Brickmuppet Blog 2.0

September 23, 2015

The Hiatus Continues

..but the sun is directly over the equator today, so...

Art by Sumashi (whose page has disappeared)

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September 20, 2015

Life Intervenes

Blogging will be sporadic at best for a bit.

In the meantime, here is a different take on long-line fishing by Izumi Sai.

UPDATE: Well, that was an unfortunate typo. Happily, now, no one will ever know.

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Oh My Stars And Garters YES!

Also this...which is just as awesome but lacks the derp.

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And Then This Stuff Happened

While people are focusing on the epic fantasy fight that is Clock Boy VS Gell-Mann other things were happening in the real world.

The President has ordered US Navy ships to steer clear of the artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, thus ceding the seized Filipino and Vietnamese islands and giving China de-facto sovereignty over one of the most important trade routes in the world.

This method of just CREATING national territory anywhere the ocean gets shallow is expected by some analysts to soon be used in the Indian Ocean.

Unless it's all a monumentally expensive and elaborate feint (with the benefit of infrastructure in place for later use) to distract from the thrust into Taiwan.

It is being reported that North Korea is likely to launch a long range missile or satellite on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Communist Party....but that is far from certain.

What is somewhat more certain is that they are spinning up their nuclear weapons production in a big way and possibly their bioweapons as well.

Iran just released 5 top members of Al Qaeda in a prisoner swap. Odds are good they did not do so for a deserter.

Russia is moving to set up bases in Belarus...

Russia is also moving into Syria to defend the odious dictator Assad from the murderous assault on reason that is the Islamic state. A lot of people across the political spectrum seem upset by this. They probably need to analyze their pique more thoroughly. This seems like a point of convergence in our interests and has potential to be a starting point for walking back tensions in other areas.

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September 19, 2015

AVAST!! AHOY!! It be the 19th of September!

This here nearly ARRRR rated scrimshaw be the work of Minari.

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GATE Ends

...sort of.

For a show that has had some truly sublime moments, this last episode was something of an anti-climax, being nothing more than a set up for another cour. That makes it less than satisfying as a series finale.

This isn't isn't any sort of cliffhanger as such, it just puts political and procedural roadblocks in the way of the dark elf from the last episode.

Who has TWO ears.

She's the last hope for her people and the burden is weighing heavily on her.

One neat bit of detail; the different languages continue to be an issue.Yao Haa Dushi, the aforementioned dark elf is thwarted mainly by the language barrier until Leili provides translation (after which she continues to be thwarted by other means). Several other minor characters lament their limited knowledge of other languages and phrase books are shown to be precious things that can be the key to a decent job for the locals.

This episode did throw out a few other character/plot threads. Tuka, the crazy cracker elf may be shell-shocked and broken, but she is highly functional and sharp enough that she able to hold down a job in the refugee camp that requires at least a degree of literacy,

It turns out that the lepus lass who runs one of the bars, is actually Delilah with a radically different hairstyle.

'Dem earrings...

She was one of Kain's praetorian maids from Italica introduced in episode 7. It's unclear if her coiffure is intended as a disguise or is the result of access to modern conditioner. She certainly seems to have some ulterior motive, though whether she's working for Kain, the Empire or a third party is unclear.

The harpy mage who went from POW to security guard actually has a name, (Myutie)...

...and thus might be more than a nice continuity nod.

The male fans having been generously provided with a cornucopia of maids, the production staff has thrown a bone to the otakuettes as well....

...to complement the yaoi appreciation subplot.

Finally, in a truly inspired moment, Leili is applying science to her magical theory. She has gotten hold of a middle school chemistry book...and is modifying her sorcery to take its wisdom into account.

This is completely logical and totally in character for her. Her teacher is quite impressed and seems to grasp the potential of her refining his techniques with the science of the other world.

This episode was certainly neat and had a lot going on, but as a season ender it was rather unsatisfying.

The series high-point was probably Rory's speech in episode 8.

The detail and thought that has gone into the story of this show is remarkable and the characters tend to be quite interesting. Aside from the unspeakable mess that was episodes 9 and 10, everyone and every group has had realistic and well thought out motivations and are astonishingly well realized (though Itami is coming close to Gary Stu territory). Note that hose two episodes (9&10) are so different in tone and they really don't contribute much to the story (aside from the flower laying ceremony) that I'm unsure if the weird and incongruous divergence wasn't some sort of executive meddling...it does not seem to fit with the meticulous thoughtfulness of the rest of the series.

All in all this was one of the better shows in recent years Episodes 9&10 nearly killed it for me, but it bounced back immediately and it is a testament to how good the show is that despite those, I'm looking forward to this show's continuation in January.

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Shortest Dating Sim Ever

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Somewhere Between R & S But Only Due to a Technicality

...is where I am on the Official Alphabetical List of Author Success.

This is a tad odd, since I have not sought a career in writing (which is probably fortuitous, not the least because I get no royalties).

It seems that a paper I wrote on Japan's security challenges for a sociology class has been published by the instructor in a collection of essays.

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September 18, 2015

An Aluminum Foil Lining

The Crunchyroll release of episode 12 of Gate is delayed untill at least tomorrow, but it appears that the series will continue....in January.

OH!

She does have two ears.

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'Eh?...!"

From this week's episode of School Live...

Wow.

So...

There are about 130 hours until the next episode huh?

This is going to be a long week.

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September 17, 2015

A Horrifying Possibility

...with almost Lovecraftian implications.

Tam ponders a profound proposition that's perturbingly probable.

It's all a lie!1!

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The Meaning of Blog

In theory, Blog is a portmanteau of Biographical and Log, so below the fold is a bit of biographical banality. As a courtesy to our readers, the Walter-Mittyisms are below the fold and above it is a picture of Lum, that you might be surprised to learn is by Renji Murata.

more...

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September 14, 2015

Best Picture Yet

...of the exhaust port, alien city, ice deposit or whatever is going on in Occator Crater on Ceres.

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Skirting the Very Edge of the Espionage Act

For the engineers and spies in the audience, here is a short video on the critical aspects of missile guidance...

via

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September 13, 2015

Another Darned Remake

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Important Product Awareness Tip

...from J.Greely; or more specifically, his sister...

Public Service Announcement for the uninitiated (and others, like me, who donâ€™t read labels on things like Bounty): They now make paper towels with dish soap in them. Donâ€™t use them to make bacon in the microwave. #justsayinâ€™ On the bright side, clean up was suprisingly easy â€¦.

Who thought that was a good idea?

Besides cooking, these paper towels are also pretty much useless for drying dishes, first aid, anything involving pets or whatever else one might use a paper towel for in a pinch..

"...The HELL!?"

Yes. Emergency backup coffee filters are right out...

Also, from the comments, it appears that the Russians may be ahead of some of us in bacon preparation technology.

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In the Latest Episode of PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY

Phoenix Wright is contracted to conduct delicate inter-dimensional negotiations while posing as a member of the Foreign Ministry, under an assumed name.

That title and entire first sentence is probably not true...probably.

In actuality, the screen-cap is from Episode 11 of GATE. The previous two episodes left such a foul taste in my mouth that I nearly dropped the show. With episode 11 this series appears to have gotten back on the rails and has gone a long way to cleanse the palette.

More below the fold...

more...

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1 Further, as a result of the treaty with Italica/Itarica, isn't that whole region pretty much a free-trade zone now? As I cannot imagine that the Empire is known for their light tax hand, people woiuld be pouring into the Arnus area....

Posted by: Clayton Barnett at Sun Sep 13 23:50:06 2015 (MWJe1)

2 I'm not sure about that but it seems unlikely that the JSDF is collecting taxes on the refugees, so, as far as Arnus goes you are surely right. Italica is a major trading hub with at least two Roman style roads and a port terminating there, so while it is not at ground zero for this boom, the town is uniquely well positioned to profit from the situation, which is, after all, less than a days travel from them. The fact that the mayor and effective regent (the Housekeeper) sent several of their household's crack team of beastly praetorian domestics to assist with security was surely not entirely gratitude. They are protecting and helping to develop a potential cash cow. I note upon re-watching it, that Tomita explicitly stated that some of the aforementioned maids had opened up at least one tavern, so Italica is actively invested in and drawing money from the rapidly growing bazaar.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Mon Sep 14 08:57:31 2015 (ohzj1)

I'm not sure about that...

You are correct, good sir. My memories were a blend of the anime and manga. In the anime ep6 (that I shall fondly recall until I take my dying breath*), Hamilton reads out the treaty. Around 16:15-18 she lightly touches on the Alnus Community.

We can see a copy of the treaty in the manga, ch13 (scroll down about 1/3 of the way; no, I'm still to old and stupid to get hotlinks to work). To wit:

"The Alnus living community under guardianship of the JSDF is from now on exempted from all taxes raised on trading and money exchange within the city of Italica and all other areas within rule of Countess Formal."

As I'm sure the JSDF extended the same benefit to themselves, this creates a huge, new free-trade zone in the Empire's Southwest flank (begging the question of compass directions). I'd bet any ruler on the other side of this zone is fingering their worry-beads and thinking about where their allegiance will be tomorrow.

*At six months at one day of a BP of 155/98+, my wife threatened me with a weapon** this AM to call a doctor. I relented. Really: I'd hate to die before I see how all this ends!

**Not telling. Brickmuppet runs a family blog. It wasn't a shovel.

Posted by: Clayton Barnett at Mon Sep 14 09:59:50 2015 (lU4ZJ)

Italica is the nearest major city to Arnus, and most of the Japanese goods flowing in and being sold are being carried to Italica and redistributed from there. The goods are untaxed when they enter Italica, but there's nothing in that treaty that forbids Italica from taxing the goods as they leave for other destinations.

Besides which, there are other kinds of taxes. All that trade is causing a huge improvement in the GDP of Italica, and things like income taxes will be rising as a result.

Italica is doing fine out of this, believe it.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at Mon Sep 14 12:20:55 2015 (+rSRq)

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September 12, 2015

Rainy Day

In the latest episode of School Live, the rainy season brings with it CABIN FEVER! This years strain of cabin fever is bad enough that it can only be delayed...and not prevented by ping pong balls.

Miki FINALLY finishes the foreign novel she's been translating, Now she must deal with the knowledge that hours of her life have been wasted as the book was rather overhyped.

"It was like...ancillary tendentiousness."

Yuki tries to boil water...with unexpected results.

"Dear God...Don't let me burn another kettle!"

Sakura Sensei's discussion of her haircut with Kurumi ends up having a profoundly unintended effect on Kurumi's outlook on life.

"You cut off a meter of hair...and kept the ahoge?"

Yuuri discovers to her considerable annoyance that pinky-swears can be used as emotional blackmail.

"My name is Yuuri..NOT Yuri...so your request is invalid. "

And of course...hi-jinx ensue.

This series has been surprisingly well done and a considerable amount of interesting developments happened in this episode. While I'm eager to discuss them, I ask anyone who does so, out of courtesy to other readers who are not as far along, to please use spoiler tags as follows....

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September 11, 2015

14 Years

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September 10, 2015

More Pluto!

One of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes brings us news from the edge of the solar system.

Actually, she's not at the edge of the solar system.

Come to think of it, Pluto isn't either, because there is still the Oort Cloud and Kupier Belt which extend for hundreds of AU before one gets to the Heliopause.

Anyway, our science corespondent reports that the experts are cataloging and naming the features on Pluto and Charon....

"Golly. I guess it makes sense that they'd've completely exhausted Edith Hamilton as a source for names."

Well...

In any event, NASA has downloaded several high rez pictures from this summer's flyby of the object formerly known as the 9th planet and here are a couple...