July 30, 2008
Playing The Anime: Clannad (Tomoyo's Route)
To: Kyoto Animation.
Fr: Clannad fans everywhere.
Re: Tomoyo cooking.
How could you have left this shot out of the anime? What in the world were you thinking??? Perhaps it's in the "alternate route" OVA, ep24, which I have yet to watch (I wanted to finish Tomoyo's story in the game first). Even if it is, you guys should have had it in ep18.
It's no surprise that I enjoyed the Clannad anime, really, but the game gives you so much more backstory on the characters, it's amazing. Of course, Key had a lot more time to work with, but even so I'm still stunned by it all.
And I'm not even done with Tomoyo's story yet. In fact, I've only run through Misae's route prior to this... she wasn't even a secondary character in the anime, more like a tertiary or... um... quadiary? Anyways, minor. But it was great to learn more about her (though it would have been nice to see the giant swing manuever animated), and I can't wait to meet more of the non-main people down the road.
One negative, though: Sunohara's even more of a whiny little b*tch in the game.
To: Kyoto Animation.
Fr: Clannad fans everywhere.
Re: Tomoyo cooking.
How could you have left this shot out of the anime? What in the world were you thinking??? Perhaps it's in the "alternate route" OVA, ep24, which I have yet to watch (I wanted to finish Tomoyo's story in the game first). Even if it is, you guys should have had it in ep18.
It's no surprise that I enjoyed the Clannad anime, really, but the game gives you so much more backstory on the characters, it's amazing. Of course, Key had a lot more time to work with, but even so I'm still stunned by it all.
And I'm not even done with Tomoyo's story yet. In fact, I've only run through Misae's route prior to this... she wasn't even a secondary character in the anime, more like a tertiary or... um... quadiary? Anyways, minor. But it was great to learn more about her (though it would have been nice to see the giant swing manuever animated), and I can't wait to meet more of the non-main people down the road.
One negative, though: Sunohara's even more of a whiny little b*tch in the game.
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July 29, 2008
JCP is DEAD to me.
THIS... this is just frickin' EVIL. EVIL. With a capital "EVIL." Foul, nasty, dark, scummy, defiler of dreams, JC Pennys will never, EVER get my money again.
I HATE whomever created this monstrosity, this vile pile of filth, with the heat of a thousand suns. Rabid, hungry stoats down his pants is not even close to being enough pain to recompense what he has done to the memories of my youth.
I don't like it, is what I'm trying to say.
I don't like it, is what I'm trying to say.
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July 28, 2008
F1 On SPEED: Hungary!
Ahhhhh, it's nice to be done with the races being on Fox... I almost missed Smarmy Windsor's gridwalks. Almost. Still, having the half-hour pre-race show back is worth the short exposure to Smarmy.
In 2007, the Grand Prix of Hungary became the first F1 race I'd missed since I started watching again in earnest... Monaco, 2004. Heavy thunderstorms overnight knocked out The Pond's satellite signal completely; I wound up recording three hours of blue-screen. By all reports, I didn't miss much. That's the problem with Hungary, I'm afraid. Much like Mangy-Curs in France, the Hungaroring is a "processional" track:
With only one real passing location (turn 1), no long fast runs other than the front straight (which is only 700m long), and a plethora of slow turns, the Hungaroring is actually similar to the twisty circuit at Monaco. Indeed, the lower-budget teams run the same car that they did at that street circuit (except for the special front suspension). It's a high downforce circuit, in other words. You need the grip bonus more than you need top speed here. In fact, there's only one true high G-force turn here, turn 1, and it doesn't even hit 4.0g, more or less.
In other words, potentially a yawner of a race. However, in 2006, the rains came. The result? Jenson Button won his first (and so far, only) race, HWMNBN lost a wheel when a lugnut fell off, Kimi Raikkonen plowed over Vitantonio Liuzzi for no good reason whatsoever, and rookie Robert Kubica debuted, replacing Jack Newhouse, and finished 7th before he was "excluded" because his car was 2kg underweight. A wild race, and one we can hope will be repeated this year. Without traction control, we might even get that sort of result WITHOUT the rain.
On Friday, SPEED brings us live coverage of 2nd Practice, from 7am to 840am. We'll start to see just how the cars perform here without TC... and if McLaren can continue their charge and close the gap to Ferrari in the Constructor's Championship.
Saturday, we get to see just where everybody is on the all-important grid, with plausibly live coverage of Quals from 7am to 830am. Unless we've got rain, it'll likely be one of the two Ferraris or Lewis Hamilton on pole. I suppose it's possible that BMW might sneak into the pole position, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Finally, Sunday brings us the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE from 630am to 9am. Will we get a Zsolt Baumgartner sighting? Please? We miss Zsolt. SPEED will replay the race from 130pm to 4pm in case you can't drag yourself out of bed at 630am... like me.
Good news, however! It's looking like Vaucaunson's Duck, long-time friend, will be visiting The Pond for the race. This will delay the F1 UPDATE!, but that's the way it goes. Seeing a friend I've not seen in about a year takes priority. Stay tuned for more info on Hungary as it becomes available!
In 2007, the Grand Prix of Hungary became the first F1 race I'd missed since I started watching again in earnest... Monaco, 2004. Heavy thunderstorms overnight knocked out The Pond's satellite signal completely; I wound up recording three hours of blue-screen. By all reports, I didn't miss much. That's the problem with Hungary, I'm afraid. Much like Mangy-Curs in France, the Hungaroring is a "processional" track:
With only one real passing location (turn 1), no long fast runs other than the front straight (which is only 700m long), and a plethora of slow turns, the Hungaroring is actually similar to the twisty circuit at Monaco. Indeed, the lower-budget teams run the same car that they did at that street circuit (except for the special front suspension). It's a high downforce circuit, in other words. You need the grip bonus more than you need top speed here. In fact, there's only one true high G-force turn here, turn 1, and it doesn't even hit 4.0g, more or less.
In other words, potentially a yawner of a race. However, in 2006, the rains came. The result? Jenson Button won his first (and so far, only) race, HWMNBN lost a wheel when a lugnut fell off, Kimi Raikkonen plowed over Vitantonio Liuzzi for no good reason whatsoever, and rookie Robert Kubica debuted, replacing Jack Newhouse, and finished 7th before he was "excluded" because his car was 2kg underweight. A wild race, and one we can hope will be repeated this year. Without traction control, we might even get that sort of result WITHOUT the rain.
On Friday, SPEED brings us live coverage of 2nd Practice, from 7am to 840am. We'll start to see just how the cars perform here without TC... and if McLaren can continue their charge and close the gap to Ferrari in the Constructor's Championship.
Saturday, we get to see just where everybody is on the all-important grid, with plausibly live coverage of Quals from 7am to 830am. Unless we've got rain, it'll likely be one of the two Ferraris or Lewis Hamilton on pole. I suppose it's possible that BMW might sneak into the pole position, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Finally, Sunday brings us the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE from 630am to 9am. Will we get a Zsolt Baumgartner sighting? Please? We miss Zsolt. SPEED will replay the race from 130pm to 4pm in case you can't drag yourself out of bed at 630am... like me.
Good news, however! It's looking like Vaucaunson's Duck, long-time friend, will be visiting The Pond for the race. This will delay the F1 UPDATE!, but that's the way it goes. Seeing a friend I've not seen in about a year takes priority. Stay tuned for more info on Hungary as it becomes available!
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July 27, 2008
Smaller, Better, Faster, Stronger
It hasn't all been Wonderduck hiding under the covers recently. On Saturday, I ventured forth to the BigBlueBox on a mission... a mission to upgrade Chiyo-chan.
Don't get me wrong, Chiyo-chan is still the smartest and fastest computer on the block, and with her new 19" LCD monitor, the prettiest too. However, it's been two years since her last upgrade (420w PSU, 7600GT graphics card), and I've been meaning to do this particular upgrade since the day I got her.
So now, Chiyo-chan has all her DIMM slots filled, and a total of 3gb of RAM. She's a lot peppier than she was (and she was pretty zippy then), lemme tell ya.
Don't get me wrong, Chiyo-chan is still the smartest and fastest computer on the block, and with her new 19" LCD monitor, the prettiest too. However, it's been two years since her last upgrade (420w PSU, 7600GT graphics card), and I've been meaning to do this particular upgrade since the day I got her.
So now, Chiyo-chan has all her DIMM slots filled, and a total of 3gb of RAM. She's a lot peppier than she was (and she was pretty zippy then), lemme tell ya.
Next step, a new external hard-drive...
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(Do July 25, 2008
Abusive Ducks
I'm still in something of a dark place, but I couldn't not do this. The good folks over at B3ta are currently running an image contest entitled "Abusive Ducks." I took the liberty of stealing the best of them, so y'all could have a laugh.
Duck a la Orange, of course...
more...
Duck a la Orange, of course...
Click "more" for... um... more.
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July 23, 2008
Where's Wonderduck?
1) Playing Clannad.
2) Dealing with a bout of depression.
3) There is no number 3.
I'll be back when I snap out of #2.
2) Dealing with a bout of depression.
3) There is no number 3.
I'll be back when I snap out of #2.
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July 20, 2008
F1 UPDATE!: Germany 2008!
Oh, the difference a safety car makes. THIS is the F1 UPDATE! for the German Grand Prix!
*NIP/TUCK: From the start of the race, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton ran away and hid from the rest of the field. To be honest, it was quite unexciting, and we here at F1 UPDATE! were giving serious thought to taking a nap. It didn't even look like we were going to get any rain to make it a little more interesting. And then, as they say in Heidelberg, "Glock Happens." Specifically, Timo Glock ran very wide on the last turn of lap 35. He jounced over the curb, and his right rear suspension completely collapsed.
*NIP/TUCK: From the start of the race, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton ran away and hid from the rest of the field. To be honest, it was quite unexciting, and we here at F1 UPDATE! were giving serious thought to taking a nap. It didn't even look like we were going to get any rain to make it a little more interesting. And then, as they say in Heidelberg, "Glock Happens." Specifically, Timo Glock ran very wide on the last turn of lap 35. He jounced over the curb, and his right rear suspension completely collapsed.
Note to Toyota: suspensions should not be made of sillyputty.
more...
His car smashed against the inside wall, shredding the Toyota and spewing shard of carbon fiber across the front straight. The safety car was deployed, and Hamilton's 12-second lead was gone. Everybody dove for the pits, wanting to get their cars refueled and new rubber put on... except for Hamilton; McLaren mysteriously kept him out on track. Suddenly, it was not only a new race, but one at which Lewis was at a distinct disadvantage, for he had to pit before the end of the race. When the safety car period ended, Hamilton, lighter on fuel than everybody else, began to reopen his lead. Eventually it was up to 15 seconds when he guided the Glare On Wheels into the pits. Here's the problem: to enter the pit lane, drive to your box, get serviced, then exit the pits takes about 25 seconds. When Hamilton returned to the track on lap 50, he was in fifth with 15 laps to go. BMW's Grizzly Nick Heidfeld, who also ignored the free pitstop offered by the safety car, went in for fuel and tires. Lewis' teammate, Heikki Koveleinninninnie let Hamilton by after a (very) token battle. He caught up to Massa on lap 57 (see: Move of the Race below), and then, with five laps to go, he took the lead from the Renault of Nelson Piquet (who was just pitting when Glock crashed, jumping him about 12 places in one instant) and ran away for the win. A truly amazing display of driving ability and car performance, nearly Slappy-esque in it's quality.
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: Lewis Hamilton. He was going to win this race before the safety car came out, then after McLaren fscked up by not bringing him in, he went out and won it again. At least as impressive a drive in the last 15 laps as his victory by over 60 seconds in the wet at Silverstone, there's no question that Hamilton deserves to be the Driver of the Race.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: Renault. A lucky break gave them a gift podium, to be sure, but you HAVE to be lucky to be good, and it's their first podium in since 2006. Perhaps more importantly, they managed to hold of Massa's Ferrari to stay in 2nd place. Don't count on it happening again this season, but for now, Renault gets the TotR.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: On lap 57, Lewis Hamilton was closing in on Felipe Massa for second place. He got close behind the Brazillian in Parabolika and was rewarded with a massive tow down the fastest part of the circuit, and headed into the hairpin in perfect position, just behind and inside of the Ferrari. Hamilton held off on braking as long as he could, then decelerated like he had thrown an anchor out of the cockpit. Massa, however, was having none of it willingly. He tried to slam the door in the McLaren's face... but Hamilton was having none of that, either. He shoved Massa outside, refusing to give him an inch of room. Massa wound up in the runoff area off-track. Still game, however, Massa tried to get the position back in turn 8. Hamilton shouldered the Ferrari offline again, which almost let Heidfeld jump into third. A gorgeous bar-room brawl of a passing sequence, well deserving of the Move of the Race... and, if this turns out to be the race where Hamilton takes the Driver's Championship lead for good, perhaps the Move of the Year.
*MOOOOOO-OOOVE OF THE RACE: From the sublime to the ridiculous, the Mooooo-ooove celebrates the performances that make the best drivers in the world look like they only got their learner's permits last week. While McLaren's attempt at giving the race away by not calling Hamilton in during the safety car period nearly won, saved only by Hamilton's victory, instead we'll be giving the award to an on-track incident. On lap 49, Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver in F1 today, tried to pass David Coulthard's Chin, the oldest driver in F1 today, on the outside. A dodgy attempt to begin with became much, much worse, when The Chin slipped outside to block... and wound up running into the Honda. The Red Bull went wobbling away, the Honda lost it's nose, and both cars wound up losing a handful of positions for no real good reason. Both of you should have known better, and that's why we lovingly present you with a joint Moooooo-ooove. Well done.
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: Lewis Hamilton. He was going to win this race before the safety car came out, then after McLaren fscked up by not bringing him in, he went out and won it again. At least as impressive a drive in the last 15 laps as his victory by over 60 seconds in the wet at Silverstone, there's no question that Hamilton deserves to be the Driver of the Race.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: Renault. A lucky break gave them a gift podium, to be sure, but you HAVE to be lucky to be good, and it's their first podium in since 2006. Perhaps more importantly, they managed to hold of Massa's Ferrari to stay in 2nd place. Don't count on it happening again this season, but for now, Renault gets the TotR.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: On lap 57, Lewis Hamilton was closing in on Felipe Massa for second place. He got close behind the Brazillian in Parabolika and was rewarded with a massive tow down the fastest part of the circuit, and headed into the hairpin in perfect position, just behind and inside of the Ferrari. Hamilton held off on braking as long as he could, then decelerated like he had thrown an anchor out of the cockpit. Massa, however, was having none of it willingly. He tried to slam the door in the McLaren's face... but Hamilton was having none of that, either. He shoved Massa outside, refusing to give him an inch of room. Massa wound up in the runoff area off-track. Still game, however, Massa tried to get the position back in turn 8. Hamilton shouldered the Ferrari offline again, which almost let Heidfeld jump into third. A gorgeous bar-room brawl of a passing sequence, well deserving of the Move of the Race... and, if this turns out to be the race where Hamilton takes the Driver's Championship lead for good, perhaps the Move of the Year.
*MOOOOOO-OOOVE OF THE RACE: From the sublime to the ridiculous, the Mooooo-ooove celebrates the performances that make the best drivers in the world look like they only got their learner's permits last week. While McLaren's attempt at giving the race away by not calling Hamilton in during the safety car period nearly won, saved only by Hamilton's victory, instead we'll be giving the award to an on-track incident. On lap 49, Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver in F1 today, tried to pass David Coulthard's Chin, the oldest driver in F1 today, on the outside. A dodgy attempt to begin with became much, much worse, when The Chin slipped outside to block... and wound up running into the Honda. The Red Bull went wobbling away, the Honda lost it's nose, and both cars wound up losing a handful of positions for no real good reason. Both of you should have known better, and that's why we lovingly present you with a joint Moooooo-ooove. Well done.
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
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July 19, 2008
F1 Quals: Germany 2008!
Something weird happened in Q3 today: Kimi Raikkonen gave up on a qual lap after grabbing P2. 2nd sounds pretty good, no? The problem was, there were still a bunch of other cars on track in the middle of hot laps. The result? Well, let's look at the provisional grid:
Yep, that's right. From the 1st row to 3rd in just a few seconds. Reports indicate that Ferrari just can't get the car dialed in when there's more than a little bit of fuel in it. That's just not good, and it's going to be a loooooong night for the boys from Maranello.
In other surprises, Jarno Trulli jumped from P10 to P4 on his last run, seemingly from out of nowhere. He didn't show ANY signs of that happening this session, so one must wonder just how much fuel he's got in the Toyota. The other big surprise is Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso making it into Q3. Very unexpected, though he's been quick all weekend. He's making Red Bull's decision to give him David Coulthard's Chin's seat in the Big Team next year look good.
Kubica was 14th at the end of Q1; both BMW-Saubers are having problems recently, and there's no obvious reason why. Well, we'll see what happens.
The weather forecast is still a coinflip for race day. About the only thing the forecasters are sure of is that it won't snow. They think.
Interestingly, McLaren is running asymmetric radiator side vents this race. I'll try to get a screenshot of it tomorrow. See ya after the race!
UPDATE: The good folks at F1technical.net made a nice composite pic of the vents:
| 1 |
Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes |
1:15.218 | 1:14.603 | 1:15.666 |
| 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:14.921 | 1:14.747 | 1:15.859 |
| 3 | Heikki Kovalainen |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:15.476 | 1:14.855 | 1:16.143 |
| 4 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1:15.560 | 1:15.122 | 1:16.191 |
| 5 | HWMNBN | Renault | 1:15.917 | 1:14.943 | 1:16.385 |
| 6 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:15.201 | 1:14.949 | 1:16.389 |
| 7 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:15.985 | 1:15.109 | 1:16.521 |
| 8 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:15.900 | 1:15.481 | 1:17.014 |
| 9 | Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 1:15.532 | 1:15.420 | 1:17.244 |
| 10 | David Coulthard's Chin |
Red Bull-Renault | 1:15.975 | 1:15.338 | 1:17.503 |
| 11 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1:15.560 | 1:15.508 | |
| 12 | Grizzly Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:15.596 | 1:15.581 | |
| 13 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 1:15.863 | 1:15.633 | |
| 14 | Jenson Button | Honda | 1:15.993 | 1:15.701 | |
| 15 | SeaBass | STR-Ferrari | 1:15.927 | 1:15.858 | |
| 16 | Kazoo Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 1:16.083 | ||
| 17 | Nelsinho Piquet | Renault | 1:16.189 | ||
| 18 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 1:16.246 | ||
| 19 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 1:16.657 | ||
| 20 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 1:16.963 |
Yep, that's right. From the 1st row to 3rd in just a few seconds. Reports indicate that Ferrari just can't get the car dialed in when there's more than a little bit of fuel in it. That's just not good, and it's going to be a loooooong night for the boys from Maranello.
In other surprises, Jarno Trulli jumped from P10 to P4 on his last run, seemingly from out of nowhere. He didn't show ANY signs of that happening this session, so one must wonder just how much fuel he's got in the Toyota. The other big surprise is Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso making it into Q3. Very unexpected, though he's been quick all weekend. He's making Red Bull's decision to give him David Coulthard's Chin's seat in the Big Team next year look good.
Kubica was 14th at the end of Q1; both BMW-Saubers are having problems recently, and there's no obvious reason why. Well, we'll see what happens.
The weather forecast is still a coinflip for race day. About the only thing the forecasters are sure of is that it won't snow. They think.
Interestingly, McLaren is running asymmetric radiator side vents this race. I'll try to get a screenshot of it tomorrow. See ya after the race!
UPDATE: The good folks at F1technical.net made a nice composite pic of the vents:
In case you're wondering, it's to cut down on drag. Normally, they wouldn't be able to get away with this, because the engine needs to be cooled and the air getting into the vents are the only cooling they can get. Cutting down on the size of the vents means the engine is going to be running warm, except for one thing: it's been a cool weekend at Hockenheim. Apparently, they first ran the this during Silverstone testing; again, a cool weather track. No way they could try this at, say, Bahrain.
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July 18, 2008
F1 Practice: Germany 2008!
I'd really wanted to write about the today's practice sessions at Hockenheim, but just like last year's German Grand Prix, it was rainy. As a result, every time I sat down to start typing, I
...I said, I kept getting interrup
Lewis Hamilton discovering he's not at Silverstone anymore.
Whoops. I keptRubens Barrichello tests the Honda Watercolor F1.
...like I was trying to say, I kept getting"Call that a crash? I KNOW crashes, and this much of ain't one," said Robert Kubica afterwards.
*sigh*...I said, I kept getting interrup
Wheelie bars? On Glock's Toyota? Inconceivable!
Y'know what? You get the idea. Quals tomorrow. Maybe someone'll be able to complete a lap then.
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July 17, 2008
My Eyes! MY BLOODY EYES! MAKE IT STOP!!!
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July 16, 2008
Strike Witches ep02: It's The Little Things That Count...
Strike Witches is really turning into everything I could have hoped for (and did!). Lots of good ol' fashioned fun... and the animators have a remarkable eye for details.
For example, take this screenshot:
The red arrow is pointing to a stream of smoke coming from the centerline of the Akagi's flight deck. Most people probably wouldn't notice this, as it was only on-screen for a second or two, but when I saw it, my jaw dropped.
The IJN used a steam valve set in the fore of their flight decks to help their pilots gauge wind direction and speed on takeoff. It's the little things that count, and that tiny detail just made me go "wow, they got it right."
Another detail, but one that raised a question in my mind, is in the screenshot below:
For example, take this screenshot:
The red arrow is pointing to a stream of smoke coming from the centerline of the Akagi's flight deck. Most people probably wouldn't notice this, as it was only on-screen for a second or two, but when I saw it, my jaw dropped.
The IJN used a steam valve set in the fore of their flight decks to help their pilots gauge wind direction and speed on takeoff. It's the little things that count, and that tiny detail just made me go "wow, they got it right."
Another detail, but one that raised a question in my mind, is in the screenshot below:
Major Sakamoto leads a squadron of fighters from the Akagi against the Neuroi attacker.
Those aren't Zeros she's leading; they're Mitsubishi A5Ms, Allied code-named "Claude", which was the predecessor of the Zero. It was a remarkably nimble fighter, even moreso than the Zero, but carried the same armament as a Sopwith Camel: two .303-cal machine guns. They were introduced into carrier service in 1937, and withdrawn from all frontline duties by 1942 (two defended the Shoho in the Battle of the Coral Sea).
I wonder, with the arrival of the Neuroi, did the Zero ever get built? It's obvious that ANY normal fighter plane is hideously outmatched against the aliens, so why bother with advancing the state of the art? In the intro to the series, we see British Hurricanes in 1939 facing off against the invaders... maybe the Spitfire never got made? And the Fw-190?
With the Witches being the preeminent fighting force, when would the first jets come into use? Assuming the good guys win, would jet transport ever come about? Or would it be much, much later than it actually was?
So many questions from one little screenshot...
Those aren't Zeros she's leading; they're Mitsubishi A5Ms, Allied code-named "Claude", which was the predecessor of the Zero. It was a remarkably nimble fighter, even moreso than the Zero, but carried the same armament as a Sopwith Camel: two .303-cal machine guns. They were introduced into carrier service in 1937, and withdrawn from all frontline duties by 1942 (two defended the Shoho in the Battle of the Coral Sea).
I wonder, with the arrival of the Neuroi, did the Zero ever get built? It's obvious that ANY normal fighter plane is hideously outmatched against the aliens, so why bother with advancing the state of the art? In the intro to the series, we see British Hurricanes in 1939 facing off against the invaders... maybe the Spitfire never got made? And the Fw-190?
With the Witches being the preeminent fighting force, when would the first jets come into use? Assuming the good guys win, would jet transport ever come about? Or would it be much, much later than it actually was?
So many questions from one little screenshot...
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Playing The Anime.
If you've read The Pond over the past couple of years, you've probably realized that I'm quite fond of the production combination of Key Games and Kyoto Animation. The two companies have combined on the anime versions of the visual novels for AIR, Kanon and Clannad. While I didn't much care for AIR, the other two are way up on my list of favorite shows.
But I've never had the chance to actually experience the original source material for the shows, since they were in Japanese and there's never been an English translation... until now.
Baka-Tsuki, TheWaffleHouse, and Sprocket-Hole Subs have been working on an English patch for the game, and while they aren't done with it quite yet, somebody took their translated files (in a 99.9% done state) and released them in a format that works.
So what's it like?
Well, I'm only an hour or so into it, but I am amazed at how well KyoAni manipulated the game to turn it into the anime. It's all there, and more besides. Each of the girls have a storyline as full as Nagisa's, and other than quick glimpses, hers was the only one we got to see in the show. Somewhere, I read that there's well over 300 hours of gameplay in Clannad, and I can easily believe it.
The humor level is still high, though without the moving visuals some of it doesn't translate as well (Sunohara in the garbage chute). It's way too early, though, for the drama to have begun, though I fully expect that it'll be at least as intense as what was in the show. The reasons for the successful Key/KyoAni partnership are clearly evident to me now... both sides brought a helluva lot to the table, and the end result is an amazing feast.
Now if only someone would do a translation for Kanon, I'd be the happiest duck around...
But I've never had the chance to actually experience the original source material for the shows, since they were in Japanese and there's never been an English translation... until now.
Baka-Tsuki, TheWaffleHouse, and Sprocket-Hole Subs have been working on an English patch for the game, and while they aren't done with it quite yet, somebody took their translated files (in a 99.9% done state) and released them in a format that works.
So what's it like?
Well, I'm only an hour or so into it, but I am amazed at how well KyoAni manipulated the game to turn it into the anime. It's all there, and more besides. Each of the girls have a storyline as full as Nagisa's, and other than quick glimpses, hers was the only one we got to see in the show. Somewhere, I read that there's well over 300 hours of gameplay in Clannad, and I can easily believe it.
The humor level is still high, though without the moving visuals some of it doesn't translate as well (Sunohara in the garbage chute). It's way too early, though, for the drama to have begun, though I fully expect that it'll be at least as intense as what was in the show. The reasons for the successful Key/KyoAni partnership are clearly evident to me now... both sides brought a helluva lot to the table, and the end result is an amazing feast.
Now if only someone would do a translation for Kanon, I'd be the happiest duck around...
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July 15, 2008
F1 on TV: Germany!
Once upon a time, Hockenhein was one of those courses. The type that could make a brave driver shuffle his feet around nervously before he got into the car. The type that made worms out of the less brave. It was the track that killed the man that may have been the greatest driver F1 had ever seen, Jim Clark, in a worthless Formula 2 race (for those readers who don't know, F2 was essentially a feeder league for F1, much as the Nationwide series is for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series... and, just as in Nationwide today, the guys from The Show often raced in the junior series).
Then Hermann Tilke got a hold of it. Now it's just another track, and they don't even race at it every year; the last time F1 visited Hockenheim was 2006. Still, there are some decent bits to it:
Like most Tilke tracks, it's got fast parts followed by flow-wrecking kanoodling bits. The main straightaway, aka "Parabolika", isn't really straight at all, which makes drafting a bit of a challenge. Like Silverstone, the first turn (the Nordkurve) is usually taken close to flat out, which makes turn 2 the real bottleneck on the opening lap. The Stadium Complex (turns 12-17) requires a lot of grip, which makes getting the balance between low downforce (high speed) and high downforce (high grip) a very tricky thing for the teams to handle. Turns 16 & 17, while separated by a short chute, are usually treated as one big double-apex turn by the drivers.
The bit that'll make this really interesting is that, other than last week's test session, none of the teams have really run here in the new-spec cars. In 2006, engines were screaming at 20000 rpms, there was traction control, and so on and so forth. Now, though, no TC and engine limiters have probably changed the way the teams look at the circuit. It was tough on tires to begin with, for example, but now? Well, there's a reason Bridgestone is bringing the Hard and Medium compounds to the track.
On the TV front, this is the last time this season we'll have to suffer through the race being on FOX. Coverage first begins on Friday, from 7a-840a, with SPEED showing Practice 2 live. Saturday brings us Quals from 7a-830a, plausibly live on SPEED.
Sunday will be a teeny bit different, however. SPEED is going to be doing their normal pre-race show from 1130a to Noon. Then you have to switch over to FOX for the German Grand Prix, from Noon to 2pm.
As is normal for FOX broadcasts, SPEED will be replaying the race on Wednesday from 1130a to 130p. They may show the pre-race show as well, so tune in at 11a to be sure.
And to see what Hockenheim used to be like before Tilke got his claws into it, click
more...
Then Hermann Tilke got a hold of it. Now it's just another track, and they don't even race at it every year; the last time F1 visited Hockenheim was 2006. Still, there are some decent bits to it:
Like most Tilke tracks, it's got fast parts followed by flow-wrecking kanoodling bits. The main straightaway, aka "Parabolika", isn't really straight at all, which makes drafting a bit of a challenge. Like Silverstone, the first turn (the Nordkurve) is usually taken close to flat out, which makes turn 2 the real bottleneck on the opening lap. The Stadium Complex (turns 12-17) requires a lot of grip, which makes getting the balance between low downforce (high speed) and high downforce (high grip) a very tricky thing for the teams to handle. Turns 16 & 17, while separated by a short chute, are usually treated as one big double-apex turn by the drivers.
The bit that'll make this really interesting is that, other than last week's test session, none of the teams have really run here in the new-spec cars. In 2006, engines were screaming at 20000 rpms, there was traction control, and so on and so forth. Now, though, no TC and engine limiters have probably changed the way the teams look at the circuit. It was tough on tires to begin with, for example, but now? Well, there's a reason Bridgestone is bringing the Hard and Medium compounds to the track.
On the TV front, this is the last time this season we'll have to suffer through the race being on FOX. Coverage first begins on Friday, from 7a-840a, with SPEED showing Practice 2 live. Saturday brings us Quals from 7a-830a, plausibly live on SPEED.
Sunday will be a teeny bit different, however. SPEED is going to be doing their normal pre-race show from 1130a to Noon. Then you have to switch over to FOX for the German Grand Prix, from Noon to 2pm.
As is normal for FOX broadcasts, SPEED will be replaying the race on Wednesday from 1130a to 130p. They may show the pre-race show as well, so tune in at 11a to be sure.
And to see what Hockenheim used to be like before Tilke got his claws into it, click
more...
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July 13, 2008
ARIA: not on the cart yet!
Pssssst... hey, buddy! Yeah, you. C'mere...
*looks around furtively*
Wanna new episode of Aria: The Origination? 'Course ya do... you'ze a smart guy. Well, I gots one fer ya... it's called episode 5.5. That's a strange name, yeah, but dere's a reason fer it: it's one o' dem special DVD-only thingies. But it's a full 24 minutes of Aria that we didn't expect, y'know?
So howsabout it? Wanna know more?
more...
*looks around furtively*
Wanna new episode of Aria: The Origination? 'Course ya do... you'ze a smart guy. Well, I gots one fer ya... it's called episode 5.5. That's a strange name, yeah, but dere's a reason fer it: it's one o' dem special DVD-only thingies. But it's a full 24 minutes of Aria that we didn't expect, y'know?
So howsabout it? Wanna know more?
more...
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08:36 PM
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July 12, 2008
Random Anime Picture #23: World Destruction!
-World Destruction, ep01
Okay, so lets look at this. We've got a show where the main character is a hawt swordsbabe with the apparent ability to literally destroy the world, and she's not afraid to threaten to use it. The powers that be are trying to stop her, hijinks occur.
All right, not a bad setup, why wouldn't anybody enjoy that?
more...
-World Destruction, ep01
Okay, so lets look at this. We've got a show where the main character is a hawt swordsbabe with the apparent ability to literally destroy the world, and she's not afraid to threaten to use it. The powers that be are trying to stop her, hijinks occur.
All right, not a bad setup, why wouldn't anybody enjoy that?
more...
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July 11, 2008
Fun With Weather!
So Thursday night's weather here at The Pond was... oh, let's call it exciting, shall we? Around 6pm, it went from being bright and sunny in Pond Central's living room to dark and surly, like someone threw a switch on the sun.
I opened the door to the balcony, and got hit in the face with a bucket of water. It was POURING out there, and the clouds were moving every which way... but just a few miles away, there was blue sky. A very definite cloudline... and I was on the wrong side of it.
Lots of lightning, both the traditional air-to-ground ZOT! (for a genuine Pond No-Prize, what comic strip used to use that descriptor?) type and the kind that makes it look like the Mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind is hiding behind the clouds. Very neat, very cool... and more than a little terrifying, to be honest. Anyway, I've heard that some parts of Duckford got up to three inches of rain in a couple of hours... just what we need after the flooding of a couple of weeks ago.
Somewhere around 815pm, I noticed something weird... the light from outside seemed to be orange through the curtains. I stepped outside, and saw that the stormline had just as neatly organized back to it as it did a front... the sun had been revealed! Since it was almost time for it to set, though, it looked orange, and that color was being reflected off the clouds. Very weird look to everything... and then I saw it.
A horizon-to-horizon, sharp-edged, DOUBLE RAINBOW! I'd never seen such a thing before... and particularly not one that looked like it had been drawn with a marker! I went out to The Pond's parking lot to get a better view of the whole thing...
...meanwhile, The Librarian was in Wal-Mart's parking lot, frantically calling my cellphone to tell me to look out my balcony to see the doublerainbowitsgreatandhugeandwow!
More importantly, though, she had the presence of mind to take a photograph of it with her cellphone's camera:
I opened the door to the balcony, and got hit in the face with a bucket of water. It was POURING out there, and the clouds were moving every which way... but just a few miles away, there was blue sky. A very definite cloudline... and I was on the wrong side of it.
Lots of lightning, both the traditional air-to-ground ZOT! (for a genuine Pond No-Prize, what comic strip used to use that descriptor?) type and the kind that makes it look like the Mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind is hiding behind the clouds. Very neat, very cool... and more than a little terrifying, to be honest. Anyway, I've heard that some parts of Duckford got up to three inches of rain in a couple of hours... just what we need after the flooding of a couple of weeks ago.
Somewhere around 815pm, I noticed something weird... the light from outside seemed to be orange through the curtains. I stepped outside, and saw that the stormline had just as neatly organized back to it as it did a front... the sun had been revealed! Since it was almost time for it to set, though, it looked orange, and that color was being reflected off the clouds. Very weird look to everything... and then I saw it.
A horizon-to-horizon, sharp-edged, DOUBLE RAINBOW! I'd never seen such a thing before... and particularly not one that looked like it had been drawn with a marker! I went out to The Pond's parking lot to get a better view of the whole thing...
...meanwhile, The Librarian was in Wal-Mart's parking lot, frantically calling my cellphone to tell me to look out my balcony to see the doublerainbowitsgreatandhugeandwow!
More importantly, though, she had the presence of mind to take a photograph of it with her cellphone's camera:
They're after me Lucky Charms! Both of 'em!
So, not a bad way to end a stormy day, eh?
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July 10, 2008
The Dream Is Truly Over.
saf1-auction.com
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July 07, 2008
What's Wonderduck Watching: Five First Episodes
So the new season of Anime has begun to roll out. Five shows that I was interested in all came down the pipe within a few days of each other, so I decided to marathon 'em.
I have to admit, the Summer certainly holds more promise than the Spring season did (though these shows'll have to work to be as good as Soul Eater)... click below to see What's Wonderduck Watching!
more...
I have to admit, the Summer certainly holds more promise than the Spring season did (though these shows'll have to work to be as good as Soul Eater)... click below to see What's Wonderduck Watching!
more...
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July 06, 2008
F1 UPDATE!: BRITAIN 2008
Break out your slickers and wellies, THIS is F1 UPDATE!
*RAIN: The race started in the rain. Then it stopped. Then it poured. Then the race got silly. Only three cars were still on the lead lap when the race ended, and the winner, some bloke named Lewis Hamilton, was 68 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Yet at times, it was the worst car on track that was turning laps seven seconds faster than the leader, and you had one driver pass two cars for position in one move TWICE. We've said it before, and we'll say it again in the future, but we love F1 in the wet.
*EVERYONE LOVES A THREE-WAY: After today's results, there are three drivers with 48 championship points: Hamilton, Raikkonen and Massa. Kubica has 46. This one is wiiiiiide open.
*...RIGHT DOWN THEIR LEG: Massa spun four or five times. Kimi ended up fourth, but knows he was lucky to be even that high. Ferrari as a team looked like a bunch of amateurs with their strategies. And it didn't have to be that way: until the first pitstop, Kimi was only a couple of car-lengths behind Hamilton. They pitted at the same time, they left the pits at the same time, and two laps later, Raikkonen was seven seconds behind (see Mooooo-ooove of the Race), and it was only a question of "would the cars stay on the track?" Nightmare fuel for the tifosi, and a shot in the arm for McLaren.
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: By all rights, Lewis Hamilton should win this. It isn't every day a race is won by 68 seconds, y'know. Any other race, a performance like that would earn him the DotR honors without any questions whatsoever. But it isn't every day that the worst car on the grid ends up finishing third, too, and a lot of the reason for that is the driver... Rubens Barrichello. His first podium finish since the 2005 USGP (when only six cars took the green flag), and Honda's first podium since Hungary 2006 (Jenson Button, win)? Sure, part of it was that they gambled with full-wet tires even though the sun was coming out, but what the heck? Congrats, Rubens! If anybody deserves a break, it's you.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: McLaren. 1st-5th and you win by over a minute? Yep, you get the TotR award, but only because everybody else blew chunks.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: While everybody else looked like they were driving on ice (except for Hamilton, of course), Grizzly Nick Heidfeld was zipping around the track like he had studded tires. Around lap 20, he was in 6th place, behind Toyota's Timo Glock and the Renault of HWMNBN. Heading into a turn, he banzais himself around Glock to the outside, then zips past HWMNBN to the inside... in the same turn! Good enough to win the MotR right there, but he wasn't finished yet. Seven laps later, he was behind the dual Finns of Kovaleinninninnie and Raikkonen (3rd and 2nd, respectively). Again, Heidfeld disposed of both of them at the same time for his second 2-car pass of the race. Ballsy stuff from Grizzly Nick, considering the track condition at the time, and the combination should be in the running for Move(s) of the Year.
*MOOOOOO-OOOVE OF THE RACE: Celebrating the best of the worst of the race, the Moooooo-ooove generally goes to the driver who makes the Art of F1 Driving look more like the Scientology of F1 Driving: a laughingstock, in other words. Today, though, we can't blame the drivers for their lowing and cud-chewing: the weather caused that. However, there was one incident that just screamed "Mooo!" in this race. As the first round of pitstops came near, the rain had stopped but the track was still very wet (Silverstone is very wide, and mostly flat, with no camber at all. As a result, water on pavement just sits there until it steams off). A couple of laps later, Smarmy Windsor reported that it was raining in the paddock. Kimi Raikkonen trailed Lewis Hamilton by about a second as they both came in to pit. Lewis took fuel and new Intermediate tires. Ferrari, though, sent Kimi back out with fuel only, leaving him with worn Inters. A lap or so later, they did the same with Massa, revealing that it was a team strategy, not a driver saying "let's do this." The gamble was that if it stopped raining and began to dry, the worn Inters would suddenly act like slick tires: no grooves, huge contact patch, and great grip. BUT IT WAS RAINING! Within two laps, Kimi was seven seconds behind Hamilton, and his chances of winning were pretty much gone. The worn tires surely also helped Massa with his imitation of a child's top. Congratulations, Ferrari! For screwing up the entire race weekend you deserve the Moooooo-ooove. No, don't thank us, you deserve it.
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
more...
*RAIN: The race started in the rain. Then it stopped. Then it poured. Then the race got silly. Only three cars were still on the lead lap when the race ended, and the winner, some bloke named Lewis Hamilton, was 68 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Yet at times, it was the worst car on track that was turning laps seven seconds faster than the leader, and you had one driver pass two cars for position in one move TWICE. We've said it before, and we'll say it again in the future, but we love F1 in the wet.
*EVERYONE LOVES A THREE-WAY: After today's results, there are three drivers with 48 championship points: Hamilton, Raikkonen and Massa. Kubica has 46. This one is wiiiiiide open.
*...RIGHT DOWN THEIR LEG: Massa spun four or five times. Kimi ended up fourth, but knows he was lucky to be even that high. Ferrari as a team looked like a bunch of amateurs with their strategies. And it didn't have to be that way: until the first pitstop, Kimi was only a couple of car-lengths behind Hamilton. They pitted at the same time, they left the pits at the same time, and two laps later, Raikkonen was seven seconds behind (see Mooooo-ooove of the Race), and it was only a question of "would the cars stay on the track?" Nightmare fuel for the tifosi, and a shot in the arm for McLaren.
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: By all rights, Lewis Hamilton should win this. It isn't every day a race is won by 68 seconds, y'know. Any other race, a performance like that would earn him the DotR honors without any questions whatsoever. But it isn't every day that the worst car on the grid ends up finishing third, too, and a lot of the reason for that is the driver... Rubens Barrichello. His first podium finish since the 2005 USGP (when only six cars took the green flag), and Honda's first podium since Hungary 2006 (Jenson Button, win)? Sure, part of it was that they gambled with full-wet tires even though the sun was coming out, but what the heck? Congrats, Rubens! If anybody deserves a break, it's you.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: McLaren. 1st-5th and you win by over a minute? Yep, you get the TotR award, but only because everybody else blew chunks.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: While everybody else looked like they were driving on ice (except for Hamilton, of course), Grizzly Nick Heidfeld was zipping around the track like he had studded tires. Around lap 20, he was in 6th place, behind Toyota's Timo Glock and the Renault of HWMNBN. Heading into a turn, he banzais himself around Glock to the outside, then zips past HWMNBN to the inside... in the same turn! Good enough to win the MotR right there, but he wasn't finished yet. Seven laps later, he was behind the dual Finns of Kovaleinninninnie and Raikkonen (3rd and 2nd, respectively). Again, Heidfeld disposed of both of them at the same time for his second 2-car pass of the race. Ballsy stuff from Grizzly Nick, considering the track condition at the time, and the combination should be in the running for Move(s) of the Year.
*MOOOOOO-OOOVE OF THE RACE: Celebrating the best of the worst of the race, the Moooooo-ooove generally goes to the driver who makes the Art of F1 Driving look more like the Scientology of F1 Driving: a laughingstock, in other words. Today, though, we can't blame the drivers for their lowing and cud-chewing: the weather caused that. However, there was one incident that just screamed "Mooo!" in this race. As the first round of pitstops came near, the rain had stopped but the track was still very wet (Silverstone is very wide, and mostly flat, with no camber at all. As a result, water on pavement just sits there until it steams off). A couple of laps later, Smarmy Windsor reported that it was raining in the paddock. Kimi Raikkonen trailed Lewis Hamilton by about a second as they both came in to pit. Lewis took fuel and new Intermediate tires. Ferrari, though, sent Kimi back out with fuel only, leaving him with worn Inters. A lap or so later, they did the same with Massa, revealing that it was a team strategy, not a driver saying "let's do this." The gamble was that if it stopped raining and began to dry, the worn Inters would suddenly act like slick tires: no grooves, huge contact patch, and great grip. BUT IT WAS RAINING! Within two laps, Kimi was seven seconds behind Hamilton, and his chances of winning were pretty much gone. The worn tires surely also helped Massa with his imitation of a child's top. Congratulations, Ferrari! For screwing up the entire race weekend you deserve the Moooooo-ooove. No, don't thank us, you deserve it.
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
more...
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Ducks In Anime Would Be A Good Name For A Band...
-Hidamari x365, ep01
Yuno, it's good to have you back!
-Hidamari x365, ep01
Yuno, it's good to have you back!
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