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| | Current Music: | "Gattai Nante Kuso Kurae" - Iwasaki Tarou | | Subject: | "Bits and Bats" | | Time: | 11:18 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/opiummmm/foxies/working.gif) accomplished |
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| Ironically it seems that the more social and busy I'm being, the less that I post here. I keep coming up with ideas for posts but I either never find the time, or I simply cannot devise enough material beyond a couple of lines to warrant an actual post. So to break the silence I'll try a rather fractured approach this time and have a collection of "best bits".
I did want to post about the new Batman movie, which hit all the right buttons for me. There's something about an angst-ridden madman dressing up in an animal costume and driving around in a flash car that I can relate to. :P Heath Ledger's incarnation of the Joker haunts me, and it's such a shame that we'll never see that kind of performance again. :( If you liked the film yourself (which judging from my friends list that is pretty much everyone), then I'll make you aware of the "Batman: Gotham Knight" DVD that's recently become available. It's a series of animated shorts by anime houses Bee Train, Madhouse, Production I.G. and Studio 4°C, and it essentially does for Batman what "Animatrix" did for the Matrix. In all fairness it's a mixed bunch of stories with some are better than others, but it's definitely worth watching if like me you love the whole Batman concept.
Staying on the "Anime" theme, I've been watching some of the more bat-shit crazy stuff that's around. GAINAX have released a series with the somewhat challenging name of "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann" (Heaven Shattering Gurren Lagann), and like most GAINAX productions the past few years it seems intent to be more crazy and over-the-top than the series preceding it. (Compare the series "Gunbuster" with the sequel "Diebuster" for example.) Most anime fans will be familiar with their work "FL-CL", so they've had a few more years to get proficient at "WTF" moments by now. Tengen Yadda Yadda Yadda is a shonen mecha anime based in the distant future, following the adventures of two underground village dwellers called Simon and Kamina as they strive towards a better future, normally by combining mecha with acts of extreme cartoon violence. Both the series and the story-line have "spiral" elements to them, starting small (underground in a little village for example) and growing into something more significant (not saying. :P ), allowing the writers to just build up a never ending escalation of shocking moments through the entire series. The soundtrack is impressive as well, shying away slightly from you usual J-Pop towards a slightly more agressive J-Rock stance. My thanks to the Kitty for introducing me to the series and it's well worth catching if you have the chance, just make sure it's sub and not dub as the American voice acting is diabolical. :(
Meanwhile I'm currently watching a series called "Dennou Coil" (Coil a Circle of Children) which Bungle was kind enough to bring to my attention, which is a coming-of-age story where people wear glasses that overlay a virtual world onto the real world. This essentially adds a hologram like fantasy world to the children's perspective. From what I've seen so far it looks promising, but watching it I can't help but feel it's the teenage years of "The Major" from "Ghost in the Shell". There's even Tachikoma-esque AI critters working for her, except they're called "Mojos" and are small, cute, and fuzzy... like the soot sprites from "Howl's Moving Castle" but armed with machine guns. O_o
While we're on about fuzzy critters, lets move on to convention news... From my previous LJ post it was pretty obvious that I enjoyed ConFuzzled a lot, and I wanted to give something more back to the staff and other attendees, to help the event become bigger and better. As a result I'm now an official member of the convention operations team! O_o While I have had some experience of organising events in the past, this is way beyond anything I've done before. But I believe that I'm up to it and I'm really looking forward to the challenge! Also if you've not already done so, check out some of the official convention photos of Vin (and probably some other suiters as well) taken by the excellent Tiger Tom in the ConFuzzled Gallery. You can also catch more ConFuzzled goodness in BBF's video.
Vin and I will also be attending EF in a couple of weeks which I'm just about all set for, so I hope to catch a lot of you there! We'll also be turning up at both MFF and FC later in the year for Vin's American debut, so furry wise it's going to be pretty hectic for me over the next twelve months!
Finally on the furry side of things, in an attempt for a more energetic and weasel-like performance I've also relented to buying a cool-vest from these guys. I've used a cool-vest before to some degree of success back at EF12 when I was romping around as a somewhat shorter Kibble. The trick with the vest was finding someplace to charge the packs, which I've found the hotel staff were happy to cater for. The downside of using a vest though is the lack of ventilation and additional three kilos of bulk that the vest adds, countering any benefit I've gained through the use of reticulated foam, especially once the cool-vest loses it's charge. The packs are supposedly rated for four hours but I suspect that's not weasel time. :P Anyway, I'll be trying it out at EF and seeing how I get on, providing the suit fits over the bulk of the vest!
While on the subject of bulky vests... Ah... Nope, I'm out of tenuous links now. Work gets a very brief mention but only in that it's getting more political, less enjoyable, and that the long term future of the company is looking more dubious by the day due to chronic mis-management. Not that I care much though, my job's still fairly secure and I still get the odd chuckle. For example the other day I reviewed a document for a colleague and responded "Other than butchering the English language to a point where even Freddy Krueger might question the excessive brutality of it all, technically the email seems OK." :D
Other than mention that I've met with some good friends both new and old over the past few weeks, far too many to mention, I'm running out of inspiration and ideas for further comments. Therefore I'll wish you all well and hope to see some of you at EF in a couple of weeks time! |   |
| | Tags: | mobile | | Subject: | OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG | | Time: | 03:18 pm |
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| | My mom got us tickets to the first Colts home pre-season. Said the Jim Irsay (The Colts owner) actually gave her tickets. So hopefully they will be front row, 50 yard line. Woooooo I get to be one of the first to see the new stadium and the first unofficial home game. | | |
| | Subject: | The most awesome thing ever... | | Time: | 02:33 pm |
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The lightning starts with a burst in the sky which sends streamers down trying to find the path of least resistance to the ground and as soon as ANY path hits the ground, the real lightning fires up from the ground and leaves the air glowing...
It's an amazing video. | | |
| | Subject: | I blame Zetawoof. | | Time: | 11:06 am |
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| Actually, I only say that because he used the word 'yet' in response to my not having a Mac on which I can do iPhone development... darn him. :)
One of the stranger aspects of buying an Apple product is the tacit assumption that once exposed to the grandeur that is Apple, you'll be unable or more, unwilling to use anything else. Thus, upon purchasing an iPhone for reasons previously explained - My current contract with Fido expires early Sept, I had a $110 Fido hardware credit and while I'd prefer unlimited 3G, 6GB a month for $30 is 'acceptable' - but Fido has exactly three 3G smartphones, two of which are not touchscreens - leaving me with only one valid choice: the iPhone - and to be honest, since I have lots of WiMo products, I wanted to give the iPhone a shot.
Now, of course, there's an assumption that as a developer, especially one who was a Mac developer for many years and has defected to the dark side, this will lure me back.
So Yan, a local friend of mine, had an expiring developer hardware credit and very generously offered it to me because I'd mentioned that I wanted to get rid of my hulking G4 that's so old it can't even run 10.5 and is taking up a TON of space and replace it with a Mac mini. Actually I was going to order one from Amazon.com and have it shipped to ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kurst and pick it up at MFF, then use the $400 customs exemption to get it across the border for close to $600 rather than the $750 it would cost up here.
Since I couldn't justify the extra $200 for the high end one (you only get .17GHz speed, 40GB HD and a DVD burner more - note to Apple, everyone else on the planet has dropped using combo drives... catch up, please?) I went with the basic model - which is still mmmm... 8 times faster than the G4? :)
But I'm convinced the universe does not want me to have a new Mac.
Yan transferred the credit last Sunday. I put the order in an hour later. On Monday, I got an email from Apple saying that the order had been held because I don't have a hardware credit. I check my account - and there's the transfer and the order and the history record showing it had been consumed on that order. I call the lady who left me her phone number - she's out of the office. I call Apple's dev hardware order desk and they can't look at my history! Ooookay... they put a request in for their support group to look at it - but that'll take 2-3 days.
Next day, I get an email with an apology - they've fixed the problem and are waving shipping charges. Nice. It ships the next day from California.
Today I call FedEx to have them hold the package, since I'm not at home during the day. I'm told they can't do this. I ask why - well, because Apple has to give them permission. Excuse me? I've been shipping stuff for years - and this has NEVER been the case. I ask her 'What happens when you try to deliver it tomorrow, and can't?' 'We'll attempt another delivery on Monday.' 'And what happens when THAT fails?' 'We ship it back to Apple.' Looooong pause. 'You're kidding, right?' 'No.'
So over to Apple and I explain the situation. The rep sounds... bewildered. Apple doesn't require that. They should just hold the package. He calls FedEx and puts another lady on the line who confirms this.
So... in theory, I should either get the package tomorrow morning, if they show up early enough, Saturday if they're open in the morning (I think they are) or Monday.
Oi. :)
Still, all's well that ends well... | | |
| | Subject: | Looks like the Packers are staying in Mr. Rodgers neighborhood,,,Telling Brett to Jet! | | Time: | 07:11 am |
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| Dear Brett Favre,
WHAT in THE HELL were you thinking? You had a perfect chance to become a Football legend. You had it all sewn up. BUT then you started all of this crap and basically destroyed all street cred you had acquired over the years. Nice job. BTW, I am a little ticked that EA sports isn't removing your likeness from the cover of their game. Most players EARN that honor...It seems as if you stole it outright. Nice try. The best you can do at this point is fade away slowly. Even if Brett gets the start...I doubt it will change much of anything. Just retire Brett! :P
Signed,
Tiger tired of the Favre drama. | | |
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Other side of garden, the less windy side.
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Herbs and daun dewa, with chill plants.
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Done, after yet another freak storm.
( Read more... ) | | |
| | Subject: | more rune stuff. | | Time: | 05:44 pm |
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| managed to finish the second aett, except for one symbol, and 3 of the next one.. the one i've been having trouble with is
it apparently means need, want or necessity... | | |
| | Subject: | Travel Update - In Indiana | | Time: | 03:13 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/anksleepyg.gif) sleepy |
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| Just making a quick update before I pass out to let everyone know we're okay.
We're on our way back to New York now.
We've stopped in Howe, Indiana for the evening so we can get a little sleep.
I'll probably get around to responding to the previous entries and emails once we get back to NY, unless I have a little time tomorrow before we get back on the road. Sorry we didn't have a chance to stop by and see everyone within a handful of hours distance of Rochester and whatnot. We really wanted to, but time didn't allow for it during this trip. Hopefully next trip, or better yet, once we move out here!
Thanks so much to everyone for their thoughts and support through all the crazy.
Positive positive thoughts!
Off to sleep now. | | |
| | Tags: | art | | Subject: | ... | | Time: | 02:53 pm |
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| aquarelle
fineliner.
02 - all you need is...
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| | Subject: | First Full Paycheck | | Time: | 09:04 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/bouncey.gif) bouncy |
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| Wee! I'm quite happy with it. A paycheck at my old job was about $200-$300 less than what I'm making now. And my paychecks now will pretty much stay the same, rather than fluctuate, so I'll be able to budget better, and know basically what I have.
And... and... I figured out that even with my rent paycheck, groceries, bills and everything, I'll still have some money left! asazieagle's paychecks have been larger, too. So we'll both be able to save up money and buy things that we need/want. Rather than always paying the bare minimum and going with out.
I'm not rich, but I'm so incredibly happy. :D
~RedFeather~ | | |
| | Tags: | mobile | | Subject: | More Ice art... | | Time: | 06:01 pm |
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| This time it's a whiteboard doodle in my cube! Tigger!
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| | Tags: | mobile | | Subject: | Clay Tigjah! | | Time: | 03:32 pm |
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| Kyubi made me in clay for my desk! Rockage! Behold! (Dig the "Bell of Fail" on my collar!)
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| | Tags: | writer's block | | Subject: | Writer's Block: God For a Day | | Time: | 02:07 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://www.paws-and-effect.com/Loltheme/optimistic.gif) optimistic |
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1. Tell the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Jews (and whoever else thinks they've got some kind of special Super Sekrit Entrance to My kingdom) that they're not My chosen people; they're just a bunch of bozos on the bus like everyone else.
2. Tell the human race that it's awful nice of them to write a bunch of novels about My interactions with them Back In The Days, but really, this worship of assorted works of fiction has gone way too far. Then I'd explain what My expectations (not commandments, mind you) are as follows: 1) be kind and compassionate to other people, to animals, and to yourself; 2) act with integrity and honor; 3) love; 4) take time every day to appreciate the beauty around you; and 5) use the brains I gave you.
3. Clean up all the nuclear waste and toxic sludge around the world, "reforestate" the decimated equatorial and boreal forests, bring a bunch of awesome animals back from extinction, and tell the human race, "You get one do-over, and you'd better not fuck it up this time!" | | |
| On my morning commute, I noticed that the working dairy farm I pass by has just gone on the market. It's a 290-acre farm, just a mile or so off Route 1A (for those of you who live out of state, this is one of the main highways from the coast of Maine to Bangor, a small city where you can get pretty much everything you need). The views are beautiful, the barn is well-equipped, and if I could afford it I'd probably buy it myself. They're asking $375,000, and if you want the 61 head of Holstein cows and the farm equipment, those are also available for purchase.
You can find the listing here.
In case that's a lot of money for you (as it is for anyone who wants to start a farm, you can work with the Maine Farmland Trust; they have a farm transfer program and a buy-protect-sell program that allows them to sell farms at a low interest rate.) | | |
| | Time: | 06:50 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/bitospud/courier/black/happy.gif) satisfied |
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| The Appetite of Time
It's nothing you'd notice at first,
a peckish nibble here or there.
Sometimes, if you weren't careful,
a larger bite when you've had an accident --
falling down stairs or off the bed.
Even then, you always healed fast and well;
these things happen and the scars
of invisible teeth became war wounds
used to amaze your friends.
Under the sucking of teeth and impressed grunting,
a nervous, timid nip...
The first holes are easy to ignore,
a thunderbolt of pain in a clear blue elbow
or an alarming cache of misplaced items growing
in the last place you'd think to look.
The scars you've birthed became more reluctant to leave,
but your friends aren't so impressed any more --
they've got their own mouths to feed.
The pocks develop and converge
towards a pattern too deliberate to be benign.
Under the gasps of surprise, the glare of dismay,
a tireless, busy gnawing...
After a lifetime, teeth become cruel.
Quietly devouring, piece by piece:
another region forced to abandonment
and a slow descent of unremarkable disrepair.
Satisfied with its handiwork, it moves on.
One by one, friends were cut down
and you realized, of course too late,
that it won't stop until there's nothing left.
Slowly, surely, flashes of pain die to numbness.
In the silence of finality,
the satisfied bruxing of completion.
-DAC, 1/26/06 | | |
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