Re-boot

If there's one thing that really bugs me, it's the use of new words to describe things have adequately been described otherwise for years. I'm not talking about Fracking here, as the use of that appears to be just because someone has decided that fracturing has too many syllables for us plebs. No, re-boot is today's moan.

If a film was remade, we'd call it a remake. What was wrong with that? Was the term remake not an accurate enough description of a remade film? Was there plenty of confusion abounding that remade might not actually refer to the remaking of a film but something else?

No. Re-boot is all about making the art of remaking something old (possibly because they can't be arsed to either come up with or take a financial gamble on new ideas) appear more sexy or 'modern'. It gives the impression of something more than a remake. It's a remake 2.0 as no doubt some twat or other would refer to it.

The phrase reboot, as we all know, comes from computing. When the sodding thing crashes, which lets face it they all do, you turn the bleeder off and back on again. It then restarts. So to me, a rebooted film would be one where you start from the beginning, same actors, same set, same script and remake the film so it's the same as the original. After all, when you reboot your computer you don't open it up and change all the workings inside, do you?

So as well as annoying, it's, in my opinion, wrong.

What makes this a thousand times worse, for me, is the latest subject of the 'reboot' is Robocop. To me, this was one of the best films of the eighties. A bit of dystopia, a shed load of sarcasm (especially the adverts) and maybe the fear that at some point in our lifetime mechanised cops may actually exist in some form. What was so wrong with it that it needed rebooting?

Ten Questions - Luca Veste

One of the best things to emerge from Merseyside since John Aldridge moved to Oxford in the mid eighties,  Luca Veste joins us on Ten Questions. A crime writer, psychology student and blogger (Luca not John Aldridge) he organised and edited the Off The Record Anthologies and his dead good debut crime novel - Dead Gone is available now as an e-book with the paperback out in January 2014.

Cider or Lager?

Lager. Cider is for drinking in parks when you're underage. And don't come at me with those fruity things. You're drinking alcopops. Just give me a bottle of Hooch instead. 

What's your latest book about?

A serial killer is stalking the streets of Liverpool, using infamous psychological experiments to kill his victims. DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi are tasked with tracking him down.

 

Tranmere or Everton?

This is like asking which is better - being punched in the head or the nethers. Both are bad choices to be given! I'll go with Tranmere, purely to annoy my bluenose brother.

 

Where do you write?

Mostly in the living room, laptop on knee, after midnight when the house is quiet. I also have an office I use (mostly when I'm editing). I've tried writing in public, but usually don't get very far.

 

Rebus or Frost?

Rebus all day. He is probably the best detective creation in recent history.

Is your writing inspired in any way by real events or is it all made up?

Some parts are lifted directly from my own experiences or people I know. Most is completely made up though. I don't know any serial killers... which was a shame when it came to research. All the psychological experiments in the book are real though.

Dennis Potter or Harry Potter?

Not having read any Harry Potter (I prefer my YA to be a bit more dystopian), I'll go with Dennis Potter. The Singing Detective is pretty good.

 

Physical book or e-book?

Physical book, but not for the reasons others usually say. I have OCD, and can't handle odd numbers. It's much easier to read physical books and finish reading on an even number, rather than ebooks and their odd percentages. I make an effort to read ebooks I really want to read, such as The Bailout (when is that sequel coming, Wade?!)

Facebook or Twitter ?

Twitter these days. Although having any kind of conversation is difficult with the 140 character limit. It is a great place to share sporadic thoughts and connect with people you probably couldn't via Facebook.

Where can we find you?

Site is www.lucaveste.com 
and I'm on Twitter @LucaVeste

Back in the allotment

Devoid of anything more important, relevant or interesting to say, I take you back to the allotment

The strawberries have been  replanted which took forever to do. But I now have 68 strawberry plants which should provide about 20-30 kilos of strawberries in a three week period next june.

Looking the other way and into the sun, doesn't look like I've done much recently but there's been a lot of digging. The sprouts and parsnips are ready and going down well and there's about 20 spring cabbage plants under the netting.

Apart from backache from the digging, it's not gone that badly I don't think. It should be a lot easier to manage next year as it's nearly dug over and it's fairly tidy. The shed and greenhouse need sorting out so that'll keep me busy over the winter.

Short Review - From a Buick 8 - Stephen King

This book (and many others such as Desperation) is why I keep reading Stephen King. It almost reads like a camp-fire tale or Halloween scare story. A Buick rolls up at a gas pump, the driver wanders off never to be seen again, and the local law enforcers keep the car in a shed. Pretty standard fare, except the car boot is some kind of gateway to another dimension.

A real page turner where the suspense builds, you're left wanting not only more of the story but more of the characters' lives. I'd have been happy to read another thousand pages of back-story about the town created and the people there. Definately ranks up there with his best books.

Press play on tape

Another flashback to the eighties.

This time, early computer games. No hard drives or CD's back then, if we wanted to play Pac Man or Gorf, we had to use these...

You'd put the tape in, press shift + run stop (or whatever the Spectrum/Amstrad equivalent was) wait ten to twenty minutes then shout your best eighties swear word when it failed to load.

Most modern games with their Film tie-ins and expensive budgets still, in my old man opinion, don't match the playability of some of the older games... (cue list of my favourite eighties games that haven't been remade)


Wizball


You played a bouncing ball, or was it a cat, something witch related anyway. The game involved filling cauldrons with different colours to make a third colour. Really original game with power ups, a bonus in between level game and some cracking music.

Problem was, I only had a black and white TV so couldn't get the colour match right and never got past the second level.

Elite


Okay so they tried to remake it, but it never matched the original. Bit of space trading and spaceship dog-fighting that would keep you at it for hours. Suffered a bit from slow down when there was too much on the screen and how many times did I crash while trying to dock? Still a classic though.

Manic Miner


The original platform game. One of the forerunners of Mario, Sonic and the others. I played the Vic 20 version, The Perils of Willy and spent many hours timing jumps, getting frustrated and never getting past a level that had totally out of scale balloons in.

Boulderdash


Again fairly original. A massive blocky-sprited miner collects flashing gems from a mine while avoiding and even creating rockfalls. Don't sound too impressive but as I remember time would fly when playing it. You could also skip levels once you'd completed them so you didn't have to keep playing the same thing over again. I downloaded it on the Wii a few years back, still played well though but felt a tad outdated.

Jetpac

Take a spacesuit wearing astronaut, a massively under scale rocket that needs refuelling and space detritus / aliens that float in diagonal waves and you have Jetpac. After 4 or 5 levels of refuelling you got a brand new, snazzy rocket in which to carry on taking off, landing and refuelling. I actually finished this on the Vic 20, got through all 8 or 10 levels. Disappointing thing was, it just went back to the start in some sort of infinite loop.

Ten Questions - Nick Quantrill

Hailing from Hull, the home of white telephone boxes and that bloke from The Housemartins, Nick Quantrill has just had his third Joe Geraghty novel released. With his forthcoming appearances at The Hull Heads Up Festival Crime Event and Icelandic Noir Festival looming, Nick takes some time out to answer Ten Questions.

Kickstart or Why don't you?



I genuinely don’t remember “Kickstart”, but I always wanted to be in the cool “Why Don’t You?” gang. It reminds of me of warm summers, doing nothing but playing football on the nearby field.


What's your latest book about?


“The Crooked Beat” is my third Joe Geraghty novel. Geraghty is now a former Private Investigator looking for a new purpose, but when his brother finds himself mixed up with a missing consignment of smuggled cigarettes, it’s time to get back to work.


Curry or Chinese?


Neither. I’m strictly a steak and chips man if I’m found in such restaurants.


Where do you write?


I’m not fussy. Usually, I’m in an armchair in my living room, trying to block out my daughter’s nursery rhymes CD. It’s all fair game. I’ll write anywhere. I’ve trained myself not to need silence.


Hull City Tigers, Surrey Lions or Nottingham Panthers?


DO NOT START ME ON THIS! Football clubs are rooted in communities and although players, managers and owners come and go, the club’s identity shouldn’t. It saddens me to think my club could potentially throw away over 100 years of history on a marketing whim. Sport in this country is not based on franchises. If it was, I’d walk away.


Is your writing inspired in any way by real events?


My work is based in my home city of Hull, so I think it’s natural that the reality of the place bleeds into the books - I certainly hope it does - but I’m not deliberately looking for real live events to kick-start a novel.


How many yards in a nautical mile?


Ha! It’s true that I have a GCSE in Nautical Studies, so I should have an idea what a nautical mile equates to. I did finish with a Grade G, so I’m clearly stupid. I think a nautical mile is a little shorter than a regular mile, but don’t quote me on that…*runs mental calculation*…3,000 yards?


Physical book or e-book?


I’m awkward, as I like both. I spend a lot of time at home with my daughter, so I tend to download a fair bit. If I’m reading for research, I like to be able to flick between pages and make notes.


Who'd win in a fight - Geraghty or Rebus?


I want to back my man, but Rebus is a seriously nasty piece of work when he gets going…


Where can we find you?


Usually sat in my armchair writing or watching Hull City Association Football Club. Failing that, www.nickquantrill.co.uk

Update

Little update of some book stuff.


Walter Conley's Katherinehepcat website has reviewed Seven Daze

A local arts magazine, Artsbeat, interviewed me for their August issue. Now the September issue is out, the interview is online here


Allotment sweetcorn's ready to eat as well. Bonus.