Take a look HERE.
Special thanks go to Rob for lending me his season 3 DVDs.
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
3/26/2009
Cat Shit One
A little bit of background. Cat Shit One, released in the US as Apocalypse Meow, is a manga about a American recon (LRRP?) unit in Vietnam. The manga, which I've only seen the odd page here and there, provided the odd mix of gritty historical action and cute animals. In the manga, various animal species represented various ethnicities. Rabbits were Americans, cats Vietnamese, panda Chinese etc.
The animated feature looks like it'll be set in modern day. From what I've been able to read from the opening text sequence, the members of Cat Shit One are PMC Contractors.
Cool story bro.!
3/21/2009
3/16/2009
The Amazing Colour Changing Card Trick
Not really a real post, as I'm using my blog as a placeholder for this video for a lesson I hope to use this coming year, but cool nonetheless.
3/10/2009
The pesticide report that nobody read
This interesting article, coupled with some of Mike Rowe's appearance on TED, has gotten me thinking about activism in general, and how they are really just two sides of the same media-manipulation coin. It's a sort of passing thought, so I won't really articulate this any further. Here are the salient points of the article, with link at the bottom. I'll also post Mike Rowe's video as well.
The pesticide report that nobody read
Posted: June 16, 2008, 7:20 PM by NP Editor
By Terence Corcoran
...For more than a decade, the likes of Greenpeace, the Ontario College of Family Physicians, The Globe and Mail and scores of activists and city politicians have waged a relentless campaign against pesticide use.
It’s easy to generate a junk science scare. You make stuff up, exaggerate the risks, politicize the subject and spin it into a corporate and ideological battle. And, above all, you ignore the facts. Which is what happened last month when Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) released its final reassessment of the leading pesticide, 2,4-D, and found the chemical to be safe when used properly.
No major media — not one — picked up the story, even though it systematically demolished every health and environmental claim the scaremongers had dumped onto a gullible community of journalists...
...So much for Health Canada’s work: One of the most comprehensive scientific reviews in Canadian history, carried out exclusively by Health Canada scientists and reviewed by independent government and university researchers trashed in 30 seconds by an activist repeating claims rejected by the review. All that work and the last media report ends with repetition of the junk science Health Canada had spent millions disproving...
...an op-ed in the Citizen by Neil Arya, of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, one of the leading proponents of the pesticide scare. Responding to Mr. Gardner, Dr. Arya trotted out the same old arguments his group has been using for years. He began with the usual catch-all scaremonger cop-out, accusing Health Canada of saying that a hazardous substance was safe. “Science cannot say 2,4-D, or any other toxic chemical designed to kill a biological organism, is safe.”
Health Canada actually said 2,4-D was safe when used as directed — a logical statement that accompanies most human activity. We don’t drive cars off cliffs because it’s not safe. Any automobile is not safe when driven unsafely. Dr. Arya is playing with the reader’s mind and warping Health Canada’s thorough review of the issue...
...It’s easy to lay the charges and mount a campaign, to convey fear and uncertainty, compared with the dry business of actually conducting a science review. The excerpts from the Health Canada 2,4-D review elsewhere on this page are no fun. It’s easy to scare people with the fact that 2,4-D is a chemical descendant of Agent Orange, but not all that interesting to learn that Agent Orange is actually a different chemical. It’s easy to mention Sweden and Denmark, countries that have banned 2,4-D, but tedious to read of the reality behind the ban and the fact that Europe as a whole and other jurisdictions continue to approve its use...
...It’s a growing activist theme — the chemical soup concept — that looms as the next big science scare. Even if one chemical is safe, it could be a risk when combined with others. The prospects for expanding popular concerns and regulatory paralysis are limitless.
Full article HERE.
Here's Mike Rowe's session from TED.
The pesticide report that nobody read
Posted: June 16, 2008, 7:20 PM by NP Editor
By Terence Corcoran
...For more than a decade, the likes of Greenpeace, the Ontario College of Family Physicians, The Globe and Mail and scores of activists and city politicians have waged a relentless campaign against pesticide use.
It’s easy to generate a junk science scare. You make stuff up, exaggerate the risks, politicize the subject and spin it into a corporate and ideological battle. And, above all, you ignore the facts. Which is what happened last month when Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) released its final reassessment of the leading pesticide, 2,4-D, and found the chemical to be safe when used properly.
No major media — not one — picked up the story, even though it systematically demolished every health and environmental claim the scaremongers had dumped onto a gullible community of journalists...
...So much for Health Canada’s work: One of the most comprehensive scientific reviews in Canadian history, carried out exclusively by Health Canada scientists and reviewed by independent government and university researchers trashed in 30 seconds by an activist repeating claims rejected by the review. All that work and the last media report ends with repetition of the junk science Health Canada had spent millions disproving...
...an op-ed in the Citizen by Neil Arya, of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, one of the leading proponents of the pesticide scare. Responding to Mr. Gardner, Dr. Arya trotted out the same old arguments his group has been using for years. He began with the usual catch-all scaremonger cop-out, accusing Health Canada of saying that a hazardous substance was safe. “Science cannot say 2,4-D, or any other toxic chemical designed to kill a biological organism, is safe.”
Health Canada actually said 2,4-D was safe when used as directed — a logical statement that accompanies most human activity. We don’t drive cars off cliffs because it’s not safe. Any automobile is not safe when driven unsafely. Dr. Arya is playing with the reader’s mind and warping Health Canada’s thorough review of the issue...
...It’s easy to lay the charges and mount a campaign, to convey fear and uncertainty, compared with the dry business of actually conducting a science review. The excerpts from the Health Canada 2,4-D review elsewhere on this page are no fun. It’s easy to scare people with the fact that 2,4-D is a chemical descendant of Agent Orange, but not all that interesting to learn that Agent Orange is actually a different chemical. It’s easy to mention Sweden and Denmark, countries that have banned 2,4-D, but tedious to read of the reality behind the ban and the fact that Europe as a whole and other jurisdictions continue to approve its use...
...It’s a growing activist theme — the chemical soup concept — that looms as the next big science scare. Even if one chemical is safe, it could be a risk when combined with others. The prospects for expanding popular concerns and regulatory paralysis are limitless.
Full article HERE.
Here's Mike Rowe's session from TED.
3/08/2009
2/28/2009
Inglourious Basterds
Fuck year! Killin' Nazees!
This, Watchmen, X-Men Origins, Star Trek... Gonna be a season for movies.
This, Watchmen, X-Men Origins, Star Trek... Gonna be a season for movies.
10/14/2008
Where does he get those wonderful toys?
 |
| From Fujitsu FMV |
 |
| From Fujitsu FMV |
...well, at a little known (or perhaps well known, depending on what circles you travel) used OA store called Kyushu Hard.
OK, lets ignore the Engrish naming conventions for a moment (it's far better then Hard Off anyway). OA stands for Office Automation. In other words, Kyushu Hard is a reseller of used computers, copiers, laminators, projectors, and a plethora of other technological (not-so) wunderkind.
Pictured above is my new (to me) used Fujitsu FMV-7100MT5. Ever since I saw a similar sized item at the store, I have been somewhat in the market for a new ultra-lite notebook. While not as light as the Panasonic Let's Note I was looking at, at 1.2 kg it is a far cry from my 2.8 kg Dell Inspiron 6400. But with the reduced weight come some hefty limitations.
The most noticable of this is the lack of any form of optical drive. No CD, DVD, or even legacy floppy drive. To compensate, there are 2 USB 2.0 ports, plus a built-in LAN port. The OS is, I believe, hard-coded into the BIOS, and as such has no theoretical need for anything like a optical drive. That would never satisfy my computing needs, even for on-the-go computing, but some virtual DVD-Drive mounting software should be more than sufficient. Transferring gigabyte-sized files may prove some sort of problem in the future, but for now this is not a real issue.
The hardest part may be if I have a hard-drive failure. Miniaturization means that instead of a standard 2.5 inch note-book HDD, it has a diminutive 1.8 inch 40GB HDD. Should that fail, a retail replacement could cost upwards of $200 dollars.
Size-wise this is effectively a B5-sized notebook, though in reality a little larger. Roughly, it's 27cm wide, 21.5 cm deep, and about 3.7 cm tall at it's wider end. The screen is a 12.1 TFT LCD, with a max resolution of 1024x768. Processor is a 1.0 GHz Celeron Mobile, with 512 MB of RAM installed.
In it's current vanilla state, it's boot times are impressive, going from off to usable desktop in about 37 seconds. While this will be sure to decline with installed programs, I intend to keep it as clean as possible.
I think the sweetest, and at the same time most galling, aspect is the price. My 4-year-old, admittedly much better though much heavier, Dell is STILL being paid for thanks to a 3 year installment plan. Financing included, that computer (for which I have already had to buy a new, non-OEM battery) will end up costing me some $2200 CAD. My new Lifebook is 5 years old, used, and cost me (assuming 1:1 penny:yen conversion) $280 dollars. Not to mention that I got a free optical mouse and wireless LAN card to boot.
Yeah, pretty happy cat at the moment.
OK, lets include a little coda here:
Day 45
10/14 (1507) Biking Commute, Walking 15 minutes
0700-1200: Coffee x2, Banana, Scrambled Eggs (2), Apple Danish, Yakult
1200-1700: Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup
1700-2000: Tandoori Chicken, J-Veggies, Veggie Juice, Saltines
Weight: 89.4 kg
Body Fat: 27.7%
Not only did my weight go back down, so did my body fat. Also, I've been over-estimating how much chicken I was eating, and on the days I get my chicken breast from the grocery store, I'm eating about 85 grams, as opposed to the 150 grams I thought.
So yeah, good day!
7/01/2007
Yippee-ki-yay Motherfucker!
Went to see Die Hard 4.0 (or Live Free or Die Hard, as it is marketed in the US and Canada). Can I say... awesome!!!! The last time I got to turn off my brain and sit back and ENJOY an action movie was xXx, and as entertaining as it was (no, it wasn't a good movie, but it was definitely entertaining) Die Hard 4 delivers more in and in spades. About 20 minutes into the film the action starts, and it basically doesn't stop until the end. Plus, John McClane's daughter is a hottie. And the evil chinese hacker chick is a hottie. OK, so the F-35 is stupid. But who cares?
Just awesome. This is one for the DVD collection.
Oh yeah, Happy Canada Day motherfuckers!
Just awesome. This is one for the DVD collection.
Oh yeah, Happy Canada Day motherfuckers!
6/14/2007
Damn you Namco!!!!
OMFG I think I just came.
Damn it why the hell is it an XBox 360 exclusive? Rumour has it it will come to PS3, but those are only rumours. Microsoft has already even developed a flightstick throttle combo for it, so unless Sony is following suit, does that mean it will remain only on Xbox? I dunno if i can wait...
Damn it why the hell is it an XBox 360 exclusive? Rumour has it it will come to PS3, but those are only rumours. Microsoft has already even developed a flightstick throttle combo for it, so unless Sony is following suit, does that mean it will remain only on Xbox? I dunno if i can wait...
1/06/2007
Sky PerfecTV
Happy New Year 2007. World of Warcraft is back on my time-stealing list of activities, but oh, how that list has grown. Until now, most of my time was spent watching the same 4 channels on TV, watching shows and anime I downloaded, surfing the internet, plinking with my M4 and Colt, and occasionally playing a game or two on my PS2. Of course, many JETs feel an excessive need to "explore all the rich culture of Japan". On some internet forums, this excessiveness is called "green tea and onsens" as in "I came to Japan for the green tea and onsens."
Now I'm in a slightly different boat. I'm already well acquainted with the culture, and many of these "tea and onsen" experiences I had as a child. In truth, there's a certain sense of familiarity setting in for me here (that whole routine thing I keep talking about), so I'm reacting accordingly, and filling my life with the things that make me comfortable. Namely, that involves expanding on the list above.
I'll handle how I've done so in backwards order.
I spent a pretty traditional New Years Eve and Day with my relatives. This involved end-of-the-year noodles, osechi-ryouri (traditional Japanese food on New Years), and visits to two shrines to pray for good fortune in the next year. I also got some shopping in at the fashionably Canal City shopping mall. But most memorable was the 3 cold, cold hours I spent with my cousin, waiting in line at Toys R Us to buy a DS Lite.
There were some 200 units of various colours coming in, along with some PS3 and Wiis. When we got there at 7am, there were about a 100 people already in line, and at least 60 of them were Chinese. They were in line to get Wiis, not for personal enjoyment, but to put them in the back of a van, which no doubt is destined for a shipping crate to Hong Kong or China. I'm not sure if I should really be annoyed at this or not, but the gamer in me feels that those Wiis should have gone to locals who wanted it. Ultimately they will go to people who want them, but I doubt it's legal to sell Japanese market units outside of Japan. Of course, I'm hardly in a position to accuse anyone of piracy.
The first game I picked up was Final Fantasy III, and man, they do NOT make RPGs like this anymore. As FF XII only held my interest for about 6 hours before the style-over-substance brand of boredom set in, I'm happy to report that I've racked up 9+ hours on FF III with no end in sight. Other games I'm looking forward to: Super Mario Bros., a Kanji Dictionary, and a DS Cookbook. Nintendo is truly genius in making a gaming device marketable to all ages.
About 2 weeks ago, I made a trip into the city and picked up a new BB gun. It's an H&K USP from Tanaka Works. Well made, it's quite heavy. Sadly, as there's no hop on it, it's shoots pretty poorly, and the slide sort of sticks. About 1 week ago, I saw Casino Royale. Let me first say that Dan Craig makes a superlative Bond, and I can say that he's the best Bond since Connery. All the P99 action however caused an impulse purchase of a Maruzen P99, used from my local airsoft shop, with upgraded barrel, return spring, silencer, and optional mounting rail. Of all my guns so far, this is my favourite plinker. It's just fun as hell. I'm going to be adding a wire-mesh rack soon so I can hang my various BB guns like some sort of armory. Sick? Yes. Twisted? Yes. Fun? Most definitely!
To aid my computing, I bought a stand and keyboard for my laptop. What was once an awkward hunching experience is now something that approaches a normal desktop. Of course, that also means I have since been lured back into the World of Warcraft. With the surplus of time I had I made more progress in a week than I had in 4 months. Danarhys is, as of this post, 1 bar away from 46. A week or so ago, I was at 37.
So that's gaming, plinking, and computers covered. The last thing is TV watching (I'm rolling downloaded stuff into this as well, as it's effectively the same thing). Just before New Years, I picked up a Sky PerfecTV tuner and satellite dish. I couldn't get it installed until today, but I am so glad it's up and running. For about $55 a month, I get 70 channels, running the gamut from News to sports, movies, drama, variety, shopping, anime, documentaries, music, and about 50 stations worth of satellite radio. If that weren't enough, it's these things which make me happiest. Included in the channels are Discovery, History, National Geographic, and Fox, which need to real explanation. Add to these two channels that show all anime all the time (Animax and AT-X), as well as AXN, which shows hit dramas from the States (among them Lost and CSI:Miami), and I might as well just give up and never leave my house. All the shows are generally shown without commercial breaks, and most of the ads that come in a 8 or 16 minute block after the show are generally previews or ads for other shows on that channel. Terribly, terribly addictive.
Well, guess that's from my end. Back to rotting my brain silly as I watch animated dramas while I shoot my gun and kill online monsters. I live a blessed life.
Now I'm in a slightly different boat. I'm already well acquainted with the culture, and many of these "tea and onsen" experiences I had as a child. In truth, there's a certain sense of familiarity setting in for me here (that whole routine thing I keep talking about), so I'm reacting accordingly, and filling my life with the things that make me comfortable. Namely, that involves expanding on the list above.
I'll handle how I've done so in backwards order.
I spent a pretty traditional New Years Eve and Day with my relatives. This involved end-of-the-year noodles, osechi-ryouri (traditional Japanese food on New Years), and visits to two shrines to pray for good fortune in the next year. I also got some shopping in at the fashionably Canal City shopping mall. But most memorable was the 3 cold, cold hours I spent with my cousin, waiting in line at Toys R Us to buy a DS Lite.
There were some 200 units of various colours coming in, along with some PS3 and Wiis. When we got there at 7am, there were about a 100 people already in line, and at least 60 of them were Chinese. They were in line to get Wiis, not for personal enjoyment, but to put them in the back of a van, which no doubt is destined for a shipping crate to Hong Kong or China. I'm not sure if I should really be annoyed at this or not, but the gamer in me feels that those Wiis should have gone to locals who wanted it. Ultimately they will go to people who want them, but I doubt it's legal to sell Japanese market units outside of Japan. Of course, I'm hardly in a position to accuse anyone of piracy.
The first game I picked up was Final Fantasy III, and man, they do NOT make RPGs like this anymore. As FF XII only held my interest for about 6 hours before the style-over-substance brand of boredom set in, I'm happy to report that I've racked up 9+ hours on FF III with no end in sight. Other games I'm looking forward to: Super Mario Bros., a Kanji Dictionary, and a DS Cookbook. Nintendo is truly genius in making a gaming device marketable to all ages.
About 2 weeks ago, I made a trip into the city and picked up a new BB gun. It's an H&K USP from Tanaka Works. Well made, it's quite heavy. Sadly, as there's no hop on it, it's shoots pretty poorly, and the slide sort of sticks. About 1 week ago, I saw Casino Royale. Let me first say that Dan Craig makes a superlative Bond, and I can say that he's the best Bond since Connery. All the P99 action however caused an impulse purchase of a Maruzen P99, used from my local airsoft shop, with upgraded barrel, return spring, silencer, and optional mounting rail. Of all my guns so far, this is my favourite plinker. It's just fun as hell. I'm going to be adding a wire-mesh rack soon so I can hang my various BB guns like some sort of armory. Sick? Yes. Twisted? Yes. Fun? Most definitely!
To aid my computing, I bought a stand and keyboard for my laptop. What was once an awkward hunching experience is now something that approaches a normal desktop. Of course, that also means I have since been lured back into the World of Warcraft. With the surplus of time I had I made more progress in a week than I had in 4 months. Danarhys is, as of this post, 1 bar away from 46. A week or so ago, I was at 37.
So that's gaming, plinking, and computers covered. The last thing is TV watching (I'm rolling downloaded stuff into this as well, as it's effectively the same thing). Just before New Years, I picked up a Sky PerfecTV tuner and satellite dish. I couldn't get it installed until today, but I am so glad it's up and running. For about $55 a month, I get 70 channels, running the gamut from News to sports, movies, drama, variety, shopping, anime, documentaries, music, and about 50 stations worth of satellite radio. If that weren't enough, it's these things which make me happiest. Included in the channels are Discovery, History, National Geographic, and Fox, which need to real explanation. Add to these two channels that show all anime all the time (Animax and AT-X), as well as AXN, which shows hit dramas from the States (among them Lost and CSI:Miami), and I might as well just give up and never leave my house. All the shows are generally shown without commercial breaks, and most of the ads that come in a 8 or 16 minute block after the show are generally previews or ads for other shows on that channel. Terribly, terribly addictive.
Well, guess that's from my end. Back to rotting my brain silly as I watch animated dramas while I shoot my gun and kill online monsters. I live a blessed life.
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