Totally a draft comment. Not sure why it posted. I'll have to finish it now.

I saw it the other night and I thought it was great. Blade Runner 2049 spoilers ahead, obviously:

I really liked that they preserved the pacing and feel of the original. The pacing was an essential part of the atmosphere-building in the first one. Lots of modern blockbusters dump this for whatever reason and end up feeling hollow or rushed.

I didn't feel like the plot was somehow lacking. It was a great exploration into how one is defined by memory, and the humanity/artificiality themes were handled in a persuasive and not overly ham-handed way. The emotionlessness was thematically important. For K, the numbness was mainly a facade that you get too see crack in the scene with that memory lab thing. For Joi, it's easy to see her as entirely unreal, yet Joi's story arc mirrored K's with the self-sacrifice and all. In the end, it doesn't really spell out if there was anything other than a desire-fulfilling program in Joi, or any genuine uniqueness or individuality. If there's a sliding scale of artificiality-to-humanity, she's on the less human side, yet K relates strongly to her for obvious reasons.

I thought both the aesthetic and music were done excellently. Definitely in league with the first, even if the soundtrack doesn't have as much replay-ability as Vangelis', which is totally understandable.

That’s good insight. One of the artists that I’ve been into recently (who I just posted about in the other music thread) is Baths, and he throws a lot of unpredictable wrenches into his songs. After a while you start to realize there are specific motifs that get used over and over to create that unpredictability though.

I think it’s really about developing certain things that work, outside the predictable set of musical tropes. Then, when the toolbox is big enough, you can throw in these well-refined motifs and not have it seem like you’re doing exactly that.

Related comic I saw on reddit a couple minutes ago:

Also I’m gonna check out that BoC album. I’ve listened to them a bit but haven’t found a good place to really dive in.

This is actually a snapshot of an ongoing effort to sit down and record something every time I have a free afternoon to allow it. I’m not as cynical about the process as I might seem. I’m actually quite pleased with how it is progressing.

Often times I’ll make something where there’s not even a semi-redeemable part in it. But even those nights are educational since I learn a particular setup or approach that is not a good way to make music.

Like, last night I spent a few minutes literally spinning in alternating clockwise and counterclockwise circles trying to untangle myself from cables. Fixing issues like that goes a long way towards being able to just make music and not waste time fiddling with technical issues.

I’ve found out about Baths recently.

Thanks man! Maybe I’ll have to pump out some more vaporwave stuff. It’s really pretty fun to make.

Well I had affordability in mind when I saw the $350 on the preorder page, not so much for the actual price which doesn't even include components. I think I'll go the PAiA route.

Still, fetishism with old tech in music is pretty much the standard, so I'm not at all surprised people will drool over the $3.5k price tag.

I didn't realize the DIY kit came without the components included. That makes it a lot tougher and a lot pricier. Plus their price on the page is deceptive. The full price is paid once it ships :/

The edits are dope. I especially like the glitch art thing going on in the first one.

I'm yet again burnt-out on science. Every time I think it's really a product of the current environment that bogs me down, but this time the pattern is starting to look apparent. I don't have the patience and fortitude to stick it out in academia, and even if I could compete there I don't think I'd want that life. I already know a QC-ish job would have me miserably bored. There's only so many careers that have a clear path from my terminal degree and I'm staring to rule them out one-by-one. I need to start looking at unconventional career paths. It I have no clue what to do.