Notes from the Wired

Media

Published: December 24, 2023

Last modified: October 27, 2024

This is a selection of various media, I particularly enjoyed or found interesting enough to highlight here.

Movies

Name:Synecdoche in New York Description:

A surrealist movie with the central theme of identity, it branches out to explore various other topics such as love, living, death, and the decisions one makes or doesn't make. It's an awesome movie, though it's not easy to understand and requires active participation to be fully enjoyed.

Name:Beu is Afraid Description:

Another surrealist movie centered around Beau, like the name of the movie implies the protagonist who is afraid of everything. It explores themes of guilt, cowardice, family trauma, and the modern way of life. It's another movie I really like, though with its running time of 3 hours, it can be a bit long.

Name:Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Description:

It is a black comedy that satirizes the threat of nuclear destruction during the Cold War. It criticizes the dogma of mutual assured destruction. The movie is not too long and very fun, with the only potentially off-putting aspect being that it is in black and white.

Name:Run Lola Run Description:

A little bit of representation for German movie making. It's a very chaotic movie which is a lot of fun, the main theme the movie explores is the topic of free will and how small encounters or actions can shape one's life in the most unforeseen consequences. But the movie doesn't say "You have no control of your life", instead it shows that through your own actions you can succeed.

TV-Shows

Name:Legion Description:

Legion follows the story of David, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia who has spent much of his life institutionalized. As the series unfolds, David starts to question if there might be more to his condition than just illness. While Legion may not be the most coherent or straightforward show (it is rather surreal at times), it stands out for its sheer creativity. Its unique storytelling, visual style, and Aubrey Plaza's amazing performance make it something truly special.

Books

Name:The Thing They Carried Description:

So often, one hears sad stories, such as people dying in war. But our emotional reaction to such events is often negligible. This book, instead of trying to tell us the real truth, conveys story truth, capturing the emotion of the narrative. It is a collection of beautifully connected short stories.

Name:Notes from Underground Description:

A Russian novel, it is seperated into two parts the first part deals with the protagonist thoughts and philosophical outlook and are written as a monologue. The second part is a more regular story, which shows the consequences of the protagonist philosophical outlook. Though I like the book, it's hard to recommend, the first part is mostly an repsonse to occurrent philosophical theory at that date (e.g. determinism, rational egoism, nihilism and utopianism) and without the background hard to read, the second part is much more understable though. I think it gives an important lesson of what not to become.

Name:Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats Description:

It's a collection of silly poems about cats. Fun to read.

Short stories/Fables

Name:I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream Description:

Is about technological misuse and the human resilience in the face of existential horror.

Name:The Last Question Description:

Explores the limits of scientific advancement and knowledge.

Name:The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant Description:

A Story about Death.

Name:'The Bird' from Emerald Circus Description:

Beautiful story.

Webserials

Name:I shall seal the Heaven Description:

This was the first Xianxia novel I ever read, and as such, it is dear to my heart. It is a solid book that made me shed a tear at one part, with classic Xianxia tropes, perfect for people without experience with the genre.

Name:Reverend Insanity Description:

Another Xianxia book, it is famous for its ruthless protagonist and great story. If one has read enough Xianxia, it is a great story that subverts the classical Xianxia tropes. What I like most about the story are the "Legends of Ren Zu" interspersed throughout the novel, which tell the creation myth of the novel's world. One last thing to keep in mind is that the book wasn't finished due to it being banned for being too critical of the Chinese government.

Name:Lord of Mysteries Description:

To get the negatives out of the way, it's a slow story that only starts to ramp up after 200 chapters. Although the characters are fun, they are not meaningfully deep. Now for the positives: the story is good, and the world-building in this novel is among the best I've read.

Name:Katalepsis Description:

A great story about a girl who is constantly plagued by horrifying visions and her quest to uncover the truth behind them. It is a cosmic Lovecraftian horror novel with great characters and a compelling story, though it involves a lot of lesbian sex and character drama.

Name:Necroepilogos Description:

From the same author of Katalepsis, this time it's an amazing post-apocalyptic sci-fi story. The world-building is deep and rich, and each character is unique, with understandable motives for their actions and well-developed character arcs.

Name:Beware of the Chicken Description:

Another web-serial that subverts the classical Xianxia tropes, where our protagonist decides against defying the heavens and pursuing cultivation for greater heights. Instead, he chooses to become a simple farmer and make the most out of his life. It's a wholesome slice-of-life story that warms one's heart.

Music Albums

Name:Aratamemashite Hajimemashite Midori Desu Description:

Kagayaki is an album by Masakatsu Takagi and another great Japanese album (Boy, do I love the japs). This time, it leans toward folk music. The coolest thing about this album is its sheer diversity: we have instrumental tracks, songs, tracks with spoken word similar to Slint, and lots of unique sounds. It’s a relaxing album, like a warm hug.

Name:Aratamemashite Hajimemashite Midori Desu Description:

I dont even know how to describe it, it is by the band "Midori", and it it is all of the following things: punk, rock, experimental, screamo, noise and jazz. Watch the live perfromance of the band it's amazing.

Name:The Seer Description:

Created by the band "Swans," this is a highly experimental post-rock album with a shamanistic theme. The album is quite long, with a runtime of 1 hour and 59 minutes, containing 11 tracks. The longest track has an impressive length of 32 minutes.

Name:Hurtbreak Wonderland Description:

Created by the Japanese musician "World's End Girlfriend," this post-rock album is more focused on ambiance. It combines classical instruments with modern elements such as breakcore, glitches, and jazz, making it rather experimental. The album has a duration of 1 hour and 10 minutes, consisting of 10 tracks.

Name:Hyouge Mono - Otsu Description:

Created by "Cro-Magnon," this is a relaxing Japanese-style jazzy funk album. It has a length of 51 minutes and contains 15 tracks.

Name:Method of slow motion Description:

Created by "How to count one to ten," this Japanese math-rock album is purely instrumental and has a rather relaxing vibe. It is similar to albums by "Toe." The album has a length of 45 minutes, with a total of 9 tracks.

Name:Laideronnette Description:

Created by "matryoshka," this album combines rock, electronics, ambient sounds, and classical-style music with ethereal vocals, resulting in a truly calming mix. The album has a length of 57 minutes, containing 10 tracks.

Name:Recess Description:

Created by "Stage Kids," this is a math-rock album that is more energizing compared to "Method of Slow Motion." It is a groovy, very short album with a length of 6 minutes, containing 3 tracks.

Name:Nubes de Alcohol Description:

Created by the Argentine band "Mujercitas Terror," this is a rock/post-punk album. It's very cool to hear a Latin American represented in this space. The album has a length of 23 minutes, containing 3 tracks.

Name:Perdidxs en el Ruido Description:

Created by the Chilean band "Las Olas (Noispop)," this is a post-punk, noise-pop album. I can't speak to the lyrics, but from the sound, they are criminally underrated. The album has a length of 27 minutes and contains 10 tracks.