Red Light Bytes: 8-11-2023
Catching Up on the Latest with 365 Infantry
Overview
Welcome back friends! This is one of those weird weeks where there isn’t a lot to report. The lion’s share of the work is in the hands of others and I’m out here whipping stuff up for my own amusement. Fortunately, the taste-making never stops, so neither does the Byte! On with the show!
Supporting the Force!
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The 2022 Annual Collection - Collect all 24 of last year’s electric tales and bonus novelette “Lions Among the Lambs” in this special print collection.
Alan Firedale: Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 - Dig into the wild world of a young loner and his magnificent machine with this half-hour blend of vintage electronica and classic orchestral radio scoring. Buyers get THREE FREE MONTHS of 365 Infantry’s paid membership.
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Wolves of Steel - Rock hard and ride free with the official anthem of the 365th Infantry, an epic metallic instrumental in the killer tradition of classic acts like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.
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From the Frontlines
This week will be less news-oriented, and more about catching up on some killer projects you might have missed, though we’ve got a big call to action this week.
NPRmageddon — A 10-part sci-fi black comedy created by Brian Keithley and Peter Podgursky set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, all presented through the lens of public news radio. I don’t care who you are or what you believe, NPRmageddon is a side-splitter of a radio show. A raunchy, fabulously done satire of a future derelict, featuring a wide array of talent like actors John de Lancie and the late great Fred Willard, punk rocker Jello Biafra, and some of the final performance work of the legendary writer Harlan Ellison. Long in development, well worth the wait, and free for your listening pleasure.
DOMINION: The Fall of the House of Saul — Now for a complete 180 in tone and topic. Created and illustrated by Dr. Barron Bell, penned by Daniel Hancock, and colored by Christopher Hunt, this science-fantasy comic epic draws on Biblical themes to tell the story of an empire in tumult, a lion king faced with losing it all, his children on the frontlines of a horrific war, and a mysterious soldier who may be able to restore it all to its former glory. A morally conscious, rip-roaring anthro space opera.
High Beams — And now for something completely different. Again! Funding now on Kickstarter is a special slice of grindhouse horror that has touched me in its devotion to authenticity. High Beams is a classic-styled slasher set in small-town America with a truck-driving, axe-wielding madman on the loose, and a slew of suspects on the menu. Written and directed by Erick Lorinc, produced by Anne Collins and lensed by Gabriela Spampinato on genuine 16mm film, this exploitation setup is poised to be a sincere thrill for fellow horror hounds the world over. Don’t delay, BACK TODAY!
Streetwise Caviar
This Week’s Playlist: Music on My Mind
Nothing crazy, just a bunch of songs stuck in my head. From the screaming speed metal of Judas Priest’s “Jawbreaker” to the polished prog of Supertramp’s “Child of Vision,” these ten tracks have been on hot-rotation around here and I figured I’d share with the group. A splash-of-this, touch-of-that approach if you will. Hope you dig the tunes!
This week’s recommendation is something in abstract, but of terrific importance. I would simply like to encourage one and all to familiarize yourselves with masters of all fields and media. An oft-quoted and eternally true maxim from famed American director Martin Scorsese sets the table for this: “Study the old masters. Enrich your palette. Expand the canvas.”
Today, I honor that by shining a spotlight on an artist who has stirred me greatly: the space artist Chesley Bonestell.
Born in 1888, the San Francisco native would not only impact the world of architecture as a renderer and designer on a variety of projects (Golden Gate Bridge, anyone?), and film through his matte paintings (anybody remember Citizen Kane?), but who, along with Frenchman Lucien Rudaux, would define space art through crisp renderings of the universe, relying strictly on the facts as known at the time.
Bonestell took the Hudson River School up from the mountains of New York and the plains of the West to the stars and the celestial bodies nestled therein, done with the same attention to detail found in the likes of Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt, and that goes double for his mastery of lighting.
There is a great 2018 documentary on the man called Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future streaming on Tubi for free with ads, and I highly recommend it. It can lag a little in terms of pace, but it is engrossing to see a name lost from the public consciousness, rediscovered and revived through his silent contributions to the world of art, architecture, and science. Find a piece of his you like, print it out, hang it on your wall, set it as your desktop. Admire the form, the color, the composition. Allow it the chance to inspire. With Mr. Bonestell, it is quite easy to find your imagination, much like the sky above, limitless.
Byte of the Week
This week’s story is a bit indulgent, but what the hell, it’s my party and I’ll write what I want to. It’s called “Beats a Wave Pool” and is about two surfers.
Yes, surfers.
As you can imagine they are a rare breed, and as the title suggests, they have to get their kicks from artificial wave pools, or on the occasional reservoir provided the waves are there. Except for today.
Today, these two wave-hunters are making a pilgrimage to the West Coast. To the sea. What will they be greeted with? Read on to find out.
As always, May God Bless You and this Force. See you next time!