Love Hina

Went out today looking for Elfen Lied (again) and *sigh* I cannot find it anywhere locally. I did however manage to spot the entire series of Love Hina on DVD. Score! Great anime and you bet I will do a review on it.

Revenge of Firebird: Mock Up

Success! I finally got all four wheels on the inside! Now its up to sanding the inside so the wheels can actually move freely. I had to cut a section of the roof out, but the car still looks bad arse. I have chosen a metallic platinum to be the main color along with a navy blue pinstripe along the center of the body (sides). Stay tuned within a few days to see the final product. By Wednesday I should have the racing video up.

Skunk-Works: F-22 Raptor Project

The development of the YF-22 Superiority Fighter began in 1981. The program began to actually combat the growing Soviet threat (Cold War) and to also replace the F-15 fighters already in service. Boeing, General Dynamics, Grumman, McDonnell Douglas, Northrop (soon to merge with Grumman, making today's Northrop Grumman) all received the call to draft and design the next age's air superiority stealth fighter.

In 1991, the competition led down to the YF-22 and the YF-23. The government chose the F-22 and the YF-23 was retired to the side of the runway. The F-22 is the first aircraft that can reach speeds of about over 600mph (past the speed of sound) without hitting the afterburners (thrust by fire coming out the back). This is referred to as cruising. The F-22 also has a weapons bay that opens and drops missiles and/or bombs from the interior of the plane. The aircraft features GPS systems, the most advanced radar in the world, and a low profile like the B-2 and F-117 Stealth Bombers. By the design and purpose, we can see that this is another production of Skunk Works, an ex team of designers and engineers who originally came up with the concept of bouncing off the sonar with an angled fuselage combined with a special coat of material that would aid in cloaking the craft from fire.

The F-22 program was all but lost a few years ago until now the government is continuing to produce more of them. As of 2004 the F-22 has entered service, however not yet fully. Plans are still being made to produce more, and to create a variant called the F/B-22, a bomber version with swept back wings for higher speed for bombing runs. The F-22 is so advanced, that it can not only hover briefly, but also lift upwards, drop downwards (with thrust) and do 180-270 degree turns while flipping upside down and maintaining lift (no stall). This plane is sick, and suprisingly the technology allows the pilot to do some sick maneuvers. The F-22 is slated to replace the F-15, then the F-18 (A,B,C,D,E and Superhornet) to replace the aging, but still blatantly effective F-14 Tomcat.

Take a look at the video, this is the next step in fighter evolution. Once we can figure out how to remove pilots out of the aircraft, drones will take their place and will be able to pull such maneuvers that would make the human body explode.

information written with help from http://www.f22fighter.com/ thanks!

Give Nintendo Wii a Chance

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/

Maybe I am just an old bat with my video games, but why not give the Nintendo Wii a chance? The last I heard, preorders have been going through the ROOF at local EB Games and Gamespots (because I could not preorder one). The Console is set to release around early December, and it seems that there is a much higher anticipation (and preorder sales) this time around than for the Nintendo Gamecube (which also sold relativly well).

Even game publishers are getting ancy with the new direction Nintendo wants to take. Some have totally disagreed to even put their games on the system, while others welcome the change of pace and more opportunity to bring forth the graphics and capabilities of the Wi-i. It is now also public knowledge that you can pre-order your Wi-i at Toys'R'Us for this holiday season and that they will be giving away some 20,000 Wi-i.

I love the idea Nintendo is coming up with and I cannot wait to get a Wii for my entertainment. I am still debating however, getting a Playstation 3 or Xbox 2 due to their hefty price tags, however they have a score of great games (and some not so good ones). Ill dig up as much info as I can in the coming weeks.

Firebird III: Final Sanding and Prep

Finally got the interior of the car hollowed out as I see fit and the wheels fit ok (may have to sand a little in the rear section). Once all the puddy to the holes I made is sanded out then we can give the car a final sanding, and then add a coat or two of sanding sealer, and then select the paint we are going to use (Platinum). In all honesty, I may leave the wheels the color that they are, only because they are on the bottom and are not exposed as much. The wheels are lighter, of better quality, and best of all they fit. To my suprise, the front wheels of this car are exactly like the front wheels to Firebird I. Once I reem the thing out and get it to fit properly, it will be time for painting. Red on Platinum!

Firebird III: Shaping

Just got back today from shaping the body and giving it a fine coat of sanding. The car is more symmetrical now as well as light (20.6grams). Just need to figure out now where the new axel holes should go, drill them, then downsize the wheels to make them fit inside the body. If all goes well by next Thursday we will have the car in paint.

The Revenge of Firebird

Length: 267mm
Wood Type: Balsa Wood(Soft, Porous, Expensive!)
Weight (Body): 20.6 grams (underweight)
Weight (Car): Aprox 55.6 grams
Wheel Type: Standard Pitsco
Wheel Design: 4-Wheeled Car
Wheel Placement: Interior
Body Interior: Semi-Hollow, Cushioned
Body Width: 40-42mm
Nose Design: Low-Rider, "Stealthy" Air-Piercer
Recorded Time: N/A
Actual Speed: N/A
Launch 1: N/A
Launch 2: N/A
Body Color: Platinum
Wheel Color: Navy Blue
Axel Color: Default
Pin Stripe Color: Navy Blue (lower body pinstripe)

Budget: Japanime Spendings for 2006

My my... I love seeing how much money comes out of my wallet for these sort of things. I am a HUGE sucker for Japanese Anime, Manga etc and I LOVE IT when stores such as Borders, Waldenbooks, etc have discounts especially on buying manga in bulk. I went out today to finish up my Ruroken collection (instead of look for Elfen Lied, I couldn't resist!). I had no idea which books I was specifically missing, however I did get all the rest of them from 20 to 28. Buy 3 novels and get the 4th free, nice. Because I also signed up with the Borders member program, I was discounted 23% off my total dues (and this is EXCLUDING the free books!) So I ended up saving nearly $30-$45 USD. I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Borders or WaldenBooks for your manga shopping, because when they order... they order. I stared at 9-10 shelves of manga galore, then an additional 5 shelves of anime/manga paraphanelia (Full Metal Alchemist tote bags, Keychains, etc).

Ruroken Manga Collection: 26 books, 3 free costing $206.70USD

Total Manga Expenditures: -$286.20
Total Anime Expenditures: -$335.96
Total Paraphanelia Expenditures: -$202.99
Total Model Kit Expenditures: -$119.43

Total Japanime Spendings for 2006 (so far):: -$944.58 (YOWZA)

(What can I say, I love my hobbies! This does not even include my swords, computer software, etc.)

The 92% Complete Ruroken Collection

I am only missing books 14 and 18! Lets see an impressive Ruroken collection such as this!

Newtype USA: But you Probably Already Knew

Well here you go boys and girls: I just picked up this month's copy of Newtype USA after being too lazy (and too poor) to buy it. I picked it up at Suncoast today and I love the attention to detail in the issue, as well as the previews, reviews to games, etc. Its all huge, colorful and beautiful. I would say its definetly worth the subscription and is a big jump from "Shonen Jump", a manga comic that is for Shonen, but still a good read.

Release: Return of Firebird (Firebird II)

Released Return of Firebird Statistics: (Firebird II)
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Reference Post: http://jadedfalconblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/c02-dragster.html

Length: 293mm
Wood Type: Bass Wood (Hard, Dense)
Weight (Body): 98 grams
Weight (Car): 115.0 grams
Wheel Type: Standard Pitsco
Wheel Design: 4-Wheeled Car
Wheel Placement: Exterior
Body Interior: Hollow
Body Width: 40-42mm
Nose Design: Diamond Head "Ace of Spades" Design
Recorded Time: 1.873 seconds
Actual Speed: 12.01mph
Launch 1: Sucessful
Launch 2: Sucessful

Body Color: Black
Wheel Color: Minca Red
Axel Color: Default
Pin Stripe Color: Minca Red

Construction: FireBird III

Side View, Comparison with Firebird II (Return of Firebird). Both Cars are very close in length.
A close up of the work left to do.
A left-side view. The Axel Holes are clearly present.
Front View to compare the change in nose design.

I have been doing some construction and shaping of my latest C02 car: Firebird III (The Revenge of Firebird). We are all too late in the process to turn back to a new blank, so I will reveal some of the stats for the dragster.

The Revenge of Firebird
Length: 267mm

Wood Type: Balsa Wood(Soft, Porous, Expensive!)

Weight (Body): 40 grams (underweight)

Weight (Car): N/a

Wheel Type: Standard Pitsco

Wheel Design: 4-Wheeled Car

Wheel Placement: Interior

Body Interior: Semi-Hollow, Cushioned

Body Width: 40-42mm

Nose Design: Low-Rider, "Stealthy" Air-Piercer

Recorded Time: N/A

Actual Speed: N/A

Launch 1: N/A

Launch 2: N/A

Body Color: N/A

Wheel Color: N/A

Axel Color: Default

Pin Stripe Color: N/A

I have yet to shape the top of the body downwards, however I have completely cut out the side view of the dragster. After the top view is cut out, I will be shaping the body (by sanding) to get the body as perfect as possible, and then gradually move up in sanding grade to get a smooth finish for the asthetics (aka "Paint"). I also have yet to gouge the bottom so the wheels THIS TIME go on the inside. Balsa wood is pourous and is very easy to work with. You can actually indent your fingernail into the wood and leave a mark. Gouging will not be a problem: the problem will be gouging too much. I planned ahead for this. Cut, Gouge, Sand, Prime, Paint, Top Coat, Add wheels, Screw-Eyes, ready to race.

The "Coveted" High School Mentality

I'm here tonight to post about something that I am so thankful that I missed out on, yet is important to discuss exactly what it is and why it was important for me to miss such a thing. I am talking about the "Perfect High School Mentality" of average day America. Not Japan, England, France, Belgium, Russia or Venezuela, I am talking about the melting pot we call America and our blatant ignorance to the person right around the corner. Maybe I am biased in this arguement, but that would only be because I have been the victim of ignorance and neglect.


You are in an American High School, you have just moved here and you know nothing or no one. As you try to tell others about yourself and what you like to do, and maybe if your new acquaintance would like to go out later for pizza so you can get to know them better, immediatly they will turn a blind eye and begin talking to someone else they know. Sound familiar? for the past 4 years of my life, I have dealt with this on a daily basis in high school. It's hard to make friends these days in the slum pot of the American School System, because everyone's got a plan; and it does NOT involve making friends with new people.

You can think "alright this person is having an off day, its not a big deal and there are MANY people in school." Well, when you get to know your way around the place, you start to see that EVERYONE is caught up in the "clique" groups you see all the time, your sports players, computer geeks (for lack of better term, I think "Nerd" is discrimnatory) Those who like to hunt and camp out in Nature, the Cheerleaders, and the girls who could not fit in anywhere else. No one shares your interests, and no one particularly cares about them. You are still willing to experience new things, at a small price of trying to fit in. Things don't seem to work because people are still ignorant and don't want to pay a SECOND of attention to you.

Then you realize what it takes to be "wanted" and "accepted" by others. To do that, your going to have to venture into UNDERGROUND Territory, that is, the world of Drinking Alcohol, Doing Marijuana, Smoking up a Joint, doing Pot, Smoking and doing stupid stuff like climbing up poles, jumping off high rises, and having sex with others for the "pleasure" of the act. This is the true underground society of American High Schools, and the Rap/Hip-Hop culture is just a mild cover for it. Teenagers don't go to parties anymore to talk about life and do some fun things; they go to get stoned, drunk to the point of exhaustion and to get laid (have sex). Say you do do these things, and now your seen as "one of us". You've pretty much screwed up your life, getting caught by the police drinking and smoking, busted for having drugs, and in legal trouble because you got a girl pregnant by having non-consentual, unprotected sex when you were both DRUNK.

The most dangerous enemy to the stability of harmony within our society is not discrimination, nor hate or violence, its ignorance. If you do not recognize a person as an individual being with personal feelings, you have lost your humanity into the never-ending maze of High-School pop culture. Sometimes you may not realize that you have deeply hurt a person on a very deep level, and as a consequence you have turned that person into something they are not. Maybe grinding (dancing rubbing genitalia together) smoking a joint and getting drunk are THE things to do these days, even IF teenagers want to rebel. But what about the person with little to no bias? The innocent person who wants to fit in? The person who wants to get to know you and be a good friend by helping you out when in need. Because today, you have no one to help you but yourself. The innocent can become hardened, but in the end can prosper from the fact that they are still THEMSELVES, with hopes, dreams and the real chance to do something with their life.

I chose not to have sex. I chose not to drink, smoke or do drugs. Why did I do it? Obviously it was not the propoganda Health Class teaches you, I chose not to do it because I did not want to become an ignorant fool who will later down the line acknowledge they were a complete ARSE to people and they will suffer later on in life. You can only handle so much abuse, harassment and neglect (people ignoring you) but you can infinetly forgive. It doesn't take a crazy stunt to be my friend. I will treat you with respect, I will LISTEN to what you have to say, and I will never put you down for who you are as a person. I will do the right thing and my own thing, and watch myself grow and become a better man. If you want to be my friend, ask me and I will be yours. I will NEVER take advantage of you, and you can surely lay your life (trust) in my hands, because when I am there to help, I will help you in anyway I can.

I am a person with deep emotion and plenty of experience. I will not turn a blind eye to you in your moment of trouble. Come to me, and I will be your friend. I am a person who has not lost their individuality. (As of this date I still continue with abuse and no friends.)

Peace: Peace between felines

Alas the cats finally get along. Its hillarious to see the larger one (Kelly) body slam the smaller one (Dapper) especially when they ask for it. Oddly enough the Calico has an attitude and has adjusted well to the new tabby (we still get a few hissy fits). I am a cat person and I love cats (when they don't claw me!). I find that usually my cats interact more with the opposite gender and take them lighter (implying that they know our gender). Generally, if you show a cat love they will show the same affection back. Here is one of those rare moments.

Brief Hiatus and Refocus

Hello friends!

For the past few days I have been at a lost in terms of what I can talk about here on my blog. I have been busy with school, will be taking the SAT again this weekend AND I still need to finish a Ethics Class project. I also need to refocus and add portions to the site and perhaps upgrade to a new template. Enjoy the brief hiatus! I will be back as soon as "The Guy With Not Enough Time On His Hands" Finds time to put, in his hands!

Anime Review: Samurai X

The story of Samurai X is actually the Prequel to the popular anime series "Rurouni Kenshin" and this prequel takes into account the life of "Hitokiri Battosai" in a much darker tone than the light-hearted anime series. Kenshin is drawn into the war and has gone astray from his master, Hiko. Caught in the conflict, he believes that his job as an assasin is bringing relief to "the people" of Japan, however the ideals of the Choshu are to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate, the party in power at the time. Kenshins sword will go on to push forward the Meiji Revolution, and a new form of government. For reasons unknown, he disappeared soon after the Meiji Government was established. The Choshu and other Hitokiri are known as "ishin-nishi, or the "patriots".
Little does Kenshin know that as he murders, he takes away other's happiness (which will be the cause of "Jinchu" [or judgement] later on in the Ruroken series.). Kenshin has slayed a chief bodyguard, who was also engaged to marry a beautiful woman named Tomoe. After news of Kiyosato's death (the bodyguard) Tomoe was crushed in a never-ending realm of sorrow, grief and hated. She hated the murderer so much, and plotted her revenge against him. For that, she began to get to know Kenshin, and tried to lure him into a trap. Just how will the story progress from here?
The series has some of the "best" artwork I have ever seen. The entire series, Samurai X in particular is rich with Japanese Culture of the Edo Period and beyond. The English dub isn't half bad at all either (its actually enjoyable to watch both languages, however the Japanese language leaves in a few more plot details). The Japanese dialogue makes this anime an instant masterpiece of blended culture, artwork, and storyline. You will learn how Kenshin receives his cross-shaped scar, and exactly why he will vow never to kill again.

Trivia:
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- In the anime, Kenshin is carrying the "Musashi Daishyo" consisting of a katana and wakizashi. This was common for the samurai of the past, and was a good choice for an assasin. However, wanabanshu ninja and many assasins used "cheap" disposable swords and equipment that could be used in a hitch. That is why ninja swords are straight and are not curved like katana; because the blades break that easy like cane swords. In reality, an assasin will most likely, in this time period not be carrying around heavy weapons, but they did do so.

- There were Hitokiri that existed in real life, however only 3 or 4 of them really existed. They were skilled swordsman with exceptional skill, however they were all slain in battle. I believe only 1 died of old age.

- The way many of these assasins wipe off their blades of blood is necessary. Blood is corrosive and will rust the blade. Swordsman know this.

- The anime features realistic swords fighting, and you will not find any "exaggerated" battle scenes in Samurai X (even in reflection). (The opening scene and the speed of Kenshin and some of his fight scenes are a bit exaggerated.)

- Seppuku (suicide) by Tanto or by bighting off ones tongue and choking on it was a common practice in the Edo Period.

- The Buddhist religion was common belief in the Edo Period. After the actual Meiji Restoration (in real life) there was a massive influx of Christianity. Both religions exist in Japan today, with the majority of "Shinto" Buddhism. Both religions believe in peace.

- In the opening scene, Master Hiko fights off the bandits (rather easily) with his own katana. In reality, a samurai or swordsman would not fight with a sword in its shira-saya, or wood covered decor. The shira-saya, in a way is like fitting a sword in socks, a t-shirt and shorts. A normal katana is like dressing up the sword in a tuxedo and bowtie. Shira-saya were used to store the blade until it could be formally mounted. Samurai and other Swordsman did not fight with a shirasaya (unless necessary) because there was no hand guard to protect the hand from slipping over the blade.

Anime Review: Yu-Gi-Oh! Original Series

This is not your 8 year old brother's Pokemon Cartoon, at it's core.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is an anime series that got its beginnings over in 1996-1997 in Japan. A common misconception is that the show was designed for youngsters, and if you are talking about the 4kids Dubbed Version on the (old Kids WB) you are absoloutly right. The Japanese series, however leaves nothing cut out including blood, violence (especially in the first "Japanese" series) and torture devices (in an episode of battle city in the original, there are spike coffins, saw blades that will cut off the feet of trapped duelists) (in the 4kids version, coffin is removed and saws changed to "energy discs" that will send someone to the "shadow realm"). The dubbing also left out important details to the story line, and this is one of those animes I would recommend watching in the original language. The ONLY Dubs I find acceptable are both Yugi's and the voice of Yami Marik during Battle City.

Yu-Gi-Oh! did make its way into pop culture from about 2001-2004, and was/is generally frowned upon the "peer groups" as a kids cartoon and card game. The actual game has players worldwide, including Japan, Austrailia, the UK, Russia, USA, Korea, etc with people who know their game. The game is not easy and can be "VERY" complex. Up until my life got busy a few years ago, I used to play all the time at local shops. Players can still attend those tournaments today and regardless of winning, receive great cards just for playing. I never consider either someone who likes either series to be "frowned upon", however I say this because I never fitted into mainstream society.

The Anime was originally adapted from the manga, and the anime/manga conversion was actually pretty good with some filler stuff (but not much in the original series). The first few books of the manga will describe the story BEFORE Duelist Kingdom, usually called the violent episodes of the series. The manga is good stuff to read, and I would recommend picking it up if you have money lying around on your floor.

The creator (Takahashi Kazuki) did a pretty dang good job of making a manga into an anime, and then into a hit collectible card game. The card game is commonly compared to Pokemon, however none of the games really share any characteristics other than you are "summoning" monsters as substitutes for Poke-Balls. This is the only series, that I can confirm, that has an awesome manga/anime and can pull off a Collectible Card Game. Contrary to popular belief, the anime/manga was made BEFORE the card game in 1999. The series does nothing spectacular, but the series still has "good taste" if you watch the original. Not much to talk about in terms of a storyline, because it does span about 200 some episodes, and a lot of it is card battling (not to say we have story line stuff too!).