Egzamz Awlmowst Ovur
Fortunately none were or are spelling exams.
I have to wonder how these gatekeepers of knowledge did on their geography exams.
I have to give a presentation Tuesday and that's it for the semester.
The rest were all over by Monday. I should mention that I got a 100 on my Japanese exam, which, given my considerable trepidation regarding it was a most welcome surprise.
I'm only three classes from graduation, and to my unbridled joy have been given permission to take two of them during the summer as independent study courses. (They are normally at 8 AM, which means I would not ordinarily be able to take them due to work.)
I find that as tuition increases, I've been experiencing what has at times seemed like the half-life of college. As I have gone from full-time to part time to half time the rate of decay of the Kafkaesque annoyance known as University slowed and it really seemed at times like it would never end. Now, though, I'm almost there.
I've got a few weeks before summer school starts. I should, perhaps, take a weekend and go on a trip...
One of These Words Seems Out of Place
Optically. Transparent. Wood.
But wait...there's more.
This actually isn't the first time we've seen wood turned into a transparent material, as nanofibrillated cellulose has been used to create items such as the substrate for wood-based computer chips. According to KTH, however, the new process should be particularly well-suited to large-scale applications and mass production.
...scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have started producing "wooden" semiconductor chips that could almost entirely biodegrade once left in a landfill. As an added bonus, the chips are also flexible, making them prime candidates for use in flexible electronics
"Also enforces obsolescence when they rot."
See? When words are used incorrectly, there is mischief affoot.
This is an important programing note to the subset of our moviegoing readers that are weeks behind on their new release viewing.
At 04:09 this morning, we posted a Batman VS Superman review that, upon reflection, needed some further editing.
To wit.
...does a character study of Batman in the midst of an ethical dilemma that has driven him to distraction and an appreciation of Alfred, the butler...who is portrayed so very right.
...was probably meant to be...
...does a character study of Batman in the midst of an ethical dilemma that has driven him to distraction, and provides an appreciation of Alfred, the butler...who is portrayed so very right.
Note that while a single comma and the word "provides" were technically all that was required to salvage the post from the slash bin, I ultimately decided to do a slightly more comprehensive tweak of the paragraph.
Apologies to those who were initially offended or who rushed off to see the film based on false pretenses.
The Batman Versus Superman film has gotten execrable reviews, and, in any event, exams, term papers and various other adult responsibilities have precluded anything that took time or misallocated my already limited creativity reserves until this week.
My friend BOB!1! claimed to have enjoyed the film, but he had really liked Wing Commander too and so is an unreliable gauge of such matters. Nevertheless, with some trepidation, I accompanied him when he went to see it again this week.
A southern gentleman is expected to comport himself with a degree of stoicism and gentility that makes adequate description of what I sat through difficult to express.
Fortunately, this blog employs some imaginary cartoon debutantes who are not so constrained.
1
I agree it was an entertaining film, and I am looking forward to where DC takes their film-universe next. I do have two quarrels with the movie, though:
1. Batman kills a lot of people
2. Batman uses guns.
My greatest exposure to Batman was through the animated Batman and Justice League TV shows, and I just can't reconcile that version of the character with the one in this film.
Still entertaining though, and worth watching.
Posted by: Siergen at Thu Apr 28 15:35:32 2016 (De/yN)
2
I took that as part of the point.
Batman is at a particularly dark point and is going over to the dark side. The branding epitomizes that.
Note that he is generally aiming the guns at equipment rather than the actual people that it explodes, flies through the air and falls on....a terribly semantic point to be sure, but as Alfred notes, he is really not himself. Only when he realizes that Superman is some dude trying to save his mother does he begin to get a grip.
Amusingly, it's not until the point when Wonder Woman (unaware of the Kryptonite spear) angrily confronts him about the collateral damage that results from his leading Doomsday INTO the city (this is after Superman is dead) that he realizes that he has done exactly the same thing that Superman did at the beginning of the film, for the same reason...it is the only way to stop a world level threat.
This film has Batman go right to the edge of the moral event horizon before stepping back...and there is a whole LOT of introspection in his future.
At this point I can easily see Batman, (who had quite a few uncomfortable self reflections in this film) very much BECOMING the JLA Batman, to assure himself that he'll never go down that path again.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Thu Apr 28 18:12:57 2016 (/4jFR)
3
I enjoyed Afleck's Batman a lot more than I ever expected to (which was practically not at all). He was actually quite good. I didn't enjoy almost anything else about the film. It uses characterizations that I don't care for, and I'm not interested in DC taking the heroes to a darker place so they can reflect and agonize on life. But to be fair, when they said Singer was the choice to launch the DC Movie Universe which would actually start with Man of Steel, I knew then that the franchise was moving in a direction I wouldn't like.
Posted by: Ben at Thu Apr 28 20:58:58 2016 (DRaH+)
4
"I'm not interested in DC taking the heroes to a darker place so they can reflect and agonize on life."
We got that once. It was called Knightfall. Afterwards, the letters sections were full of people complaining. DC's response? "You wanted a darker Batman and we gave you one." Very David Bowie in Labyrinth.
Posted by: Rick C at Thu Apr 28 22:07:08 2016 (FvJAK)
5
Elaborating on a point that I tried to make above:
All three heroes, in the course of this film, actually turn their backs on being dark and gritty. Batman's been branding people and is willing to kill Superman for not abiding by a higher standard than he maintains. Superman had his dark moment in the last movie and decides to redeem himself...by harassing Batman*. Wonderwoman, gave up on humanity due to the horrors she saw a century ago and has been letting crap happen ever since. All three at one point or another decide..."No, I'm better than this." This movie is, in many ways, a rejection of the dark gritty superhero, and this dynamic makes it an even better jumping off point for the JLA than it might otherwise have been.
* A long missive on the misdirected virtuousness of SJWs could probably be written about that.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Apr 30 17:33:20 2016 (QEjG2)
6
One amusing point noticed by my friend BOB!1!
Batman in this film is Alfred's Robin. Alfred is doing all the detective work and Batman is the distracting loon who draws the villain's fire. It's explicitly stated that Batman is off his game, but it is also noted pointedly by Alfred that the only successful gumshoe work he's done lately has been as Bruce Wayne being Bruce Wayne.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Apr 30 17:38:45 2016 (QEjG2)
We're trying to check out the blogs compatibility with Vivaldi, and double-checking a few things in our 5 other browsers. One annoying peculiarity is apparent right away
The banner images are not visible in Vivaldi. While It's certainly possible that this is an adblock issue, it should be noted that enen the privacy optimized Epic browser (which has an always on, near perfect ad-block) does not have this issue.
Additionally, some combination of keystrokes associated with the "BACK" key reverts the page to the previous page in the tab...thereby dumping the post.
Naturally, this is a break from format and therefore of limited appeal to our readers. Thus, sacred honor dictates that we post this picture...
Because few things over the last several weeks have been quite as refreshing as Blizzard's response to those who feel that the greatest problem in the world is Tracer's epic bodankey.
As to the upcoming game itself, I thin....
Ahem.
While I detect the foeted aroma of sarcasm in that outburst, in fairness, it should be noted that we do count amongst our loyal readers those who are not explicitly catered to by the first image.
To that end...
All nekoboys are 18 years of age or older. proof of age was on file in annex C of section 42 of the basement of the Ministry of Education Truancy Division Sector 8, Orion Arm Local Office Copies Division, Located orbiting Alpha Centauri B Planet 3 Moon 2 Quadrant 1, Sector 81, Spoo County, at the corner of 8th Street and Dogwood Avenue and was retained there until the nekoboys alluded to reached the age of majority at which point such records were burned pursuant to the child welfare act. That is our story, and we are sticking to it.
However, this can digress to an alarming degree since our diverse audience boasts a number with...unconventional interests.
,,,and there's always that ONE guy...
...which would just not be keeping with our format and so that is why we generally subcontract such matters to 4-Chan.
Let's try a quotation now
...might not be so bad, with all the lazy bums we got panhandling relief nowadays, and living on my income tax and yours—not so worse to have a real Strong Man, like Hitler or Mussolini—like Napoleon or Bismarck in the good old days—and have ‘em really run the country and make it efficient and prosperous again. ‘Nother words, have a doctor who won’t take any back-chat, but really boss the patient and make him get well whether he likes it or not!â€
― Michael R. Meyer, It Can't Happen Here
Ok...that covers most formatting tools and our ongoing nightmares..
Perhaps that's enough for now.
UPDATE: Does anyone note any oddness?
The banner images are working now. I suspect I have a broken banner in the rotation. I still cant figure out quite what selection of keys causes the page to jump back though.
I will NEVER escape the pernicious shadow of that online quiz...
I cannot be an example to any of you. However, I can be a dreadful warning. So take heed.
When you are using the school version of Microsoft Word for Mac, and it asks you, when you save your paper, if you wish to MERGE your changes into the original document, the correct answer is...
"NO!!"
You see, if you say yes, it will, every time you fastidiously save your paper, quietly disappear all of your paper except for what is on your screen and whatever you first saved....which in my case was the title.
Anyway...
There was some anxiety around these parts recently.
Douglas Holmes Talton: November 19, 1924 - April 14 2016
Uncle Doug spent many his formative years in the crushing poverty that characterized Smithfield North Carolina during the depression era. in 1943 he enlisted in the Navy and received his baptism of fire as a landing craft coxwain at an obscure location known as Omaha Beach where, after the constructive total loss of his first command, he had an unlikely meeting with his brother John before chaos intervened and he found himself running ammunition to the troops with the landing parties from the battleship Texas. He subsequently served in the Pacific and was one of the first Americans to land in Japan after the surrender. He later was present at tests Able and Baker, where he suffered radiation poisoning. In the following years he served in China during the tumultuous retreat of the Nationalists to Formosa, saw combat in Korea, and as a cryptographer, served in stations as diverse as Japan, England, Italy, and the South Pacific test range where he was present at several Pacific nuclear tests.
Retiring in 1964, he served as an analyst for NATO and later in the Merchant Marine. Later still, he captained numerous passenger vessels and private yachts.
He was in remarkable health despite his years, but a bit over a week ago he went into the hospital for a simple gall bladder removal and never woke up from the operation. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
He definitely did his bit.
The things he, his brothers, and many of his day saw and did were nothing short of epic. The loss of their experience is a tragedy beyond words and their shoes are unlikely to be soon filled.
1
Back in ye olden days when test patterns were broadcast, I never found anyone who knew how to actually use them. Here's a description from Wikipedia.
Posted by: Siergen at Sun Apr 24 15:48:19 2016 (De/yN)
2
I think, Siergen, that we might be more concerned about just exactly why friend Brickmuppet has an untitled post of a test pattern on his blog...
Posted by: Wonderduck at Sun Apr 24 18:43:49 2016 (XQ5ac)
3
Kind of interesting that in this case, the test pattern demonstrates the limitations of rendering it digitally. It was certainly not anti-aliased.
Posted by: Mauser at Sun Apr 24 18:51:30 2016 (5Ktpu)
This was announced on April first,which allowed us to blissfully ignore the warning, However, it keeps getting talked about by Rooster Teeth and reportedly has a release date of sometime in May. There is supposed to be a clip released on April 27th, so we'll know in a week if this is just a ponderous leg-pull...or perhaps something even more cruel.
Ubuville is Under Water
We've been dealing with some annoying occorances of late, including but not limited to illness, exams, term papers, a sinkhole, severed cable line, and a spider. However, these do not compare to 20 inches of rain in 24 hours.
In the sincere hopes that Ubu Roi drags his bedragled self inside unharmed we're going put out some Ubu bait.
Phantom World EndsMyriad Colors Phantom World wrapped up with episode 13. Despite having to cram about half a dozen episodes worth of material into 23 minutes, this whirlwind episode manages to have quiet, even touching moments of introspection and character development interspersed with all sorts of delightfully escalating violence. The writers do resort to expediting the plot with a somewhat unlikely hacking montage...
"Somewhat!?"
...and don't quite clear up every single plot thread, but this episode is brilliantly paced and serves as a thoroughly satisfying climax. I never would have guessed that they were going pull this off so well.
Some Truly Good News
This is a couple of days old, but it is still awesome news.
The National Space Society takes great pleasure in announcing that its 2016 Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Award has been won by acclaimed science fiction author Dr. Jerry Pournelle. This prestigious award selected by an international vote of NSS members will be presented to Dr. Jerry Pournelle at the 2016 International Space Development Conference (ISDC). The public is welcome to attend the conference and see the award presentation at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The ISDC will run from May 18-22, 2016.
Pournelle is one of the best of the hard SF writers and he has worked tirelessly since the late '60s to defend this nation and make us a space faring society. He worked on space policy for two presidents, and was instrumental in getting the DC-X off the ground. In addition to his visionary and entertaining novels and short stories, Dr. Pournelle has been a tireless advocate for making humanity a multi-planet species.
This is truly well deserved and it is uplifting to see it has come to pass.
Consolation Flowers
Gentle readers, I've been sick, busy, and generally distracted of late. In appreciation of your support, atonement for the disgraceful lack of posting here. and to commemorate spring we've decided to link to this rendition of a dandelion by Jin Happiobi.
Also, just to be safe, here is a sunflower by Sorahate.
In Space, No One Can Hear The Primaries
Here is some news that doesn't involve the primaries.
Space-X successfully launched an inflatable habitat module to the Space Station. Then they successfully landed the first stage on a robotic barge at sea.This means that they now have a reusable medium lift rocket.
Welcome to tomorrow.
Here is video of the entire launch sequence.
...And an assessment by our crack team of science babes:
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Sat Apr 9 09:01:19 2016 (PiXy!)
3
The funny part is, it's really not significant. They already landed on land, which is what they want for rapid, inexpensive reuse. Barges are just a kludge to be used until FH is operational.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Sat Apr 9 13:58:23 2016 (XOPVE)
4
There's another video circulating from an on-board camera. Also a cleaner version of the chase plane video above, which, if you watch carefully, you can see how it bounces and shifts a little as it lands.
There's even a 4K version of the video, but I think Pixy is the only person I know of with a 4K monitor.
Posted by: Mauser at Sat Apr 9 19:51:03 2016 (5Ktpu)
5
I'd read that barges will let them use a different launch profile - basically they can lift a heavier payload because the landing profile needs less fuel? (Could have been bollocks but it makes at least some sense...)
Posted by: Avatar_exADV at Sun Apr 10 01:30:01 2016 (v29Tn)
6
I saw the 4k video yesterday, and it is much cleaner than the original. I'm not sure a 4k monitor was necessary, though I do have one.
Currently, the majority of launch profiles require the use of the barge. As the rocket continues to improve they will have more opportunities to make it back to land. The information video on the Falcon Heavy that SpaceX released many months ago showed the boosters going back to land and the core landing on a barge, which makes sense as the core is a lot further downrange and moving much faster at MECO than the boosters were at BECO.
Posted by: David at Sun Apr 10 15:09:00 2016 (qFBUY)
1
I do like these bluegrass covers of rock and metal. A personal favorite of mine is this cover of Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, since it's such a natural sounding Bluegrass song.
Posted by: Mauser at Thu Apr 7 23:02:05 2016 (5Ktpu)
3
This combined with an entire fist of Kraken has made my night most enjoyable. Thanks! ;p
Posted by: Avatar_exADV at Fri Apr 8 03:03:03 2016 (v29Tn)
4
The Cleverlys did a video of "I kissed a girl and I liked it", but I haven't been able to find the particular performance that I liked, or I would have linked it.
Posted by: Mauser at Sat Apr 9 01:09:07 2016 (5Ktpu)
6
Since Superstition would be on my short list of "favorite songs ever", I went looking for the version by The Cleverlys. And lo, here is one. Not bad, not bad at all.
Posted by: Wonderduck at Sat Apr 9 23:52:58 2016 (KiM/Y)
I Am Alive
Unlike SOME people, who are.....mechanical.
"And can presumably be put back together if they get...disassembled!"
Well, I've been in the hospital. It seems that I am not just allergic to Pseudoephedrine, I'm deathly allergic to ALL antihistamines, even those that are supposedly safe for people who can't take Pseudoephedrine.
When I entered the hospital both my blood-pressure numbers were three digits and one of them began with the letter two.
I turned out to have a recurrence of the vile sinus/inner ear infection I had about six months ago, just with much more pain added to the dizziness and blurred vision. A ridiculous battery of tests resulted in the conclusion that I don't actually have hypertension except as a result of the aforementioned allergies. This whole event turned out to be fortuitous since I probably would not have been aware of the insane blood pressure issue had it not been for the symptoms of the infection scaring me to dearth and sending me to the ER. Of course, given that this unlikely condition has recurred, I'll need to see an E.N.T in the near future.
Posted by: Wonderduck at Sun Apr 3 22:24:53 2016 (KiM/Y)
2
Wonderduck, when it comes to little coastal vessels like that, I suspect it's best to apply the cockroach rule - if you found two wrecks, assume there's a couple dozen hiding somewhere you can't see.
Posted by: Mitch H. at Mon Apr 4 12:00:35 2016 (jwKxK)
Hobby Space News of the commercial space industry A Babe In The Universe Rather Eclectic Cosmology Encyclopedia Astronautica Superb spacecraft resource The Unwanted Blog Scott Lowther blogs about forgotten aerospace projects and sells amazingly informative articles on the same. Also, there are cats. Transterrestrial Musings Commentary on Infinity...and beyond! Colony WorldsSpace colonization news! The Alternate Energy Blog It's a blog about alternate energy (DUH!) Next Big Future Brian Wang: Tracking our progress to the FUTURE. Nuclear Green Charles Barton, who seems to be either a cool curmudgeon, or a rational hippy, talks about energy policy and the terrible environmental consequences of not going nuclear Energy From Thorium Focuses on the merits of thorium cycle nuclear reactors WizBang Current events commentary...with a wiz and a bang The Gates of Vienna Tenaciously studying a very old war The Anchoress insightful blogging, presumably from the catacombs Murdoc Online"Howling Mad Murdoc" has a millblog...golly! EaglespeakMaritime security matters Commander Salamander Fullbore blackshoe blogging! Belmont Club Richard Fernandez blogs on current events BaldilocksUnderstated and interesting blog on current events The Dissident Frogman French bi-lingual current events blog The "Moderate" VoiceI don't think that word means what they think it does....but this lefty blog is a worthy read nonetheless. Meryl Yourish News, Jews and Meryls' Views Classical Values Eric Scheie blogs about the culture war and its incompatibility with our republic. Jerry Pournell: Chaos ManorOne of Science fictions greats blogs on futurism, current events, technology and wisdom A Distant Soil The website of Colleen Dorans' superb fantasy comic, includes a blog focused on the comic industry, creator issues and human rights. John C. Wright The Sci-Fi/ Fantasy writer muses on a wide range of topics. Now Read This! The founder of the UK Comics Creators Guild blogs on comics past and present. The Rambling Rebuilder Charity, relief work, roleplaying games Rats NestThe Art and rantings of Vince Riley Gorilla Daze Allan Harvey, UK based cartoonist and comics historian has a comicophillic blog! Pulpjunkie Tim Driscoll reviews old movies, silents and talkies, classics and clunkers. Suburban Banshee Just like a suburban Leprechaun....but taller, more dangerous and a certified genius. Satharn's Musings Through TimeThe Crazy Catlady of The Barony of Tir Ysgithr アニ・ノート(Ani-Nouto) Thoughtful, curmudgeonly, otakuism that pulls no punches and suffers no fools. Chizumatic Stephen Den Beste analyzes anime...with a microscope, a slide rule and a tricorder. Wonderduck Anime, Formula One Racing, Sad Girls in Snow...Duck Triumphalism Beta Waffle What will likely be the most thoroughly tested waffle evah! Zoopraxiscope Too In this thrilling sequel to Zoopraxiscope, Don, Middle American Man of Mystery, keeps tabs on anime, orchids, and absurdities. Mahou Meido MeganekkoUbu blogs on Anime, computer games and other non-vital interests Twentysided More geekery than you can shake a stick at Shoplifting in the Marketplace of Ideas Sounds like Plaigarism...but isn't Ambient IronyAll Meenuvians Praise the lathe of the maker! Hail Pixy!!