any 15 year old can play GTA 4?

The Telegraph and the Times, two upholders of moral values in the UK both appeared to give the new game about car theft, gangland violence and misogyny a thumb's up recently.

Where is the line between gratuitous commercialism and satirical art form? In the Baby Boomer generation or Generation X there would be hippies, Zappa, Monty Python, Spitting Image or Now Show to rail against conventional values and make points about how we all live our lives. Where is the multi channel Generation Y equivalence to these perspectives?

This purported car chase game, with a 15+ predominantly male demographic (yeah, I know it says 18 on the pack), is already a winner for Rockstar Arts, Sony Corporation's Playstation and Microsoft's XBox360 (see the new bundled savings etc).

The target market has queued in lines to buy it at midnight throughout the globe and it will become a pervasive houseparty item amongst 15-35 year old boys. It paints a realistically rendered crime-based underbelly to New York complete with spoof TV and radio channels espousing bling and materialism. Is it so different from the real world?

From the early days of computer gaming whilst shooting blobs in mazes, via first person shooter-em-ups like Quake in the mid 90s, Lara Croft in the late 90s and to the 21st Century 3D rendering of Halo and this game, there's been a steady march to towards graphically realistic violence in the games and more latterly a sense of an elementary (im)moral structure interposed.

A strata of kids are already immersed in this multi player experience, ferrying gangland bosses at any cost through the streets of an alternative New York, using any form of weaponry they can obtain to complete their mission.

And in the new game, the 'women as objects' coding typified by the suppressed 'hot coffee' modifications to the previous version appear to be back in new forms along with cheats downloadable via 'Nico's phone ' in the game.

Which brings it to the question.

Is GTA IV a modern art form, portraying a tongue-in-cheek version of a New York City with some kind of mirror held up to exaggerate the values of early 21st century living? Or could it be a cultural virus, intended to push thinking to a new level of negative behaviour? Or simply the 21st century manifestation of Pacman?

I don't have the patience or interest to spend time playing these games, but I do wonder about the impact they have in modern thinking.

So, does this long term gaming in realistic environments affect behaviour? does it override or offset other social values? does the game stop at the off switch? Can the switch ever be reset once turned on?

bojo rising

Both my taxi drivers on Thursday were supporting Boris, although neither actually had a London vote. One lived in Canvey Island and the other in Hertfordshire. They both made the point that they hated the way Gordon was running the country and that it was time for a change. I found the linkage between national politics and the way London needs to operate somewhat tenuous, as I suspect did Ken Livingstone, who kept a slightly distant participation of Brown in his campaign.

Cameron, on the other hand, was all over the Boris campaign, suggesting the full Tory munitions were wheeled out to buffer the buffoon. "Team Boris" comprised skilled handlers to keep Boris between the guard-rails of acceptability required during the campaigning stage. They don't want him getting in any more hot stew with Papua New Guinea or Liverpool even the Conservative Diary didn't know what to make of those bloopers.

The paid-for newspaper read by most Londoners is the Evening Standard (which is owned by the moaning, alarmist 'sell it with a Diana pic' Daily Mail's Associated Press) and the Stannit cleverly presented a strongly negative Livingstone image in the run-up, without any obvious counter through the freebee papers, which somehow operate in a different news galaxy. The Standard's approach could be worthy of a media studies course, using the big stories for slagging off Ken, whilst running small font credits in the back pages with the stair lift adverts.

Andrew Gilligan of the Standard was at County Hall yesterday night (oddly, it is St Boris Day on 2 May) and defended their position as factually critical, and that there would now start to be a similar analysis of Boris. I suppose from a news perspective it gives a brilliant new set of clichés to invent and roll out, including plundering of the Private Eye war-chest.

Some of today''s press is saying that Boris is clever and thoughtful, with his Etonian and Oxford high profile roles. They say he got further up the popularity pole in those places than David Cameron and that may have influenced Cameron's entry to the elitist toff Bullington dining club. His birth in America means he also jokes in such circles about running for Mizter Prezident. Perhaps after he's restarted his gin drinking and had a good scoff, he'll come up with some policies that were not written in detention by a couple of his job-experience aides.

We will all be watching you, Boris.

Technorati Tags: rashbre, boris, bojo, london, mayor, buffoon, bloopers, vote, livingstone

bojo does london

I see a routemaster full of cynics
Who want to twist the peoples' wrist
They're counting every vote we make
We're all included on the list

The lunatics have taken over the asylum
Boris has taken over London

No philander the buffoon lied to us
but who are we to disagree
'Cos when the madman flips the switch
Thirteen Billion money gushes free

Bojo has taken over London
The lunatics have taken over the asylum

I've seen the faces of the citizens
But i just can not see the points
'Cos there's so much rhetoric here today
That no one wants to take away

The lunatics have taken over the asylum
Bojo has taken over the asylum
A hypocrite has taken over the asylum - take away sane right to choose
Bojo has taken over the asylum - corrupt my point of view
One hundred forty thousand have taken over the asylum
- take away my dignity,
Boris has taken over London - bandwaggoning immediately

Bojo's taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum - take away my proud city,
Take away the right to speak
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
Please, Boris, treat this city carefully

Technorati Tags: rashbre, boris, bojo, london, mayor, buffoon, bloopers, vote, livingstone

homeland

I overcame the gods of travel conspiring against me yesterday evening. First there was a car strewn across the M3 on its side facing the wrong way with its passengers standing on the hard shoulder. This created a 20 minute penalty.

Then there was a brand new Citroen with what looked like the front wheels sticking out sideways collapsed right on the ramp leading to the bridge over the Hogarth's roundabout. Another 30 minute penalty.

So my math for Barbican arrival time changed as I ditched the car in Belgravia cabbed to the venue arriving to that tell tale sign of lateness, an empty lobby.

I sped, guided, through the confusing corridors of the Barbican and snuck into the darkened and candle-lit auditorium and Laurie Anderson was already playing and singing, with a familiar style and a small accompaniment of excellent musicians.

Homeland is a 90 minute work about America, with a mixture of sung and spoken commentary, a few off the wall observations and some ironic humour. As I settled into listening, the new work had a familiarity of style alongside a newness of content and topicality, with references to state control, experts telling experts about problems, US elections, the Iraq war ("anyone can join") as well as more familiar Anderson territory. I liked the segment about being able to look at the stars in wonder, knowing that man had not messed with them, but aware that mankind was reaching, reaching. Oh and that one day the last trumpet might sound, but it would have very sparkly EQ.

There was some voice processing and much signature clapping and percussive loop accompaniment alongside the strong ensemble of Peter Scherer on keyboard, Skuli Sverrisson on bass guitar and Okkyung Lee on violin. I was transported into the moment.

Homeland carries the distinctive form of other Laurie Anderson music, linked together in one continuous performance piece. I thought I'd somehow been remiss in not buying the CD along the way, but it dawned on me that this was all new music and I finally discovered that the album won't be available until 2009.

For me, the evening was like a very enjoyable conversation with a first rate artist performer.


Highline festival version of "Only an expert can deal with a problem"

Barbican

I'll be spending the evening at the Barbican to see Laurie Anderson performing Homeland. Always entertaining experimental art music, but I find friends back away when I suggest listening.

One of Laurie Anderson's set pieces is a series about America called United States I-IV, and the Homeland piece is a kind 2008 extension of the thinking. I can still remember buying United States I-IV during a trip to New York. When I visit Manhattan, I like to take back a small carry-on artifact such as an "I love NY" mug, Statue of Liberty pencil sharpener or some fake Oakleys from Canal Street.

On this particular occasion, I was visiting the really small sushi bar in Bleecker Street with Steve when I spotted the Laurie Anderson "United States" boxed set in the window of Generation Records. I didn't buy it then, because the sushi was calling, but the next day it was still in the window until I removed it. A perfect New York souvenir.

I met this guy - and he looked like might have
been a hat check clerk at an ice rink.
Which, in fact, he turned out to be.

And I said:
Oh boy. Right again.

Let X=X. You know, it could be you.
It's a sky-blue sky. Satellites are out tonight.
Let X=X.

You know, I could write a book. And this book would
be thick enough to stun an ox. Cause I can see the
future and it's a place - about 70 miles east of
here. Where it's lighter. Linger on over here.

Got the time? Let X=X.

I got this postcard. And it read, it said:
Dear Amigo - Dear Partner.
Listen, uh - I just want to say thanks. So...thanks.
Thanks for all the presents. Thanks for introducing
me to the Chief.

Thanks for putting on the feedbag. Thanks for going
all out.

Thanks for showing me your Swiss Army knife.
and uh -
Thanks for letting me autograph your cast.
Hug and kisses.

X X X X zero zero zero zero
Oh yeah, P.S.
I - feel - feel like - I am - in a burning building - and I
gotta go.
Cause I - I feel - feel like - I am - in a burning
building - and I gotta go.
Let X=x

vote-tastic?

Almost disenfranchised today when I attended my polling station, to discover the building is being reconstructed and that the polling station is now elsewhere.

So my early morning vote didn't happen.

Last time I voted I was literally the first vote caster in the Polling Station. This time, I'll be joining the rush late in the day when I can get to the replacement venue.

Meantime, it will be interesting to see how the London Mayoral election plays out during on the day, after the Stannit showed Boris last night with a majority and the Grauniad has written a six page article on why Boris is bad for London.

twistori

I've been using twitter for a little bit more than a year, but in the early days it was a bit like having only one half of a telephone in use.

Nowadays it seems to have reached a critical mass, so rashbre central now has a twitter feed embedded, as well as a way to publish 'tweets' from the blog entries. If you don't know what I'm talking about then a quick flip across to twitter.com could explain more about it.

In the meantime, people are now experimenting with twitter streams, like the one I show here from twistori, which intercepts twitter messages with 'i love, i hate, i think, i feel, i believe, i wish' and publishes them as a stream.

Can be quite fascinating.

GTA IV - a walk in the park?

When I've visited Vegas, I've had a great time without spending gazillions at the tables. In fact, the last time, I didn't even play a slot machine. But enough of that, what goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas etc.

I suppose its the same with the new car game that everyone in London (nay, on the gaming part of the planet) seemed to be queuing for (even if Zavvi actually had stacks and stacks of the thing).

Grand Theft Auto IV just hit the stores in a superb wave of Potter-esque 'open the stores at midnight' marketing and seems to have sent everyone who likes console games into rapt glee despite its gang violence related to car theft.

So the idea of using it for a bit of sightseeing of a kind of Sin City version of New York wasn't necessarily on the minds of the creators. However, as long as you don't mind getting grenaded occasionally, then its not a bad way to cruise the Hudson in a boat, admire bridges and skylines and take a look around some of the less well heeled streets of the metropolis.

I know that is not the intent of the game (which is all about rags to riches goodfellas style gangland activities), but, like Las Vegas, it seems a pity to waste all the clever scenery.

You can tell I don't really PLAY console games - not even at the TW@ internet cafes in GTA IV. No more bets, please.

slick

Oystering around town today. West End, City and Canary Wharf. A combination of tube and buses. By tonight the papers are showing that Boris could win the London mayoral elections.

This is a tough one to have a proper opinion about because it seems to be about who can dress in the most unusual costume, who can get a candid picture in a pie shop with another politician or on a train reading the Londoner and what does each candidate think about bendy buses and noveau Routemasters. I'm sure I'm missing something.

its thundery weather

Yesterday, I was reading a few bloggers talking about not being able to think of topics for blogging as I flitted around the interweb.

Sometimes I think its a function of time as much as a function of ideas. The act of blogging for me is still much less than the moves of the activists reviewing, say, the upcoming Olympics and taking steps onto a street to raise their voices about injustices and reforms needed in China. Or maybe the those concerned for their futures and indirectly creating the fuel panic buying now defining that a tankful for my car costs around £85 ($170). Its all a question of degrees.

We get caught it our own little worlds and then the commodity that becomes precious is time, creating strange and personal priority lists for all of us. Add a few moments for domestic chores and the discretionary spending time available to comment or think on big topics becomes significantly marginalised.

Dylan Moran for Doctor Who?

Anyone else watch Doctor Who? I still do most weeks, for that feeling of family entertainment. And like the old series, there's usually a few clues about plotlines built in.

The early reappearance of Rose "she will return" including the somewhat superfluous soothsaying, the reference to "something on your back" (Monkey? invisible spider? mind controller? guilt of betraying the Doctor later in series?) when talking to Catherine Tate and the subtle use of the so called Doomsday tune to herald, perhaps, the demise of Tennant by the end of this series, or even before the end so that Rose and co can go find him.

My guess is that they'll do a temporary substituion of a female Doctor (Jennifer Saunders) before bringing in the next replacement (not James Nesbitt, please!).

The old rashbre central campaign site from 2005 sits forlornly recommending Dylan Moran and, hey, maybe Fran as the sidekick, but I'm beginning to wonder if the controllers have ever read it. They should. DMFDW.

And, of course, we should use an old Doctor Who as a new Master somewhere along the way.

Technorati Tags: rashbre, DrWho, Doctor+Who, Torchwood, plot, rose, tardis, dalek, Catherine+Tate, Dylan+Moran, dmfdw,

sun

Its official. Now the blackbird has started sunning itself in the garden, it must be proper Spring.

Three weeks ago we had snow, then a couple of weeks of greyness, but now the proper barbecue weather is appearing and I've just checked that the outdoor wi-fi is still functional.