I went back into many of my anime posts and have found that Youtube is deleting a lot of the anime clips, not full shows but OP songs, Ending Songs and clips from anime. In fact I am getting a bit pissed off by this, so I will be making my own previews from now on and upload them thru blogger, thanks to their new technology that allows video uploads.
I like making anime music videos sometimes, not a lot but occasionally. So when I make previews from now on I will try and keep the files on my PC so I can upload and not have you guys depend on Youtube's stupidity. I apologize.
August 31, 2007
Ecoli 0157:H7 Springing Back into Action
For my first year seminar I had to read Fast Food Nation, a book written by Eric Schlosser. The book describes the practices of the Fast Food Industry and Meat Packing Industry, but also brings up the epidemic regarding tainted hamburger meat. Ecoli 0157:H7 has been hunted down over the past century (2000) but has not been aggressivly tailed. Ecoli H7 (herein) is a dangerous bacterium that can kill humans. I suspected that the goverment was not doing their job and Fast Food Nation confirmed my suspiscions. Ecoli H7 was recently discovered in a batch sold nation-wide as ground beef and only the grocery stores came forward to warn of an Ecoli case, yet the USDA has no power to perform recalls, but puts THEIR LABEL on the tainted beef. Hell, they can't even test it, that is up to the factories, if they choose to.
So yeah, take a look at this website for more information to see if you may have picked up tainted meat. I don't eat fast food anymore (partly due to the book, then wanting to lose weight). I don't trust the government, and certainly won't anytime soon until they start protecting it's citizens against disease in the United States.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/81155.php
So yeah, take a look at this website for more information to see if you may have picked up tainted meat. I don't eat fast food anymore (partly due to the book, then wanting to lose weight). I don't trust the government, and certainly won't anytime soon until they start protecting it's citizens against disease in the United States.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/81155.php
August 27, 2007
Roomate Moving In
So I woke up this morning and chilled out for a bit watching TV. Our group leaders came knocking on everyones door like they did yesterday morning for everyone to get out of bed and head down to the café for breakfast. I decided to go down because I wanted some food anyways, but I knew everyone else would ignore the leader and go back to sleep (lol). I walked by someone just as I entered tullys and he said “It’s too BLEEP early for this”. I remember chuckling as I said thankyou (he held the door open) and went in. I figured ok I will have cereal for breakfast (sigh) but then I walked by the breakfast nook and almost went bonkers. Buttered Jam, Toast, French Toast, Coffee, Scrambled Eggs, Bagels, Bacon, Orange Juice, Milk, Home Fries, Oh my Gosh I was in breakfast heaven.
From now on before early classes I am heading down there for some great eats. I got some orange juice, three pieces of bacon, a side of scrambled eggs (I havn’t eaten them since I was a kid) and some home fries. All of the breakfast food was actually delicious, the bacon was crunchy and perfect and the home fries were warm and tasty. The scrambled eggs tasted homemade (maybe the cook is a mom, she was a lady though) and the orange juice didn’t quite taste like concentrate, while I can’t say if it was fresh either. I was full and went back up to my dorm, thinking about how I could burn off such a fantastic breakfast. I have been playing with my TV remote and finally got it to work with both my DVD player and my TV, a fantastic accomplishment because I am horrible at programming TV sets. Maybe they have made it easier now that we are in the future.
I still don’t have internet and it is FANTASTIC that the IT Guys would come to my room to help me out. Apparantly I am not getting an IP address although I am connected to the Penn State network. Since University Park changed t a new system they told me that there were glitches in the system here, and they suspect it could be the ethernet outlet in my room. Once my roomate arrives we are going to head down and see if we can get him online. If not there is an issue with our room. They suspect the problem to be on their end.
People are starting to move in and I have had my door open to say hi to the two girls moving in next door to the right and two guys moving in across the hall. They all seem really nice, and opening my door to greet someone is not exactly my style: but I have no problem doing it- I think Penn State has had a healing effect on me as I transition into college. I have been doing a lot better today than the past two days: I’m up and about doing stuff and I am enjoying myself. My roomate is driving up from Harrisburg so when he calls I am gonna head out and help him move in (as a kind gesture, then he told me he is driving alone with all his stuff- hehe he is going to need some help). I can’t wait to help him out, get to know him, and I hope he doesn’t mind that I took the bed closest to the window =p. First dibs!
Soon after my roomate began to move in and I went out to help move some of his stuff in. He is a really nice guy and works to restore old trains down near Harrisburg Pennsylvania. He is also an avid enthusiast in HO Scale train layouts, and I learned quite a bit from him about trains. Lionel were more toy trains and sacrificed historical accuracy, while HO scale can be an accurate representation of realistic cars and locomotives. We settled in, he had a soda and I had one and we talked about his job, my job, what we were here for and we showed each other stuff we had been working on. He showed me a few photos of his layout he was building for a train yard and I showed him some of the work I have done on my models and the videos of Rage and Revenge of Firebird (see C02 Cars). He talke to me about the electro/mechanical degree at Penn State and told me some key differences. In normal degrees you sit behind a drawing board designing from scratch, but electro/mechanical engineering offers a hybrid of both and more “field hands on” experience, which is what I prefer. Anything at this point is open to me.
We went down for dinner and ran into the Luerssen Building to the police office so he could get a new tag for his camry. We finished up dinner and headed for an event in the local auditorium: a hypnotist was to put on a show and my roomate said he had a good run last year. The show was HILLARIOUS. Volunteers from the audience were selected and were hypnotised to do hillarious things. Barney trash talked them and “he said summin nasty bout my momma” or when a guy had to reall use the bathroom (according to hypnosis) once he left the stage, his erm… “thing down there” vanished. When he snapped twice, women felt a pinch on their rear end and blamed the guy next to them. The hypnotist made himself invisible holding a stuffed barney in his hands and changed the mic to a demonic voice and played simon says (LOL). Among other things, a guy believed he was a kangaroo and stuffed bread in his pants (thinking he was feeding his baby) and was told under hypnosis not to think anything of it- and he didn’t. Two guys were told they were delivering babies and screamed into the mic! (LOL). One guy was Paris Hilton and tried to seduce men in the audience (LOL). It was a great show and my roomate and I loved it.
My roomate and I start classes tomorrow so I am happy to get started on stuff. He seems like a realy nice guy and we are going to get along well. I think this is the start of my college life- today. I know a lot of people (and ran into one old acquaintance from Nazareth!) and I’m gonna meet a few more.
Around the Campus
I went around the campuse yesterday for student orientation: I didn’t want to go but I went anyway for the better of me. I listened to a speaker and did a few activities with our group leaders, then I headed back to my dorm. It was really HOT the other day, I think around 95 degrees farenheight and really humid. I took a shower and went down to the local café for some food. I had two slices of pizza: I could taste that the sauce was original but the end crust really sucked. Otherwise it was some good food. Really greasy, but good nonetheless.
Later in the afternoon I began to feel upset and I will admit, a little homesick. So I decided to get onto 222 and head off of 61 to check out where I used to live: where my life for 2 years was a living nightmare. I wanted to convince myself that the change was for the better, so I strolled down into Leesport and got to my old neighborhood, almost taking a wrong turn because I had not been there for so long. The neighborhood was quiet, maybe a neighbor or two was mowing the lawn and no kids were outside playing. The people that moved into our old house have it well kept, but decided to grow the shrubs (exotic, from the mid-west, Arizona kind of shrubs) a bit by the electrical box. Other than that, they were paving the road off to the north end of the neighborhood. I would expect the kids are returning to school soon.
I went by my old high school that I never graduated from and I think the borough is investing money into the school systems: They are adding ont the middle school and high school. I think the elementary school is to new for them to do anything with it. There was a cnstruction fence in front of the middle schol s I only gt a brief look, but it appears that they are adding on a bit to the right half of the highschool. I was going to head in and see if there was administration in to say hi, but there were firetrucks storming up into the parking lot- I am guessing, because this happened often when I was a student there- when construction guys were working on the school, they would accidentally trip the fire alarm. I drove around the school complex about a mile long and when I came back onto the main road the firetrucks were leaving, confirming my guess at a false alarm. I remember gas clearly being $2.54 a gallon so I will stop by that sheetz if I can, or if wawa down the street from the campus has a close enough price, I’ll drop in and see what’s up.
I went shopping yesterday for some milk (forgot Tullys, our café had milk) and some cheese, this time the American Cheese I wanted. In fact, as of this writing I think I will have a balonga and cheese sandwich in a half hour or so (yum). I talked to my mom and Nazareth was getting part of the heat wave as well. Tired, I came home back to the dorm, showered up, and went to bed around 7:30pm. I was so tired, but I didn’t care. It was raining all night and we had light thunder, most of it heat lightning that you can’t hear. I woke up at 7:30 this morning and decided to clean my room a bit.
Later in the afternoon I began to feel upset and I will admit, a little homesick. So I decided to get onto 222 and head off of 61 to check out where I used to live: where my life for 2 years was a living nightmare. I wanted to convince myself that the change was for the better, so I strolled down into Leesport and got to my old neighborhood, almost taking a wrong turn because I had not been there for so long. The neighborhood was quiet, maybe a neighbor or two was mowing the lawn and no kids were outside playing. The people that moved into our old house have it well kept, but decided to grow the shrubs (exotic, from the mid-west, Arizona kind of shrubs) a bit by the electrical box. Other than that, they were paving the road off to the north end of the neighborhood. I would expect the kids are returning to school soon.
I went by my old high school that I never graduated from and I think the borough is investing money into the school systems: They are adding ont the middle school and high school. I think the elementary school is to new for them to do anything with it. There was a cnstruction fence in front of the middle schol s I only gt a brief look, but it appears that they are adding on a bit to the right half of the highschool. I was going to head in and see if there was administration in to say hi, but there were firetrucks storming up into the parking lot- I am guessing, because this happened often when I was a student there- when construction guys were working on the school, they would accidentally trip the fire alarm. I drove around the school complex about a mile long and when I came back onto the main road the firetrucks were leaving, confirming my guess at a false alarm. I remember gas clearly being $2.54 a gallon so I will stop by that sheetz if I can, or if wawa down the street from the campus has a close enough price, I’ll drop in and see what’s up.
I went shopping yesterday for some milk (forgot Tullys, our café had milk) and some cheese, this time the American Cheese I wanted. In fact, as of this writing I think I will have a balonga and cheese sandwich in a half hour or so (yum). I talked to my mom and Nazareth was getting part of the heat wave as well. Tired, I came home back to the dorm, showered up, and went to bed around 7:30pm. I was so tired, but I didn’t care. It was raining all night and we had light thunder, most of it heat lightning that you can’t hear. I woke up at 7:30 this morning and decided to clean my room a bit.
Move-In Day
Well the internet is not currently up in the dorms, I am making this post using Microsoft Word! I moved in yesterday and I had a mix of feelings as well as my own share of adventures. We left the house at around 9am and the traffic was really bad going down south (I had zero idea truckers were up this early in the morning!) Eventually we arrived and got rerouted to a line of many freshman and their cars unloading into the dorms. It was indeed a zoo, but not as big of a zoo as I thought it would be. I was very nervous unpacking stuff, saying over and over “I ain’t ready for this” but I l new clearly that I was ready for college. There was an extra spot on the elevator, so they could fit myself and my foot locker, but not my dad. So I went to the fourth floor with my schtuff, and not even the first five minutes that I had been in the building I met a new friend, who also happens to be my Residence Advisor. She is very nice person and somewhat bubbly (sense of humor). I felt a lot better moving in, not being used to the dorm rooms she helped me get in, because I could not turn the key properly (hehe). My parents helped me load stuff in and set some stuff up, then I locked up and we went out to Pizzeria Unos for lunch. I have to say, their pizza is THE best pizza I have ever eaten anywhere. They even top pizza hut 0_0. The deep dish pizza was so small, but after three pieces and two cokes I was full. The pizza was absoloutly delicious. The tomatoes were diced on, but I was willing to try something new. They weren’t chewy at all: everything about the texture of the pizza was perfect. Not a lot of grease, perfect bread composition and the sauce was amazing. I highly recommend visiting one in the near future, because I will some nights.
Down the road is a large shopping complex with a Barnes and Noble, Weis supermarket, TJ Maxx and some other discount brand stores like Babies R Us. Across the complex was a smaller complex with a Big and Tall Shop, a Gamestop and a NY NY Pizzeria, among other things like GNC. This area has everything I need not even within half a mile of the campus. Down the road about a mile is a Best Buy, Home Depot and the Reading Mall “aka Berkshire Mall”. I went to weis the other night to stock up on bread, balonga and cheese (my favorite sandwich). Although our on campus restauraunt/deli Tulleys has food there, a lot of the stuff is quick fast food that I want to avoid, but I understand that my parents put money into my account for a reason. I’ll grab food there, but I won’t be grabbing a burger every day.
I went to the bookstore to pick up my final engineering book, then my parents and I went back up the hill where I said “how ironic, you guys are leaving me and there is a fork in the path”. The path lead to the right portion of campus then the left side to the dorm rooms. I hugged my parents goodbye and went up to the dorm rooms. I felt awkward, both happy yet a little scared that I am alone. So I took a shower and went to a student orientation then had dinner at Tulleys with my hall at 6pm. After that I headed out to Weis to get some stuff that I needed and I did my best to relax and get some food in me. I’ve tried getting the internet to work, although I am connected to the Penn State network, University Park hasn’t turned on the internet yet. Rumor is some in the dorm complex have internet while others don’t. It’s really weird and people are a little frustrated with it: personally I can live a bit withut the net in the dorm rooms, it will be here soon and in the meantime I’ll book it in the library and try to get a connection with the wi-fi there.
It’s Saturday morning now and Im off to another Penn State orientation for student registration. I think after 12pm or s I have the day to myself so I’m going to relax a bit, head to the library and chill out for the rest of the day, heading around campus to check out what’s here and try to meet a few new people.
Down the road is a large shopping complex with a Barnes and Noble, Weis supermarket, TJ Maxx and some other discount brand stores like Babies R Us. Across the complex was a smaller complex with a Big and Tall Shop, a Gamestop and a NY NY Pizzeria, among other things like GNC. This area has everything I need not even within half a mile of the campus. Down the road about a mile is a Best Buy, Home Depot and the Reading Mall “aka Berkshire Mall”. I went to weis the other night to stock up on bread, balonga and cheese (my favorite sandwich). Although our on campus restauraunt/deli Tulleys has food there, a lot of the stuff is quick fast food that I want to avoid, but I understand that my parents put money into my account for a reason. I’ll grab food there, but I won’t be grabbing a burger every day.
I went to the bookstore to pick up my final engineering book, then my parents and I went back up the hill where I said “how ironic, you guys are leaving me and there is a fork in the path”. The path lead to the right portion of campus then the left side to the dorm rooms. I hugged my parents goodbye and went up to the dorm rooms. I felt awkward, both happy yet a little scared that I am alone. So I took a shower and went to a student orientation then had dinner at Tulleys with my hall at 6pm. After that I headed out to Weis to get some stuff that I needed and I did my best to relax and get some food in me. I’ve tried getting the internet to work, although I am connected to the Penn State network, University Park hasn’t turned on the internet yet. Rumor is some in the dorm complex have internet while others don’t. It’s really weird and people are a little frustrated with it: personally I can live a bit withut the net in the dorm rooms, it will be here soon and in the meantime I’ll book it in the library and try to get a connection with the wi-fi there.
It’s Saturday morning now and Im off to another Penn State orientation for student registration. I think after 12pm or s I have the day to myself so I’m going to relax a bit, head to the library and chill out for the rest of the day, heading around campus to check out what’s here and try to meet a few new people.
August 23, 2007
USS Constitution Progress
Made some progress today on the USS Constitution. After test fitting the decks I went ahead and assembled 16 of the guns and cemented them to the deck. It looks pretty neat: I hope later today I finish the other 16 cannons and begin work on the admiral's office in the rear of the ship and get that aligned correctly.
Move-in-day Tomorrow
Tomorrow's move in day! My room is looking more and more like a guestroom as I pack up my essentials and move down south to post a new HQ down in my dorm room. The rooms are actually quite nice: the area is referred to as "The Woods". It is a modern dormroom recently completed by construction staff early this century. There's a nice view and plenty of great lounges. I will be gone tomorrow getting to know the people on my floor and my roomate, so posting will probably be to a minimum.
August 21, 2007
The Countdown is On
Assignments completed and shopping done, I stared across the corner at my foot locker if the contents were all I needed for my extended trip. Packing treasures and clothing I wondered what lay ahead, not the certainty of my future but it's outcome. New friends, new adventures and new stuff to do,
COLLEGE =).
Nintendo Wii Still Called a Novelty
But honestly I think it's a bunch of whiners complaining that their favorite system isn't winning the console wars =X
The Nintendo Wii, released November of last year hit store shelves then had a case of hot potato: even today they are still very hard to find and can sell out within 1 hour of stocking. Competition has called Nintendo Wii a novelty item and they are still bickering over it. One major complaint about the Wii is the "sub-par" graphics engine. I am a hardcore gamer myself and I see gameplay as the main factor for what makes a game fun to play. Graphics are important sure, but a decent looking game can be a lot of fun over something that looks fantastic but is actually crap.
I enjoyed Zelda Twilight Princess: the game was challenging and it looked amazing, but people are saying that the Wii doesn't have the ability to produce good graphics? I think the claims are misleading. The Nintendo Wii is a mini-workhorse: it will produce great graphics for it's technology, but it will NOT match the graphics capabilities of the Xbox360 or Playstation 3. I would like to say so what to that? Gameplay, replayability and a fun factor all contribute to a really fun game. Hardcore games are fun sure with groups of other gamers, but the Wii was designed primarily as a party console, and people are sure having parties with it. I think it is a great thing Nintendo is exploring different options with gaming, and ultimatly they will have the better marketing plan. Casual gamers are targeted, but Nintendo hasn't forgotten the ole' faithful fans.
August 20, 2007
Firebirds Receive Royal Treatment
In order to preserve the legacy that brought me into the field of engineering I took extreme measures to protect my C02 Car assets. In the back of Tranes and Lanes Hobbies was an entire section dedicated to display cases. I ponied up good money and got these display cases for all four of my firebirds. I will place Omega Supremus, the final Firebird in a case (base painted gold) once I complete it in the not too distant future.
Plexi-glass display cases are nice pieces and can be dusted easily. Free of dust, exposed to limited (trapped) air and free of pathogens, my C02 Cars will be protected for many years to come and can be passed down as family treasures. I love these cars and it is worth the money to protect them.
USS Constitution Deck Work
I have started work again on old Ironsides (mainly because I found some motivation!). I fit the hull and assembled the stand. Although the wood pieces look appealing (I like them, actually) and add beauty to the kit, they are a real pain in the rear end to attach to the bottom of the hull and align correctly. I test fitted the upper and lower decks and wallah, they fit near perfectly. I also looked over the sprue trees and noticed the cannons were molded in black (THANK THE LORD), so I won't need to spend more money on paint to paint them black. Hopefully the wooden blocks attached to the cannons are molded in a close to brown color, making my day (and job on this kit) much easier.
I will work tomorrow to construct the cannons and lace them all together as per the instructions. I also need to cut a bit of the plexi-film to simulate windows in the back of the ship. I installed the rather large rudder today and I will put the bow plate on the back tomorrow as I finish the Officer's room. From there I'll finish painting the decks, and to distinguish them from the hull (the decks and hull are the same color, doh) I'll go ahead and very lightly weather the decks to give them a used look. From there I'll do what the instructions tell me to do (off the top of the head I can't remember what's next!). The EZ Paint Pen by Testors made painting the nameplate effortless, making me a happy shipbuilder for the day.
1/48 SBD-5 Dauntless Complete
I finished my 1/48 SBD Dauntless model yesterday, but I still want to add one more person to the diorama along with a 500pound bomb and bomb carrier. The kit itself wasn't very hard to put together, but at times the cement (Plastruct) did not want to behave, and I resorted to gel cement to get the plane to hold together. I thought the wheel struts were extremely flimsly and the model occasionally wobels if you move it. If the model indeed comes loose I will do my best to cement the struts in place like I should have done in the first place.
The kit was an older kit with a few injection spots but nevertheless a very nice kit when put together. The model I built does not accuratly represent an actual SBD-5, mainly the differences include the propeller color (I thought the gray looked good enough) and the engine interior (remains blue). The decals that came with the kit were absoloutly horrible and not even close to straight so I did not use them. I'm not crazy about after-market parts either, so this kit will remain as is until I can get some additional work done to the diorama. A fun mini project!
August 15, 2007
1/350th BB-62 Complete
Tired of me posting model posts? Good I won't be for a while now ^^ I plan to post about the finish of my Dauntless, but this is the last "I finished a model!" post for a long time, I am heading off to college very very soon. Save a few parts the USS New Jersey model is complete and I am sure she would be proud of her 1/350th counterpart. I am contacting Tamiya to get replacement parts so I can build a new rudder and propeller shafts (Tree "A"). Its 4am, so I need some shuteye ^^.
August 14, 2007
1/48 SBD5 "Dauntless" Divebomber Kit
I thought it was time I try an aircraft model, and after searching through Tranes and Lanes and their mass hoard of stuff, I found the only Dauntless model I could find. Looks like from research I will be building the SBD5 model.
The Dauntless was the most important bomber of World War II, taking out countless defense posts, gun enplacemets, caves, and even ships. A company of these bad girls took out both the IJN Musashi and IJN Yamato along with TBD Devastators (torpedo bombers). The Dauntless could either be carrier based or land based and was responsible for sinking many Japanese transport and shipping vessels, crippling Japan's supply of resources during World War II.
The SBD-5 model was the fifth improved model of the Dauntless to be ordered by the US Marines, US Army and US Navy. One more model, the SBD-6, would be released by the Northrop company. The aircraft's top speed was about 250mph, while this seems fast for an aircraft this is terribly slow in aviation standards. The Dauntless was moderatly armored and could survive some attacks. When a Mitsubisi Type 00 ("Zero") locked onto their 6, they were pretty much done and could do little to fight back, let alone engage (there have been stories told about Dauntlesses engaging and defeating one or two zeros). If imported to the European theater, the Dauntless would not have been able to stand up to the German Messerschmitt (ME-109).
This is a Revell kit so I trusted that the quality would be good. When I opened the box my suspicions were correct: this is indeed a nice and easy model kit! Definetly something I can build in under a week. I want to build a diorama with this one because they included the crewman for the plane, then a airman to work on the aircraft with a spare bomb and bomb cart. Diorama ahoy!
August 13, 2007
Wii Users: Update Yer Wiis
Nintendo just sent me a letter about a recent update to the Wii, to address lockups and stability issues. Within the past week there was also another update that updated the Wii Shopping Channel and released a sneak peak of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Update ahoy and have fun! WARNING FROM NINTENDO: Any unauthorized technical corrections or manipulations to your Wii could immobilize it completely with this update.
Deadline Day Tomorrow for the 1/350 BB-62
The "expected" deadline day is tomorrow for the kit! I have progressed enough to hopefully finish the kit within one or two days. Today I began the removal process of paint from the rear deck and cleaned the part. I re-sprayed deck tan and dull coated the paint job. I then constructed the mast and radar tower and attached it to the superstructure. I also attached the final attanae to the bridge. Added the oil fence attachment and completed the miniature boats. Began construction and painting on the SH-60 Seahawks. Also went out and bought a marker that acts as a paint brush and highlighted in the nameplates for the kit. Also put a finish on the block and stand, but ultimatly I want to add another block on the opposite side so the model can be displayed from either side.
Tomorrow I need to 1) seal the deck tan and paint the non-skid surface on the rear deck and then attach any final details and paint deck detail on all sections of the ship. I then need to add two pieces to the middle superstructure to add realism, then construct the weather vane thingy near the front of the ship, attach the anchors, finish the Seahawks and give the ship a dull coate finish once the final block is stained and complete. This will be a large display piece =).
Tomorrow I need to 1) seal the deck tan and paint the non-skid surface on the rear deck and then attach any final details and paint deck detail on all sections of the ship. I then need to add two pieces to the middle superstructure to add realism, then construct the weather vane thingy near the front of the ship, attach the anchors, finish the Seahawks and give the ship a dull coate finish once the final block is stained and complete. This will be a large display piece =).
August 12, 2007
BB-62 Final Assembly
Looks like I am coming to the final lap of the race here: a lot of the major construction on the USS New Jersey model is complete. I assembled the 5" guns today and attempted to repair the rear deck. I installed the rear conning tower and a few exterior parts that should have went on earlier. The harpoon launchers and final set of tomohawk launchers were also finished. I love the way this model is coming out, but I fear the rear deck will spoil the model, so I am doing everything in my power to fix it.
I will think on it for tomorrow on how I will proceed to fix the rear deck. I'll install the oil fence tomorrow and the miniature boats. I painted the Phalanx tubes and I will finish painting them and install them tomorrow. I will paint and install the tower, then attach the radio atannae to the kit. I also need to paint the deck chains and build the weather device near the stern of the ship.
I will think on it for tomorrow on how I will proceed to fix the rear deck. I'll install the oil fence tomorrow and the miniature boats. I painted the Phalanx tubes and I will finish painting them and install them tomorrow. I will paint and install the tower, then attach the radio atannae to the kit. I also need to paint the deck chains and build the weather device near the stern of the ship.
August 10, 2007
Future Higurashi Releases
I've done a bit of browsing around: Higurashi collectors you will want to mark down the following dates for releases of DVD's 3 and 4. There should be a total of 6 DVDs in the entire box set collection.
October 9th, 2007- DVD 3 Release
December 12th, 2007- DVD 4 Release
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: DVD 2 release
Geneon has recently released the next installment of Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni in the USA. I pre-ordered the DVD and it arrived in two days. Even though I think that Geneon can pull an extra muscle to get that "wow" effect in on the presentation, overall I was very satisfied with the DVD. I'm a big sucker for box art; the art flowed and matched the series perfectly. Here is what I don't understand: There IS a 16+ suggested, in fact I wouldn't suggest that at all! this is clearly a mature rated anime (I'm not talking about hentai, but extreme violence in this anime).
The DVD covers the remainder of the "Cotton Drifting Chapter" from DVD 1 and begins a new chapter, the "Curse Killing Chapter". Kudos to Geneon for cleaning up the art, this anime appeals and is very fantastic in vibrance and familiarity. The "snippet" music tracks were redone and are much better than when I previewed this anime before it's licensing. It was an actual pleasure to watch, both in the Japanese and English casts. It's one thing to watch the Japanese track, but a completely different feeling comes about when you watch the English dub. Why do I say that? I am not a native speaker from Japan, but I can speak and think English without a doubt. From what I can try to perceive from the Japanese and what I hear coming from the characters in English, the story gets that much more real and thrilling (sometimes scary!) when you hear it in English and English is your native language. Perhaps I have not heard enough Japanese yet to get frightened by the anime, which the first time around may not have scared me when I previewed the anime, now it is scary!
Although the suggested retail price from Geneon is $29.99 USD vendors are selling it at a reduced cost, around $24.99. It is not yet on store shelves as of this writing, but it can be preordered online at your favorite retailer (BestBuy.com will ship FAST but I had minor issues with payment- something or another didnt go through and I got charged more) or SunCoast.com (save the hassle of soliciting in-store and order online). These two stores specialize in DVD diversity and while SunCoast has a library of titles, BestBuy shipped my DVD within two business days, excellent service. So why didn't you talk about the DVD man?? Well I would talk about the story, but I would also be spoiling a good series and a good DVD!
BB-62 Progress, Bridge Construction
Ahhh so many wrongs to right. I started today by painting the stern parts and I will go back tomorrow and paint the deck chains. Next I started on the aft section of the boat on that hideous paint job. I sprayed deck tan, let it dry, then micromasked the area I wanted to preserve, and handpainted the rear section. I'll lift the micromask tomorrow to see what the damage is and how the experiment turned out. I then began construction on the bridge and added on a few pieces. Also had to do painting on smaller pieces and I will continue with those tomorrow.
I accidentally dropped the upper tower and one of the radar pieces broke off, falling to the floor. I looked maybe for 45 minutes but couldn't find anything (ARGHHHH) so I will have to order replacement parts from Tamiya. Cool thing is: the model is OK without the lost piece until I can get it, AND this gives me an extra SH-60 Seahawk (I have to buy a seperate tree). The kit is discontinued, but I PRAY they have parts in reserve.
I am going to finish the minor bridge pieces tomorrow and install the harpoon launchers and remaining missile launchers. I will build the smaller turrets, hopefully get the smaller boats and speedboats painted and perhaps assembled onto the deck. I am going to try and be more careful with losing parts X_X.
August 7, 2007
In looking for DVDs: out with a Nintendo DS
Didn't expect this to happen ^^. I went into Best Buy this afternoon looking for Volume 2 of Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (they havn't stocked it yet, I will check back in a week or order online) but ended up coming out with a Nintendo DS! I wanted something to do while on-campus, and this seemed like a nice companion to take along with me. The entire campus has wi-fi (except dorms) such as the cafe, so I will try and see if I can find anyone to play against!
Bought "New Super Mario Bros" to go along with it. When I bought it I didn't have the slightest clue what I had bought: one of the greatest Mario games to be released was sitting in my Best Buy bag. I took it home and the game is pretty solid! I zoomed through the levels at first, but then went back to "unlock" everything that I could. This game is going to keep me busy for a while until I can get my hands on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass coming out October 7th, 2007 (I bought the DS early for this reason).
Bought "New Super Mario Bros" to go along with it. When I bought it I didn't have the slightest clue what I had bought: one of the greatest Mario games to be released was sitting in my Best Buy bag. I took it home and the game is pretty solid! I zoomed through the levels at first, but then went back to "unlock" everything that I could. This game is going to keep me busy for a while until I can get my hands on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass coming out October 7th, 2007 (I bought the DS early for this reason).
The Legend of Zelda: Chronological Timeline Theory
So with the release of Twilight Princess and recent comments by Aunoma, the timeline theories must shift again. I have thought about it for months and played every Zelda game to get the most juice out of each one that I could, and here is what I can deduct from my research: that the "split timeline theory" is indeed false. Close, but false. In my vert highest opinion, the original story told (Ocarina of Time) branches off and results in multiple parallel worlds. In English, there are different endings in different parallel universes: No one ending to Gannon is the correct one! I think this was intended by Miyamoto as they continue to release Zelda games and tease us by not providing an official list. So here we go:
1) The Minish Cap. This explains how Link got his hat, and how the heirarchy of Hyrule would be established. Gustav became the first King of Hyrule.
2.) Ocarina of Time. Before OOT, Gannondorf The Thief fights in the Great Hyrulian War, gaining power and prestige with the Gerudo Tribe. Two endings result of the game: Creating two parallel universes. In Universe 1 (considered the "traditional" storyline) Gannondorf is back in the present time plotting to strike against Hyrule. Princess Zelda and Link tell the king of his plans, and the Hyrulian knights set out to capture him (possibly? we know he is eventually captured). The second ending, Gannondorf has already seized power of Hyrule. Ganon is defeated in his pig-like form atop the ruins of his castle, and is sealed by Princess Zelda and the remaining sages into what is left of the Sacred Realm. From here on in, the realm will become corrupt.
3.) Majora's Mask This is the sequel to Ocarina of Time, but is a side quest for Link more than anything. Before Gannondorf has time to build up an army to retaliate, Link is taking time off to look for his fairy friend Navi who left him in the Temple of Time. Link travels to Termina, and finds that the power of the hex on Majora's Mask has set the town a doomsday of three days before the moon crashes into it. Link, as the Hero of Time can manipulate time. He does so to save Termina by calling on the four giants of the North, South, East and West.
From here we split into a few parallel universes.
Universe 1: Twilight Princess. It has been confirmed by Aunoma that TP is a seperate parallel world/story. Gannon has been captured in this world and is set for an execution date at the Desert Colossus (the Spirit Temple was torn down, I wonder if the Gerudo were exterminated as well to prevent another Gannondorf?). He breaks free with the power of the Triforce of Power, and manages to grab one of the finest crafted weapons made by the sages: comparable in power to the Master Sword. Gannondorf finds a way to bridge a connection to the other realm (The Twilight Realm) and uses the Twili for his own biddings. He is able to power himself up harboring himself inside the Twilight Realm with Zant. Midna and Link eventually encounter Zant, kill him, and fight Gannondorf. Gannondorf took over Zelda's body, transformed into his "true" pig/boar form, fought on horseback, and even dueled Link in one final showdown. Ultimatly, Gannondorf was sticked with the Master Sword. We know from Zelda History that this either freezes Ganon or takes away his powers. End of Story.
Universe 2: The Four Swords Adventures. It is VERY possible Universe 2 runs along against Universe 3 in terms of a parallel line (due to Ganon using a trident). Ultimatly, Ganon is sticked with the Master Sword, end of story.
Universe 3: The more traditional outline, starting with A Link to the Past. This Ganon manages to prepare an army for war and causes a second great Hyrulian war. The seven sages (different sages) attempt to seal him in the Sacred Realm again, but fail to. With the help of Agahnim the wizard, the Knights of Hyrule, the Sages, and their decendants were being cut down or captured one by one. Link manages to find the Master Sword, and transverses between the normal world and the sacred realm "the dark world" to defeat Ganon. The decendants of the sages (all maidens) gain their powers, and finally seal Ganon back into his own creation, the Dark World. The original Legend of Zelda follows, and Ganon is killed, end of story. The Adventure of Link tries to resurrect Ganon, but fails to. End of Story.
Attachment/Parallel It is very possible that Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons are either their seperate parallel universes to all of our other universes, or they are parallel universes within a parallel universe (0_0?). They really fit in almost anywhere that Ganon has been killed in, or perhaps it is a parallel universe after Ocarina of Time, and Ganon never manages to free himself from the Sacred Realm. We honestly don't know, and Miyamoto hasn't given a lot of light on the subject.
Universe 4: The Wind Waker parallel Universe. It has been confirmed that Aunoma stated that the Wind Waker story was a parallel world. This Universe is directly tied with the Hyrule Link left behind, and Adult Zelda remained in. Ganon remained sealed for many moons, but eventually found a way around the Master Sword's powers and broke out of the Sacred Realm. There was no Hero to stop him: and no one else could harbor the blade of evils bane but the Hero. The Gods intervened by flooding Hyrule in their sorrow for creating it. The Great Sea was born, and the Hero of Time's story became Legend. Gannon survives the ordeal, and becomes much less evil (but still evil) in his resolve. Instead of torturing or maiming his opponents, Gannondorf cut right to the chase and captured Zelda, then, for the first time, intelligently knocked the Master Sword from Link's hands and took the Triforce of Courage. After all this work, he sees his fruits: the Triforce. Only thing is: he never touched it! Daphnes, the final King of Hyrule, wished for Hyrule to be sunken under sea. Gannondorf will make sure they won't get away live now, for "their future". Gannondorf gets sticked by the Master Sword (again) and turns to stone. End of Story. The Phantom Hourglass (a new game as of this writing) is a sequel to this game, much like Majora's Mask to OOT.
Those are my thoughts. I am not sure where Link's Awakening fits, but we do know that after the dream at sea, he finds that Ganon "wins" whatever war. My best guess is to place Link's Awakening after Majora's Mask. Again, Miyamoto hasn't shed a lot of light on the subject.
sticked (verb, past tense) a slang term denoting a stabbing or thrust of some kind of weapon, usually a knife or other blade.
1) The Minish Cap. This explains how Link got his hat, and how the heirarchy of Hyrule would be established. Gustav became the first King of Hyrule.
2.) Ocarina of Time. Before OOT, Gannondorf The Thief fights in the Great Hyrulian War, gaining power and prestige with the Gerudo Tribe. Two endings result of the game: Creating two parallel universes. In Universe 1 (considered the "traditional" storyline) Gannondorf is back in the present time plotting to strike against Hyrule. Princess Zelda and Link tell the king of his plans, and the Hyrulian knights set out to capture him (possibly? we know he is eventually captured). The second ending, Gannondorf has already seized power of Hyrule. Ganon is defeated in his pig-like form atop the ruins of his castle, and is sealed by Princess Zelda and the remaining sages into what is left of the Sacred Realm. From here on in, the realm will become corrupt.
3.) Majora's Mask This is the sequel to Ocarina of Time, but is a side quest for Link more than anything. Before Gannondorf has time to build up an army to retaliate, Link is taking time off to look for his fairy friend Navi who left him in the Temple of Time. Link travels to Termina, and finds that the power of the hex on Majora's Mask has set the town a doomsday of three days before the moon crashes into it. Link, as the Hero of Time can manipulate time. He does so to save Termina by calling on the four giants of the North, South, East and West.
From here we split into a few parallel universes.
Universe 1: Twilight Princess. It has been confirmed by Aunoma that TP is a seperate parallel world/story. Gannon has been captured in this world and is set for an execution date at the Desert Colossus (the Spirit Temple was torn down, I wonder if the Gerudo were exterminated as well to prevent another Gannondorf?). He breaks free with the power of the Triforce of Power, and manages to grab one of the finest crafted weapons made by the sages: comparable in power to the Master Sword. Gannondorf finds a way to bridge a connection to the other realm (The Twilight Realm) and uses the Twili for his own biddings. He is able to power himself up harboring himself inside the Twilight Realm with Zant. Midna and Link eventually encounter Zant, kill him, and fight Gannondorf. Gannondorf took over Zelda's body, transformed into his "true" pig/boar form, fought on horseback, and even dueled Link in one final showdown. Ultimatly, Gannondorf was sticked with the Master Sword. We know from Zelda History that this either freezes Ganon or takes away his powers. End of Story.
Universe 2: The Four Swords Adventures. It is VERY possible Universe 2 runs along against Universe 3 in terms of a parallel line (due to Ganon using a trident). Ultimatly, Ganon is sticked with the Master Sword, end of story.
Universe 3: The more traditional outline, starting with A Link to the Past. This Ganon manages to prepare an army for war and causes a second great Hyrulian war. The seven sages (different sages) attempt to seal him in the Sacred Realm again, but fail to. With the help of Agahnim the wizard, the Knights of Hyrule, the Sages, and their decendants were being cut down or captured one by one. Link manages to find the Master Sword, and transverses between the normal world and the sacred realm "the dark world" to defeat Ganon. The decendants of the sages (all maidens) gain their powers, and finally seal Ganon back into his own creation, the Dark World. The original Legend of Zelda follows, and Ganon is killed, end of story. The Adventure of Link tries to resurrect Ganon, but fails to. End of Story.
Attachment/Parallel It is very possible that Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons are either their seperate parallel universes to all of our other universes, or they are parallel universes within a parallel universe (0_0?). They really fit in almost anywhere that Ganon has been killed in, or perhaps it is a parallel universe after Ocarina of Time, and Ganon never manages to free himself from the Sacred Realm. We honestly don't know, and Miyamoto hasn't given a lot of light on the subject.
Universe 4: The Wind Waker parallel Universe. It has been confirmed that Aunoma stated that the Wind Waker story was a parallel world. This Universe is directly tied with the Hyrule Link left behind, and Adult Zelda remained in. Ganon remained sealed for many moons, but eventually found a way around the Master Sword's powers and broke out of the Sacred Realm. There was no Hero to stop him: and no one else could harbor the blade of evils bane but the Hero. The Gods intervened by flooding Hyrule in their sorrow for creating it. The Great Sea was born, and the Hero of Time's story became Legend. Gannon survives the ordeal, and becomes much less evil (but still evil) in his resolve. Instead of torturing or maiming his opponents, Gannondorf cut right to the chase and captured Zelda, then, for the first time, intelligently knocked the Master Sword from Link's hands and took the Triforce of Courage. After all this work, he sees his fruits: the Triforce. Only thing is: he never touched it! Daphnes, the final King of Hyrule, wished for Hyrule to be sunken under sea. Gannondorf will make sure they won't get away live now, for "their future". Gannondorf gets sticked by the Master Sword (again) and turns to stone. End of Story. The Phantom Hourglass (a new game as of this writing) is a sequel to this game, much like Majora's Mask to OOT.
Those are my thoughts. I am not sure where Link's Awakening fits, but we do know that after the dream at sea, he finds that Ganon "wins" whatever war. My best guess is to place Link's Awakening after Majora's Mask. Again, Miyamoto hasn't shed a lot of light on the subject.
sticked (verb, past tense) a slang term denoting a stabbing or thrust of some kind of weapon, usually a knife or other blade.
August 6, 2007
Pitsco Releases TSA 2007 Results
All I have to say is engineers have taken a backslide! The fastest time for high school dragsters this year was 1.152 seconds. At least 4 of us (including myself) in my former Engineering III class can beat that score by a mile (no pun intended). Some of the car designs are staple, such as the 1st place car in the 2007 finals. The 2nd place contestant featured grooves in the rear of their car; something the 1st place winner in our Engineering class did, but to a greater effect.
The rest of the cars appear to be mediocre in shape, appearance and performance (Cars 3,4,7,9,10,12,13,15, and 16 are all mediocre or subpar). I'm not sure what the judges were drugged on, but these cars shouldn't even be near finalist material.
So what happened peeps? My two champion cars would have fully blown you off the track! (Revenge of Firebird- 1.043 Rage of Firebird- 1.072). I'm slightly disappointed in the results this year, and I hope Engineers next year will come out with 16 awesome cars.
The rest of the cars appear to be mediocre in shape, appearance and performance (Cars 3,4,7,9,10,12,13,15, and 16 are all mediocre or subpar). I'm not sure what the judges were drugged on, but these cars shouldn't even be near finalist material.
Finalist #14- Pink Panther
So what happened peeps? My two champion cars would have fully blown you off the track! (Revenge of Firebird- 1.043 Rage of Firebird- 1.072). I'm slightly disappointed in the results this year, and I hope Engineers next year will come out with 16 awesome cars.
Japanese Animators getting angry with Youtube
I thought the rumor of Youtube deleting anime off of it's own website was just a rumor- apparantly it is not. Anime Piracy is often driven by a lack of product in one's own country. This year, publishing companies have been going after illegal downloaders and now groups in Japan are angry with Youtube for sharing illegal content which can be downloaded with 3rd party programs onto a watcher's PC.
Viacom is actually suing Google for "massive copywright infringement" and seeks unspecified damages. My thoughts on this really are two fold. One, I discourage illegal downloading when you can buy something in the store, and two I am sorry to say, but what can you expect from people when they don't have their favorite anime? Animators are concerned FIRST about releasing material inside of Japan when really it is a worldwide phenomenon they must fill the hunger of. It's like taking your favorite bunny rabbit out of your collection of them and feeding and caring for it first, making the others watch and wait. I support anime creators as much as the next loyal fan, but honestly- what can you expect when your product is not traveling around the world?
NASA Launches "Phoenix Mars Landrover" to Mars
Nasa sent up Phoenix a little while ago to the North Pole of Mars to collect samples and find evidence of water/life. article from the LA times:
When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander rocketed into space Saturday, it went, like all missions, with the assurance that as few Earth microbes as possible tagged along for the ride.Hitchhiking microbes could impair the experiments, or worse — an errant microbe could contaminate the planet.Keeping the spacecraft sterile was the job of an obscure but crucial part of NASA known as the Planetary Protection unit.The main Planetary Protection research center is at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, where Jason Kastner supervises a small team of scientists working in labs that smell of bacterial cultures.Kastner, an exacting, bespectacled mathematician, is in charge of nitpicking about the exact number of bacteria NASA inadvertently shoots into space.
Phoenix had to be even cleaner than most missions, going a step beyond Planetary Protection's sterilizing procedures. Merely killing all the bacteria wasn't good enough for this trip to Mars' north pole in search for signs of water and organic material.Phoenix scientists had to scrape every bit of organic material from the craft. Even dead bacteria could contaminate the experiments, making it impossible for scientists to distinguish between organics that came from Earth or Mars.Since a 1967 United Nations treaty, Planetary Protection has sterilized every NASA mission. Its motto is "All of the planets, all of the time."NASA's official worrywarts are anxious not only about microorganisms contaminating other celestial bodies, but also about organisms getting loose on Earth. "If we're bringing samples back to Earth, we don't want to bring back something like the Andromeda Strain," said Kastner's boss, Cassie Conley, NASA's planetary protection officer in Washington, referring to the Michael Crichton novel in which a space pathogen causes a terrestrial outbreak.
So far, NASA has obtained only low-risk samples from space. The Stardust mission collected comet dust in 2004, and the Genesis probe launched in 2001 gathered solar wind particles. Scientists said there was little likelihood for life in such environments.The past and possible current presence of liquid water on Mars, however, indicates that life might exist. NASA has plans to bring back a piece of the Red Planet about 2020.Although Conley doubts that anything dangerous lurks in our solar system, she expects to treat Martian soil as if it were more dangerous than the Ebola virus.Things will get even more uncertain if humans travel to the Red Planet. From a planetary protection standpoint, humans are very dirty creatures. And unlike spacecraft, they can't be baked in an oven until they are free of bacteria.In that case, Conley said, human presence would probably be limited to those parts of Mars that wouldn't be habitable for Earth organisms.
Because scientists must be so careful to keep Earth organisms in their proper place, NASA puts its missions together in a clean room. Air filters protect the spacecraft from contamination, and workers must wear head-to-toe suits to go inside.Different missions require different degrees of cleanliness. Although missions to Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter are subject to stringent requirements, others heading to targets that have no possibility of life, such as the moon, can be treated less strictly.The partially assembled Mars Science Laboratory — the next-generation rover scheduled for launch in 2009 — is the lone occupant of the largest clean room at JPL. Planetary Protection scientists are continually suiting up to swab the room and equipment, looking for microscopic intruders.Among the toughest potential passengers are bacteria called Bacillus.
source: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-sci-protect6aug06,1,3595708.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander rocketed into space Saturday, it went, like all missions, with the assurance that as few Earth microbes as possible tagged along for the ride.Hitchhiking microbes could impair the experiments, or worse — an errant microbe could contaminate the planet.Keeping the spacecraft sterile was the job of an obscure but crucial part of NASA known as the Planetary Protection unit.The main Planetary Protection research center is at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, where Jason Kastner supervises a small team of scientists working in labs that smell of bacterial cultures.Kastner, an exacting, bespectacled mathematician, is in charge of nitpicking about the exact number of bacteria NASA inadvertently shoots into space.
Phoenix had to be even cleaner than most missions, going a step beyond Planetary Protection's sterilizing procedures. Merely killing all the bacteria wasn't good enough for this trip to Mars' north pole in search for signs of water and organic material.Phoenix scientists had to scrape every bit of organic material from the craft. Even dead bacteria could contaminate the experiments, making it impossible for scientists to distinguish between organics that came from Earth or Mars.Since a 1967 United Nations treaty, Planetary Protection has sterilized every NASA mission. Its motto is "All of the planets, all of the time."NASA's official worrywarts are anxious not only about microorganisms contaminating other celestial bodies, but also about organisms getting loose on Earth. "If we're bringing samples back to Earth, we don't want to bring back something like the Andromeda Strain," said Kastner's boss, Cassie Conley, NASA's planetary protection officer in Washington, referring to the Michael Crichton novel in which a space pathogen causes a terrestrial outbreak.
So far, NASA has obtained only low-risk samples from space. The Stardust mission collected comet dust in 2004, and the Genesis probe launched in 2001 gathered solar wind particles. Scientists said there was little likelihood for life in such environments.The past and possible current presence of liquid water on Mars, however, indicates that life might exist. NASA has plans to bring back a piece of the Red Planet about 2020.Although Conley doubts that anything dangerous lurks in our solar system, she expects to treat Martian soil as if it were more dangerous than the Ebola virus.Things will get even more uncertain if humans travel to the Red Planet. From a planetary protection standpoint, humans are very dirty creatures. And unlike spacecraft, they can't be baked in an oven until they are free of bacteria.In that case, Conley said, human presence would probably be limited to those parts of Mars that wouldn't be habitable for Earth organisms.
Because scientists must be so careful to keep Earth organisms in their proper place, NASA puts its missions together in a clean room. Air filters protect the spacecraft from contamination, and workers must wear head-to-toe suits to go inside.Different missions require different degrees of cleanliness. Although missions to Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter are subject to stringent requirements, others heading to targets that have no possibility of life, such as the moon, can be treated less strictly.The partially assembled Mars Science Laboratory — the next-generation rover scheduled for launch in 2009 — is the lone occupant of the largest clean room at JPL. Planetary Protection scientists are continually suiting up to swab the room and equipment, looking for microscopic intruders.Among the toughest potential passengers are bacteria called Bacillus.
source: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-sci-protect6aug06,1,3595708.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
August 4, 2007
1/600 Yamato Complete
That's another one done, Houston.
I saw this kit at my local hobbystore 2 weeks ago and I had to pick it up: I have been itching to build a Yamato for some time now as a mini project so I don't tire out building my USS Costitution and another Sci-Fi kit. First Impressions The model was made by Arii, a Japanese company to my knowledge. The kit is of ok quality: definetly had to do some more sanding and cutting than I am used to but that is ok. The ship is a little less than 12 inches long at 1:600 scale. Complaints I am not a big crack on detail but I would have loved to see more detail with the bridge area. Again it isn't a big deal with me: I just like good looking ships.
There was a lack of locator pins so I had to be very careful cementing pieces together. I also think many of the pieces are way too small for me to handle (I havn't dealt with such a kit before) so it will be a lesson in patience and delicacy as I finish the home stretch with the Yamato. Trying something New This ship is my very first project experimenting with weathering.
I absoloutly LOVE the way the weathering/deck damage came out. The Yamato appears as she would be in combat. I used pastels as the source of weathering. Paint mistakes (When Tamiya paint is painted down over a previous coat and wiped, both coats come off) lead to the deck damage on the starboard side. I love the look and I will be weathering most of my models in the future.
August 3, 2007
Anime Importer Odex Cracking Down on Anime Pirates
Importer of anime to the United States such as Bleach and Inuyasha, respectivly known as Odex have been contacting individuals illegally downloading anime from the Internet. Most of the students were younger students, ranging from College to Elementary School (the youngest case). Illegally downloading anime from the Internet has been a constant problem for importers and publishers alike. Part of the blame can be put on a restriction to money: Kids cannot pay the money to receive their anime, or are too embarassed to purchase it in a retail store.
The company (Odex) has been tracking these individuals, although the legality of that can be disputed. In one case, a family was charged with a $3000 fine for unspecified damages against Odex. The family coughed up the money. Odex also will not comment on how they track individuals, but they do claim that it is very easy to track when, where, and what is being downloaded illegally. From my perspective, it sounds like the pirates used a P2P filesharing program to download their anime. In P2P programs, a user dowloads a file from another connected user, and sometimes multiple users to download the entire file. My best guess is publishers have registered accounts on these P2P networks that pirates downloaded from, thus they could be caught. Whether spyware was used or not, I have no idea and will never know.
My thoughts on illegal downloading: it actually is wrong. If you are downloading something that you can purchase in the store: it is theft. Say you are downloading anime that has not been licensed yet, you are quite alright (destroy the files when they become licensed to be fair to publishers). I had kept a few files of Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni around in April 2006 as it was being translated by fandub and unlicensed. When it was licensed, I destroyed the files. When Geneon wanted to bring the anime to America, Youtube systematically hunted down any episodes and deleted them (you can still see openings and closings, or fan made anime music videos). Don't download illegally if you can buy from the store. Support your publishers and keep anime alive by purchasing DVDs and commodities released to give the publishers- and creators- credit. By illegally downloading, you are sending the anime industry farther down a hole (not thats it's in one, its a $260million dollar a year industry!) Buy something you know is available, and support the industry to keep bringing us great anime.
article reference: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,137645,00.html
The company (Odex) has been tracking these individuals, although the legality of that can be disputed. In one case, a family was charged with a $3000 fine for unspecified damages against Odex. The family coughed up the money. Odex also will not comment on how they track individuals, but they do claim that it is very easy to track when, where, and what is being downloaded illegally. From my perspective, it sounds like the pirates used a P2P filesharing program to download their anime. In P2P programs, a user dowloads a file from another connected user, and sometimes multiple users to download the entire file. My best guess is publishers have registered accounts on these P2P networks that pirates downloaded from, thus they could be caught. Whether spyware was used or not, I have no idea and will never know.
My thoughts on illegal downloading: it actually is wrong. If you are downloading something that you can purchase in the store: it is theft. Say you are downloading anime that has not been licensed yet, you are quite alright (destroy the files when they become licensed to be fair to publishers). I had kept a few files of Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni around in April 2006 as it was being translated by fandub and unlicensed. When it was licensed, I destroyed the files. When Geneon wanted to bring the anime to America, Youtube systematically hunted down any episodes and deleted them (you can still see openings and closings, or fan made anime music videos). Don't download illegally if you can buy from the store. Support your publishers and keep anime alive by purchasing DVDs and commodities released to give the publishers- and creators- credit. By illegally downloading, you are sending the anime industry farther down a hole (not thats it's in one, its a $260million dollar a year industry!) Buy something you know is available, and support the industry to keep bringing us great anime.
article reference: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,137645,00.html
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