Good things in 2017
This year has been really hard - for me, and for just about everyone I know. So in the interests of nolite te bastardes carborundorum, I thought it would be nice to close out 2017 with a few good things from the past year. These aren't all newly released in 2017; some are much older, but they are all different things that I encountered for the first time and really liked.
1) I Don't Even Own A Television
They've been recording this podcast since 2014, but I just started listening a few months ago. Every two weeks, the hosts choose a different bad book, and spend an hour or so talking about why it's bad. They've covered '70s science fiction, musician biographies, bad romances, and books about everything from parenting to backwards masking. These brave souls even read one of the Gor novels. They're funny and insightful.
2) HBomberGuy
This British YouTuber alternates between great analysis of video games and sarcastic, snarky takedowns of MRAs. I haven't seen a single video from him that I didn't enjoy, be they parodies of self-important diatribes from fedora-wearing, skull-owning redpillers, more serious discussions of indie games like Braid and Undertale, or ten minutes of trying (and failing) to match into an Overwatch game where he can try out the newest hero. He's over-the-top and not afraid to make himself the target of his own jokes.
3) Picross Luna
This is a really sweet, calming puzzle game that involves completing an image based on a list of how many squares are filled in each row and column. The music is quiet and charming. This app and its sequel, Picross Luna II, have become my go-to for destressing. They both do have ads, but those ads only show up after you complete a picture, and then only about half of the time.
4) Zoombinis
The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis by Broderbund has long been one of my very favorite computer games; now, with slightly updated graphics, it's one of my favorite phone games. Zoombinis are basically little anthropomorphic blueberries that you have to shepherd through a series of logic puzzles to get to their new home. As you successfully lead more groups of Zoombinis through each different part of the map, that area increases in difficulty. It's a very entertaining game with a cute sense of humor.
5) Overwatch Fan Videos
The Overwatch fan community is full of amazingly talented people. A few examples:
Payload, by Ozzaworld - the struggle is real, folks.
The Reaper, by NerdOut - because I love the original song to begin with, and they parodied it so well.
Welcome to Hanamura, by Wronchi Animation - only someone who really loves a game can make fun of its foibles so accurately.
6) Manos del Uraguay
This handmade yarn is soft and beautiful, and comes in so many wonderful color combinations that it was really hard to choose what to start with. I ended up picking Orquidea while on the 2017 Yarn Crawl with my friends:
So, here's hoping for better things in 2018, and Happy New Year to everybody!
1) I Don't Even Own A Television
They've been recording this podcast since 2014, but I just started listening a few months ago. Every two weeks, the hosts choose a different bad book, and spend an hour or so talking about why it's bad. They've covered '70s science fiction, musician biographies, bad romances, and books about everything from parenting to backwards masking. These brave souls even read one of the Gor novels. They're funny and insightful.
2) HBomberGuy
This British YouTuber alternates between great analysis of video games and sarcastic, snarky takedowns of MRAs. I haven't seen a single video from him that I didn't enjoy, be they parodies of self-important diatribes from fedora-wearing, skull-owning redpillers, more serious discussions of indie games like Braid and Undertale, or ten minutes of trying (and failing) to match into an Overwatch game where he can try out the newest hero. He's over-the-top and not afraid to make himself the target of his own jokes.
3) Picross Luna
This is a really sweet, calming puzzle game that involves completing an image based on a list of how many squares are filled in each row and column. The music is quiet and charming. This app and its sequel, Picross Luna II, have become my go-to for destressing. They both do have ads, but those ads only show up after you complete a picture, and then only about half of the time.
4) Zoombinis
The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis by Broderbund has long been one of my very favorite computer games; now, with slightly updated graphics, it's one of my favorite phone games. Zoombinis are basically little anthropomorphic blueberries that you have to shepherd through a series of logic puzzles to get to their new home. As you successfully lead more groups of Zoombinis through each different part of the map, that area increases in difficulty. It's a very entertaining game with a cute sense of humor.
5) Overwatch Fan Videos
The Overwatch fan community is full of amazingly talented people. A few examples:
Payload, by Ozzaworld - the struggle is real, folks.
The Reaper, by NerdOut - because I love the original song to begin with, and they parodied it so well.
Welcome to Hanamura, by Wronchi Animation - only someone who really loves a game can make fun of its foibles so accurately.
6) Manos del Uraguay
This handmade yarn is soft and beautiful, and comes in so many wonderful color combinations that it was really hard to choose what to start with. I ended up picking Orquidea while on the 2017 Yarn Crawl with my friends:
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| This picture from their website |
So, here's hoping for better things in 2018, and Happy New Year to everybody!
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