It would appear that the copier they've installed in the mailroom here has a most interesting power switch. It's like a push-botton toggle on the side, which I of course was passively toggling not noticing what it was for until, upon closer inspection, I noted the standard | and O markings of a power switch.
Stupid new Active Directory requirements have upped the password ante, requiring 3 of 4 categories (lowercase, symbol, uppercase, and numbers) which means that my passwords now all involve usage of the shift-key which is just an annoyance (I think I need to figure out what unshifted symbols qualify and use those).
Picked up the Unofficial Disgaea Soundtrack, I'll stack it against the 20 track original and see how things look, but that's an experiement for a time later in the week after my labs are not looming ahead so imposingly.
Internship/Co-Op headhunting isn't going over so well. Hopefully I can get something after a put this semester of Electrical behind me and have a better knowledge basis on which to search the field.
Stupid computer has managed to lose sound properties, which means that I'm musicless, and I really hate that feeling. It's about time to go hunt down a Better Quality and Lower Priced iPod alternative, I just wish the foolish competitors would actually spend some money on advertising so I didn't have to research so meticulously.
Oh well, I think I'll tinker around with the settings here to try and restore the ability to play The Pillows while at work, gotta have something to keep me sane.
Edit: As it turns out. The speakers are not connected, and connecting them kills the computer. This may prove to be more of a challenge than I had originally intended.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
One for the road.
A misnomer of a post title, as it reflects plan rather than reality. But oh well, I still will get accomplished what I wish to accomplish, the logistics will just be slightly different.
Talking about the Tech load isn't really a priority for me right now. Let's just say I consider it to be quite the trial and leave it at that. I'll get into hardcore music nerd in just a bit, but first I think due clarification is owed on the last part of the preview. So here's the story:
G4 TV runs, on weekends aftermidnight, a selection of shows collectively grouped under the label Barbed Wire Biscuit. The show lineup includes
* Brainiac - another one of those shows mixing things men like (blowing stuff up, women, that sort of deal) and science.
* Happy Tree Friends and Friends - Explanation not needed I'd think. Google the first three words if you don't already know, not for those who are squeamish about excessive cartoon violence.
* Anime Unleashed - G4's rotating anime selection. Nothing on here that really stands out as something I really need to see. But then again the polish of modern animes makes even the best of the older ones just seem to come up short.
* Cinematech: Nocturnal Emissions - Basically Cinematech with an emphasis on the high age spectrum game selections and imports.
Now, all of that, discounting Brainaic, has nothing directly to do with brests. However in the trailer, specifically at the Anime Unleashed portion, there is a shot of, not nudity of any sort, but an anime character with a high cut shirt (ie, the bottom of the shirt is above the lowest curve of the breast). I didn't actively go seeking the source, but in playing Guilty Gear X2 it came to me. On GGX2's disc there is the opening to GGX, which is where the scene originates. Dizzy's first transformation into a Half-Gear. The storyline of GGX isn't something to be delved into here and now, mostly since I'm still learning it myself. Story Mode in GGX2 is pretty rewarding. It's hard, with dynamic battle openings as the story progresses and fight scaling based on events (Ie. Sol Badguy absolutely trumps I-No, whereas no one else does; goes along well with their paring at AWA tonight, but Heterosexual kisses and AWA events aren't on the table for topics tonight), and pretty reward pictures. Jam #3 is really adorable, just because of Ky's reaction within it. Now if only I could figure out how to Beat Mission 8, I'd be moving in that mode as well, Burst Aerial juggles just aren't my thing with I-No, I'd much rather have someone with less Uber-Reliance (since I don't get to do Romantic anyways) and more variety to their strengths. At least she can run unlike Potempkin, but that's neither here nor there.
Oh well, time to delve into the realm of music, since I think I'll enjoy this, and frankly enjoyment is something that's been in short supply since school started upping the ante on my classes.
Since I make week(end)ly forays to home I've taken up the habit of burning a disc of
music for myself every time I have to make the trip, so I've accumulated 5 discs of my picks for myself. They were more spur of the moment than planned and really focus on the anime side of the playlist since I've heard most of my other stuff a hundred times more, having owned those mp3s for a good many years longer. They aren't titled, but I've been toying with at least giving them subtitles of some sort based on themes that ended up showing up.
#) Format: Artist - Song (length). Source : Discussion
Disc One (20 songs, 1.2 hours, 130.3 MB)
1) Orange Range - *~Asterisk~ (4:15). Bleach (OP 1) : I really like this song. It perhaps would have been worth it to burn off the Romantic version ( drops out most of the music and basically a recitation of the words, oddly fun). It's about the length I like for my songs (non-BGMs at least). The PV (music video) don't do much for me though, it's basically a street concert of the song.
2) Naoki Sato - No Doubt (1:05). Good Luck (Japanese Live Action) : Instrumental. Drums against ostination guitar with non-word vocal overlay. It's got a nice grove to it. A fun listen, though perhaps better suited to a CD of BGM stlyed musics, or burned off with the rest of the OST for Good Luck (3-4 really good other songs on it).
3) (Tsutchie - fat jon) - Fly [Small Circle of Friends] (3:53). Samurai Champloo (Ep 23 ED, plus insert in a later ep (I think)) : It's a nice mellow song, a bit on the soft side perhaps, but there are methods for altering that (my preferred method being cranking the volume in my car, but that's another story).
4) Saitou San Band feat Tanaka Koyuki & Minami Maho - Follow Me (2:12). BECK (Repeated song, particular being an exerpt from Ep 6 (rough guess)) : I really enjoy this song. It's not quite as cool without being able to see Maho do the dance, but as a general rule of thumb the songs from an anime about musicians are usually pretty good. The Rocket Boys version is a bit cleaner bu I prefer Maho and Koyuki's voices.
5) Savage Genius - Forever... (4:49). Erementar Gerad (OP) : Good techno opening, classic Savage Genius style. A good song and a good quality version at that. Singer's english isn't on the level that some of the other cross-lingual vocalists posses, but it doesn't bother me in the least.
6) Kuniyoshi Chiemi - Genki wo Dashite (3:57). BECK (Insert Song) : This song is lovely. It's all about the getting to be cheerful and happy. Not very bass heavy unlike most of the previous songs (I am a Bass player, you tend to notice these things), but still easily one of my favorite songs when I'm feeling down.
7) Akino - Go Tight! (4:43). Sousei no Aquarion (OP 2) : The anime isn't actually fansubbed far enough for me to have heard this song from it, though I have seen it raw. It's a lively song, good pairing after Genki wo Dashite (despite the fact that I tend to play these CDs on Random, and that I didn't plan the order of any of them). There's some really wonderful vocalizing done on this song.
8) ???? - Hachimitsu [Honey] (3:07). Honey & Clover (Insert Song) : Actually a male singer which is a departure from the previous 3 songs (the other 4 before that are 3 males and an instrumental). Just another one of the more melody heavy songs like most of the rest of the CD (excepting Asterisk).
9) Beat Crusaders - Hit in the USA (2:59). Beck (OP) : A rock song which is generally fairly unique for an anime opening, but then again Beck is a fairly unique anime. High energy and mangled english, I enjoy it (almost a redundant thing to say given that I chose to burn it, but hey, gotta fill space somehow).
10) Melocure - Home & Aawy (4:29). My wife is a magical girl (OP. I guess I could have given the Japanese name in English rather than the translation, but I decided not to) : Again on the lighter side of the musical spectrum. It's again on the slower side of the pacing, but that's not a bad thing. It has a see-saw effect going with alot of the lines, which I enjoy overly much (by see-saw I mean it oscillates the emphasis and pitch between syllables).
11) Younha - Houki Boshi (3:17). Bleach (ED 3) : I've seen this girl perform a few times now, mostly blaming Jiaz for these but not complaining. All I have to say is damn does she bang on that piano of hers. Rock sock, first on this disc to have piano in it. High energy, fast paced, and one I could probably sing along with fairly well (Despite not speaking the language, not bad eh?).
12) ???? - Koi no Mahou (3:57). Maburaho (OP) : Maburaho was a pretty awful anime. Like the sort you inflict on bitter enemies sort of anime. That said, I still think it was pretty cute, the opening especially. Again high energy and fairly fast spoken words though not quite as fun without the accompanying visuals (or the pre-OP sequence for that matter).
13) The Stripes - Loosey (3:57). Bakuretsu Tenshi (OP) : I'm honestly thankful that this song made it though Geneon's translations without being re-edited to be English, but then again I think that fact can mostly be attributed to the fact that no one is really 100% what the hell it is the singer is singing for a good quarter+ worth of the song. The Stripes like to have tap-dancing as part of their songs (see Theme of the Stripes below for a better example), it's pretty damn cool actually, if a bit odd the first time.
14) Tatsuhisa Suzuki - Myself (3:32). Tide-Line Blue ED Single (The other song on the single) : To be honest I think I like the first 12 seconds of this song more than any of the rest of it. It starts of with fun Synth melodies. The rest of the song is above average, but it's really my enjoyment of various little synth or rock-solo parts of the song that keep me coming back to it.
15) Savage Genius - Omoi wo Kanadete (3:34). Uta Kata (OP. And no I am not going to bother with the mutated Mobius that should be between those two words) : Savage Genius has very pretty openings to their songs and a very pretty and high singing voice; this song definately showcases that. It's a lively song with slower parts in between the instrumental riffs. It's a fairly pretty anime, could I ever bring myself to watch the last 12 episodes (out of 13).
16) (FORCE OF NATURE - Nujabes - fat jon) - The Million Way of Drum (2:48). Samurai Champloo (BGM) : Complete instrumental with drum focus (shocking right?) used for tense fights in the anime. As a stand alone song it runs kind of long without any real innovation, nearly 3 minutes without a whole lot of varience. Still good for a break from all the actually sung songs on the disc.
17) The Stripes - Theme of the Stripes (4:06). Bakuretsu Tenshi (OP Single Alt Song) : Song goes for about a minute of instrumental before the song actually gets some words and that's not bad at all. It's a rock-rap styled song, nearly constant in the lyrics with a fun chorus in it.
18) Rie Fu - Voice (3:56). Bleach (OP 1 Single Alt Song) : Rie Fu has really impressive capability with the English Language and this is a pleasant showcase of that. The guitar to go along with the song really finished the equation nicely.
19) Suneohair - Waltz (4:53). Honey & Clover (ED 1) : Once you've seen the animation accompanying the ending you'll be hard pressed not to think of spinning objects as you listen, not that that's a bad thing. It's a male singer again (as was the Stripes) but he sings fairly high up in the octaves, which matches the synth vibrophone musical accompanyment. Long song, but fun all the way.
20) Chihiro Yonekura - Yakusoku no Basho e (4:29). Kaleido Star (OP 2) : Just like Myself, the punch of this song comes at the start, but it's still a fun listen.
Meh, didn't turn out to be the commentary of written that I'd really wanted, probably shorten future disc listings down to shorter commentary (No, "I like it" commentary as well hopefully). Oh well, if you bother reading though it let me know how you'd prefer the future stuff done (Commentary or sans?) or drop me a line if I've got something you'd like to hear, I've got a fairly wide means of dissemination at my disposal.
Talking about the Tech load isn't really a priority for me right now. Let's just say I consider it to be quite the trial and leave it at that. I'll get into hardcore music nerd in just a bit, but first I think due clarification is owed on the last part of the preview. So here's the story:
G4 TV runs, on weekends aftermidnight, a selection of shows collectively grouped under the label Barbed Wire Biscuit. The show lineup includes
* Brainiac - another one of those shows mixing things men like (blowing stuff up, women, that sort of deal) and science.
* Happy Tree Friends and Friends - Explanation not needed I'd think. Google the first three words if you don't already know, not for those who are squeamish about excessive cartoon violence.
* Anime Unleashed - G4's rotating anime selection. Nothing on here that really stands out as something I really need to see. But then again the polish of modern animes makes even the best of the older ones just seem to come up short.
* Cinematech: Nocturnal Emissions - Basically Cinematech with an emphasis on the high age spectrum game selections and imports.
Now, all of that, discounting Brainaic, has nothing directly to do with brests. However in the trailer, specifically at the Anime Unleashed portion, there is a shot of, not nudity of any sort, but an anime character with a high cut shirt (ie, the bottom of the shirt is above the lowest curve of the breast). I didn't actively go seeking the source, but in playing Guilty Gear X2 it came to me. On GGX2's disc there is the opening to GGX, which is where the scene originates. Dizzy's first transformation into a Half-Gear. The storyline of GGX isn't something to be delved into here and now, mostly since I'm still learning it myself. Story Mode in GGX2 is pretty rewarding. It's hard, with dynamic battle openings as the story progresses and fight scaling based on events (Ie. Sol Badguy absolutely trumps I-No, whereas no one else does; goes along well with their paring at AWA tonight, but Heterosexual kisses and AWA events aren't on the table for topics tonight), and pretty reward pictures. Jam #3 is really adorable, just because of Ky's reaction within it. Now if only I could figure out how to Beat Mission 8, I'd be moving in that mode as well, Burst Aerial juggles just aren't my thing with I-No, I'd much rather have someone with less Uber-Reliance (since I don't get to do Romantic anyways) and more variety to their strengths. At least she can run unlike Potempkin, but that's neither here nor there.
Oh well, time to delve into the realm of music, since I think I'll enjoy this, and frankly enjoyment is something that's been in short supply since school started upping the ante on my classes.
Since I make week(end)ly forays to home I've taken up the habit of burning a disc of
music for myself every time I have to make the trip, so I've accumulated 5 discs of my picks for myself. They were more spur of the moment than planned and really focus on the anime side of the playlist since I've heard most of my other stuff a hundred times more, having owned those mp3s for a good many years longer. They aren't titled, but I've been toying with at least giving them subtitles of some sort based on themes that ended up showing up.
#) Format: Artist - Song (length). Source : Discussion
Disc One (20 songs, 1.2 hours, 130.3 MB)
1) Orange Range - *~Asterisk~ (4:15). Bleach (OP 1) : I really like this song. It perhaps would have been worth it to burn off the Romantic version ( drops out most of the music and basically a recitation of the words, oddly fun). It's about the length I like for my songs (non-BGMs at least). The PV (music video) don't do much for me though, it's basically a street concert of the song.
2) Naoki Sato - No Doubt (1:05). Good Luck (Japanese Live Action) : Instrumental. Drums against ostination guitar with non-word vocal overlay. It's got a nice grove to it. A fun listen, though perhaps better suited to a CD of BGM stlyed musics, or burned off with the rest of the OST for Good Luck (3-4 really good other songs on it).
3) (Tsutchie - fat jon) - Fly [Small Circle of Friends] (3:53). Samurai Champloo (Ep 23 ED, plus insert in a later ep (I think)) : It's a nice mellow song, a bit on the soft side perhaps, but there are methods for altering that (my preferred method being cranking the volume in my car, but that's another story).
4) Saitou San Band feat Tanaka Koyuki & Minami Maho - Follow Me (2:12). BECK (Repeated song, particular being an exerpt from Ep 6 (rough guess)) : I really enjoy this song. It's not quite as cool without being able to see Maho do the dance, but as a general rule of thumb the songs from an anime about musicians are usually pretty good. The Rocket Boys version is a bit cleaner bu I prefer Maho and Koyuki's voices.
5) Savage Genius - Forever... (4:49). Erementar Gerad (OP) : Good techno opening, classic Savage Genius style. A good song and a good quality version at that. Singer's english isn't on the level that some of the other cross-lingual vocalists posses, but it doesn't bother me in the least.
6) Kuniyoshi Chiemi - Genki wo Dashite (3:57). BECK (Insert Song) : This song is lovely. It's all about the getting to be cheerful and happy. Not very bass heavy unlike most of the previous songs (I am a Bass player, you tend to notice these things), but still easily one of my favorite songs when I'm feeling down.
7) Akino - Go Tight! (4:43). Sousei no Aquarion (OP 2) : The anime isn't actually fansubbed far enough for me to have heard this song from it, though I have seen it raw. It's a lively song, good pairing after Genki wo Dashite (despite the fact that I tend to play these CDs on Random, and that I didn't plan the order of any of them). There's some really wonderful vocalizing done on this song.
8) ???? - Hachimitsu [Honey] (3:07). Honey & Clover (Insert Song) : Actually a male singer which is a departure from the previous 3 songs (the other 4 before that are 3 males and an instrumental). Just another one of the more melody heavy songs like most of the rest of the CD (excepting Asterisk).
9) Beat Crusaders - Hit in the USA (2:59). Beck (OP) : A rock song which is generally fairly unique for an anime opening, but then again Beck is a fairly unique anime. High energy and mangled english, I enjoy it (almost a redundant thing to say given that I chose to burn it, but hey, gotta fill space somehow).
10) Melocure - Home & Aawy (4:29). My wife is a magical girl (OP. I guess I could have given the Japanese name in English rather than the translation, but I decided not to) : Again on the lighter side of the musical spectrum. It's again on the slower side of the pacing, but that's not a bad thing. It has a see-saw effect going with alot of the lines, which I enjoy overly much (by see-saw I mean it oscillates the emphasis and pitch between syllables).
11) Younha - Houki Boshi (3:17). Bleach (ED 3) : I've seen this girl perform a few times now, mostly blaming Jiaz for these but not complaining. All I have to say is damn does she bang on that piano of hers. Rock sock, first on this disc to have piano in it. High energy, fast paced, and one I could probably sing along with fairly well (Despite not speaking the language, not bad eh?).
12) ???? - Koi no Mahou (3:57). Maburaho (OP) : Maburaho was a pretty awful anime. Like the sort you inflict on bitter enemies sort of anime. That said, I still think it was pretty cute, the opening especially. Again high energy and fairly fast spoken words though not quite as fun without the accompanying visuals (or the pre-OP sequence for that matter).
13) The Stripes - Loosey (3:57). Bakuretsu Tenshi (OP) : I'm honestly thankful that this song made it though Geneon's translations without being re-edited to be English, but then again I think that fact can mostly be attributed to the fact that no one is really 100% what the hell it is the singer is singing for a good quarter+ worth of the song. The Stripes like to have tap-dancing as part of their songs (see Theme of the Stripes below for a better example), it's pretty damn cool actually, if a bit odd the first time.
14) Tatsuhisa Suzuki - Myself (3:32). Tide-Line Blue ED Single (The other song on the single) : To be honest I think I like the first 12 seconds of this song more than any of the rest of it. It starts of with fun Synth melodies. The rest of the song is above average, but it's really my enjoyment of various little synth or rock-solo parts of the song that keep me coming back to it.
15) Savage Genius - Omoi wo Kanadete (3:34). Uta Kata (OP. And no I am not going to bother with the mutated Mobius that should be between those two words) : Savage Genius has very pretty openings to their songs and a very pretty and high singing voice; this song definately showcases that. It's a lively song with slower parts in between the instrumental riffs. It's a fairly pretty anime, could I ever bring myself to watch the last 12 episodes (out of 13).
16) (FORCE OF NATURE - Nujabes - fat jon) - The Million Way of Drum (2:48). Samurai Champloo (BGM) : Complete instrumental with drum focus (shocking right?) used for tense fights in the anime. As a stand alone song it runs kind of long without any real innovation, nearly 3 minutes without a whole lot of varience. Still good for a break from all the actually sung songs on the disc.
17) The Stripes - Theme of the Stripes (4:06). Bakuretsu Tenshi (OP Single Alt Song) : Song goes for about a minute of instrumental before the song actually gets some words and that's not bad at all. It's a rock-rap styled song, nearly constant in the lyrics with a fun chorus in it.
18) Rie Fu - Voice (3:56). Bleach (OP 1 Single Alt Song) : Rie Fu has really impressive capability with the English Language and this is a pleasant showcase of that. The guitar to go along with the song really finished the equation nicely.
19) Suneohair - Waltz (4:53). Honey & Clover (ED 1) : Once you've seen the animation accompanying the ending you'll be hard pressed not to think of spinning objects as you listen, not that that's a bad thing. It's a male singer again (as was the Stripes) but he sings fairly high up in the octaves, which matches the synth vibrophone musical accompanyment. Long song, but fun all the way.
20) Chihiro Yonekura - Yakusoku no Basho e (4:29). Kaleido Star (OP 2) : Just like Myself, the punch of this song comes at the start, but it's still a fun listen.
Meh, didn't turn out to be the commentary of written that I'd really wanted, probably shorten future disc listings down to shorter commentary (No, "I like it" commentary as well hopefully). Oh well, if you bother reading though it let me know how you'd prefer the future stuff done (Commentary or sans?) or drop me a line if I've got something you'd like to hear, I've got a fairly wide means of dissemination at my disposal.
Monday, September 12, 2005
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