February 19, 2014
We Live in an Age
...where wonders undreamt of in previous times are possible.
Like a video of Kate Upton doing a swimsuit photo shoot in zero -gee.
(Link NSFW, obviously)
Spoiler: It looks like this...
...but different.
Like a video of Kate Upton doing a swimsuit photo shoot in zero -gee.
(Link NSFW, obviously)
Spoiler: It looks like this...
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February 18, 2014
Well Dang
The Wakfu Kickstarter ends tonight and my Kickstarter account is all screwy.
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February 17, 2014
Happy Presidents Day
In compliance with FCC requirements that a certain percentage of our content be educational, we feel we should point to this...
...and take time to educate our readers about the fact that the United States played no part in Gallipoli or the Battle of Verdun, both of which took place before the US declared war in 1917.
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February 16, 2014
That Sinking Feeling
...Honorious must have felt as he pondered ruefully upon the wisdom of rounding out his army's order of battle with Visigoths....that he was in considerable debt to.
Instapundit notes in the last paragraph of this article, quite the buried lede:
Wow.
Just. Wow.
Instapundit notes in the last paragraph of this article, quite the buried lede:
The United States has become so dependent on Chinese imports, however, that the F.D.A. may not be able to do much about the Chinese refusal. The crucial ingredients for nearly all antibiotics, steroids and many other lifesaving drugs are now made exclusively in China.
Wow.
Just. Wow.
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February 15, 2014
Now That Singles Awareness Day Has Passed
..it is probably a good time to remind people of the importance of stoicism...and failing that, knowing when to shut up.
When asked by a reporter how he felt about the recent record snowfall in Tokyo, this fellow seems to have given an answer so sappy that it broke the very soul of the young lady on his arm. To add to the couples mutual mortification the interview quickly went viral and....well...
more...
When asked by a reporter how he felt about the recent record snowfall in Tokyo, this fellow seems to have given an answer so sappy that it broke the very soul of the young lady on his arm. To add to the couples mutual mortification the interview quickly went viral and....well...
more...
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February 13, 2014
Ignore This Poster. It is Highly Misleading
Director Carl Rinch gives the classic tale of Bushido a supernatural twist. The film boasts an all star cast of Japanese A-listers including Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Min Tanaka and Jin Akashini. They are joined by Keneau Reeves portraying a magical honkey who teaches our heroes an important lesson in respect and tolerance.
47 Ronin is a pretty odd film, but if one HAD to somehow work Keneau Reeves into this story, this is about as respectful to the source material as one could hope for. If one wanted to remake this film without the supernatural elements...well, there's no point in that because Hiroshi Inegaki nailed it in 1962. As it is, this is a pretty good popcorn flick that, surprisingly, does not cop out on the point of the story. It's even clever at times with a few moments of 'fridge brilliance'
I admit I went into this with low expectations, but, while no great work of art, it is a surprisingly solid film.
Director Carl Rinch gives the classic tale of Bushido a supernatural twist. The film boasts an all star cast of Japanese A-listers including Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Min Tanaka and Jin Akashini. They are joined by Keneau Reeves portraying a magical honkey who teaches our heroes an important lesson in respect and tolerance.
Despite that...last bit, this is not a bad film. It is rather strange though.
A brief narration gives a decent overview of the political situation in 18th century Japan and the fact that this film is based on a historical event...shortly before introducing the audience to some really impressive supernatural weirdness. This is a Japan where the Tengu and other Yokai are real and can be quite dangerous. Thanks in part to the supernatural element, Reeves's character is not entirely egregious and his incongruous presence actually serves to establish the decency of the Lord Asano character ( Min Tanaka). In spite of a somewhat dubious romantic subplot between him and Ko Shibasaki, Reeves is, at best a deutoragonist and, in fact Hirouki Sanada as Oishi emerges in his historical role as the lead. This is actually a fairly straightforward retelling of the story....Well....aside from a much grander scale, the occasional supernatural horror, and Pirates of the Caribbean homages. This is all done with an astonishing amount of what appears to be...sincerity.
A brief narration gives a decent overview of the political situation in 18th century Japan and the fact that this film is based on a historical event...shortly before introducing the audience to some really impressive supernatural weirdness. This is a Japan where the Tengu and other Yokai are real and can be quite dangerous. Thanks in part to the supernatural element, Reeves's character is not entirely egregious and his incongruous presence actually serves to establish the decency of the Lord Asano character ( Min Tanaka). In spite of a somewhat dubious romantic subplot between him and Ko Shibasaki, Reeves is, at best a deutoragonist and, in fact Hirouki Sanada as Oishi emerges in his historical role as the lead. This is actually a fairly straightforward retelling of the story....Well....aside from a much grander scale, the occasional supernatural horror, and Pirates of the Caribbean homages. This is all done with an astonishing amount of what appears to be...sincerity.
I admit I went into this with low expectations, but, while no great work of art, it is a surprisingly solid film.
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Signs and Portents
As unwelcome as last weeks pronouncement was, we really should cut Punxsutawney Phil some slack.
Via Colleen Doran
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February 12, 2014
"Rain & Sleet w Scattered Flurries Possible: No Accumulation"
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February 07, 2014
Vocabulary: A Journey that Never Ends
Today I learned two new words.
Posterior tibial tendonitis and Osteochondral lesion of the talus.
Vocabulary sucks.
" Well, I learned the words peristerophilist and peristerophily today. I..what? No... ..OH GOD NOT THE EYES!"
I start physical therapy Monday.
Posterior tibial tendonitis and Osteochondral lesion of the talus.
Vocabulary sucks.
" Well, I learned the words peristerophilist and peristerophily today. I..what? No... ..OH GOD NOT THE EYES!"
I start physical therapy Monday.
.gif is from Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
(Spoiler: Sheeta keeps her eyes)
(Spoiler: Sheeta keeps her eyes)
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February 06, 2014
Thinking Small With Regard to Surface ships
CDR Phillip Pournelle has an interesting guest post over at Galrhan's place in which he discusses the potential that small combatants have to augment the USN's force structure. He specifically references the Coast Guard's new Sentinel Class patrol boats.
The Sentinel's are fine vessels, with great seakeeping for their size and enough range to cross the Pacific (via Hawaii). They are actually a Dutch design purchased because of its very good performance in several Navies & Coast Guards. However, it's unclear what increased firepower can realistically be added to the Sentinel design. Remember, it's not just displacement that is important, space is a big factor in guided missile systems and in the sensors, fire control and C4i systems needed to make any armament useful.
Still, being conservative, lets assume that any up-gunning consisted of replacing the Bushmaster Cannon with the 'bolt on' SEA RAM missile system (which has its own fire control on the mount) and squeezing in two Penguin antiship missiles between the cutters copious ventilators. I choose these two systems because they are both designed to have low impact and be mounted on austere or even civilian vessels, both are in US service and they are fairly cheap. The LCS has 21 point defense anti-air missiles (RAM) and no antiship missiles except for some antitank missiles that have a shorter range than the ships single Bofors gun. Bu contrast the postulated 14 Coast guard cutters, for the same price would have have 154 of the same type of point defense missiles and 28 over the horizon ship killing missiles. That's 133 more SAMs and 28 more SSMs and they'd be (at least) 14 times as hard to sink (perhaps harder, as the Coast Guard cutters are made of steel as opposed to aluminum).
All this really tells us is that comparing anything against the Navy's littoral combat ship is setting the bar rather low.
However 14 vessels would take at least 14 hits to put out of action and so might deny any enemy unfettered use of an area of water longer. Also 14 hulls can be in 14 places at once, which can be important in peace as well as war. Showing the flag, for instance, requires the flag actually be present.
On the debit side, while it's true that 14 cutters could cover a similar area to the LCS's helicopters, they'd be somewhat less flexible and, of course they'd not have anything like the huge cargo bay. It might be advisable to apply the concept to a somewhat larger, but still austere vessel. The Italian Commandante class Corvettes, are austere offshore patrol vessels that come in at 58 million (US) apiece which compares favorably to the Sentinel's 47 million dollar price tag.
The closeness in price between a 400 ton and a 1500 ton vessel may cause some alarm, but it is a good reminder that steel, as opposed to a weapon system or sensor array, is cheap. A bigger hull costs only a little more.
The Coast Guard needed a vessel that could go really close inshore, have a crew of under 30, have a low enough freeboard to pull people out of the water from the main deck, sip fuel, be based at existing small boat stations and have a draft of less than 10 feet. As such the 400 ton cutters are good fit for their needs...the operating costs are much lower (fuel, crew ect) are far smaller than the larger ship....(acquisition costs are only part of a budget).
However, 1100 more tons of steel buys a lot better seakeepng, a helicopter and vastly more internal space with all the associated advantages... at the cost of some increased operating costs due to a much larger crew and greater fuel consumption. 12 can be bought for the cost of a single 700 million LCS, though how much 12 would cost to run in comparison to an LCS is unclear though the LCS is notoriously expensive in fuel and repair costs. 12 of these ships bring 12 helicopters to the table as opposed to the LCS's 2 and the Comandante class has a hard point for 4 or 8 antiship missiles. There is also a provision in the design for a slightly stretched version with 8VLS cells and 32 ESSM missiles...
...but at that point you're getting into a AAA fire control systems, with the attendant risk of escalating prices to the point of missing the raison' detre' of the exercise.
Still, if the cost could be kept to the point that 6-10 could be bought and operated for the cost of an LCS then this vessel could be a vast quantitative and qualitative improvement over LCS.
Additionally, we've mentioned before that the French have a very interesting smaller (800 ton) vessel with similar features, but no costs were available.
Such vessels are no replacement for the big Destroyers, with their sensors and ability to shoot down aircraft missiles and satellites as well as strike targets a thousand miles away, but they could be an interesting force multiplier for a reasonable price. This is going to become a very important consideration in the coming years. when our older hulls start wearing out...just as the depth of our financial crisis becomes fully felt
I’ll add here another comparison: For the cost of one Littoral Combat ship with two helicopters we could deploy 14 Sentinel class patrol craft with increased firepower within the displacement capabilities of the hull design.
The Sentinel's are fine vessels, with great seakeeping for their size and enough range to cross the Pacific (via Hawaii). They are actually a Dutch design purchased because of its very good performance in several Navies & Coast Guards. However, it's unclear what increased firepower can realistically be added to the Sentinel design. Remember, it's not just displacement that is important, space is a big factor in guided missile systems and in the sensors, fire control and C4i systems needed to make any armament useful.
Still, being conservative, lets assume that any up-gunning consisted of replacing the Bushmaster Cannon with the 'bolt on' SEA RAM missile system (which has its own fire control on the mount) and squeezing in two Penguin antiship missiles between the cutters copious ventilators. I choose these two systems because they are both designed to have low impact and be mounted on austere or even civilian vessels, both are in US service and they are fairly cheap. The LCS has 21 point defense anti-air missiles (RAM) and no antiship missiles except for some antitank missiles that have a shorter range than the ships single Bofors gun. Bu contrast the postulated 14 Coast guard cutters, for the same price would have have 154 of the same type of point defense missiles and 28 over the horizon ship killing missiles. That's 133 more SAMs and 28 more SSMs and they'd be (at least) 14 times as hard to sink (perhaps harder, as the Coast Guard cutters are made of steel as opposed to aluminum).
All this really tells us is that comparing anything against the Navy's littoral combat ship is setting the bar rather low.
However 14 vessels would take at least 14 hits to put out of action and so might deny any enemy unfettered use of an area of water longer. Also 14 hulls can be in 14 places at once, which can be important in peace as well as war. Showing the flag, for instance, requires the flag actually be present.
On the debit side, while it's true that 14 cutters could cover a similar area to the LCS's helicopters, they'd be somewhat less flexible and, of course they'd not have anything like the huge cargo bay. It might be advisable to apply the concept to a somewhat larger, but still austere vessel. The Italian Commandante class Corvettes, are austere offshore patrol vessels that come in at 58 million (US) apiece which compares favorably to the Sentinel's 47 million dollar price tag.
The closeness in price between a 400 ton and a 1500 ton vessel may cause some alarm, but it is a good reminder that steel, as opposed to a weapon system or sensor array, is cheap. A bigger hull costs only a little more.
The Coast Guard needed a vessel that could go really close inshore, have a crew of under 30, have a low enough freeboard to pull people out of the water from the main deck, sip fuel, be based at existing small boat stations and have a draft of less than 10 feet. As such the 400 ton cutters are good fit for their needs...the operating costs are much lower (fuel, crew ect) are far smaller than the larger ship....(acquisition costs are only part of a budget).
However, 1100 more tons of steel buys a lot better seakeepng, a helicopter and vastly more internal space with all the associated advantages... at the cost of some increased operating costs due to a much larger crew and greater fuel consumption. 12 can be bought for the cost of a single 700 million LCS, though how much 12 would cost to run in comparison to an LCS is unclear though the LCS is notoriously expensive in fuel and repair costs. 12 of these ships bring 12 helicopters to the table as opposed to the LCS's 2 and the Comandante class has a hard point for 4 or 8 antiship missiles. There is also a provision in the design for a slightly stretched version with 8VLS cells and 32 ESSM missiles...
...but at that point you're getting into a AAA fire control systems, with the attendant risk of escalating prices to the point of missing the raison' detre' of the exercise.
Still, if the cost could be kept to the point that 6-10 could be bought and operated for the cost of an LCS then this vessel could be a vast quantitative and qualitative improvement over LCS.
Additionally, we've mentioned before that the French have a very interesting smaller (800 ton) vessel with similar features, but no costs were available.
Such vessels are no replacement for the big Destroyers, with their sensors and ability to shoot down aircraft missiles and satellites as well as strike targets a thousand miles away, but they could be an interesting force multiplier for a reasonable price. This is going to become a very important consideration in the coming years. when our older hulls start wearing out...just as the depth of our financial crisis becomes fully felt
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This Bodes Ill
Snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada mountans is where the water in southern California, Nevada and to an extent, Arizona comes from.
This is what snowfall in the Sierra Nevada looked like on January 18 of 2013, which was actually a very bad drought year.
This is what it looked like on the same date this year..
There is more here (via)
Forget the agricultural debacle for a moment...water for the cities is going to be a first order calamity. It's already pretty bad.
This is what snowfall in the Sierra Nevada looked like on January 18 of 2013, which was actually a very bad drought year.
This is what it looked like on the same date this year..
There is more here (via)
Forget the agricultural debacle for a moment...water for the cities is going to be a first order calamity. It's already pretty bad.
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February 05, 2014
Caught Up
The foot still hurts a bit, but I'm FINALLY caught up on the schoolwork that I missed due to the injury.
Well, almost...there's a big assignment due Friday that I haven't started on yet due to the backlog, but time-wise I'm 'in the black' as it were.
Speaking of which...
Well, almost...there's a big assignment due Friday that I haven't started on yet due to the backlog, but time-wise I'm 'in the black' as it were.
Speaking of which...
Art by S. Zenith Lee
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February 04, 2014
Regards Years Ending in ...14
The Gregorian calender does not have any predictive qualities beyond such matters as when a leap day will be inserted. The parallels between today and 1914 while real, are far from exact and have been developing for years.They do not gain special effectiveness by this grim centennial.
However, Suburban Banshee takes a moment to remind us that ours is not the only calendar...and that her name is apt.
In fact China doesn't see any parallels to the first world war...they see things in terms of the second.
So...um....yay.
The Gregorian calender does not have any predictive qualities beyond such matters as when a leap day will be inserted. The parallels between today and 1914 while real, are far from exact and have been developing for years.They do not gain special effectiveness by this grim centennial.
However, Suburban Banshee takes a moment to remind us that ours is not the only calendar...and that her name is apt.
…it’s not comforting to ponder that Chinese who believe in traditional five elements fortunetelling are of the opinion that Yang years of the Wood Horse are associated with war — and "fast victories.†It is a year to stick to one’s principles — which in this version means not negotiating and running over other people.
In fact China doesn't see any parallels to the first world war...they see things in terms of the second.
So...um....yay.
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Jasper Has Passed On
James Lileks bids farewell to his friend of 19 years.
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February 03, 2014
Oh Good. They Weren't Just Trolling Us With That Ending.
RWBY will resume in July.
There will be a premire at RTX (July 4-6) and it will be released online shortly after that.
There will be a premire at RTX (July 4-6) and it will be released online shortly after that.
Volume 2 will reportedly be 12 episodes of around 12 minutes which is a good thing as the wildly varying 4-15 minute length last season was non-conducive to pacing. Though resuming after an 8 month hiatus, this second volume is apparently considered to be the second half of season one.
For all this show's quirks, I find myself looking forward to this. They're doing some interesting things with the nigh nonexistent budget I am genuinely curious where it will go from here.
For all this show's quirks, I find myself looking forward to this. They're doing some interesting things with the nigh nonexistent budget I am genuinely curious where it will go from here.
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February 01, 2014
Long Day Was Long
I should count my blessings.
Malevolent nightwear is not amongst my life's irritants.
more...
Malevolent nightwear is not amongst my life's irritants.
more...
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January 30, 2014
A Public Service
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The Difference Between Snowflakes and Zombies
In Atlanta anyway.
Gizmodo has a surprisingly good piece by a transplanted Northerner that explains the situation to his sneering former neighbors.
Read the whole thing.
I'm not sure there wasn't a major screw up in Atlanta, but the southeast got, in addition to the snow, a good deal of ice in some places, and that, combined with the storm shifting at the last moment really caused problems.
One exchange in the comments stands out though, in response to those who helpfully stressing the importance of driving slow came THIS profound insight.....
Ummm...that's your scenario too.
Listen. If you know how to drive in snow well enough that you don't need to slow down....YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE IN SNOW. "Mr. Snow Is Scary" is the one doing it right.
Now I realize that for some of our readers, if you don't have to break out the aerosani, then it ain't really snow, but no matter how great the snowfall, one of the most important safety tips is to know your limitations. Driving slow is a rational, sensible response.
Here locally, we have 8 inches on the ground in Portsmouth, which is more than we've gotten in over a decade. (The other side of the Roads often gets more, but here on the Southside any accumulation is rare) The area is still shut down and schools are expected to remain closed tomorrow.
It will be 65 this weekend.
Real life vs Walking Dead
In Atlanta anyway.
Gizmodo has a surprisingly good piece by a transplanted Northerner that explains the situation to his sneering former neighbors.
Birmingham is one of those cities that shuts down at the faintest hint of snow. Again, this isn’t because we are rubes who wonder why God’s tears have turned white and fall slower. It’s because the city does not have the infrastructure in place to handle snow, and is self-aware enough to realize it. If you don’t know how to swim, just stay out of the pool. Easy.
This time, though, the city did not shut down. Schools were open. Places of business kept businessing. That’s because as of Tuesday morning, we were being told that all that was coming was a light dusting
Read the whole thing.
I'm not sure there wasn't a major screw up in Atlanta, but the southeast got, in addition to the snow, a good deal of ice in some places, and that, combined with the storm shifting at the last moment really caused problems.
One exchange in the comments stands out though, in response to those who helpfully stressing the importance of driving slow came THIS profound insight.....
Ummm...that's your scenario too.
Listen. If you know how to drive in snow well enough that you don't need to slow down....YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE IN SNOW. "Mr. Snow Is Scary" is the one doing it right.
Now I realize that for some of our readers, if you don't have to break out the aerosani, then it ain't really snow, but no matter how great the snowfall, one of the most important safety tips is to know your limitations. Driving slow is a rational, sensible response.
Here locally, we have 8 inches on the ground in Portsmouth, which is more than we've gotten in over a decade. (The other side of the Roads often gets more, but here on the Southside any accumulation is rare) The area is still shut down and schools are expected to remain closed tomorrow.
It will be 65 this weekend.
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January 29, 2014
What the HELL Was THAT!?
I just watched Megan Kelly do a 5 or 6 minute segment on a family being tormented by demons. Apparently social services went to some ladies house to sieze her kids and decided against it on the grounds that they came to believe that the mother was not at fault. They and the accompanying police officers determined that the children's injuries were actually caused by poltergeists or demons or some other ectoplasmic annoyances that do not belong on an actual news show.
Look...Ms. Kelley...if you're going to go all Discovery Channel on us just bite the bullet and interview Bat Child....or switch to hosting Red Eye.
"Whut?"
Look...Ms. Kelley...if you're going to go all Discovery Channel on us just bite the bullet and interview Bat Child....or switch to hosting Red Eye.
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January 28, 2014
Entrepreneurship in a Nutshell
From episode 7 of Log Horizon, which, in addition to the definition, provides a more in depth examination of the of financial, logistical and personnel requirements for the successful execution of such an endeavor and touches on the vital importance of being able to identify and get in on the ground floor of promising business opportunities. The potential pitfalls of trade secret infringement are touched upon as well, but are not yet being examined to any great degree.
From episode 7 of Log Horizon, which, in addition to the definition, provides a more in depth examination of the of financial, logistical and personnel requirements for the successful execution of such an endeavor and touches on the vital importance of being able to identify and get in on the ground floor of promising business opportunities. The potential pitfalls of trade secret infringement are touched upon as well, but are not yet being examined to any great degree.
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