Pleiades Rising

I'm not sure which of the movies I like more, the first or the second. The first one nicely ties in some themes and ideas that were only hinted at in the series, especially when the first film [spoiler]alludes to [i]The Catcher in the Rye[/i], when they go to that merry go round in the rain. The last episode of the series merely suggested this, but you'd have to be watching carefully to pick up on it. However, I caught on to it, and it made me appreciate Takizawa's character more. When they did deliberately refer to it in the 1st film, "The King of Eden", it gave me more insight into Takizawa's motivations and how he tends to see things. While not exactly as far gone as Holden Caulfield, Takizawa does share that same mindset of a young person who knows something's rotten in society. However, he deals with it far differently than Caulfield did. (Also, on a side note, you can see it too in The Laughing Man from [i]GitS: SAC.[/i] Kenji Kamiyama likes to explore that personality, by putting it in different situations and contexts.)[/spoiler] That bit put a smile on my face.

I know very little about any any anime that involves cooking as a major plot-point, but I've always meant to check out [i]Ramen Fighter Miki[/i]. All I really know about this is that it's a comedy/slice of life anime about a girl who works at her mother's ramen shop. I can't really add more details, though, since I've only heard about it and never really paid attention to what the all-knowing-all-seeing fandom had to say about it. Other than that, my mind draws a blank. I have no doubts others here have far more extensive anime knowledge than I do, so I'm sure someone will add more suggestions. Hope my uninformed suggestion was of some help, though!

Yeah, [i]Eden of the East[/i] is at times outlandish (I had to reset my BS Meter a couple times when watching it), but overall I liked it. I just recently rewatched the 2nd film [i]Eden of the East: Paradise Lost[/i], and it got better the second time around. I'm tempted to go through the series again once more. As far as other stuff I've watched, I've had the displeasure of sitting through the [i]Hiyokoi[/i] OVA. Good grief, that was like being trapped in a warm, fuzzy group hug you want no part of. Ever see those cats that don't like being cuddled, held, or even picked up? That was me halfway into the anime. You name the cliche, it served it up on a silver platter and whether or not you asked for it. I guess that's what happens when you pick up an anime at random based on a scant description of it, haha.

Out of curiosity I checked out the OVA for [i]Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai[/i]. My first impression of it was, "oh God, this look unbearable...". However, it went and did something else, which gained my interest. So I'll probably see where the series goes, now that it's started airing. Watched the 1st ep. and it wasn't too bad. It looks like it has promise, but that's not the first time anime has "promised" me something, haha. Still, I'll stick with it for now.

I do agree with the idea what some of what passes for news on Twitter can be iffy. However, I think I've quickly learned to filter out (or be carefully cautious of) those more questionable news tweets. One thing that I've been thinking about lately is how accurate those live-tweets are when some big breaking news event is going on. In fact, depending on who you follow on Twitter, you won't really learn new info by tracking something with hash-tags. Here's why. Most of the people or entities I follow on Twitter are official news sources or outlets, with far more resources than the average person has at hand. So, if I'm following, say, CNN, Reuters, and other sources like them, then I already have an idea what's going on somewhere. But what I've noticed in some cases is that when you do a hash-tag search-and-follow, you more often than not get little more than people repeating previously published news items from the sources I've already named. In other words, it's not much different than getting [i]opinions [/i]from people sitting around watching the news on tv. And getting second-hand info from essentially a spectator watching tv or reading an article is far different than getting information from someone actually participating in the event. I have to say that I'm fine with opinions, and that's consistent with my earlier comments on trying understand what some majority or specific groups think about something. But as far as getting more information, I can't rely too much on opinion based on what someone's read or seen on official news sources. However, I do have to qualify this: when the event is ongoing in a consistent and (fairly) controlled manner, understanding what's going on there might rely less on conventional news sources than in other contexts. And if you punch in #OccupyWallStreet, you'll get tweets from people actually there, conveying what's going on. In rare cases like this one, you do get information from [i]what the people in the event itself[/i] are doing and thinking. But again, here too I'm cautious to balance this out with more mainstream news media, varying from left to the right and anywhere in between. In any event, keeping up with live news on Twitter can be sketchy if you're not careful.

Almost all of my work on theOtaku is fan art based on pre-existing characters. I enjoy drawing other people's creations and, in a sense, "trying on their style". However, even when I'm doing this (being reasonably faithful to the originals) I find that something of my own style is there after all. It's largely influenced by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Yoshitoshi ABe, Mokona Apapa, and others, but some touches are distinctly mine. So yeah, if I do artworks in an anime/manga style, then I'll probably paint a pre-existing character. But I sometimes don't work with a specific reference at all, e.g. basing a painting on a DVD or manga cover. Last of all, I rarely make more than one picture [i]per year[/i]. I don't have the time to sit down and spend a week on a picture anymore, but once in a while I come across something that just makes me want to draw! Oh yeah, over on DA, none of my works are remotely anime or manga inspired. I keep my non-anime inspired stuff completely separate from my other works, some of which are entirely conceptual. If I do anime, it lands on theO; and if I do something else, I crash it into DA.

Okay, right now I'm browsing your portfolio over at theO, and now I remember seeing some of your recent pictures over there! When I was going through the main fan art pages, "Fairy Usagi" caught my eye, as did your other creations submitted that day. With works like those, I'm sure it'll attract the attentions of your fellow artists and members. Nice work.

The name sounds familiar; did you have an account over at theOtaku, too? In my earlier days over there, I spent most of my time in the fan art section, and I think that's why the name sounds familiar. As for the boards here, I'm reasonably "new", but I've been familiar with it for years now. In any case, welcome back from the hiatus, and I hope to see your works here and there!

Finished [i].hack//Sign[/i] a while ago (it felt like forever since someone update this!), and I enjoyed it a bit more than the last time I watched it sometime ago. Still, when the ending episodes roll around, that feeling of "huh? did I miss something?" remains. What did I miss? Buying the games, it seems. Oh you Japanese and your marketing ploys! Eh, I think I'll finally watch [i].hack//Roots[/i], too. That's now on my list, but I won't get to it anytime soon. Also finished [i]K-On![/i] waaay back, and it's not bad. I didn't expect anything emotionally compelling from it (but, who did?) and it just sailed along at its own light pace. It's a decent tale of schoolyard friendships, I guess, and the music actually takes a backseat more often than not (and that kinda disappointed me). If the music had been front and center, then maybe it would have had a sense of urgency, like they actually had something to accomplish. Instead, things usually got resolved in one episode, and all would be cake and tea! In any event, I might watch the 2nd season to see where it all goes. [i]Lucky Star[/i] did not disappoint me, thank God. At first, I didn't know if I'd even like this one, but I'm willing to give almost anything a chance. I remember someone saying if you can sit through the first couple of minutes of the first ep., then you've made it. I'm sure glad I've watched [i]Haruhi Suzumiya [/i]before seeing this, otherwise some parts wouldn't have been as funny (for instance, ep. 16's cosplay cafe). I'm up to ep. 18, so far. Last of all, I'm rewatching [i]Kare Kano[/i]. All I can say is that when Gainax gets it right, they really get it right: e.g. the closing scenes of episode 4. Silence was never so affecting.

I'm currently listening to what might not even be classified as music, the album [i]2[/i] by Final. At times, it has nothing resembling a structure, and barely has anything resembling a melody. To give you an idea of how strange it is, the "song" currently playing is called "=======". I swear, it's like I'm listening to a fridge in E-minor, but it's actually pretty good if you like that kind of music on the far far far end of the spectrum of sounds. Still, weird stuff...

The fun continues in the adventures of CERN and the LHC. Well, now it seems like CERN's most recent findings (along with some of Tevatron's earlier work) have further cast doubts on the Higgs boson's existence. After searching for the Higgs within certain energy ranges, they've ruled out a significant range of masses where the Higgs might be found. That could mean two things: 1. Supersymmetry in its simpler theoretical version could be wrong, and a more complicated version of the theory might still be right. So, the Higgs could still exist, but it needs a more complicated theory and more energy to explain and find it. 2. Supersymmetry is wrong altogether, and physics has to scrap it and look for another theory that has both explanatory power and predictability. If the Higgs doesn't exist, then that more or less spells the end for Supersymmetry (which is an extension of the Standard Model, our best theory in particle physics). And if that theory goes, then that casts doubts on the Standard Model as well. Of course, this would also signal the end of some of the more exotic theories in physics, e.g. String Theory, which is a candidate for a Theory of Everything. But, scientists haven't ruled out the Higgs or Supersymmetry just yet, since the LHC has operated at only half its power so far. Perhaps as close as December of 2012 the LHC might be operating at full output, and then they might find the Higgs lurking in those unexplored areas. (In nerd-speak, they've[i] [/i]operated its beams[i] only [/i]at 3.5 TeV (tera-electron volts) each, producing a 7 TeV event (particle collision). The full power is two beams at 7 TeV for a combined event of 14 TeV). Concerning my previous comments on Tevatron's experiment, well, it turned out to be a statistical anomaly, a fluke and nothing more. However, they did find another particle, but that was in another experiment. That one didn't exactly shake the foundations of physics. To sum it all up so far, physics might have to start revising some of its fundamental theories in the near future. Personally, I think this is when science is at its best when its forced to change. Fun times, indeed.

For those days when I'm craving a crisp salad, and it needs that extra bit of verve, I choose Kraft Foods Peppercorn Ranch salad dressing! (Okay, now where's my kick-back, Kraft?) When I was younger (and sometimes today when nothing else is available) I just used Miracle Whip or mayonnaise.

Well, if understood in very general terms, then even today no [i]single[/i] country rules world, not even the U.S. It's more subtle than that, I think. If it sounds like I'm saying that China will rule the world, with no exceptions, then that's not exactly what I meant. What I mean to say is that if China does rise as a superpower, both in terms of economy and military, then it will have to in terms of a conglomerate (perhaps, kind of analogous to a trans-national corporation). They do have many interests worldwide, and they are heavily invested in the U.S. economy, with even Canada now thinking of broadening its oil resources to greater serve the Asian market (it's only at a talking stage right now, however). While I agree with the finer nuances of a superpower not existing in a vacuum (the old USSR were lock-step with the U.S. for years, even outpacing them in its military capacities for a while), I still think China could come out ahead enough to allow one to say they're the superpower. But here I hedge: [i]I think.[/i] Like I said before, the U.S. could hold power for sometime longer, while maybe eventually sharing it with China.

That does make sense, yeah. It's kind of hard to imagine that the U.S. would slow down its military spending enough to let China's military "catch-up". In the paper, it says that China currently doesn't have the resources or experience for global operations beyond its own regional excursions (read: keeping a close eye on Taiwan). The U.S. meanwhile is able to engage its military in two relatively minor wars (minor, referring to the opposite of all out global war), while still having resources back at home. But they can be stretched only so thin, so they gotta watch out for that, and I'm pretty sure China is keeping an eye on that too.