Autumn

Autumn has hit with full-force here in Seattle. It’s funny how the seasons here seem to match the calendar exactly. September 20th hits and summer is over, autumn is here. Weird.

Skies are grey and the weather is chilly. Seattle cold is different from the bitter, frozen Midwestern cold that I grew up with. It is an insidious chill that crawls under your skin and remains there. When the temperature freezes, the cold is on your skin. When it drizzles and hovers just above freezing, as it does in winter here, the cold gets into your soul. Coffee helps, and/or tea in copious quantities.

Along with the cold weather is a desire, no, a need for all that which is epic. As with most years, I gravitate towards The Lord of the Rings once autumn hits. I started reading The Fellowship of the Ring again recently. Some years I don’t make it all the way through the 1000+ page story (though I’ve read the entire book probably five or six times now), but every year I at least get a taste of it. This year I’m really wanting to finish it, as it’s been a few since I made it all the way through the Scouring of the Shire.

Along with epic literature is the need for epic music. My epic, melancholic band of choice for these purposes and at this time of year is Summoning, the Austrian band comprised of Protector (also of Die Verbannten Kinder Evas and Ice Ages). So vast and majestic, like armies marching across the Pelennor. Expansive metal with orchestral execution. Perfect.

Tonight my partner and I carved our pumpkins and put them out on the step. The rains are here, but tomorrow we get a respite. I’m looking forward to the cool ride in to work.

Namárië.

At the Gates

I saw At the Gates a couple of days ago. It was a great show. It’s been a really long week for me so I’m not going to say too much about the show, other than it was everything I was hoping that it would be.

All of the best songs were played (they were the same as on the setlist announced on Babbermouth awhile ago- no link for the moment because Blabbermouth appears to be down), the band was really tight and the energy from the band and the crowd was high and intense. Everyone was having a great time (except for the guy I saw pulled down from crowd-surfing by security). My only disappointment was Tomas’ vocals, which were a little more hardcore/screamy than his really grim screams from back in the day, but he delivered a very exuberant performance with good showmanship, so I can’t speak too harshly of his vocals, which he has obviously evolved over the last decade or so.

Aside from ATG themselves, I had perfect timing going to the show. I arrived just as the previous band ended and I scored an awesome place to stand to watch the show. Also, I got the news that motherfucking Carcass, the Gods of Grind themselves, are going to be playing in Seattle on September 21st. To prepare, I’ve already started going through the discography repeatedly. Seeing Suffocation for the first time in 11 years and 1349 will be great, too.

A cautionary tale. Plus, a bit of personal news

Take care when handling new metadata from large academic publishers.

Made an appointment to speak with a guy at my bank about getting a mortgage. Yep, looking to buy my first house. Awesome.

Arckanum – Antikosmos

I listened to the latest Arckanum album today, and was completely surprised that I would like it as much as I did. For those not in-the-know, Arckanum is a one-man black metal band from Sweden, the sole product of the troll/man known as Shamaatae since 1992. His first recordings were thrash-influenced, occasionally folkish black metal. Raw and untamed like the forests of Scandinavia, catchy as brutal as hell.

Well, Antikosmos is just like that, only much more musically mature and refined in its purpose. There are a lot of atmospheric, darkwave-y moments in between the metal mayhem, like punctuation to the black metal rituals. And, those atmospheric moments are very ritual-driven, with titles like Blóta Lóka (“Rite of Lóki”).

This is the first full-length Arckanum record in ten years. I have to say it was worth the wait.

Arckanum on MySpace
Arckanum Official Homepage

Samples available on both. Full-length found on torrent networks, p2p, etc. Since I saw Shamaatae on OiNK’s Pink Palace, I pretty much assume that he probably released the work on torrent sites. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’ll definitely be buying this one.

Carcass

Honestly, I don’t really care about George Carlin being dead. He lived a fairly long time and had an awesome career. Everybody loved him. Let’s move on, shall we?

Well, that was easy, because MOTHERFUCKING Carcass is coming to the U.S.! Dear sweet Jeebus, it finally happened. Ever since Carcass’ reunion was announced, I’ve been obsessively checking the entire intarwebs to see if they were coming over here. Since I blew my overseas metal excursion budget last year on Hole in the Sky (which Carcass is playing this year), I couldn’t justify it this year, but it’s happening. They’re coming here. I feel like a kid waiting for Carcassmas or something.

They’re only confirmed as playing New York right now on Sept. 6th, but “more dates will be announced” according to Blabbermouth. This is just too cool for words.

As the almighty Beavis would say “Thank God! Heh hmm.”

For those of you who either don’t like metal, or who like metal but have lived under a planet-sized stone for the last 20 years, Carcass were one of the most influential and early contributors to the grindcore genre, and later became the very bestest melodic death metal band of all time END OF STORY.

I heart bikes.

It was a great day on Sunday to be on my bike. My partner and I decided to make the most of a beautiful day and jumped on our bikes to ride around Seattle for the first long ride of the season. Now, I won’t pretend like I ride hundreds of miles a week or anything, because I don’t. At least not yet. But the last couple of years I’ve discovered the joy of bicycling as a primary means of transportation.

Currently I bike to work and back every day. It’s a short ride, but there’s a pretty long hill on my ride back home. I ride to get groceries, pick up a video game to rent, or (quite often) to go out with friends (get a drink, go to a movie, or whatever).

I think one of the reasons why I enjoy riding is because it feels like freedom. I don’t have to worry about rising gas prices (even though I own a car) because I rarely drive. Too late to take the bus home? No need to call a taxi, just hop on the bike and ride home in the cool nighttime air. My own energy and muscles are what is taking me from point A to point B, not some rapidly-diminishing fossil fuel. It’s better for the environment than driving or even taking public transit, better for my health, better for my sanity, better for my checking account, and better for my appetite. =)

In other words, it’s all about being Free.

Bicycles. Metal. Libraries. Freedom.

More on this later… I’m looking forward to the next ride that isn’t to work or anywhere in particular.

Misanthropic Librarian? You be the judge.

Someone searched for “misanthropic librarian” and hit this blog yesterday.

That pretty much made my day.

Violence in Video Games

With the imminent release of Grand Theft Auto IV tomorrow, there has been a flurry of media activity surrounding violence in video games. Of course, the gaming community has also been flooded with posts on the topic… This one probably isn’t any different. But as a gamer, librarian/information professional and, moreover, as a responsible adult, I find it necessary to say a few things.

What really prompted me to write today was Monday’s article in the Seattle P-I about parents and video game violence. It is one of the first media articles that I’ve read that actually criticized the tendency to let the morality patrol (to borrow a term from geek hero Wil Wheaton) get their way with ostracizing gaming media. The article centers on the themes found within the forthcoming book Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games, which urges parents to learn about the games their children are interested in, and the possible benefits and drawbacks to letting them play them. And to put gaming in perspective.

Here’s where I’ll let my information literacy/librarian side kick in.

For the last hundred years (and even before that, albeit less frequently) each generation has had a form of media, or a certain technology, or both, that the previous generation has feared because they did not understand it. Novels were derided. Radio. Film. Elvis and rock n’ roll (although that’s one that some would like to stay in the debate), comic books- all seen by the previous generation as a threat to the moral fiber of society, and surely to bring about the sudden and catastrophic descent into debauchery, lawlessness, indiscriminate violence, and wholly unethical conduct by everyone who dares to partake in them.

Well, guess what? We’re still here, talking about how the next big thing will “really, for real this time!” bring about the suddent and catastrophic descent into debauchery, lawlessness, indiscriminate violence and wholly unethical conduct and video games are the current swarm of locusts poised to cause the moral famine of western society.

This all stems from fear. Kids like what’s new and hip, and when we start getting old, we don’t understand what’s new and hip anymore. Hell, I don’t get it, either, and I’m only turning 30 next year. So when kids start getting into an idea or a technology that is foreign to their parents, the parents tend to freak the fuck out. Because they don’t understand it, and don’t take it upon themselves to educate themselves and their children about it, they fear it instead and try to make it go away. It happened in the 80s with the PMRC and now it’s happening with video games.

I don’t understand the poor logic, but to a certain extent I can see why parents were caught unawares with video games. “They’re games, right? Kids play games, not adults. Why are these video game companies selling games with blood, gore, rampant violence, sex, profanity, and adult themes in them to kids?” Looking at it that way (after I get done feeling sorry for how naïve and simple such thinking is), I can understand why parents would be confused. At least, I can understand why they would be confused in 1992, not 2008.

There is now a generation of adults who have grown up with video games practically since infancy. Video games and their content have, to a large extent, grown up with us. As we became more mature, the market for video games with complex storylines, literary themes, satire, intelligent humor and writing, and, yes, quite often darker and more morally ambiguous characters and plots grew. Growing up with postmodernist concepts in television, film, music, and every other aspect of culture, it stands to reason that video games followed suit. And we should not forget that video games are written and programmed by adults… as the average age of the typical gamer rose, it became easier to produce and sell games to appeal to longtime gamers, who also now program the very games that they tend to play.

It seems painfully obvious that video games (like it or not, morality patrol!) are here to stay. US obscenity laws make it extremely difficult for any piece of intellectual or artistic property (of which video games are clearly both by every definition legal or otherwise) to be banned outright, as this violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the US legal perspective on the freedom of speech. So, what, then, can parents do to make sure their kids “play safe” when gaming?

This seems to be the aim of Grand Theft Childhood (although I can only speculate as I haven’t ready it yet). Parents, instead of “banning” video games in society or in their household (which, as we should all remember from our childhoods, just makes kids seek the taboo item or practice out more) should be as involved with their child’s gaming habits as they are about anything else in their child’s life. It is the Blackmetal Librarian’s opinion that parents should ask their children what they like about video games or a particular game, or what makes them want to try it- just as they would ask about getting a nose peircing or why they like Slipknot (although the Blackmetal Librarian recommends that all self-professed metal fans, regardless of age, stay away from Slipknot. He can provide real metal recommendations if desired ).

On the self-education side, parents should be aware that video games receive ratings just like movies and television shows do. Parents should assess their child’s maturity and ability to handle games with Teen or Mature ratings and the themes that they would encounter therein just as they would with taking their kids to the movies. Chances are a twelve year old does not quite have the understanding, life experience, ability to separate reality and fantasy and/or intellectual or emotional ability to process a movie like “And There Will Be Blood,” “Schindler’s List”, “Saw III” or “Old School.” They just wouldn’t “get it.” The same goes for an M-rated video game such as Grand Theft Auto or God of War. These games are written for adults, meant to be played by adults, and mostly played and enjoyed by adults (who are the largest gaming demographic). Researching the games online is a great way to find out about them, but if you’re willing, actually playing the game (or listening to the album, or watching the movie) is the best way to determine whether or not the material is appropriate for them. Plus, playing video games will totally win you cool points, especially if you play cool games with your child or as a family. I don’t want to meet the person who cannot enjoy Mario Kart, for instance, nor the child that wouldn’t have fun playing it with their family. For the record, Mario Kart is the author’s current gaming obsession.

Knowing your child’s maturity level and their ability to conceptualize and, indeed, discuss the issues presented in such games is key. Wil Wheaton once wrote about assessing whether or not his 17-year-old stepson was mature enough to handle playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City:

“I have to ask you one question: if you pick up a hooker in real life, is it okay to hit her with a baseball bat to get your money back after she gets out of your car?”

“Well, since hookers are empty shells and not real people,” he said, “then yes. Yes. It’s okay to whack her with a baseball bat.”

I relayed this to the table and added, “I think he’s mature enough to handle Vice City.”

“Tell him that he he also has a future career in Hollywood,” Ryan said.

Extreme sarcasm and poking fun at suffering and misery while still reviling it is, I think, a fairly good indicator that a teenager is ready for an M-rated videogame. But that’s just my opinion.

Wil just wrote another blog post about violence in video games which conveys my feelings on the subject more concisely and eloquently that I am capable of. Check it out. Also worthy of your attention is his keynote address (mp3 available) at PAX, an expo for video games in Seattle organized and hosted by gaming culture phenomenon Penny Arcade

I’m sure this won’t be the last I will have to say about this subject, but I will my readers from any more. I apologize for my verbosity and my abrupt switching from first to third person.

Be critical, and horns (and gamepads and wiimotes) up!

The Librarian

Livejournal, WordPress, and blogging, with a hint of information literacy

I came to WordPress largely because I have been disappointed with Livejournal as of late. I’ve had a long-running LJ account since May of 2001 which I used to write in every day. However in the last couple of years I’ve used it less and less. I still keep up with friends there, but it’s more of a “social space” and less of a place for me to just write about what I want to write about, even though I have a “friends-only” journal. Strangely enough, I feel more free to write here, probably because precisely no one knows about this blog.

Then, of course, there are the multiple fuck ups that LJ has had in the past couple of years that have made me quite dissatisfied and even embarrassed to be a member of the LJ community. First there was the inclusion of ads, despite LJ’s long-running promise that they never would have ads. Then there was a general lack of coordination and knee-jerk reactions by the LJ administration after much of LJ had been restructured a year or so after being bought out by Six Apart. None of this is new, there’s plenty of information about all of these goings-on at Wikipedia’s entry on Livejournal.

Then of course there was the banning of a number of LJ accounts which led to a “voluntary” “adult rating” for LJs. And, even more recently, the discontinuation for new “basic” (non-ad-supported) accounts to be created. Not that any of this effected me in the slightest, but the idea of control over my free speech and intellectual property was a little disturbing, not to mention the sheer ass-hattery that was going on with the people who found themselves in charge of LJ. I’ll still be around there reading friends’ entries and participating in some communities, but I feel that my own content is better hosted elsewhere. So far, I’m really enjoying WordPress.

I hosted a short-lived WordPress blog on my own website (installed via WordPress.org) and found it to be quite usable. But now I’ve found that I don’t really have any need for a full-blown website+hosting, so here I am with a hosted blog and a (soon to be) purchased domain name. Awesome.

One thing that I really like about WordPress is its focus as a forum for generating creative content. Livejournal is mostly centered around the idea of “community” and social networking through blogging and commenting. WordPress is all about getting your content and ideas out there into the public. Where Livejournal has useless “virtual gifts,” WordPress has Pages. Where Livejournal has boatloads of userpics/avatars available, WordPress has tons of linking options through the blogroll and links. Where Livejournal has tons of ways to make your blog look pretty, WordPress is a little more practical- after all, aren’t most blogs worth reading just read through your RSS reader anyway? Focus on ways to get your content and message out there and read, and less on how to make it all shiny. Users will view your content the way they want, anyway, through CSS overrides or their own choice of feed aggregator.

As a librarian, both approaches are interesting. LJ sort of came about at the dawn of the social networking site craze, and making those interpersonal connections was one of the greatest things the site had going for it. It got a lot of people writing, even if it were only in small and informal snippets. It made writing fun again, until it wasn’t. As social networking has become practically ubiquitous and sites such as Facebook have gotten it down to a science, blogging hosts/platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, and TypePad now host some of the most popular sources of varying types of news and content out there. Blogs aren’t so much about social networking anymore as they are about sharing information and knowledge. Social networking is about facilitating interpersonal connections and communication, blogs are about creative and intellectual communication.

That both are now “cool” is somewhat amazing to me, although as a somewhat misanthropic pessimist, I’m surprised that the apparent intelligence of the species has not increased as a result. I was hoping that all of this information at the touch of a button would make people smarter. In practice it has just created more ways for people to be stupid. I am not, of course, exempt from the stupefying effect of teh intrawebs. However I do have the privilege of training regarding evalutation of information resources and technology that most others do not, and I think that it would be great if some of those very necessary skills were taught to children before they enter college. Hence why I got involved in this profession in the first place. But that is a completely different post.

Needless to say that this is more content than I have bothered to create in some time, and I’m quite excited about seeing where this is going to lead me. Now, all I have to do is tell some people about this thing.

Think critically, with horns raised high! \m/

Cheers,
Ben

A caveat (or three) about the title of this blog

The Blackmetal Librarian is, seemingly, a fairly straightforward title. It incorporates Black metal music, and librarianship.

Now, by taking this title of “Blackmetal Librarian,” some might think that I claim to be the most knowledgeable, most “true”, “nekro”, or “kvlt”. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I don’t have long hair anymore. I don’t wear Darkthrone shirts to work every day (some days, though…). I don’t keep up that much about “the scene” and I certainly don’t care about what other metal fans think about anything. That brings up another issue: although black metal is my preferred flavor of metal, due to its rawness, complex simplicity and straightforward aggression, it is not the only type of metal that I enjoy. I also love grindcore, death metal, folk metal, drone doom, and even some of this “metalcore” stuff (although I must say that most of the time I honestly can’t tell the difference between so-called “metalcore” and many death metal bands). I also love a lot of other types of music, including world/roots music, rock, riot grrl, some “indie rock”, bluegrass, neo-folk, darkwave, synthpop, power industrial, etc.

So, basically the “blackmetal” part of this title is due to my love of the genre, and for metal in particular.

Now, on to the “Librarian” part. I’m not trying to be a “librarian of black metal” but rather a librarian who totally loves black metal. Make sense? There’s a caveat there, too, actually: although I do have an MLIS degree, I don’t hold a job that has the word “librarian” in the title. I do consider myself a librarian, however, and I do work in the library industry and work, ultimately, for other librarians. I love my job and my profession. I consider it quasi-sacred.

So, the main focus of this blog isn’t “how to incorporate metal into librarianship” (although there might be some of that), nor is it “how to ‘librarianize’ blackmetal” (although there may be some of that as well), but rather, simply bringing together things that I love, and highlighting two of those: metal and libraries (or information professionalism, if you will).

So, think critically, learn, and horns up! \m/

Cheers,
The Librarian