Notes

Readwise (of Highlights and Reader fame) released a new app today, Readwise Books. If you use Reader to read and highlight articles and PDFs, this is the equivalent for ebooks. You can upload files you already own and buy them through an in-app store.

I’ve been beta testing it over the past few months and I really like it. There are some very light social features: the team view it as a cross between the Kindle and Goodreads apps.

Access is currently invite-only; here’s my link if you want to skip the queue.

I’ve reached a point in The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown where I think I can’t progress. So I’m backtracking, seeing different parts of the early areas that I couldn’t access before, and absolutely hoovering up collectibles and upgrades. When metroidvanias are done well, they’re my favourite game genre. This is a great one.

Got my third boss cell in Dead Cells. Found my way to the Lighthouse for the first time and dispatched the Queen. What a game. Cannot believe I put so many hours into it a few years ago without even clearing 0BC. I gather I’m now in for a bit of a difficulty spike.

I’ve been trying out No Man’s Sky on the Switch because it’s the current free game trial in Europe, but I’m not sure I’ll keep playing. I’ve read so much about how unpolished it was when it first came out and how much better it has become since then, and I really like the concept. However, even after playing for a few hours, I still get lost in all the items, systems and menus, which makes it a bit of a slog to progress. I’m sure it gets much better but I don’t feel like investing the time. On the bright side, I’m still having a blast with Dead Cells: I’m on the cusp of 3BC now. I just took a pretty strong survival build to the graveyard and, well, got completely buried.

Seeing Mike Kinsella’s name in the credits of the new Phoebe Bridgers album explains a lot about the intro to this GQ article. (The song is “Bobby”.) The credits spill other names, too. I can hear Alex G all over the record. Plus Damian Jurado and Jon Brion? Cameron Winter, under a pseudonym? Cancelling my weekend plans.

Seeing a few “best albums of the year so far” articles, which feels like odd timing in August. For my money it’s a toss-up between Valentine by Courtney Marie Andrews and Hurts Like Hell by Charlotte Cornfield. I’ve listened to both weekly since release.

I’ve picked up Dead Cells again. Four or five years ago I sank a lot of hours into it and barely progressed. Started a new save file this time and beat the first difficulty level on my first run. I’d forgotten how much fun it is, and I love the inherent randomness of roguelikes. Balatro when I want to think, Dead Cells when I want to murder.