Theaters:
-Maple Art in Bloomfield Hills.
-Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Very nice theater. If a movie is being screened in the main theater, do make sure to get there early as they have somebody playing an old-school pipe organ before performances.
Stores: Wizzywig on E. Liberty in Ann Arbor (just down the street from the Michigan Theater in fact.) A disturbingly large selection of anime, j-pop and other related products; both domestically released and imported.
Mechs, in capes, fighting with swords. Pure genius.
Except for that one scene in the opening where esca and another caped melf are fighting and their capes are blowing in the wind...in completely opposite directions;-)
I love Escaflowne (hell, I bought the VHS box set after seeing the entire series fansubbed), but that bit in the opening always made me laugh.
Hopefully this won't start up a giant argument over the end of EVA but anyhoo, here's my take on the ending.
3rd Impact occurs and everyone on the planet is given a choice; become complete but in doing so, lose all boundaries and sense of self or stay incomplete and deal with all the problems of being your own person, but you get to retain your identity.
It's faced with this choice, the big choice as it were, that Shinji does something utterly amazing; he grows a backbone and takes a stand. Instead of knuckling under and doing what will make others happy, he makes his decision for himself and chooses to remain who he is, incomplete and all. Everyone else, save Asuka, apparently chooses to be complete and no longer alone and thus join together as the soul/mind of the new god/humanity that is Unit 01.
I'm doing this all from memory since it's been awhile since I've seen EVA and the movies so there's probably some gaps but i think I've gotten the gist down, IMHO.
I have to put up an opposing opinion about Key: the Metal Idol. I've seen the whole series; heck, I was on staff for a university anime group and we screened the whole series and I thought it was just a slog in terms of pacing. The ending didn't leave me happy or sad in a thoughtful sort of way, but rather it just left me all pissed off. Key does have a great opening and I did like all the characters but there are many aspects of it that bothered the hell out of me.
Personally I would recommend Serial Experiments: Lain over Key. Just as thought-provoking but with much better pacing IMO.
I actually have an e-holster rig myself and I must say it's exceptionally bad-ass. I just have a few caveats for those of you who are thinking about it:
Eddie Murphy has this line in a Beverly Hills Cop movie; "you know; if you guys get your jackets cut fuller your guns won't stick out the back like that." I now understand what he's talking about. A cell phone and a PDA in a conceal holster add about 4-6 inches to your chest measurement.
I have the full leather rig and the flaps on the holsters are pretty long and big. Since the flaps are velcro, they can get hung up on your jacket/coat.
Especially when it's warmer, I usually wear my rig openly. Only once has a cop actually come over and talk to me about how people could misconstrue my rig. However, YMMV depending on where you live.
All in all though, it's damn nice piece of gear. Gets the big things off your belt, gives you more covenient access to your high-usage stuff, and it does look pretty schmove with slacks and a dress shirt.
Outlaw Star is a pretty decent show. Gets episodic in the middle but the characters are pretty interesting and the ship-to-ship combat is pretty keen. However, I do wonder how CN is going to get around:
The fact that in order for the ship to function, Melfina has to be nekkid in a big tube on the bridge (I assume a lot of production cost is going into some digital bikini action).
The fact that Gene's weapon supplier is full-on gay. CN made Sailor Uranus and Nepture cousins to explain their 'close' relationship but I wonder how CN is going to change the dialogue for this one. I mean the guy isn't just a little too friendly with Gene, he hits on Gene pretty consistently.
Actually, until recently there was an actual law on the books that prohibited the depiction of adult genitals or pubic hair. This is why you get mosaics, and depiction through omission. Also this is why nekkid people in anime are 'anatomically incorrect' from the waist down.
As an aside, Bleem only plays PSX games, not PSX2.
Why do people buy consoles?
Because you don't have to futz with them
You plug in the console, plug in a controller, insert a game disc and rock. You buy a PC game and you need to make sure you have enough memory, the appropriate drivers, the appropriate hardware, go through installation and still run the risk of something conflicting and causing the machine to crash.
Also, with consoles, game developers know exactly what hardware the user has and can develop games which push that hardware to the limit. With PC games, you can't assume that everyone has a Voodoo5, 1GHz processor, and 1GB of RAM so the developers have to build more for a lowest common denominator ideal.
Sure your PC may be just as/more powerful than my console but in the time it takes you to check drivers, install the game, and resolve any conflicts; I'm already through the first level and I don't have to worry about my console crashing while I'm playing.
Looking at the trailer, doesn't it look more appropriate for a Starcraft movie than Final Fantasy? I know the most recent FF iterations (not counting Tactics) have really gotten away from the medieval feel but now it's gone completely sci-fi.
Dammit, I want swords, magic, demons and CG chocobos!
Both the deluxe and cheap versions of the Handspring Visor come with a microphone built into the case. I still have yet to see ONE application that can use it, whether through software or Springboard hardware. Not even a bundled app makes trivial use of it.
I agree that the lack of some sort of module for simple voice recording is pretty dumb. However I don't know of a built-in speaker on the Visor so you'd have to sync to your desktop machine for playback unless they went with speech-to-text.
At launch though, the big thing about having the built-in mic was that someone was developing/going to develop a cellphone module
If you really want to go propaganda then you'll also need a print assault of some sort; my suggestion is to raise money to run full-page ads in the various Hollywood trade papers as well as the major newspapers (WSJ, NYT, USAToday, etc) in addition to a press release that brings to light what's going on.
While the mainstream media can ignore a single press release, it's much harder to ignore a well-orchestrated full-on attack in print.
IMHO, it is going away. When all the devices you use can talk to each other over the network (where network = Bluetooth LAN, Internet, whatever), SneakerNet becomes unnecessary.
I disagree. There are lots of good reasons why removable storage is going to be around:
Secure file storage. Have data you need to keep private? Put it on a removable and put it in a safe deposit box or something. Or maybe you have a machine that, for security, can't be connected to a network.
Too fat for the pipe. I've dealt with jobs that require the transfer of files totaling over 1GB to another office or service provider. Given that we don't seem to be getting close to the ability to transfer amounts of data this size quickly anytime soon, it's still faster to have someone stop by and pick up the discs/cartridges/whatever.
Is everybody going to be l33t in the future? Will everybody who has a computer in the future have the best/fastest/wireless connection? It's not a matter of technology but more one of price and affordability for not just the well-paid programmers with the custom boxen but also those who can only afford an eMachine or some such machine.
I wouldn't mind being able to do away with removable storage but IMHO there are too many good reasons why we should keep it around
The new anime icon is, as far as I can tell, Sasami of Tenchi Muyo and Magical Girl Pretty Sammy fame. Definitely a step up from the previous anime icon.
The thing that really sets anime apart from most programming is the fact that many series take the time to tell a single story as opposed to more mainstream shows that take fairly thin story premises, tosses their characters into them and then after 30 or 60 minutes, resets everything back to how they were at the beginning of the episode. Star Trek is one of the great examples of this style of TV show creation where something catastrophic happens nearly every episode but nothing permanently bad ever happens to anyone (unless you're a red-shirted ensign) and events seem to have little to no effect on the characters involved.
On the other side we have anime where in many cases, an entire series is built on the telling of a single story. As opposed to the episodic nature of mainstream shows which are self-contained (and easily shuffleable for syndication purposes), episodes in a good series all work towards advancing the story. This focus on a single plotline allows for other aspects of plain old good storytelling to occur; character growth and character relationships. In good anime, characters change and grow, go against what we assume they would normally do, and often become completely different characters by the end of the series. A single plotline also allows for character relationships to be more fully explored, created and changed.
This all comes down to anime being much more dynamic than mainstream series. In the US, a lot of TV programming seems to be focused on a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mentality. If the execs find a group of characters that the public likes, they generally keep them the same throughout the show so not to alienate viewers and everything is built around keeping everything the same but creating the illusion that things are different. Good anime series rely on change; that things won't necessarily be the same from one episode to the next and people watch to see what happens next.
Yeah, it's probably not the most cohesive argument in the world but it's the best I can come up quickly.
This is all at least 5th hand information and all are reported to be just ideas being kicked around for use in a possible sequel.
The next movie would be called "X-MEN - THE RISE OF APOCALYPSE" and would bring back into starring roles Professor X, Cyclops, Dr. Jean Grey, Wolverine, and Rogue.
This time, it would intoduce Apocalypse as the bad guy, rising from a long sleep to begin his reign of terror. Futher, there would be a return of Sabertooth (now working for Apocalypse and going after Wolverine big time) as one of the bad guy sidekicks, and we would see the smaller-roled characters from this first movie (Kitty Pride/Shadowcat, Jubilee, and Bobby Drake/Iceman) get their shot when the "kids" come to the rescue of the "adults".
It would also introduce new characters: Gambit (who would in turn notice Rogue and start that relationship off theatrically different from the comics), Archangel (who will start out working for Apocalypse as well, but by the end, turn out to be a good guy and just be called Angel afterwards), and Mr. Sinister (who will work on the side for Apocalypse, but cut his losses when he sees its going bad; supposedly this movie will mark the theatrical idea of Sinister becoming interested in the Summers family and may hint at a possible third movie if all goes well).
I personally would like to see some straight-up sentinel action in the next movie since that would be more in line with the 'mutants vs. humans' angle as opposed to the 'mutants vs. bad muthaf-cker' angle that would occur if Apocalypse is used.
Also, I'd hope they would bring in Colossus (as mentioned by many), Nightcrawler and Beast (furry or non-furry) to round out the original X-Men as well as make Storm a real character as opposed to the window-dressing role she has in the movie.
Since I got this too, it looks like the 25 minutes of commercials and previews before the movie is part of the package; "buy this movie and you have to show these commercials too"
As one of the guys I was at the movie with said; "damnit, I thought we go the the theater to not see these g-damn commercials"
I'm suprised no one has brought up flywheel technology as another alternative. David Brin uses it for the cars in his book, EARTH, and there's an article about them over on Wired.
Another reason for the lack of acceptance of alt fuel cars is that you just don't see these cars as high-performance machines. A lot of people like quick acceleration and driving really fast (like myself). AFAIK, fuel cells, electric, etc. right now aren't capable of the 0-60 or quarter-mile times you can get in a gas-powered car. I'm not a big fan of our gas dependance but I think I'll wait until I see an alt fuel car that can do 0-60 in 4-6 seconds.
Slashdot Mirror
-Maple Art in Bloomfield Hills.
-Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Very nice theater. If a movie is being screened in the main theater, do make sure to get there early as they have somebody playing an old-school pipe organ before performances.
Stores:
Wizzywig on E. Liberty in Ann Arbor (just down the street from the Michigan Theater in fact.) A disturbingly large selection of anime, j-pop and other related products; both domestically released and imported.
Mechs, in capes, fighting with swords. Pure genius.
;-)
Except for that one scene in the opening where esca and another caped melf are fighting and their capes are blowing in the wind...in completely opposite directions
I love Escaflowne (hell, I bought the VHS box set after seeing the entire series fansubbed), but that bit in the opening always made me laugh.
Hopefully this won't start up a giant argument over the end of EVA but anyhoo, here's my take on the ending.
3rd Impact occurs and everyone on the planet is given a choice; become complete but in doing so, lose all boundaries and sense of self or stay incomplete and deal with all the problems of being your own person, but you get to retain your identity.
It's faced with this choice, the big choice as it were, that Shinji does something utterly amazing; he grows a backbone and takes a stand. Instead of knuckling under and doing what will make others happy, he makes his decision for himself and chooses to remain who he is, incomplete and all. Everyone else, save Asuka, apparently chooses to be complete and no longer alone and thus join together as the soul/mind of the new god/humanity that is Unit 01.
I'm doing this all from memory since it's been awhile since I've seen EVA and the movies so there's probably some gaps but i think I've gotten the gist down, IMHO.
I have to put up an opposing opinion about Key: the Metal Idol. I've seen the whole series; heck, I was on staff for a university anime group and we screened the whole series and I thought it was just a slog in terms of pacing. The ending didn't leave me happy or sad in a thoughtful sort of way, but rather it just left me all pissed off. Key does have a great opening and I did like all the characters but there are many aspects of it that bothered the hell out of me.
Personally I would recommend Serial Experiments: Lain over Key. Just as thought-provoking but with much better pacing IMO.
- Eddie Murphy has this line in a Beverly Hills Cop movie; "you know; if you guys get your jackets cut fuller your guns won't stick out the back like that." I now understand what he's talking about. A cell phone and a PDA in a conceal holster add about 4-6 inches to your chest measurement.
- I have the full leather rig and the flaps on the holsters are pretty long and big. Since the flaps are velcro, they can get hung up on your jacket/coat.
- Especially when it's warmer, I usually wear my rig openly. Only once has a cop actually come over and talk to me about how people could misconstrue my rig. However, YMMV depending on where you live.
All in all though, it's damn nice piece of gear. Gets the big things off your belt, gives you more covenient access to your high-usage stuff, and it does look pretty schmove with slacks and a dress shirt.Actually, until recently there was an actual law on the books that prohibited the depiction of adult genitals or pubic hair. This is why you get mosaics, and depiction through omission. Also this is why nekkid people in anime are 'anatomically incorrect' from the waist down.
Why do people buy consoles?
Because you don't have to futz with them
You plug in the console, plug in a controller, insert a game disc and rock. You buy a PC game and you need to make sure you have enough memory, the appropriate drivers, the appropriate hardware, go through installation and still run the risk of something conflicting and causing the machine to crash.
Also, with consoles, game developers know exactly what hardware the user has and can develop games which push that hardware to the limit. With PC games, you can't assume that everyone has a Voodoo5, 1GHz processor, and 1GB of RAM so the developers have to build more for a lowest common denominator ideal.
Sure your PC may be just as/more powerful than my console but in the time it takes you to check drivers, install the game, and resolve any conflicts; I'm already through the first level and I don't have to worry about my console crashing while I'm playing.
Dammit, I want swords, magic, demons and CG chocobos!
I agree that the lack of some sort of module for simple voice recording is pretty dumb. However I don't know of a built-in speaker on the Visor so you'd have to sync to your desktop machine for playback unless they went with speech-to-text.
At launch though, the big thing about having the built-in mic was that someone was developing/going to develop a cellphone module
If you really want to go propaganda then you'll also need a print assault of some sort; my suggestion is to raise money to run full-page ads in the various Hollywood trade papers as well as the major newspapers (WSJ, NYT, USAToday, etc) in addition to a press release that brings to light what's going on.
While the mainstream media can ignore a single press release, it's much harder to ignore a well-orchestrated full-on attack in print.
IMHO, it is going away. When all the devices you use can talk to each other over the network (where network = Bluetooth LAN, Internet, whatever), SneakerNet becomes unnecessary.
I disagree. There are lots of good reasons why removable storage is going to be around:
- Secure file storage. Have data you need to keep private? Put it on a removable and put it in a safe deposit box or something. Or maybe you have a machine that, for security, can't be connected to a network.
- Too fat for the pipe. I've dealt with jobs that require the transfer of files totaling over 1GB to another office or service provider. Given that we don't seem to be getting close to the ability to transfer amounts of data this size quickly anytime soon, it's still faster to have someone stop by and pick up the discs/cartridges/whatever.
- Is everybody going to be l33t in the future? Will everybody who has a computer in the future have the best/fastest/wireless connection? It's not a matter of technology but more one of price and affordability for not just the well-paid programmers with the custom boxen but also those who can only afford an eMachine or some such machine.
I wouldn't mind being able to do away with removable storage but IMHO there are too many good reasons why we should keep it aroundThe new anime icon is, as far as I can tell, Sasami of Tenchi Muyo and Magical Girl Pretty Sammy fame. Definitely a step up from the previous anime icon.
The thing that really sets anime apart from most programming is the fact that many series take the time to tell a single story as opposed to more mainstream shows that take fairly thin story premises, tosses their characters into them and then after 30 or 60 minutes, resets everything back to how they were at the beginning of the episode. Star Trek is one of the great examples of this style of TV show creation where something catastrophic happens nearly every episode but nothing permanently bad ever happens to anyone (unless you're a red-shirted ensign) and events seem to have little to no effect on the characters involved.
On the other side we have anime where in many cases, an entire series is built on the telling of a single story. As opposed to the episodic nature of mainstream shows which are self-contained (and easily shuffleable for syndication purposes), episodes in a good series all work towards advancing the story. This focus on a single plotline allows for other aspects of plain old good storytelling to occur; character growth and character relationships. In good anime, characters change and grow, go against what we assume they would normally do, and often become completely different characters by the end of the series. A single plotline also allows for character relationships to be more fully explored, created and changed.
This all comes down to anime being much more dynamic than mainstream series. In the US, a lot of TV programming seems to be focused on a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mentality. If the execs find a group of characters that the public likes, they generally keep them the same throughout the show so not to alienate viewers and everything is built around keeping everything the same but creating the illusion that things are different. Good anime series rely on change; that things won't necessarily be the same from one episode to the next and people watch to see what happens next.
Yeah, it's probably not the most cohesive argument in the world but it's the best I can come up quickly.
This is all at least 5th hand information and all are reported to be just ideas being kicked around for use in a possible sequel.
I personally would like to see some straight-up sentinel action in the next movie since that would be more in line with the 'mutants vs. humans' angle as opposed to the 'mutants vs. bad muthaf-cker' angle that would occur if Apocalypse is used.
Also, I'd hope they would bring in Colossus (as mentioned by many), Nightcrawler and Beast (furry or non-furry) to round out the original X-Men as well as make Storm a real character as opposed to the window-dressing role she has in the movie.
Since I got this too, it looks like the 25 minutes of commercials and previews before the movie is part of the package; "buy this movie and you have to show these commercials too"
As one of the guys I was at the movie with said; "damnit, I thought we go the the theater to not see these g-damn commercials"
Another reason for the lack of acceptance of alt fuel cars is that you just don't see these cars as high-performance machines. A lot of people like quick acceleration and driving really fast (like myself). AFAIK, fuel cells, electric, etc. right now aren't capable of the 0-60 or quarter-mile times you can get in a gas-powered car. I'm not a big fan of our gas dependance but I think I'll wait until I see an alt fuel car that can do 0-60 in 4-6 seconds.