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Taryn Ziegler

Taryn Ziegler is a graduate from the University of Washington Bothell with a degree in Culture, Literature, and the Arts. She currently works as an independent content writer and literature reviewer, and she adores being able to create valuable content with the English language for a living.

Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris film review

College News reviewed the quietly charming movie directed by Woody Allen

Before reading Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris film review when you imagine Owen Wilson in a leading role, you’re probably picturing something like Wedding Crashers or Zoolander. Woody Allen’s magnificently sentimental and nostalgic Midnight in Paris (2011) defies those raunchy norms and launches Wilson into a role that lingers sweetly in the imagination. Mixing literary and artistic references with romance, surrealism, and intrigue, Midnight in Paris is a genre-mash that succeeds in its aims rather brilliantly.

A Simple Plot

Midnight in Paris is a modern movie set against the marvelous backdrop of Paris, where its main American characters are staying on vacation. Owen Wilson plays Gil, a successful yet dissatisfied Hollywood screenwriter dreaming of the golden days of the Roaring Twenties. Gil is weighted down in his nostalgia by his overbearing fiancée played by Rachel McAdams (who also starred alongside his Wedding Crashers character). One evening Gil discovers that, when standing at a certain spot after the final stroke of midnight, a 1920s vehicle picks him up and carries him back to Paris in the twenties.

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Here Gil meets master writers and artists such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, and many more. Having finally found an audience for his own struggling novel, Gil finds himself in raptures over his discovery and quickly sees his present paling in comparison to the past. In 1920s Paris, Gil has found, alive, the intellectual community he idolized in the present.

A Sparkling Cast 

Owen Wilson may be cast as the same general character for most, if not all, of his movies- and yet no one cares. Why? Because Owen Wilson does Owen Wilson best. He is tremendously easy to connect with and therefore a pleasure to watch. Rachel McAdams does a phenomenal job of making you love to hate her, and the 1920s cast is star-studded with equally talented and memorable character performances. A few of these are:

·       F. Scott Fitzgerald – Tom Hiddleston

·       Zelda Fitzgerald – Alison Pill

·       Ernest Hemingway – Corey Stoll

·       Gertrude Stein – Kathy Bates

·       Salvador Dali – Adrian Brody

Not to mention outstanding work done by Marion Cotillard and Michael Sheen. Nothing feels particularly false about this movie and its acting, and perhaps that’s because its overall genial atmosphere was absorbed by its actors and transformed into a wonderful and well-collaborated performance.

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A Timeless Message

What really is the “golden age?” What really is love, war, art, talent? Midnight in Paris takes on deep philosophical topics without ever feeling heavy or pretentious. It reveals flaws in its characters while simultaneously gracing them with their positive attributes. And, above all, it allows Owen Wilson’s character to probe questions that seem obvious but have, in reality, complex, unclear, and meandering answers.

No, Midnight in Paris is not a perfect movie. However, it does successfully draw deeper thoughts, louder laughs, and longer sighs from its audience in turns. Woody Allen has created a wonderful piece of magic that is as timeless as the city of Paris itself.

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Dark chocolate covered gummy bears recipe

These dark chocolate covered gummy bears are the perfect gift or addition to any party

Don’t believe the lie that you can only get these dark chocolate covered gummy bears at an overpriced candy store. They might not even have the dark chocolate ones, which you and I both know are really the best. Even if you do buy these from the local candy shoppe, you’re probably consuming more bad things for you than good. With this simple and delectable recipe, get the natural goodness of gummy bears combined with the decadent richness of fine dark chocolate without any of the guilt or expenditure.

Ingredients

Gummy Bears:

·       1 gummy bear silicone mold

·       1 baking sheet

·       Wax paper

·       1 saucepan

·       1 tablespoon lemon juice

·       2 tablespoons honey

·       3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

·       Fruit Flavoring: Orange bears – 1 cup of orange juice; Strawberry bears – 2/3 cup pureed strawberries and 1/3 cup water; Blueberry bears – 2/3 cup pureed blueberries and 1/3 cup water

Chocolate Mixture:

·       1 saucepan or bowl

·       1 cup dark chocolate chips

·       1/2 tablespoon shortening

Procedure

1.Combine lemon juice, honey, and fruit flavoring in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove and stir.

2.Whisk gelatin into the mixture and stir, heating until all ingredients are combined and gelatin is melted.

3.Pour mixture into gummy bear silicone mold and put in freezer for 30 minutes.

4.Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper on it.

5.Stir shortening and chocolate chips together and melt over a stove or in a microwave until smooth.

6.Wait for the chocolate mixture to cool slightly, then dip 1 cup’s worth of solidified gummy bears into it one by one.

7.Set chocolate covered gummy bears onto the wax paper on the baking sheet.

8.Place baking sheet in fridge for 30 minutes.

9.Take out and enjoy.

Never pay too much for overly-sugary dark chocolate covered gummy bears again with this recipe. You can even use these gummy bears as gifts or treats, such as with wedding party presents or stocking stuffers. Change up the fruit flavoring and experiment with different juices and purees. If you really wanted to, you could make vegetable puree gummy bears, but no one expects you to get that…innovative. Grab your gummy bear mold and get going amking your dark chocolate covered gummy bears!

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3 off leash dog parks in the greater seattle area

These dog parks are like amusement parks for your dog

Walking your dog is great and all, but there’s nothing like the satisfying “click” sound of releasing his or her leash from their collar and letting them fly across a natural landscape with utter freedom, that is why these 3 off leash dog parks in the greater Seattle area are perfect for you and your companion. There’s not always time to haul your mutt to an off-leash dog park, but when there is, you know you want to be going to the right place. Fortunately, the Pacific Northwest is exceptionally pet-friendly. In Washington, there are a plethora of off-leash dog parks practically right outside your door. For those of you living in the Lynnwood, Everett, and Edmonds areas, here are three of the best parks to take your adventurous and furry companion.

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1. Marymoor Dog Park

While all three of these parks have their own unique amenities, Marymoor is by far the most expansive and impressive. Located in Redmond, the Marymoor Park includes a variety of different areas for recreation, including a massive off-leash dog park running alongside the Sammamish River. The Marymoor Dog Park covers over 40 acres of land and has 5 individual sites where dogs have access to the river itself to swim, drink, and be otherwise rowdy.

Six miles of looped trails make sure that not only the dogs but the owners get their exercise, and if you’re a human that likes to socialize, you’re in for a treat: Marymoor is typically highly populated. It costs $1 to park in the Marymoor parking lot, but this is a tiny fee in comparison to the huge reward waiting for you in the park itself. Refuse baggies and trash cans are available in multiple areas across the park to keep the grounds free of unpleasant surprises.

2. Off Leash Area Edmonds

If you were looking for a more salty and watery trip, take your fuzzy friend to the Marina Beach in Edmonds. At the southernmost tip of the beach you will find the fenced-off “Off Leash Area Edmonds,” which is a dog park run strictly by volunteers. Out of the three this is by far the smallest park, but it is also the only park that offers ocean access.  Furthermore, it is the only park located (safely) next to railroad tracks, upon which impressive trains come hurtling across on occasion. Parking is free but sometimes difficult when the weather is nice and there are tons of people out and about.

Bags and trashcans are available at this location as well. There is also a pump and multiple dishes to keep your dog hydrated with fresh water. The area is completely fenced off and you enter first through two small gates onto a sandy, gravelly area where dogs are free to roam. This area quickly slopes downwards into a rocky beach and on into the water of the Puget Sound. Let Fido roam, romp, and play while you dreamily watch sailboats, ferries, and kayakers pass by in the watery distance. Or, when the weather is bearable, swim along with your dog in the salty sea.

3. Willis D. Tucker Park Dog Park

This off-leash dog park, similar to Marymoor, is located within a larger recreational park (Willis D. Tucker Community Park). There is no fee to park, and you will not often have problems finding a place to do so. The Willis D. Tucker Park Dog Park features three distinct sections for Spot to play. The first section that you come upon from the parking lot is the 1.25-acre forest area, filled with towering trees and meandering dirt paths. Take your rain boots with you for this area, for when there have been reoccurring rain showers it can get quite muddy.

Past the forest trails lies a 6-acre meadow area, the center of which features multiple water dishes (which you must fill yourself) and refuse bags. Outside of the fenced area are dumpsters where you can rid yourself of your pet’s unwanted presents. Next to the meadow area and nestled inside of the forest trails is a fenced-off shy dog area, which is dedicated exclusively to low-impact dogs who want a nice quiet play time.

Rain or Shine

No matter where you go or what the weather’s like, your dog will love you for taking them outdoors. Be cautious and alert at all times while at off-leash dog parks to make sure that everyone is only having a good time. Whether you’re roving across the sandy beaches of Edmonds, the sprawling trails of Marymoor, or the forested paths of Willis D. Tucker, you’re bound to have a great time at one of these  3 off leash dog parks in Seattle.

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The Top 3 Free Educational YouTube Channels

These educational Youtube channels are perfect for gaining some knowledge

If you’re still in school, you probably won’t be able to convince your teachers or your parents to let you substitute these top 3 free educational YouTube channels for your classes. However, for those of you out of school, these channels are invaluable concerning the betterment of your own intellect and self-awareness (and they do make wonderful supplements for those of you in school). These three YouTube channels are lightyears beyond anything we’ve seen so far in the free-education department. If you have a hankering to keep furthering yourself and to not spend a dime while doing it, check these channels out.

1. Khan Academy

By far the most intuitive, rigorous, and in-depth of the three, the Khan Academy is, as they claim, “on a mission to unlock the world’s potential.” It was originally created in 2006 by Salman Khan and currently operates as a non-profit organization, producing short lectures through YouTube for the pleasure of the public. From physics and biology to history and trigonometry, the Khan Academy provides accurate, useful, and thorough lessons on it all. Their brief videos and creative use of digital chalkboards keeps these lessons both engaging and informative.
 

2. Crash Course

Crash Course (sometimes CrashCourse) was started by brother duo Hank and John Green who were also responsible for VlogBrothers. Crash Course launched in 2011 and as of May 2015 received over 4 million subscribers and 250 million video views. Starting in January 2015, Crash Course partnered with PBS Digital Studios and now has over 14 courses on subjects ranging from the humanities to astronomy. Crash Course videos seamlessly combine animations with the “talking head” of the featured lecturer, which is usually one of the Green brothers or another guest professional. They tend to be colorful, humorous, and highly contagious.

3. The School of Life

An organization founded in 2008, the School of Life has branches in Paris, Tel Aviv, London, Seoul, and elsewhere around the world. The School of Life’s goal is to educate participants on how to live “wisely and well,” including finding fulfilling work and generally understanding the world. Their hope is to create spaces where people can “meet other curious, sociable, and open-minded people in an atmosphere of exploration and enjoyment.” Weekly videos are posted to their YouTube channel which contains a smorgasbord of topics. These include history, relationships, art, philosophy, and comedy. The School of Life’s videos also contain grains of humor as well as scrapbook-style visuals and lessons honed with brevity.
Experience The School of Life here.

Where to Start?

Perhaps the most relaxed of the three is the School of Life, while the most rigorous is the Khan Academy. Crash Course represents a happy medium with its short videos and its witty lecturers. No matter where you begin with these three channels, you’re guaranteed to learn something new and to have your mind expanded in one direction or another. Don’t miss your opportunity to keep bettering yourself and stimulating your mind as you grow and move away from classical schooling. With technology and YouTube as it is, all the tools you want to learn are already waiting eagerly at your fingertips.

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Hiking Tips For Mt. Pilchuck in Washington

Prepare for a gorgeous hiking experience with these tips on how to hike in Mt. Pilchuk

Even if you don’t count yourself as much of a hiker, consider taking time out the next weekend you’re free to traverse the tremendous heights of Mt. Pilchuck, which is why we put together hiking tips for Mt. Pilchuck in Washington. The Mt. Pilchuck hike is something surreal and fantastic; it represents a foray into nature that most suburbanites rarely have the pleasure of undertaking. With the oncoming winter season now, more than ever, is the time to take on the strenuous and fulfilling challenge that Mt. Pilchuck offers.

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The Landscape

The trail leads from a deceptively easy opening slope all the way up to a minor peak adorned with an archaic lookout tower. In between the two lie forest trails inundated with the sound of rushing rivers and breathtaking scenic points. Further along the path are a series of boulder fields, striking to the eye and delicious to overcome. Even further past these fields you’ll find yourself scaling an ever-narrower peak scattered with enormous rocks and hardy trees.

By the time you reach the lookout tower you will have a tremendous view of the surrounding scenery, ripe with other scalable mountains and hidden lakes. The lookout tower itself is reachable only by scrabbling up a series of boulders which represent a formidable challenge to doggy companions.

The History

The lookout tower was originally constructed in 1921 for fire observation. Having undergone several renovations over the years, the lookout tower on Mt. Pilchuck is now a fine place to lunch in and be sheltered by if the weather turns sour. Many people carry with them hiking hammocks and gear in order to spend the night in the tower. The original trail was established in the early 1910s and has survived marvelously up until the current day.

The Difficulty

The hike is 2.7 miles long, but it rapidly climbs over 2,300 feet to nestle at a 5,300 foot elevation. The trailhead starts you out at 3,000 feet, making the trek infinitely easier and more quickly rewarding. However, that’s not to say that the hike isn’t a difficult one. Mt. Pilchuck’s hike represents a serious challenge for newer hikers, and a pleasantly demanding one for more seasoned hikers. The hike can be considered in three geographic sections: the forest trails, the boulder fields, and the summit. Each is troublesome in its own right and all three are very dangerous when ice is present. Take the proper gear and the appropriate amount of nourishment with you during the right time of year, and you’ll be just fine.

The Location

Mt. Pilchuck is located on the Mt. Pilchuck Road which can be accessed by Mountain Loop Highway. Granite Falls is the nearest city, where you’ll need to tromp along Quarry Road to reach your destination. The last few miles of the road leading to the trailhead are roughly hewn and full of potholes, so take your more adventurous vehicle with you when you go. Because of its proximity to other popular hikes like Lake 22 and Heather Lake, Mt. Pilchuck is relatively popular despite its difficulty. Many people flock to undergo its rigorous climb, and most are comfortable with dog companions being off-leash.

Should You Do It?

Yes. It’s hard, but it’s worth it. The 360 degree panoramic view at the top is enough to warrant the climb by itself, but the whole journey is really what makes it worthwhile. Refresh your urbanite system with the delights and difficulties of the outdoors with Mt. Pilchuck’s vigorous trail. You won’t soon forget your journey up its spiraling and magnificent heights.

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Fallout 4 vs Star Wars Battlefront

Comparing the new major game releases if Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront

Having been launched only a week from each other, the battle between Fallout 4 vs Star Wars Battlefront represent what is the latest and greatest currently out for gamers’ delight. While Fallout 4‘s reviews were available a full day before its actual release, there is still an aura of mystery surrounding Star Wars Battlefront and no prestigious reviewing networks have let slip a peep about their response. To fill in this enigmatic gap, let’s take a look at the differences between the two. If you haven’t bought one or the other just yet, now’s an excellent time to review the positives and negatives of both; you may end up saving yourself some money.

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Graphics

Star Wars Battlefront dominates Fallout 4 with ease when it comes to the quality of the graphics. While Fallout 4 has beautiful and haunting locations for you to explore like the Diamond City, overall its looks are wholly disappointing. You may even find yourself laughing at the way that the characters appear, with their static faces and their awkward proportions. Star Wars Battlefront, however, is full of the next-generation quality we expect to see from games in 2015. Every map is meticulously crafted and feels tangible, real, and invigorating.

Game Mechanics

Fallout 4 found itself in an awkward place this gaming season. Its VATS shooting system turned off some players who preferred more typical first-person shooters, but snagged others when it was first released. The comprise Bethesda came to with Fallout 4, however, is uninspiring to both. There are also issues with the sneaking mechanisms, which defeat the purpose of creating any sort of stealth build early on. On the other end of the spectrum, Star Wars Battlefront knows the right formula for the first-person shooter and sticks to it. The controls are polished and smooth, leaving no unpleasant surprises.

Single Player vs. Multiplayer

However, whether you like playing by yourself or with others can be a huge determining factor on its own when choosing between the two. Star Wars Battlefront was designed to be most rewarding and satisfying while online. In contrast, Fallout 4 is a pleasurable experience to have when flying solo. If you can push through some of Fallout 4‘s less attractive features, you’ll enjoy playing it far more than Star Wars Battlefront if you like being on your own.

But…Loot

On a similar note, if you’re a loot specialist, make sure you pick up Fallout 4. Star Wars Battlefront has nothing for you if you like to pick up just about everything you can get your sticky hands onto. Fallout 4 has a satisfying variety of item drops ranging from weapons to mole rat meat. They’ve even included workstations and settlements where you can have a greater amount of control on what you do with your loot hoard.

Which One?

Ultimately, what you end up playing depends on you and your personal preferences. Fallout 4 was a let-down in more than one way, but it’s still an enjoyable way to spend your time. Star Wars Battlefront offers a stimulating and gorgeous gaming experience, but it too has its faults. If you’re hesitant about both or either, give it a couple of weeks. Once the hype has died down you can snag both Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront for cheap off of Craigslist and play to your heart’s content- whether that’s for a day or a year.

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No Man's Sky Release

The Ultimate Universe-Sized Sandbox Video Game

Let’s put this No Man’s Sky releaseinto perspective. No Man’s Sky, an adventure survival game in current development by the indie British studio Hello Games, has over 18 quintillion planets to explore. Not million. Not billion. Not trillion. Quintillion. 18 quintillion. Furthermore, each digitally-rendered planet is actually planet-sized. If that’s hard to imagine, welcome to the beautiful and exciting world of next-generation console games and the fabulous heights that developers are taking them to.

Gameplay

No Man’s Sky consists of a procedurally generated open universe which players are free to explore to their hearts’ content. Through exploration, players will help to fill out The Atlas, which is an encyclopedic database shared among all other players of the game. Planets are flush with exotic flora and fauna never before named and never before discovered, allowing for a genuine experience of the pleasure of discovery. Players can also mine materials to upgrade their characters and their starships. Traveling is done with these starships, and the loose goal is to reach the center of the universe, which is speckled with space stations and space wars.

Multiplayer?

The game is fully multiplayer, but its universe has over 18 quintillion planets, and each planet is literally planet-sized. This means that while you may be inhabiting the same planet as another player, you may never actually see them on the planet that you’re both on. In a universe with as many planets as No Man’s Sky, this means that playing together with someone may be impossible simply for the reason that you may never find them. Good thing the real world is still a little smaller than that.

Release Date

In October 2015 Sony announced at Paris Games Week that No Man’s Sky’s release date was to be in June 2016. Hello Games intends to release the giga-game for both PS4 and PC simultaneously, keeping console and computer gamers equally satisfied. Whether or not No Man’s Sky performs well with gaming audiences is almost irrelevant when compared to the enormous achievement for gaming that it will achieve. Either way, the game promises to be bigger than anything anyone has seen before, setting the stage and setting the bar for future next-generation video games. Here’s to exploring the new digital frontier.

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Alcohol versus Cannabis

Stirring the pot on the age old comparison of alcohol and cannabis

In the discussion of alcohol versus cannabis things can get a bit sticky. The advent of Colorado and Washington legalizing recreational marijuana in 2012 has many more states looking to do the same, and 23 total have some form of legalization at all. Alcohol, on the other hand, has been a nationally legal substance since the reversal of Prohibition in 1933. Given the prolific nature of both and the open conversation currently circulating in American air, it’s time to sit down and toss these two rampantly popular substances into the proverbial wrestling ring.

Alcohol Defined

The kind of alcohol found in commercialized drinks is ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. It is defined as an intoxicating ingredient used in wine, liquor, and beer, and is produced by fermenting yeast, sugars, and starches. Ethanol is a central nervous system depressant which is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Most drinks consist of around .6 ounces of pure ethanol, which equals out to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and so on.

Short Term Effects

As many can attest, the short term effects of alcohol consumption are perhaps the biggest draw to the substance. Because alcohol is so rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and cell membranes are permeable to alcohol, nearly every cell in the body gets a dose of it. Short term effects include, but are not limited to:

·       Decrease in Anxiety

·       Decrease in Motor Skills

·       Unconsciousness

·       Anterograde Amnesia

·       Central Nervous System Depression

·       Alcohol Poisoning

·       Vomiting

·       Sleep Problems

Extreme levels of alcohol consumption lead to alcohol poisoning, which can then lead to death. Death can also come through asphyxiation through vomiting.

Long Term Effects

Ethanol’s long-term effects, ultimately, result in the potential damage of almost every organ and system in the body, especially in adolescents. Naturally the effects vary with the degree of consumption. With low alcohol use, the possibility for cardioprotective health benefits exists. However, the scale quickly tips when it comes to higher levels of alcohol consumption, including the reversal of those benefits. Increased risks include, but are not limited to:

·       Alcoholism

·       Malnutrition

·       Chronic Pancreatitis

·       Alcoholic Liver Disease

·       High Blood Pressure

·       Cancer

·       Damage to the Central Nervous System

·       Damage to the Peripheral Nervous System

Because alcohol is an addicting substance, dependence and withdrawal also play into the long-term effects. These can cause things like depression, neurological impairment, cardiovascular disease, and mania.

Also read: National Cancer Institute recognizes that marijuana may inhibit cancerous tumor

 

Cannabis Defined

Also known as marijuana, cannabis is a particular preparation of the Cannabis plant. Marijuana is used as a psychoactive drug or a medicine, and the primary psychoactive part of cannabis is the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Along with THC there are over 84 other cannabinoids in the Cannabis plant. Marijuana can be consumed through a variety of methods including smoking the buds of the plant or through infusing baked goods with THC. “Medical marijuana” refers to physician-recommended use of cannabis.

Short Term Effects

The “high” of using marijuana results in a plethora of different short term effects which vary based on the person and the method of use. While alcohol is distinctly a depressant and other drugs similarly fall into specific categories, cannabis has a mix of all three properties of stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. Short term effects include, but are not limited to:

·       Red Eyes

·       Reduced Pain

·       Paranoia

·       Dizziness

·       Relaxation

·       Euphoria

·       Increased Creativity

·       Increased Awareness of Sensation

·       Introspection

·       Increased Appetite

·       Memory Loss

Keep in mind that, with both alcohol and marijuana, these effects are directly related to the level of consumption. They also are different from person to person, and these lists are by no means all-inclusive.

Long Term Effects

Because cannabis is illegal in many countries, the long term effects of its use are hotly debated and still being studied. For a more thorough list of uncertainty, take a look at Wikipedia’s page, and compare it to the many websites that state negative long term effects as being full determined. The following is a tentative list of potential long term effects as dictated by several different sources:

·       Adverse Respiratory Effects (due to smoking)

·       Potential Exacerbation of Preexisting Mental Illness

·       Decreased Blood Pressure

·       Higher Heart Rate

·       Fetal Damage in Pregnant Women

·       Reduces Overall Stress Levels

There are no fatal overdoses recorded from cannabis use. Many scientists and professionals have stated that there are no negative long term effects of using cannabis, but there are just as many sites on the other end of the spectrum screaming to the opposite.

Winner Takes All?

So little has been fully unearthed about marijuana that it’s hard to see one of the two emerging successfully from the wrestling ring. Regardless, before you use any substance, be sure to do the appropriate research to ensure your safe consumption and the longevity of your own personal health and happiness.

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Watch a humorous take on alcohol versus marijuana here.

Fallout 4 to Be Released on November 10th

Customizable weapons is one of the new features Fallout 4 will have

As if you didn’t already know Fallout 4 is to be released on November 10th. This coming Tuesday marks landfall for the much anticipated Fallout 4 on Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. Fallout 4 is the fourth installment in the Fallout series, the first of which was launched in 1997 by Interplay Entertainment. Today Fallout 4 is claimed by Bethesda Studios and promises tantalizingly great things for gaming enthusiasts.

The Backdrop

Fallout 4 is set 200 years after a nuclear war in post-apocalyptic Boston. The primary character emerges from an underground bunker called a “Vault,” and is thrust into an open world riddled with nuclear-devastated landscapes and familiar Massachusetts monuments. Players will be able to freely explore this world to engage in quests and build experience, becoming both more familiar with the backdrop and more powerful while traversing it.

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New Gameplay

Most of the game mechanics will mimic what has already been seen in Fallout 3 and Fallout: Las Vegas. In this version of Fallout, however, players will have the option to construct buildings and items to build out a settlement which can then become inhabited by non-playable characters. There will also be no level cap, and when the game’s plot ends you may continue to play as the character you created. Furthermore, a new weapons system makes weapons customizable in Fallout 4, much to the delight of both new fans of Fallout and old.

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Pause for the Reviews

Fallout 4 looks like a complete winner, and that prophesy has only been strengthened by leaked footage of gameplay. However, there is always the chance that a new game will flop, and it might be advisable to wait for the reviews to come trickling out before jumping on the bandwagon and buying it. Regardless, set aside some time this Tuesday to indulge yourself in a little gaming mayhem, especially if Fallout 4 is everything it hopes to be and more.

You should also read: Fallout New Vegas review

Discover the artful music of Tycho

The ambient music band creates art with their ethereal sound

It’s time to discover the artful music of Tycho. Tycho is the name of an American ambient music band which has been producing vivid artistic landscapes through music since 2004. Estranged from most music blasted through popular radio, Tycho’s songs evoke emotion and color without the use of vocals or mainstream beats. When listening to Tycho’s artwork you are transported to a different realm full of new sensations and feelings, vibrant and refreshing. With Tycho playing in the backdrop of your life, it is as though new opportunities arise and doors open without anything in front of you ever having to change.

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The Who

Scott Hansen is the artist behind Tycho who is also known as ISO50 when it comes to his photography and design pieces. It is no surprise that his other passions and talents merge so seamlessly into the music he produces, with his music feeling like visual art and his visual art feeling like music. Hansen hails from San Francisco city in California and has had his music featured in seemingly random places like Toonami. Since December of last year Hansen, as Tycho, has been signed to Ghostly International, although he has also previously worked with Merck Records and Gammaphone Records.

The How

The music produced by Tycho features a meshing of vintage-style synthesizers, ambient melodies, and outside clips of voices or miscellaneous sounds. Artist comparisons include DJ Shadow, Ulrich Schnauss, and Boards of Canada. Electronic synthesizers meld with live instruments and dated sound clips to produce a sound unique to Tycho’s musical landscape. Categorially speaking, Tycho has been lumped into genres such as electronic relaxation or ambient music, but Tycho’s fascinating artistic take truly makes its work into a genre of its own.

The What

Tycho has been responsible for the creation of a variety of musical remixes, albums, and EPs. The two newest albums are Dive and Awake, the former which was released in 2011 and the latter which was released in 2014. A new album is slated to come out in 2016 with Ghostly International. Tycho’s albums, in chronological order, include:

·       The Science of Patterns (2004)

·       Sunrise Projector (2004)

·       Past is Prologue (2006)

·       Dive (2011)

·       Awake (2014)

You can visit Tycho’s website to experience some of their work firsthand. Tycho’s music expands visually across the auditory landscape, splashing brushstrokes of color over lives that might otherwise be shades of gray. Here’s to hoping the newest album is as revolutionary as the rest. Now that you have discovered the artful music of Tycho what do you think of their music?

Also read: Artist to Watch: Jacob Whitesides