Three years later…
Much like Batman leaving Gotham to train and ultimately return as the city’s champion, I…
Okay, I took a 4-year hiatus after writing my first blog post and I am very, very sorry (bows head in contrition)
But let’s talk now…Grab your desert robes and your magical scarf it’s time for Geekery and Wine
As I mentioned about a gazillion years ago, each podcast or blog post I’ll be pairing a piece of pop culture and/or geek culture with a wine that I love…hmm, perhaps not necessarily “love” but a wine that I experienced! And what I’ll do is create a “flight” of podcasts to give you, the audience a spectrum of flavors, both media, and grape-based, to try out.
And for those folks that are fans of the audiobooks I narrate, I will also be including some “liner notes” from some of the books of the past at the end. This blog’s blast from the past is my first audiobook release the 2010 non-fiction audiobook Masters of Deception the Gang that Ruled Cyberspace.
So…on the GEEK side
Talking about Journey
My 24-year old son had been after me to play the PlayStation 3 game Journey for the longest time.
Journey? Really, Colby? That game was released in 2012?
Actually, it was March 13th, 2012.
But, as my nerd friends who know me best will attest…I never made the jump to playing console video games, unless you want to go back to the prehistoric video games of Pong and the Atari 2600.
Experientially, I’d always preferred 1st person shooters,
And I always liked playing those shooters on my PC.
ASWD and mouse is my jam. Ever since the original and Wolfenstein 3D (1992) and DOOM (1993) days.
The thing was, every time I tried to pick up console controller at a friend’s house, it didn’t matter if it was a PlayStation or an XBOX, I always felt like I was button-mashing. Just trying to get something to happen. But that isn’t to say that I didn’t try.
Friends would ask me to try a sports game like Madden or even an adventure game like the Drake series and I just…sucked. During the tutorial of Uncharted I was trying to shoot the evil pirate bad guys trying to take over my boat and they were, quite frankly, the safest people in the game.
However, times change, and I knew that I wanted a Blu-ray player, but I also knew that my wife was inherently opposed to having a gaming console in the house on the main TV.
My eldest daughter had convinced my wife a few years earlier through puppy-dog eyes and some very shrewd saving of her allowance to get a Wii. But the Wii was on the kids TV and, because of its unique control system, never felt very console-y to me (or my wife, for that matter). It was also something that we even got my bride to play from time to time—mostly games like You Don’t know Jack or family games like Guilty Party.
So when I found an amazing deal on Groupon for a PS3, my explanation to my wife was. “Oh, honey, it’s a Blu-ray player AND it streams Netflix and Amazon (both of which you love)…SIDE NOTE: I even got one of the standard DVD-style, long rectangular remotes to reinforce the illusion of it’s “just another piece of AV equipment” a “not the droids you’re looking for kind of vibe.”
“And?” She said, flatly…totally not buying it. (She is a smart cookie)
“Aaaaaand it just happens to be able to play all the PS3 games that are coming out right now…how could I have possibly known THAT?” And then I smile innocently.
She looks back at me through her eyebrows, as if to say, “I’m waiting to see if this turns into a problem. But I’ve got my eye on you, mister.”
Probation? I can accept that.
So, now…Journey.
This game is amazing. Whereas many of my favorite shooter games are like playing through a story, Journey felt like playing a poem!
There is a mournful cello soundtrack that accompanies you as you begin, witnessing a shooting star hurtling through the game world finally coming to land on a hill decorated with fluttering flags.
Your character appears onscreen (in 3rd person) and, as befits a desert setting, is wearing full length-robes and a hood as protection from the harsh desert climate. The design is very stylized and character’s face is a black oval with two ellipsoidal white eyes within and a gold band at the brow-line. To some, it might suggest a tall, thin Jawa from Star Wars or the very distant desert brethren of No Face from Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
You are surrounded by shimmering sand and in the distance is a cleft mountain peak that you know is your goal and the wind howls from time-to-time.
As you progress through Journey your scarf, embroidered with mysterious emblems begins to grow in length. The length of your scarf determines your ability to jump and soar and seems to be symbolic of your scholarly knowledge of the world.
You continue and each vista is stunning. In some moments you are treated to falling rivers of sand (I would say waterfall of sand, but I think that would be a sandfall which makes no sense to me)
It was exhilarating at times, there were moments where descending a dune, I thought I was in the best snowboarding game ever, except that I was traveling through sand instead of snow.
Lest you think that this is a solitary experience there are ultimately creatures you come into contact with. They are made of the same material as your scarf and they progress in size and complexity. At first, they are like small slips of paper and then cognizant kites and finally by the end, grand creatures that seem to be like dragons or vast flying whales. And they are truly beautiful.
There was another moment that will later become a revelation to me but I found out that I wasn’t the only traveler in my garb. I was confronted with a wall that I couldn’t jump over and I couldn’t figure out a way through to the opening and onto the next scene. But somehow my doppelganger and I got tangled together while both trying to jump and we realized that, if we were next to one another, we each created soaring energy off of the other and we were able to finally go through the opening at the top of the wall.
Later in the game, the scenes begin to transition from sand to snow and, you discover that the some of the climates of the world and the creatures in it truly wish you ill.
Ever moving toward the mountain peak I struggled, trying to traverse against a mighty wind and the mountainside itself…
Here I’ll pause retelling my tale for a few character development bits.
And at each stage Journey I consulted (through cutscenes) with a power greater than myself, in the guise of a giant being dressed in white and looking like me. This being revealed a pictographic tale of progress and development, these also pointed toward my purpose.
Notice I keep using the words I and myself. Journey felt so very personal to me.
The idea of the meta-myth must have been at play here. But it is a Hero’s Journey without violence.
There is a language used throughout the game, one “shouts” these magic symbols similar to those on your scarf that tie into the greater storyline. Your “great shouts” even cause certain magics to activate.
Now I’ll come back to the story again…
While trying to summit the mountain in a storm…I didn’t make it. Here as a gamer I’m used to being told, “Whelp, you failed. Try again.” And then after a restart/respawn I would try a different strategy and see if I completed the level. But not here.
Somehow, though, I continued, only now I was flying. The jumps that I had to make earlier were now colossal leaps toward things that, with a touch, renewed my power to leap and fly yet again. And I continued higher, toward the top of the mountain, my goal within sight. Finally, I reached a path where my feet touched the ground and I walked forward toward a white field and final fade out.
The fabulous music began to play and I was thanked for playing this game.
Is that…it? Did I “do it right?”
As I watched the credits and listened to the beautiful choral music, a star formed at the top of the mountain and shot back toward the screen. The names of the game’s creators continued to roll and I was able to watch a reverse of the Journey I had just made, remembering each moment of discovery.
Finally, the star dove toward the hillside I’d began upon, and I got it. It was a beautiful circle.
I have to take a minute and praise once more the music in this game. I’ve since gone back and purchased the album and found out that this music is the first videogame soundtrack to be nominated for a Grammy.
I still haven’t gotten to the best thing.
And then the best thing…
I saw the names of other players in the end credits…what was that about? I asked my son who, after hearing I’d finished first said, “Finally.” Then he told me, those were people who were playing the game when I was. “They were with you for parts of your journey.”
Mind blown.
So for those who thought this game was too old to be mentioned, there were still others who were playing it later, like myself.
I was worried that I wouldn’t get it or that I would somehow play it wrong. I am, after all, a console noob.
I finished it and then I had the delight of watching my 10-year old play through it, too. And she loved it.
I’m always a little leery when it comes to giving her games on consoles. When she was younger her 9-year-old fine motor skills meant she got frustrated very quickly. Would this happen in Journey as well?
I needn’t have worried.
Oh, she had a few questions here and there, sure. But the controls were easy enough that it didn’t frustrate her, and most of the questions she had were, “I don’t know what ‘X’ means?” which, quite frankly when I was discovering the game, I didn’t either. It was really nice to be able to ask, “What do YOU think it means?” or “What is THAT aspect of the game all about?” As always, when teaching something, it crystalizes one’s thinking on the subject, or in this case, game, in question.
If there is a game that you have been saving to play through uninterrupted from beginning to end in order to get an amazing holistic experience, this is that game. I just didn’t want to stop a perfect story.
For me, that is the mark of good art. And I want to have this experience again and again.
The Wine Side
Cercius 2012!
Cercius, this is a wine that can best be described as a Rhone Blend. What exactly does that mean? Well, perhaps the most well-known blends of wine are Bordeaux (or Meritage if created and sold outside the Bordeaux region of France) and Chateau Neuf du Pape. About 90% of Bordeaux blends are a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Although to give each producer their own unique take on Bordeaux the vintner could mix in Malbec, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, or Petit Verdot, but the big thing is it MUST be from the Bordeaux region of France to get appellation d'origine controlee, a prestigious certification that guarantees that your Bordeaux is actually from Bordeaux. If it doesn’t have it, it’s not Bordeaux, it’s a red blend but it could also be a Meritage or more generally a Claret.
Chateau Neuf Du Pape is a different blend of grapes from a region of southern France near Avignon. It consists of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, sometimes called the holy trinity.
So now, Cercius!
It comes from the Cotes du Rhone region and features a breakdown of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah. So it is close in region and in the majority of the varietals of grapes used in Chateau Neuf du Pape.
Cercius is Named after the Latin for the North-northwest winds, and the vines are over 80 years old. The vintners are Michel Gassier Phillipe Cambie and Eric Solomon.
When I did my research on Cercius, one of the odd things I noticed is that the aging takes place in concrete tanks. For me at least, I always think of wine being aged in wood barrels in the old school way, or steel tanks in what I’ve always thought of as the new or Australian way since that is how many of their Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs are aged.
But enough with the academic stuff, how did it taste?
This is one of those darker reds that really screams to be paired with food…very flavorful food. 15.5% alcohol makes it dry and what I might call kinda “scalding” due to the alcohol content. That’s not to say it isn’t smooth. The blend totally is. It’s just strong and rich. The way that Yeti Stout for beer drinkers is a might bolder than, say, a Guinness: 9.5% vs 4.3% alcohol by Volume.
The overall flavor of the wine was like blackberries. And when I put my nose over the glass, there was a scent to it that suggested old, well-cared-for leather. If a wine can put you in a library sitting room with overstuffed leather chairs…well, this is the one to do it.
As I mentioned before, sometimes wines need food and sometimes they are great standalone. I thought Cercius was best to drink as a standalone and that was wrong. This wine loves food. Anything with a rich sauce and even a bit of spice would complement it. Chocolate and Cercius is a great combination where each improves the other. I don’t think this would be a great wine to enjoy with citrusy fruit, though. Strawberries, raspberry, and blackberries, maybe, but this wine would not compliment orange and lemon-tinted appetizers.
It is not in the words of Will, a favorite wine mentor, a “porch pounder.”
I purchased Cercius through Wired for Wine (wiredforwine.com) for right around $15 a bottle. But if you buy 6 bottles, shipping is free.
The coolest thing happened to me while I was shopping for this wine online. Much akin to a wine shop owner strolling up and asking if there was anything he could help me with, the purple dialogue box popped up on my browser.
“Anything I can help with?”
“Nope just browsing,” says I. And then I think…I don’t know the name of the wine I’m looking for Cumulous…something…Cerebus, Cerberus? I knew I’d had it before, and that I liked it but…ugh, memory.
We had a laugh together through the dialogue box, a nice and unexpected thing in an online shipping experience.
Eventually, we came up with “Cercius” and I got a few bottles and checked out. And in a couple of days, I had my wine.
AUDIO GOODNESS -- Here are the liner notes for Masters of Deception: The Gang that Ruled Cyberspace by Michele Slatalla and Joshua Quittner.
I was first inspired to narrate this book when I was teaching middle school theatre in Elizabeth, Colorado. I had picked it up in hardback and had been carrying it around in my teaching bag because there are often times when the students are supposed to be “free reading” and it was suggested that we, the teachers, set a good example by NOT grading papers during “free reading” time.
When I first started the book, I was sucked right in. I had been a little older than the hacker protagonists. For those that don’t know it is about these young guys on the east coast who, in the late 80’s and early 90’s hack into the Bell Telephone network and ultimately encounter others like themselves and have one of the earliest hacker wars.
Growing up, I had used some of the same of computers they were using. I had actually played the games they had. I had felt isolated as they had. But for me, it was because I lived in a small town in western Nebraska.
So, I read it, loved it and then set it on my shelf for later.
Then came the moment when I thought I was ready to make an audiobook.
I made the first chapter and sent it to the authors, who I’d found on Facebook.
They had one question…
Only one, really?
“So, all you want is for us to say “yes” and then you will start sending money to us?”
“Yep, that’s about it,” I said.
“We’re in.”
So, I made the audiobook without any plan, really, of how I was going to distribute it, where I might sell it, etc. All I knew was that this was a book I loved and wanted to make. So, I set up my computer system in my office and, based on my technical knowledge teaching theatre, started recording.
Upon reflection, there are a few things I would do differently.
I didn’t have a tablet then so the idea of using a physical book seemed like a good one at the time. But knowing what I do now…editing out all the “whooshing” sounds of the page turns was not fun.
I hadn't realized that I should probably have the computer tower in a different room from the microphone. Although I tried to mitigate this as best I could with filtering, a careful ear will pick up the computer fan throughout the recording. Maybe that’s atmospheric, though. It is the Foley of computers after all. Honestly, I think, after a time, the mind simply tunes it out because the story of these guys is so fascinating.
I think my biggest concern wasn’t if there was going to be an audience for this, it was “how am I going to make the programming parts of the book interesting for the listener?”
The wonderful thing about Masters of Deception for me is that it is still going strong 7 years later. It’s a time capsule of a more innocent age that is also the Wild, Wild West of hacking…even though it happened in the East.
Check out Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyber Space by Michele Slattalla and Joshua Quittner, narrated by me, Colby Elliott at Audible.com. And check out all of the cool new upcoming projects at lastwordaudio.com.
Next Time:
Death Note and Barolo
So, until then…
My Geeks, my nerds, my dear, dear friends…adieu!
