January 30, 2007

I love the smell of fear...

Steven's panicking. Good. Goooooooood. Muah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAA!!!

Actually, what THIS shows is a performance of Tchaikovsky's Duck Lake, the original version of Swan Lake.

Then the Czar, a notorious duck-hater, got to him. Ducks have long memories, though, and we are VERY good at holding grudges.

Eventually, WE got to HIM.

Muah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAA!!!

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Anime Night Is BACK!

A half-night, actually. We only got two episodes of CardCaptor Sakura in, due to the weather. It's very, very cold here at The Pond, and at the brother of The Librarian's signifigant other's house, the pipes froze solid, and he has to spend the night at their place. So, she left early (this was something of a surprise to her).

ANYway, we caught two episodes, ep36 ("Sakura and the Snowy New School Term") and ep37 ("Sakura and Tomoyo's Lost Voice"). Both were... interesting. First, there's a new OP and ED, both of which, frankly, stink on ice.

The first episode has Sakura's town under assault by The Snow card, like six or seven feet of snow. Why? Um... no real reason we could tell. BUT The Snow card managed to make Sakura lose a watch that Yukito just gave her ("So you're in 5th grade now..."), which pissed Sakura OFF. Which brought out the greatest quote of the show: "Girls are kinda scary when they're mad."

In the second one, another Clow Card, The Voice, takes a liking to Tomoyo's singing, and steals her voice completely. Meanwhile, Sakura blames herself, and Li Showron is starting to show his... um... feelings towards Sakura. Eventually all is well.

Good stuff, with just enough humor to take some of the angsty edge off the way the show has been heading recently. Plus we discover that you could stack books on Tomoyo's nose.
You could stab someone with that thing!
Good times, good times.

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January 28, 2007

Has Anybody Else Noticed...

...that Steven DenBeste has been talking about ducks quite a bit recently?

That's not an accident; we've gotten to him. He is ours now.
It's merely a matter of time...
Soon, the whole world will be ours. The day of the ducks is coming...

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F1 Pr0n: Renault Redux!

The things I do for you guys... Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you more pictures of the new R27 from Renault:
It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it...

Boy, who'd have thought that orange, white, yellow and blue would go together so... um... well. more...

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January 26, 2007

F1 Pr0n: RedBull!

Now for the car that's probably been the most eagerly awaited, the Adrian Newey-designed RB3.
Looks a bit like the McLaren, no?

I admire Newey, if for no other reason than he's probably the only car designer to actually use a drafting table. It's certainly more 'swoopy' than last year's RB2, particularly in the sidepods, but that's a Newey trademark. Amazingly, RedBull has the best wind-tunnel in the sport, so one would expect it to be cutting edge in the aerodynamic areas. Throw in the Renault-built engine, and the RB3 should be a substantial improvement over last year's car. Indeed, the leap should be quite large, from 'best of the backmarkers' to, perhaps, high mid-pack... certainly the equal of Williams, perhaps as good as BMW-Sauber, and at the outside, Honda-level?

Purty purty.

The front drop in the wing seems lower than the Honda's, and better curved to boot. Unlike the McLaren, the air intakes seem LARGER than last year's car... which makes sense, actually, considering the overheating problems they had.

The car after an unfortunate encounter with a Minardi fan...

That rear wing sidepanel is quite interestingly shaped. It must be for aerodynamic reasons, but those cutouts at the back of the panel are... odd. The front wing sidepanels have that mini-winglet (now THAT'S small!) that's become all the rage in F1 circles. Note that the air intake 'hump' is even more brutally shaped than the gargantuan thing on the McLaren. More aerodynamics, or more cooling?

Alas, there weren't any studio shots taken; it was a low-key rollout, really.

In contrast to that, though, was the Renault debut a few days ago. Now that a little time has passed, I've been able to dig up better photos of the R27, and for comparison, similar shots of the R26. I'll be posting that on Saturday, so wait with bated breath until then!

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January 25, 2007

F1 Pr0n!: Renault and Honda

Okay, this is disappointing. Two rollouts in two days, and LOUSY photographs.

Here's the new Renault R27:
What the hell?

I'm sorry, but it looks like someone with food poisoning painted this... with their lunch. Simply put, I can't tell what's changed on the new Renault, because there aren't any "studio portraits" that I can find.

To make matters worse, here's the new Honda RA107:
Did someone say 'Minardi'?

While I really like the all-black livery, I also know that it's not going to last. Honda is going to have a 'paintjob party' in about a month, if you would believe it. The black also makes it difficult to see the changes.

For what it's worth, the Honda died on-track about a minute into it's first test. Oops.

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January 22, 2007

Strike Witches

Others have already posted on this brief OVA, so I won't get too heavy into it, but I will say two things:

1) This is the greatest eight minutes, 54 seconds of anime EVER.

2) I was surprised to see Narue in the show:
So THAT'S what happened after 'World of Narue' came to an end, eh?

The animation is great, the girls are cute, the setup is completely preposterous, Stonehenge is the airfield, how much more perfect could it be? Please, if there is a kami-sama, let there be more Strike Witches.
If this is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

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Final Bears Post (for a while, at least).

Okay, it's the day after the Bears ran roughshod over the Saints, and they'll be facing the Colts in the SuperBowl.

I'm okay with that, actually. It's a better matchup than the Patriots would have been. To be honest, I'm thinking the latest line (Colts by 7) is more a function of the "AFC is better" hype that's been out there all season.

There's no question that the AFC as a whole WAS better all season. BUT, the Bears were the best of the NFC from week 1 to today, and with Sunday's game, the defense got back to playing the way they were in the first half of the year... in short, dominating.

IF the defense plays that way AND the running game is as effective THEN they will beat the Colts, no question.

The Colts' defensive front four are, to be blunt, lightweights... literally. They're undersized and can be pushed around by a strong offensive line, which is exactly what the Bears have. It may not happen immediately, but the Bears O-Line should be able to dominate and let the "Thunder and Thunder" running backs get free.

On the other side, IF the Bears defensive line ("Our four beat their five.") can repeat their performance vs the Saints against the Colts, AND the defensive backs can stay frosty under pressure (like they did against the Saints), THEN I don't care how good Peyton Manning is (and he's DAMN good), the Bears will win.

However, that's a lot of "ifs" and "ands". After all, the Colts had the biggest comeback in playoff history last night... against a not-too-darn-bad defense. The Colts' defense is pretty flimsy, but they held when they needed to last night.

I think the Colts O vs Bears D will probably be a wash (both are good, but "defense wins championships"). The Bears O vs the Colts D is a wash (neither is very good).

Which brings us to Special Teams. Adam Viniteri (sp?) is one of the best 'clutch' kickers of all time. He's had SuperBowl-winning field-goals a couple of times, I think, and he's NEVER missed a FG in the playoffs. Robbie Gould of the Bears, though, arguably had a better season than Viniteri this year, and he's got ice-water running through his veins. I'll give the slight edge to the Colts, but it's very, very slight: 52-48 kind-of-slight.

BUT... the Bears have the best kick coverage team in the game, AND the best returner in the game in Devin Hester. From all reports, the Colts kick coverage sucks, and their return game isn't much better. It won't surprise me to see this game turn on the special teams, and if it does, the Bears have the edge.

Which is all a long-winded way of saying that I think the 'experts' are blinded by the hype, and should be flipping a coin for their choice. As a Bears fan, I need to pick them, but it's not going to be by much... seven points or so at best, and it could easily go the other way.

Bears 30, Colts 24.

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January 21, 2007

MIAMI, HERE WE COME!

SUPER BOWL, BABY!

Oh, Miami will be SO SWEET!

Hey, Denny Green, crown our @$$ now? We were who they thought we were... NFC CHAMPIONS!!!

UPDATE 536pm: Ubu fills his end of the deal in amazing style.

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Here we go...

Chicago-style hot dogs? Check.

WBBM on the radio, with Jeff Joniak on the coverage? Check.

Snowing outside? Check.

Let's get ready for some football!!!!

First half is over... click for the instant analysis. more...

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January 20, 2007

Sunday's the Big Day...

So tomorrow's the game between Da Bears and the Aints. I dunno about Ubu, but I'm ready to see the bludgeoning the Saints will get, if only to get The Sports Media to shut up already.

It seems like nobody except Bears fans give Chicago a chance in hell to win this one. I just don't understand this... yes, New Orleans has a great story working for it; yes, the Saints were 3-13 last year; yes, the Saints have never been this far in the playoffs in their history. Guess the Bears having the best record in the NFC doesn't matter much, huh?

The weather forecast for Chicago is looking pretty grim for the visitors, too. Short version, up to five inches of snow, a high around 25 F (that's -713 C for my overseas readers), and windy.

They call that "Bears Weather," my friends.
Bear down, Chicago Bears / Make every play clear the way to victory...

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January 19, 2007

Zombie Popcorn... with braaaaaaaaaaaains!

I saw this tonight, and while it's quite well done technically, and it's no different from any of the previous commercials that feature dead artists hawking new things, something about it just creeped me out. For a while, I couldn't figure out what was bothering me about it, but then it hit me:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wise Man: This path will lead you to an unholy place. A cemetery. There the Necronomicon awaits. When thou retrievest the book from its cradle you must recite the words: Klattu Barada Nicto.

(later)
Ash: Wait a minute. The words. Right, right, right. Say the words. Klattu! Barada! Nn... {pause} Necktie, necturn, nickle... noodle. It's an 'n' word. It's definitely an 'n' word. {revelation!} It was definatly an 'n' word! {Ash ponders, idea!} Klattu! Barada! Nn(coughcoughcough)!

Wise Man: Dung eating fool! Thou hast doomed us all! When thou misspoke the words, the Army of the Dead awoke!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARMY OF DARKNESS, am I right or am I right?

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January 17, 2007

The More Things Change...

As you may remember, McLaren rolled out their new MP4-22 a few days ago. Today, they took it out on the track for it's first test, with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel.

The engine lasted one lap.

It'll be the best looking paperweight on the track.

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January 16, 2007

Ducks Amuck!

SDB sez: "Actually, the snow in the yard is covered with thousands of footie-prints. Webbed footie-prints. A little while ago I looked outside and there must have been more than sixty ducks out there, walking all over the place, hoping that me or my neighbors would open up their deck doors and toss out something tasty."

Oh yes, Steven... yes, succumb to the Duck Side...

"I admit that I gave into the temptation, so they got the last 10 slices of a loaf of sourdough bread that's been in my frig for about a week and a half."

MUAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... This is merely the first step in Anatidae Domination! Today, Steven's back yard... tomorrow, THE WORLD!!!!!

And if he can fall, who can hope to stop us?

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F1 Pr0n, BMW-Sauber-style.

...um...

...well...


...yeah, that's about it. Haven't found ANY good pictures of the new car, and the ones I HAVE seen pretty much point out that it's not worth the effort. Seriously. It looks identical to last year's car, save for (say it with me) a raised nose with endplates on the wings, smaller air intakes, yadda yadda yadda.

I have great hope for the team, and fully expect Robert Kubica to do well in the car this year, but it sure LOOKS dull.

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January 15, 2007

F1 Pr0n, McLaren-style!

Toyota's car was nice. Ferrari's car was nice. But this...
Oh.  My.

...this is just obscene: the MP4-22 debuted today, and I'm diggin' it! Click below for more pr0n! more...

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January 14, 2007

F1 Pr0n, Ferrari-style!

Remember when I said that Ferrari was having the debut of their car on Sunday, but the car wasn't going to be ready?

They lied.
I hate the team, but that's THE iconic livery of F1...

Unlike Toyota, Ferrari hasn't made any obvious changes to the bodywork, mostly because last year's 2-4-8 was pretty well-developed. Really, the biggest change isn't visible in the photos released by Ferrari: the wheelbase is a little longer, and the rear is a little narrower.

Another big change is the disappearance of the Vodaphone logo, which to my eyes is like the '80s McLaren cars missing the Marlboro logo. It just doesn't LOOK right... and I just realized that I'm analyzing the paintjob of the car. What is WRONG with me? More pr0n!

I have nothing clever to say.

Also missing from the car, obviously, is Mitchell Schumacher, aka 'Slappy,' aka 'Parky.' I wonder if that's going to be a killer or not.

Oh. Almost forgot. Last year, Ferrari went back to their 'classic' numbering style, calling their 2006 car the '2-4-8.' This year? Back to their new style: this is the F2007. Woo-yay.

Who's Alice, anyway? (DWL!)

Monday is the scheduled debut of the McLaren challenger... and The Pond will be there! Er... not really, but we'll be HERE, with the pictures FROM there. See you then!

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Anime Blog Football Throwdown!

Hey, Ubu! Yeah, you Saints fan, I'm talkin' to you!

You've got to drag your gold-clad arses up to Chicago next week so the Bears can kick 'em 'round Soldier Field. "Who Dat?" The BEARS, dat's who!***

Wanna put the front page of your blog up as a bet? When my Bears win, you put a big ol' Bears logo as the top post for a few days. If the Ain'ts somehow pull a miracle out of their socks, I'll put a Frenchy-style fleur-de-lis up here on The Pond.

Whaddya say? Gonna stand by your team?


***(The Duck Sez: I'm not really as confident as I sound. I see the two teams as being basically even, more or less, with a slight advantage going to the Bears because of home-field and weather.)

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January 12, 2007

F1 Pr0n, Toyota-style

Oh, baby! The first of the 2007 F1 cars was unveiled today...
If I said you had a beautiful chassis, would you hold it against me?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Toyota F107!

For more pictures and analysis, click below: more...

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January 10, 2007

The Order Of The Honorary Duck

FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE to The Pond, I hereby bestow upon Don McClane of Beware The Kawaii membership into The Order Of The Honorary Duck , with all the rights and glory that brings unto him.

The Offical Seal of the Order.  All hail!

Don becomes the second member of the Order Of The Honorary Duck, joining only Pixy Misa himself. Recently, the webmaster of Beware The Kawaii became aware of my lack of broadband, and offered to help out by sending along some fansubs on DVD... with NOTHING ASKED IN RETURN! And, lo, he has done so, and I now have some 21 episodes of Simoun to plow through!

Thank you very much, Don! And, as I've offered before, if there's anything I can do in return, just let me know! Until then, this linky and your award will have to do. Everybody go visit!

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