In Japan again, writing this from the visitor's room in the Nishina building at RIKEN. I watched a few films on the plane:
The Martian: No surprises here, it played out exactly as expected. The one thing that stood out was the gosh dang awful CG in the beginning. Overall it looked fine throughout the film, but the first few sequences shown before one of the antagonists, the proverbial, and in this case actually literal, storm, made its entry, looked like 3D modeler examples from the 90s (comma-o-rama!). More fun than the prettier Gravity and heavier Interstellar, but 2001, Apollo 13, and Cast Away did the really interesting bits better. It will take a long time before I watch it again.
Spectre: Again no surprises. I have to admit I'm one of the boring old gits who prefer the old style James Bond. Most probably the same problem as with the Nolan Batman films as my brother explained it, they try to be too serious about something rather silly. A secret agent with a licence to kill with a bunch of gadgets and an appetite, and a very rich orphan who fights crime while dressed up as a bat. The reverse would be to prepare a very intricate meal and then serving it on a paper plate, at least in my head.
Carnage: The most interesting film of the flight, although I cannot identify with many of the actions and reactions of the characters. Things are depicted in a way to make a lively film about a "mundane" situation, and even if it's rather forced at times I enjoyed it. Four regular people (except they're all famous actors) in an apartment for 1.5 hours.
For the rest of the journey I tried to sleep, and I'm still trying... Went to a party immediately after arriving, thought the drinks would make it easier to sleep, attempt failed. And NeuLAND is running quite ok after just 1.5 days of setting up.
Worked until 20:20 on a Saturday, time for dinner.
EDIT 2016-03-20: Some other things:
It took a little while for me to realize, which by the way is the best way for me to find my favourites in whatever topic, but Carpenter Brut's Trilogy is incredible. Perturbator is still nice and I cannot wait for the full version of Assault, but some of the compositions and melodies on Trilogy are really something else. 347, Roller, Trazy Tzu, Sexkiller, Hang 'em all, Paradise, are just some of all the songs I go back to and I tend to have only a few on every album I own... I'm so glad I bought the AH-D2000:s, but while in Japan I'll have to make do with my cheapo earbudsoe.
However, the best piece of music ever is Perlman playing BVW1004 from the "famous" BBC Radio 3 broadcast. Now a pair of Stax on that...
Also 7 days to die is some of the most fun I've had in a game for a very long time, it's too bad it's really badly made.
EDIT 2016-03-24: The sakura is about to explode all over Japan by now, I'm seeing the development live as I walk towards and from the RIKEN cantine. At lunch time one day, there were only a few buds slowly opening up, but at dinner I could see quite a lot of flowers. Transformation still in progress, me documenting with camera.
