I am away. Outside during the day and in and night, distracted and kept warm by exciting yet trivial things such as this. I hate winter, and the dark sky in the morning and at 3.30pm only annoys and frustrates further.

I'll be back...in a while.

 

Time is...disappearing. Or at least, going by unnoticed and passing without saying hello. Here I am, on holiday from studies, and i'm the busiest i've been in months. Clearly, something sinister is afoot.

* I'm printing photos, to be displayed at the opening ceremony of the Castletown Heritage Centre. The shots were taken way back in July, but it's nice seeing them again, although, yes, I do need a new printer.

* The CCC is going well, and i've already completed one entry, found here. The end-date's a few weeks away though and i'm still full of ideas, so i'm going to keep going at it. That said, it is fun and inspirational seeing everyone else's creations.

* I have refound my love for The Secret Machines, but also, Radiohead as well. Bat for Lashes' album from earlier this year continues to be on repeat.

* Super Mario Galaxy is out on Friday for the Wii. My copy was dispatched earlier this evening- should be here soon.

* 24 Season 6 finished earlier this year, but as with every season, I wait until the DVD to watch the show properly- whenever I want and without week-long cliffhangers. Supposedly it's the worst season of the show yet, but I am really enjoying it. Certainly it's weak compared to previous years, but it's still a hell of a lot better than most TV...

...Additionally, three years after it's debut, i'm also playing Half-Life 2 for the first time. Those questions regarding the appeal of Halo are once again, emerging.

* Christmas shopping sucks. I've made a promise to do the majority of it online away from cold streets and twats behind counters. It's going okay, but my quickly depleting bank account may think otherwise.

That is all. For now.

With something of an extended feeble opening to Heroes Season 2 and not a lot to prove for itself six episodes in, thoughts and fears over whether the show can last for years are bound to manifest. After all, one of the many reasons why the show appeals to many is surely the fact that it contains characters with extra-ordinary superhero powers- putting said characters into storylines revolving merely around romance and teenage angst then, certainly isn't the way to open a season. But it did, and seven episodes in we have the primary defining episode of the season, with a structure of success similar to the Homecoming episode from last year, with many recurring show themes.

It is the end of several mediocre stories, the mid-season finale, and the wrap-up of some of the current season's plot(s), before, hopefully, the show heads off into new and exciting directions. But that is something that is evident with this episode, because while many things are wrapped up, as with LOST, there's plenty of new lingering questions to keep watching for.

First and foremost is the time-traveling of Peter, where, as with Hiro last year and indeed nearly all works of fiction, the future is a terrible place. Tied to the current plots and the repeated mentions of a Virus in Mohinder's story (and last season), the world is near empty with billions dead, and no cure, in scenes undoubtedly very similar to the 28 Days Later films. Obviously this will act as motivation for upcoming episodes, but again, like last year and the then supposed threat, watching it all unravel shall be very entertaining. Similar in approach is the revelation of who the real villain this season is, and as it's someone we've already seen in a past storyline, development and exposition of this idea as well as it's unraveling means the future of the season certainly is promising.

Relying on signatures and recurring ideas maybe isn't the best way to move forward, but Out of Time succeeds because of this alone. Putting a quick end to all the horribly trivial Hiro loves/Claire loves plotlines of the past few weeks, the episode brings back many of the themes most associated with the show besides the powers themselves. Though unfortunately now dead, the paintings of clairvoyant Isaac Mendez once again make a return to the show chronicling the future. Revealed at the start of the season, it is here in this episode that they begin to come together, setting in motion a sequence of events supposedly leading to Noah Bennet's death. As ever, watching pre-depicted moments happen is an absolute joy as far as the show is concerned, and there's no exception here. Bennet is still very much alive at the end of the episode, but as with everything else in this installment, you know it's something that's on it's way.

The re-use of time-travel additionally as a plot device works to the show's favour with both Hiro in the past and as mentioned, Peter in the future. While naturally it can get confusing, the show's ability to exist in more than one universe and timeline is once again a welcome return, made all the better by it's fantastic execution and placing within the story. The show's real strength however, the promise that these characters will cross paths is the undoubted highlight at least for me, and while it's pretty much a staple in the show's construction, it always feels fresh and exciting. This episode in particular, what could be better than multiple characters teaming up to defeat the bad-guy X-men style? But watching two entirely different characters with different stories converge is satisfactory viewing like no other, and certainly, helps make the underlying idea behind Heroes a lot stronger.


After a lukewarm start, Heroes is once again beginning to show promise and create excitement, as it did last year with it's debut. Conventionally this is the episode that stops many of the existing storylines, but it does a lot more than that by dictating the season's future by throwing some new ideas into the mix, as well, as a new-found villain or two. The reliance on an already winning formula, while suspiciously lazy, is to be applauded at least here, especially if the previous episodes are anything to go by. As with all ensemble cast shows however there's no escaping the fact that there might just be a bit too much happening at once, but with the opening trivialities out of the way, surely now, the season can begin properly.

Team Fortress 2 is great. As a multiplayer title it differentiates completely from the first-person shooter by making the premise of kills somewhat irrelevant, all in place of a system that means teamplay and strategy needs to be more than just mere considerations. Which is great when you've got a good team to begin with. Unfortunately like all online games, the first sight of losing will scare many of your comrades away- quitting the game before it's even half-way through, and leaving you occasionally to defend for yourself against a full opposing team.

Ignis Solus then, the first external machinima of Team Fortress 2 and produced by Lit Fuse Films captures this sentiment unnervingly accurately, as a lone Pyro troop patrols the ground of 2Fort with one mission, and no-one but cardboard animals to speak to. The inclusion of little in-jokes, naturally, is a bonus to the overall appeal and execution of the film as a whole- the tone and production seemingly spot on.

Poor little Pyro.