Dust in the Wind

Or more accurately, crop dusting on a hazy Saturday morning.

It was surprising to hear an airplane buzzing the house at very low level this morn. Normally, only the rare C-130 will buzz the place about once a year or so and the local light planes keep higher. So I went outside to check out what the racket was about and was very surprised to see a bright yellow crop dusting plane circling round.

An opportunity for photos, I thought! I rushed back into the house and grabbed the Canon S1IS that is for general use and ran out. Change batteries it said. No spare batteries charged at the moment, of course.

Back in I went and got the big Canon DSLR. Being in a hurry, I didn’t bother to put the big telephoto lens on it. Switched to sport mode as I’m beyond rusty and took a few shots. Results weren’t what I wanted and I knew I had to risk the plane departing to get the 55-250mm lens.

Fortunately for me, more passes were made and I got some better shots.

The spray bars which dispense the chemicals dropped are one of the most intriguing features on these specialty planes.

I assume the thick wings hold the chemical tanks, but can’t say for sure.

The profile reminds me of early racing planes, but with a much higher canopy. That’s needed for winding your way through the weeds.

Amazing how low they fly to spray.

Well that was fun. I never did get to an airshow after getting a decent camera and telephoto lens, so at least I know they work!

All Along the Watchtower

Time again to collect my thoughts for posterity since this blog was started to be a journal.

With the stock markets diving, it appears reality has finally caught up to investors. The new jobs report shows unemployment down slightly to 9.1% but is due to Americans leaving the employment game. Only 58.1% (or 63.9%, I’m running into varying figures) of the employable population are holding a job right now.

The attempt to decouple employment from economic health baffles me. It demonstrates just how out of touch the elites are. Apparently, they have no knowledge of history – if they did they’d be terrified right about now. The first warning sign is usually a populist political movements being born. If those fail to change things or are suppressed, structural failures in a society begin to be evident. That isn’t saying they weren’t already there, but that the masses begin to perceive them. Consider it noticing that the emperor is walking around stark naked.

I think we have entered that stage with “government” replacing “emperor.”

Should be an interesting day watching the stock markets again. 3% a day declines in US and Asian stock indexes have been the pattern the last few days. We’ll see if that changes.

At home, we now have much higher DSL speeds thanks to a change in modems and the new package from Ace. Speed tops out at 6.7M down, which is amazing after being used to 1M. Streaming is a new world, but tests of HD streams have been mixed. Since I don’t have many to compare, my conclusions are limited but it appears to be dependent on the technology used by the streaming services.

720P works just fine off of youTube, but an anime site I tried still stutters. Come to think of it, they don’t label as 720P, maybe they are trying to push 1080P. I should try out Hulu Plus for the free week and see how that works.

Will this skeptic of streaming movie services ever be fully converted? Time will tell.

Best thing about the increased speed is how software updates seem instantaneous now. There is also enough bandwidth to have two people browsing videos and music without stepping on each other’s virtual toes. VOIP is working better so far as well.

A Mormon Defense League? For all the talk of Latter-day Saints being so media savvy, the fact this only just launched demonstrates how questionable that assumption is. This organization is needed given the rampant bigotry and ignorance on display across the country.

I was checking the stats on the blog and noticed a lot of hits were on my Citizen Kane review. What is surprising is how many people have been looking for the No Trespassing sign still shot. Is there a meme out there I’m unaware of?

And by a lot of hits, I mean in double digits.

One of the nice things about having a small blog is seeing the strange intersections of what I post and what people are looking for. Part of it is nostalgia for when the Web was new and I’d surf to find whatever was out there. That feeling of finding the unexpected and different is no longer there for me. Maybe others aren’t as jaded and find something here to entertain or ponder. If so, I hope that feeling of discovery is aided a little by my meanderings.

Watched the new Clash of the Titans the other night. What a hollow experience that was. None of the charm or respect of the old myths in the original was present. The effects were decent and that is the only area in which it was superior. It simply isn’t a good movie.

Finally purchased and downloaded Planescape: Torment to play. It is a game I’d read about for years and had meant to get last year when it showed up at GOG.com. There are some issues of crashing, but I made sure to add the mod to allow quick saves. Sigil is one interesting place and the Planes always make for a good setting.

Hopefully, I can finish this game eventually. I haven’t gamed that much lately since writing has taken up more of my health induced down time. This is a good thing.

Health 8-4-2011

Since early July, a pain in my lower abdomen has been giving me grief. It felt like a muscle strain but never goes away for long. If it gets much worse, I’ll have to have it looked into. I’d rather wait it out.

Didn’t sleep well due to it. Crossword puzzle was way too easy today, so of no use gauging mental acuity. Audio surf wasn’t great, but it was all fast moving  steep downhill tracks today. So once again, not a good way of measuring things.

It is a Thursday. I never did get the hang of Thursdays.

Moody Minnesota

It had slipped my attention that the state of Minnesota was downgraded from AAA to AA+ by Moody’s last month. So it was somewhat surprising to find out that the financial outlook for Minnesota was revised to negative on Monday. This is not a good thing when looking for bonding in the future.

Strange how my state has become something of a predictor for political problems lately. What’s clear is that the public’s love of having divided government doesn’t work so well during a time of economic crisis.  Big governments are slow to react to anything and divided governments are even worse.

So we are seeing that stop gap measures aren’t effective in keeping good credit ratings, which should be a warning sign to the Federal government. There is a very high chance that there will be a downgrade there as well.

I should see how the stock markets are taking things now that the debt ceiling raise was signed by President Obama…

Well, the Dow has plunged below the 12,000 mark and the S&P has shed most of its gains for the year. Not surprising since there is no good economic news to be had. Gold just went higher with South Korea buying more, it is at $1644.50 an ounce. That’s absurdly high and a huge warning sign.

Interesting times.

Chicken Tracks

One thing I’ve noticed about when I get overtired is the tendency toward malapropos when speaking or writing. It is very irritating to realize that the wrong word was used well after the fact. So when I logged in today and saw that I’d titled the last post “Chicken Scratches” I was not amused.

When I wrote that title, in my head was the imagery of what my notes and print writing looks like. Those of us who print too quickly can be accused of putting “chicken tracks” on paper. How “scratches” got in there I do not know.

Now for some more randomness as I willfully go off topic.

While off in the big medium small city, I ran across a gun shop that was unknown to me. Curious to see what they have, one of the first things beheld upon entering is afflicting me with a bad case of the wants. It is a new DPMS Panther Oracle in .308/7.62 caliber. Think of an M-4 but with a much bigger punch.

For some time, I’ve wanted a .308 semi-auto to fill a true multirole capability. Something that can take deer or larger game down but also be something useful if the world decides to end while I wasn’t watching. But most of all, after getting an Enfield SMLE I fell in love with shooting bigger rounds. Which is not what I expected at all.

One thing saving me from getting too covetous of the rifle is the short barrel. I want something longer for hunting purposes, though I concede that my shaky hands probably render the extra range useless. It is also why I need the ability to put a second round downrange ASAP when I miss. Sigh.

Back to reality.

Chicken Scratches

I survived the weekend. therefore I declare a small victory for doing so. It was not a particularly challenging weekend as far as demands go, but I can’t make any claims to having much energy. Today was a high pain index day with my back sounding like Rice Crispies – which is actually a good thing. When it pops like that, it relieves  the pain.

Last night’s gaming session got very silly indeed with my paladin surviving a crocodile attack while he was sleeping. A crocodile named “Crikey.” That would have been a bad way to go. Especially since I’m the tank of the party.

Church was interesting today. A new High Priest Group Leader and new Elders Quorum President were the surprises for the day. So in the past two months most of the auxiliary heads and the Bishopric changed. More to come we were told.

A debt ceiling deal was reached and now we’ll see if it can be passed. I suspect it will. It is all reshuffling the deck chairs anyway.

Time to submit my finances to the county again for review. It is a good excuse to go to town for a print out of my Social Security benefits. Unfortunately, the weather will be miserable again. I’ll take the camera along just in case an interesting picture presents itself. It would be nice to get going on photography again.

My personal goal of writing 300 words per day on the blog has been easily passed, so stage one of getting in the habit of writing has worked out well. I’ve begun rounding up the various tablets, electronic files, and loose notes with ideas for stories that I’ve strewn about over the years. Time to put them into one physical location and transcribe them to bits and bytes.

The Thirteen Days review is going to take a lot longer than expected. Instead of viewing it twice it is going to take at least three to four viewings. Normally I watch once to take notes and a second time to make screen captures. For some reason, the fact the DVD has commentary and a special pop up feature eluded my notice all the years I’ve owned it. Those need reviewing too on this overlooked film.

More soundtrack reviews will probably be posted in the future. One of the more interesting trends in music is that of high quality scores for video games. So those will get some attention since they are off the beaten path.

TRON: Legacy Soundtrack (2010) Digital Format

An exceptional auditory experience blending synthesized and orchestral music, the soundtrack is even more dazzling than the movie. While I’m not a Daft Punk fan, the duo has created something very special here.

Thanks to the Internet, it is easier to acquire music than ever before in all its myriad variations. In turn, that has allowed me to broaden my musical horizons and sample things I would never have otherwise. There are only a few genres I don’t like and techno verges on being one of them. Daft Punk is so big in techno that even I had heard of them. So it was with some trepidation that I approached the samples from the forthcoming movie last winter.

To my surprise, the snippets I listened to were very intriguing and I really liked what I heard. With bonus tracks being offered with the digital version from iTunes, I purchased the album.  After that, I purchased the Amazon exclusive MP3 to complete what was available in the USA. Europe got a deluxe edition which I can’t find or afford so my review is limited to the USA tracks.

So without further adieu, the review of TRON: Legacy Original Motion Picture Soundtrack!

A note on my starring system: It is what I have them marked as in MediaMonkey, the media player and music database program I use. I tend to be harsher with evaluations, so 1 star = can be tolerated, 2 stars = good, 3 = above average, 4 = excellent, and 5 = a true favorite.

The Tracks

Overture is the first track and its slow rising horns and strings set a mournful tone before blending with synth for the fanfare. It is a somber and serious piece, not your typical heroic fare. 3 Stars.

The Grid follows with pulsating percussion and tense strings accompanying Jeff Bridges narration setting up the movie. It builds into heavy synth with a feeling of anticipation to it. 4 Stars.

The Son of Flynn is a moody track dominated by synthesizers that pays some tribute to Wendy Carlos’ score for TRON. It is an odd mix of playful synth that wouldn’t sound out of place on a harpsichord overlaid upon a pensive orchestral base. 5 Stars.

Recognizer builds to ominous tones very quickly. There is a feeling of something big and menacing coming that gives way to a variation of the main motif. It ends with a much darker version of the preceding track. 3 Stars.

Armory brings a change of pace to the soundtrack. Reminiscent of early 80’s electronica of the Tangerine Dream type, it conveys a sense of mystery through its softer tones.

Arena starts with quiet buzzing which leads to an ever escalating and repeating synth keyboard eventually joined by taiko drums. One can easily imagine the entry of a gladiator into an excited coliseum and the crowd erupting. 4 Stars.

Rinzler is a very sinister track that starts ominously. There is a feeling of being hunted, starting with the sensation that somebody is watching you followed by the realization it really is happening. Then comes the horrifying attack and silence.  3 Stars.

The Game Has Changed fuses elements from Arena and Rinzler then brings in the horns from Recognizer. Tension steadily rises and fades like the ebb and flow of an extended battle before ending in a crescendo of noise. 4 Stars.

Outlands begins with the now familiar use of repetitive and tension building strings. Along the way it turns into a Wagnarian journey when the horns kick in for an exciting finish before trailing off suggestively. 3 stars.

Adagio for Tron is mainly orchestral at first before its mournful strings meet mellow keyboards. Here Carlos’ influence is very clear. Halfway, the tone shifts dramatically in a bolder reprise accompanied by dark synths and louder horns. A solo cello assumes center stage to end the piece on a sad note. 3 Star.

Nocturne continues the brooding atmosphere with a mix of slow strings and synths. Introspection and sadness are invoked by the track. 3 Star.

End of Line kicks things into gear after the previous melancholy tracks. Featuring a turn toward techno, it has a strong dance beat that would fit in any club scene. But it also manages to sound incredibly sinister, with a feeling that very bad things are lurking under the surface. Distorted electronic noises contribute greatly to that feeling of unease. It is a stand out track. 5 Stars.

Derezzed was the track that got previewed on the Web and from what I’ve seen is classic Daft Punk. An example of pure techno it is frenetic and has a heavy beat, but with an 8 bit feel to it. Distortion that was present in the previous track is increased dramatically. 3 Stars.

Fall sounds like falling, strangely enough. Fuzzed tones rise like a tea kettle, pause, then start over again. The effect is that of something going very, very wrong. 3 Stars.

Solar Sailor brings another break from the tension while remaining somewhat pensive. Keyboard synth work reminds me of a babbling brook and also the original movie. Something serene and lovely is implied in this relatively peaceful track. 3 Stars.

Rectifier ends the mellow mood decisively when sinister strings build into something martial and strident. An impression of an army appearing over the horizon is conveyed by the horn section. The piece slows and fades out gradually like the army has marched past you. 3 Stars.

Disc Wars is percussive and immediate. It is the first heroic sounding track; strangely full of hope. The 8 bit keyboard returns and adds further urgency until it builds into something grand. Possibly my favorite on the soundtrack. 5 Stars.

C.L.U. features urgent strings again with dark undertones provided by synthesizer. They give way to calculated keyboards before resuming with horns accompanying. The overall effect is the feeling of someone slowly losing their temper until they hit the snapping point. Danger fills the soundstage and it stays that way until the end. 3 Stars.

Arrival conveys a sense of weariness after a long journey. This slower synth piece has a pervasive melancholy about it. 3 Stars.

Flynn Lives reprises the theme from Overture with the addition of whirling beauty to accompany the sadness. This is what the entire score has been building to. 4 Stars.

TRON Legacy (End Titles) is a heavy electronica version of what was first presented in The Grid. This restatement of the main theme simply sounds like an end title. Which it is supposed to, right? 4 Stars.

Finale is the final track of the score. Featuring mournful and elegiac horns that give way to strings, it moves to a more optimistic sound when woodwinds introduce the final crescendo. Seeing light at the end of a dark tunnels is how I would describe this track. 3 Stars.

iTunes Bonus Tracks:

Father and Son is a slow piano reprise of the main theme, with the addition of subdued strings and horns. It is another melancholy piece. 3 Stars.

Outlands, Pt. II is a variation on Outlands, but more urgent and layered in sound. Mysterious and dark by comparison, it begets a sense of dread before an organ makes it funereal. 3 Stars.

Amazon Exclusive Track

Sea of Simulation continues the burbling brook electronica of Solar Sailor. It is slightly more contemplative than that track. 3 Stars.

Thoughts

Daft Punk did an outstanding job in composing Tron: Legacy.  It is a wonderful and masterful blend of synth and orchestral elements that always flows with nary a misstep. I ended up loving it long before I finally saw the movie. The impressions are hopefully the ones from before viewing the film.

Like the movie, this is not a cheerful work. You’ll notice I used the word melancholy to describe multiple tracks and that is the over all mood of the album. But there is a purposeful sound to it that makes it very easy to keep in your music rotation. Make no mistake about it, it is beautiful music.

Not all soundtracks can stand on their own from their associated film, but this one easily does. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes music.

Technical

iTunes included what they call a Digital Booklet (it’s a Acrobat file) with the downloaded album. Scans of the entire CD insert make up the booklet and contain some small interviews.

Daft Punk was inspired by the original TRON as can be seen by their helmets they wear in concert (and movie cameo). Influences on them include Wendy Carlos, Bernard Hermann, and Hans Zimmer. Aspect of all three composers can be heard in the structures of the tracks.

Sound is clean, near CD level and will sound great on any system. iTunes files have come a long way over the years.

I’d like to eventually get the CD because my sound setup does show a difference between lossless and lossy sound files. Most people won’t notice the difference, but the soundstage is much wider on my Boston Acoustics speakers and Sennheiser headphones when playing complex music.

Health 7-29-2011

Not quite into true bronchitis, but the right bronchial is making life difficult. The high humidity is aggravating things and I’m living on cough drops.

Went out to get said cough drops and dropped in on a household I home teach Wednesday. By the time I headed home, I was short of breath. Last night my father and I met with friends at the Caledonia DQ and by the end of that the same thing was happening, but not as bad.

Oh well. At least the crossword puzzles have been going well. Audiosurf is another matter entirely. Mind is working but the body not so much. Too bad the warranty is expired on it.

Bleach Season 1: The Substitute, Ep. 3-4

The famous anime continues to introduce the main characters and shows a sentimental side during the attack on Orihime. Later, Rukia finds a foe she cannot vanquish while adapting to the world of mortals.

Episode 3: The Older Brother’s Wish, the Younger Sister’s Wish

Things pick up with Rukia explaining to Ichigo that there appears to be a mastermind hollow manipulating events from behind the scenes. As she plays detective, a sudden realization sends them on a frantic mission to protect Orihime. Being ghosts, hollows are drawn to those they loved in life and the redhead’s brother proves this correct as he arrives at the girl’s apartment.

The Debt Ceiling Mess

This it going to be a purely my point of view entry under the personal category. This way I have something written to look back on in the future. I’m getting the feeling events are history in the making with a capital H. So time to organize my thoughts for posterity.

The debt ceiling expansion is a political no win scenario for the Republican Party and possibly extremely damaging to President Obama. No matter what is passed it will not address the massive debt the government has accrued.

The Left can jack up taxes all they want and it won’t work. There is a phrase called “capital flight” and we’ll see the wealthy move what is left of their money overseas if this happens. That will not generate revenue or jobs here. No employers equal no jobs and the socialist model of all working for the government is unsustainable. The Twentieth Century proved that repeatedly.

Only harsh spending cuts will do any good at stimulating the economy, but that is impossible given two thirds of the government is under Democratic Party control. The House GOP freshmen have badly miscalculated what their real power is. So even if the Boehner plan is passed it will die in the Senate or be vetoed.

I’ve felt for some time we passed the point of no return vis a vis the national debt and that it is impossible to pay it off. Eventually it won’t be possible to borrow any more money, since Europe and Asia are in trouble too. The only thing allowing this charade of solvency to continue is that there is nowhere else for investors to move to than the dollar and US bonds.

Meanwhile, there is zero leadership being exhibited by Obama. His main concern is with kicking the ceiling issue down the road past November of 2012. Even raising taxes is secondary to getting reelected. Harry Reid is not much better. The Senate Democrats haven’t passed a budget in over 800 days. That’s years!

Many of my fellow Tea Party types want a default. Like the House GOP Caucus, they’ve badly overestimated their power in a split government. I don’t always agree with Charles Krauthammer, but his advice to focus on 2012 and taking the Senate is sage. But most in the Tea Party movement are political neophytes and believe taking a principled stand will win the day. Sorry, our government is far too corrupt for that to work.

The fiscal irresponsibility of decades by the Democrats and Republicans has gotten us here. So has the same irresponsibility of the citizens who have run up the same kind of debt. Right now many citizens are paying the price for their screwing up and it won’t be long until everyone will pay for the federal level screw ups.

I’ve often thought Wall Street and stock markets in general live in a fantasy world with little attachment to reality. The fact traders are just now tumbling to the idea there will be a default is a fascinating case of denial. It is much like both sides of the political aisle thinking the other is bluffing.

Default is coming in the future due to the way politics works. It is a matter of when, not if. It is also a matter of who will take the political blame. It doesn’t matter who is in the right or who was really responsible when the blame game begins for real. With a detached political class out of touch with the common man, frictions are going to grow until combustion happens. Why do I keep thinking about the aftermath of the French Revolution?  It isn’t a comforting reflection.

We are in a genuinely hopeless situation barring something utterly improbable and unpredictable happening. Instead of doing necessary things, we have political theater which is pretty much the norm when collapses happen. Neither the political class or the masses are willing to do what needs to be done.

I think it was Mark Twain who said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” In this case, I think the Great Depression may not be the proper model. It may be more like the fall of an empire with a massive earthquake followed by many severe aftershocks rippling across the globe.

We haven’t hit the really bad parts yet. But it is so very galling seeing what is coming and knowing nobody will stop it. Procrastination goes hand in hand with corruption and this may be the most telegraphed disaster in recorded history. Why do we have to be so Epimethean rather than Promethean? Bet that’s been thought many times since the age of the ancient Greeks.

The sole comforting thought is that humanity has gone through all this many times and survived. The wheel of history keeps turning and people find a way to make it through the darkness. Eventually, light returns.

Newer Is Not Always Better

Over the past two nights, I watched both versions of True Grit starting with the 1969 movie and finishing with the 2010 interpretation. It may be hard to believe, but I’d never seen the original. How that happened, I do not know. There are vague memories of watching Rooster Cogburn as a child, but that’s as close as it gets.

Being a Coen brothers fan and not a John Wayne fan, I fully expected to prefer the newer film. Surprise! The original completely outclasses the new one in almost every area and is only inferior in the cinematography.

Now I understand why John Wayne got an Oscar for playing Rooster Cogburn. Cast completely against type, he’s an utterly believable reprobate. In The Quiet Man, I’d seen that the famous star could actually act but I was unprepared for this performance. While Jeff Bridges was good in the part, Wayne’s version feels like a real person. If somebody had told me that I’d find Bridges’ performance inferior before this, I would have laughed in their face.

Glen Campbell gets the better of Matt Damon as the Texas Ranger, La Boeuf. Not quite as surprising as I always thought he was an underrated actor. This is no knock on Damon’s performance, by the way.

Kim Darby narrowly edges Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. Both actresses were very good, but Darby more successfully channeled the very Protestant girl. Pretty impressive given she was so much older than the character. Both carried their respective movies, but Steinfeld was too pretty for the part. The young actress looks like she will be someone to watch in the future. Time will tell.

Robert Duvall as Lucky Ned Pepper is light years better than Barry Pepper (a Pepper playing a Pepper?  I want to be a Pepper too!). There is something so authentic about his portrayal that I have trouble describing it.

Jeff Corey is simply more memorable than Josh Brolin as Tom Cheney. He just was the better whiner, which is an odd thing to view as a plus. Brolin was enjoyable in the part.

Two major differences in the movies stood out to me other than changes in events.

The first is the pacing.  The older movie moves at a more leisurely pace, especially early on. That gave the feeling of a true journey while the pacing of the modern version rushed things.

Second, the script for the 1969 True Grit was better. The extended verbal clashes between Mattie and well, everyone else, were an absolute delight. Coen brothers weirdness didn’t work as well as it usually does, though I’ll give them credit for being much more restrained than normal.

While the 2010 film is good, the 1969 movie is truly great. I may have to add it to my DVD library.

Cat’s in the Cradle

Cats have often been associated with being muses for writers or at least their regular companions. There is a drawback to this and that is trying to type around a cat who insists on being held. It simply does not work.

Cat extortion usually follows their being put down. Oh, it would be bad if the computer power cables were messed with, wouldn’t it?  You know, those speakers could have an accident, you don’t want that do ya?

Then there is the thing I dread the most: cat surprise.  Cat surprise involves running full tilt into the room and jumping on me without warning or looking to see if there is even a remote chance of a safe landing. Often it results in keyboard abuse as well.

At least I don’t use a mouse. In my early days of home computing, I found out that a moving cord invites temptation, not to mention carpal tunnel syndrome. Trackballs are a wonderful solution as long as you clean the cat hair out of them.

For some inexplicable reason, I fail to find my cats inspirational or anything close to being like muses. Obviously I’m doing something wrong.

Bleach Season 1: The Substitute, Episodes 1-2

What do you get when you mix every trope from action anime with swords, sorcery,  horror, comedy, drama, the afterlife, and interesting unique characters?  You get a surprisingly fun and occasionally touching TV series for teens and older.

In the fall of 2004, the animated adaptation of Tito Kube’s hugely popular manga Bleach hit the airwaves in Japan. Two years later the English dubbed version hit North America on cable television. Highly successful, the series has over 330 episodes, multiple stage musicals, and four theatrical movies released.

Episode 1: The Day I Became a Shinigami

Bleach opens its first season episodes episodes with an edgy and still stylish main title sequence.  It starts with a serious and mysterious mood on one hand then veers into almost psychedelic colored sequences. One thing is sure, and that is it shows attitude from the start. There are a bewildering number of characters shown. I remember first watching this and thinking, “This is going to be bad, isn’t it?”

That mix of disparate elements quickly proves to be an accurate reflection of the content of the show. There are beautiful moments of moodiness and sudden transitions into comedy, which is often of the Looney Tunes violent kind. But just as suddenly, a genuinely emotional scene will appear to tug at the heart strings.

The hero of the show, Ichigo Kurosaki, is introduced in a comically violent scene that ends with a poignant surprise. It also serves to let us know that we are dealing with a world filled with spirits of the dead, which the fifteen year old can see. It is an ability he finds annoying. Actually, it seems like the orange haired boy finds everything annoying.

His family owns a small pediatric hospital in a small city. Upon coming home, he’s immediately assaulted by his buffoonish and cheerfully abusive father. No wonder Ichigo is cranky. Also introduced are his younger sisters, Yuzo and Karin. The latter has some wonderful lines and seems to be the voice of reason. Well as much as someone officially in denial can be.

On his way to school, our protagonist sees something he hasn’t seen before – a monster. Before he can do anything, the mysterious black robed figure seen in the beginning comes to the rescue and then vanishes just as quickly.

Later that night, guess who walks into his room through his open window? Oddly, she ignores him – until he kicks her in the back and sends her sprawling. No wonder Ichigo doesn’t have a girlfriend. It is antagonism at first sight with results that don’t go well for the teenager.

It is an amusing spoof of all the magical girls appearing in the main character’s bedroom and demonstrates a sly subversive undercurrent of mocking the genre. Eventually, she identifies herself as a 150 year old Soul Reaper who fights monsters and escorts ghosts to the afterlife. We have arrived at exposition time.

Exposition accompanied by some of the worst visual aids you’ll ever see. Her artwork is rather… unique. She does not handle art critiques well, but you have to admire her viciousness.

At this point I gave in to the weirdness and allowed myself to go with the flow. Bad things ensue and Ichigo finds the lives of his sisters in jeopardy. Demonstrating unusual strength he finds himself in a mortal fight with a monster called a “hollow.” One big mistake by him leads to the Soul Reaper being badly wounded and a desperate sacrifice is made by her…

Which changes Ichigo’s life forever. With Rukia Kuchiki at his side, the orange haired boy will find challenges and adventure in an epic journey through the supernatural.

Episode 2: The Shinigami’s Work

The next day greets Ichigo with two feet to the face. Oh wait, that was his father, Isshin, doing the greeting. Only Ichigo remembers the attack from the night before and his family thinks a truck ran into the house. This perturbs him and he wonders if Rukia went back to Soul Society, the place spirits go to.

At school, he shows once again what a gentleman he is by bumping into a classmate, Orihime, and knocking the pretty girl down. Rude only begins to cover his behavior and their mutual friend Tatsuki dresses him down for it. But the buxom redhead is completely flustered by the boy’s presence and retreats. She is a stereotype of moe, which can be loosely translated to being a childish cute girl. This is a very common type in anime.

In the classroom, a mysterious transfer student shows up. You guessed it, Rukia has returned. I love the way she threatened him when she pretended to not know him. Ichigo’s reaction was priceless as well. It makes me want to use the method some day. She yanks him out of class and explains she is currently inhabiting an artificial body, called a gigai, because she’s lost almost all of her powers.

Being a fan of the original Japanese with English subtitles, I must mention that the original voice actress is far better than the American one. This scene really hammers that home as Rukia affects a demeanor totally unlike her real personality.

All business, Rukia forces his Soul Reaper form out of his body and takes him to where another hollow is loose. What follows is a war of wills as Ichigo wants nothing to do with any of this and Rukia is determined to mold him into a proper Soul Reaper. Stubborn doesn’t begin to describe the boy. There are a few words that do, but this is a family friendly blog.

The focus shifts over to the pretty girl from before and it appears strange doings are afoot. A near collision by a car with Orihime leads to a scene that goes from serious to silly to mysterious in quick order.  It also is the origin for the leek spinning meme that was all over the Web for awhile. She is an odd girl.

One thing that struck me originally watching these episodes was how the show could go from serious to silly on the drop of a dime – and pull it off. That’s a real tightrope walk for a genre that normally favors mindless action.

Things get progressively darker as the episode goes on. Evil hasn’t just reared its ugly head, it also has a plan and it revolves around the innocent girl. We get her back story to a limited degree and it turns out the character isn’t as one dimensional as expected. Tragedy haunts her difficult life and there are reasons for her to have some screws loose.

A new threat and a new revelation about hollows lead to the first of many cliffhangers in the series.

Thoughts

The first two episodes of Bleach do a very good job of establishing the setting and introducing three of the main five characters. There is a feeling of a wide open universe about to be unveiled and mysteries abound. A surprising amount of time is given to fleshing out the characters, which gives them more personality than expected.

Bleach is very entertaining, with a rare mix of comedy, horror, and drama that actually works. It is bloody and violent, so it is suitable for the 12 and up crowd. There are plenty of fights to keep the kiddies happy and enough character development to ensnare adults.

I first heard about it from a teenager at church who was determined I should watch it. While I’m not anti-animation by any means, I did have the memory of having to watch Dragonball Z when I was assigned to moderate a movie message board. That did poison me against the shounen (boys action) genre pretty thoroughly and most anime in general.  But a sick spell in the winter months several years ago meant I had a lot of downtime to kill, preferably with something along the lines of having brain dead content.

So I saw Bleach was on Hulu and decided I’d give it a few episodes. To my surprise I kept watching and got hooked. The bigger surprise was that I didn’t find myself mocking it ala Mystery Science Theater 3000. Unlike the younger types, the draw for me wasn’t the fights, but the interesting characters and mysteries unfolding around them. I’ve been watching it ever since.

Technical

This review and subsequent ones will be from the DVD box sets for the first three seasons put out by viz Media. In an effort to streamline things, I’ll be reviewing two episodes at a go. Yes, I actually think highly enough of the series to own the best of it as it went downhill in subsequent stories.

The presentation is 4:3 aspect and I was surprised how heavy the interlacing was. I had to tweak VLC to get rid of the very apparent lines.  Fortunately for me, my PC has the horsepower to handle the most advanced deinterlacing. Those lines won’t be apparent on an old TV set but might on an HD set.

Audio is nice and clean, with both the original Japanese and the English dub present. English subtitles are optional.

I recommend watching it in Japanese with subtitles. Viz took some liberties in translation that lost some of the nuances, though it is nothing major. The original voice cast is superior by far with the American cast sounding like they are reading to children.

Disc 1 extras include production art, previews of the manga and Shonen Jump magazine, and a clean version of the end title. The latter is particularly nice as is the song, Life is a Boat.

The DVD case itself is fairly good quality with separate plastic leaves for each disc. The pages are held together by tape and I can see that breaking over time. But since it is tape, that is easily fixed! Inside the slip cover, you will find easter eggs of Kon and Ichigo’s hollow mask printed.

Additional Screen Captures

Fear of Change

Walter Russel Mead has a must read on the Oslo attacks up at The American Interest. Go read it.

Health 7-26-2012

Not a good night, was awakened in the wee hours by coughing. It’s the right bronchial again. Feeling dopey and have the beginnings of a sore throat from drainage. It is going to be a slow day.

I’d thought I was having a relatively good day for a Monday too. I walked up the driveway to get the mail and didn’t notice any chest congestion then. Gah.

Sunday Drive

That was a tired Sunday.  I was supposed to substitute teach the Gospel Principles class during second hour of church and wondered if I felt well enough to go.  One short prayer over that and I tried to wake myself up. It was a borderline situation.

Then a phone call around around 8 AM from a friend at church made it clear I’d better go in.  Somehow, I’d just agreed to teach Elders Quorum third hour too, since the friend was too sick to make it in. While I didn’t have as much prep time for the lesson as I’d normally like, last minute substitutions are nothing new to me. So prayer answered; message received.

There were no nonmembers investigating the faith, so second hour duties evaporated and I had a chance to do some real preparation of the lesson. The topic was the General Conference talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook titled LDS Women Are Incredible! which is about, you guessed it, the women of the Church.  With the Relief Society Presidency being changed today, I had a chance to catch some sisters in the hallway and ask them what they would like the brethren to understand about them. That was educational, being terminally single.

Feeling prepared, I went into the lesson a bit more confident than I’d felt before. But I could feel my energy levels dropping by the minute and I’m just grateful I didn’t put too many to sleep. Interesting how the Holy Ghost prompted me to go with a completely different approach to the lesson than I’d planned.

The important thing is the class and I survived to see another day.

The drive home was somewhat blurry around the edges, so I took a minor scenic detour to keep me awake. No, not a ditch. An alternate route.

That turned out to be more stimulating than expected thanks to a blond woman in a full size van who wanted to do 70 MPH on a windy and hilly rural road. Tailgating me during what is supposed to be a relaxed Sunday drive is not what the doctor ordered. Though I’ll admit it kept me awake.

I was able to outrun her in the curves but she always came up on me in the straight sections. At first I thought I was imagining her being lead footed, but it happened mile after mile. Just when I thought I’d shook her off, there would be the Ford logo in my rearview mirror.

And they say men are the aggressive drivers.

Eventually I made it home and didn’t even have to dodge any deer while coming down the driveway. Food, then bed followed. Sometime around 6 PM I awakened and did something, but I don’t remember what. Hey, that was almost four hours ago and the memory goes once you get older.

Somewhere along the line I started this post.  Currently feeling very blurry around the edges again and it will be an early night for me.

Health 7-23-2011

Yesterday was a tough day. It was day two of sneezing, but far worse. For awhile there, I didn’t think I’d make it out to a movie with a friend. Somehow, I got through it and I think getting out of the house was helpful. Only went through half the tissues I took with me.

Learning to play a game endorsed by Mensa while having chills is not recommended. The game is called Ket and involves a board, mirrored pieces, and lasers. Interesting game.

Breathing it a little tight again; chest congestion seems to always follow the sinuses cutting loose this year.

Back pain is better and I’ve hiked up the driveway to get the mail the last two days. Not close to the 2.5 mile walks I prefer, but better than nothing. Oh to be able to do 5 mile walks again.

Another Tim McVeigh but in Norway

With the body count soaring in Oslo to 92 at the latest count, it appears that nationalism has finally reared its ugly head in Europe. Not that it has been hiding, but the neo Nazi types haven’t been blowing things up or shooting people in this manner. Unfortunately, nationalism is always just under the surface in xenophobic Europe – especially in the North.

The media is wanting to make it out to be a Christian fundamentalist motivation for Anders Behring Breivik, but I think they’ll find it more to be a reaction to Muslim immigrants. I’ve known Norwegian Americans who are extremely racist and view the Northern European stock to be superior to all other races. So I might be a bit biased there.

Ever since I became aware of the lack of assimilation by foreign immigrants of Muslim descent in Europe, I’ve been concerned. Europeans, despite their vaunted championing of human rights, have not been socially welcoming to the hired help. Instead of using the “melting pot” concept of integration, the newcomers where essentially confined to ghettos. That’s never worked out well anywhere for increasing tolerance, understanding, or more importantly -- upward mobility in a society.

Culture clashes are always fraught with friction, but in Europe it has always involved violence on a large scale at some point. Pogroms against Jews, the Nazi extermination of minority groups, and the ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia are recent examples of an old story there. My fear is that one day we will see ethnic clashes in the old countries that end up bringing back fascist governments.

Right now I’m hoping this butcher was a sole actor and that it wasn’t an organized conspiracy. Governments in the West have their hands full enough with Islamist extremists.

Once again, I find myself only being able to pray for people that have gone through something horrible.

UPDATED

It looks like Breivek hated a lot of people, not just Muslims. He also hated Nazis and Marxists, lumping them all together while having neo-Nazi connections. It is starting to look more like Jarod Loughner rather than McVeigh, but not as obviously crazy. Definitely some serious cognitive dissonance though.

There is also a question of whether his Facebook account was changed after his name was released to include Christian and Conservative on his profile. Lulzsec or Anonymous involved? Hard to tell the way “ends justify the means” has gotten to be a standard in our world.

Interpol will be setting up a task force on non-Islamic terror and some are getting paranoid over it. If they haven’t been tracking the white supremacists and nationalists already, what in the world is wrong with them? While it may be used as a political weapon (what isn’t these days?), there has been a clear need for this for years if not decades. At least we keep an eye on ours over here, despite them being a fading threat since the Oklahoma City bombing.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Finally a live action Captain America movie that is a good movie has arrived. Filled with action, a sweet romance, and a great deal of heart, it has everything a summer blockbuster should have. But will it be a hit with the public?

I just got back from seeing Marvel’s latest movie blockbuster attempt and can say it ranks up there with Iron Man 2 and Thor in quality, but below Iron Man. But I like it better than the two films I grouped it with and that is what sets it apart. Like Thor, it is part of the 3D fad of the moment.

Captain America begins with a discovery of a strange object in the Artic ice and for a second I thought I’d stumbled into a preview screening of The Thing prequel/remake. The object is very large and mysterious, with the government types using a fancy laser to cut their way into it. Inside they find conventional beams and struts, along with a frosted over cockpit. A glint draws the attention of one explorer and he scrapes away the frost to reveal that famous shield.

The film goes back to 1942 and a skinny young man desperately trying to get passed on a physical to join the armed forces. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has a laundry list of ailments that render him 4F (unsuitable for service) and can’t talk his way in. Later on, his since of right earns him a beating outside a theater only to be rescued by his best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) who is about to be shipped out. As is typical of the movie, there are a lot of nice character moments between the two and you can buy the friendship.

A series of events bring Steve to the attention of a scientist, Erskine (Stanely Tucci) in charge of a project to create a “super soldier” for the US government. Dr. Erskine is a warm and humane presence in each scene Tucci steals. Yep, even Tommy Lee Jones is unable to stop Tucci from stealing his scenes, though it is a close run race.

Rogers also meets quite a dame… err, woman…. err, lady in Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell). Not just easy on the eyes, she is a nicely three dimensional character. You can interpret that anyway you want, it still applies. I’m going to have to see some other movies Atwell is in if this one is any indication of her acting skills. Carter can hold her own with the boys and is a crack shot. She also sees the real man in the frail frame of Rogers.

Of course Steve Rogers makes it through the experiment and becomes a perfect specimen of humanity with enhanced speed, reflexes, strength, and agility. But things go awry very quickly and he ends up being one of a kind.

Over in Norway and Germany, a vicious and brilliant scientist Johann Schmidt aka The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) has been experimenting with powers mortals shouldn’t tamper with. Shockingly, he’s succeeding and his branch of the SS, Hydra, is becoming a force to be reckoned with. There is a connection between him and Rogers that destines them to be foes.

A journey towards becoming a hero and leader follows for Steve Rogers, with lots of action that doesn’t overwhelm the development of the characters. It is an unapologetic tribute to the bravery of the Allied soldiers who fought in WWII as well as old movie serials.

Chris Evans really surprised me and it is hard to believe he is the same actor who played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies. His Rogers is a very believable and likeable hero, evincing bravery without arrogance and with an ever present sense of decency. The final scene set in the 1940’s was unexpectedly touching due to his and Atwell’s performances.

Hugo Weaving did a note perfect performance as the prideful and somewhat insane Red Skull. This is a character driven by a belief in his own mental perfection and a vicious temper.  The makeup effects were excellent and this incarnation of the character owes much to the unreleased 1990’s movie. But it is a much better portrayal.

Having Tony Stark’s dad, Howard (Dominic Cooper), be the genius behind Captain America’s shield and other gadgets was a stroke of genius. He also gets some excellent lines and you can see Tony didn’t fall far from the family tree.

Little things I noticed:

The way they worked an authentic version of the original comic book costume into the movie is very inventive and deliberately cringe worthy. The whole USO thing was an interesting addition to the mythos.

Fans of Luftwaffe ‘46 projects and fan fiction will love this movie to death. The aircraft are all derived or inspired by radical designs from WWII that never saw the light of day.

Keep an eye out for a dummy clad in an all red jumpsuit at the World’s Fair. It is a nod to the original Human Torch from the 1940’s.

There is a Band of Brothers connection in the film. Neal McDonough plays Dum Dum Dugan complete with walrus mustache. You may remember him as Buck in the fantastic WWII miniseries.

Stay after the credits. What happens after is much bigger than in any of the previous Marvel films. Much bigger.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a very enjoyable and old fashioned film. But most of all, it has a lot of heart and characters you’ll like. I recommend it to anyone over the age of 10 and especially to anyone who liked Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Rocketeer.

Massive Explosion in Oslo, Norway

One dead and several injured according to early reports. My suspicions is that it will be found to be Islamist terrorists behind the blast which appears at first glance to have been a car bomb.

Such is the fate of those who appease. Norway and Sweden have ceded control of large urban areas to Muslim militants for years now with no entry orders to their police forces. For all the politically correct teachings out there, the simple reality is that only strength is respected. That is a sad truth about human beings that can’t be ignored for long. So showing weakness will always be taken advantage of.

I expect more of these attacks to ramp up by the end of the year across the world. Why? The debacle in Libya has exposed just how weak the West really is. Meanwhile, President Obama has a lower approval rating in the Middle East than President Bush did. Only the “strong horse” is given respect and the current administration is viewed as being very weak.

Interesting times, interesting times…

UPDATED

The body count is rising as an apparently related shooting at a socialist youth group camp associated with Norway's Labor Party happened several hours after the bombing. Initial reports are confused (the usual with this kind of event) and the shooter may be blond and blue eyed. If true, that could indicate a home grown jihadi, or worse yet, the beginnings of reactionary violence by white supremacist types.

Science Fiction Matters

Over at Salon, Robert J. Sawyer has a nice little piece up on science fiction and how it helps us prepare for the future. I agree with what he has written and it makes me flash back to some arguments I’ve had with friends. Those arguments were over which had greater value, science fiction or fantasy works.

Fantasy works simply don’t address potential problems that humanity will face and tend to regurgitate old stories in minor variations. While greatly entertaining, that’s all they really are. Occasionally moral lessons will be taught but most are pure entertainment. Essentially, fantasy is backwards looking.

Science fiction is all about possibilities, good and bad. The past is neither ignored or neglected, but referenced often as the authors seek reoccurring patterns in how humanity deals with change. Change is at the heart of all real science fiction.

Given how many people fear change, maybe they should be reading science fiction classics at schools. All I know is that I don’t fear change the way most I know do. It never occurred to me that it was due to my love of that literary genre!

Thank you to Instapundit for putting up the link to the article.

 

P.S. Space opera such as Star Wars is not true science fiction, by the way. It is fantasy with unexplainable technology replacing magic. Sorry, Star Wars fans. Please go read Foundation or Dune!

State Shutdown Ends

Governor Dayton signed the new budget so the shutdown is officially over.

So ends one bad political miscalculation, much to the relief of state employees and bar flies. It would be darkly amusing if the beer cutoff was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Major Tom

Forty two years ago the Apollo 11 Moon landing took place. It was the first of six manned landings with the last one in 1972.  That makes it nearly thirty nine years since a human last set foot on the Moon. There are no concrete plans to ever return.

This induces a feeling of melancholy in me, since I’ve been reading classic science fiction the last few years. Those wonderful books of adventure, especially those aimed at teens, predicted a vast new frontier to be conquered.  Most authors expected us to have large functional space stations and a lunar colony before the year 2000 rolled around.

But somewhere along the line we lost the spirit of adventure and exploration. Most likely it is the extreme wealth that has been generated in the West and developing parts of the globe that has ironically hampered this impulse. If we had really wanted to, those predicted things would have been made into reality.

I’ll concede that relying on governments to implement space programs is a huge culprit. Wasteful and always subject to the political whims of the moment, these bloated bureaucracies are rife with incompetence and  corruption. Perhaps if private corporations had been allowed to pioneer in the starry skies things would have been different.

Instead, man has to be content looking at the Moon through a telescope with no hope of touching its dusty surface. Our dreams have fled, drowned out in a cacophony of cellphones, Twitter, video games, and all the myriads of distractions of our day. We are too content and lazy to dare anymore.

This actually bothers me more than the financial doom that looms overhead.

Purple Haze

Okay, it isn’t purple out, but it is hazy.

Blogging for me is primarily about knocking the rust out of my writing skills and developing a routine where I pound out words on the keyboard every day or something close to it. With that much typing, a good keyboard is a must to have. While it took me to the middle of this year to get going again, preparation was done starting in November when I purchased a mechanical keyboard. Multiple Microsoft ergonomic and Logitech keyboards had died on me with replacements becoming an annual event.

There is no substitute for a good mechanical key switch in my opinion. Since I learned to type (not “keyboard”) on a manual typewriter a good amount of travel and tactile feedback is something I appreciated greatly. Then there is the delightful clicky sound they make which really helps in touch typing. Back in the 1990’s all my keyboards were mechanical and I lost a rare ergonomic one that served me for ten years due to a water spill . After much research, I decided I needed something based on Cherry blue switches and fortunately for me an affordable keyboard came along.

The Rosewill RK-9000 came out in two limited batches and was based on a Filco design, if I remember correctly. I missed the first batch at Newegg but got in on the second. The construction is nice and heavy, but it manages to not take up excessive real estate. The fingers fly on it and while I won’t set any speed typing records, it has been wonderful to type on.

One bad thing about having a mechanical keyboard is it spoils you. I find that I really don’t like modern membrane switch based keyboards now and that they tire my hands.

My Rosewill was worth every penny and even has the added benefit of full anti-ghosting while using the PS2 port. That is something in gaming that can be an issue especially in first person shooters. It seems like I do better at running and gunning.

I’ll never go back to non-mechanical keyboards and regret the money I spent on the comfortable but fragile ergonomic ones.

The World and Thorinn (Book Review)

Damon Knight’s tale of a teenager forced on a journey downward through a well into underground worlds that are both dangerous and exotic makes for an entertaining read. Blending science fiction and fantasy with boy scout level survivalism, it gradually unfolds a story much bigger than Thorinn’s personal adventures.

UPDATE: The World and Thorinn is available again in ebook or paperback on demand from ReAnimus Press!

The Story

The central star of The World and Thorinn is named Thorinn. Or is the world itself the main character? An argument could be made for either so I will settle on them being costars like the title implies.

Thorinn, which means “flea,” is young human living on the surface of his world in a giant basin with a huge cylindrical formation that reaches to the top of the sky. Having been raised by an adoptive father, the lame orphan hops around on his one good leg – hence his name. Life is quiet and pastoral until one day when the well runs dry.

Even sacrificing the best horse in the herd fails to appease the angry god they worship named Snorri. So like Joseph, his brothers want to sacrifice something him and a reluctant father agrees despite being under oath to protect him. So the boy is lowered into the well under false pretenses and sealed there. But not before his father puts a geas, or magical compulsion, to “go down” on a suspicious Thorinn.