Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Felix Felicis and the Horcrux Cave

The Half Blood Prince has perhaps risen to the top of my favorite book within the Harry Potter series, although, this is difficult considering I almost never pick a favorite, especially out of such a fine lineup...favoritism aside, there are some truly memorable scenes in this book: the Felix Felicis scene and the Horcrux Cave scene. Here's why...

Felix Felicis

For starters, the Felix Felicis scene has to be one of the most bizarre and strangely fascinating scenes I have ever read, due to its context and nature, events and characters involved, it is so seemingly random, though it betrays a sense of overwhelming unity in the end, since that is what the Felix Felicis potion does: it makes one lucky, wherein whatever one sets out to accomplish, it is done with ease, which reminds me of those events and times in my own life where there is a sense of systemic confidence and sublimity, where all stimuli seem to merge together and the path is clearer than it usually is, the foggy murk gives way to an ambition that leads to success...tis quite the variant take on the idea of lucky, as if we the readers, get to sit in the backroom where the gears of life crank, and we get to see how it all comes together, as if the mechanism was exposed to us plainly, as it seems to have done with Harry...

In both the book and the film this scene was executed brilliantly, for the tale behind it is classical and superb...it all starts with Harry ingesting the potion, and we watch, as Hermione and Ron watched, with nervous apprehension, to see what would happen: how is this going to affect Harry? what does being "lucky" look like? And the first thing Harry does, is say, in a most random fashion, "I'm going to Hagrid's!" To which, of course, Hermione and Ron are flabbergasted, saying, "No Harry! You have to get that memory from Slughorn!" But Harry isn't listening, he knows, or rather, Felix knows, that going straight to Slughorn isn't going to work...that indeed, a more roundabout path is called for, which, although it seems ludicrous and chaotic, is a path that leads Harry to success, and the retrieval of the memory, the very thing he needed to get done, success!






















He happens upon Slughorn, (the book and the film somewhat differ here, but both being effective, the film having a more sympathetic tone from Slughorn to accompany Harry to Aragog's funeral, for Harry caught Slughorn in the act of stealing a rare plant from Professor Sprout's greenhouse, which makes him a bit guilty, and with Harry being out of doors after curfew, he couldn't quite say no, although he did make some weak attempts at urging him to go back inside...versus the book, where Harry just met Slughorn, who was actually talking to Sprout at the time, and he was reprimanded in a weak way as well, yet when told he was going to Aragog's funeral, he was interested to go, in fact, he went to go change, and bring back a vial or two so he could collect some of Aragog's venom, which, according to Slughorn, an acromantula's venom is quite rare and valuable to those looking for it...and so, he comes back with some mead(?) or some alcohol rare, for the occasion of the funeral...) anyways, what ensues from this is a bizarre and memorable scene of Aragog's funeral, with Hagrid, Slughorn, and Harry, (and Fang!) with Aragog on his back (and Slughorn taking a vial or two of his venom, although acting as if he were inspecting his head, pretending as though it was of some mild interest, for no one was ever so close to an acromantula's head without being soon dead (yet this was only in the book, the film, Hagrid let him knowingly take a vial of the venom) Hagrid was crying and upset, Harry was just standing there, and Slughorn ends up saying a few words in Aragog's memory...a man who did not ever know the creature, and he said the most perfect thing...such a strange collection of characters in a most perfect setting and context, the event, everything was perfect though random, which, upon reflection, seems to wrap up those times when "lucky" seemed to be happening, it is always those random, strange, inexplicable times that seem to work out, that's when it seems to coalesce into One, and that is what lucky is all about: enlightenment! (??)












































The scene resolves in Hagrid's hut, where the drinking ensues, (yet Harry feels it is not right for him to drink, he must stay sober)(another "lucky" trait? listening to your gut? this is very Jedi. the inner voice, Harry listened to his gut, his instinct, which was in this case his Felix potion, but the symbol could be that Harry was listening more to his intuition, which is a deeper voice to hear and one which could be considered a Felix voice within us all, a God voice?) which ultimately leads to Harry extracting the memory from Slughorn, who was so inebriated, that had he not been so, he probably would not have divulged it yet again, and probably would have become a nuisance to Slughorn and fallen out of favor with him, since the Slytherin professor did hold him in such high esteem...either way, Harry's mother Lily was one of Slughorn's favorites, and so, using that advantage and leverage as well, Harry was able to get beyond Slughorn's guilt, and, paradoxically make him feel guilty for another reason, that he should divulge the memory, or Lily's life and death were for nothing, because his memory was considered so valuable as to be the key that could unlock the mystery of Voldemort's demise...























The Horcrux Cave

The other powerful scene, was the one in which Dumbledore and Harry were at the cave where Voldemort supposedly had hid one of his precious Horcruxes. This one is significant to me, because of its relation to the Hero's Journey motif where the old wizard has to die for the young hero to move on and bring back order to the land, etc. And yet. it is not the outright death of Dumbledore that happens here, it is a variant that I have never before seen, in which the hero hand feeds something, in this case, a vile protective potion laid out by Voldemort to discourage those who wish to steal his hidden Horcrux, that in essence, hinders him, and depowers him, reduces his strength and therefore cripples him, which does lead to his demise by Snape. The fact that Harry has to handfeed it to him is quite interesting, that, no, Harry is not directly responsible for his death, but this action, indeed one that had to happen for the Horcrux to be found, definitely worked against him to help bring about the conditions in which Dumbledore dies...although it is quite believable that Dumbledore had this worked out, indeed, that he might have foreseen it, for he knew, it is obvious, that Malfoy was to kill him, and that he had to be a sacrifice for the greater good, although that left everyone else to fend for themselves without such a powerful ally as Dumbledore...yet without this umbrella of security, is when all the characters, including Harry, must stand and unite, for it is ultimately the change of guard that is to happen, that happens in these events, tragic and unfortunate, yet is a necessary rite of passage to become a stronger, more realized individual, a hero, and this blanket of security is what Harry now has to live without, but it is necessary in his development, although it now seems hopeless and futile without Dumbledore, he will soon realize the truth.












































Much like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Frodo and Gandalf (although Gandalf comes back and Obi-Wan can come back as a ghostly apparition, can Dumbledore? haven't read the last installment yet) how they both had a hand in their master's deaths, so too, did Harry, but it is this critical scene, and the way in which it was handled which makes it superb and brilliant. How Dumbledore cut his own hand for the offering to enter the Cave's Horcrux chamber, and how Harry felt like he was to be okay, since Dumbledore was with him, and then after the transferal of power by a liquid potion concocted by the main villain mind you, Voldemort, and on their way out, Harry was the one who offered the blood, he was the one who helped Dumbledore out because he was so weak, and, as Harry was consoling Dumbledore, telling him that he could Apparate them back to safety, that everything was going to be alright, Dumbledore said, "I know, because I am with you..." now, this is a very enigmatic statement, and can be read different ways, and because there is no emphasis in the text literal, (and it is because of this that one can read it in different ways) then it leaves it open, (very enigmatic statement from such an enigmatic character!) Yet, on the whole, I like to see it as Dumbledore's transference of power to Harry and that he feels like they will be alright, because he feels comfort in knowing that Harry is there and with him. That in fact, in the way that I read it, it says, "I know, because I am with you."

And not to mention the charred hand of Dumbledore in the book, and the talk of Dumbledore's age in the film, both serving to undermine his credibility, and his power, which develop and climax with, indeed, his death, as if they were portents, portentous of his dying at the end, to be buried in his White Tomb there on the grounds of Hogwarts next to the lake, a serene and beautiful resting place for such a strong character, no I do not think Dumbledore will return in spirit, but wait, his predecessors do in their paintings, why can't he? I guess we shall see in the next and final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Doctor Who, Love & Monsters

I wonder if it is Russell T. Davies' job to write the campy ones? His Slitheen episodes were similar to this one, lighthearted and campy, goofy and geeky, which, truth be told, is not all bad, if you're expecting it...yet, how about a Shakespearean run? A tragic tale bekindled by a snag joke or two? leaving the fart and ass jokes behind? (no pun intended there, indeed) I don't know why Davies is keen to include this kind of toilet humor, if in fact, he is satisfying himself, or those needs of the general viewing public, but come on! Is it always necessary to resort to toilet humor? Bliss being absorbed into the Absorbaloff, straight to his arse?

Love & Monsters was, well, not extremely difficult to watch, save for the thoughts and ideas that reside behind the campy commentary...it seems to bridge the gap in the understanding of the "common man and woman" perspective, those "joes" which one witnesses running away from that explosion in downtown London, or that other one who was almost "upgraded" by the invading Cybermen...the idea that there are many in this mythos who are directly and indirectly impacted by the Doctor and his (mis)adventures, and the dialogue of this episode seems to address this, to address how and what he leaves behind besides his legend...it also speaks to the viewers who have been along with the Doctor as his "silent companions" for all these years and episodes, traveling to the farthest reaches of the universe, in time and space. There is a feeling of victory and triumph in these tellings, fear, intelligence, the unknown, etc...and the idea of the payment one must render in the experience of such power, that those who come in contact with the Doctor, especially the ones closest to him, get burned in the end, that the adventure, for him at least,always continues on, and yet for all those others, it can stop at any time, in essence, death awaits from this life at any time, so live whilst one can, experience whatever one can, for the ride with the Doctor will surely come to a close at some point in your life, as every one of these characters can attest to...

It also addresses the Doctor being a "god" figure in the Davies/Tennant incarnation, that this character has the ability to bring people together, the power, in fact, to do so, which is portrayed here in a most campy light: the LINDA group and its further activities...starts out as a means to find him this strange "alien", but turns into a self-help, hobby, interest group of friends devoted to being together and spending time together, coming closer to each other in the process...which, i can see now, is an example of this wholesome image that Davies has been criticized for, this almost Disney version of a once terrible man...in fact, the Abosrbaloff rattles off a series of adjectives, including "sweet" which the Doctor cannot attest to (no!) ...

So the campy ELO scenes, the SUPERCAMP Scooby-Doo scene where they are running in and out of the various rooms being chased by the monster...what the hell? Since that one was towards the beginning, it has the effect of setting the tone for the entire episode, which is: oh, be prepared, this ones gonna be campy! And yet there were some nice storytelling ideas that cropped out,including the story of Elton (another camp device btw) when he was young and saw the Doctor in his living room, and as it turns out, the night his mother dies, and the portrayal of how this was affecting him, this was well done...but I mean, come on, LINDA forming a band? and then goofily playing an ELO cover? "Don't Bring Me Down"? I think? CAMP! the thing is, i can't enjoy it! it isn't a delicious camp, that one can savor from a Fulci film or from "Evil Dead II". I suppose for something to be excellent camp, it cannot be forced, that, in truth, it only comes out that way, for camp to be induced on purpose, and with a sizable budget, will not be effective, or at least, I've never seen it pulled off with these qualifications, or even double at least, the guys down at BBC and Davies just don't have the artistic vision, nor the ability to pull off prized camp, if indeed it is what they are trying to accomplish, and, sadly, if not, then all it is reduced to is just poor storytelling and a wholesome Disney portrayal to satisfy the mediocre watching tastes of general Joe and Jane Viewer who do not care to divulge for an instant a shred of a thought or reflection about what they witness on the "telly", and that this episode was for them "pretty good" and "ha-ha" at best...

Makes me wonder if the producers, executive or otherwise, (including Davies), and any higher-ups in BBC entertainment management, have a goal or simplified plan of what is expected from a series such as Doctor Who? And I wonder if, in fact, they have a formula, much like radio stations have formulas for playlists, on how a season is to be arranged, to achieve the highest rating potentials, for, from what I understand, Doctor Who is huge in Britain, and so, to keep things the way they are, if they expect certain things, like "safe" episodes, ones that people are not going to have to think about or trouble themselves to understand, BUT, mix these lighter tropes with the actual "great" episodes that lie therein, a la Dalek, The Impossible Planet, The Satan Pit, Midnight, etc....that these are indeed necessary over the season's story arc to flesh out and balance the season out...I would say "why?" on all the great albums there are no fillers, in fact, fillers are only there to flesh out an album so that they can call it thus, to basically support buying a full album just for the two (maybe three if you're lucky) hits that have driven sales and interest in the first place, I just want to know, does Davies think these episodes are of quality? or does he know, and only follows a formula? And why does it always seem to be Davies that writes them? Lost was guilty of this as well, filler episodes, and I only wonder why? Does it fill up space that couldn't be filled with quality storytelling because of poor scripts from a pool of nothing but? budget and/or time constraints? why can't they all be "mind-breaking" instead of some opting out for the "mind-numbing" category?

But, besides all this complaining, how do these fillers develop the overall story and/or characters? How did Love & Monsters? As mentioned before, it did well in the description of those he leaves behind and their coming together because of him in some way; that the character in essence is great, for he bridges bonds together between disparates, and forges them through his name, (so god-like is it not?) and this is a lighthearted telling of that phenomenon, in fact, the Doctor and Rose are only in this episode for a max of perhaps five minutes...his legacy and memory and effects are what drives this one forward...Elton's monologue at the end pretty much sums up the story: that out of convention, there is unusual strangeness, and out of the norm is unknown darkness, and however maddening this is (to live within it), it is so much for the better, so much more beautiful, than a life lived within a box metaphorically and physically (mentally and emotionally as well)...and this abnormality, this outside the box mentality, is what the Doctor represents, symbolizes for us all, and this fake-camp episode tries its best to get at the heart of this idea, and does in places, but yet falls short in the end, (probably reached at its highest peak and development with Martha Jones' season (perhaps the season finale with her?) where she spreads the "News of the Doctor" in an evangelical style (?) this was one of the first episodes I ever saw of the Doctor, has been a while, will be coming up on that one in the next season!)

It tries to do the trick with a seemingly average Joe, who vlogs his life, or, at least, those times of his life when affected by the Doctor, or, that man who was in my living room that night...for, outside of his dropping out of school, getting a job and liking ELO, which works to hammer in the ideas of "normalcy", there was this experience he had when he was younger...and then jumping to those other times in his life when he directly experienced alien intrusion upon the Earth (specifically London) which, lo and behold, were incidents that the Doctor was involved in...and the tragedy for this normal "Joe" aka Elton, which he has even then worked around and established a new set paradigm, was that his one true love, Ursula (played by Shirley Henderson of Harry Potter Moaning Myrtle fame), was trapped in a squared stone, and yet he was able to retrieve her (thanks to the Doctor), and now lives with her, and has actually a "kind-of-a-love-life" with her, and has, in essence, worked around such a tragedy to become a better person, and this is the wonderful horror of being burned by the Doctor, that living outside the box is indeed beautiful and wondrous, and yet it is indeed dangerous, and that one must be prepared to face these harsh truths when they do indeed come, its the whole "living on the edge" mentality and serves to promote this philosophy as a truer way to live, instead of normalcy and convention and rules and comfort, to just letting go and trying something new and facing the strange and the unknown, the darkness, and you do it with those you care about, that is the metaphor of the Doctor and his companion, and all of us "silent companions": that you go through life to struggle and face the unknowns, not to settle for comforts and routines, but you do it not alone, but only with those you care about, for the experience of life is not in a vacuum, and does not reside forever within your own eyes, for it is through the eyes of another that one may witness true bliss...

Screenplay versus novel: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, an analysis

vs.


















Half-blood Prince book versus screenplay...some thoughts:

S - for screenplay
B - for book

S - condensed following Draco to rooftop spying, no convo overheard whereas the magical earpieces used in the book, Draco was with his mother in film, in book he had to escape/hide from her
S - Dumbledore picks up Harry in a cafe,, as he flirts with a female employee, this sets up the teenage lust feeling, he was conversely picked up at Uncle Vernon's after a time by himself, stuck in his room, mourning...
S - Dumbledore did not accompany Harry to the Burrow, no Tonks, and there is a non-book convo between Harry, Ron and Hermione about Dumbledore being old, or getting old, with the effect of Dumbledore's credibility and power startiing to be at question, it serves to undermine his aura of power just like, and can be equated to, Dumbledore's blackened hand in the book, the one that Harry keeps looking at and wondering about, the one in which the Slytherin ring cursed when Albus destroyed it...this all has the effect, and is leading towards, the death of Dumbledore and Harry's transition to metaphoric manhood, very important in his maturation cycle, for the hero to come-of-age, which he is not in the book officially, for 17 is when wizards come of age, and he is only 16 at the time
B - no tip about the cabinet in the book, I think it is mentioned butonly in passing, in true mystery form, yet it is set up in the film from the beginning, with Malfoy and his mother going into Borgin and Burkes and them all hiddled round it, as if an object of importance, it is only explained, the thing Malfoy was talking about in the shop, was a gift, or an object, we do not find out until the end what it was he was talking about
S - Dumbledore wants hm to be "collected" by Slughorn, and Harry agrees, in film however, Harry avoids him and his parties at all costs...WHY? cannot remember!
S - hermione has awkward teen moments, with the toothpaste and butterbeer on her lips, Ron having to point out the faux pas both times (of course the guy se likes, has liked for some time!)
B - Harry never goes to a Slughorn party (except the Christmas one, which is iindeed in the film as well) but in the screenplay, he is at the FIRST one
S - the "conversation hour glass" owned by Slughorn, (very novel idea) is a film/screenplay invention, nowhere in the book
S - Remus is more aggressive in the screenplay/film, he is more laid back, tired, detached in the book, for he had been relieved from his werewolf intrigue
S - there is no mention of Ron's 17th birthday in the film, the same day when Ron is brought under the iinfluence of Romilda Vane's love potion chocolates intended for Harry, and when he is accidentally poisoned by the mead intended for Dumbledore (two separate "intendeds" that Ron is smacked with on same day
S - no explanation of the bezoar that Harry uses to save Ron with when he is poisoned by the Mead (in book, is the work of Three Broomsticks wench NAME? when under the iinflluence of the Imperius Curse) is only understood as another "Harry heroic"
S - Snape did not ask Harry for his Advanced Potions book, in fact he did not seem to get into any trouble at all (punished with detention on every Saturday morning until end of term, preventing Harry to miss his Quidditch Championship, in book)
S - no setup of Aragog's death, so Harry just invites Slughorn along, which he accepts (for what reason?) although he does keep mildly reprimanding Harry for being out of doors at night, he comes along...Slughorn had more tact in book because the context was more thorougly developed, because Harry was already invited to Aragog's funeral by Hagrid, and Harry told Slughron that was where he was off to...he has no tact in film because he asked for venom at the funeral, which Hagrid concedes...in book, he pretends to investigate Aragog's head from up close, Hagrid was way more upset in the book
S - story that Slughorn tells of Lily and the fish is a film iinvention, used to show his love and connection towards her
S - non-chalantly dropped in Dumbledore's blackened hand, when talking of Horcruxes to Harry, whereas his hand was heavily referenced in the book
B - the light emanating from the pedestal that supposedly held one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, was an eerie green, there was no particular colored light in the film, although the liquid that Dumbledore had to drink was purple
S - Snape was underneath Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower with Harry, in fact, Snape told him to keep quiet, in book, DUmbledore jinxed Harry, makiing him frozen, and was also under the Invisibility Cloak, so he was almost non-existent
S - Fawkes was in last scene flying off, during day, his moaning cry heard, in book, Fawkes was heard throughout the grounds with his mourning cry that night when Dumbledore died, and then he left
S - the Room of Requirement was given almost no context until the end, Malfoy was just seen closing his eyes, and then he was in a room full of myriad items,, a motley vintage barrage, in book, Harry finally began to suspect that Malfoy was going in there, but not sure why,
S - the scene with Malfoy and the canary (?) and he sends it through the Vanishing Cabinet, (also the scene with the apple) film invention, although it very provocative and poignant, moreso than the book, because it sets a tone from Malfoy's point of view, especially when the canary comes back dead, and the look on his face, one of shock and almost contempt, it is symbolic of him? was this llike canary in coalmine symbol? something so innocent and free, now dead

June 2010: Indie Rock

Yes it only seemed appropriate, at this time of year, being summer, that I should resort to indie rock tactics for perusal and study...to my surprise, what I thought "indie" was, was not all I thought it to be...

Indie, from what I gathered, had a certain aesthetic, guitars, bass, drums, vocals...your stripped down rock outfit, but oh indeed, it has come to incorporate keyboards, synths, programming, etc...that these indeed are now incorporated, was a surprise, being that what I knew of as "indie" now had a synthpop/electronic edge now as well, which just further fuels the argument as to the real meanings behind the concept of "indie" and all that it stands for, which is: a DIY aesthetic to production, recording, and publishing, abstaining from the umbrella contortions of major label parentage, and (especially in current trends) the use of the internet for marketing, distribution, and selling, which has now become a foreseeably permanent fixture in this aesthetic landscape, not only in indie fields but in all music globally.

The contexts of the bands I randomly chose happen to run the gamut of styles and influences evident in the songs/albums that I've heard: from pop to synthpop, from rock to lo-fi, from heavy programming to simple songwriting....there is so much diversity in the 9 albums I listened to, a couple (or several?) of albums were not given as much study for their sounds were not sonically pleasing(!) but to my strange surprise, I found some gems on many of these albums, not to mention some all-time favs and classics I will adore forever! So just in that, in finding something in this musical genre that spoke to me so intimately says much, and serves to extend my constant dippings into this genre, peeking in on whats going on at any given time from here on out...but for now, these albums will do, (and gauntlet hair's two song duo-non-album piece is also included here, although not technically an album per se...)

Albums consulted:

1) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

2) Caribou - Swim (2010)

3) Cold Cave - Love Comes Close (2009)

4) Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2010)

5) Gauntlet Hair - songs: I Was Thinking and Our Scenery (both 2010)

6) No Age - Losing Feeling EP (2009)

7) The National - High Violet (2010)

8) Toro y Moi - Causers of This (2010)

9) Also an album was heard from each: Fanfarlo, The Black Lips and The Futureheads, but were disregarded from further listen and study, falling short of critical worthytime (Fanfarlo being an Arcade Fire mediocrity (although the first song was negligibly cool), The Black Lips were a Velvet Underground rip-off hack band, and the Futureheads were decent but fell short of achievement)

Just noticed that most if not all were either released this year or the last, which contextualizes my study as being pretty up-to-date and current, contemporary, ie: the latest in the "scene" the genre...

Notes/observations (from Notebooks):

Aesthetic? low production standards BUT not always the case, differing levels of production values, so different yet what holds them all together genre-piece? because they run the gamut in terms of sound, from electropop to garage band, rustic to finesse(-ical) but what makes it INDIE?: independent labels, DIY aesthetic but what else? middle class, suburban/urban, parents supportive?, tinges of cold detachment (????) educated?

some level of production knowledge (or so) aka: white kids with instruments (ahhh not so with Toro y Moi!) an invasion of the suburbanite refuge

songs are usually based on classic songwriting tropes - hooks, verses, chorus, bridges...upbeat, low to moderate skillmanship/musicianship is established and displayed (no wankers here, no jack off solos etc....in other words, technical proficiency is not always lauded and not necessarily viewed as coveted in this genre, seems to be more of one's ability to establish a mood, atmosphere, good all round writing skills, your creativity when it comes to writing a great song, musically and lyrically, owing some nods to pop and alternative there, in fact, i wonder if technical proficiency as displayed would be a turn-off, frowned upon, walked away from...doesn't seem to get at the core of this music, perhaps a trait inherited from punk/post-punk etc.---technic virtuosity is NOT a mainstay, in fact, soloing seems to be irrelevant and avoided (almost at all costs) evoking an emotion/feel seems to be paramount, the art of crafting a good SONG seems to be the most important activity...

Use of synth technology very ubiquitous, 80s music and attitude from New Wave (which is a direct descendant, along with post-punk and alternative) is evident, so any physical and intellectual traits from these movements have thereby been inherited and are incorporated into, indie music today

Does and does not share mainstream trends, they are evident like the Animal Collective song My Girls , there is a Whoooooo! that is reminiscent of hip-hop or RnB, in fact the mainstream does pop up quite a bit, many artists incorporating these aesthetic values into their own music, but is not in any way ubiquitous, the logical end result of this is the signing to a major label, where many have done, either converting therefore to a more major sound, or elsewhere, keeping their indie roots while having a grander exposure...

apathy? non-courageousness? melancholy? quality/culture of cool? indie definitely embodies a culture capital of cool! down to the very dress, the new rock stars...it has sparked a re-interest in "lo-tech" or lo-fi industry-regarded antiquated processes and recording technology (ie: a throwback 50s sound) also tapes/tape trading/tape recording, analog measures of recording, in sum, an analog paradigm, an analog perspective

also has, as just mentioned, evolved and nurtured a look and culture, lo-fi melded with NEW, retronew RETRONEW! DIY taking advantage of cutting edge technology to meet ones ends...