You are required to show up to vote in Australia. If you don't, you'll face a fine. This is called compulsory voting. As of August 2013, 22 countries provide for compulsory voting, and 11 of them — about 5% of all United Nations members — enforce it.
Director Guillermo del Toro owns a house called 'Bleak House' in which there's a room with a never-ending rainstorm projected onto all windows and audio to match. He often uses this room to write.