Paul Scollon's Blog

Welcome To The Machine

Games

Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update

Valve's Half-Life, released in November 1998, just got a massive update for it's 25th Anniversary! This includes: - Updated graphics settings, including lighting fixes and an actual widescreen field of view - Controller and Steam Networking support - Steam Deck support - officially Verified - Four (4!) new multiplayer maps   You can read a full list of changes here. They've also added support for the software renderer in the native Linux build, which gets nerds like myself excited to some degree.
Paul Scollon
Food

Nacho-torious

I usually make my own nachos at home, so rarely eat them out, but they were on the special at my usual Thursday evening venue and several members of staff recommended having them. I was NOT disappointed.
Paul Scollon
Movies

Red River (1948)

Red River, directed by Howard Hawks (his first western) and starring John Wayne with Montgomery Clift, is probably one of the finest of the genre. If you haven't seen it, make it your business to do do.
Paul Scollon
Whiskey

Johnnie Walker Black Label

I don't always drink "blended" scotch whisky (I'm a bit of a scotch snob, and prefer single malt) but when I do, I drink Johnnie Walker Black Label (straight up). Always take Black Label over Red Label (which is STRICTLY for mixing with) but never, EVER turn down Blue Label.
Paul Scollon
TV

The Continental: From the World of John Wick

Two episodes into the three part event "The Continental: From the World of John Wick", which tells the background story of how Winston Scott, in an alternate history 1970s, came to his position as proprietor of the New York branch of the fictional chain of assassin-friendly hotels. Is it any good? Hell yes, it's fantastic.
Paul Scollon
Games, Photo

Street Fighter II in the wild

It's good to know that if you look hard enough you can still find classic coin-op arcade machines in public places. This one was in a clothes shop (mainly women's fashion) in Belfast, presumably to keep male partners occupied while herself tries on 10 million pairs of jeans.
Paul Scollon
Food, Photo

Best Tacos in Town

You would think that you'd probably need to go quite far to get amazing tacos, but it turns out that a little wagon down a backstreet in an Irish town has some of the best tacos EVER. I go to "Boca Grande" nearly every Thursday for either the chicken or chorizo taco with the hottest salsa available, and I'm never disappointed.
Paul Scollon
Movies

Flora and Son

Flora and Son follows Flora, a single mom who is at war with her son, Max. Trying to find a hobby for Max, she rescues a guitar from a dumpster and finds that one person's trash can be a family's salvation.
Paul Scollon