It might be apparent, but we’re big big fans of Twin Peaks at Recspec HQ (see: the photos from our Twin Peaks dress-up party commemorating the 25 year anniversary of Laura Palmer’s death). So it probably goes without saying that I almost had a heart attack when I saw the above image, and of course immediately thought that it was a real physical object, until I checked the copyright date at the bottom.

A little more research uncovered that Jak Locke has created the game as a sort of love letter to Twin Peaks, and has made it available for download (on both PC/Mac) for FREE here. Totally blown away! (Pro tip: read through the manual, its just as Atari-authentic as the game itself!)

Below are a few screenshots I took while playing. Found via Welcome To Twin Peaks. Definitely made my week!

Being serenaded by the best 8-bit version of Sycamore Trees you could ever imagine.

Laura Palmer does not mess around.

In order to keep Bob and your doppelgänger from merging, you must use your ring to control the owls!

Never a good sign.

Huge kudos to Jak for such an awesome homage and totally convincing Atari throwback. Absolutely brilliant.

.

Working on a recent (big) project, I took to the clearance section of our local book store to find some books to sacrifice to the art gods. While rummaging, I found these hardcover beauties in the dollar pile and was struck by how simply beautiful they were, the gold imprints, the patterns, everything. The Stars book is Dave’s own from growing up as a child — and I also love the old style of design used on it as well. Old books are just the best, aren’t they? I especially love the way they smell.

Wow, the Universe really is a strange and stunningly beautiful place. Via APOD (Astronomy Picture of The Day), here’s a recent video of some Aurora Borealis near the border of Norway and Russia.

The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

And above, more Aurora Borealis images from APOD (source, click to view full size) taken in Canada last month. Definitely wanting to take a trip north just to stare at the sky now. We also recently saw the Hubble IMAX movie, which was moving and awe-inspiring and comes highly, highly recommended from Recspec HQ.

Yes, we are space dorks, and proud.

We’re a couple of days late, obviously, but wanted to put a little note in this space saying goodbye to the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor. We’re both avid classic film fans, and she must be one of the most stunning and powerful women to ever grace the silver screen. Uncompromising, unapologetic, and completely herself, up until the end.

Goodnight, Liz.

Dia de los Muertos is one of our favorite holidays, and for the second year in a row, we’ve carved a pumpkin depicting some skellington friends. This year we decided on making a skeleton lady (last year was the Duke), as inspired by a mural put up on 5th street downtown for the Dia de los Muertos festivites a few days ago. Sadly, I didn’t have our camera on hand, but the lovely Angeliska got a couple of beautiful shots:

(Another view)

These beautiful ladies made me want to make one of my own, and below are the results. A little rough, but this is only my second (!) pumpkin carving ever – with the help of Dave of course. We also found this wonderful Santisimia Muerta (The Holy Dead) candle that seemed all too fitting for the festivities. You can view the whole set on flickr here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week we had the pleasure of spending a few days in L.A., visiting some friends and just generally taking a vacation. We had never been before, but below are some of our L.A. favourites. You can view photos from our trip here.

Hotel: Miyako Inn
Neighborhood: Little Tokyo
Ramen: Daikokuya
Bento lunch: East
Thai: Saladang Song
Breakfast: Blu Jam Cafe (nutella crepes!)
Dive: Bar107 (has photobooth!)
View: Griffith Park Observatory
Music Happening: Low End Theory at The Airliner
Books and Toys: Giant Robot
Tiny stumbled-upon Gallery: HVW8
Zoological Eccentricities: Necromance

Redline Hookas. While walking around earlier, we saw these little guys and had to snap a photo. Edited to add: these guys have since been painted over.

Our party, Fire Walk With Me, is exactly two weeks away, so we thought we’d try to give you a little inspiration as to who you should dress up as if you’re unsure. We’ve made it so you can be any character from any Lynch movie, so the possibilities are really endless. Here’s some ideas for your perusal & ways to get the look, first from Twin Peaks:

Coming bludgeoned, wrapped in plastic, or dead, is always an easy route
What you need to get The Look: plastic, a psychotic family member

Read the rest of this entry »

Here at RECSPEC, we are avid zombie apocalypse pontentialists. We want it. We crave it. Or, we mostly just want to be able to knock a few heads off a few zombies with a very very large shovel, or at the very least, a baseball bat. So, today we want to share with you a few zombie related finds we’ve stumbled across recently:

• Looking for that very special brain-eater you’ve always known was out there, just for you? ZombieHarmony – because the apocalypse doesn’t have to be lonely.
• Zombies in art throughout the ages.
• The Zombie Survival Guide is a great resource. Read up and get ready.
• &, not a new find, but for anyone who enjoys a good zombie story, but always wonders about the “what then” part at the end of zombie movies – The Walking Dead is probably one of the best ongoing comics out, let alone on the subject.

Mmmm. Brains.