Gaddafi Is Dead

According to the latest news, it really appears to be him. Warning, graphic pictures at the link. The gold plated .45 seems to be a strong identifier to me and it looks like him despite all the damage.

It has been a long time coming for this certifiable lunatic. I remember when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up and the Berlin disco bombing for that matter too. The world is a better place with him and his son gone, but I have a bad feeling about Libya.

After watching Egypt slide following their revolution, this one looks even messier. Islamic extremists will be looking to take power and one way or the other, they will.

For the moment, at least there is the potential of change for the better for the Libyan people. It is up to them now.

Shape of Things to Come

As the economic conditions continue to deteriorate to the inevitable collapse, governments at all levels will become obsessed with picking the pockets of the citizen completely clean. There has already been discussion of confiscating private retirement accounts, which has been done in other countries. Pumping up inflation is another way savings are wiped out and that is the plan in the United Kingdom.

But here is an idea that blindsided me and is already law in Louisiana. All secondhand goods are to be paid for by check or plastic from now on. Curiously, pawn shops are exempted. But what about Goodwill and Salvation Army stores? This also effectively outlaws rummage sales and any other private sale, since you would have to have enough money to survive checks bouncing or to have a credit card scanner. Those have fees per transaction to use, by the way.

Asinine barely begins to describe this. Supposedly this is to stop materials thefts and theft in general. Most of the buyers there are shady and doing it off the books anyway, so it will not stop crime. But it will destroy a lot of small businesses.

So why pass this law?

I suspect the real answer is that it is all about taxes. It is easier to keep track of what should be taxed because checks, debit cards, and credit cards are all traceable. They want a chunk of unreported “black market” sales that go on all the time between private citizens. The legitimate businesses already keep track of that and pay their taxes, but there is an attitude among some legislators that there is a huge underground economy that can bring in big revenue streams.

To some degree, they are right and that is why a national sales tax replacing the income tax would be very effective. But an individual state doing this will just encourage legitimate buyers to stop buying and criminals will do one of two things: money laundering and shopping out of state.

I feel assaulted by dangerous waves of stupidity.

Squid Girl Episode 4, Season 1

UPDATE September 4, 2018

More DMCA take downs have hit the blog despite screen captures long being considered fair use. Due to my not being able to afford a lawyer, I have no choice but to remove them or have the blog suspended. Only the words will be left.

TVTokyo is proving to be foolishly draconian in targeting posts meant to get people interested in seeing the Squid Girl anime and perhaps even purchasing it on DVD or Blu-ray. Being anti-piracy myself this is infuriating that they are targeting posts I wrote hoping to encourage people to try out a delightful show.

The silliness with a heart continues as everyone’s favorite invader from the bottom of the sea learns about money, family life, and suffers from an identity crisis. There will be puns.

Want to Buy Sumfin?

Fulfilling her vow to protect the ocean by picking up litter, Squid Girl is amazed at the volume of trash humans produce. But what is that strange object? A terrified (as always) Nagisa identifies it as a wallet and Ika gets her first lesson in money. As a reward for finding and returning, the owner gifts her with 10,000 yen.

While she knows of money, Squid Girl has no concept of how it all works and quickly is barraged with more advice than she can handle. After all, she is just a fresh squid to the surface world.

Sent to shop with Nagisa, the whole world of consumerism opens before her. But little does she know she is being stalked by Sanae who was able to smell her a block away. Yes, smell her. Sanae has more screws loose than a rusty old Yugo.

Shrimp addiction, Chizuru’s sadistic streak, and mental illness all get covered in this very amusing story that plays out like a warped after school special. In the end, there is no way to disagree with Nagisa’s quietly horrified take on the whole situation.

Care to Come Aboard?

Ever wondered where Squid Girl ended up living after invading? Here we get the answer when she isn’t allowed to follow Eiko and her family home for the night. So her base, The Lemon Beach House is where she spends her nights.

But a tragic death of an appliance and the binding of another means it will be a very boring night for a young squid. Drastic measures are required and the fallout from them the next morning can only lead to one thing…

Yes, Chizuru has decided to let Ika stay over at their house! Crabby Eiko is less than thrilled for good reason, given the damage all those tentacles can do. What follows is very sweet, though. Having her first experiences at normal things families do, Squid Girl has a great time.

Video games are played, boredom resurfaces, and what appears to be a shout out to another blue haired anime girl follow.

That’s So Fishy Its Fake

Sheer insanity.

That’s what this wonderfully loopy segment is and it all starts with an innocuous reconnaissance run on a popular neighboring beach. Eiko and Squid Girl are stunned to find kids recognizing her and pulling on her tentacles. Could she be that infamous?

Not exactly. There is another Squid Girl!

Instant identity crisis time for our tentacled would be terror when she confronts her “twin.” It does not matter that the other Squid Girl is a shapely young thing wearing an obvious and oversized mask. Much like when Takeru made a squid hat in episode one, she cannot tell the difference.

But forget the deep sea existential crisis, the real humor is in the insane creation of the rival restaurant owner. We get to see not one, but two versions of his brilliant work. Let us say that the more he innovates, the less appealing his work becomes – even if it has animatronic tentacles and other special features.

An hilarious competition of the Squid Girl’s ensues with the fate of Ika’s future on the line. There will be collateral damage, scares, and a stunning reveal. Just what lurks beneath that expression of the new girl?

Thoughts

Episode 4 has all of Squid Girl’s best points on display. Segment one has the foibles of Squid Girl featured, plus a nice moral message to start it. There is an endearing quality to the show and the middle segment captures the warmth the show often exudes. Part of the fun is seeing the title character have new experiences, but the sense of appreciation for everyday things is rewarding as well. But the sheer insanity of the final story is the episode stealer.

Highlights from the three segments for me:

The short exchange between Chizuru and Eiko when the younger sister sent Nagisa to escort Ika shopping. A very nicely written bit.

The reaction to the box’s contents at the end of the first segment.

The warm fuzzies generated by the montage in the second story.

Realizing how none of the main females in the cast have a ridiculously buxom body that is so prevalent in anime. Eiko, Chizuru, Sanae, Nagisa, and Squid Girl have relatively normal body types. The appearance of the new girl brought that home, because she is the stereotypical anime girl in appearance.

I also liked the hint that the stereotypical beauty seems to be on the shy side in this episode. That final look back added an unexpected moment of poignancy to an otherwise gonzo story. We will see her again.

It seems the American voice actors have settled into their roles by this point in recording and I have to say they do a good job. The refreshing normalcy of the voice portrayals of Eiko and Nagisa stood out to me.

Stupidity Is Its Own Reward

There is a reason instructions should be followed and today I became the poster child of why. 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide should only be transferred from containers while wearing protective gloves because it will burn bare skin. So of course I thought I could be careful and skip finding the gloves.

I think the quantity was only one to two drops that got loose, but that spread out fast despite rinsing my hands. In fact, I though I had got off scot free until five minutes later when the pain began.

Casualty count: right thumb, forefinger, middle finger, pinky, palm, left forefinger and pinky. The fingertips looked like reverse fingerprints. Hot needles is how I would describe the pain.

So far everything is still functioning due to an application of Vaseline and I will see how that goes.

Meanwhile, as of last night and today, everything tastes like bleach. My surmise is that I have hit the saturation point on the H2O2 therapy and should start ramping down to maintenance levels today.

Yesterday, I was able to get a workout in on the home gym and assorted other things done with a nap thrown in. That is a relief after the horrendous weekend and a good indication of how the therapy has helped. The mild chest congestion is gone as of today from what I can tell and given the struggles with bronchitis this year is simply amazing.

I am pleased with H2O2 and displeased with my stupidity. Lesson learned, sigh.

So Much for That

Instead of being at stake conference, I find myself relegated to sitting at home and typing this post. One of the things about having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is that you often do not get to do what you badly want to. To a certain degree, your agency is curtailed.

The entire weekend was a bust because I overdid things on Friday. Though I will admit that given the unpredictability of the illness, I may have already been in trouble. So I did not go to the birthday party, the two sessions of stake conference, and the special meeting with Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Twelve. The latter is especially disappointing for me.

After knowing I was in no condition to go anywhere Saturday, I concentrated on resting up for today. It was to no avail and I knew I was in trouble from the moment I got up at 6 AM. My father offered to drive me, but it turns out the car would have needed gas anyway and though it was severely tempting, I would not violate the Sabbath. In the end, it would not have mattered because I was in very bad shape and would have been a zombie through the whole thing.

I have done that before and can testify to the fact that you come away with little to no benefit, since you don’t remember what was said. Instead of an uplifting and edifying experience, it becomes a miserable marathon of trying to stay awake. Only around 11:30 AM was I able to begin to function today to illustrate the problem.

Not being able to do things like this gnaws at my very soul and now I need to find my way out of the foul temper I am in. I will listen to my library of scriptures, hymns, and conference talks and hope to find some peace there.

Horror of Dracula (1958) Review

It is Hammer time which means another horror movie review to celebrate Halloween. This time the most famous vampire of them all gets the British treatment in glorious Technicolor! Blood is sucked, victims are seduced, and a battle of wits between good and evil is enjoined.

After the monster success of The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer Films decided they needed follow it up with another horror movie. The obvious choice was to remake Dracula using the same formula of action, serious acting, pretty ingénues, gothic sets, and shooting in color. Bringing back the same director and stars would guarantee success. But did it work out as hoped?

Read on to see why I consider Christopher Lee’s Dracula the best portrayal by any actor and Peter Cushing’s heroic Van Helsing the definitive version.

After a long opening credits sequence, the camera zooms in on a crypt placard with the infamous name of Dracula on it. Bright red paint is spattered on it for shock effect and that particular bit is more amusing than frightening. But to audiences back then, it probably worked, since it was a far less jaded time. For us older folks, this kind of in your face “scary” mood setter brings forth feelings of nostalgia. At least it did for me.

Health 10-15-2011

So far this day has one of staggering about, mentally and physically. Crossword puzzle time was atrocious and Audiosurf was terrible. That is after giving myself extra time to wake up to deal with them.

I think assisting in unloading bags of wood pellets yesterday did me in. That is a beyond maximum output for me and I simply feel unwell. No cold or other bug symptoms, just fried from it.

So much for getting another session on the home gym in today. If I do that, then there is no way to get to a birthday party and stake conference later tonight. This makes me concerned about tomorrow, since I have to get up early to travel to Rochester for a single adults meeting with Elder Quentin L. Cook as part of stake conference.

Hopefully, all will work out. I also want to get the next horror film review finished that I began writing last night. Nausea from H2O2 is not helping. I feel like I can’t think right now. Ah, CFS brain fog is so much fun.

Health 10-14-2011

Typing using a cat as a wrist rest is not advisable, though I am doing so at the moment.

Yesterday went well, the optometrist was surprised how well I am doing with the bifocal contacts. 20/15 for the wall projection and able to barely read the smallest line on the hand held card. It looks like his saying I was an ideal candidate for the lenses was dead on.

Also picked up the cheapest plastic lensed prescription glasses I could at Wal-Mart. They are not bifocals, but are for working on models so I can peer over them for detail work. Being nearsighted is an attribute rather than a defect for working on miniatures. Weird getting dizzy from new glasses, but the old ones were fifteen years old. I can’t say I like the frames, but they are for home use only so I should not complain.

Got another session in on the home gym. Years of catching up to do, sadly. One of the rollers popped one end of its cover and I need to see if the lifetime warranty covers replacing it. Mostly a cosmetic issue, fortunately.

I am hoping the workouts will help with the bad lower back problems that intensified this year. Hopefully there will be synergy from the H2O2 therapy and the weight training. There should be plenty of oxygen getting to the muscle tissue now.

This week I started doing meditation daily again rather than sporadically. It simply was not enough doing it once in awhile and once again I hope for some synergy with everything else I am doing. After an aborted attempt to put together a music playlist to continue the mood after meditating, I finally have gotten an initial one functional. But I still need to comb through my music library for more.

Some of Pink Floyd’s tunes work, as do songs from The Alan Parsons Project, but most are instrumentals from classical, electronic, and game genres. The music from the old Sierra game RAMA is particularly suited to the purpose.

I seem to be adjusting to the downturn in temperatures better than usual and reactions to the soybean fields being harvested was less than expected. While the sinuses still objected, it was not nearly like before.

It may be the H2O2 therapy helping there. I despise drinking the vile stuff, but it is having positive effects. It is also nice to be consuming yogurt on a daily basis again without any bowel distress. So far, so good.

Adding Insult to Injury

That story about the trojan keylogger infection of the drone control system somehow managed to get worse. It turns out the base’s officers did not notify their superiors about it and they found out from the media. CYA at its best, folks. This really instills confidence about the competency of those in charge at Creech.

It also raises the possibility that this is a garden variety infection, rather than a deliberate hack. The stupidity on display is embarrassing and I hope some careers get black marks for this. Looking for a silver lining here is difficult, but maybe the military will finally do something about the security in place and harden the systems against hacking.

Oh yeah, this whole going mainly to drones is going to work out well…

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) Review

To celebrate Halloween season, Hammer Time begins with a review of the horror film that made the movie studio famous world wide. Plagued by last minute changes to the story and makeup, Hammer’s interpretation of Mary Shelley’s famous novel still chills and thrills over fifty years later. But do not think it a shallow experience, for there is a real story in there too.

In the late 1950’s, British film studio Hammer Films decided to revive the old Universal monsters for another go around. Known mostly for their Quatermass adaptations, the studio focused on remaking Frankenstein. But Universal got wind of the plan and that forced rewrites to the script to avoid a lawsuit. The planned makeup had to change too. Sounds a bit messy, doesn’t it?

Thankfully, a good director, a competent script, and standout acting by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee combined to produce a true classic in the horror genre. Not to mention the movie was a killer at the box office, partially due to it being in color – a change made due to Universal’s threats.

That ability to use color is pressed into service right away with a nice matte composition featuring a lone rider on his horse. Right away the appropriate gothic mood is set and further expanded upon, for it is a dank and dreary prison that the rider has arrived at. The priest (Alex Gallier) has come to the prison at the behest of Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), a possibly insane inmate with a curious story to tell before he is executed.

Health 10-12-1011

Yesterday was qualifies as a good day since I got some things done. Best of all, I was able to get in a workout on my home gym. Sore today, but given that I have a touch of chest congestion to go with mild sinusitis, this is a victory.

The new bifocal contact lenses are behaving so far, but I will give it until the end of the month before I render final judgment. Hopefully the body will not decide to react to them, since they are a big improvement.

Crossword puzzle was barely acceptable with some mitigation due to running into words I had never encountered before. Audiosurf was much better.

Health 10-10-2011

It can be hard to collect one’s thoughts when you feel lousy and have a headache to boot, but here goes.

I am now at the 25 drops three times a day point on the H2O2 therapy and that level will last for a while longer than the norm. While not 100% effective, it has reduced IBS symptoms by at least 95% in occurrence and significantly lessened the severity. That alone makes it a success in my book. The nausea is not improving though.

I dread drinking the concoction and am now using Sunny D to flavor the water. Why? I hate the stuff and I was beginning to have a visceral reaction to fruit juice. So Sunny D is something I do not like anyway, but still tastes better than the straight water with the peroxide in it.

Other benefits experienced include sinusitis symptoms lessening, but not going away. It is strange being able to breath through the nose while suffering them, I must say. Breathing in general is easier, much to my surprise. Walking is easier, which is a welcome change.

Energy levels have been slowly rising to the point I am starting to enact some long planned changes in lifestyle, with a resumption of hobbies being a big part of it. A desire to limit time spent on the Internet means I will be cutting back on that. Not a hard thing to do, since I was already well into the process of doing so.

While things have been improving, you could not judge that by today. Not a good day and the crossword puzzle and Audiosurf confirmed it. Though I did slip into tired and stubborn mode playing the latter, which led to playing too many rounds of it while getting worse scores with each play. It occurs to me that behavior is much like a little kid refusing to admit he is tired and does not need to go to bed. I guess some things never change.

You Cannot Beat Reality for Weirdness

The perfect illustration of why.

Of course when you have a tinpot Marxist dictator in charge of the country, just about anything becomes possible. To me this is utterly insane, simply because it would inspire me to be worse. Frankly, if I found a video game involving running down mimes, I would buy it and play it too much.

While I do not “road rage”, I could easily mime rage.

Not So Shocking News: Drones Are Vulnerable to Hacking

Every time I read someone proclaim the era of human flown combat aircraft is coming to an end, I roll my eyes. It is highly reminiscent of the proclamation that guns were no longer needed on fighters back in the 1960’s. Go check YouTube for videos of strafing done to protect the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to see how false that was.

There are so many vulnerabilities to automated remote systems and guess what, our drones have already been hacked. This is far worse than having Iraqi dissidents intercepting unencrypted real time footage from drones. A keylogger records all the inputs and commands sent to the drones, which means somebody out there is figuring out how the actual control can be disrupted.

The most likely culprit is China, but it could be anyone in this overly wired age. But the most distressing part of this incident is the inability of the military to get rid of the trojan. That should be relatively easy unless the network itself is compromised.

I am no fan of moving warfare to drones for a variety of reasons. Taking out the human risk in warfare risks dehumanizing it to the point of playing a video game. Flexibility is not there in reacting to unforeseen situations, unlike with a human in the cockpit and on site. If we go up against an opponent with real air defenses, drones are very vulnerable to being shot down. Last, but the biggest, is the vulnerability to hacking.

It reminds me of the beginning of the most recent Battlestar Galactica series where the newest Viper fighters were disabled by a virus. Ah science fiction, you always tend to predict the future!