LIT: Ayn Rand - [1938] Anthem [Dystopian Fiction Novella]

First devised as a play, then as a magazine serial, Rand reworked Anthem into a novella due to encouragement from her agent. With the writing completed in 1937, Rand submitted the work simultaneously to Cassell and MacMillan, her previous UK and US publishers respectively. Cassell immediately approved Anthem in 1938, however, it's US release was postponed until 1946 due to MacMillan believing, "the author does not understand socialism."

FILM: Shynola - [2003] Go With The Flow By Queens Of The Stone Age

Shynola, currently a trio consisting of Chris Harding, Jason Groves, and Richard Kenworthy, are a creative collective who have been producing distinctive, award-winning content since their first collaborative short, The Littlest Robo, in 1996. The original fourth member, Gideon Baws, unfortunately passed away in 2008 due to viral myocarditis at the age of 33.

MUSIC: Lodger - [2004] Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low [CD]

Lodger's 2004 debut album, Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low, was originally released exclusively in Finland to much critical acclaim. Cynical and nihilistic lyrics abound, with songs that condemn the drudgery of average individual's life, Western society's superficiality, overeager sexual consumption, blatant drug abuse, overzealous gambling, and the general truth concerning the conquest for "the American dream." The result was an album unmatched in originality, musicality, and lyrical content. After gaining a cult-following subsequently after the release of two self-produced album promoting music videos, the group remastered and reissued their debut album in 2005 to keep up with worldwide demand. The re-release featured a slightly different track list, dropping two original album songs in favor of adding a popular single released post-2004 debut.

GAME: Jason Rohrer - [2007] Passage [2D 8-Bit Short Art Game]

Rohrer excells in selecting massive concepts and distilling them down into a simple idea; his art game Passage is no different. Using a minimal 100x12 pixel playing area, Rohrer's "memento mori" piece is able to encapsulate life, love, age, and death all within a 5 minute time window.

LIT: Isaac Asimov - [1956] The Last Question [Sci-Fi Short Story]

Initially conceptualized for the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly, Asimov's "The Last Question" was written with few edits in a short amount of time. It is arguably his most famous and most acclaimed short story; in addition, Asimov himself considers it his personal favorite short story of his own authorship.

FILM: Masaaki Yuasa - [2004] Mind Game [2D/3D Animated Film]

Mind Game (マインド・ゲーム), originally conceived as a Japanese comic by Robin Nishi, was adapted into a feature length film by director Masaaki Yuasa. Funded and animated by Studio 4°C, the film was initially a flop in Japan, but has since found success abroad, winning numerous animation awards worldwide, earning praise from renown animation directors Bill Plympton and Satoshi Kon, as well as gaining a cult following.

LIT: Vy Vincent Ngo - [1996] Tonight, He Comes [Speculative Film Script]

Tonight, He Comes is an original script written by Vietnamese American Vy Vincent Ngo in 1996. The script was praised for its brilliance and was picked up by multitudes of directors, producers, and studios alike; however, it was consequently dropped each time as it was considered "impossible to produce" due in part to the mature nature of the story. Nearly a decade after being conceptualized, Tonight, He Comes was purchased, rewritten, and reworked as it passed from director to director due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences. The script was eventually brought out of development hell, retitled to Hancock, and, unfortunately, sanitized for a more marketable PG-13 audience. Since the film's release, Ngo has stated that he will use the proceeds to build a school in his home country of Vietnam.