Slashdot Mirror

MP3 players are all the rage, but everyone seems to be overlooking one major flaw: flash memory is really expensive. 64 MB of songs just isn't enough, even for a bus ride to work. What you need is a format that is cheaper than flash, but just as portable and durable.

Independent-minded techies will want to take a good, long look at getting their hands on MiniDisc hardware. Tiny, durable, long battery life, and $2.50 for 74 min. of nearly indestructible, rewritable, random-access storage is hard to beat. The sound quality on recent units is really CD-quality, considerably better than 128Kbps MP3. 12 hour battery life is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Portable recorder units like the Sony MZ-R90 can be had for around $320, while a player like the E60 or E75 is around $200. Pick up a home deck to go with a player-only model, and you're set. Minidisco and Planet MiniDisc are good sources of equipment and discs.

If you're in the Playstation-2-on-eBay price range, then the Ghibli ga Ippai, or Full of Ghibli, laserdisc boxed set is what you need. All of Studio Ghibli's wonderful films (except Princess Mononoke, which it predates) are collected in one box, with high-quality laserdisc transfers. No subtitles, though; you'll have to print out translated scripts unless your Japanese is really good. A new set would have cost Y98000, or about $1000. Unfortunately, it is now out of print, so you will have to either a) check eBay daily or b) get friends in Japan to scour the dusty back shelves of anime shops. Good luck. (Selling one?)

Series: The Vision of Escaflowne rules the earth. I've also just begun Serial Experiments: Lain which is really interesting and looking to be a particularly good series for the Slashdot crowd.

The latest series that has really caught my attention, though, is one that CmdrTaco mentioned: Cowboy Bebop. I've only managed to get my hands on the first six episodes, but so far I'm extremely impressed. Definitely check this one out, and if you stick it out until episode 5, you'll be hooked. Guaranteed.

Movies: Damn near everything you see on this page is great. (As a side note, I enjoyed the new Escaflowne movie as well, though not as much as the series.)

KiKi's Delivery Service, by Miyazaki (a creative genius) is about this kind of bloc. You might want to rent it, and listen to it. Many people here have given the advice it gives, but I think that you will find that the animated answer is portrayed much more eloquently.

You have an opportunity for a lot of growth as a programmer right now, so don't stop programming as a career and as an artistic effort.

First, rent KiKi's Delivery Service. You will see that you need some time to reflect and relax. Everything will be fine, it just needs a little time right now.

After a period of reflection, get ready to go back to work. Read The Mythical Man-Month. In particular, read what it has to say about Iterative Development. The real strength of iterative development is that it is very action-oriented, and it sounds like you are suffering from a severe lack of activity. Programming iteratively will assist you in getting back up to speed.

After you have learned to code iteratively, you will have another tool in your toolchest, and will be a better programmer for it. Design and Iterative processes both have their time and place. The books that you have been reading are stressing Design. We need to get some Iteration in you.

Then code again.

May the Code be with you.

Incidentally, the editors of nausicaa.net should be given a great deal of credit (at least a link, /.!) as they contacted Disney, did all the legwork finding out about this issue, and organized the e-mail petition, which was ultimately effective in changing Disney's mind.

No need to send a message in now, we can all just wait for the official release to be reset, and buy a copy (or copies as gifts) to show our support for this, one of the few respectable decisions Disney's made.

-jpowers

No, sorry, it was Titanic.

I love Anime. I loved Princess Mononoke. In fact, it's prolly either my second or third favorite anime at this time (Only one I'm sure I like better is Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.

However, I also *love* Japanese dialog. I had my name on the preorder list for this DVD, and I removed it when I heard they weren't going to include the original Japanese dialog. Now I get to put it back on.

I can only say thank you and congratulations to the online Anime Community for making this happen.

Personally, I've seen Laputa, KiKi delivery service, Porco Rosso, my neighbor totoro, and a bunch of others. All great films. Some would say it's for kids, but it depends on how you look at it. I've always found them funny and entertaining.

for more info on Miyazaki, I found this site: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/films/

Seriously, though. I don't understand the infatuation that some people have with anime. Granted, there are some productions that really are classic (most notably Miyazaki's work; the animation is truly artful), but at some point it becomes just more of the same stuff; sci-fi, sex, and violence. Hmm, I may have just answered my own question there :). Nonetheless, lots of the anime I have seen on and off over the years seem to be quite similar. The characters all have the basically the same "design", i.e. big teary eyes and large breasts in skimpy costumes if they are women and spiked hair wielding big guns/mobile armor/$FAVORITE_WEAPON if they are men. The themes are all pretty similar (overblown comedies with strong sexual overtones or extremely violent science fiction/fantasy). I don't want to sound like I'm flaming, it's just that for me personally it's mildly entertaining at best, while it seems to me there exists out there a rabid diehard fandom. What's the "thing" that makes anime so popular?

As for me, I'll stick with the Tom and Jerry show on Cartoon Network. As Calvin used to say, "Falling anvils and explosions, now THAT'S entertainment!".

You're joking, right?

I challenge you to check out any of the works of Hayao Miyazaki (see nausicaa.net) and tell me if you still think all anime compares to the tripe put out by Disney.

I challenge you in particular to see Grave of the Firefiles and still tell me that anime is solely a medium for fantasy and lacks merit as an art form on the level of film here in the U.S.

You won't see kiddie porn in any of those movies, by the way.

And what's this nonsense about our collective Christian morality? Please. We can't be held responsible for your superstitions. There's a lot of anime out there that most of the rest of us can see for what it is -- an art form that's often a hell of a lot more interesting than what we see here in the States.

Don't believe me? Click h ere for the Nausicaa.net listserv message in which I first announced the donation (and challenged others to match it or do likewise...sadly, nobody has come forward to do that yet), or here for the AnimeOnDVD article. Of course, you still have to believe I will actually send the money once I get it--but if I don't, I'll completely screw up my good reputation online, and that is a thing I value and cherish, as I've been around since 1992, help moderate a newsgroup, and so on.

I'm proud to be able to do this to give back to a site I so respect and cherish. Would you care to match the funds I donate, palo0019? Or perhaps write a similar article and donate the proceeds similarly? Anyone else?

When the article is available, I hope you'll click on it and help out Nausicaa.net by a dime. It might also be nice if you'd look at some of the other articles I wrote, including one on Jon Katz, that I will be keeping the money for, but that's entirely up to you. :)
--

6-28-00---- Further Mononoke DVD Update Source: Nausicaa Net

Seattle, Washington, 2:15pm Pacific Time.

I just got off the phone with Mr. David Jessen, VP of Special Acquisitions, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Due to a schedule change on his part, he will only be attending Anime Expo on Friday, and we have made arrangements to meet Friday morning at 10am for breakfast. This will coincide with AX 2000's Opening Ceremonies in Live Programming room 1, however.

To answer your most burning questions:

Q. Is the August 29th day-and-date release official?
A. Yes.

Q. What will be available on August 29th?
A. The English-dubbed DVD with a bonus French language track will be available for purchase. The English-dubbed VHS will be available for rental. The DVD will not carry a Japanese language track.

Q. Why will the English DVD not include a Japanese language track?
A. Because the Japanese office of BUENA VISTA (not Studio Ghibli) requested it. There has been no DVD release of Mononoke yet, and sales of a Region 1 version DVD could still threaten sales of a Region 2 version in Japan. DVD piracy and importation are significant enough problems, regardless of the benefits of region-encoding.

Q. Will an English DVD with Japanese language and subtitles be available after the Japanese DVD release of Mononoke?
A. No. However, *if there is sufficient interest*, when the VHS rental copies run out and have to be reprinted/remastered, he will request that two versions be made: the original VHS dub sell-through and a new VHS widescreen subtitled sell-through.

Q. How may fans let Disney know there is "sufficient interest" in a subtitled version of Mononoke on VHS?
A. Mr. Jessen and I will discuss this when we meet at AX 2000 on Friday. Meanwhile, please write to me with your vote, so that I can surprise him with your enthusiasm!

In an e-mail message sent DIRECTLY to me (michj@nausicaa.net), please provide the following information:

the words "I will buy subtitled Mononoke" in the subject line your real name (no nicknames, please)
your city and state (or province and country for non-US residents)
the statement (or some reasonable variation)
"If it is made available, I fully intend to purchase at least ___ copy/ies of the film Princess Mononoke in the Japanese language with English subtitles, in widescreen (letterboxed) format, even if this means it will be more expensive than the English-only version."

(Fill in the blank ("___") with the number of copies you'd buy.)

OPTIONAL: add the statement
"I would prefer a DVD/VHS release with these features over the English-only releases currently scheduled for August 29, 2000."

(Erase the choice, DVD or VHS, that you don't want.)

Please note that I will print out all of these messages and present them to Mr. Jessen on Friday morning, June 30th, 2000, so get your mail to me ASAP!

Privacy warning: If you would prefer not to have your name, e-mail address, or other personal information given to Buena Vista Home Entertainment, please do not send me this piece of e-mail. 6-28-00---- Mononoke FeedbackExceprted from an e-mail sent out by John Andersen:

Hello everyone,

This post is in regard to the recent issue regarding the Princess Mononoke DVD.

I spoke with David Jessen on the evening of June 26th 2000, he is the liaison for Tokuma Shoten at Buena Vista Home Entertainment. He has just begun this position at the company, and was unaware of the negative feedback concerning the exclusion of a Japanese language track and english subtitles from the Princess Mononoke DVD. He would like to assess the interest into how many people would like to see a Japanese language track on the DVD.

He is very enthusiastic in hearing feedback from Miyazaki fans, constructive feedback can be sent to him at his office address which is:

David Jessen
c/o Buena Vista Home Entertainment
350 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4691

He would like to know how many people out there would like to see a Princess Mononoke DVD release with a Japanese language track and english subtitles. Mr. Jessen is very enthusiastic about receiving feedback since he has just begun the position, so please give it to him. Any feedback or suggestions about the future releases of Hayao Miyazaki's films can be sent to him.

The future of seeing Miyazaki's films on DVD with a Japanese audio track and english subtitles count on your feedback. Please take a moment of your time to type up a polite letter, put in an envelope, and send in your thoughts about how you want to see Miyazaki's films.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
John Andersen

It gives me yet another reason to hate MPAA and Disney in particular.

check out nausicaa.net for great miyazaki-type information.

For the best information on any Hayao Miyazaki work look at They have everything about his movies (Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke) and his magna (from whitch most of his movies come.)

If you're patient, it is essential that you see "The Vision of Escaflowne", in its entirety (avoid the "Best" collection, which is an unforgivable edit job) and subtitled. animevillage.com has a good distribution, and DVDs are coming out shortly. Great characters, story, visuals, and my god, much of the music is simply incredible. I would call "Escaflowne" the best television series I have ever seen, animated or otherwise.

Also, I'd like to point you to (the sometimes flaky) nausicaa.net for an introduction to the films of Studio Ghibli. You're going to want to see as many of them as you can -- they're the cream of the crop. Princess Mononoke was good, but much better were My Neighbor Totoro (the Fox dubbed version is okay, but avoid the upcoming Disney dub which will surely suck), Kiki's Delivery Service (subtitles are IMPERATIVE, the Disney dub is AWFUL), Grave of the Fireflies (there's a good DVD release in the US for this one already), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and several more very very good films.

I would start with Totoro; if you don't fall in love with that movie, you have no more spirit... the marvelous Joe Hisaishi put a lot of very fine music into these films as well.

Anything by Miyazaki. (hmm...site seems to be down now) This includes Totoro (personal fave, get the sub, not the US dub!), Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle Cagliostro, Princess Mononoke, Laputa (again, sub not US dub as "Castle in the Sky"), and Nausicaa.

Akira

Bubblegum Crisis/Crash

Vampire Princess Miyu

and, my favorite

The Record of Lodoss War.

So, lets see ... well, Serial Experiments Lain is without doubt the "essential stuff" for a computer nerd. Not only will it leave your jaw on the floor, it will also nicely overload your senses. :) Yep, no drugs required to reach that state :)
In combination with Ghost in the Shell, you clearly see what The Matrix was made of.
Then, if you are into some neat mech action, full of symbolism & stuff, with a suprising end, try Neon Genesis Evangelion, an all time classic. For some less techy stuff, try some of Miyazaki's work, like recent Mononoke Hime or a bit older (but better imho), Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa.

Sure, the Anime universe is soooo vaaaast it can'b be consumed in a year ... So dig into sites like Anipike to get the idea of the size of this universe :)
Oh yes, you mentioned DVDs ... Check daily Animeondvd to be informed of the latest DVD releases.

My personal computer is called TOTORO after the character in Hayao Miyazaki cartoon "My Neighbor Totoro"

More info about the film is at http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/totoro/

Check out nausicaa.net for the unofficial Ghibli web site.

-- surfing the wave --

For those of you who enjoy good Anime, this is *definitely* worth checking out.

This is the man who created my all time favorite Anime, Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä (Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind). Not only is this a full length story (weighing in at right about 2 hours...I hate 45 minute 'movies' with no time for a real plot) but the depth, the characters, and the writing are all abosolutely amazing.

It's strange, but very few people in the US seem to be familiar with Nausicaa, despite the fact that I'm told it almost always places in the top 5 of every Japanese poll about the greatest Anime ever. I suppose part of the reason may be that no Enlglish dub was ever made (Technically, there was an English dub, it was called Warriors of the Wind. However, I refuse to count it, because it was so horribly chopped, mangled, and destroyed, it's not even worth watching. They cut out almost half an hour in the dubbing and editing, essentially everything that was important for the plot, leaving you with a few disjointed action scenes.)

If you'd like more information on Hayao Miyazaki and his Animes and Mangas, check out some of the following URLs:


http://www.nausicaa.net/

http://www.princess-mononoke.com/

http://www.ntv.co.jp/ghibli/

Find out for yourself why the old stigma 'cartoons are for kids' only goes in the US. This will show you how amazing an indepth a 'cartoon' can be.