Six Feats Under – Mouse Guard

Six Feats Under‘s Mouse Guard podcast is a joy to listen to. It uses the Mouse Guard RPG system and David Peterson‘s wonderful Mouse Guard comics world to tell emotional and entertaining stories. The players and game master bring characters and the world to life masterfully.

There is one story arc available as Year 1 and Year 2 is ongoing. The podcast is a great way to get a feel for the game or the comics, and is rewarding for me as someone who has played the game and many of the comic books. Listen to the first year to fall in love with Marx, and his ethos of “No mouse shall go hungry while any mouse grows fat.”

Two patrols of mice venture forth to guard the territories. They are Mouse Guard, heroes in name and deed. Were it not for the guard, mouse society could never exist. Under our brave paws, we will keep everymouse safe, from all manner of harm. No matter what.
Mouse Guard Year One

Murals

For years two of my favourite murals have been surviving the creep of gentrification on Gottingen Street.

Google+ Exporter

I was an enthusiastic user of Google+ at its peak, and shared a lot of things there, from photos to reviews to links. The site will be closing down later this year, so I used Google+ Exporter to bring much of it into an archive in my WordPress blog. It allows photos to be exported and posts from different categories to be selectively exported, along with comments. If, like me, you want to save what you shared, learn more.

Wheels of Aurelia

Wheels of Aurelia is a surprising game that combines third person driving and narrative to great effect. It’s a game that can be played through in under half an hour, but it offers new opportunities to alter the story with each play through. I enjoyed the simple controls, wonderfully stylized visuals and the engaging characters as I wound down the roads. Having the details of Communists and Anarchists opposing Fascists gave the story weight and really set it apart from other narrative-focused games I’ve played.

The game is available across a lot of platforms, including Android and Switch, and it’s worth experiencing.

Embark on an immersive road trip through the gritty western coast of Italy during the roaring 1970’s. Playing as Lella, a bold, spunky woman, experience the sights and sounds of a tumultuous time in Italy’s history while uncovering events from Lella’s storied past.

Take the road less traveled, while meeting an unpredictable cast of characters along your journey and making detours along the way. An interactive visual novel based on short moments in time during Lella’s travels, each playthrough ends with one of sixteen different endings based on your choices.

Travel across the famous “Via Aurelia” and discover a new side of Italy in a thought-provoking game about the road trip, not the destination.
Wheels of Aurelia

The Cybertronic Spree – Immigrant Song

The Cybertronic Spree are more than just a band that performs as Transformers; they’re excellent musicians and have discerning taste in fun songs to cover when not creating solid original songs. This cover of “Immigrant Song” is a great introduction to what they can do.

Unauthorized Bread

Cory Doctorow‘s Unauthorized Bread is a sharp science fiction novella that addresses the real dangers that DRM and other forms of destructive intellectual property laws and practices pose to our quality of life. It also touches on the horrors of inhumane immigration policies and demonstrates a genuine compassion for people living in poverty. This is a hopeful story that emphasizes the importance of resisting harmful laws and harmful business practices even in the face of great personal and communal risk.

Unauthorized Bread is available as a DRM-free audiobook through Google Play or direct from Cory. It will also be available as part of his upcoming book Radicalized.

Part of the story can be read in New Scientist.

Carsie Blanton – Jacket

Carsie Blanton has a killer new album coming out on February 15, and the song “Jacket” has a smoking hot video. As a patron I’ve been able to listen to the album for a few months, and I promise it delivers a great collection of songs.

The Last Internationale – Hit Em With Your Blues

The Last Internationale is a band that has sounded out of time. Bluesy rock with powerful vocals, solid instrumentation and decidedly left politics is exciting but often feels out of place. With their new album, Soul On Fire, there’s something fresher that makes it feel like a step forward into a livelier, more contemporary recorded sound.

Starlings Murmering

When I was out for a walk today I found a gathering of starlings keeping watch over shopping carts.

Backpack Refinement

Having a bag I’m happy to carry each day is something that has been important to me for a long while. I used to use messenger bags most often, but I’ve changed over to backpacks because they make more sense for running. My newest bag has the features I’ve come to appreciate most, including an external USB port for charging devices from a battery inside, a good variety of pockets and an inbuilt lock. I decorated the bag with the badges of Pokémon regions as I earn them in replays.