March 16, 2014
Meanwhile
While the plane continues to be missing and Russia annexes the Crimea, another crisis seems to be brewing in the Philippines.
Some years ago the Chinese set up a military outpost on and laid claim to "Mischief Reef', a tiny coral outcropping in the Spratley islands off the coast of one of the main Philippine islands (Palawan).
China then cartographically stuck it's tounge out at all its southern neighbors claiming pretty much the entire South China Sea and in particular the Spratelys are Chinese territory.
The Philippines, which is not exactly a world power, could not evict the squatters without risking war and so responded by setting up an outpost on another of the rocks to confirm their sovereignty. The outpost is the Philippine transport ship Sierra Madre which has been grounded on Aungin reef and is the Phillipinel government administrative office for the Spratelys.
The ship is now classified as a government building and is staffed mainly with marines to prevent the Chinese from running the Philippines off from their own island and assert that the islands are not relinquished.
Well, while everyone was distracted by stuff happening elsewhere, the Chinese blockaded the island and PLA warships drove off Philippine ships bringing supplies.
The Philippine Air Force is now air dropping supplies. All this comes just as the US and the Philippines are getting ready to conduct joint exercises in Palawan.
Some years ago the Chinese set up a military outpost on and laid claim to "Mischief Reef', a tiny coral outcropping in the Spratley islands off the coast of one of the main Philippine islands (Palawan).
China then cartographically stuck it's tounge out at all its southern neighbors claiming pretty much the entire South China Sea and in particular the Spratelys are Chinese territory.
The technical diplomatic term for this is "jackassery".
The Philippines, which is not exactly a world power, could not evict the squatters without risking war and so responded by setting up an outpost on another of the rocks to confirm their sovereignty. The outpost is the Philippine transport ship Sierra Madre which has been grounded on Aungin reef and is the Phillipinel government administrative office for the Spratelys.
This outpost would probably not be near the top of my duty requests.
The ship is now classified as a government building and is staffed mainly with marines to prevent the Chinese from running the Philippines off from their own island and assert that the islands are not relinquished.
Well, while everyone was distracted by stuff happening elsewhere, the Chinese blockaded the island and PLA warships drove off Philippine ships bringing supplies.
The Philippine Air Force is now air dropping supplies. All this comes just as the US and the Philippines are getting ready to conduct joint exercises in Palawan.
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March 15, 2014
Well, THAT Narrows Things Down.
The likely location of the missing Malaysian 777 as estimated by satellite triangulation.
It looks like it was a skyjacking, but some information seems contradictory.
Turning off both the transponders does seem like a deliberate act.
On the other hand why have we not gotten a ransom demand, or had the plane flown into a building on the night of the highjacking?
A couple of possibilities come to mind.
*Whatever caused the mishap, the plane depressurized and was a flying coffin for its last hours.
*This was a heist: Something in the cargo hold was what the hijackers were after, diamonds, rubies, plutonium, Fogbank, or Episode 12 of Ultra7, In this case the plane either crashed somewhere or was landed and the passengers likely liquidated.
* They are looking at using the plane for a mass casualty attack, either with a nuke (perhaps acquired from Saudi Arabia or Pakistan) or simply slamming it into a target 9-11 style. There are considerable logistical hurdles to this beyond putting a 777 down for refueling in an out of the way place. An airliner with no transponder is going to elicit considerable attention and this planes transponder will likely be a missile magnet at this point. I Imagine that using it in this fashion would require (somehow) mimicking a known aircraftts transponder, destroying said aircraft and taking its place in the flight pattern with the identity of the exploded plane not established until the target had been hit. Likely targets would seem to be Tel-Aviv, Moscow, Beijing, and Vatican City, with hits on New York, Washington DC or Hampton Roads even harder to pull off given the distance one would have to fly without raising concern.
Obviously, as I'm neither a pilot nor a Sky Ninja this is random speculation from publicly available sources. Thus those readers who are pilots or help to build these planes are particularly encouraged to comment and give this post less of a Dunning -Krugger flavor.
UPDATE: Fixed the graphic so it actually means something.
It looks like it was a skyjacking, but some information seems contradictory.
Turning off both the transponders does seem like a deliberate act.
On the other hand why have we not gotten a ransom demand, or had the plane flown into a building on the night of the highjacking?
A couple of possibilities come to mind.
*Whatever caused the mishap, the plane depressurized and was a flying coffin for its last hours.
*This was a heist: Something in the cargo hold was what the hijackers were after, diamonds, rubies, plutonium, Fogbank, or Episode 12 of Ultra7, In this case the plane either crashed somewhere or was landed and the passengers likely liquidated.
* They are looking at using the plane for a mass casualty attack, either with a nuke (perhaps acquired from Saudi Arabia or Pakistan) or simply slamming it into a target 9-11 style. There are considerable logistical hurdles to this beyond putting a 777 down for refueling in an out of the way place. An airliner with no transponder is going to elicit considerable attention and this planes transponder will likely be a missile magnet at this point. I Imagine that using it in this fashion would require (somehow) mimicking a known aircraftts transponder, destroying said aircraft and taking its place in the flight pattern with the identity of the exploded plane not established until the target had been hit. Likely targets would seem to be Tel-Aviv, Moscow, Beijing, and Vatican City, with hits on New York, Washington DC or Hampton Roads even harder to pull off given the distance one would have to fly without raising concern.
Obviously, as I'm neither a pilot nor a Sky Ninja this is random speculation from publicly available sources. Thus those readers who are pilots or help to build these planes are particularly encouraged to comment and give this post less of a Dunning -Krugger flavor.
UPDATE: Fixed the graphic so it actually means something.
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March 14, 2014
Well Then...
I guess this show does have potential.
I've heard good things about Love Chunibyo and Other Delusions for some time. It's streaming on Crunchyroll now and looks to be both cute and demented.
They had me with Otakulypse Girl..the Antikythera mechanism was just glorious overkill.
I've heard good things about Love Chunibyo and Other Delusions for some time. It's streaming on Crunchyroll now and looks to be both cute and demented.
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March 13, 2014
A Few More Crimea Links
The BBC has a series of maps that touch on the political and ethnic history of the peninsula.
Businessweek has an interesting overview of the situation that mentions briefly the CO of the Ukranian naval base in Crimea. Massively outnumbered he was offered the option of a commission in the Russian Navy. He lives in Crimea,, speaks Russian, is an ethnic Russian but took an oath to defend Ukraine until his enlistment is up or he is defeated, so he's declined the offer and is preparing to defend the base (and I imagine get his flotilla ready to break for Odessa).
The Tartars suffered under Stalin nearly as much as the Ukrainians did and are not happy with the upcoming referendum.
A few days old, Cdr Salamander's analysis of some of the lessons from this mess still deserves a read.
Pete Zaitcev reports what he's hearing in Russian language circles in the comments of the previous Crimea thread , though no source is included.
Aw HELL no.
UPDATE: Or...what exactly?
The BBC has a series of maps that touch on the political and ethnic history of the peninsula.
Businessweek has an interesting overview of the situation that mentions briefly the CO of the Ukranian naval base in Crimea. Massively outnumbered he was offered the option of a commission in the Russian Navy. He lives in Crimea,, speaks Russian, is an ethnic Russian but took an oath to defend Ukraine until his enlistment is up or he is defeated, so he's declined the offer and is preparing to defend the base (and I imagine get his flotilla ready to break for Odessa).
The Tartars suffered under Stalin nearly as much as the Ukrainians did and are not happy with the upcoming referendum.
A few days old, Cdr Salamander's analysis of some of the lessons from this mess still deserves a read.
Pete Zaitcev reports what he's hearing in Russian language circles in the comments of the previous Crimea thread , though no source is included.
Aw HELL no.
UPDATE: Or...what exactly?
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March 12, 2014
Hey You Guys! The Bossy Wusses are Derping!
The PC crowd is at it again. The recent movement to ban the word "bossy" has gotten some attention and well deserved derision, but it is a real movement with considerable momentum and should be feared. Now, via Scott Lowther we find this....
...also "derp".
This is societal cancer. These people are lacing up a straightjacket around our language so we cannot even express thoughts they find uncongenial.
In my sophomore year of high school I was required to read 1984. Back then (1986) it was still considered a cautionary tale...not a civics lesson.
One of the important steps to being an adult comes when one can shrug off the things people say that drive home the awful realization that one is not in fact the center of the universe.
The people behind these speech codes have never grown up. The children are running the school...those who get through the schools today without running afoul of the speech codes are going to be largely children (mentally) themselves or be so whipped that they will be the sort of compliant serfs a totalitarian society requires.
A Minnesota college has launched a campaign to warn students about the "oppressive impact†of offensive language such as "wuss†and "you guys.â€
...also "derp".
This is societal cancer. These people are lacing up a straightjacket around our language so we cannot even express thoughts they find uncongenial.
In my sophomore year of high school I was required to read 1984. Back then (1986) it was still considered a cautionary tale...not a civics lesson.
One of the important steps to being an adult comes when one can shrug off the things people say that drive home the awful realization that one is not in fact the center of the universe.
The people behind these speech codes have never grown up. The children are running the school...those who get through the schools today without running afoul of the speech codes are going to be largely children (mentally) themselves or be so whipped that they will be the sort of compliant serfs a totalitarian society requires.
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March 11, 2014
A Question for My Readers
The erudite humor, subtle social commentary and deep philosophizing of Space Dandy are expertly weaved via its multi-layered storytelling into a tapestry brilliantly designed to stimulate the intellect of the most sophisticated viewers while still conveying (with somewhat less success) entertainment on the squalid, unimaginative and vulgar level of storytelling accessible to the gauche masses.
Regrettably, as you may have gleaned from my previous post, my artistic appreciation is such that I'm really only comprehending the last part.
Hence my question.
Is there anyone here who gets the first part?
Regrettably, as you may have gleaned from my previous post, my artistic appreciation is such that I'm really only comprehending the last part.
Hence my question.
Is there anyone here who gets the first part?
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I Have A Confession to Make to My Readers
I've seen almost all of these films.
Yeah...that's the kind of person whose posts you have been reading all these years.
Sorry.
Yeah...that's the kind of person whose posts you have been reading all these years.
" I've been had."
Sorry.
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March 10, 2014
321 + 377 + 2
Just some kibitzing below the fold.
In lieu of content here is a Dame with a cutlass and a really big cutty thing storming a castle.
more...
In lieu of content here is a Dame with a cutlass and a really big cutty thing storming a castle.
Art by S. Zenith Lee.
more...
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March 09, 2014
So...That Last Matt Smith Episode
Was it a complete and utter mess or did I miss something?
Despite that, I think I'm gonna like the new Pertwee though.
Despite that, I think I'm gonna like the new Pertwee though.
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Windows 8
Yesterday I was on a friends computer for a bit and had my first real interaction with Windows 8.
My God.
It's full of suck.
Windows 8 is a failgasm. This is not merely different, it seems to be designed to be aggressively non-intuitive and intentionally bothersome to use. It seems to take malevolent glee in sending the user places he or she does not want to go to promote features unrelated to anything the user is trying to do...just browsing files is a remarkably bothersome operation. I asked my friend how it was working for him after several months of getting used to the systems quirks. His answer was a series of violent gestures punctuated with expletives.
There's always griping about the changes made in a new OS so I'd racked the complaints up to hyperbole. I apologize to everyone I'd doubted.
After much pondering on this matter, I have hypothesized a solution...
My God.
It's full of suck.
Windows 8 is a failgasm. This is not merely different, it seems to be designed to be aggressively non-intuitive and intentionally bothersome to use. It seems to take malevolent glee in sending the user places he or she does not want to go to promote features unrelated to anything the user is trying to do...just browsing files is a remarkably bothersome operation. I asked my friend how it was working for him after several months of getting used to the systems quirks. His answer was a series of violent gestures punctuated with expletives.
There's always griping about the changes made in a new OS so I'd racked the complaints up to hyperbole. I apologize to everyone I'd doubted.
After much pondering on this matter, I have hypothesized a solution...
..though I am hesitant to suggest it to my friend.
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March 06, 2014
Out of the Park
Hayao Miyazaki's films are practically always solid examples of the animators craft, so to note that one is good is not news. However, this latest effort by the director is superlative even by his august standards.
Wind Rises is a seemingly odd choice for an animated film, being a fictionalized biopic about Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of Japan's fearsome "Zero" naval fighter of the Second World War.
A few dream sequences give Miyazaki an outlet for his sense of whimsy, as does the fact that Caproni's CA:60 actually existed (briefly). However, while the film covers a tumultuous period of Japanese history, the epic events of the era happen mainly in the background with the notable exception of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which is terrifyingly portrayed. The focus is very much on the life of a very decent gentleman who tries to give his dreams form...with a slide rule. Miyazaki weaves this tale into a touching romantic period drama that uses the medium to brilliantly bring to life the vastly different world that was Taisho and early Showa Japan. This film was clearly a labor of love for Miyazaki who both wrote and directed it. It is on a rather different level from his other films. Every lesson he's learned in animation since he started in 1963 is put to good effect in this film, often quite subtly.
If you get the chance, by all means see it. This film is in criminally limited release (and was given an absurd PG-13 rating) due to smoking as well as various other bugaboos of the eternally offended crowd. Disney is reportedly releasing it "at arms length" which is a very sad thing indeed, because this film is really quite exquisite.
Hayao Miyazaki's films are practically always solid examples of the animators craft, so to note that one is good is not news. However, this latest effort by the director is superlative even by his august standards.
Wind Rises is a seemingly odd choice for an animated film, being a fictionalized biopic about Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of Japan's fearsome "Zero" naval fighter of the Second World War.
A few dream sequences give Miyazaki an outlet for his sense of whimsy, as does the fact that Caproni's CA:60 actually existed (briefly). However, while the film covers a tumultuous period of Japanese history, the epic events of the era happen mainly in the background with the notable exception of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which is terrifyingly portrayed. The focus is very much on the life of a very decent gentleman who tries to give his dreams form...with a slide rule. Miyazaki weaves this tale into a touching romantic period drama that uses the medium to brilliantly bring to life the vastly different world that was Taisho and early Showa Japan. This film was clearly a labor of love for Miyazaki who both wrote and directed it. It is on a rather different level from his other films. Every lesson he's learned in animation since he started in 1963 is put to good effect in this film, often quite subtly.
If you get the chance, by all means see it. This film is in criminally limited release (and was given an absurd PG-13 rating) due to smoking as well as various other bugaboos of the eternally offended crowd. Disney is reportedly releasing it "at arms length" which is a very sad thing indeed, because this film is really quite exquisite.
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March 03, 2014
On Crimea
Jerry Pournelle has thoughts.
He goes on from there. It's short but has a good deal of historical perspective so I urge you to read the whole thing.
Brian Wang has an nice collection of links giving a good overview of the problems the U.S. President faces in making good on his threats. One of the biggest seems to be that the sort of divestment and sanctions policy threatened by SecState Kerry is likely to clobber European banks. I particularly note that China is quite vocally supporting Russia. The fact that after making grand pronouncements of red lines and consequences the US did nothing is a precedent that China is no doubt very pleased with as it looks at the territorial disputes it has with its neighbors.
I don't for a minute think that getting involved in any way is a good or wise. I certainly don't think that there is anything the President could have done to stop this, nor was it in our interest to poke the bear over it. I do think that the loud and empty bluster was supremely ill advised.
The Ukrainians suffered greatly under Stalin to the point that they aligned themselves with Hitler against him. There are reportedly still elements amongst the revolutionaries who look fondly at those who did so, though how influential they actually are is unclear.
The Russians are securing Sevastopol, which, being their only warm water European port is as vital to their economy as the pipelines that cross the Ukraine. The Crimea and western Ukraine are ethnically Russian (60% or more) and so the Russian claims of protecting their own are not entirely fatuous.
This is a nasty business and it apalls me that we are involved on any policy level beyond sending some aid.
Then there is this piece that Ace linked to...which just seems rather....odd.
I know there are people who comment here who know a lot more about this than me...have at it in the comments.
The Wall Street Journal this morning in a lead editorial says flatly that the Russian de facto annexation of the Crimea cannot be allowed to stand. That is because they are crazy...
He goes on from there. It's short but has a good deal of historical perspective so I urge you to read the whole thing.
Brian Wang has an nice collection of links giving a good overview of the problems the U.S. President faces in making good on his threats. One of the biggest seems to be that the sort of divestment and sanctions policy threatened by SecState Kerry is likely to clobber European banks. I particularly note that China is quite vocally supporting Russia. The fact that after making grand pronouncements of red lines and consequences the US did nothing is a precedent that China is no doubt very pleased with as it looks at the territorial disputes it has with its neighbors.
I don't for a minute think that getting involved in any way is a good or wise. I certainly don't think that there is anything the President could have done to stop this, nor was it in our interest to poke the bear over it. I do think that the loud and empty bluster was supremely ill advised.
The Ukrainians suffered greatly under Stalin to the point that they aligned themselves with Hitler against him. There are reportedly still elements amongst the revolutionaries who look fondly at those who did so, though how influential they actually are is unclear.
The Russians are securing Sevastopol, which, being their only warm water European port is as vital to their economy as the pipelines that cross the Ukraine. The Crimea and western Ukraine are ethnically Russian (60% or more) and so the Russian claims of protecting their own are not entirely fatuous.
This is a nasty business and it apalls me that we are involved on any policy level beyond sending some aid.
Then there is this piece that Ace linked to...which just seems rather....odd.
I know there are people who comment here who know a lot more about this than me...have at it in the comments.
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March 02, 2014
Meanwhile....
While everyone has been focused on Russia''s invasion. (or whatever it is they are doing) in Ukraine...
China has driven Filipino fishermen out of the waters around Scarborough Shoals with watercannon, declared two new national holidays dedicated to hate'n on Japan, is well along in the construction of two more aircraft carriers, and has a total of four in the pipeline. Additionally, they have put out video purporting to show that their new DF-41 road mobile ICBM is operational. All of this comes on the heels of this...
Seriously...what could go wrong here?
China has driven Filipino fishermen out of the waters around Scarborough Shoals with watercannon, declared two new national holidays dedicated to hate'n on Japan, is well along in the construction of two more aircraft carriers, and has a total of four in the pipeline. Additionally, they have put out video purporting to show that their new DF-41 road mobile ICBM is operational. All of this comes on the heels of this...
"[We] concluded that the PLA has been given the new task to be able to conduct a short sharp war to destroy Japanese forces in the East China Sea following with what can only be expected a seizure of the Senkakus or even a southern Ryukyu [islands] — as some of their academics say.â€
Seriously...what could go wrong here?
Territorial claims, South China Sea
This is not to say that the issues with Russia should be ignored, but perspective is important and our media needs to get better at multitasking.
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A Simple Chicken-Egg Problem
Via Instapundit, comes a report on how a mobile phone application is creating sociopaths...
Umm...no, but let us look at this for a moment.
So we have an app that will generate a series of sensitive, caring, supportive, text messages and send them to your significant other. This free one up to not worry about such things.
The article takes the position that these applications are turning us into monsters...
No.
Assuming the app is not an elaborate joke, then this is an app that is aimed at callous, duplicitous people and it certainly facilitates their jackassery, but it's not causing them to be that way.
Of course this app is probably not going to work for very long...A significant other is not a tamagoutchi. This is doubly true of the women it seems primarily intended to deceive.
Bro-Ap is a tool designed by sociopaths for sociopaths or perhaps is the product of some socially maladroit IT workers whose autism spectrum disorder kept them from groking why this is not the key to human interaction. It is a creepy bit of software, but it is not some ring of corruption.
It may even have an upside in the age of social media.
That one is using this program WILL come out eventually. Perhaps it will send cheerful texts after a fight or personal tragedy. Especially if the victim is a woman, it will eventually send out a detectable nonsequiter...at which point Facebook and Twitter enter into the picture.
You see, having this app on ones phone is pretty much a red flag of asshattery. Once one is caught using this in an actual romantic relationship (there might be defensible applications I'm not seeing) then one is going to find oneself on the very soon to be developed web page of CONFIRMED BRO-AP (and similar tools) USERS. Very soon young ladies in he know will check their prospective beau's number or twitter handle against that database as a first step and well.....
...The world will be made better through technology.
It is good that reporters are informing us of these things, but technology is what we make of it. Despite breathless speculation by technology ethicists looking to justify their degrees, computer programs and inanimate objects are neither good nor evil. In fact they have no alignment at all.
...well usually.
Via Instapundit, comes a report on how a mobile phone application is creating sociopaths...
Umm...no, but let us look at this for a moment.
First, some quick background on how BroApp works: It not only sends scheduled texts, but comes preloaded with 12 messages to help users get started. The developers also took steps to conceal the automation going on behind the scenes; in places designated "no bro zones,†the app is automatically disabled. (After all, the jig is up if your girlfriend received an automatic text from you while you’re at her place.) The app even has a rating system that lowers the risk of the same message being sent too frequently.
So we have an app that will generate a series of sensitive, caring, supportive, text messages and send them to your significant other. This free one up to not worry about such things.
The article takes the position that these applications are turning us into monsters...
No.
Assuming the app is not an elaborate joke, then this is an app that is aimed at callous, duplicitous people and it certainly facilitates their jackassery, but it's not causing them to be that way.
Of course this app is probably not going to work for very long...A significant other is not a tamagoutchi. This is doubly true of the women it seems primarily intended to deceive.
Bro-Ap is a tool designed by sociopaths for sociopaths or perhaps is the product of some socially maladroit IT workers whose autism spectrum disorder kept them from groking why this is not the key to human interaction. It is a creepy bit of software, but it is not some ring of corruption.
It may even have an upside in the age of social media.
That one is using this program WILL come out eventually. Perhaps it will send cheerful texts after a fight or personal tragedy. Especially if the victim is a woman, it will eventually send out a detectable nonsequiter...at which point Facebook and Twitter enter into the picture.
You see, having this app on ones phone is pretty much a red flag of asshattery. Once one is caught using this in an actual romantic relationship (there might be defensible applications I'm not seeing) then one is going to find oneself on the very soon to be developed web page of CONFIRMED BRO-AP (and similar tools) USERS. Very soon young ladies in he know will check their prospective beau's number or twitter handle against that database as a first step and well.....
...The world will be made better through technology.
It is good that reporters are informing us of these things, but technology is what we make of it. Despite breathless speculation by technology ethicists looking to justify their degrees, computer programs and inanimate objects are neither good nor evil. In fact they have no alignment at all.
...well usually.
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March 01, 2014
Saturday Morning Cakefight
Saturday mornings...
In my youth this meant sitting down with grotesquely unhealthy cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons, which was the programming block for kids back in the days when there were only 3 TV networks. These were almost always billed as exciting adventure shows. However, due to a malevolent confluence of progressive hysteria, lawyers and network departments of standards and practices, theses shows were almost uniformly a profound disappointment. While kids everywhere else in the world got to watch various iterations of Grendaizer, we poor American children were being tormented by The Funky Phantom, Devlin and Jabberjaw.
This morning, I decided to have revenge upon the programing directors who ruined my childhood. I got up, pulled a Go-Cup of Fruit Loops out of the hurricane box, sat down in front of the computer and went to Crunchyroll which airs new episodes of Log Horizon at 07:30 on Saturdays. I just thought it would be amusing to go through those motions of yesteryear but actually see something really good.
Just like they had with Clue Club, the gum-numbing dregs of the Fruit Loops served to exquisitely accentuate the disappointment.
Heretofore, every single episode, of Log Horizon has not only been good, its been better than the last. This episode continues the shows habit of surprising its audience by abruptly reversing that self improvement trend.
In fairness, part of the problem here is that previous episodes have set a rather high bar.
In the last episode, the plot had taken yet another intriguing turn. With only four episodes to go, many of us were looking forward to find out just what had gone down in Minami....
....so naturally, we got middle school soap opera and cake.
Lots of cake!.
What?
What happened?
Now, I'm not really likening this episode to...the execrable squalor that was The Funky Phantom...
This story wasn't actually bad, mind you. It was even kind of cute.
However, it was just a complete non-sequitur of an episode that seemed to belong in some other show.
There are only three episodes left, so I'm wondering (now with some trepidation) about how they're going to wrap this generally excellent series up.
I'll be watching next weeks installment with a lot of interest.
...but without the Fruit Loops.
In my youth this meant sitting down with grotesquely unhealthy cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons, which was the programming block for kids back in the days when there were only 3 TV networks. These were almost always billed as exciting adventure shows. However, due to a malevolent confluence of progressive hysteria, lawyers and network departments of standards and practices, theses shows were almost uniformly a profound disappointment. While kids everywhere else in the world got to watch various iterations of Grendaizer, we poor American children were being tormented by The Funky Phantom, Devlin and Jabberjaw.
This morning, I decided to have revenge upon the programing directors who ruined my childhood. I got up, pulled a Go-Cup of Fruit Loops out of the hurricane box, sat down in front of the computer and went to Crunchyroll which airs new episodes of Log Horizon at 07:30 on Saturdays. I just thought it would be amusing to go through those motions of yesteryear but actually see something really good.
Just like they had with Clue Club, the gum-numbing dregs of the Fruit Loops served to exquisitely accentuate the disappointment.
Heretofore, every single episode, of Log Horizon has not only been good, its been better than the last. This episode continues the shows habit of surprising its audience by abruptly reversing that self improvement trend.
No...no actually, this was pretty much the exact opposite of that.
In fairness, part of the problem here is that previous episodes have set a rather high bar.
In the last episode, the plot had taken yet another intriguing turn. With only four episodes to go, many of us were looking forward to find out just what had gone down in Minami....
....so naturally, we got middle school soap opera and cake.
Lots of cake!.
J. Greely NAILED it!
What?
What happened?
Now, I'm not really likening this episode to...the execrable squalor that was The Funky Phantom...
"Good God I should hope not!"
This story wasn't actually bad, mind you. It was even kind of cute.
However, it was just a complete non-sequitur of an episode that seemed to belong in some other show.
There are only three episodes left, so I'm wondering (now with some trepidation) about how they're going to wrap this generally excellent series up.
I'll be watching next weeks installment with a lot of interest.
...but without the Fruit Loops.
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05:03 PM
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February 26, 2014
This Continues to Look Quite Promising
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12:25 AM
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February 24, 2014
F-1 in Huntsville!
My first F-1 post!
Two of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes report that Huntsville Alabama is home to the first F-1 test and quals since 1969 and the first F-1 ever since 1973!
Wait....
If Formula One hasn't existed since 1973 what's this guy going on about?
"What?..."
"Oh!..."
The Science Babes are at their other job in Les Mans, which caused my confusion as they're actually talking about...
The Rocketdyne F-1 rocket engine!
The huge engines that powered the first stage of the Saturn 5 rocket which put 12 men on the moon and Skylab into orbit hasn't been built in 44 years. Contrary to popular belief the plans for these beast DO still exist, but they are in obsolete computer formats and of limited use.
You see, the Apollo program was so rushed that a lot of the little 'tweaks' that were found necessary to keep the rocket from failing. This was not fully appreciated until the '80s when NASA and USAF engineers noted that there were holes drilled and pieces added to some of the F-1s in museums...holes and fiddly bits that weren't on the plans. The engines were exploding during tests and the production crew did some trial and error modifications until the "splodies" stopped. Additional tweaks were added at the plant to facilitate production, so the F-1 plans are actually plans for an inefficient kerosene/LOX bomb.
Well, engineers in Huntsville have taken apart and are restoring some of these engines, which were discovered to be in remarkably good shape. This time making a note of Every.Single.Part. And. Hole. The plan is to do a computer model of the engine that is accurate, but they need to ensure that they are building it from a working engine...so.....
Two of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes report that Huntsville Alabama is home to the first F-1 test and quals since 1969 and the first F-1 ever since 1973!
Wait....
"Science Babes Moonlighting as Race Queens" is not the actual title of this piece by Tan-Tan.
If Formula One hasn't existed since 1973 what's this guy going on about?
"What?..."
"Oh!..."
The Science Babes are at their other job in Les Mans, which caused my confusion as they're actually talking about...
The Rocketdyne F-1 rocket engine!
The huge engines that powered the first stage of the Saturn 5 rocket which put 12 men on the moon and Skylab into orbit hasn't been built in 44 years. Contrary to popular belief the plans for these beast DO still exist, but they are in obsolete computer formats and of limited use.
You see, the Apollo program was so rushed that a lot of the little 'tweaks' that were found necessary to keep the rocket from failing. This was not fully appreciated until the '80s when NASA and USAF engineers noted that there were holes drilled and pieces added to some of the F-1s in museums...holes and fiddly bits that weren't on the plans. The engines were exploding during tests and the production crew did some trial and error modifications until the "splodies" stopped. Additional tweaks were added at the plant to facilitate production, so the F-1 plans are actually plans for an inefficient kerosene/LOX bomb.
Well, engineers in Huntsville have taken apart and are restoring some of these engines, which were discovered to be in remarkably good shape. This time making a note of Every.Single.Part. And. Hole. The plan is to do a computer model of the engine that is accurate, but they need to ensure that they are building it from a working engine...so.....
That's just a test of the engines gas generator from last year...
This project is the brainchild of Marshall Spaceflight center engineers who felt that they ought to DO something with the dozen or so F-1s lying around the research center. They've been calling in other rocketry companies to observe and consult. In addition they've been bringing in the few surviving Apollo engineers to work on this interesting side project...which has resulted in a tentative design and proposal for the F-1B
This is not as silly as it sounds. One of the things about the F-1 that was discovered back in the 60's was that, due to its very conservative design it was actually pretty re-useable and it was felt it could be made completely so with a few tweaks. F-1s were considered for several early space shuttle designs propelling reusable flyback boosters.
The mighty F-1 may yet again spew pillars of fire for the chariots of explorers.
This project is the brainchild of Marshall Spaceflight center engineers who felt that they ought to DO something with the dozen or so F-1s lying around the research center. They've been calling in other rocketry companies to observe and consult. In addition they've been bringing in the few surviving Apollo engineers to work on this interesting side project...which has resulted in a tentative design and proposal for the F-1B
This is not as silly as it sounds. One of the things about the F-1 that was discovered back in the 60's was that, due to its very conservative design it was actually pretty re-useable and it was felt it could be made completely so with a few tweaks. F-1s were considered for several early space shuttle designs propelling reusable flyback boosters.
The mighty F-1 may yet again spew pillars of fire for the chariots of explorers.
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08:15 PM
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Well, As Excuses Go
This probably should win some sort of award.
We've heard about the terrible smog problem in many Chinese cities and many of us assumed that it was a combination ofthe sheer scale of China's industrialization, perverse incentives, and corruption hindering enforcement of existing laws.
Well, it turns out we were wrong. They MEANT to do that.
We've heard about the terrible smog problem in many Chinese cities and many of us assumed that it was a combination ofthe sheer scale of China's industrialization, perverse incentives, and corruption hindering enforcement of existing laws.
Well, it turns out we were wrong. They MEANT to do that.
Thick smog is the best defence against US laser weapons, a Chinese military chief has declared on national television.
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01:00 PM
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With A Rueful Chuckle
...we note that Tamara K. has summed up a good bit of recent news in one quote.
If they really hated us because of our freedoms, then they can probably stop hating us any ol' time now.
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February 23, 2014
A Four Ring Circus of WIN
Log Horizon has been discussed here before.
Since then it has continued to surpass expectations despite its unspectacular animation and dubious concept. The show has all the tropes one would expect from a fantasy adventure series, plus a great many in-jokes and references to online RPGs, however it uses them in very clever ways and is surprisingly intelligent.
21 episides in they still have 5 episodes to wreck it, but I'm going out on a limb recomending this one strongly. I started to do a regular review but this is a show spoilers will completely spoil, so here is a deliberately vague overview of what sorts of characters are involved in the three to four distinct but interlocking plots that stem from a mishap with a Massively Muliplayer Online Virtual Reality Role Playing Game that traps thousands of players in the game with no way to log out.
In Ring One:
We have our designated hero. He's overall a decent guy and goes to great lengths to do the right thing. He's not a frontline action hero however, and he tends to gets by on smarts, using game theory as well as working feverishly to develop political/interpersonal skills he'd never really had to (nor wanted to) pursue until just recently.
We have a thoroughly conventional would-be love interest/side-kick. Well, not quite: She's so utterly smitten and so thoroughly into the "serving her noble master" roleplay that she's a little creepy and stalky. However she's really good at her job (which involves kicking ass, and cutting throats). She's also quite smart and her perceptiveness and different perspective on things is actually crucial to everyone's survival.
Also: It's always nice to find a DFC' in anime who is non-neurotic, utterly awesome and at ease with themselves.
There is one annoying, token lunkhead: He may have Tourettes as he frequently makes sexist comments despite the fact that they immediately result in great pain and temporary physical disability (see above).
We have an older gentleman who is intellectually curious enough to, on a lark, try something completely new (and apparently pointless) just to see what will happen. In the process, he changes the world.
In a complete break with convention, the old guy is not a perv and in fact prides himself in being a gentleman...in the very best sense of the word. He's an all round cool cat, whose urbane, almost aristocratic mannerisms belie an exemplary ethical compass plus great moral and physical courage.
In Ring Two:
We've got five teenagers who find a mixture of idealism, inexperience and bravado has subsequently landed them in a dire situation, far from help with the fate of thousands on their shoulders. Remarkably, all four young adults are striving to actually be adults...how's that for novel? Of course, as they're young, they're learning and everything they punch at is well above their weight. This is an action flick so everything can punch back....hard
The group includes a crackerjack young lady who, due to her levelheadedness and self discipline becomes their leader via acclaim. She's learning as she goes about the ins and outs of command and leadership, and doing everything she can to improve herself so that she can better keep her outmatched little party alive.
Her brother is a good man and physically brave, but, he's terribly inexperienced and it often seems that he has more balls than sense. He is however, indomitable in his determination and can think on his feet.
There is also a girl who has been through a special hell recently and is still somewhat traumatized from the experience. She's striving to confront her demons, improve herself and save her friends...all the while coming to terms with the sheer gravity of what she's lost.
An idealistic but grounded young woman who has sufficient grasp of her own limitations that she can use her limited talents to surprising effect. Her modesty belies her remarkable effectiveness in combat which acts as a nice foil to her polar opposite in the group...
...A dapper young man of 19 years who seems to be trying to somehow weaponize the Dunning-Kruger Effect. His boastfulness seems to be in direct proportion to his failings, of which there are many...physical courage, it should be noted, is not amongst them.
In Ring Three:
The greatest test of ones character is when one finds that doing what is right requires one to make a sacrifice or take a great risk while simply walking away carries no negative judgement or cost.
Also in this ring: You magnificent bastard! You found a keeper!
There are also bout 20 different quirky supporting characters involved in a slice of life show about small businesses and local politics...oh and steam engineering and a war. Most of them are interesting enough and sufficiently fleshed out that the fanfic practically writes itself*.
Update: A few theories on what is actually going on
Spoiler tags here are as follows:
[-S-P-O-I-L-E-R-] [/S-P-O-I-L-E-R-]
...but lower case and without any of the dashes
* As opposed to that other show where Tite Kubo got bogged down writing his own fanfic.
Log Horizon has been discussed here before.
Since then it has continued to surpass expectations despite its unspectacular animation and dubious concept. The show has all the tropes one would expect from a fantasy adventure series, plus a great many in-jokes and references to online RPGs, however it uses them in very clever ways and is surprisingly intelligent.
21 episides in they still have 5 episodes to wreck it, but I'm going out on a limb recomending this one strongly. I started to do a regular review but this is a show spoilers will completely spoil, so here is a deliberately vague overview of what sorts of characters are involved in the three to four distinct but interlocking plots that stem from a mishap with a Massively Muliplayer Online Virtual Reality Role Playing Game that traps thousands of players in the game with no way to log out.
In Ring One:
We have our designated hero. He's overall a decent guy and goes to great lengths to do the right thing. He's not a frontline action hero however, and he tends to gets by on smarts, using game theory as well as working feverishly to develop political/interpersonal skills he'd never really had to (nor wanted to) pursue until just recently.
We have a thoroughly conventional would-be love interest/side-kick. Well, not quite: She's so utterly smitten and so thoroughly into the "serving her noble master" roleplay that she's a little creepy and stalky. However she's really good at her job (which involves kicking ass, and cutting throats). She's also quite smart and her perceptiveness and different perspective on things is actually crucial to everyone's survival.
Also: It's always nice to find a DFC' in anime who is non-neurotic, utterly awesome and at ease with themselves.
There is one annoying, token lunkhead: He may have Tourettes as he frequently makes sexist comments despite the fact that they immediately result in great pain and temporary physical disability (see above).
We have an older gentleman who is intellectually curious enough to, on a lark, try something completely new (and apparently pointless) just to see what will happen. In the process, he changes the world.
In a complete break with convention, the old guy is not a perv and in fact prides himself in being a gentleman...in the very best sense of the word. He's an all round cool cat, whose urbane, almost aristocratic mannerisms belie an exemplary ethical compass plus great moral and physical courage.
In Ring Two:
We've got five teenagers who find a mixture of idealism, inexperience and bravado has subsequently landed them in a dire situation, far from help with the fate of thousands on their shoulders. Remarkably, all four young adults are striving to actually be adults...how's that for novel? Of course, as they're young, they're learning and everything they punch at is well above their weight. This is an action flick so everything can punch back....hard
The group includes a crackerjack young lady who, due to her levelheadedness and self discipline becomes their leader via acclaim. She's learning as she goes about the ins and outs of command and leadership, and doing everything she can to improve herself so that she can better keep her outmatched little party alive.
Her brother is a good man and physically brave, but, he's terribly inexperienced and it often seems that he has more balls than sense. He is however, indomitable in his determination and can think on his feet.
There is also a girl who has been through a special hell recently and is still somewhat traumatized from the experience. She's striving to confront her demons, improve herself and save her friends...all the while coming to terms with the sheer gravity of what she's lost.
An idealistic but grounded young woman who has sufficient grasp of her own limitations that she can use her limited talents to surprising effect. Her modesty belies her remarkable effectiveness in combat which acts as a nice foil to her polar opposite in the group...
...A dapper young man of 19 years who seems to be trying to somehow weaponize the Dunning-Kruger Effect. His boastfulness seems to be in direct proportion to his failings, of which there are many...physical courage, it should be noted, is not amongst them.
In Ring Three:
The greatest test of ones character is when one finds that doing what is right requires one to make a sacrifice or take a great risk while simply walking away carries no negative judgement or cost.
Also in this ring: You magnificent bastard! You found a keeper!
In Ring Four:
There are also bout 20 different quirky supporting characters involved in a slice of life show about small businesses and local politics...oh and steam engineering and a war. Most of them are interesting enough and sufficiently fleshed out that the fanfic practically writes itself*.
**************************
Those who've been watching it, have at it in the comments. I'm curious what other people think. Log Horizon has been very entertaining so far and frankly if I had kids this is the sort of show I'd be wanting them to watch. It's a show about courage, ethics, hope and even civics, where intelligence and thinking things through is important, experience matters because life lessons are hard earned and most of the protagonists are pretty decent people. It's also a surprisingly lacking in the gratuitous fan service department..one epic miniskirt notwithstanding.
Be advised though that the OP is an obnoxious, weaponized earworm.
Be advised though that the OP is an obnoxious, weaponized earworm.
Update: A few theories on what is actually going on
Spoiler tags here are as follows:
[-S-P-O-I-L-E-R-] [/S-P-O-I-L-E-R-]
...but lower case and without any of the dashes
* As opposed to that other show where Tite Kubo got bogged down writing his own fanfic.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
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