Saw William Gibson, weekend update

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Quick recap of the past few days: Friday I went to see William Gibson give a reading and informal interview, along with some 300 other sci-fi nerds and geeks. He was there to talk about his new book, but I was mostly there just to see and hear the man up close. It was quite the experience, dampened only ever so slightly by the humidity and heaviness of the air in the church. I went through a brief period wherein I read everything the man was involved in, hungry for more of that Neuromancer-magic. That might be the first book I've read that actually made me melancholy, which I suppose says a lot about the type of books I read.

Afterwards I caught up with some other friends for some HD BluRay movie watching: SPL and Planet Earth in this case. We also managed a couple games of EA's NHL 08, which is possibly the best hockey game I've ever played. The animation has taken quite a leap from NHL 07, so that the players now look like they're actually skating, instead of the odd gliding they did before. Players actually feel like they have momentum, that they have weight. It's hard to describe but if you play you'll notice it immediately. I am really quite impressed. Rarely do I say any game is "perfect", but NHL 08 is pretty damn close.

Of course, the big XBox 360 news is the coming of Halo 3 -- I have been tossing the idea of getting a 360 for this one game, but I know that once I step down that road there is little chance of turning back. So I will bide my time, for now.

In a way, the same goes for the iPhone; seems like everyone in my office has one now, especially since the crack was released. I do think it's a pretty neat device, but I'm reasonably happy with my current phone, and appreciate its small form. I don't really have much use for WiFi, anyway.

I watched a couple movies over the weekend as well -- Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Bridge to Terabithia (2007). The former, well, it just blew me away. I cannot recommend a more fascinating, unpredictable crime drama. Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton in memorable roles. Don't do any research or Googling on the film -- the ending is a surprise one and there are spoilers everywhere.

I watched Bridge to Terabithia because I thought that it might be one of many books I'd read as a teenager, one of the many I'd read and forgotten. However, it did not ring any bells for me. On the other hand, I was very pleasantly surprised that it was more than a simple kids-enter-fantasy-world Disney-ified movie. Almost makes me recommend it. Perhaps not a renter, but worth seeing if there's nothing else on.

Oh.. so Saturday I spent waiting for a new washer to be delivered. This actually was very good because it forced me to clean up my apartment, lest some stranger witness the usual horror of my living conditions. So I now have a new washer and a (mostly) tidy apartment.

Sunday I took advantage of the weather and went riding all the way to the east end of Toronto, cycling back along the waterfront. The cool breeze and sunny skies made it very enjoyable.

Ok, my uploads are done -- I'll get around to editing them when I get home. For now, adieu!

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