November 5, 2007
Future-Nostalgia

So, I should really be asleep, as I need to be up again in another six and a half hours, but I've got too much on my brain. I've been reading old SR campaigns, mostly about the sequence of events leading up to Crash 2.0, as I'd like to write out some backstory for Ally, and I think that's what sparked off this late-night ramble. I was lying in bed, a particular line of synth running through my head (Coburn - We Interrupt This Program (Interrupted Vocal Mix) - I may upload this and some of the rest of the SR playlist later), when I was suddenly struck by an overwhelming wave of longing for a place I've never been, and which may not even exist, save possibly Tokyo in the quiet hours of the early morning. It's neon lights at night, clusters of skyscrapers looming over the water, concrete and steel girders, empty subway stations, the feeling of being alone in the midst of civilization. It makes me miss Boston a little, in part because New England has a way of getting in your blood, and also because Vancouver, while I love it, has a little less of that neon-grit edge that Boston and NYC have. Some of you may remember a bit of an essay I wrote back in '05 (god, was it really that long ago now?) about cities, and a lot of what I said then holds true now. This, plus my rampant techno-fetishism, probably explains the deep draw cyberpunk has on me.

In conclusion, have a cool Tokyo nightscape pic while I decide what my chances of actually falling asleep are.

EDIT: Also, I know I have expressed my desire for mirrorshades in the past - these are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for (cap from Hackers). Leads would be awesome.