November 16, 2014
Wonderduck Takes One For the Team
Between his F-1 coverage, military history discussion and pointers to shows we might want to watch, Wonderduck has been watching a show called Ben-To...so we don't have to.
He has finally finished it and his overviews can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, not here, here, here, here and here. Yes. He watched the whole thing...to keep us safe from it. His posts on this subject are a bit surreal, but are estimated to be 77% less damaging to ones psyche than watching the actual show.
Words cannot express my gratitude to him for enduring this on our behalf. Thus I can only offer him this as thanks.
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RWBY Second Season Ends
After the spectacular home run that was episode 11, the Finale of RWBY season 2 fell rather flat. The animation was off, and despite a several moments of awesomeness there was a rather perfunctory feel to the big climactic fight, which seemed disjointed and not entirely consistent. Basically everyone got a moment to shine though there was very little of the spectacular Monty Oum choreography that had been so impressive in previous fights and in fact the fight was so by the numbers and below the standards of the rest of the season that I suspect they ran out of money, time or both in this episode. On the non-technical side, there were some things that just didn't quite work.
Of course the other problem had to do with a general lack of answers, though this is not nearly as egregious as it would normally be, since it's pointed out by Ruby herself while our heroines recover from the day.
"Wait.We helped arrest a bunch of very bad people but we didn't really solve anything!"
Like the fist season finale, this one did not feel like a climax at all, but rather seemed to be just another episode, steadily moving the plot along, with the rather sedate last half of the episode being in a lot of ways better than the nonstop action of the first half.
It's not a bad episode, but is also not up to the high standards the show had set for itself.
That being said though, this season overall has been quite enjoyable. While the first season of RWBY amused me quite a bit. The second season has (overall) been even better.
This is despite the fact that, in sharp contrast to the carefree whimsy of the season opener, the overall tone of RWBY season 2 is quite a bit darker than the first. Fortunately, the show avoids descending into something grimm depressing, thanks in part to its oddball, upbeat quirkiness.
Also: The super heroines get a corgi
While it is still obviously a very low budget show, the animation, art, pacing and voice-work are all much improved over season one. I've heard griping about what at first seemed to be an awkward subplot (involving side characters) that suddenly metastasized out of nowhere. However, unlike a similar digression in the first season, its resolution was both unexpected and satisfying. Plus, it ended up advancing the larger plot quite nicely.
The protagonists remain likable and have gained a bit more depth. Crucially, teams RWBY and JNPR consist of people that one actually enjoys rooting for. They are flawed human beings, sometimes wrestling with dark secrets, despair and self doubt, but they are not anti-heroes or cynics. These are an idealistic bunch who want to make the world a better place, want to do the right thing and are willing to pick themselves up and struggle on even if they get knocked down…hard. This is important because our heroes are punching well above their weight…rather more than they seem to realize.
The villains really came into their own in this season and are actually a pretty interesting lot…. Exactly WHAT their ultimate goal is remains unclear, but they are not incompetent and can think on their feet. They are, overall, quite worthy and occasionally terrifying antagonists.
These 12 short episodes were 144 minutes of my time that I do not regret. Despite the non-finale that was #12, I find that I’m eagerly looking forward to the third season.
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November 14, 2014
November 14: The Day IT Support Came into Its Own
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November 13, 2014
I Thought
...that this was surely satire, but I followed the hyperlinks and....
"It burns."
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A Suspicious Silence
We were curious as to Don's take on the 4.8 earthquake that hit Wichita yesterday, but seems that the temblor it made no impression on him.
As this is obviously suspicious, it has been surmised that Don, who is something of a volcano otaku, had commenced building a volcano in his back yard.
Since this would open up a vast potential for awesomeness in the fields of both geothermal energy and mayhem, we've asked one of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes to to explain how the miracle of SCIENCE! allows this to be possible.
Ummm....It don't 'cause it ain't.
Well then.
Using Occam's Swiffer, the only remaining logical explanation is that one of these rusted through...which could represent a nontrivial product safety issue moving forward.
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November 12, 2014
A Duck Now Has a Hat...In Spaaaaace!
Rosetta-Tan and Philae-Tan by Dei Shirou
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November 11, 2014
11/11
Cdr. Salamander has some thoughts on the day. You should read them.
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November 10, 2014
I Find Myself Numb From Relief
Banality lurks below the fold.
As compensation, here is some eye candy courtesy of Tobusa.
more...
I confess that I have no idea what this has to do with soccer.
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November 09, 2014
Craig Ferguson Has Got it Figured Out
Forget the Jonas Brothers. This is why he got passed over for Colbert.
Now get off my lawn.
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November 08, 2014
My Week: Summed Up
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November 05, 2014
Aftermath
I've been down hard with a relapse of the flu or flu-like thing that I was beset with over the weekend. I noticed while perusing the aftermath of the election that the Republicans did rather well.
Then I heard that they won the governorship in Illinois.
Now having read that, I should have woken up immediately, but I didn't, and I can't.
I appear to be trapped in a coma or something and experiencing a bizarre hallucination...I'm kind of afraid.
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November 04, 2014
Election Day
The radio this morning had caller after caller going on about the issues in Virginia Beach, where the touch screen machines have apparently become self aware...and decided that they are Democrats.
Fortunately, here in Portsmouth, we use paper ballots and thus do our bit to keep Skynet at bay.
However, this morning at my polling place there were only three other voters present and I spent less time ther than I would have if I'd stopped for gas.
Elections are decided by those who bother to vote.
If I can't persuade you of the importance of doing your civic duty, perhaps this young lady can.
Gai Rei Zero's Isayama Yomi was rendered sans text by Zhen Lin
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November 02, 2014
This Years Flu Shot
Either it is useless, or it has saved my life.
In any event, I've got nothing, so here is something to ponder...
...just in case you've been doing it wrong.
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October 31, 2014
Boo!
RWBY in costume by Elf-Jy
more...
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October 30, 2014
An Epiphany
This afternoon, It suddenly occurred to me who the proprietor of Zoopraxiscope is.
The guy is obviously a genius since he can find gems like this.
Thus, he probably has a PHD.
That he's musically inclined is obvious.
The final giveaway though was that, his name is Don. He probably didn't count on someone having spent their childhood playing with plastic toys that had names like Iguanadon, Trachodon and Deniedon..but I did and so I know!
BEHOLD!
My first go at doxxing....
more...
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October 29, 2014
Not Really Effective, but Surprisingly Good
matching their 14.5mm anti-tank rifles against captured German tanks.
First is a "heavy tank". I have no idea what it is, aside from that it's German. Here are the results with a 14.5 mm AT rifle:
While looking for info on the Ukranian situation I blundered into this,
It's an interesting post on penetration tests that the Soviets did matching their 14.5mm anti-tank rifles against captured German tanks.
- Lower front plate (45 mm at 10 degrees): does not penetrate
- Turret rear (28-30 mm at 10 degrees): penetrates at 200 meters, 100 meters at a 30 degree angle
- Turret platform side (28-30 mm): penetrates at over 300 meters, 100 meters at a 30 degree angle
- Lower hull side (28-30 mm): penetrates at over 400 meters, 100 meters at a 30 degree angle
This is a bit better than I would have thought.
The performance against what are described as medium and light tanks is correspondingly better. I would not want to face these in a Panzer2 or even some modern APCs, and certainly not in a Humvee.
The"rifles" are beasts of course, with the lighter, single shot version weighing nearly 41 pounds and being 79 inches long. I suppose if one put a bayonet on one it would be a serviceable pike. These were obsolescent later in the war, but it is apparent that they were still quite effective weapons if used well. I knew these guns were still in use around the world as antimaterial rifles, but the linked post gives a much greater appreciation of how fearsome they can be.
"That just ain't right!".
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Meanwhile
While all eyes are on the Ebola situation, one should keep in mind that as things stand now, Ebola is not at all likely to infect and kill you.
"But...but..."
So cheer up.
There are other things to worry about....
NATO countries have been responding to incursions by Russian military assets almost daily. Now the Russians are sending their bombers in groups of 8. Note that a Tu-95-MS (Bear) bomber can carry 16 KH-55 (Kent) nuclear tipped cruise missiles.
Math can be unpleasant.
I'm unfamiliar with this site and unsure if it is reads as the Twenty Committee or is looking at foreign policy from a female perspective. However, it does have an interesting overview of Poland's current preparations for hostilities with Russia, which it increasingly views as possible.
While no one was looking, Putin pretty much annexed another chunk of Georgia (as Putin will).
...In other words, the agreement’s language lays out a blatant attempt to administratively annex Abkhazia into Russia proper. The Abkhazian separatist "parliament†was given two weeks to discuss the treaty. However, Moscow does not expect any negative reactions from Sukhumi about this agreement (vedomosti.ru, October 13). And indeed, it is difficult to imagine what Tbilisi can do to avert this looming annexation of Abkhazia—a region where thousands of Russian occupation troops are stationed.
Of course, Russia is not universally bellicose and is quite capable of strengthening relationships.
China is good at making friends too...
Last month, visitors to Bandar Abbas on Iran’s southern coast gathered to witness a never-seen-before event: two Chinese warships pulling into port.It could be just the start of a budding naval alliance stretching from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf.
Those are not the only vessels that has been in that part of the world recently.
...a Chinese attack sub—a so-called hunter-killer, designed to seek out and destroy enemy vessels—slipped through the strait above water and disappeared. It resurfaced near Sri Lanka and then in the Persian Gulf, say people familiar with its movements, before returning through the strait in February—the first known voyage of a Chinese sub to the Indian Ocean.
Iran of course is quite happy to use Chinese purchases get around the arms embargo it's suffering under because of its nuclear weapons program.
That nuclear weapons program seems to have some relationship to what on the surface are two completely unrelated stories
The North Koreans reportedly have developed a miniaturized nuclear warhead light enough to fit on a missile. (The original WSJ piece is here, but behind a paywall). This, of course, is of no use to them without a missile that could deliver it. In no doubt unrelated news, North Korea is building a test rig for a tube launched ballistic missile. This is odd as North Korea has no ballistic missile submarines...aside from the Golf class SSB they bought a few years ago...but using those 40 year old hulls is so far fetched as to be laughable. The tube test could be for a land based missile or some other project, though the Global Security report does mention sightings of a submarine firred out with a launch tube. Meanwhile Iran is also testing a similar type of launch tube, allegedly with help from North Korea. This aparrent technical exchange brings us to the buried lede in the story about the North Koreans small warhead.
Such nuclear warheads would be small enough to fit on a ballistic missile and would be a major improvement to Pyongyang’s weapons technology. Gen. Scaparrotti said he believed North Korea also had developed a launcher that could carry an ICBM with a miniaturized warhead…Gen. Scaparrotti said North Korea may have gained know-how on warhead-miniaturization technology through its relationships with Iran and Pakistan
Emphasis mine...
Pakistan makes sense, but if Iran does not have a nuke yet, how are they offering advanced technical assistance on nukes?
Which brings us to the Jeffry Goldberg piece in The Atlantic the other day which is notorious for quoting two senior administration officials as referring to Israel's Prime Minister as "Chick*****t". However, there is a much more troubling bit in the tirade by our administration against an ally.
I ran this notion by another senior official who deals with the Israel file regularly. This official agreed that Netanyahu is a "chickenshit†on matters related to the comatose peace process, but added that he’s also a "coward†on the issue of Iran’s nuclear threat. The official said the Obama administration no longer believes that Netanyahu would launch a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to keep the regime in Tehran from building an atomic arsenal. "It’s too late for him to do anything. Two, three years ago, this was a possibility. But ultimately he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. It was a combination of our pressure and his own unwillingness to do anything dramatic. Now it’s too late.â€
Emphasis mine...
So we have an administration official bragging about how they successfully pressured the Israelis not to take out Iran's nuclear program...then ridiculing him for being such a shmuck as to give into their pressure...and gleefully reporting that there is nothing the Israelis can do about Iran's nukes...because "it's too late".
That does not actually induce 'the warm fuzzies'.
What if some of those later, more successful North Korean nuclear tests were joint tests with Iran and Iran has therefore already tested their bomb? Of course there would need to be some evidence of Iranian scientists present at North Korea's nuclear tests for that silly theory to have any merit.
It is good to put that worry to rest otherwise the fact that Iran is the state sponsor of Hezbollah might be cause for considerable alarm. You see there are further indications that Hezbollah is prepping for a huge attack on Israel in the very near future, one likely to overwhelm Israel's missile defenses. Additionally, the Israelis are assuming that there is a tunnel network in place along the lines of the one used by Gaza in the recent conflict there.
Finally: Thank God for the Yazidi. Because if ISIS were only doing this to the Christians, we'd never hear a word about it.
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Snowflakes Can Help Spread Ebola!?
Actually, they have to be precious, special ones.
The nurse who was quarantined after returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa has given the State of Maine until Thursday to let her move freely, setting up what could be a test case of whether state quarantines are legal.
This is quite troubling. Ebola is not an unmanageable problem as Senegal and Nigeria have shown, but it is not to be trifled with.
It is said that doctors make the worst patients. Miss Hickox and her colleague in New York, (who lied to authorities about breaking quarantine ) are doing nothing to contradict that notion.
Ace has some thoughts on this that are worth reading.
The reason we have coercive, non-voluntary quarantines is that we have learned through 4,000 years of recorded human history that people will not voluntarily self-quarantine, and will in fact act irrationally as willing agents of plague.
It bears repeating that Ebola spread to Nigeria, and very nearly Minnesota because an American named Patrick Sawyer decided that quarantine ought not to apply to his own special self. One of the problems America faces is a class of people who believe that they are above the laws they set for others. In the case of these doctors such aristocratic self indulgence could make a manageable problem a catastrophe. This would not be the first time political pressure screwed up a public health response, but it is far less excusable since this disease is far easier to screen for.
The thing I like MOST about the United States is that the hypocrisy and sense of entitlement that some of its doctors have are almost indistinguishable from negligence and stupidity!
In other news: It appears that Ebola Tan's pet skull is named Wilhelm. How this information might be of use is unclear to me at this time.
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Layers of Fact Checkers...That Work
I haven't played online RPGs to any great extent and am unaware of the nuances of the cultural tics of those that do. Likewise, I've pretty much given up on dating because I simply do not understand the female of the species.
A couple of our readers have helpfully taken the time to intelligently fill in some of the vast amounts of context related to those matters that I missed in a recent review.
"Midlife crisis my arse"
See? The comments here are not just for practicing katakana and reading about knockoff footwear!
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October 28, 2014
Now I REALLY Regret not Driving up to Chincoteague Today
Alas, it turned out not to be visible from here after all.
But a sincere thanks goes out to Pete for the heads up nonetheless.
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