Fanfic Picks

To tell you the truth I dunno why people read fanfictions; but sometimes I fall prey to their charming but grammatically incorrect appeals. Here are two sites that have a lot of choices of which maybe 1% could be good reading. I joke of course, it's actually 0.5%...
http://www.fanfiction.net/cat/201/
http://www.shoujoai.com/fanfics/ (for the girls).

As a little caveat, here's a Yale compiled list of 100 essential anime words which anyone who takes their anime seriously already knows and regards as material for toddlers.

Rumor FFAC Delayed

Advent Children Delayed, Possible Theatrical Release (2005-11-10 13:22:22)GATV reports that Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has been pushed back to January 10, 2006 in order to facilitate a possible limited theatrical release.

Anime News Network - Anime News

FNN 11.10.05

1. French Blog Ban: The French government has shut down one outspoken blog in lieu of the recent riots. Many people fear raising their voice against this new crackdown, if this seems all too familiar then think French Revolution. Off with their heads!

2. Rubiks Records: The world champions of Rubix cubing have been weighed, measured, and still wanting of a social life? :(

3. Tommy February 6: Highlight of the singer for Paradise Kiss's opening theme "Lonely in Gorgeous" the single of which comes out 11/30. Please note, this publisher is Sony so expect DRMs.

FNN 11.09.05

1. Manga Strips: Manga in the funnies? Well it's happening in some American newspapers.
2. Linux Gaming: A newer version of Cedega which makes your windows games such as Halo and WOW work on Linux and openGL is available.
3. Japanese Heated Bra: To help with high levels of fuel consumption a company has unveiled a microwavable heated bra and panty set O.o!

Google Landmines

Google Landmines is a game from Kevin Pereira in which you type word strings into google search and then hit "I'm Feeling Lucky" and hope the site that pops up doesn't offend anyone. It's actually pretty fun to play when you're drunk. Here's the permalink on AttackoftheBlog.

iWalls Anime

[] iWalls
Cool website of someone's effort to bring union between Apple and anime. Check it out and I promise that's it's much much safer than weird interwebs.

Apple's Pet Rock

Could Apple have possibly gone into the ROKR project with a hidden agenda to sabotage the final product’s success? Why not? It may serve to sway public opinion of mp3 cell phones. If the Apple iTunes cell phone flops, how great could mp3 cell phones really be? Might potential mp3 cell phone buyers take a step back and choose to stick with carrying their iPod in tandem with their cell phones? It might be worth another few million iPod units sold before someone comes along with the killer mp3 phone. Maybe. Maybe?

The Apple Blog » Did Apple Sabotage the ROKR?

Just put those poor pet rocks to sleep people!

Recall...

I've noticed that there have been many many good animes coming out recently and it's hard to keep up with them. So here's a recap of BOAS recommendations, in short!
To Heart 2, Canvas 2, Rozen Maiden Traumend, Lamune, Solty Rei, Mushishi, Jigoku Shoujo, Blood+, Paradise Kiss, ARIA the Animation, and Karin!

Lamune

You know sometimes you stumble upon stuff on the internet that at the time you really don't know what it is; but it's pretty so you kept it. Well this kinda happens to me all the time and today one of the mysteries has been uncovered. The new harem anime entitled Lamune (pronounced like Ramune) has finally solved that one for me. Give Lamune a look, I'm sure you'll find it pretty as well!

The Red Comet

Fanboy in spaceEnomoto is a self-described fanboy of the popular Japanese anime series “Gundam” — a futuristic cartoon where humans wage battle wearing giant robot suits. In previous interviews, Enomoto has said that with Russian approval, he would like to dress up as Char Aznable, a popular Darth Vader-like character on the show.

Japanese entrepreneur to take space ride - Space.com - MSNBC.com

CHAR IS NOT DARTH VADER, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! P.S. I wanna be Athrun Zala, I wanna :3

Yami no Yoru ni

Yesterday night I experienced my first blackout in what must have been 6-8 years and I'm still not sure if the power is up yet. It's really interesting to note the human behaviors that occur during an unusual situation such as a blackout. As a tech junkie the first thing I did was check that my laptop battery was fully functional and that the power adapter hadn't short circuited. Only after that did I think to find a light source. After a while without much light it's surprising how the glow of LCD and LEDs can be comforting and that even the smallest glow from an iPod can make the night flow a little better. I ended up draining some of my laptop battery to test the data integrity of a DVD I decided to play in the darkness which turned out fine. What a night.

Last Ditch Effort

Microsoft hails 'strategic shift'Bill Gates presenting Windows and Office LiveSoftware giant Microsoft has announced a major push into online software services, in what is seen as a move to counter rivals like Google and Yahoo.

BBC NEWS | Business | Microsoft hails 'strategic shift'

Looks like Microsoft is playing one of Sony's cards and jumping on the Online bandwagon; we all remember Sony's mp3 "innovations"? This move from Microsoft, however, isn't quite too late as Microsoft can still certainly buy their way into the software hosting service. The trick is the implementation and smooth switch between installed software to hosted software. Done right and coupled with Microsoft's Palm OS, this could present another strong online competitor.

Blood Red

Rejoice oh ye pitiful soul without light, I offer you the rose among the thorns in the form of two late blossoming fall anime. First is Rozen Maiden Traument the sequel to Rozen Maiden. From the looks of the first episode everything good is back from the original especially the great Victorian music. Next is Karin, a vampire themed anime that delivers a wonderful color palette among other things. Also, make sure not to forget about Jigoku Shoujo and Mushishi which are among the scarier of all the fall horror anime. Man those Japanese children give me the freaks.

FNN 11.04.05

TGIF, I'm beat from a week of hardship, strife, and anguish (OH THE HUMANITY)! Anyway, today I'd like to show off 2 new photos on Flaga Flickr:
1. Water Lily: Photoshop of a bishoujo with a lotus flower in the background, the flower was shot in Beijing, China.
2. Starbucks: And speaking of Beijing, China did you know there was a Starbucks in the Forbidden city? No, joke and no photoshop!
That's all folks for the pretty, and on to todays headlines:
3. MIT $100 Laptop: Revealed a model of the mini-miracle for underprivilged children of third world countries.
4. RIAA 2 Years LaTeR: Don't you hate the alternating CAPS? Well not as much as some people dislike the RIAA. Read how America's coping with their anger issue two years down the line.
5. Firefox Fanfare: Mozilla high in market share of web browsers shown by BBC analysts, but still far behind Microsoft IE.
6. Sony Screw-Up: Sony's hidden rootkit installation on music CDs is seriously screwing up the company reputation especially with males 18-30, i.e. the BIGGEST marketing demographic. Can we ever trust Sony again? Let's just say the PS3 had better be gooood...

Growth

To tickle the statistician in us all, one remembers my post on July 12 2005 entitled 1000. We'll it's been just shy of 4 months since that time and the modest spreadsheet has grown to 1200+. In an analysis that is based on a 30 day month, the result is d/d(t) = +1.666... addition per day. May the future of growth fulfill my "exponential" expectations. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

FNN 11.03.2005

Yo-ssu!
1. Princess Power: The succession of the next generation of Japanese Empresses is being called into question as debates still continue.
2. Google Print: The first of the Google book scan projects are online and, well not very interesting...
3. Doki Doki School Hours: Geneon to release Sensei no Ojikan: Doki Doki School Hours starting November 8th, waku waku desu!
4. Franz Ferdinand: Great singer who's single "Do You Want To" is the ending theme for Paradise Kiss.

Paranoid on the Interwebs?

I'm finished with what I call Lord Balmung of the Azure Sky's Super Awesome Guide to Anonymity and Network Security! I'm so modest. It should really help with those pesky little things that bug you about the internet; that or drive you absolutely insane!

Permalink:
http://www.geocities.com/laflaga/BOAS_SAG_TAANS.pdf

Chotto Yasumu

Hey guys, after all the halloween fun I've been having (sarcastic tone of voice) I'm taking a little break from the blog to write a feature length article on internet network security and anonymity. But I'll leave you with an unrelated tip, Open Office Writer has the ability to export documents in PDF format with a simple click. Handy, no?

Bwahaha

It's Halloween! Okay, since it's halloween and all I thought long and hard about the scariest thing to blog about. The conclusion I came to was very simple... my inner thoughts! So sit back, and get to know a little of what goes on inside Balmung of the Azure Sky/BOAS/Bo-san.
1. You gotta love the bishies -- bishonens and bishoujos; I mean everything has it's place and I'm no bigot. So without further ado, here's a list of the boys of anime which I think are cute: Fujiwara no Sai (Hikaru no Go), Athrun Zala (Gundam Seed [Destiny]), Haku (Naruto), Syaoran (Tsubasa Chronicles), Sai (Uta Kata), Arima Souichirou (Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou // His and Her Circumstances), and Yukimura Sanada (Samurai Deeper Kyo). To make things clear, I think the Prince of Tennis should be the Princess of Tennis FYI, also Sukisyo was just wrong. I'm not going to state my opinion on Maria-sama ga Miteru.
2. Animes that vicariously fill you with the feelings with a mother are among the best out there, I'm not kidding! Here's two animes that do just that, well kinda... Full Metal Alchemist, not really warm or fuzzy but definately over-protective. AIR, all of the above from zenith joys to empty despair. Oh, and .Hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet the Manga!!!
3. I watched Rozen Maiden, yeah what! All you other guys out there just aren't man enough to watch other men play with dolls.
4. Animes that made me cry feminine tears: Grave of the Fireflies, Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, Full Metal Alchemist, Galaxy Express 999, AIR, Naruto (Haku), Da Capo, Mahoromatic Moto Utsukushii Mono, Memories Off 2, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, Rurouni Kenshin: Seisouhen, Tenchi in Toyko (seriously), RahXephon, and Gundam Seed Destiny. That's all in recent memory.
5. Circus and their works such as Da Capo and Shuffle have totally ruined my perception of the female anatomy. Is slightly anorexic supposed to look normal? Well it's too late now, I'm so sorry Tifa but you could stand to loose 10-30 pounds. Yufie on-the-other-hand Uhmph.
6. I really am an equal opportunity hater in terms of OS (fan boys say what you may), Microsoft/XP sucks, Mac OS are for pricks, Unix is boring, and Linux is not friendly to end users. In short, none of them do everything I'd like; that's why I have two of the three, guess which one I don't have.
7. I was once asked by a girl to cosplay as Sakura to her Syaoran from Tsubasa Chronicles - I was flattered.
8. I can sing Shizukana Yoru Ni in its' entirety and often do so. TO THE TRUE SONGTRESS BONZAI!!!! I heart Lacus Clyne (that's the only time I'll use that particular vernacular).

Congradulations, Congradulations, Congradulations!

On your special day, you know who you are; congradulations old man.

Jikan ga Nai Desu!

Where has all my time gone? Anime, yeah that was a rhetorical question, but I was once asked "What takes up most of your time?", and I responded with some utter nonsense. After a while I thought about that question and the answer was clear "I'm lazy, so mostly I just watch a lot of anime". Anyway, this post isn't supposed to be a rant... Memento, it's a cool anime blog (in fact much better than this one) check it out. And fresh from the BBC news desk it seems that modern teenagers have much better spelling and grammer than their counterparts of yesteryear. Kewl mAn, us tottally rok! Oh, and on a side note patience is a virtue; anyone who waits for bleach once in a blue moon can tell you that! OH MY GOD, in his heaven; all's right with the world.

Apple, EVA, and more of the Flock

Inspiration, it's something that's seldom used well; and appifinies my friend, those are even rarer. Fear not for I have been struck with Shuffle! and the madness of Apple advertising. On a related note, I thought Apple had some gall with their Rosa Parks advertisement tribute or whatever.
Aside from all that Mac mischief, the 10th anniversary NGE OST was released recently entitled NGE: Decade. It's pretty good, I mean for a remix CD.
I've finally gotten around to trying out the pre-developer release of the Flock browser (I've been soo busy!) and I can say that it's pretty good. The blogging function is interesting and may actually make this business a whole lot easier. I'm not too sure about the bookmarks yet, and it's a pain that most of the Firefox extensions don't work with it. One extension that works is AdBlock but even that has issue with iFrames but handles website spam images beautifully. Look forward to a more complete review after a few days or weeks. For now I'd recommend anyone who isn't a total tech junkie to wait for at least the Beta release of Flock. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool browser but not close to finished.

FNN 10.28.05

Flock: Okay, it's been in alpha/beta or whatever release for a while now; but that doesn't mean everybody knows about it. So give flock a try if you'd like another web browser.
.Hack//GU Manga: it's going to become a reality, another item for my .Hack library I'm so excited.

FNN 10.27.05

Yasashiiburi da ne? Ma kimishiruna, daijobu desu.
1. Live Action Fireflies: NTV is adapting Miyazaki's Grave of the Fireflies into a live action movie. Grave of the Fireflies happens to be my favorite Miyazaki film, and I hope they don't screw it up for me again...
2. Obesity Office: It seems, at least according to that guy, that Open Office 2.o is a memory hog compared to Microsoft's office suit applications. Due to their bulky memory fingerprint the Open Office apps also suffer from performace lethargy. This has been a warning from your FCC Obesity advisor.
3. Google Meet Your Microsoft: In a recent interview, Bill Gates openly proclaimed Microsoft's ambitions to compete and beat the likes of Google, Apple, and Sony. What with you ask, idk maybe fairy dust happy thoughts?

Kyaa! Tessa?

I just finished watching FMPTSR over the weekend and it mostly lived up to my expectations. In other words I liked it a lot, but probably my most favorite part was at the end in Tessa's reaction to Sousuke's "Crude Words". Hear it for yourself here.

Motto motto!

More anime for u's, 1. Mushishi, weird fantasy creature world. 2. Solty Rei, robots and bounty hunters with the art style of Witch Hunter Robin; except brighter I guess.

(sigh...)...(X0

27 more Naruto fillers until Spring 2006, at this rate Cartoon Network will catch up.

Another Fall Flavor

Hear about someone else's choices for fall anime viewing at ANN. These guys are okay in my book. Of their picks, I personally like Paradise Kiss, Jigoku Shoujo, ARIA the Animation, and Ginban Kaleidoscope, as you all know and fear!

4K Happiness!

4K B**ches! Uh, ooh I am gooooooddddddd.... Mwahahahaaha

Paradise Kiss

Yeah, I know I mentioned it, but I watched the first episode and found it pretty good. It's from the same company who produced Honey & Clover, so if it's anything like that we should be in for a treat. Get Paradise Kiss, chu chu!

IT Express

Words of advice, if some random person from your IT department tells you that you have a virus or "infection" present on your system, DON'T blindly believe them. Most of the time these people have no idea what they're doing, and really they couldn't have a grasp of the situation unless they were familar with your system. Not to mention the Mac losers who think your Linux machine is virus, and the n00b who thinks you can't make XP into an anonymous machine. Listen, trust your own wit before anything someone else tell you, it'll pay off!

FNN 10.18.05

1. I'm tired, like totally exhausted and completely void of all emotion... My eyes must look exquisite right now.
2. Mc Nintendog: Nintendo partners with Mc Donalds to bring free wifi DS gameplay to their restaurants.
Additionally, more fall anime has arrived. The newest titles are Ginban Kaleidoscope, Paradise Kiss (got bishies?), and ARIA the Animation.

Firefox Extension Picks

These are just some solid Firefox extensions that I use.
1. Download Sort: One click downloading and automatic organization into folders based on file types. This single handedly made one browser interwebs possible for me.
2. Adblock: It blocks advertisements, what more can I say?
3. FoxyTunes: A media player script extention for Firefox that allows you to control iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, and much more from your browser.
4. SwitchProxy Tool: This really makes proxy browsing work, especially with the Tor client.
5. NoScript: Blocks unknown scripts from running on your browser. This is a must for those concious of security threats.
Finally, though I don't use FlashGot, I heard it was good; try it for yourself.

Jigoku Shoujo

Another new anime for the fall line up, is Jigoku Shoujo or Hell Girl. Jigoku Shoujo is a horror anime abundant with Japanese mythology and hell imagery. The artstyle is among the best I've ever seen, and the storyline looks promising. There really isn't enough horror genre anime out there and this is a really good addition. PS. Whore-ror genre anime does not count!

Anniversaries

Some anniversaries are coming up and we'd like to take time and notice their special day. First is the ten year anniversary of Neon Genesis Evangelion the classic anime superhit from Hideki Anno. To celebrate ten years of Evangelion cosplay and idol worship, Gainax is releasing figurines of all the Angels as what else, (dramatic pause), GIRLS. I wonder what Kaoru/Tabris the 17th angel will look like as a girl. Also this month is Microsoft Corporation's 20 year anniversary. Good for you Microsoft!

iPods and such

1. iPod Video: The new iPod Video was announced by Jobs today at the "One More Thing" show.
2. iPod not so Nano: A 200GB hard drive hack for the iPod nano has been engineered.
3. Departed Dark Matter: A recent scientific paper explains the effects of Dark Matter with not dark matter but instead General relativity. This brings us to our first breast poem in awhile:
My breasts are like dark matter, rarely seen but felt under the effects of general relativity.
Peace out from Bo-san. PS. I'm not scary!

FNN 10.11.05

1. Otaku, No Longer an Endangered Species: Study finds 1.72 millon Otaku in Japan. Find your fellow Otaku at myotaku.com.
2. High Noon for US Interwebs: The showdown over who rules the internet is fast approaching partner and Europe wants nothing to do with that wily eyed bandit - the US.
3. China CS Clinics: Chinese authorities are setting up internet addiction clinics for those ailing from the sore Counter Strike Source thumb.

EMOTION

I just can't seem to let go of Gundam Seed Destiny! Anyway this is the OST single from Meer Campbell, it may sound happy but it's SAD! OMG, I can't believe what they did to Meer! Sonamono kirai desu-wa!

FMPTSR := KKNJ?!

Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid nowadays is looking more and more like His and Her Circumstances! Not that's a bad thing, mind you; but I wondered just what happened? First, there was the episode titiled: Her Problem, and now there's His Problem. So if you put them together that kinda translates into Kareshi Kanojo no Mondai or Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou!! Shocking!

In the Fall, Say You'll Fall For Me

When autumn leaves are falling from the trees... Yes the new season of Fall anime has arrived in all the autumn hues of affection.
1. Canvas 2: The second release of the art shoujo/high school anime, how I feel it's been forever since I heard the words Onii-chan!
2. To Heart 2: The third installation of the To Heart series after the original To Heart and then the spinoff To Heart: Remember my Memories. I feel the pangs of nostalgia as auspicious in my heart as the stalk of leaf in my tea.
3. Play Ball: Baseball, not to sure about this one; good for the kids?
4. Mai Otome: Why does this translate into Mai HiMe sometimes? I thought that was different right?
5. Cluster Edge: Victorian era bishonen gentlemen academy action!
P.S. A little something called Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo snuck up behind be like the final singing of cicadas, check it out. Wives in Japan are getting interesting...

C-DVD

China for once is developing its' own original DVD format to content with Sony's Blu-ray and Microsoft's HD-DVD, instead of just pirating everyone else's formats. The format will be based on HD-DVD but incompatible with its counterpart. Personally I like Blu-ray but I'm starting to sympathize with Microsoft a little; I mean they are trying their best right?

I Miss You Gundam Seed

Now that Gundam Seed Destiny, the second installment in the CE Gundam timeline is over, I miss it so much. Please make an OVA/Movie/Series or whatever that brings more closure to the series. PLEASE! ONEGAI!

FNN 10.5.2005

1. mpTHIS: A good review of the most popular online mp3 purchase options.
2. Only if you're really into anime/Japan would you find this interesting: A date has been set for Sayako's marriage Yoshiki Kuroda. Princess Sayako will leave the royal family after her marriage to the genji Kuroda.
3. EULA blah blah blah: A nice keyword search engine that scans your EULA agreements for fishy activities. Know your rights [on/off]line.

FNN Hot Links, 10.4.05

1. Fuggetaboutit: The latest in Apple's advertising campaign edited by yours truly.
2. Taiwan Glub on Google's Globe: Taiwan expressed unhappiness as being mentioned as a province of China on Google Maps. "They started it!", "I'm telling teacher!"
3. Peter Jackson says Olah to Halo: Director Peter Jackson to direct microsoft's game-movie adaptation.

...

A moment of silence for those dear and departed.

Xena & Gabrielle, Aiaiaiaiai!

From the BBC: The pseudo 10th planet from the Sun - Xena has been spotted with her own moon named Gabrielle. Just who are these people watching the interstellar observatories anyway?

Mundane Monday

Nothing really happened today, so I'll just give you some sites that I visited and found interesting.
1. Shatner Blog: Yep, William Shatner's weblog.
2. The Onion: Stuff that you really like to read about.
3. Australian Anime: The anime scene down under.
Oh and I found this really great image from AIR, it'll definately be a wallpaper in a few seasons!

Suzuka

Do you hear the ringing of bells? Well you should, as Suzuka the recent anime titled about Track and Field delights me with its' surprises and treats. From the adrelanine on the track to the heart-racing off the track Suzuka definately delivers some good ol' fashioned High School romance. Now approaching the half way mark on episode 13 and with the release of the Suzuka OST this is a good point for all those who haven't heard the ringing of bells to tune into the requiem movement of Suzuka.

FNN Hot Links, 10.1.05

1. Google Generosity: Google is planning to provide free 300kps WiFi connection to the city of San Francisco through its' Virtual Private Network Secure Access service.
2. Long Live Labor: The New Zealand Labor Party has won the general election over its' rival the National Party. This marks the third term of office for Prime Minister Helen Clark (Even I remember her, poor Jim Boldger :(...
3. Star Wreck: The Finnish indie film is now released and available for free download, check it out.
4. IGN Top 25: IGN dot com has released their list for the top 25 animated films of all time, with several anime films making a less than spectacular appearance. WTF does IGN know anyway?! This is not the counsel of your peers people!

All The Ye Long Day

I've been working going to classes, all the ye long day. No real bursts of insight today but if you don't wanna look like such a n00b operating Windows then try these applications.

FNN Hot Links, 9.29.05

1. Falling Feathers: The Tsubasa Chronicle OST #2 is out but really falls far short of the first TCOST, they don't even have the Japanese version of "You Are My Love" sung by Yui Makino.
2. NGE^KKNJ <-> RK (don't understand? Read up on your connective operators and biconditional implications of discrete mathematics): I've kept on saying that Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) and Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (KKNJ) are two sides of the same coin; kinda like that Kaoru/Tomoe thing in RK. But ANYWAY if you don't believe me believe this.
3. Laptolicous: Nicholas Negroponte of MIT unveiled the design for a < $100 laptop which will be distributed to needy children. The laptop features all flash memory, 500 MHZ AMD, and runs Linux. All that said, this thing will be fast; I know you say 500 MHZ, but FLASH MEM?

Security Shuffle^(!)^

I noticed recently as I'm walking aimlessly with my iPod Shuffle plugged into my ears that there is always a certain high pitched noise whenever I come across a magnetic security device. Just some food for thought, but I was kinda irritated by the side-effect.

FNN Hot Links, 9.28.05

1. FF:AC OST: Yeah it's out and about. Very enjoyable stuff.
2. Apple Apology: Apple has admitted to a manufacteuring flaw that affected the iPod Nano.
3. O Mother Manga: The manga artist behind such classics as Cyborg 009 released his complete encyclopedic anthology which will consist of 12 sets at a price of ~ $5000 USD.
4. Babelfish: Site for translating foreign text and websites.

FNN Hot Links, 9.27.05

1. Bad Apple: problems with Apple's new iPod Nano have customers angry sometimes only a few hours after purchase.
2. Blog to the wise: The new book on smart blogging from Reporters Without Boarders guides the novice blogger out of the scary waters filled with RIAA sharks and DMCA whirlpools.

Eff Tor

Starting school again really made me realize the importance of online anonymity as everyone should value their privacy. Where your privacy and online rights are in question the Electronic Frontier Foundation comes to your aid. The eff not so long ago released The Onion Router or Tor. This application provides a good level of online anonymity to your web browsers and any application that can be proxied through SOCKS or http. Give the software a chance and help with the online safety of everyone.

Interwebs Down

I'm out of easy access internet for a while so I don't think this will change anything in the grand scheme of things. Get x/z to write a few posts!

Korean Kore

Seoul announced plans recently to build a fully functional combat robot in what can only be it's military ambition to pursue Japan in the Mecha race. What's next?! M9's, Newtypes, Zero system, Fafner units? And all pioleted by Koreans, OMG it's the end of the world.

Kanpeki Jan

U know you gotta love the bishonens, and after watching a good portion of Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou and Souichiro Arima I kinda wish that I too can make flowers appear around my presence! PERFECTION IS MY LIFE!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

FNN Hot Links, 9.23.05

Miina-san kobanwa desu!
1. Hand held anime on your PSP, very nice if it works?
2. TV Asahi's survey of the Top 100 anime of all time, from ANN. Personally I have a few issues with this list most notably the ranking Watsuki's RK and Hideki Anno's NGE and the absence of KKNJ also from Anno-san.
3. Now that we know some of the best anime to watch, we want to save it for later generations right? We'll that may not be so easy as we may enter the digital dark age. I guess we'll just have to hand copy every frame onto cells and keep them forever and ever...

Word Verification Commenting

Word verification for comments is now turned on. Good day from BOAS/Bo-San

Random Neko #4 & Clover

Hungry Honey & Clover Neko! Also I remembered the explanation for Clover featured in the Bishoujo anime Boku no Imouto Koi wo Suru being that C = lady thus Clover = Lady Lover. "What's up with Japan", recreational drugs and eggs... that's what's up with Japan.

FNN Hot Links, 9.22.05

Yay! I came up with a better title!
1. Final Fantasy Advent Children OST to be released in Japan on the 9.28.05, some tracks can be previewed on the SE.
2. Free 411? Yeah, it's true thanks to consumer targeted advertising @ 1800-free411.
3. Baidu.com to appeal their case after receiving guilty verdict earlier in court.
4. Survey finds blogs relieve stress, wow this is the thing with Americans taking completely mundane facts and blowing money to study them just so they can sound smart.

Death from the Skies!

Yes, since the failed Star Wars program launched towards the end of the Cold War the United States has been itching to get back into space with a vengence. In the latest deployment of arms in space the US Airforce has launched a communications jamming satellite. This of course follows the proposal to deploy Marines from the upper atmosphere and finally have Space Marines!

Stuff, 9/21/05

You come up with a better title for this crap!
1. Today I found this really cool website that is kinda like an anime image forum; check it out yourself @ Abma.X-maru.
2. With my new efficiency now that I've settled on one web brower - Firefox, I've found the joy of the animesuki RSS feed. Think live bookmarks and you're not that far off.
3. One more anime photoshop from yours truly, BOAS/Bo-San now on Flickr.

Nero Showtime vs. InterVideo WinDVD

I watch a lot of DVDs from all over the world so I like to think that I can pretend to know what I'm talking about when it comes to DVD playback software. When it comes to the true DVD experience there are few all-purpose media players such as WMP, VCL, or Core Media Player that delivers as fully as the specialized Nero Showtime and InterVideo WinDVD. In a side by side comparision I found that the InterVideo WinDVD is slightly better than Nero Showtime simply for its' durable playback. Testing both DVD software with DVDs of several reigons and distributions I found the InterVideo product to play more discs more of the time. After playback begins, however, Nero Showtime is significantly better than InterVideo for its' ease of use and full functionality such as each chapter skip, subtitles, and screen captures.

Bubble Manga Artists

I finally finished watching Uta Kata today after months of procrastination and it was really good. I really enjoyed all the costumes worn by Ichika-chan and I wouldn't mind trying on a few myself (don't try to imagine that). Anyway, several well known manga artists also made some sketches for Uta Kta which really show off their styles. See it for yourself at Flaga Flickr Uta Kata.

E2: Every Extend

Awesome and addicting game of suicide! Give it the DL

FMP:TSR & Shuffle! Okaeri!

The long awaited return of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid episode 8 & Shuffle! episode 9 is finally here after their hiatus while the US Open aired. Okaerinasaimase Desu!

Sareba Tomoyo

This is the end... of x/z vacation... he's going back to school... which starts real soon... (western movie sfx)...

Random Neko #3

Primula's Neko from Shuffle!

Revolution Controller

Yeah, at the Tokyo Gameshow the Revolution's controller was finally shown. Frankly, it looks kinda weird to me. See for yourself at Gamespot.com.

Azumanga Daioh Class Album

Purchase the entire Azumanga Daioh Class Album DVD box which contains all 26 episodes from best buy for only $44.99 and save $24.99 from its list price of $69.98. Also bestbuy.com provides free shipping and handling in the continental United States.

Weird Interwebs

I found this really weird site of morbid CG models of Japanese school girls. Visit at your own discretion, you have been warned!
http://ichiriduka.hp.infoseek.co.jp/

Honey & Clover OST

The Honey & Clover Original Soundtrack is now available for enjoyment. Personally I really enjoy the songs from the Honey & Clover series, they're sort of like a melow Japanese rock.

Advent Children

I just finished watching the Japanese import of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and it is spectacular. Advent Children is what FF: The Spirits Within should have been. The CG animation is top notch, with so many high quality fight scenes. Nobuo Uematsu-sama returns with beautiful remixes of the old FFVII music and some exiciting originals. Last but not least, there is actually a decent storyline (gasp)! The only thing lacking was the rather shallow use of the other FFVII characters such as Cid, Barret, and Yuffie. The US release of Advent Children is scheduled for November 29th.

Keiichi Anime Language Survey

Test your erudity (that isn't a word) in foreign languages at Keiichi anime and help the guy out.

Aoi = Blue & Green

I thought that I should mention that depending on the context the word Aoi in Japanese can stand for either blue or green. BTW that is a green bicycle right?

Today in the World of Flaga

And now for the 9:42 news with FNN: Flaga News Network,
New Honey & Clover screenshots uploaded on Flaga Flickr.
AIR Theatrical Release Review on Blue La Flaga, and thoughts of an update to the judging scale.
New Media on page 7 of Moonlight Flaga Media.
Around the world bored older sisters have trouble accepting their librarian positions.

Flaga Flickr!

New to the La Flaga Network is the Flickr page. The links are below:
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/plaflaga/
Profile: http://www.flickr.com/people/plaflaga/

Naruto US Debut

Episodes 1 & 2 of Naruto is airing on the Cartoon Network Toonami block at 9 PM Eastern & Pacific tonight. In Japan episode 151 is airing next wensday Sept. 14th.

NEMU!!!!

Nemu Nemu Nemu Nemu Nemu Nemu!!!! Kyaaaaaaa! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! Nemu Nemu Nemu Nemu Nemu!!!!! Ahem... Please watch Da Capo Second Season.

Firefox, Only You... Can Make This Change in Me...

I've always had the problem that I could never settle on one web browser to use exclusively, in fact I had three, but now with a little bit of engineering I think I can finally settle on Firefox. The complaint that I've always had with browsers were their download and search limitations in that I couldn't really specify where I wanted certain files downloaded to or really search the websites I wanted to. However, now with Firefox extensions and hacks that's all become a thing of the past! First, I use the Firefox extension Download Sort 2.5.3 to control my downloads. Second, is the Attack of the Show Firefox/google search hack that allows you to search websites through google. Both these utilities can be tweaked to your heart's desire, and the links are provided below.
Download Sort 2.5.3
AOTS Search Hack

Random Neko #2

Utamaru from Da Capo!

Tamagoyaki!

Tamagoyaki for those of you who don't know Japanese is like an omelette except folded into many layers. To make tamagoyaki first beat as many eggs as you like into a bowl. Then depending on the volume of egg mixture one has, determine how many layers of omelette one would like. Based on that number start to fry 1/number of the mixture amount in a non-stick pan over low heat. Once the egg in the pan is almost cooked through, i.e. no more liquid; then add another 1/number amount of mixture into the pan. Quickly place the cooked egg over the raw egg mixture and cook the them both over low heat. Once the raw egg almost cooks fold the layer over the already cooked egg and repeat for as many layers as needed.

Random Neko #1

Yamamaya from Azumanga Daioh!

Japanese I'm Trying to Incorporate

These are mostly sounds that have some meaning associated with them that I'm trying to fit into my daily lexicon.
Ara Ara: Oh oh.
Ara Ara Ma Ma: Oh my oh my.
Uuuughhhh Sui-pasu!: Ummmm Sour!
Gao: Onomatopoeia for a baby dinosaur from the anime AIR, I use it when I'm whining.
Uguh: Sound made by Tsukimiya Ayu whenever she encounters something undesirable.
Gaku: Onomatopoeia for death/defeat.
Peace out from Bo-san!

iTunes 5.0

I thought I'd upgrade to iTunes 5.0 today but it was such a frustrating experience that I gave up. First, 5.o is bundled with QuickTime which bites if you already have QuickTime. Second, the download kept on becoming corrupt so I had to redownload over and over again. Finally, iTunes pretty much tries to take over your machine when it's running; WTF? Thus I didn't install 5.0, what a waste of time. Also on the Apple iTunes download page where it asks your email address before the download, don't bother to give it as the download will work just fine if you leave that field blank.

I Love Paper

It's just so useful, like you can write on it and make paper airplanes and another good thing about paper is Read or Die... Seriously I made a 4 ft cord studded with 50 individual Shinto style fortunes or O-mikuji today, it's so pretty! Maybe it's cause I'm just vain but I think that's just what I needed for the shrine. Sorry there's no pictures but u'know it's sacred ground, ;p

Wallpapers from BOAS

Two wallpapers from yours truly. Also available on Moonlight Flaga Media on Blue LaFlaga.

Can't Breath Enough AIR

That's right, the OVA entitled AIR in Summer or AIR Summer Special is available for enjoyment! After the TV series and Movie, I believe this completes the AIR triple threat. BTW has anybody else noticed that Asians like to use Macromedia Flash a lot?

Mahoraba ~ Heartful Days

I finished watching Mahoraba ~ Heartful Days a few days ago and I can wholeheartedly recommend this anime for any person. Mahoraba is a wonderful character driven story ideally suited to children and adults alike. With not less than five kittens, princesses, and a children's story book alternate narrative of the anime in Mahoraba this is just one of those feel good animes that is soo soo cute. Kawaiissu! To anyone who hasn't seen Mahoraba ~ Heartful Days, please watch it soon.

Blogger Warning!!!

Several of my blog posts have recently been spammed by advertisers with false links to their websites. I know that my readers would look at their progress bars to find the target of the link, but here's just a warning anyway. DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THESE COMMENTS!!!

Consistency

While shopping for instant noodles this afternoon I found myself with four products of Korean origin. After about five minutes of staring at the Korean food products in my cart I promptly returned them to the aisle. I find that everyone must maintain a certain consistency in one's life, be it Hyundai cars or Korean brand instant noodles.

Back from Beijing Mind and Body

As you probably know, I've been back from vacation for almost a week now and I've pretty much been feeling like the guy in the picture until recently. As of now, however, I feel well enough to tell my bard's tale of Peking so to speak in easy to read PDF format. It's titled Beijing Without Reservations, hahaha I'm dead!

Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shouganai Licensed?!

Another anime that I'd thought would never be licensed has in fact been snatched up by media blasters and is scheduled to release in Oct. 2005. WTF??! I can't believe that this was licensed! Along with Onegai Twins and DearS this is the third time I've been wrong about license picks, just what is wrong with me? AM I TOO NORMAL?! A word of advice, Sukisyo is definately shonen-ai so don't watch it you guys if you don't want to have a lifelong mental scar!

High Quality Subs

Stop bitching about the high-quality subs vs. the speed subs O Ye who don't know shit about the Japanese language. Seriously buy a dictionary and let the rest of us enjoy the original Japanese.

Screenshots FYI

Here's a guide to capturing screenshots which any one of the many DVD player programs should be able to do. However, since we're cheap we need a free alternative and that is where Virtual Dub comes in. Virtual Dub is really a movie/AVI editing program but has a simple way to capture screenshots in the original size and aspect. To capture a screen in Vitual Dub all one has to do is seek to the time of the screenshot (CTRL+G, then enter the time) and then pressing CTRL+1 which will copy the screenshot to the clipboard. Then simply paste to MS Paint or something and save the image.
Aside: For those who want a bit more here are some video software that I found useful. First is Slysoft's CloneDVD2 which is intended to backup your DVDs but also makes perfectly good DVD format movies on your hard drive. After getting your movie backedup one can use Ahead: Nero Showtime to capture the screenshot from the movie using the built in feature.

AIR Movie

AIR: The Movie is available for your enjoyment, I haven't seen it yet but from the TV series this should be a touching movie.

Honey & Clover / Hachimitsu to Clover

Honey & Clover is without doubt one of the absolute best animes in a long while. Part comedy and part tragedy, Honey & Clover is a character driven masterpiece of story telling. The story follows the lives of a group of Art college students through good times and bad, and leads to a completely engrossing experience. Please please watch Honey & Clover if you haven't already.

Tadaima!

As you know from x/z, I'm back and it's great to be back. I should probably say something really interesting but the jet lag still hasn't worn off. A reminder though that this still is an anime blog so I'll come up with something to that effect real soon.

PS. Don't kid yourself, we have no fans...