Tech: V Rising review

Survival crafting video games are a dime a dozen these days, but my friend and I really liked our time with V Rising, developed by Stunlock Studios:

In V Rising, you play as vampires seeking to re-take your lands from pesky humans. At first, you're relatively fragile, but you gain new recipes as you defeat and drink blood from enemies, which then allows you to craft better gear, which in turn allows you to kill stronger foes.  It's a straightforward and satisfying loop that's a lot of fun due to the variety of abilities at your disposal.  Almost every enemy attack can be dodged, countered, or avoided in some way, placing more emphasis on player skill than raw stats.

The game's most unique aspect is the day/night cycle.  By day (which takes up about a third of the real-world playtime), you have to stay indoors or in the shadows, otherwise you get roasted by the sun. This adds a fun wrinkle to travel and combat...if you get into a fight too close to the dawn, you'll be dodging sunlight in addition to the enemy's attacks, which can make for some hairy encounters.

There are some puzzling omissions, both in terms of quality-of-life features (you can't craft from storage, which is really annoying in 2025) and game mechanics (despite an elaborate crafting system that allows you to create multilevel castle lairs, there are no base defense mechanics whatsoever). Still, very few games meld survival with ARPG fun like V Rising, so it's an easy recommendation.

Rating: 90/100

Books: Hum

Most of the novels my local book club picks are light historical or mainstream fiction (think Oprah's Book Club), but every once in a while, I throw the group a curveball and recommend something in the sci-fi, fantasy, or horror genres. That's how we came to read Hum, a dystopian sci-fi novel by Helen Phillips.

Hum is a fable about May, a young mother living in a not-too-distant future where AI, surveillance, and global warming have rendered most people into economically insecure gig workers trapped in polluted gray cities. Struggling to make ends meet, May gets paid to undergo adversarial camouflage cosmetic surgery, designed to spoof the omnipresent facial recognition sensors.  With the money, she splurges on a vacation to a botanical garden with her kids.  Things, as you might guess, go awry.

There's a number of thought-provoking issues in Hum - how people interact with AI, the dehumanizing effects of social media, and the thirst for an authentic experience in a world of artifice. On the downside, the story is pretty simple, the characters are shallow, and readers might be left hanging by the novel's ambiguous ending.

Movies: The Brutalist

Adrien Brody recently won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Brutalist - was it deserved?

Mostly, I think it was. Brody is a fine actor who has worked in a wide variety of films (everything from twee Wes Anderson comedies to genre flicks like King Kong and Predators), and he gets to display the full range of human emotion in The Brutalist's exorbitant 3-1/2 hour runtime: embarrassment, inspiration, despair, relief, with a little drug addiction thrown in, too.  If the other nominated performances this year were entrées, Brody's turn as fictional Hungarian architect László Tóth is a full-course dinner.

However, Brody's work (alongside the always-interesting Guy Pearce) isn't enough to elevate The Brutalist's lackluster story. The film is simply a mess...you can see where Brady Corbet gestures at a Godfather II-style immigrant epic, but he lacks the writing and editing chops to tell an interesting story. The final 30 minutes, including a ham-handed epilogue taking place decades after the main plot, is a case study in how not to end a film (if you need an on-screen character to deliver a literal lecture on the symbolism in the movie, you've failed as a director).

Rating: 5/10

Music: Like a Rolling Stone

I'm not the world's biggest Bob Dylan fan, but even I was impressed by Timothée Chalamet's performance in the biopic A Complete Unknown. Chalamet played all of the songs in the film (and there are many), and he did so live. Credit the impressive efforts of the movie's sound team, who was forced to use an endless variety of mic setups to capture the performances on set.

Chalamet did prerecord vocals for the film, but they've been relegated to the soundtrack. Chalamet's vocals do a good job of capturing the essence of Dylan, without becoming an impersonation, and they stand up pretty well on their own. Most of the songs on the soundtrack are deep cuts, but there are famous tunes like "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Like a Rolling Stone":

Tech: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Review, Part 5 - The Finale

In the three months that I've owned my Tesla Model 3 "Highland," I've logged well over 5,000 miles, and I've come away with some conclusions about the car, the Tesla experience, and the state of electric vehicles circa 2025.

With respect to the Model 3, if you can qualify for the $7,500 tax credit (before our Fearless Leader kills it) and intend to keep the car for more than 5 years, the Model 3 is an incredible value. It costs about as much as a fully loaded Toyota Camry, has more standard features, and will save you thousands of dollars in gas over the life of the car (not to mention the money saved in oil changes, spark plugs, and other maintenance inherent to ICE vehicles).

As for Tesla, I found the purchase process to be fairly easy. Once you configure your vehicle online, you can complete everything via the Tesla mobile app, including payment, vehicle registration, and insurance. The only flies in the ointment are that, with no dealer network, there are few places to test drive and take delivery of the cars (I had to drive an hour to pick mine up). The jury's still out on how easy maintenance will be, but so far, things have been smooth.

Finally, on electric vehicles in general, I can't see myself going back to gasoline...ever. Unless you do not have access to free or low-cost charging at home or at work, an EV is actually more convenient than an ICE car.  You always have a full "tank" when you wake up or go home at the end of the day, and thus never need to visit a gas station.  Road trips are also okay with Tesla Superchargers, except when you have to drive more than 500 miles in a day (and in those cases, I'd probably take a plane anyway).  The future of cars is here, and it has a plug.

Guns: Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite review - The Ozempic Rimfire

Introduction

Ruger's Mark IV pistols are some of the best choices out there for a .22 handgun, but many are awfully heavy (the Mark IV Target I reviewed a few years back weighs in at over 2-1/2 pounds (!)). Today's review looks at a lighter option for backpackers, hunters, and others - the "22/45 Lite" version of the Mark IV.

Sights, Trigger, and Features

Instead of the bull barrel and stainless steel frame of my old Target, the Ruger 22/45 Lite opts for a polymer frame, an aluminum receiver, and a tensioned, thinner barrel.  This knocks the overall weight down to 25 ounces, making the gun much easier to pack on the trail.

My pistol is an older model with a smooth cylindrical receiver (the latest MK IV 22/45 Lites have additional serrations for easier manipulation).  Sights include an adjustable set of irons plus a big section of rail for mounting a red dot or a scope. As is almost mandatory for 21st century rimfire handguns, the barrel is 1/2"-28 threaded for a suppressor. Note that the gun is NOT ported - the cutouts are just for looks.

The "45" in 22/45 means that it has a grip angle designed to mimic the 1911, which may be a plus or minus in your eyes (22/45 magazines are not interchangeable with the standard Mark IV magazines). Takedown works the same way as in other Mark IV guns - push a button and the receiver separates from the frame. It's still the fastest and easiest handgun disassembly in the industry, and a big plus for anyone who wants to clean their gun.

Range Report

Do you sacrifice anything for lighter weight? Well, a little.  I found the Ruger 22/45 Lite to be a little less accurate and a little less reliable than the full-size guns.  Generally speaking, my 15-yard offhand groups with the 22/45 Lite were about the same as my 25-yard groups with the Mk IV Target. If you're just plinking, it's not a huge difference, but it will reduce your effective range when hunting small game or shooting pests.  The gun also experienced occasional extraction and ejection issues.  The malfunctions were rare, but this is not something I'd want to use for self-defense if I could help it.

Winchester M-22 at 15 yards:

CCI Mini Mag at 15 yards:

Federal AutoMatch at 15 yards:

Federal Champion 36 gr. at 15 yards:

CCI Stinger at 15 yards:

Winchester 22 bulk pack at 15 yards:

Conclusion

A .22 is nice to have in the backcountry, and the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite is a good option.  There are smaller and lighter .22s out there (Ruger's own LCP II, for instance), but few combine decent accuracy, decent reliability, and low cost (street price is around $600 new) like this gun.

Tech: Balatro review

For a lot of people, the best video game of 2024 wasn't some epic open world action title from one of the major publishers, but a quirky roguelike poker deckbuilding game called Balatro.

"Roguelike poker deckbuilding," you ask? Yes, it's the classic card game of four-of-a-kinds and full houses, remixed with special "joker" cards that can boost your score, reshape your deck, or even change the rules (one joker allows you to make straights and flushes with only four cards, for instance). You'll need these boons, though, because if you fail to hit an ever-increasing target score within a certain number of hands, your run is over.

Balatro was created by an anonymous solo developer named LocalThunk, but it has the sort of gameplay and UI polish that eludes titles with many times the budget.  Playing the cards just feels satisfying, especially when you pull off some outrageous combo and send your score into the stratosphere. The game's use of common poker/casino vernacular also avoids a lot of the learning curve that a new player might otherwise face.

The big knock I have against Balatro is that it isn't as deep as something like Slay the Spire. There are different starting decks, sure, but nearly every one of them contains the same 52 cards.  Likewise, many of the 150 joker cards provide simple flat bonuses that aren't terribly complex.  After a few hours of feeling things out, the experience from one run to another can get pretty similar.  Still, this is a wonderfully designed card game, and one that I'd recommend to anyone who likes roguelike deckbuilders.

Rating: 88/100

TV: Squid Game (Season 2)

Squid Game is Netflix's most popular show (and by extension, the world's most popular show), so it was all but assured we would get more episodes of the dystopian Korean survival thriller (spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the first season, of course):

Season 2 starts with protagonist Seong Gi-hun's efforts to shut down the titular competition, though at first he is aided only by his newfound wealth and survivor's guilt. Eventually, he's joined by another main character from the first season, Hwang Jun-ho, who infiltrated the Games as a guard only to get a bullet in the shoulder for his trouble.  As you might imagine, the murderous Games start anew and it's up to our heroes to save the players inside - assuming they even want to be saved...

I like Squid Game, but it's not the most original premise nor is its social commentary particularly unusual, especially for South Korea (cf. Parasite). The second season suffers from a big case of "been there, done that," but it does have some fine performances and raises a few ethical quandaries about the nature of violence and greed. I hesitate to recommend it only because it is unfinished - it's only 7 episodes long and ends on a cliffhanger, with literally nothing resolved.  Before you binge, you may want to wait for the third and final season of Squid Game to come out later this year.

Tech: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Review, Part 4 - The Bells and Whistles

The Model 3 I bought is the cheapest car Tesla sells right now, but it still features most of the gimmicks and doodads you'll find in models that are twice the price, like the Model S or Cybertruck. Here are some of the extras that I've found fun or useful.

Actually Smart Summon

With Tesla's ASS (juvenile, I know), you can hold a button on the mobile app to have your car drive itself from a parking space to your current position in a parking lot, even if there's traffic and pedestrians around:

It's pretty astonishing to see the car moving around with no one inside, though the slow speed of the summon means that it's only useful if it's raining or you have something you don't want to lug back to the car. You also need to have FSD active (via purchase, subscription, or trial) to use ASS.

Tesla Theatre

While the car is parked, you can play YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and a few other streaming services right from the main touchscreen, with audio running from the car speakers. It's a lot nicer than using your phone, and it's ideal if you're sitting in the car for whatever reason (charging, eating a meal, etc.).

Some drawbacks: there's a limited selection of streaming services on the Tesla Theatre page (though you can use the browser to access others), and your car needs to either have a Premium Connectivity subscription or be connected to Wi-Fi somehow.

Tesla Arcade

Same idea as above, only with video games.  You can play some great (Cuphead, Vampire Survivors) and not-so-great titles using the touchscreen, the steering wheel, or a connected controller (an old PS4 or Xbox One controller works great for this). There aren't many games to choose from, though new ones do sometimes appear - the recent holiday 2024 update added Boomerang Fu.

Tesla Toybox

This is where you can access the famous "fart noise" feature, but there are far more interesting gadgets in the Toybox, like a sketchpad (handy for in-car planning on trips) and sounds from the car's external speakers.

Miscellany: A somber Christmas

I'm in Texas right now for my grandfather's funeral, so posting will be light. It's sad that Grandpa passed so close to the holidays, but it does bring back memories of Christmases with him and the rest of the family. Wherever you are, dear Reader, I hope you are together with family this holiday season.