as you might expect, since the search engine markets itself at this point. If you’re looking for VR, Nest, and inexpensive Chromebooks, this is where Google really shines, as well as with their scalable services.

Mevo: A beautifully done hardware product, Mevo by Livestream gives you a full production studio in your pocket. It works in tandem with your mobile phone so you can pan, zoom, and record live events straight to your website and, get this, Facebook Live. Nice work, y’all.

Insta 360: If you want to record 360-degree video so people can put themselves in your Virtual Reality shoes, then you’re going to need a camera. Insta360 is a leader in the space, with a Nano version that descretely slips into your pocket and clips onto the top of your iPhone or an Air version for your Android phone. Whatever you phone you choose, this might be the right choice when it’s Go Time.

Mayfield Robotics: Humanizing Tech is something we can get behind, especially when it means adding positive human behaviors to a little friendly home robot called Kuri. Mayfield Robotics made this little guy to be your home videographer, capturing your favorite moments you would have lost otherwise, and even has a touch sensor on its head to respond to human touch as well as your voice.

VIII. Software

Mailchimp: Likely one of the best known email marketing platforms in the world, used by everyone from startups to large companies alike. MailChimp, is where we always start when we’re thinking of creating a new email list and sending out easy, mobile responsive campaigns. They’ve been around a long time and continue to grow like crazy.

Wordpress: Did you know that 25% of all websites on the internet are built on top of the WordPress CMS? Twenty…five…percent. That’s insane. There are billions of websites in the world. That means at least a billion are built on this thing. That’s an install base the size of all iPhones ever sold. If that isn’t enough of a recommendation, I don’t know what is. Strike that. I just went to their site. It’s right on the homepage. Twenty…eight…percent.

Slack: Ah, the good ole email killer. If you’re not careful you might end up being a part of a hundred different Slack channels just like most of us. The pings might drive you crazy if you’re on a dev team, but by now you’ve turned those off. Just clearing the unreads can become a full-time job. But they solved a big problem of what to use for chatting at work when most of us were still scraping by with Campfire. It feels much more personal than email and have to say I love and use the product regularly. Go get you some.

Evernote: It’s been a heck of a product for years. It’s been my notebook of choice across many life moments and businesses, both successful and failed. I counted recently and have thousands of notes. I write down everything, nearly word for word in conference calls so I understand the subtleties from meetings years ago. Evernote’s been the single most valuable tool for my brain, aside from my MacBook, over the course of my career. 18 thumbs. Way up.

Livestream: As mentioned in the Mevo blurb above, Livestream is a killer product with a killer team located in Brooklyn NY. I’ve been to their offices. Video is hard. Real hard. I know, I fixed and rebuilt a VOD and Live streaming platform over 4 years. But these guys and girls make it look easy. From production equipment to live landing pages, to syndication to the social networks. It’s free to start, and easy to scale. Awe inspiring.

FreshBooks: This roundup wouldn’t be complete without some accounting software. And boy if FreshBooks isn’t one of the longtime leaders. Invoices, expenses, time tracking, payments, projects, and the list goes on. Why hire an accountant when you’ve got something this great? Just don’t call them an auditor ;)

Virtual Assistants

X.ai: There’s a few different ways to start an AI startup. But they all have one thing in common: they need lots of examples in order to be as accurate as possible. In this case, the folks at x.ai are using the pervasive meeting-scheduling-over-email problem as a way to teach it human language. Secretary is one of the first jobs AI will replace. I’ve used the product multiple times, it’s pretty great and works like a charm. Give it the ole college try, if you fancy.

Clara: It’s another virtual assistant, only this one was founded by a Forbes 30 Under 30 female. The tech world doesn’t have to be completely filled with dudes. My favorite part of Clara’s website? That they use the movie Contact’s Ellie Arroway to explain how their email scheduling assistant works.

Data

PitchBook: If you’re in the business of startups, M&A, VC or Private Equity long enough, you’ll come across PitchBook’s data. They send out a newsletter about the happenings of recent deals as well as quarterly trends updates on how much deal flow is happening. Their social teams are excellent as well, as I find I’m often conversing with their accounts across Twitter and Medium.

CBInsights: Focused mostly on the startup and tech worlds, CB Insights has one of the greatest newsletters of all time. It comes standard with snark, epic fails, and relevant news to keep our industry humming along. And with a daily sign off of “I love you”, it should keep you happy whilst reading through their great fundamental industry analyses.

Mattermark: They’re all about building target customer lists. Founded by one of the great ones who gets a lot of respect in the industry, Mattermark wants you to focus on the companies and employees who matter most. If coffee’s for closers, then you need the good Glengarry leads to use your BD and sales time wisely. This team can help you out.

VR/AR

8i.com: Probably my most favorite opening homepage lines of all time, 8i “mixes realities with holograms”. I mean, c’mon guys if that doesn’t get you excited, then you’re already asleep. Check out their homepage to see a demo video or download their mobile app to add holograms to your everyday life. Totally tubular, dood.

Magic Leap: No AR list would be complete without this 800-pound gorilla. They’ve raised a boat load of money from the who’s who of Valley VCs and are working to get the first consumer headset that throws holograms into your real-world environment. If they can execute against the vision, this puppy will be big.

IX. Transportation

Rideshare

Uber: If you’re reading this, it’s highly likely that you know of Uber. Though, there are still some people who haven’t. So for the king (or queen, if you’re feeling nasty) of ridesharing, Uber started the on demand trend and has been growing like a weed, making it one of the most valuable and fastest-growing startups in history. If you can find them a consistent source of drivers, you will be in their good graces forever. They have a supply problem, not a demand one. They’ll get it.

Lyft: If you’d like a little more personality whilst you ride than the black and white, why not try a little hot magenta on for size? Lyft, which used to be characterized by the pink mustache on the front of their cars, has since toned it down a bit and is having a bit of a resurgence after a few recent leadership stumbles at Uber. Kudos for the big branding.

Waze: Wouldn’t it be nice if your maps app told you where cops were catching people for speeding so you could slow down, or how to reroute yourself to get around traffic jams, all while it’s happening in real time? Waze is the first and pretty much only social mapping app out there. My former colleagues in an entire office in Atlanta used this app to deal with the horrendous traffic there. Hard to argue with that kind of pervasive benefit.

Ride

Toyota: They invented the Toyota Production System (TPS), which increased the quality of car manufacturing to an unprecendented level decades ago. It was so good, in fact, that they now teach it in business schools everywhere about using a constant improvement culture. You see the same thing happening in software businesses today. But don’t forget, Toyota invented it, not tech.

Tesla: The vision of an all-electric car, a giant touch screen to control everything (no other buttons), that drives itself to your exact location and picks you up. Only Elon Musk has the type of entrepreneurial grit to take on the auto manufacturing industry and actually pull it off. Besides, naming your series of cars, S 3 X means that Tesla Motors comes with a little marketing magic as well.

Fun

Boosted Boards: An electric skateboard that I see all over the place on the streets of NYC. Going 12 miles on a single charge means you can do your daily commute in Manhattan without running out of battery. It can take you up a 25% grade hill, goes up to 22mph (dear lord!), and has a little hand-held remote control. This thing is just plain rad.

OneWheel: Maybe two wheels are too archaic for you. If so, why not reduce your “footprint” to a single wheel. Wait…what? A single wheel? Yes, a single wheel with a board on either side for you to ride in futuristic style. Just don’t call it a hoverboard. The wheel looks like a small car tire, which means you can go far off the concrete streets. Because where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

X. Travel

Locations

AirBnb: Want to live like a local, or hotels all full, or maybe you just need a place for a few weeks or a month? Airbnb is the new friend you’ve been waiting for. You might be a little scared if you’ve never rented or subletted to someone else before, but I can tell you from experience that most people are incredibly genuine and trustworthy. We have yet to have any sort of trust issue or problem.

Hyatt: Here’s what we love about Hyatt. At the top of their homepage right now is a message calling for donations to the Red Cross to help Hurricane Harvey victims. It’s not just about a hotel with them. It’s about a home. Their brand feels safe and comforting. A hard thing to pull off, but kudos to the team.

Starwood: They own almost every major hotel brand you’ve heard of, which is pretty crazy to wrap your mind around. Here’s a few: Ritz-Carlton, Marriot, Townplace, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Courtyard, Aloft, The W Hotel, St Regis, SPG, and Sheraton. If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel, it’s highly likely you’ve stayed with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Movement & Booking

Upside Travel: A cool approach to getting from here to there, Upside Travel lets you book your work travel in a package deal to save some coin. Flight + Hotel + Uber.

Hawaiian Airlines: A vacation of dreams, of windy roads, beaches to mountaintops and ten different climates in between, Hawaii is one of those trips on many of our bucket lists. And if you want to really live the life, make sure you travel the official airline of the island. Right now, a roundtrip from North America starts at only $357. We’ll give that a “wow���.

Ride Share Air

Surf Air: Pay a monthly fee and get unlimited flights around the west coast of America from San Diego, Palm Springs, Monterrey, Carlsbad, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, LA, SF, etc. From what we can tell, the price starts at around $1000 per month. If you’re paying more than that, you might end up saving both time and money. Just open the app and book.

Jet Smarter: This is one of the bigger on demand flight services. Their instagram marketing is pretty killer. It is a bit more expensive than others but it also goes more places. If you’re spending $25K per year doing business travel, you might actually save your company money if you choose to fly this kind of private airline. Jay-Z is an investor, so if you want to live like HOV, throw your diamonds in the sky.

Net Jets: This group extends the private jet model to fractional ownership, 15/30/60 hour jet cards, and a global destination base across the US and Europe.

Miscellaneous

Away: It’s a luggage brand with a personality. They come with stickers, even a Despicable Me Minions version. Described as thoughtful luggage for modern travel, it even comes with simple naming like “Carry-on” and “The Bigger Carry-on” — you know exactly what you’re going to get.

Yeti: What some people may consider a boring business, the founders at Yeti decided they needed a more durable cooler for their fishing and camping trips. It then extended into branded team coolers for tailgates and now into other products like duffel bags. Sturdy enough to sit on, it really does the job.

XI. Entertainment

Video

HBO: The content king for decades, HBO is synonymous with the highest quality entertainment on TV. With their recent introduction of streaming services like HBO Go and HBO Now, you can get your favorite Game of Thrones-style shows on the go or on your mobile apps for a small monthly fee. For that, we say, already subscribed. Just keep those Vice News a-coming!

Netflix: All the movies and TV shows you can watch for less than $10 per month? The original DVD movie service and leader in the online video wars, what can you say about Netflix that hasn’t already been said. We’re faithful subscribers and will continue to be. 100 million other people can’t be wrong.

Amazon Prime: For a small monthly fee you get unlimited free shipping, all the movies, TV shows, music, and books you can consume. Add in photo saving and podcasts, and you’ve got one of the best designed and most valuable subscription products in the technology universe. Their originals are coming too, which means they’ve got a few more tricks up their sleeve than the recent purchase of Whole Foods. Amazon is taking over the whole technological world, it seems.

Books

Holtzbrinck Publishing Group/Macmillan: It’s a publishing institution whose core values center on sharing knowledge and wisdom. With brands like Scientific American and Nature, their dedication to science is hard to understate. We love this organization.

Hachette Book Group: One of the biggest global book publishers, Hachette Book Group pushes out 900 adult books (including 50 to 100 digital only titles), 250 for young readers, and 400 audio books in one single year.

HarperCollins: They’ve been around for over 200 years with operations in 18 countries. In books, a strong foundational history counts for something. In fact, it’s almost everything. Their fiction authors are legendary: Mark Twain, Martin Luther King, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, H.G. Wells, Agatha Christie, amongst many others.

Penguin Books: What started in 1939 as the vision of a book that cost as little as a pack of cigarettes has now grown into a vast collection of both fiction and non-fiction books across a variety of topics.

Random House: 70,000 digital and 15,000 print books published every year makes Penguin Random House one of the most prolific publishers in all of writing.

Simon & Schuster: From Stephen Colbert and Enemy of the State to Stephen King’s It and Anna Kendrick’s personal actress biography, the range of books published by Simon & Schuster is vast and varied.

XII. Work & Home Tech

AltWork: A standing, sitting, lounging desk contraption that maintains correct posture in four different positions, this company’s product is aimed at helping keep your body healthy while you work at a computer screen all day.

Eero: A tiny home Wi-Fi system that just works. You plug it in and forget about it. Put a few around your home to boost the signal to different rooms. It’s a simple router, so you don’t need a degree from DeVry to understand how it works.

Felix Gray: Staring at our computer and phone screens all day can hurt our eyes. There’s an old 20/20/20 rule where every 20 minutes you’re supposed to look at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. To help with eye strain and fatigue, the folks at Felix Gray have special lenses worn by employees at some of the biggest, baddest tech companies in the world.

Pilot Pens: Finding the right writing instrument can be tricky. You want one with good ink flow that doesn’t stain the page or break and get on your hands or clothes. You want one that doesn’t cost a lot so it doesn’t matter that Bob from accounting stole it. That’s where Pilot comes in. Inexpensive, good, consistent.

Sonic Internet: Want blazing fast speeds with a better internet/phone bundle and a more human customer service? This team has what you need for gigabit fiber internet and unlimited calling.

Casper: A mattress startup that’s growing like absolutely crazy. People love their product, posting unboxing videos to YouTube because of the creative packaging. They’ve got deals to sell their mattresses in big box retailers now but got their start going Direct to Consumer over the internet. It’s a trend that will continue and this large founding team executed beautifully.

— Sean Everett

We only promote products that we use, love and trust. If you enjoyed this story, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

The Mission publishes stories, videos, and podcasts that make smart people smarter. You can subscribe to get them here.

Why These 100 Mission-Driven Companies Will Win [Part 2 of 2] was originally published in The Mission on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

from Stories by Sean Everett on Medium http://ift.tt/2f4xHPs

Warm Radiation Glow

The cover to Outland Arts’ Mutant Epoch RPG 

Character creation in most RPGs tends to be a personal experience. Players create main characters in large and expansive stories. They are the stars of the movie and so a lot of thought goes into background, skills and small details. Details like, where did they come from? What are their goals? And for most players, why are they orphans?  

Mutant Epoch does away with that. All the agonizing over what feat, power or skill to take is removed. It’s replaced with a bevy of tables that the player rolls on to randomly determine their character. . 

Radiation’s Warmth (The Game)

A standard Mutant Epoch encounter 

Mutant Epoch takes place after the bang or whimper that ends the world. What the apocalypse was is left vague and up to the particular GM to decide. Giant robots? Sure. Alien invasion? Why not? Both with an added dash of atomic warfare to make you glow in the dark at night? Have at it! 

In the wastelands of Mutant Epoch the one thing that outnumbers the giant intelligent cockroaches is...random tables. Lots and LOTS of random tables. Rarely is a horse just a horse. Roll a d100 on the horse mutation table, get a 54 and discover that your horse has poison blood! If this book had any more crunch, Nestle would sue. 

Mutant Life (Let’s Make A Character)

(Disclaimer: I left out some values and steps. There is...a lot that goes into these randomly generated characters. Did my best to keep the highlights)

Step One: Character Type 

I rolled an 88 on a chart, so my character will be a Mild Mutant! I guess that means she’s a mutant, but is afraid of commitment. Also, she is a she, but you’re not supposed to know that yet. Step Two: Trait Rolling 

The player rolls a d100 eight times and compares the results to a chart. Normally you get some pretty average scores, but roll high enough and your character can get some insane scores. 

ENDURANCE: (Rolled 22) 21 

STRENGTH: (Rolled 28) 22

AGILITY: (Rolled 28) 22

ACCURACY: (Rolled a 91. So the score is 60+d20) 77

INTELLIGENCE: (Rolled  67) 39

PERCEPTION:  (Rolled 5) 14

WILLPOWER:  (Rolled 47) 29

APPEARANCE: (Rolled 21) 21

Step Three: Character History By Caste

Roll a d100 and figure out where your character fits in by consulting a chart and looking at what character type they are. Some character types are more likely to have certain castes. Pure Stock humans are more likely to be technicians than pirates. Your caste gives various bonuses or penalties to traits.

Caste: (Rolled 90) Infantryman. Bonus to Endurance and Strength 

The player also gets random skills determined by their caste. Soldiers and fighty types are more likely to get fighty skills while smarty types are more likely to get bookish skills. 

My character rolled a point in Lying and Relic Knowledge (Relics are from their past, so our future.) If she ever comes across an iphone or laptop she might know how to use it! 

Step Four - Eight: Determine Gender/ Reading Ability/ Height and Weight/ Handedness/ Swimming Ability and Age!

I’m going to smoosh these all together for the sake of time.  

You have a 50% chance to be male or female. This character rolled 64, so female! She can’t read or write because I rolled real low on that chart. She is one hundred sixty pounds and five ft. six in., right handed and cannot swim. Most characters in Mutant Epoch are in their prime, my mild mutant is twenty four. 

Step Nine: Mutations and Implants 

This is what I was waiting for! My mild mutant gets to roll for her badass mutations! She gets two prime mutations, one minor one and no flaw mutations. The player rolls a d1000 on a chart full of funky powers and follows it to radioactive glory. 

Prime Mutations

Gaping Maw: (Rolled 463) The mutant has a giant gaping mouth that they can use to take chunks out of their enemies. Unfortunately it affects their appearance pretty adversely. On the upside it does a d20 of damage!

Eye Stalks: (Rolled 881) My mutant has snail like eyes growing out of her head. She can see around corners, has 360 degrees of vision and is more aware of her surroundings. Like the Gaping Maw however it’s a hit to appearance. 

Minor Mutation 

Physical Alteration (Rolled a 40):  Herbivore  (Rolled a 86). Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Despite her large, cruel mouth, my mutant can only survive on plant matter! 

Step Ten: Name

There is no random chart for names, but in the spirit of randomness let’s use a random name generator!  

Name: Reby Nesimm

The name step comes close to the end of character creation. There are six more steps for determining combat values, gear and the like. This is going to be the end of ole’ Reby, however. 

Mutant Epoch is a crunchy game. If you’re into tables, d1000s and having the difficulty of creating a character handled by fate, I recommend giving it a look. If what I listed above, or the possiblity of rolling a caste as a whore does not seem like fun, give it a wide berth.