I am now the proud owner of three (3) Sega Dreamcasts1, a system I’ve been coveting since I first laid eyes on it in 1999. I mean, just look at this thing. Don’t you want one?
I know you do. The Dreamcast was a very forward-looking console, shipping with features that would eventually become standard on other, future video game systems — it used discs, for example, and even had an internal modem that allowed for online play. It was discontinued in 2001, just a couple years after it rolled out in North America.
The consoles came with a number of controllers and memory cards. But more importantly they came with a gorgeous collection of games. Lately I’ve been working my way through Skies of Arcadia and Jet Grind Radio — two classics I’ve never actually played before. After that I’m gonna dive into Resident Evil 2 and Shenmue. I’ve been floored by just how good everything looks, even through component cables, and how great some of these games really are.
More on this in future dispatches of this newsletter. For now, all I’ll say is that you really should buy that retro thing you never had as a kid but always wanted. I can guarantee the experience will be better than you thought, even now.
In any case, last weekend was also the MoCCA Arts Festival in Manhattan; I swung by Sunday afternoon with Olivia and I swear to god, money flew out of my pocket like Sonic when he hits an enemy.
I picked up a bunch of great stuff from artists like Rebecca Mock, Evan Dahm, Wren McDonald, and Mattie Lubchanksy. For now, I’m working my way through the (fantastic) final issue of Peow’s comics anthology Ex.Mag, but I’m very excited to read everything else I bought.
ANYWAY. Short issue this week because I have done too much writing already. I gave my first reading in years last night — for my pal Kelly Xio’s tour One More Day on Earth — and I forgot how much work it was to actually craft something you’re gonna tell an audience. I’m sure they loved it!!!!!!! And if you were there, and you didn’t, please do not tell me.
More soon. But I will leave you with this: AI art is not art, because it removes and abstracts the human from the equation. This is important to remember; the humanity of art is what’s spiritually nourishing about it.
<3,
Bijan
Courtesy of an extremely generous and kind person online!!!