Water Power

How more superfluous AND green can you get at the same time as a rain powered led umbrella? Not very I can promise you that, the LightDrops Umbrella designed by Sang-Kyun Park uses a special membrane to keep you dry, but also captures the potential energy of rain and uses it to power LEDs. Dark rainy nights won't be so dark any more with this little device, and would be a must have for residents of places like Seattle. Oh yeah did I mention that it glows brighter when it Rains harder?

LightDrops Umbrella


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Mass routine power.

So it seems that everywhere you go there's a some type of news about needing green energy these days. While I don't really keep my ear to the ground when it comes to green technology I am a supporter of alternative energy means.

Of all the people out there the most fitted to discover a great way to generate new energy (in my opinion) is easily the Japanese. And just as I would suspect they have found a very unorthodox means of generating energy, but none the less effective. Just last year the East Japan Railway Company installed piezoelectric flooring in Tokyo station. Piezoelectric flooring is a type of system that gathers the vibrations people emit when stepping on the ground and turns it into electricity. Using this technology in traffic heavy areas can generate massive amounts of energy, and companies like eJRC can truly reap some of the maximum benefits from it. The main benefit for Tokyo station being that they no longer have an electric bill, because their customers generate an estimated 1,400kw per day.

Ironic isn't it? Paying people and then giving them free profit at the same time?

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Moribito shirīzu

So nearly two years ago to date (just four days off) I spoke of an anime series called Seirei no Moribito. My interest in it came from the fact that Production I.G. made it, which is the same house that did Blood Plus. I very much so looked forward to the show but tacking it down was difficult, as it was licensed in america before it even aired in Japan. Well, pass two years and while I was successful in acquiring the show; my time to watch anime dwindled. After a two to three month period I was able to view the entire series; and this is what I have to say.

Seirei no Moribito is good, and I mean GOOD. The animation and art were on par and exceeded what I expected, while the story was deeper than I anticipated. However it had a hollow ending that left me feeling like there was more story to be told.
Well this is where my interest and curiosity benefit me. After doing some looking I discovered that the show was an adaptation of the children's novel by the same name. Even more exciting is that I found out it was only the first volume in a series of ten books.
Now comes the good part; As I've stated before, with the Haruhi series; If I like a show enough I'll follow the original media to get the entire story. That's less and less true the closer you get to text only media, but once in a while there are stories that I like enough to pursue regardless of how they were originally told.
The Moribito Series is one of those few series.

The original novels are already in translation; The first is out and the second to be released in April. I have all intentions of asking for this as a holiday gift, and if I don't receive it than I WILL purchase it myself.

Original Trailer I posted two years ago

Now I watch it again this show really changed by the time it aired.


Here's to hoping they animate Yami no Moribito, the sequel.
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Double Negative

If you've read any of my early posts you would know that I have a great deal of respect for music regardless of where it comes from. Even though I'm like any other person and I have my own preferences, All music is worth listen to at least once... even... country... maybe. Anyway of all the music I listen to, my favourite has to be plain instrumental. The feelings that notes alone can carry is, in my opinion much more powerful than that of which lyrics can hold; Notes are international and all encompassing to so there exist no boundaries to them. However I digress, back to the point of this post.

With the somewhat recent announcement of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra contest, I've been reminded that classic music needs just as much respect. For a period of time I liked instrumental music only if it had a certain sound to it. I can't really explain it but if it didn't sound like it could fit to a visual element (like a movie) I just didn't have a lot of care for it.
Well that all changed when I decided to watch an anime called Nodame Cantabile. It made a connection with me. So being a person that likes instrumental music to start with, It pushed me to understand classical music better. By the end of the show I gained a significant amount of respect for classic compositions and all the music written in it's style.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that odd things can influence how you grow. I never thought an anime would make me appreciate classics but it did.

Nodame Cantabile opening


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ACCF

I won't go into to much depth here since it's something so simple. Back in the day I was one of the few that has a heavy interest in Animal Crossing when it was new and unknown. The new experience and chill game play was addictive and still is to this day. I think that's what made the game such a success and I'm grateful for that, because I'm still very much so interested in the game when I just want to kick it.

The formula hasn't changed very much and that's what keeps me coming back, the cool laid back no pressure style of game play. Some games are best kept simple and straight with nothing mature about them.

Original Animal Crossing Ads


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Future

Moving forward to the future.

The revolution of election 08'

Fallout Angel

In light of the recent release of FallOut 3 and the growing trend that I can see for post nuke concept I think it's appropriate that I cover my own point of view over the media concept. Before I do though I should mention that I have yet to play FallOut 3 since I'm on vacation and nowhere near my desktop. So most of what I'm saying is purely from a visual and aesthetic point of view.

To start off with I'll cover the idea which is FallOut. The FallOut game series is the embodiment of the concept that there was, sometime in our future, a massive war which was all about natural resources. The amount of fighting was considerably smaller than prior wars. The reason? because tensions climbed so fast that nuclear armaments were chosen as the prime weapon. The bad part though is that nearly every country that had a nuke launched theirs within five minutes of every other countries launch. The result? a World war that lasted three minutes with no winner what so ever. The world became a barren wasteland filled with the fragile remains of what it once was.

This is the concept of the FallOut series, and the post war result is the very Idea that the current post apocalyptic media trend follows.

This brings me to the independent series called Fallen Angel created by Robbie Robertson. It's the depiction of the same idea but with different social results. It also uses a very here and now concept to explain why everything happened. Instead of people banding together they fight one another, there seems to be no problem with actual fallout either, and the name of the game is kill anyone you see. Of course there isn't that much out in the line of Fallen Angel right now so those statements could easily change.

The main concept though is the same and It's kinda eerie to see the fairly accurate depiction of what would happen when watching Fallen Angel. Additionally it's not completely fun to see the ruined world in FallOut 3, since it is the US capitol, and a world that many of us can relate to. The current world we live in is so capable of of crumbling to what is seen in these media creations is scary. To think of the world after such an event has happened, and what it would be like, to have to survive in such an environment. That is assuming you weren't one of the seventy percent of the world that died in the initial attack. For such a sublimely surreal world to be possible is quite simply creepy. It's one of the reasons that I love the concept but also hate it. To feel so connected to the idea and understand that It's totally possible is an incredible feeling that's very two faced. You love the media and entertainment value but hate just how close to possible the concept is.

I won't pan though the idea any more, as I could go on forever. Though my point is that the post nuke war idea is starting to become a bit popular, and what's popular in the media usually is because of how it relate to the real world we live in.

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Adam, Eve, and Plankton

So being a gamer of mixed designs I play a lot of different genres. Mostly though the games I play are system specific. That is when it comes to First person games I prefer to experience them on a computer, RPGs play well with consoles, strategy with PC, etc etc etc. So it's a bit disappointing to see games on other systems get an extra hand up when I chose not to go in that particular route.
One recent example is the leaked video of the bioshock 2 teaser seen on a PS3. It's not like I'm really missing out on anything in this case, and I'm not to displeased about it either. I'm just a bit upset that something like this that so well fits into the advertising department, is kept secret and exclusive.

Let me take a step back though. Bioshock is a first person shooter that I really liked. I know that it's just like system shock 2 but all the same I've never played it and probably never will because of the time constraints I have. It's a shooter that's unlike many out there and it's story is refreshing with a few twists, though a bit predictable.
So hearing about a sequel has grabbed my attention, while at the same time has made me hungry for a HD trailer. This is where I'm annoyed, the poor quality leaked video is almost certainly real and it clearly fits the definition of advertising. So why not release an HD version? I'm just nitpicking I know, I can't really help myself because I always want the best of the best visuals, but that's just who I am.

Anyway from what It seems 2K won't be letting the game stagnate (but I hold no hopes). I'm anticipating the next instalment and if what I've herd is true than I'll hopefully still be interested enough to also buy the third one should they make it.

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Killer Coctail

So I'm not much of a drinker myself, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional mixed beverage every once in a while. However being the creative and design aesthetic man that I am, means that I naturally care about how it looks as well.

This is where it gets cool, AK bullet Ice Cubes cool. This is an ice cube tray that makes ice look like those deadly shrapnel filled casings, made for machine guns. Frivolous? yes but still hella cool. I think I'll get one of these. How else can you make your cocktail this cool? I can think of a few but this is a definite must.



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Shred it! On Line!

So Im certain that most of you out there already know about games like guitar hero and rock band. I'm interested enough in them but they have only a certain level of entertainment value. The reason? Because the tracks you can play are limited to what's on the disc or at the on-line store that you can hook up to.
Don't get me wrong they're fun but when there's only so much, it's just not going keep anyone's attention for and extended period of time.

The remedy for this? Along comers Jam Legend, it's like face book or myspace but your profile is entirely focused on how well you play. It's an on-line game with a large library of songs that's totally free. You can play solo, compete with friends, challenge strangers, and match up with people your level. I have to say, from where i stand and where many people I know stand this website has a rather bright looking future.

shred the keyboard!
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D-day editing

Ok, so for those of you who don't know, a lot of what I can do on a computer that's constructive is video effects and title construction. There are a number of things that I can do that aren't considered easy. That being said I don't think any of it is much and other people like me can do just as well (or better and faster). Point of it all is that no one really appreciates what the effects team can do, or at least it always feels that way. It may be true of many things but people giving the brush off when you spent thirties of fifties of minutes to make a cool looking title. Then who knows how long on the video effects, is just a bit discouraging. Oh yeah did I mention how long it takes to shoot the footage?

Well anyone reading this is probably one of those people but still, I totally appreciate all the work that goes into the creation. Here's a good example of what the effects team can do and how much work can go into something. Remember the D-day landing in Saving Private Ryan? What was done on a massive budget with a thousand extras, these three GDs did in four days with just themselves as actors.

Recreating the D-Day landing


I swear the public really doesn't care about us.
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Eye of the Beholder

Have you ever seen a movie trailer that plays a flick up to be something it's not? How about an ad that gives you a totally different idea until they start talking about the product? It happens all the time and it's an example of how much power editors have. Of course it also shows how poor of a job many editors do as well, but that's not the point (and a subject for a different post all together).
I found this bit that displays how easy it is to turn something that's not a dating sim into the opening for one.

Suzumiya Haruhi (hoax) dating sim


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Red handed

Glad this type of thing hasn't happened to me. Not that I would do anything to warrant such a situation to occur...



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Apparitions' Thrice

Some time ago I posted about a game called Fatal Frame Two Crimson Butterfly. I'm a glutton for punishment, no question. Even though I really hate playing horror games I play them anyway. I don't just play them either, I play them in the worst scenarios possible middle of the night, lights off, and alone. I don't know why I do it but one thing is for sure. Something about it is compelling enough to keep me doing it, even though I don't know what it is.

On the subject of Fatal Frame I have to say that it's one of the most horrifying game series I've ever played. Most people who hear about it though dismiss it immediately because they've never herd of spirit photography and it's exorcismal powers. As a result they think it's stupid and won't look any deeper.
I disagree ghosts have to be the worst thing I can think of. They have no physical form, can move through solid objects, have incredibly poor interest in the future of mortals, and try to suck the life out of you. That tallies up exactly what I'd call scary! You can't hurt it and it wants to kill you, how much more danger do you need?

Anyway Fatal Frame Three is by no means a walk in the park. It takes the idea of nightmares and reality and blurs the borders. The game is not new by any means but even though it's from last gen it's still scary as hell. Right up there with the original Silent Hill.

Fatal Frame Three The Tormented


A real producer/director with full respect for the series should make this into a movie. Maybe then people would respect ghosts properly.

Scared Shitless
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Nintendo ON

lol, what a hoax this was. This vid showed up as a proposed pre E3 tec demo Leak in 05. The guy put a lot of work into it too. If he was looking to get recognised I'm sure it worked.
Still I want to believe this.

The Nintendo ON


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Galacticly Microscopic

One of the most anticipated games out there that I have seen has to be spore. If you haven't herd of it you may want to simply crawl out from under that rock you've been under, rip you lips from the person you've been smooching, or simply take a look into the gaming media domain.
Spore is a game that blows away anything that has ever really been attempted in a simulation game before. All you really do is lead organisms from microscopic all the way to galaxy domination, experiencing every evolutionary step of the way.

Spore


Been waiting and still can't wait for this.
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I am SO sorry!

I'll be brief, while this video could be considered racist I think it's funny. At the least how many white guys do you see that can make jokes like this? He also gets laughs too so its not like no one thinks he's funny.

Christopher Titus Apologizes


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The Purple Pairs

So there are these two series that I've talked about before called Lucky Star and Clannad. I like them both in their own respect, as they are very different shows. However there is one thing that's strikingly similar about them that I can't really get out of my mind.

In Lucky star two of the main characters are twins named Tsukasa and Kagami. They have long and short lavender hair respectively so they're presumably identical save for that soul factor.

Now in Clannad there are a pair of sisters who are also twins named Ryō and Kyō. They have long and short hair respectively too. Presumably they are also identical twins.

These two pairs of girls look so similar in how they were designed it's uncanny. I really feel that they were created by the same person even though they weren't. It also feels like on had influence one the other (unlikely), but the two series have noting to do with each other... sort of.
While the origins of the two animes are very different the place where they were put in motion is very much the same. Kyoto animation is the studio that did the work for both Lucky Star and Clannad. I suppose that it's just coincidence that they were both made one right after the other, and both sets of twins had violet hair, one short one long, and fit in the same general age range.
The odd similarities are stacking, but they stop there. I just find it really surprising that they were both from the same studio and look alike. Oh but there's one more weird thing to mention. Fujibayashi Kyō sister to Ryō is voiced by Ryō Hirohashi.
The whole thing and all it's connections just struck me as weird.

Oh and on a total side note the other two main characters in Lucky Star are voiced by Hirano Aya and Endo Aya

The Fujibayashi sisters, Ryō (left) and Kyō (right)


The Hiiragi sisters, Kagami (left) and Tsukasa (right)

alternative image here.

Now if you don't see what I'm talking about you must be blind.

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Don't Loose It!

Life it just far to busy, even though I have had a lot of things I've wanted to blog about over the past few weeks I haven't had anywhere near enough time to do so.
Hopefully I'll have more time to type my way to nubs soon.

Anyway With the end of this week comes the end of the all infamous E3 08. A lot of things are out there and I'm excited for a lot of things I've seen. But I'll focus on something that really has caught my eye.

Xam'd:Lost Memories

That is the title of an anime series that was featured at E3. Yeah that's right an ANIME was FEATURED at E3! Hard to believe right? well it's just the same here and that's not even the shocking part. This anime series is a PSN (Play Station Network) exclusive! That's something I never expected to see happen, an entire anime series exclusive to a downloadable content console only network. Finally to top it off the series will début in America on the PSN before it dose on the PSN in Japan!

As far as the story goes it seems interesting at the least. I'm very interested to see where this series goes. After all I've never herd of a show being exclusive to a game console. If this succeeds it's going to bring a whole new idea to the idea of video content. After all youTube caused the writers strike, and the foretasted actors strike is more evidence. If exclusive series such as this work than I can only imagine what will happen to the television market again.

Ok enough here the kick ass trailer they published from E3. Mind you I saw this in HD so it was a whole lot more cool.

Xam'd: Lost Memories E3 08 Trailer


Hope to be back soon for another post.
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Extreme Devoution

The fact of the matter is that I am a rather large Evangelion fan. There's no getting around that fact. I'm large enough to be one of those people who bought the platinum edition of the anniversary set as the volumes came out. Not only did Evangelion change the way I viewed anime, but it was the series that made me realize just how deep and immersive anime could be over any show I had ever seen in America.

I'm very grateful for the fact that I have been able to experience such an amazing piece of work. So naturally I was just about ecstatic when I herd that they were going to do a rebuild project of the series in the form of four movies. I patiently bided my time till I could watch the project's first quarter. After having seen the creation not only am I pleased but I'm quite amazed at how much the video has been enhanced. I wasn't quite expecting them to do a virtual retrace and colouring improvement but that's what the package contains.

As much as the improvement is evident I decided to make a direct comparison. Here I've set up two screen shots from the theatrical release of the move and it's original TV counterpart. The TV shots come from my platinum edition DVDs and the movie from a 720p video. Note that I have scaled down the Movie screens to match the TV resolution (which was an odd rez) so that there is less of a size interruption.

Right from the start you can see that there has been a lot of colour correction.
Clearly the art style has improved and doesn't look as awkward.
This shot shows how much effort has gone into the backgrounds, this one is an incredible improvement.
Shading and lighting have become a day and night difference. No longer does it look like anything was over-layed.
Additional non-essential elements have also received a visual upgrade. (wink wink nudge nudge)
Here's and example of how some scenes received a near total reconstruction to the point of being unrecognizable.
No not the background; If you know this scene than you may notice Rei has a more determined look on her face aobut what she's ready to do.
Yes this is the same scene. This is one out of handfuls of examples where the entire design and presentation was reconstructed.
The mood and total feeling of the movie is much better because of so many of the above changes that can be seen in the alterations between these two shots.
Prime example here is that the characters are drawn to a more aesthetic degree. No longer dose Ayanami look like a disproportionate child in the midst of puberty, but a proportioned adult.

Can't wait for the next instalment of the movies.

(time spent on this gallery 3:36)
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My Clan

It's taken me some time but I realize now that I have a controversial addiction to anything that Key makes (dating sims). To be more specific I seem to be drawn to anything that they do that's turned into and anime. I remember that it started with reading another blog and the author mentioned waiting for AIR to be broadcast. I decided to look into it and I still think it's one of the best shows I've watched. After that I was attracted to the art style the the 02' anime Kanon used, not to long after that (actually it was long) I was anticipating the advent of the 06' remake (totally worth it).

Now I was not to long ago drawn to the show Clannad which to my surprise upon further investigation was also originally a game by key. All the related anime adaptations seem to be done by Kyoto animation nowadays which I'm grateful for (they have great quality). Anyhow I seem to be drawn to their initial art style and I haven't really been disappointed with any story. I suppose I'm a bit of a sucker for the emotionally charged finding true love type story.

I think that last line was to much info... I'll stop here.

Clannad Opening



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Patriotic Blast

MGS4:GotP (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) a game I've been waiting for, and one which is FAR beyond anything I expected.
Right now I'm on chapter three (no clue how many chapters there are) and enjoying almost every bit of it. There are a few things I really don't like but I cant really complain. the overall feel is more epic than any MGS they've made thus far. I'm looking forward to how everything turns out.

Theatrical Trailer
(does not depict how the game feels very well)


EDIT: 5:10 am 6/13/08

Well I've beaten the game and wow. By far one of the THE best games I have ever played. Not only did it feel epic and important but I could barely look away from the screen. The entire thing makes all the other MG installments feel like child's play in both game play and in story and grad scheme. It was amazing, there were five chapters (four being my favourite) as well as a prologue and epilogue.
Some people die, others you finally meet, and a few you thought couldn't appear showed face. In the end this game had one of the best feelings because of how it had six prior games leading up to it. It's like experiencing history (I played all the games when they came out) and seeing just how complex and big things could get. Nostalgia is the one largest feeling the game delivered but in a relevant and up-to-date sense.

I'll leave it here if I continue I'll start giving away spoilers.

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Otaku Salute!

Sunday in Akihabara there was a horrible incident where a man drove a truck into a crowd and attacked people with a knife leaving seven dead and several injured (full story).

As a tech nerd and an anime otaku it is impossible for me not to feel bad over such a thing happening in Akihabara. I hope that no such thing happens again.

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Put a spin on it

Even though this is not new I thought I'd post about it anyway.

For those of you who don't know there is a show on the Japaneses airwaves that makes fun of things in a unique sense. Without getting to deep I'll simply say that they use pictures and rewrite a song that is well associated with the media.
In this particulars case it's a Mario parody.

I suggest watching the flash Version instead since it's so much better.

Flash version

Note that the translations are the bottom line of titles.


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Grammatically its V not F

I watch a lot of anime but there are few that I go through the trouble of buying on DVD. These days there are two reasons. First, most anime I watch I don't consider good enough to spend money on, and two low-def is so yesterday. That being said there aren't any series published in HD yet (region 1 anyway), so I do buy the occasional box set.

So when you put together Mental instability, mutant test subjects, a molested child, extreme gore, a sadistic military commando, and a hit of incest what do you get?
...
...
...
Sorry, but I just realized that give or take a few of those elements and I could name several other anime series I've seen. Anyway the show I'm talking about is Elfin Lied, which despite my list is actually a very good show.
It's hard to describe and justify, but simply put the show lays out uncomfortable elements and tells a story with them. Where it goes? well that's something that would spoil the show.

Elfin Lied Trailer

There is the opening, but I'll refrain from posting that here.

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Up-To-Date

Some time ago I talked about how I was going to build myself A new PC and how it was going to be a kick ass build with incredible displays. Well we all have to take things one at a time. So I started with the core and muscle first.
I now have my new system built but I lack the displays I want. It won't be to long till I get my hands on the first one though. Until then I have my HDTV to use (even though it's not a good monitor).
Anyway here are the system specs.
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CPU: Intel core 2 duo 3.16ghz socket LGA 775
VGA: XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 1gb DDR3 vRam PCIe 2.0 SLI supported
MB: XFX LGA 775 1600fsb nvidia nForce 790i Ultra DDR3 ATX intel
RAM: OCZ Reaper DDR3 1333 2gb
PSU: Zalman modular heatpipe 850w ATX 12v
DVD: Samsung SATA DVD+R burner
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 250g 720 rpm SATA 3.0gb/s

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Next up are the pics. I have a soda can in some of them to make a Point of how big the case is.

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These are all the boxes for the components, minus the ram, hdd, and dvd.	Big isn't it? Made of steel and weighs around 43lbs.
Front end 4 usb, 1 ieee, 1 eSata, mic, and headphones	It also has a door that can be hinged on either side.
The side panel has foam for sound dampening.	Basic "guts" picture, as you can see not a normal case.
six HDD bays, to bad they have cooling issues.	Each bay has a thumb screw and easily slides out for maintenance.
Massive cooler (110mm) for a small cpu.	Massive vga, best and largest available.
Big psu, look at all those wires (ugly).	Extra case fans jury rigged to help cool the hdd cage.
Intake vents on the bottom have dirt screens.

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Only thing more difficult than tanking the Pics was making this gallery.
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Count Down

Ever seen one of those things where they use the censor way to much in a movie or a tv show? Maybe their doing it because they have to, maybe it's because their making things more humorous. I've seen it, and while it's not exactly what you wold call the best thing to hear it can get funny when some people use it just right.

I give you the ballad of the Count with unnecessary use of the censor.



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Denver and back again

Sorry for not posting for such a long time but I've been busy. I JUST got back home, and since I did some typing while on the road I'll just post it for you.
(warning long post ahead)

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I usually don't do personal posts but sometimes i just can't help myself. This time I'm going to lapse a bit and start by saying that right now as I type this it's five thirteen in the the morning and I'm somewhere near the colorado border in butfuck nowhere kansas. A road trip if you will, and things are a tad on the dead side with three sleeping beauties in the back, myself and the driver being the only two awake.

The whole purpose of this trip is more than just to have a good time. One of my friends has been in Iraq and is back on mid-deployment leave; with his return we decided to move up the schedule to go visit our brother who lies at eternal rest in colorado. It's an opportunity to solidify our friendship and remember that we can't stop caring for each-other even after the inevitable happens. I suppose we're cherishing the existence of each-other and our bonds as best we can, as close to those who have left us, even though they are still with us.

I feel like I'm spiting out useless gibberish, but I really don't know how to describe the underling feelings that are here inside the van we're traveling in. I know everyone feels the same way I do about the basic premiss for why this trip is taking place, but we try not to talk about it because of how difficult it is. I don't know when I'll get a chance to post this (or if I even will) but i hope that the idea of why I am where I am will be understood.

On a related note, this whole past week has been a very hectic one for certain. The Wednesday before last (05-07-08) I began ordering parts for my new computer build. On Monday I started building and by Thursday I was finished, with most of the bugs worked out. My work was cut short though because of this trip. I'll have more opportunity this next week to continue where I left off. Right now though I've gotta take time to make sure I pay homage to my best friend who left so suddenly.

It seems like all the excitement is being shoved into the smallest space possible and being made as dense as it can be in order to fit. I feel a little bit overwhelmed and that this is to saturated to be good. By the time my natal week comes later this month all the energy will probably be gone and I'll be left to my own devices. Depending on how the next week goes I may not really mind that. The five new games I bought to play on my state-of-the-art build will be a great way to wind down from all the things I've been doing and have yet to do.

Well I've run out of thoughts and it's nearly time for me to take the reigns for the next leg. So even though It's sudden I think I'll leave it here.

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Hmmm, well I'm siting in the hotel room we got, it's twelve ten at night and I just woke up not to long ago. I really just can't get around it, after all I am a creature of the night. For that reason while today was a lot of fun it was a real strain, since i didn't get to crash until around four pm (by central time). Most of the day was spent hangin around the downtown shopping district. Usually that's not worth mention, but it's a much better experience when a city has a district thats dedicated to shopping, with no cars allowed. I won't go into detail but being in Denver is tons of fun just for how much better the city management is. Being able to grab a rail ticket and get around is more of who I am. Public transport is something I like since it's enviro friendly and much healthier for me (more leg work).

All and all this day has been a great experience, which makes up for how depressing the trip started with the visit to the grave. Spirits got a lot higher after we hit the city, something I'm truly glad happened with how things were after the visit. It's unfortunate that this is where I have to end it though. The time we're spending here is too short, but I don't suppose there's anything that can be done about that though. It won't even be a total of nine hours until we leave and start rolling back down that monotonous highway again. Thats something I'm not looking forward to but I am feeling the call of my new build that I haven't even finished gettign the bugs out of yet.

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Finally on the roll back, it's ten at night right now and I probably won't be home till around three in the morning. At the lest I'll be able to get some useful time on my PC. Still have a lot of things to do though and then there's work later on monday. In all after its all said and done this trip has been the best I've ever been on. Can't wait for another one, that is assuming that it lives up to the quality that this one was. Which shouldn't be that hard since I didn't sleep at all till after we had our fun, I'll elaborate to clarify.

We were supposed to leave at six in the evening friday after two of my friends got off work and cleaned up. However we ran into trouble so we left around three to four hours late. The distance that we had to cover takes around ten to twelve hours to trek so when we got in it was about seven or eight in the morning. Since we only had the day we arrived to have fun we skipped getting a hotel room and just hit the town. That got off to a rough start but it turned out better than any of my expectations. By the time we were full on walking around it was three. After a hour rail ride back to where the car was we checked into a hotel and I crashed at four in the evening (I was up for around 25 hours) . Thats really about it for our fun, the only other thing we did after I woke the next day at nine, was eat and revisit the burial site again before leaving. Now as I type this I'm once again in butfuck nowhere kansas not to long before I have to take the wheel.

If you sum it up i guess it was all really a ten to twelve hour road trip both ways just to have seven to eight hours of fun. Kinda versus reason right... or am I wrong? It doesn't really matter though because it think it was fun and worth it. Now all I have to do is either move to Denver because of how much better of a city it is, or at least do a real road trip with a decent amount of time to spend at the destination.

Nearly home and happy.

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On the Brink of Reflection

Any game that presents it's content in first person without being an FPS in my opnion deserves some sort of intrest since it goes against the grain. Condemned is a game to mention, but now Mirrors Edge has my attention.

This trailer looks and sounds absolutely fantastic in HD. The youtube clip dose no justice to what this game has potential to be. Brass tacks of it's premise is that moving data through network lines is to risky, so runners get messages where they need to go safely under the radar. However it seems the main character Faith has the government after her. Thats all the info out right now, but the vid still has me excited.

Mirrors Edge Trailer


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The Appropriation of Automobiles

Three words one number

Grand Theft Auto Four

See ya in a a week or so give or take a few days.



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DVNO

Do any of you remember those retro logos you would see at the beginning of a movie or the end of a TV show? all the things from the 80's and sometimes the 70's? Well I do, I remember them to a rather clear extent. I also think that compared to todays standards their rather ugly and unattractive.

However as a graphic designer (I'll say GD herein) and artistically aware person I have to at least look at them and realize just how difficult it was to make them. Seeing as how there was no computer involved in the creation of several logos during that time. Most of them were and still are, a standing mark for the capabilities of the GDs of the time since they were so difficult to make. The job of GDs has become much easier since then but the competition is higher in trade.

Sometimes I feel that the quality of the design you see everywhere today is worse. Nearly anyone can just jump into a program like Illustrator, PhotoShop, or Fireworks and make things that would have taken hours then, in less than three to five minutes now. All I'm saying is that I feel the market is over saturated with things that are trying far to hard to be that "cool looking thing" with sleek design and futuristic smooth curves accompanied by a mirror finish. It's horribly difficult to come up with things that stand out today, because in order to do that you have to be more plain and in turn easily less "cool looking".

That's just the way it's always worked though to catch the eye of people with design you have to do what's in to the extreme nth degree; or do something against the trend with hints of what's in.

I digress though I'm beginning to rant (auctly I think got as far as preaching).

My point is that what used to be the trend for design and advertisement is very easily overlooked today because it's not as good. I would beg to differ ever since I saw the vid below. It proves that retro design is still good, it just needs a update to how it's done and it's presentation style. Like I said what's not "in" or common but with bits and pieces of what make things popular today.

I give you DVNO by Justice.


Maybe I'm being more technical and I'm analyzing what most people can't see, not being GDs themselves. Hope I didn't loose anyone with this post.

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Angelic Truth

Even though I play a lot of games I still have an issue with being able to find time enough to play everything in my library. The main reason for this is that I almost play nothing but the games that have the massive replay value (addictive second life type games if you will). However that doesn't stop me from buying games and letting them collect dust. I don't know what it is, maybe really good advertising, divine right, or maybe I have a knack for finding things that spark my interest even though I'm not looking. Either way every three weeks or so I see something that I want to buy even though I can't afford it or really shouldn't. Most of the games go by because i do my best to ignore them. However sometimes they just run up and bite me in the ass, and just from the initial impression I know they won't go away easy and for awhile.

This time around it's because of amazon. While checking package tracking on some things I needed to buy the site shoves personalized ads at me. Seeing as how I've been using amazon to grab games, anime, and music since '04 it knows exactly what I want to see. Usually though it shows things I've already looked into and either am not interested or now willing to spend cash on.

This time was different though.

I don't know much about it. I don't know if I'll buy it. I do know it defiantly caught my eye and I wonder "what will i be missing if I brush it off". Being totally in the dark about the game and what it's about as well as the importance of it's lineage has no real bearing on my interest. All I know is there's something about it that I think I'll like if I play it.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES


Apparently it's an extended edition of the original so the first must have been worth it.

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Suzumiya the Lucky

Rolling right off of yesterdays post is another crisscross. This one is (more predictable if anything) the characters of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzymiya in the the intro of lucky star.

I have to say that it's interesting to see those characters in the opening. Although I think it doesn't really fit them very much. It's not like I didn't see this coming though. After all Lucky Star refers more to the Haruhi series than it should be allowed to.



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Lucky Smash!

I love lucky star and I also love Super Smash brothers but both of them as one?!

I give you the Lucky star intro (sorta) with the smash bro. cast.



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The Prison Haruhi

Some of you may recall a video that made big waves in the media a while ago of prisoners dancing to the song thriller. Well that Philippine prison seems to have a habit of training it's inmates to dance. Of course this is the last thing I would expect them to dance to.


The Hare Hare Yukai


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eye for an eye - Vampire for a Vampire?

Vampires seem to have hit a nerve of popularity lately as I'm seeing more of them around. Just as I finished one series about a vampire I happened to see the release of a new one I had been anticipating.

Back in July of '06 I became interested in a manga called vampire knight. It was a very rare incident in which I chose to read a shoj-... Wait never mind. It doesn't matter what type of people usually read this stuff, cause this was a rare incident and I don't fit into it's demographic. Point being I usually don't read this stuff and yet it still caught my eye for how it works. The concept is that a girl named Yūki Cross was rescued at the age of 5 from a vampire by a vampire. As a result she became a student at Cross Academy a school where humans and vampires live. Ten years later she's working as a prefect keeping the day students (who are humans) from making contact with the night students (who are vampires).

The entire concept doesn't really interest me that much but the element that makes the whole idea catch my eye is the only other prefect on campus, Yuki's friend Zero. He's a very arrogant tough looking character who has a short temper to boot. He has a bad past with vampires and no real interest in ever respecting them.

Additionally I'm interested just how good the comical element of this show can stack up since I liked that part in the manga... But I digress.

Anyway My interest in this show is purely spawned from my lack of ability to... "obtain" the manga despite my desire to read it. The show seems to be worth it, following the manga nearly to the letter so far (unlike other recent vampire stories). Hopefully the show will at least remain interesting even if it's not what I hope it to be. I remain static in my belief that you can never expect anything from the entertainment you watch or you'll be disappointed to some extent.



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Zelda The Movie

Now that April Fools day has passed us by I find it interesting that IGN put so much into this joke. Even though the trailer is fake and the casting is shoddy I think that this idea would totally work if put in the hands of a quality assured director. Regardless I like the trailer and I think it's great (partially because it's not real).

Zelda The Movie


you can download the video in HD on IGN.

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Highly Advanced

Y'know there are some shows that I've nearly forgotten about that I have watched in the past years. One of the major reasons is because of how many series I "consumed" in such a short period of time. Back when I was still in high school I was burning anime like there was no tomorrow. For instance when i finally decided to watch naruto I went from episode one to one-hundred and twenty eight in a week and a half. A bit less than nine hours of anime a day for those of you who want the numbers.

The thing though is that I'm bit by bit losing my interest in watching new anime series because it's so hard to find worth while stories. As a result I've been going back through my archive of anime which I have watched (I backup and burn all the shows I watch) and am enjoying older series I've already experienced.

This brings me to the show Mai-HiME which is something that I've stayed away from for a personal reason. Back when I was watching it around four or three episodes away from the end during all the big climactic incidents, I got a phone call about the death of my best friend. I watched the rest of the show but it didn't really stick since I was in to much shock. In the end Mai-HiME to me was a reminder of a rather sad incident for me so I haven't touched it since.

Now that I'm past the incident I went back and watched it again and wow am I surprised at how much stuff there was in the show. For a long time I was under the impression that the show was full of fan service and I had liked it to a minimal extent because of how cliche it was. I was rather wrong and my memory was bad because it was a very good show. It had a lot of feelings that went right over my head (at the time) or I was unable to absorb because of how much anime I was watching. Either way I realize now how good of a show it was and I really did get the point this time I watched it (took a while).

Intro

Watch this show!

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Grounded From the Net

This took my by surprise. For those of you who don't know, most anime that floats around on the internet comes directly off the airwaves of Japan and is redistributed after being subbed. Of course those raw files are also downloaded by native speakers of the language to just watch as is. This is a problem however in Japan because the piracy has grown to an extreme level and is majority hurting sales of anime. For this reason the major ISPs have decided that if anyone is caught doing file sharing they will be banned from the internet. Obviously not permanently but if repeat offences should occur just that will happen.

I'm not to concerned since this is mostly aimed at people who use the engine Winny and anyone who has half a brain who is in the anime area would have switched to Share by now. However I don't know the details of how the programs work. So I'm still a bit scarred of the anime I so dearly love becoming inaccessible because of the radical actions the ISPs in Japan.

The most surprising part is that the government isn't involved at all this is purely a commercial action.

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Tough Guy

Aside of how i'll be picking up my copy of SSBB tonight I've been looking around for a title that would fit my tastes lately. Think it's about time i checked this game out.



Original Trailers
PS2 Trailer One
PS2 Trailer Two

Looking forward to playing this game reviews say it has very potent characters and great voice acting.

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Quietus Leaf

This trailer may be dubbed in English but it's still rather good. It makes me feel that the movie is worth it even though it doesn't compare to the series.



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Not so lucky

All i can say is it's entertaining but scarry at the same time.



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Undesirable Dreams

When it comes to most animes I watch I usually think to some extent "I wouldn't mind having that happen to me". Naturally the concept of things going crazy and being thrown into any given scenario which the characters in anime deal with is impossible. However when you think about it quite a lot of entertainment is pure fiction and is based off the impossible.

It's for this reason that I entertain myself with thoughts of "what if it was me". However I have to say whole heartedly that there is one story where right from the start I said "I feel sorry for that guy" and have never wanted to even think of what if it was me. I have to admit Kyon puts up with a lot, or at least more than I could probably handle.

Kyon's version of the Hare Hare Yukai


(even though he's not real)
I feel for ya Kyon
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Heart to Anime

I'll be brief about this anime since I've posed over it before. The only reason I'm talking about To Heart 2 again is because I've just finally watched the last of the three OVAs that were made. My statements over the show haven't really changed that much either. It's still a show that I really like for it's simplicity. No pressure and a beautiful art style that's just enjoyable to look at. I love the show for a reason and now that the ride is over indefinitely I'm sad. What I really wish Is that more shows like this in it's premise and design would come along more often.

To Heart 2 OVA intro


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Shuffling Over the Pond!

Well it was bound to finally happen and it's finally here. The oh so overly posted and dearly loved series of mine called Shuffle has finally come to the states. I have to say I'm a bit torn about the results. I've never expected much from dub jobs and their always horrible so when i listen to them I pay more attention to how things were translated. After all when anything is dubbed in a different language than it's original script there are jokes and puns that just can't translate.

The bottom line on Shuffle is that while the dub is the embodiment of carnage to the characters It's still interesting enough for me to bear.

For any of you who want to know about HOW bad it is just check the first two episodes over at the official site.

Also I've posted the English made trailer for the show below. Before you watch it I have to say that it's far removed from what the show actually is. Contrary to what you may think from it's content the show is not based on fan service and dose not revolve around it (this isn't a show like rosario to vampire). The edit and cut in the vid is quite clearly done to attract the market of overly horny otaku and draws from some rather sparse incidents. Though the show dose take a turn toward fanservice later on thw story gets good enough to shake that off.

Here's the English trailer


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Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo

Ever wish you could control time? The title "Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo" translates to "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and it's one of those movies I'll remember for a long time. It's a movie that's not very new but not old enough to be in the US either. The story is about how a girl learns that even if you can change your chronological position it doesn't mean you'll change things for the better.

"Time waits for no one"

Time thrillers and stories have always gotten my attention since it takes true mastery in writing and story construction to build such a story that holds together. Whenever I experience a piece of work that plays with time I usually end up glued to the screen even though the lesson is always the same. Don't tamper with time, don't fiddle with fate, and don't play with the predetermined. However the process in which characters discover this truth the hard way is nearly always entertaining.

Reminiscent of "The Butterfly Effect" and the story of time travel but with a much more light hearted approach "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is a movie that is not to be missed by any.

An OK trailer though id doesn't really do the movie justice.


Maybe I'll go back to yesterday.
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The Recurrence of Haruhi Suzumiya

Oh the irony! Just last week I was home from work and bored out of my mind but not wanting to do anything that I had on hand for entertainment. So as I sat in my bed and simply stewed there not knowing what to do wile I wasted hours digging stuff on my laptop I had an idea. "Hey I haven't read The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in forever." Having just finished watching the series on the weekend for the fifth time with yet another friend who never knew the twisting turbulent joys which the series is; I was feeling a bit bad for stopping just before reaching new content that was never covered in the show. So I went over to Baka-Tsuki and read the rest of "Lone Island Syndrome" the last chapter in the third book.

This is where things get interesting. I am by no means a bookworm and don't really like to read. That being said I do read around three to five books a year in general because there's just some things that a book can do that visuals can't. The fourth volume the Melancholy though was so riveting i just couldn't stop reading. Even when I started to hurt from sitting in the bed for too long I just didn't care the story had gotten to good!

Now this week I'm slapped across the face by a (fairly old) article on ANN about there being a hint at more Melancholy comming our way. On Tuesday December 18 at 4:00a.m. the SOS site disappeared and a typical 404 error could be seen. However an additional message appears and says the program is starting up. After the proper pass in entered an xterm terminal message is displayed. YUKI.N says that the emergency escape program has been found and to press enter to continue. After doing so it states the second anime series has been canceled and a new project has replaced it.

This may not mean anything to any of those half ass fans who frolic about and talk about how good the series was and go off to write fan fics because of how they want "more" even though there is additional official story and they haven't even tried to look to see where the show originally came from... I digress (I hate those fans). However to a *cough* REAL *cough* fan of the melancholy this is a huge sign.

It has been confirmed that the biggest story arc after the main struggle is indeed the same story in the fourth volume.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

The title means what it says Haruhi Disappears and everything go haywire. However dont' expect it to be jsut that simple this is no normal missing persons report we're talking about. It's full of curves twists and amazing events that (in my opinion) FAR surpass the quality and suspense of the original struggle in season one. I don't compare totally different animes often but the disappearance is quite honestly just as good as watching death note.

Overly excited for the sequel
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Definition by Pixel

I'm a major nut for the quality of my displays. Anyone who knows me would understand this as it's something I pride myself on. My desktop runs at it's maxed out 1280x1024 full screen display; and I specifically bought my notebook model because the display supported 1680x1050. Currently my next computer planned for a build by this May will have a dual display using 30" Samsung monitors supporting a maximum of 2560x1600 each. This is what I need considering I'm always out of room when I'm using programs like Illustrator. A larger Display, higher resolution, and an extra monitor allow me to have plenty of space, view area, and one entire on hand place where I can put all my tools.

This is the case but recently I have found something better that beats a dual display. For more than one reason (many not being constructive ones) this would be the perfect solution for me. It also has the best response time I've ever herd and an amazing colour gambit. However at such a price it's a dream unless I make it big until they come down in price. The real down side? the height is limited to 900.

A REAL wide screen display


Want one yet?
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Happy New Year

Well I haven't been much for words lately and I'm still not so won't be long. I found this video and I find it to be an example of how similar men in general tend to think.



Hope you liked it.

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