This (was)not a Cold Civil War. We were occupied. The Vichy had full control of society, and we were the plucky resistance. We didn’t even have a flight helmet, or an egg beater, but we were doing what we could, in the shadows. Those of us in the arts ported seemingly incongruous bits into our stuff, at great risk of discovery or at least suspicion. Local journalists sometimes broke with the narrative. But none of this had a great deal of effect. We were mostly sidelined, and when someone managed to break through, he or she was immediately demonized.
1
Yeah, not bad for Hoyt. And you know, people here and there predicted that Internet will bypass the gatekeepers one day, and it always seemed that Cubs would win earlier than that would happen.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Sun Jan 29 13:47:19 2017 (XOPVE)
Posted by: Mauser at Mon Jan 30 00:04:10 2017 (5Ktpu)
3
The old gatekeepers are desperate to regain the initiative. I turned on ESPN earlier today, thinking I'd see some discussion on the upcoming Super Bowl. Instead, there was a panel of sportscasters ranting about how evil Trump was to temporarily suspend immigration from 7 countries (they never mentioned Obama's earlier suspension dealing with the same 7 countries).
I am going to tune into the Super Bowl on Sunday, but if I hear even one sportscaster start in on a political rant, I'm switching it off. I can always watch the big plays and new commercials later on YouTube...
Posted by: Siergen at Mon Jan 30 13:56:06 2017 (fqStN)
A review board ultimately identified a number of conditions that led the fire. The sealed cabin had been pressurized with pure oxygen, which fuels fire. There were combustible materials all around the capsule, as well as "vulnerable†wiring and plumbing...
In the lead up to the fire there were ominous signs such as
...an environmental control system that had burst into flames during a test to indications that when the service module’s propellant tanks were pressurized, they might suddenly explode.
This was an actual scandal rather than the hazards one expects when pushing technologies to their limit. Nevertheless, while there were the major shake-ups at NASA and a complete redesign of the spacecraft, in less than 30 months later the Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility.
1
I recall one documentary pointing out that some of the velcro that was used extensively in the cockpit was considered fire retardant in normal atmosphere, but turned out to be extremely flammable in pure oxygen, but it wasn't tested in that environment.
Posted by: Mauser at Sat Jan 28 21:52:47 2017 (5Ktpu)
1
My favourite fridge-logic example of Highly Improbable Geography in fantasy settings are those floating islands in the sky--more often than not with houses, castles, or even entire towns on them. Three questions come to my mind when I see them:
1. How would you get up to and down from the floating islands? You never see rope ladders hanging off of them, there are no helicopters, and winged horses (pegasuses? pegasi?) are not exactly common, even in a fantasy setting.
2. How many people would fall off the islands to their deaths in a given period of time? It's especially grim to think of a small child running off the edge while chasing a ball.
3. What would happen if the magic/ancient technology/whatever that's holding the islands up conked out? (A huge disaster, that's what would happen.)
Posted by: Peter the Not-so-Great at Thu Jan 26 19:10:48 2017 (jS1F0)
In ER
I'm passing blood, feverish, BP is 234 over 130something. They are discussing an ambulance to the big hospital.
If no updates follow, thanks for years of readership.
UPDATE:
2 x 5mm kidney stones and a probable kidney infection. One of the stones hasn't moved much since it made it's presence known during my bout of flu. I'm wiped. It's hard to make it up the stairs.
The blood pressure was alarming, however, it plummeted to something rather less so shortly after they they hit me up with Torodol. Aparrently the pain was causing the BP spike.
I need to make an appointment with a urologist to see if these two stones can be reasonably expected to get passed, but I wasted the day getting the first sleep of more than a few minutes I've gotten in 3 days or so.
Posted by: Rick C at Mon Jan 23 12:40:02 2017 (ECH2/)
4
None of those things are good, so you need to stop doing them. Praying. And looking forward to the update on your condition from the hospital bed.
Posted by: Ben at Mon Jan 23 16:39:55 2017 (1uZgg)
5
Glad you're OK. Also glad the Torodol helped. My wife turned out to be allergic to that--it made her itch like she was on fire, so badly that she scratched herself raw in a bunch of places.
Posted by: RickC at Mon Jan 23 19:25:51 2017 (ITnFO)
Posted by: Wonderduck at Mon Jan 23 21:33:20 2017 (UDOXQ)
10If no updates follow, thanks for years of readership.
Those words gave me the chills when I first read them--they still do, even now when I know you're still with us. I (for one) will be hoping and praying for you to get well again soon, and to stay in the Land of the Living for a good long time to come.
Posted by: Peter the Not-so-Great at Mon Jan 23 21:53:54 2017 (jS1F0)
11
I'm glad you're still with us, so I can point out that exactly one week ago you announced both your graduation and your retirement. Given The Luck Of The Brickmuppet, what were you thinking? :-)
-j
Posted by: J Greely at Mon Jan 23 22:37:09 2017 (tgyIO)
12
Gah! Don't DO that! I just finished reading about a friend spending 8 days in a Toronto Hospital. Frigging blood clots, mild valve problem making clots. I swear to hear how he told it he waited a day and a half, some of it in the hallway, with what could have been a stroke.
And he says Canadian Health care is better....
Posted by: Mauser at Mon Jan 23 23:25:56 2017 (5Ktpu)
Fulfilling Promises He Didn't Technically Make
So I've been under the weather today and turned on the TV to discover that on the second day of Trump's presidency well over 100,000 women with cat ears showed up in D.C. to unlock new frontiers in juvenile vulgarity as they fight against the evil overlord of their pocket universe.
1
No problem. If they get out of hand, we can fight them with STEM.
-j
Posted by: J Greely at Sun Jan 22 12:12:52 2017 (tgyIO)
2
There is a distinction between catgirls, as found in anime, and cat ladies, such as the crazy specimens on exhibit this weekend. The latter are are best dealt with by ridicule, not physics.
Posted by: Don at Sun Jan 22 20:01:23 2017 (iFXhh)
3
Yeah, most of those were not very cute nekomimi hats, despite the fact I have almost never seen an uncute animal hat. They were ugly, and almost seemed anti-sexy on most of the women protesters. I do not know how they managed it, but it is true that ugly intent can make ugly art and fashion.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at Sun Jan 22 22:40:57 2017 (S0Svy)
Trepidations aside, the speech, while it is being remarked upon as being darker than usual, was short, pointed out the correct relationship between citizens and government, and actually ended on an upbeat and nicely inclusive note.
Posted by: Rick C at Fri Jan 20 19:56:47 2017 (ITnFO)
2
I listened to Trump's Inauguration speech while at work, processing claims brought to my computer via the Affordable Care Act, and I found it to be almost isolationist in tone.
I'm not entirely sure that's the best way for us to be leaning. Even hermits have friends...
Posted by: Wonderduck at Fri Jan 20 23:07:37 2017 (UDOXQ)
3
Even the local news Radio station was calling it "Dark", almost as if the word had been spread around as the preferred term to use by some kind of, you know, Journalist mailing list or something....
Posted by: Mauser at Sat Jan 21 00:29:10 2017 (5Ktpu)
1
Glad you're feeling better. Some things just should never be put together and you stumbled on one combination I certainly hadn't thought of
Best wishes that this time you'll be successful in finally finishing!
*back to lurking*
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Sun Jan 15 22:05:57 2017 (5YSpE)
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at Mon Jan 16 23:00:19 2017 (S0Svy)
3
I'm late to this party (again), but good luck with your studies--hopefully there'll be no more roadblocks to getting your diploma. Good luck with that whole "growing up" business, too. I still haven't got the hang of it; I've got nephews and nieces who are less than half my age and are way more mature than I am.
Posted by: Peter the Not-so-Great at Thu Jan 19 20:26:22 2017 (jS1F0)
So Today we Try to Reassure Those Who Deal With Paraskevidekatriaphobia (or Friggatriskaidekaphobia, as There Seems to Be Some Debate on the Precise Nomenclature)
In any event, don't worry.
Let us reiterate that there is really nothing to worry about, unless, in the course of this day, you encounter...this...
In such an instance, depending upon the context in which you have encountered this situation, I strongly suggest that you either leave the bedroom without delay...or STOP READING IMMEDIATELY lest you end up feeling queasy, violated, and unclean for the rest of the day.
Aside from such an unlikely happenstance, we assure you that the intersection of Friday and three more than a half-score is no more likely to cause you grief than any other random date.
1...feeling queasy, violated and unclean for the rest of the day.
Dude, you're already dealing with influenza and kidney stones--you don't need cirrhosis of the mind on top of all that, which is exactly what those sorts of fishy manga will give you.
On the topic of health, though--I hope Friday the 13th brings good luck for you, and for your mom.
Posted by: Peter the Not-so-Great at Fri Jan 13 18:53:46 2017 (jS1F0)
2
Catgirl in negligee? And no link? You are a cruel, cruel Brickmuppet.
Posted by: Mauser at Fri Jan 13 20:33:17 2017 (5Ktpu)
3
Google image search is your friend (at least, if you really want to find hentai of a touhou character and her aquatic assailant...). Set your ad-blockers to stun, and search for "touhou maguro".
-j
Posted by: J Greely at Fri Jan 13 20:59:52 2017 (CLiR9)
Catgirl in negligee? And no link? You are a cruel, cruel Brickmuppet.
I assure you that my lack of sourcing was an attempt at being kind, not cruel.
Google image search is your friend
Sadly...no.
It took me to exactly the place J. Greely describes... where I thought I wanted to be....but then it showed me the rest of that story, which was not just vile, it was boring, unimaginative, stupid and vile.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Fri Jan 13 21:30:37 2017 (KicmI)
5
There needs to be a special word for "lame, mean-spirited porn"; oh, wait, it's "hentai". :-)
-j
Posted by: J Greely at Fri Jan 13 22:53:13 2017 (CLiR9)
6
I stand by my statement of cruelty then. A nice Brickmuppet would lead us on to much nicer porn. :-)
Posted by: Mauser at Sun Jan 15 14:03:31 2017 (5Ktpu)
1
So where can I find Star Blazers 2199? Youtube seems to have nothing but short clips, and Crunchyroll doesn't have it, either, unless my searching was bad.
Posted by: RickC at Mon Jan 9 20:55:46 2017 (ITnFO)
Status Update
Although Mom exhibited all the signs of a stroke, they couldn't find one. While she was supposed to be under observation for 4 days they discharged her yesterday after two stress tests due to the flu emergency. (All rooms at the hospital were full and the halls are full of gurneys). One possibility is that this was due to a drug interation, so they put her on her old prescriptions.
She does seem to be doing better now.
As for me, I've contracted the flu and have quarantined myself upstairs.
Kongo is a Lady of Impeccable Taste
One of the more surprising things I discovered in my various trips to Japan was that they actually get sweet tea right. While most tea in Japan is unsweetened the Kirin company produces two products that nail the concept.
Despite it being called English Tea, this is actually the sweet tea of the American southeast, which is exactly NOT like the oversweetened syrupy swill that passes for sweet tea in most national chain restaurants and in the soft drink industry. The latter producing such abominations as sweetened GREEN tea. Proper, civilized tea is extremely strong so that the bitterness balances out the sweetness of the cane sugar, (which is an entirely different substance from corn syrup). The sweetness can be further countered by adding lemon juice. This is, for some reason, beyond the capability of the American food service industry outside of a dwindling number of small mom and pop restaurants in the American southeast, despite the fact that it is well within the capability of my late grandmother.
Kirin is not so incompetent. Both the straight tea and the lemon tea are done perfectly. I never saw this done in a mass marketed product before I pulled one of these out of a Japanese vending machine on a whim.
I was, therefore overjoyed to discover that Amazon now carries this very tea which....
...I should have bought in bulk when I was over there and sold to people who cannot master the concept of the mason jar.
1
Wonder how it compares to Australian (or British) iced teas. At least we use cane sugar and not HFCS. We also have iced tea cordials - basically 5x concentrated peach- or lemon-flavoured iced tea that you can make up to whatever strength you prefer.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Thu Jan 5 07:53:34 2017 (PiXy!)
2
I think I've seen it at the local Japanese groceries, if no other source turns up. A quick search turned up Yamibuy, although I have no idea if they're a decent company to deal with.
-j
Posted by: J Greely at Thu Jan 5 16:48:34 2017 (CLiR9)
3
As expected, Mitsuwa in San Jose carries both flavors (500ml for $2.19), although the lemon was only in the 1.5-liter size. Clearly you need more Japanese groceries in your area!
(or friends who are willing to send care packages...)
-j
Posted by: J Greely at Thu Jan 12 11:38:35 2017 (tgyIO)
OK, I Sit Corrected
In my last pompous disquisition upon this season of RWBY I prattled on for about 150 words about how the CGI fight animation/choreography was not as good as those of the earlier seasons.
Yeah.
About that...
It does appear that my argument has been invalidated by recent developments.
Monty would be proud of these people.
As for the non-FX aspects of this episode.
Wow.
This was not filler.
We find out what's going on with Checkov's farmhand.
There's been this random farmboy named Oscar who talks to himself and who we've been seeing periodically for no readily apparent reason. Well, it appears that he has no connection to anything going on in the story...except that he's now possessed by the ghost of Ozpin who is trying to convince the Oscar that A: Oscar's not insane and B: He really needs to go to Haven (the ultimate goal of Ruby's party)
Weiss announces that she's leaving to take Ironwood up on his offer. In response, she gets beaten by her father, learns that she's been stripped of her inheritance, that she has been declared mentally incompetent and that she's now essentially a prisoner and will remain so until she breaks. After realizing the sheer depth of the betrayal that she's suffered and receiving yet another emotional gut punch,Weiss has herself a rather perfunctory cry....that, amusingly, lasts about 6 seconds.
You see, this is not the spoiled debutante that began the series...Weiss is a character that has developed beyond all expectations.
There is the little matter of the aforementioned fight. Catching him in mid-gloat, Ruby does force Tyrian to withdraw...but only after indirectly causing a grave injury to Qrow, who with what appears to be a mortal wound attempts to let Ruby, Jaune, Ren and Nora in on what's going o....
Roll Credits
Every aspect of the three ring circus that was this episode was consequential and full of surprises. Even the quiet conversations, far removed from the cares of the world keep one on the edge of their seats.
I remain surprised at just how impressive that Weiss, of all people, has become.
This show still has five or six more episodes to screw everything up, but as of now RWBY remains first rate.
If I Had A Ronin For Every Year I've Been Around, I'd Be Secure in the Knowledge That I'd Be Avenged When Assasinated
As it is, I find myself pondering the things that I have not done in my time on this earth.
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!!
