July 19, 2015
VOLCANO SHARKS!
One of The Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes reacts to a report about lava loving hammerheads.
"Can we get LASERS for them?"
In order to study the volcano, Phillips’ team used robots and cameras. While the volcano was not erupting, the images are blurred by orange plumes and bubbles. Carolyn Barnwell, writing for National Geographic, said that in the video "carbon dioxide and methane gas bubbles†can be seen rising from seafloor vents, and that the color of the water was "due to reduced iron and sulfur.â€Phillips and his team were shocked to find both hammerhead and silky sharks, in addition to stingrays and smaller fish, swimming around inside the volcano
Presumably, the sharks leave when the caldera fills with lava so this is not actually a Sci-Fi channel movie made real. OTOH it is hoped that this might lead to an eruption prediction system.
Of course, if the sharks preternatural predictive ability amounts to "Hmmm...getting a bit hot here...Let's leave." Then the potential implications are less exciting.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
08:06 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 172 words, total size 2 kb.
Meanwhile...This Happened...
Someone has been cutting fiber optic cables in California.
The JV team continues to do the JV stuff they do, like hitting warships with missiles and useing chemical weapons.
There is also the matter of the nontrivial terrorist attack in France recently that is not getting anywhere near the coverage it warrants.
On the Russian front....wait...lets not put it that way.
Regarding Russia, there is some relief about the reports that the Russian air-force is having a bad month. This is an understandable sentiment , but it doesn't necessarily mean that their planes are no threat. It could just be a byproduct of training at a high tempo under realistic conditions...which they'd be doing if they were anticipating trouble.
Iran will not be allowing US nuclear inspectors to...inspect.
In what I'm sure must be completely unrelated news, North Korea is hinting at a new series of nuclear tests in October.
Pakistan, that bastion of reason and stability in South Asia, is greatly expanding their nuclear arsenal.
Venezuela has laid claim to two thirds of Guyana.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
07:54 PM
| Comments (2)
| Add Comment
Post contains 177 words, total size 3 kb.
July 18, 2015
Occassionally, There is a Reward for Clean Living
For example...in the latest episode of GATE, our heroes do not die at this point.
"Wait...did you say GOOD?"
You see, the Elegant Gothic Lolita (Catgirl?) is" Roary Mercury, Apostle to the Dark god Emloy" which apparently means that she is some sort of priestess. What is certain is that she is a person with considerable ability that is at this point indistinguishable from magic.
Not pictured: Just HOW ridiculously large her elegant gothic choppy thing is.
When we first meet her she confronts several dozen brigands who she proceeds to slice, dice and circumcise. It is quite obvious by the end of the episode that she could have killed Itami and his entire command without breaking a sweat. Indeed, that was probably her initial intent, but to her surprise, she discovers that this small detachment of the interlopers who have curb-stomped every army sent to destroy them have not been raping, looting and pillaging, but rather have been rendering aid to commoners without regard to ethnicity and that they are in possession of carts that move without horses.
Nor is Mercury the only character possessed of unusual ability. Leili, the blue haired young lady is an apprentice to the fellow in the wizard hat, who is named Kato, and is, shockingly enough, a Wizard.
The Force is STRONG with her.
The JGSDF unit has taken a detour from reconnoitering to help evacuate a village that is being menaced by the dragon that they saw razing the town in the last episode. In this episode we learn that there was but one survivor of that unfortunate town, an elven woman who speaks elvish. While this is not, upon reflection, surprising, it should be noted that the extemporized phrase books they are using don't contain any elvish.
This is unfortunate as the young lady has very useful information to share.
This is an intelligent, well thought out show, and despite the abattoir aspect of the last episode, it is proving to be both suspenseful and upbeat.
Lt. Itami is is a genuinely likable hero. Having been a brevet commission he has a greater hurdle than most to earn his troops confidence, especially since his hobbies are known and held in low regard by his medic and senior NCO. Nevertheless he proves quite capable as a leader and demonstrates considerable decency complimenting his tactical verve.
This episode was fast paced, introducing several new intriguing characters and was quite thoroughly satisfying
.
Certainly not the darkest and grittiest of entourages.
The cast members introduced in this episode add a nice bit of wackiness and whimsy. Despite much potential for stupidity and squalor the show remains quite smart and engaging. This is a very impressive show thus far, my biggest complaint at the moment is that the next episode is a week away.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
09:32 PM
| Comments (2)
| Add Comment
Post contains 478 words, total size 6 kb.
Take Heart!
This sort of thing will correct itself in a generation or two.
As the cool kids say...
"Shot..."
"Chaser..."
In the meantime I advise stocking up on nonperishables.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
05:55 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 30 words, total size 1 kb.
Surprises on the Outer Rim
![]()
One of The Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes ponders the conundrums faces by NASA boffins as they try to interpret the data from the Youggoth probe.
Ummm...
In any event, there are mountains as high as the Rockies on a planetoid that's about as far across as Alaska or Quebec.
Charon is really interesting too, with a surface largely crater free, indicating it is also very young and thus, probably, tectonically active.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
02:32 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 91 words, total size 1 kb.
July 16, 2015
70 Years Ago Today
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
07:45 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 4 words, total size 1 kb.
July 15, 2015
They've Stolen Murnau's Head!
No. Really...
The skull of the film director F. W. Murnau — best known for "Nosferatu,†his 1922 Expressionist take on Bram Stoker’s "Dracula†— has been stolen from a cemetery outside of Berlin.
Not currently a suspect.
On the bright side, this could easily be parlayed into the basis for a sequel to that awesome John Malcovich movie.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
10:02 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 63 words, total size 1 kb.
Gracious!
I have no idea....
Fortunately, it appears that Don does, is on this, and is doing his bit!
Whether this is a good cause is a matter of debate concerning discussions of ethics as applied to phantasmagoric matters beyond the scope of this post.
However, there is little dispute that Don's melodies are easy on the ears.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
07:47 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 58 words, total size 1 kb.
July 14, 2015
New Horizons LIVES!
One of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes reacts to the news that the New Horizons Probe has successfully reestablished contact with NASA.
One thing thing that they added to the list of discoveries is that the planetoid is rather larger than they had thought.
Preliminary images and instrument readings show that Pluto is much larger than scientists had expected—about two-thirds the size of Earth’s moon. By the most recent measurements, Pluto is about 1,472 miles in diameter, making it easily the biggest planetary object beyond the orbit of Neptune.
Pic via.
It will take some time to get the closet picture processed as the data transmission rate is agonizingly slow, but this pic taken before the probe turned all its antennae on Pluto and its moons gives some idea of what to expect.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
08:47 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 138 words, total size 2 kb.
July 13, 2015
OK
For less than 5 minutes, there was a post here that expressed my extreme outrage at a particularly outrageous outrageousness. Only belatedly did I realize that that the original (and sole) source for this tale of venality was not a Newspaper article quoting witnesses as I had initially thought, but rather a solitary REDDIT post where some Anon claimed to have been at an event and behaved outrageously.
Well...
Here are some aqueducts that are about as well supported as the former post.
Outrageous Aquaductery by by Sebasuchya
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
08:35 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 89 words, total size 1 kb.
Satou Iwata 1959-2015
The president of Nintendo, Satou Iwata has died.
Iwata was a rarity in the gaming industry: a corporate president whose background was in game programming. He joined the Tokyo-based developer HAL Laboratory fresh out of college in the early 80s, and immediately began working as a programmer, helping to create classic games like Balloon Fight and the Kirby’s Dream Land series for Nintendo.
Iwata not only came up through the ranks from the production end, he also oversaw a vast improvement in the companies fortunes. His background meant that he was also able to integrate the creators input much more smoothly with the corporate decision making process, which probably helped Nintendo immensely.
He brought a lot of people joy through his efforts and will be missed.
He was only 55.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
03:52 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 133 words, total size 1 kb.
July 12, 2015
Proof That Civilization is in A Declining Phase
Vast sums of money were spent getting top notch animators and talent to bring a sumptuously produced adaptation of a comic book to television. "Wait."You may ask. "Why is this unusual?"
Because the comic book is Monster Musume, and....well, if you're alone and not at work...look...
There were rumors that this was going to have very short episodes and that gave me some hope that this was actually going to be along the lines of the long discontinued web comic as opposed to the manga. That is not the case. This is a full length series and is faithful to the manga almost line for line.
The first episode though, is very similar in tone to the webcomic that always revolved around some monstrous mythological abomination and her boyfriend trying to deal with the various complications their relationships entailed. In this case said monstergirl is Milia, an approximately 20 foot long Lamia (snake girl) who is perfectly charming...
...if somewhat grabby...
... and is part of a cultural exchange program between Japan and various fantastical Fortean races that have recently come out of hiding. Due to a clerical error she is placed with a student living alone. The two of them hit it off quite well, which is a complication because of some asinine anti-miscegenation clause associated with the program.
This pilot episode is in its own weird way, both cute and charming. It is NOT safe for work or the kids as the show is surprisingly brazen regards nudity.
The big problem moving forward is that this is very faithful to the manga, which quite soon became a harem comedy, and that rather destroys the charm of these two trying to overcome the many societal, logistical and mechanical obstacles they face in their romance. A review of the manga that sacred honor forced me to do can be found here.
If this is your cup of tea, then you are in luck, because this is a top of the line production which is beautifully produced, has excellent voice talent and a soundtrack by Manzo and Hiroaki Tsutsumi. The flip side to this is that people whose job it is to know these things believed there to be a large enough market for softcore monstergirl porn that this high end project got greenlit. We are surely in the end times.
This was a well produced and enjoyable episode, but I'm unlikely to follow this show closely. I'm even less likely to admit to to doing so.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
07:25 PM
| Comments (7)
| Add Comment
Post contains 425 words, total size 3 kb.
Gate
A portal opens in downtown Tokyo, next to a comic book convention. Out of the void pour what appears to be Roman legionnaires, preceded by orc shock troops, and backed up by knights riding fire breathing dragons.
In the ensuing chaos, hundreds if not thousands of civilians die before the JSDF can deal with the situation, which they do handily as dragons are not bullet proof.
In the aftermath of this bizarre fiasco, the Japanese send a reconnaissance in force to reconnoiter the other side of the gate. Among them is our hero who has just been given a field commission for his valor during the initial incursion.
Despite its derivative premise and a certain lack of tension for our heroes in the battles, the first two episodes of this yarn are showing considerable promise.
There is a LOT of neat stuff going on and thus far it has been handled quite intelligently. I'm cautiously optimistic that this is going to continue to be good, mitigating against this is the fact that the promo art hints at a harem show, the portrayal of some of the Americans and
. Nevertheless, this is surprisingly interesting two episodes in and I'm looking forward to more.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
04:01 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 152 words, total size 2 kb.
Oh My. Yes! PLEASE...
...please don't screw this up!
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
02:40 PM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 9 words, total size 1 kb.
School-Live!
Tonight, at a friend's place it was strongly suggested that I watch this.
This one was a genuine surprise.
To my initial dismay, School Live! is a slice of life show that, despite an engaging and generally interesting cast, seems at least in the pilot, to be focused on what appears to be the most annoying character in the history of ever.
I leave you, gentle reader, to guess which one.
Nevertheless, under duress, I ended up watching ALL of this moe' mess.
Tomorrow, on MY computer, where I will have control of the freeze-frame button, I will simply have to watch the whole thing again.
Despite (or perhaps, because of) my initial dislike for the shows more cloying elements, I am tentatively recommending it. In stark contrast to its initial impressions, it displays considerable depth. School-Live! does take a while to get going, but the show becomes...quirky and thoughtful in a completely unexpected way, as it explores the dichotomy between its character's carefree whimsy and the realities they face trying to cope with their rather demanding and stressful high school environment.
I say tentatively only because I'm skeptical that they are going to be able to sustain this heteroclite yarn, but I am eager to find out if they can. This first episode was actually kind of brilliant and it is for now most unreservedly added to my watch list.
On the off chance that anyone reading this blog has watched the show, I do have a question.
UPDATE: I just got home and, unhindered by Blackberry blogging, added the picture, a link and slightly reworded two sentences for obscurity.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
03:05 AM
| Comments (3)
| Add Comment
Post contains 273 words, total size 3 kb.
July 10, 2015
The Mi-Go Are Happy to See Us?
One of the Bwikmuppet's Quack Team of Science Babes helps us interpret the most recent data from Yuggoth Pluto.
" .... . -. .-. -.-- / .- -.- . .-.. . -.-- / .-- .- -. - ... / --- ..- - "
The data also includes the first fairly clear pictures of the planetoid. It does look like the atmosphere might indeed share some commonality with that of Titan (Tholin rain). It's really cool that they're getting pictures like this 6 days out (quite an accomplishment given how little light there is out there). Of course, the probe will be out of contact during the flyby and we won't know if the mission is a success for a couple of days.
As to the pattern-spotting, it's unclear if the formation in what appears to be the southeastern quadrant* is a cloud or a surface feature. The Telegraph says it looks like a valentine, but here at Brickmuppet Blog we also can make out an anglerfish or perhaps, Hem Dazon.
*Compared to most other planets, Pluto is a bit off kilter anyway and, in any event, New Horizons is coming at it from an odd angle so it's probably not really the southeast.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
11:32 AM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 210 words, total size 2 kb.
July 08, 2015
Betting Against Ourselves
We here at Brickmuppet Blog were somewhat surprised at just how fast the topic of the post below went from obscure to focus of major interest.
It is our sincere hope that that pattern does not repeat with THIS story.
A Patriot missile defense battery operated by Germany on the Syrian-Turkish border received "unexplained commands†from a "foreign source,†sparking fears it has been hacked...,
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
06:26 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 68 words, total size 1 kb.
July 07, 2015
A Minor Detail, Scarcely Worth Mentioning
Over 20% of PRC stocks have had their trading suspended.
But wait. There's more!
In an extraordinary move, the People’s Bank of China has begun lending money to investors to buy shares in the flailing market.
"Umm...What?"
That just smacks of desperation. The article also mentions twice that the government is concerned about "monstrous public disorder" which further fails to instill confidence.
This ray of sunshine comes courtesy of SDA.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
08:33 PM
| Comments (8)
| Add Comment
Post contains 76 words, total size 1 kb.
July 06, 2015
Little Witch Academia 2
Well, that was awesome!
Of course that was to be expected.
Among the things that were not expected:
Digikerot getting quite prominent screen credit and the running Dresden Codak reference.
The film premiers in Japanese theaters in October.
A note based on personal experience to those of you who were also part of the Kickstarter, CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER!
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
05:05 PM
| Comments (3)
| Add Comment
Post contains 63 words, total size 1 kb.
This....Is....HAPPENING!
One of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes follows up on the information she provided us a few days ago...
...and provides her usual thoughtful analysis.
'The awesomeness of this is Brobdingnagian!"
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
02:22 PM
| Comments (3)
| Add Comment
Post contains 34 words, total size 1 kb.
98kb generated in CPU 0.0651, elapsed 0.1887 seconds.
79 queries taking 0.1509 seconds, 446 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
79 queries taking 0.1509 seconds, 446 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
