Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The big V

Just yesterday I got one ofthe best e-mails. FUNimation now has a couple anime series available for download on the iTunes Store. They run about $2.00 per episode (techncially $1.99), and are in the US store, but I followed up on that and I've seen the episodes listed myself. It's nice to see anime is finally coming into a sort of recognition here in the US on the mainstream digital media scene, it's been a sort of sub-mainstream thing for so long. Hopefully this exposure will lead other licensors to follow suit and put some of their offerings up too. Only time will tell, but just seeing that made my day, probably about the same as when iTunes opened their Japan music store, I think it's been two years ago now. Since I started the mood shots (hover your mouse cursor over the picture to see the mood, should work in IE and Firefox, not sure about Netscape or other Mozilla builds) I've been meaning to mention that if you see one you like and want to use as an avatar or something, let me know. I can get you a larger size, better quality one without my initials ghosted into it somewhere. I'll be happy to do that for anyone. I still have a few more moods to capture yet though, but I have the basics well covered for now I think. I won't know I don't have the mood till I go to find it and it's not there. More bits on the main page and in Adam's blog to mention. Even though I'm cutting back on my overage of the whole thing, I do feel I still owe you all the courtesy of posting info as it comes, because I did promise. Oh, NekoMimi16 (link below) also posted her experience at the con too. It's a nice written snapshot of the event from the eyes of one attendee. Anyway, it's Valentines day, and rather than post pics of flowers, candy, hot guys and gals for you all to look at, I'll just wish you all the best. I hope you're contented, whether you share the day with a special someone, spend time with friends, or take some time to yourself. For the record, I'm not spending the day with anyone myself, and I think I like it that way for now. Comments: Magnus Lensherr It's not the first time I lost something like that, it probably won't be the last. I'm not sure anymore,but in her case, the stress of being in and out of stores for most of the monriing probably affected her mind. Yeah, it gave us a story to tell later on when we need a laugh. So far, the storm hasn't been bad, but it could change at any time. We had rain last night, but now it's snowing again, which means all that water on the ground is now ice, and ice underneath snow is never a fun thing to encounter. KanuckGrrl Funny thing about me, a couple years ago I went to bed one night, so tired I could barely think straight (this was prior to any Mountain Dew mental issues, and I hadn't had any all day). Well, I went through my routine, and laid down in bed watching the TV, fell asleep. When I woke up, I couldn't find my glasses (I'm Myopic - near sighted). Thinking they had fallen off the shelf, I looked for them on the floor, under the bed, on the table that was on the other side of my bed, I looked absolutely everwhere but couldn't find them. After about half an hour of looking, I gave up and was going to go the day without them, and try to find them later. I was downstairs i the dining room getting ready to do something when I needed to itch my eye. I'll bet you know where this is going. I reach up and smack, my hand runs into something clear and hard, the lens to my glasses. Turns out I had fallen asleep with my glasses on, and oddly, they stayed on my face all night. I had apparently been so tired when I first woke up (not uncommon for me, I'm a very slow-witted, very grumpy dragon when I first wake up), that I didn't realize I was seeing things way too clear to not have my glasses on in the first place. I tell people I'd lose my head if it wan't fastened on, and that's the truth, I lose things that are right in my hand, in my pockets, sitting right in front of me, and even right on my own face in front of my eyes. I'm glad I got the hat back too, it's one I've had for a while, so it's broken in nicely. Regular Mountain Dew doesn't have aspartame in it, that's in the diet last I knew. No one in my house can stand that nasty aftertaste aspartame leaves in your mouth anyway so we stay away from stuff that has it. Yeah, it's some seriously nasty stuff, go figure it poisons people so the FDA approves it. I didn't know it had anything in common with ethanol, that's just sick. High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is in jst about everything, is apparently cheaper to make than regular sugar, and something in the way it's chemically modified isn't good for the body either. I'm not sure why Mountain Dew's taste is different now than it used to be, but it is, It's way sweeter than it used to be, it's actually got a bit of an oily texture to it as well which is kind of funky. It's not the same Mountain Dew I used to like way back when. I'd like to stop, but it's hard to convince the grocery shoppers in the house to pick up good stuff like juices and teas (I love tea, especially green tea), and stuff without all those bubbles. I do try to have a plain water now and then too. Cold water on a hot day is really good, I mean good. Well, one can dream can't one? I think Disneyland would be a real stretch, but you guys who won do deserve something other than a link on the site saying you won. Yeah, that whole thing could have been handled better, but that's another failing of AnimeFF, not Adam or anyone else involved. One thing that I'm wondering though, is what happened to all that artwork? After the con was shut down, who took the art, what did they do with it? I'd actually pay to have mine (if it was even featured) shipped to me, just to have it in that state. I should have thought of that sooner though, no chance anyone would know at this point I'd bet. NekoMimi16 Yeah, that's pretty much what I concluded. I have to stay away from the stuff. I read your convention report on Anime Tour for the Cure, it's nice to have different persectives of the event, from people who helped put it together, to the people who attended. I still want to see pictures though, so if you know anyone who took pictures there, please let me see some. death alchemist03 I have to wear hats in the winter for two reasons. My scalp suffers from Psoriasis and gets really itchy when exposed to the cold for too long, and two, the head is one of several point of the body wherre heat is lost the most, so, covering the head keeps the body warm. Outlaw Melfina: I'm beginning to think that's a good idea. Sessy514 From my last post on, I'm not drinking the stuff either. LGA775 We all have them, some of us just get the mworse than others! I comment when I can, I can't promise a comment on every post, or every picture, but when my heart moves me to, I'll speak my piece about something. Kiki-tink I don't get hyper, I proved that with a double fudge brownie and a bottle of Dr. Pepper at school one day. Settled the argument about how hyperactivity is as much a mental thing as it is a physical one (My thesis for the unofficial experiement was "if you tell yourself you won't get hyper, you won't get hyper"). Mountain Dew has made me jittery though, like those TV specials where they get a bunch of losers to go into a haunted house and show them jumping at every little thing that ticks, creaks or moves. If you need the anti-Dew badge (the graphic I posted) for anything, go ahead and take it. the real yojimbo If you say so. ~_^ sikaurai There was a study done a couple years back, it showed that of all brands, of all flavors, Mountain Dew had the most caffeine in it. I think they said one can (12oz) had the same amount of caffeine as two and a half cups or more of strong coffee. I don't drink anything with caffeine to wake up either, but I do get the headaches if I go for a day without at least a little. I'm more of a tea person, but I do have coffee now and again, Irish coffee that is, which in reality isn't any better for the mind, but it sure tastes good! I can't speak for others on that. The stuff used to taste better, it was never as syrupy, oily and sweet as it has been in the past few years. It used to have a little bit of bite to it when you drank it, and it was lighter in the mouth. Yeah, if you haven't already, read my response to KanuckGrrl up there, about my losing my glasses once. That kind of thing is par for the course with me. InuYashaFan4-ever My only problem with the Lemon-Lime sodas is that they get really nasty when they lose their fizz. Of all my favorite sodas, I like a good, real ginger beer. It's like root beer only made with real ginger. Most of your main label ginger ales use cayenne pepper for the bite now. Birch beer is also good. I like those ambiguos sodas with beer, and ale in the names. It was fun in retrospect, but at the time I was out of my head. beyblader Hm, I just checked and I did miss a few misspelled words, but other than that the writing was okay. Were you tired when you read the post? I know my eyes do funky thinkg to me when I'm tired. I used to say I've never met a mountain Dew I didn't like. So far, the only one I know of that don't frag my head is the Baja Blast one that you can only get through Taco Bell (they did the same with the Code Red for a while too when it first came out). So while I do like the stuff in terms of taste, I don't like what it does to me and that's enough to make me stay off it for good. timechaser I don't remember if she had any that day or not. I don't think so. I have gotten the headaches, and the pains that are kind of like a cramp from the stuff, so yeah, I should have known better than to keep crinking the stuff a long time ago. The only6 reason I used to keep drinking the stuff is that my Mom does when she shouldn't, it affects her blood pressure and her doctor told her to cut her caffiene intake. I can't do that anymore and I'm the only other person in the house who can stomach the stuff. It's only this year that were in the artic circle, any other year we'd be getting icy cold with no precip (very boring) or 60-70°F weather in January/February, and that's just not natural! I used to live in down Texas, andI liked it there. The heat in the summer was dry heat (humidity is bad for the body when it's hot), and the winters were mild. It snowed once when I was down there, I think we got an inch at the most. The rain that followed it, coated the snow and trees and grass with ice. It was spectacular to look at. Animé Dreams!

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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Manic Monday?

It was one of those days today. You know they kind, where you go out of your mind and even simple things don't make sense anymore. Some people blame stress for those days, others blame people, or events, Me, I blame Mountain Dew. I've mentioned here before that one particulart soda actually affects my mind, that being Mountain Dew, and what happened yesterday is proof of that. My Mom and I were out shopping because we're supposed to get hit with some snow and freezing rain today, Anyway, we're out and we decide to stop off and get a bite to eat before going home because shoppig was a disaster (the people in the stores were nuts!). We go into a Subway (the sandwich restaurant) get oursandwiches and sit down to eat. Now, I always wear a cap when I go out, especially in the winter (keeps the head warm), and I've gotten in the habvit of taking it off when I sit doewn to eat, it's rude to wear a hat at the table, that's just a me thing I think. Anyway, we eat, get up and leave, and come home. I go through the proces of hanging up my coat and putting my gloves away, that's when I notice my hat's missing. I retraced my steps from the back door all the way to where I'd gotten in the house, and couldn't find it. My mom couldn't figure it out either because she saw me with it when we were out at the car unloading it. We check the car, all the way down the sidewalk to the back porch, everywhere. Unable to find it, my Mom gets the idea that we should go backup to the Subway and check there, even though we both knew I had the hat on my head when we walked out. We go up there and guess what's sitting on the bench where I was sitting earlier. The hat. Needless to say, I picked it up and we came back home. Sine the only thing I'd had to drink yesterday (up to that point) was the FDA approved LSD that is Mountain Dew, and I already know it does seriously messed up stuff to my head, I've sworn off the stuff since it had to play a major role in my being so immensely mental that I'd go for about a ten minute stretch thinking a hat was on my head that wasn't there. As much as I like the stuff, I'm going to have to completely stop drinking it. I need my mental faculties intact as much as possible. That said, I think I'll wrap this up and try to get some rest. Comments: Magnus Lensherr Yeah, the repercussions from this will reverberate throughout the anime community for a long time to come. I'm not going to let it stop me from trying anyway. Who knows, I just might get the right the attention of the right people in the process of doing this, and that woudl be a big help. I doin't think you'll have to worry about that aspect as much as I will, but one never knows, so I don't want to sound like I know what I'm saying. Thanks for the luck, I'm going to need it. I like to pull a surprise out of my hat now and again. InuYashaFan4-ever I'm on the same page with you there. Those [Insert string of appropriate profanities here] have done a real number on the whole anime community. I'm going to need the luck, I really am. Sessy514 A wise choice, one I've been exercising to a degree through the whole thing. I'll let myself go when all is said and done though, that's going to be an interersting post. Thanks, I need it, and I'll certainly be keeping in touch as always. the real yojimbo That's a piece of advice my Mom would appreciate. Yeah, and there are an unknown number of others in my position who'll be affected by this, one way or another. If I can get this thing to work, hopefully I'll be able to inspire others to try as well. Yensid: It actually occurs during the latter portion of the war, and funny thing, I don't recall any indication of the Atomic Bombs being made in the film, but I'll have to watch it again to be sure I didn't miss anything. Studio Ghibli films are really good about that, you have to see them more than once to appreciate the subtle bits you miss the previous time through. It's a heavy film in terms of the emotional experience, but all the same it is a great work. Hm, I'll have to try to find that film, I love to expereince animation from other countries and cultures. The story does sound interesting too. It's unfortunate, but it's how thing will be from here on. I'll have to make the best of it, and keep on trying. Thanks for the offer, but at this point, even the advice is a big help. I'm not in college myself, but there are countless colleges around that I could check with to see if any of them already have an established anime club, and put myself in contact with them on this project. I will also keep the option of establishing my own club open too, but I don't think my town has a local "community center" to work from, but I'll look into that too, see what my options are. the letter is a long way from being how I want it, but it's started. I'm sure it'll work out for the best. KanuckGrrl I have been an anime fan for probably close to 7 years officially, and in that time, I've had countless people on message boards and what-not tell me there's one film I had to see as an anime fan, and that film was Grave of the Fireflies. I have been wanting to see that film for years myself. It is a profound, yet simple film it's really moving. As for how to find it, I had to buy my copy from Best Buy (the gift cards work on the website, and those are poppiing up in stores like Giant Eagle now), I've never seen it on a store shelf. Don't worry about comparing your process and delivery to mine. This whole thing is a fun little hobby project to encourage the exchange of ideas. Since most people relate to movies, I figure why not do a review exchage. It'll be fun to acutally see how different people assemble their reviews. Thank you for the compliemtn on my review though, I just write from the heart, and let me tell you it wasn't hard to put that one together. You know, now that I've pulled back from really covering (if posting links can be called that) the AnimeFF thing, I'm finding myself in lighter spirits. That whole thing is really emotionally chaotic. It stirs up so many things that it's disruptive to normal thought. I just came off a break, so I dont' want to take another one so soon, but I may have to stay offline for a while, just to regain some level of serenity to my troubled mind. Adam has said that the winners have been understanding of the situation as it's unfolded, and that's great to hear. Whether you like it or not, I have the feeling he's going to try to do something for you all, but that's just a hunch on my part. I'd like to see this thing wrap up soon too, or gain some major media attention which would expedite the frauds being caught I think. the death threats don't help anything, they hurt it actually. This isn't the kind of situation where you can go off half-cocked, this is one of those times when you have to take the same approach the scammers used. Sit back, watch how things play out, then, when you know everything, that's when you strike. And you don't have to lash out physically, there's other ways to fight battles. The pen has always been mightier than the sword. Well, I may have tasted a little bit of the sour right now, but when life throws lemons at you, you make one butt-kicking Hot Toddy. I'll be all right I think, I just have to make sure I know where I'm going is all. I'll be the one having to provide the written assurances that I'm not a fraud more than I'll need to worry about getting such things from the big boys in the industry, but I expect that. It won't be easy to get an establish convention's backing, there aren't any really close enough for that to have a significance, if I could get the backing of a major convention from anywhere in the US though, I think I would be all right. death alchemist03 That's all right, no hurry. Thanks, I did try to do it right by my standards and criteria. MillenniumChaos Yeah, I've heard that a couple times, and I'm thinking that's going to have to be the way to go. My biggest technical hurdle is going to be funding no matter what size the first convention is. I'm just an individual, unemployed, nobody (in the convention scene) so I don't have the money to put up for this kind of thing on my own, or the means to borrow the kind of money I'd need. I don't think it's wise to approach potential sponsors cold either, so I need to have something organized and ready for presentation before I go out asking for money to run a convention that no one's ever heard of before. It probably would be more feasible to try running a low-level mini convention to start out with, because the losses, if any would be incurred, would be lower than if the thing was supposed to be a huge event. As for finding local vendors, there aren't too many in the anime field around me, but I will try to find some, because I do like the idea of getting locals involved as much as possible. As much as I hate where I am now, I do appreciate the value of contributing to the community economically. As for the community center, well, I'd have to see if I even have one. I know of a couple places that have "conference" rooms which might be worth looking into if there's no "community" center. Animé Dreams!

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Monday, February 12, 2007

Thoughts Are a Dangerous Commodity on the Desert

I've pushed off posting this part for too long now. My Movie Review. A couple techncial notes before you click that link. It is a PDF file, if you do not have a PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat reader et.c) do not click the link it will give your computer headaches. If you do not have a PDF reader and would like to see the review, Here is an alternative format for you. Oh, and because I know someone will want to see a better copy of the image, Here you go. That's the image that I used in the review. I probably should point out that I did my review cold. I had not seen it before, and I knew very little about it other than the name and that critics seemed to like it (I never put much stock in "professional" critics). On another note, this whole AnimeFF thing is really affecting me more than I expected it would, more than it should really, so I'm going to break off the coverage for a while to let myself get some bearings and resituate my thinking. Keep on checking the Main page, new stuff has been added quite regularly, but I have a feeling we're going to be seeing the end of information about this thing here sometime, I don't want to say soon, but I feel it coming. Some of today's information is just ridiculously insane. It might actually make you laugh. Not goingto direct link it, but you know where to find it. I didn't fully realize the difficultly of the situation I'm in with planning my convention until a very valid point was brought up in the Anime Pulse podcast the other day. They mentioned that something like what happened with Tour for the Cure would make people in the convention scene more cautious of unknowns who are trying to start a convention. I happened to be, among other things writing the first draft of the base letter I'm eventually going to send out when that part came up in the interview. What it means to me is I'm going to have to change my methodology, because I'll now have the burden of establishing my own credibility to those I approach for information, and assistance. I don't expect that to be an easy feat given that I am unemployed, have no financial resources, and have no contacts in the industry (the Unholy Trinity of establishing oneself). I've been wrestling with this concern the past day or so, but I didn't really know how to put it in writing, that's part of why yesterday's post was like that. I need to look at the situation, and figure out the best way to move forward. I need the advice and input, but I know I have to tread carefully to get it without compromising my efforts. Basically, I now have to redraft the whole letter that I was writing. Since it'll be my first contact, I have to communicate the right message. Guess I'll go get started on that now. Comments: necury Sorry I put it off twice, it's there for you now though. the real yojimbo That's a lot easier than it sounds when you get hit by the ton of bricks that is the brutal reality of a difficult challenge ahead. All the same, I manage though. KanuckGrrl I would like to see those people who scammed the animé community brought to serious justice myself. I'm keeping up with this thing because it affects all of us who use this site whenther we want it to or not. Adam's a New Yorker, like I mentioned before, you don't push a New Yorker and not expect to to be pushed back harder. I admire him for diving head on into this fight and finding out those details that aren't easy to come by. It's only a vacation if you enjoy the time off, and right now, I'm not really enjoying myself. Magnus Lensherr It makes sense since I do have a consistent number of less frequent, but regular visitors, I may kick it up to 5 if it becomes necessary, but three will do for now. Planning the con will be the easier part of this whole thing. Because of that jerk's con game, establishing my credibility to get everything together, that's more likely going to be the nasty part. Tell you what, if I get this thing off the ground, I'll send you some tips so you can maybe put one together for where you are. InuYashaFan4-ever I thought that was a good idea when I changed it. And thanks for the luck too, but I'll need more than just luck to get this thing going. BlackMagicianGrl Thanks. And I'm sure I will. Even though I may complain about it, I'll probably have fun along the way too. Yensid: I thought it was a good idea too. The feedback I was getting indicated that having a quicker access to previous post information would be a benefit, so in testing the waters I think the three post spread on the front page is a good call. Yeah, and as much I rag on the podcasters for being insensitive at times (the reason I stopped listening to the TheO podcast), they brought up a very valid point their interview with Adam that I see making the process for me a lot harder. Basically, they brought up the point that the established convention scene is going to be leary of an unknown (people like me) trying to get a convention going. I wish you the best in your moving process (I always hated moving), and hopefully you'll be able to get out to that con. beyblader It's been one Hell of a week for me so I might have read more into it than I should have. To me, Reality TV has lost its luster, it's a fad that needs to quietly fade back into TV obscurity. That's my opinion, and that's the last I'll speak of it. I'll also say I'm starting to think you're right about the AnimeFF coverage. This whole AnimeFF thing is really wearing on me (part of the rough week) to the point it's affecting my concentration, and even offline things now too. That's never good for me. I tell you I'll be glad when this whole thing is over, it's just insane. I'll even celebrate the conclusion of it all with a theme change for my site here, something a little more positive is in order. sikaurai Yeah, I have a few visitors who don't get on as regularly as others, so I'm going to keep the three post spread up. Shireishou that's kind of what I was thinking of when I went with this spread. It would be easier to see stuff, and you won't have to fight with the archive loading. Yeah, it probably does make it load slower though. One thing you can do to help the page load faster, You use Mozilla FireFox Right? In the Tools menu, find "options" then slect the "content" tab. About halfway down is a checkbox "load images" uncheck that. Images take up a lot of bandwidth, so not loading them should make the page load up faster. MillenniumChaos I've kept up with it because I wanted to know how the con (I think I'll refer to legit conventions as conventions, and this AFF thing as simply a "con") went. I also promised that I would keep everyone I could informed about things back when Adam made some unsettlingly out of character posts. I can certainly see now that he was being tame when he made those vague posts. One bad apple isn't going to spoil my limited trust in humanity, and Karma is a funny thing like that isn't it? BASH I've already hinted at what the review is about, but I'll let you read it for yourself to see. It will be the first of several reviews I plan to do if this one goes over well. Seems that's a popular choice, and I've already decided I'm sticking with it, so I'm glad it's a welcome improvement to my page. Animé Dreams!

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Sunday, February 11, 2007

   . . .

First off, there's more news over on TheOtaku, I'm really not feeling up to direct linking everything tonight, I have a lot on my mind about a few things relating the convention I'm trying to plan. I changed my format up a little, I've got three posts showing no to give people who don't get to me often (or are new to my site) a better look at what's going on. If it don't work, or you don't like it, let me know I'll go back to the single post view. Comments: Sorry, I'm not really up to individual repsonses today, if you'd like me to address something you said in your last comment, give me a shout, I'll have it covered. I'll also have my movie review up next time I post. That project is just supposed to be a fun little information exchange anyway, so it's not really important. Animé Dreams!

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Saturday, February 10, 2007

The Interview, and Coming Projects

The podcast is up on Anime Pulse. It's right there at the top of the main page. The second half of the podcast is the interview with Adam, and he provides quite a few details on the whole thing with AnimeFF. I promised you all the reason why I asked you those questions last time. There was a good reason for them. See, I asked you those questions to make you aware of the criteria in which you judge movies yourselves. I asked, because I have a bit of a challenge for you all relating to them. I want you to take the criteria you're now aware of using, and next time you see a movie, any movie, apply your criteria to it, then write up a review for me. Don't think for a moment I'm going to ask you all to do something I won't do myself, in the next few days sometime, I'll have my first anime film review ready for presentation. I have to put things in order with it first, otherwise I'd have had it up today. Comments: the real yojimbo I do the best I can and deliver the information as I become aware of it. We're similar that way, I don't like to see a point-by-point plot summary in a review, it's just supposed to be a little blurb. A Ten scale is also easier to guage the subtleties of the reviewer's evaluation process, and doesn't need half steps. The technical information is always great to have too. KanuckGrrl The links is up there. You'll notice in my review (not posted yet), I have one, maybe two sentences as the plot overview, that's all it's really supposed to be. The idea is not to spoil the whole film for the review consumers, the idea is to share an opinion of the overall impression of a movie, and let the reader decide to go see it on their own. Of course in the case with mine, it'll be a matter of getting the DVDs, because well, most anime films don't come out in theatres, and many are at least a couple years old. Technical information is always a good indicator of a serious evaluator, I learned that in theatre, but there should be room for a little editorial comment on the film as a whole too, because the ewmotive impact of a film is certainly something worth communicating to the audience. Angel Slayer: Good luck with that, 30 minutes to memorize a speech (whatever happened to notecards?) is brutal. Kiki-tink Yeah, and the real twist with all this is, Jeff's gone and done the very things he was so critical of others doing. Talk about a hypocrite, that's the definition right there. death alchemist03 And I saw someone else actually mention the digging one's own grave sentiment in one of the comments, so that seems to be a growing opinion. Since I don't really go out to the movies all that often, I rarely pay attention to reviews myself, that's why this whole project is difficult for me. Because I don't know what I'm really doing. timechaser Well, I did the homework on Copyright, and there's good news on that front. If sketchrob were to register the copyright on that artwork before March 20 (that's the 3 month anniversary of date of publication), then, not only would the courts consider that Prima Facie evidence of the copyrights validity, but it would also mean that statutory damages and attorney's fees would be available in court actions. I asked if anyone was looking into possible fraud charges against this guy in a comment, but no one's answered, so maybe that means they are. Technically though AnimeFF didn't falsely represent themselves as a charity. The Susan G. Komen Foundation does in fact exist(Note it's also listed as the Susan B. Komen foundation on some websites). AnimeFF's mission statement was that they were going to donate the proceeds from the cons (there were supposed to be more than one) to that foundation, they had the lofty goal of $250,000 if I recall the their no longer functioning website correctly. I'm going to look into the fraud and false representation angles as best I can over the internet, just to see how this thing can play out. It also explains why he (Jeff) hasn't turned up to sue anyone he may have threatened either, because if he did come out hiding, he just might have to face criminal charges. I'm not too fond of plot spoilers in reviews either. I've said it already once today, but I think a plot overview should be only one or sentences, that's an overview. Anything more detailed is usually too much. I think in terms of numbering, I prefer the 1-10 with no half steps (you don't really need a _.5 if you got from 1-10) myself, because that gauges the revviewer's process as much as it does the movie. And having a feel for how the reviewer rates things is a good thing sometimes. I just got finished listening to it, you do want to hear it. Thanks for the compliment, I took all those photos myself, can't get a night shot like that anymore, they put a big old spotlight on the statue, bah, I like the gold look. You were born in 81? That's neat too. beyblader It (this AnimeFF, Jeff Borncamp thing) is a nasty quagmire of greed, filth, and corruption, and feel free to quote me on that. I'll keep the information coming because I hate to go back on a promise. Music Review is outside my realm of expertise. Generally with music, you like it or you don't no matter what other people say about it. I like the oldies, Culture Club, and Barry Manilow, things some people have ridiculed me for, but it's good music to these ears. Duly noted. I haven't seen that movie yet, so I can't say anything about it specifically, but Critics are usually unkind to good movies, and they find the most ridiculous stuff to call the best sometimes (Titanic, anyone?). At least they got it right with Grave of the Fireflies. BASH It's getting to be nuts, and I don't mean the good, silly nuts either. I'm glad to keep the info coming. There's nothing like facing a situtation and not knowing what's going on with it. Some people like more details with the plot, that's what's neat about the review process. All the different types of reviews to read and see. I don't like those details because if I knew them ahead of time for some of the films I've watched, I probably wouldn't have watched them, and missed great works as a result. Shireishou I don't think so, I don't go out of my way to read film reviews from other countries myself. A lot of reviewers do talk over their audience with big words, and that defeats the purpose of the review process in my opinion. Yeah, a rating system without a set of objective criteria is nothing more than a number really, it doesn's say much. Animé Dreams!

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Friday, February 9, 2007

Podcasts and Movie Reviews

Here is another piece of the puzzle, it doesn't really cover much, but it should be read to keep things in perspective. (link posted on theOtaku.com. On top of that, Adam posted some more information that'll probably make you react like I did with the "Is this guy for real or did he go out of his way to dig his own grave?" question. There's a bit of a quagmire with the news bit on the con's logo being one of the contest entries used without permission. I'll get the bits of Title 17 of the US Code, and the US Copyright office's statement on registering works for copyright up here, so you can see what I mean when I say, it's a really mess to bring copyright infringement into the fray. On a related note, Adam will be heard in the next edition of the Anime Pulse podcast, I'll listen to it when it's up and go from there. Some questions for you all: What do you look for in a movie review? Is there a particular area you like to see featured? Do you like to see plot summaries, or do you just want information about the film on a technical level? And which type of rating systems do you prefer? A number based system ( 1-3, 1-5, or 1-10), with or without half steps, a graphical system of up to 3 or 5 symbols (usually stars), with or without half step increments? There's a reason I ask these questions, you'll understand more fully why I'm asking them later. Comments: Magnus Lensherr Wave those banners high, and stretch them far. Don't take my statements as serious legal insight, I'm not a lawyer, I don't play one on TV, and I have nothing by way of legal training. The possibility of a lawsuit is very real, but if the guy's character really is as questionable as it seems from all the infomrmation available, he's better off hiding away somewhere and not raising too much fuss, because he would have to come out of hiding to plead his case, which would not be smart for him. At any rate, he'd be stupid to come forward especially if there's a likelyhood he can be charged with fraud, which, as I mentioned earlier, I'm looking into. We had snow like that twice since I lived here, most other years we hardly had snow at all. The 3 inch range is normal for this area, so we're on track. I just hope we don't get slammed in March again, that was when we got the eighteen inches of snow the one year. Kiki-tink It's ironic that he himself said in a newsgroup post “As the old business adage goes . "Make 1 customer happy and he might tell 1 friend. Make 1 customer angry and he will tell everyone who will listen".” If Karma is indeed real, he'll get what's coming to him, history has always looked unkindly upon hypocrites. It's a neat little thing to play with, though it don't always export the PNG files cleanly, it's still a lot of fun. the real yojimbo You're one of a few readers here who keeps up with the main page. I post the links to keep the promise I made to inform my readers of what was going on with Tour for the Cure, AnimeFF and that whole thing. I made the promise when no one was talking about the con, and I intend to keep it til lthe whole thing is settled. Mine struggles with it more than a little too, but if you can get it to work, it's a fun little diversion. Yensid: Nice to see you stopping by, even if it's just for a moment. Those articles are things every member of MyO should read, but take your time with them, they go down like bad egg salad sandwich, slimey, disgusting, and brutal on the stomach. That is if you take them all in too fast. 60° sounds wonderful to me right now. It's been in the teens/low twenties the past few days (single digits at night). Give me the rain too, I'll take it. I love the rain, there's just something serene about a gentle rain that's hypnotically calming to my nerves. beyblader Yeah, it's deep stuff. Credit where it's due I always say, even though it takes me a while to give it sometimes. Animé Dreams!

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Thursday, February 8, 2007

Generic Newpaper Type Headline Here

As promised, continuing coverage of the AnimeFF story. Tonight's featured news bit from the main page at theotaku.com, Investigation 03: Jeffrey Borncamp. From reading his own words in the linked newsgroup posting, I have to say he's quite a character, but who am I to judge, right? Now for the obligatory stuff I neglect every time I post an image. Credit for the M&M "eye candy" pictures goes to M&M Planet's Character Creator, located here. It's an "all flash" site, so if your computer has issues with flash, browser beware. And as always all my images are hosted by Photobucket. Any image editing that needed done was performed with Pixia. Comments: Magnus Lensherr One expects that kind of thing to happen in a blockbuster movie, the set-up is perfect for that, but when it happens in reality, it's unsettling. Adam's got solid facts, Jeffrey Borncamp, though, well he's still hiding somewhere. Legal action may not be smart for him, because he'd have to come out in the open again. It looks like a lot, but it's only, well, probably in the three to four inch range, it's not that deep. To get an accurate forecast in my area, you have to half or double the amount they predict. They predicted one to two inches, we got three to four, if it had gone the other way we'd have a dusting or about half an inch. The one year (1995, I think) they started with a base prediction of 6 inches, then when the snow didn't stop, kept saying one to two more inches, we ended up with 18. Now you know why I don't think three to four inches is deep. If those temps you gave me are Celcius, that's cold. We got a little ceramic heater in the cubbord under the sink now, so those pipes won't be cooling off again any time soon. If you've got metal pipes and a hair dryer, you've got nothing to worry about, put that sucker on high and blow hot air over the pipes till they thaw. I use a heat gun on plastic pipes, not recommended, and certain precautions have to be taken so the pipes don't melt. Kiki-tink I hope it warms up too. Nothing like clearing snow off the walk in 15°F weather. I'm happy the camera didn't choke on the shot, it hates night shots, but it took that one which looks absolutely stunning. Yeah, I thought the eye candy thing was funny. BASH I promised I'ed keep you all informed, since many of you don't get over to the main page to see it first hand, and I intend to do that till the whole thing is over. I love the snow too, it makes having cold weather so worth it. The pipes will be all right, heaters an insulation are in place. I like the way the shot turned out, and yeah, I do better landscape work than just about anything else. I wish I could get out to the tunnels on the rail trail and shoot them in the snow, those would be breathtaking. sikaurai That's right you're further north so when it's cold here, it's the icy opposite of Perdition up there. Try to stay warm up there, and maybe have a snowball fight too, those are always fun. death alchemist03 There's not a lot of controversy, but there are a lot of very irate people, all focusing it in one direction, which has to say something. I hope things settle down soon too, Adam needs to put his attentions to other things, and having to deal with this for too long won't be a good thing. I'm glad to be back, I kind of missed posting here. scorchbird12: I'm not really sure what to suggest. I know clicking on the ad banners on site will boost the revenu of the site, which will help out a little. Other than that I'm on the same level, I don't really know how to help the cause besides doing what I'm doing and keeping you all informed about the situation. Yeah, it got cold here. It wouldn't be so bad if the wind chill didn't put temps into the negative range. I'll keep as warm as I can till the spring. All right, I'll admit that was a bad joke, but I thought it was funny at the time. the real yojimbo Chalk that up to my twisted sense of humor, and too much rum in my Strawberry Daquiri. Really, that cold huh? I can't stand the cold normally, but I'm all right with it now because of the snow. It usually warms up here around late February early March. If I can get some pictures around the neighborhood of the Tulips and Daffodils blooming, I'll post them. That's one thing I like about the springtime, the flowers come out and things look absolutely wonderful. Animé Dreams!

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Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Sandstorm on the Desert, Travelers Beware

More information on the AnimeFF thing. Please note you'll need to go the the main page to read all the articles, as some are just short blurbs that don't have links to them.Story 1: Gail and John's Journey, Story 2: A Dealer's Disaster, Message Board Posts. Having read thorugh all of that info, I have to say I had one of those Holy s[Censored] moments. In my opinion, the widespread range of inadequacy from AnimeFF is mind boggling. More and more things are falling into place in terms of answering the questions I had, but it's still a lot to process, so take it in small gulps. Since I've been away fro a while, I just thought I'd give you a little blurb about how things have been. Yes, that thermometer is reading 0°, it got that cold, just yesterday morning. It hasn't hit 20 degrees all day, and the wind chills have been below zero. I had to thaw the pipes under my kitchen sink twice yesterday, the valves under the sink, inside the house, froze.On top of all that, it snowed, and it was still snowing last I checked at around 2:00AM Eastern time. So far it looks like about 3-4 inches out there, we may get another one, I'll know when I go shovel off the front walk later. I love the way that shot, right from my front porch turned out though. The idiot camera cooperated with me to pick up that nice view of my street. I may take the camera out in the daylight to shoot some things, but I can't promise anything since it is bitterly cold (and I don't want to damage the camera). On a lighter note, Here's a bit of eye candy for the ladies who visit the site (It's nothing crude, I promise!) Guys, I'm not going to leave you high and dry, Here you go too. All that done, I've got to get some rest, the snow's still coming down and I'll have a walk to shovel in a couple hours. Comments: on post ". . .Dragon Sneeze" Shireishou I needed the rest for other reasons, mostly becuase I tired myself out trying to do too much at once again. Helping someone out always makes me feel good, even when I'm down about other things, so no worries about that. I'm always glad to help out when I can. Kiki-tink If it were an emotional exhaustion, I know I've got people here who'd lend me an ear or two, but this time it was physical exhaustion, from trying to do too much at once. I'm better now, or at least I'm all rested up I think, though I may actually cut my posting and comment response back to once or twice a week for a while, till I'm sure I'm really all right. death alchemist03 Yeah, I think they'd work all right. They won't be the salty contrast to the sweet red bean paste, but I think the flavors will meld all right. I won't know till I make them how it tastes. Stress is the pits, that's for sure. I'm back for the time being, and doing all right for now. beyblader I've been in that position before too, but this was just pure physical exhaustiojn, I was too tired to do anything. I probably shoud do more exercising to boost my energy levels (sounds bizarre, but it actually does work) some, which I'm going to work on starting today anyway. NekoMimi16 If my mind was troubled, a simple story, or talking to my friends here on MyO would ease those troubles. I was just too tired, physically, to keep up with responding and posting at the pace I was going. MillenniumChaos I'm feeling better now, and hope to stay that way for a while. Given that the dish is called sakuramochi, I think the sakura leaves are supposed to be an important player in the dish. Given the weather here lately, I may not get to make them for March 3, but that can't be helped. I'll make do with what I've got it to work with. Road Kamelot I certainly needed it. Hop-Frog Yeah, we all do need some time to ourselves, and I'm glad I took it. I'll be all right as long as I don't push myself too hard again (that'll last a coule days at the most, then I'll be right back to pushing hard and fast like I always do). Can't speak for others, maybe it's the winter months that do it. Magnus Lensherr Yeah, I'm refreshed now and ready to tackle the blog circuit again. I did make some plans for some things that I want to do here in the future, those are still pending, but I'm working on them. I won't know how the dish turns out till I try to make it. I had my first run in with suchi rice the other night, I ddon't know what's stickier, that or the royal Icing I use on gingerbread houses. On post ALERT: Magnus Lensherr I'm not really up opn law, but the only remotely plausible suit I can see is a libel suit (would probably fall under some type of defamation of character thing), though if what Adam posts about AnimeFF is true, they wouldn't have a leg to stand on in court anyway, but even at that, legal procedings are costly. I was a member here when Adam had to buck his old web host because of problems. He founded Velegant Media (which hosts myotaku.com and theotaku.com) because of his old Web host, and his not wanting to let this site die. If he'd found his own web hosting company to save his site, I don't think a little [Insert prefered vulger term here] shyster outfit like AnimeFF is going to scare him off either. There's a lot I don't understand right now either, but I'm hoping that information will be made known soon. I'll be posting links here as soon as I see that information posted. KanuckGrrl Funny you should mention that no local coverage in Vegas thing, which happened to be the last blurb on the website I saw before the site vanished from the web. I thought it strange that they got no local coverage, and that they didn't go out of their way to double check local station adverts. Given that most of the radio stations in the area stream their broadcasts (See here), it wouldn't be hard to sit there and listen for a while to hear the commercials. Since I didn't go to "the con" itself (how ironic in this case that bears a double meaning), I can't really say anything about how it was run, or wasn't run as the case may be. I only know what people have posted about it, but it does sound like the lack of professionalism they demonstrated is par for the course with them. As I mentioned, the only thing I can see them attempting would be libel, based on Adam's wording of the article linked in my ALERT post. They won't get far with that, because from the sound of things, Adam can back up what he says with some facts. In my opinion, AnimeFF and their parent company may have gotten away with bullying others by threatening lawsuits, but they're in for the shock of their lives this time. In my experience, New Yorkers are very stubborn people, if you push one, well, you'd better hope you can run fast enough because the people back east, from New York, and New Jersey are Hell and nasty when they're pushed. They don't stay down, they get up and push right back, hard. I just wish I was in a better position to support theotaku.com with more than just words. Clicking all the ads on site can only do so much. Outlaw Melfina: In a nutshell, the people who are behind AnimeFF have resorted to trying to bully silence from the people who attended the con, and know what really went on. the thing of it is, while they can threaten all they want, they'd have no legal standings in court if the statements posted are proven to be truthful. scorchbird12: I think I covered a bit in a commet to your post yesterday, if there's any other questions, let me know, I'll do what I can to answer them. death alchemist03 I hope everything works out too. Kiki-tink I see no need to insult the French that way. Your "hillbilly English", is pardoned. BASH I hope things turn out all right too. the real yojimbo I posted to keep a promise I made to my readers, I'm posting the links today because of that promise too. Hop-Frog Digging their own graves, I like that choice of wording. Yeah, this thing is serious, it needs to be watched, and any measure of support that we can give the site, we should give the site. Animé Dreams!

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Tuesday, February 6, 2007

ALERT:

EVERY person who reads my blog here, EVERY person who's a member of theotaku.com, and myotaku.com absolutely HAS to read this: News article on the main page of TheOtaku.com. I only stopped by to post that for you all right now. I'm still resting up, so I'll answer your comments next time. Animé Dreams!

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Thursday, February 1, 2007

Never Stand Downwind of a Dragon Sneeze

It hit me like a tone of bricks yesterday. Whole mint leaves. If I can't find the sakura leaves, which is more than likely going to be the case given no online Asian markets seem to know what they even are, I can probably substitute whole spearamint leaves, and though they won't provide that salty contrast to the sweet, they'll have a similar presentation element, which is what I'm looking for. I could always make the Kansai version of sakuramochi which you don't eat the leaf anyway. Lately I've just been feeling out of sorts with things, and I don't know why. I'm not any more stressed than I've been in the past, but I'm feeling like I'm not myself, which I don't really like all that well. That said, I'm going to take a few days to rest up, and meditate on some things and see what I can do to bring myself back to where I'm comfortable and feeling all right. So, if you don't see my response to your posts for a couple days, don't be surprised, I'll be back soon. Comments: Everyone Thanks for the input and advice on all fronts lately, sorry I'm not responding individually to you this time, I'm kind of worn out, that's why I'm taking this more encompassing break. Animé Dreams!