Friday, December 30, 2005

Shuffle! 23

If I hadn't spoiled myself, I wonder if I would have been able to figure out what Rin does in the end.
She doesn't want to use magic, even at the cost of her life.
He wants her to live.
He has to get her to use an enormous amount of magic.
How?

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

GGmail

Hello,

Thanks for your report.

Gmail takes the privacy and security of our users very seriously. For this
reason, we can't reveal any further information about this account.

Please note that we aren't able to provide you with information about
attempted logins to your account including, but not limited to, the IP
address from which the attempted login was made, and the time and date
attempted logins occurred.

If you wish to pursue the matter further, you may want to contact your
local authorities.

We appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,

The Gmail Team

Wow, they value your security so much that they won't reveal your account's IP logs to you, even when your account has been compromised.
That is amazing dedication to user security.
Look, they're even so helpful as to suggest contacting the local authorities!
...
...
...
What the hell is this shit?

Monday, December 26, 2005

Hackers 2

He had my gmail account password.
That's how he knew the reset password, and that's how he got my account.
Luckily he is stupid and I rule and ninjaed the gmail account back.
I've changed every password on every forum/game/program I own.
I'm not going to say how I ninjaed the gmail account back, but let's just say this.
BITCH YOU ARE GOING DOWN.
GOOGLE WILL HAVE YOUR IPS, ARENANET WILL HAVE YOUR IPS, AND I HOPE YOU GET FUCKED IN THE ASS IN JAIL.

Sunday, December 25, 2005

OMGWTFHAX

Wow, someone hacked my Guild Wars account.
Amazing that they cared enough.
My password had enough numbers, I thought it wasn't that bad...(Word+numbers isn't too bad)
Anyway, so Peter has been asking why I've been playing Guild Wars without talking to him.
Well, that's not me.

In FACT, if any of you in Guild Wars see someone on by the name of Mia Toma, THAT'S NOT ME, IT'S A HAXOR.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Shuffle! 23


No I haven't seen the episode, but yay 2chan for funny pictures.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

How to Eat Sushi

An instructional video.
Everything in this video is accurate and true.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Counter

I'm in the market for a new site counter as webstat went crappy on me and started spamming iLead ads.
I had them auto-blocked and was wondering if it was malware on my home system, turns out they weren't.
I'm sort of bored, so I'd prefer the count to be customizable, so I can put my own images as the numbers.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Gamers versus Normal People

Recently a friend of Kenny's was put under investigation by Pokerstars, as they claimed very very few people could play 25 sit and gos without being some kind of robot/AI.

A sit and go is a minature tournament, basically 9 or 18 people sign up, each pay some amount of money (maybe 5 dollars), and then a small tournament is held, where usually the top three make money.

Understandably pissed off, he offered to webcam himself doing just that (probably in his normal hilarious trash-talking way), playing 25+ sit and gos at once.

Little background, this guy was the closest to a professional Starcraft player I ever knew; he got taken out in a WCG qualifier to someone worse than him though and sort of gave up BW for a while to play poker.
He's actually resuming BW though it seems, just to try to get to Korea once, then he says he'll quit.

Hello Hevad,

There is absolutely no need to be condescending, really.
We take the security of our games seriously, and we have to know if you're using AI before allowing you to continue to play.
You offered a chance to expedite the review... and I accepted.
It's really as simple as that.

Indeed, I will be suitably impressed once I see the video of you playing
those games.
It is certainly beyond my capability (as I've already said), and should be beyond the capability of most players.
I'll certainly congratulate you and welcome you to continue to play on PokerStars once I've seen that you are indeed not "most players".

Pending reception of the video, I have to say that I'm now leaning toward accepting your defense, though I still want to see the video.
However, no matter the end result, I won't be able to apologize as I've simply been doing my job -- ensuring that our games are free to automated robot players.

And I do have some thoughts about how to pay off that crying call on the river.
I can't freeroll you into the TLB, and I can't compensate you for the downtime (this has actually been a pretty speedy review -- sometimes it can take a week to complete this sort of thing).

Let's talk about that once you've sent the link to the video, shall we?

Best Regards,

Jeff
PokerStars Support Supervisor


Hevad is a madman.
Oh yeah, he came out $150 ahead at the end of this particular session.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

「気持ちの行方」



Um.
Wow.
Yeah.

Shuffle! Music

So my Shuffle! music torrent is slowly winding down.
Original Soundtrack
Perfect Arrange
Perfect Arrange Bonus CD
Character Themes
Yuria Rainbow Remix
Yuria Anime Opening Single YOU
5 Drama CDS, Sia, Nerine, Kaede, Asa, Primula
Hashimoto Miyuki Anime Ending Single Innocence

Hashimoto Miyuki Anime Ending Single Innocence
(1.19 gigs, FUCK, YOU EITHER GO WITH LOSSLESS or LAME STANDARD!
NOT 320CBR, ARGHHHHHHHHH!)
Talk about waste of space, but whatever.
Anyway, managed to snag the ending theme single CD first
(I like stopped the torrent and restarted with just that song selected...yay bitcomet.)
That song rocks, in case you didn't see the massive links in my profile and away message.
(The one named Innocence.)
Not sure if the other song on the CD, Time Has Come has been ever used in the show.
In fact I have no idea where it's from.
It's ok, I guess.

Character Themes
Going through the character themes, I'm wondering...
Did they have the actual voice actors do the themes?
I mean that would mean they can all sing...
Unfortunately, the themes are themselves standard fluff.
Repeating, long, boring, and sort of annoying.
Honestly, Green Green's character themes had some really good ones, though probably not with the voice actors singing, these all sound the same...crappy.
Except one, Maou and Shin's.
It's actually a two guy duet (Which is why I'm curious about who the singers are of these), and I think it's decent.
Actually two.
I DID NOT REALIZE YURIA was AMA'S voice.
Wow I'm a MORON.
Anyway, Yuria does Ama's character theme, and well since she's a singer first and a voice actor second, of course it's good.
She catches that eternal optimism really well.

Perfect Arrange Bonus CD
Checking the others, I learn that In The Sky is the name of the song Nerine sings on the swing.
The version I current am listening to is on the Perfect Arrange Album Bonus CD Himiwari.
It's done with quite a lower natural range, and a mellower singer, I wonder who she is (SCREW YOU MP3 TAGS, USELESS AGAIN!)
Himiwari itself I swear was used in the series also, probably pertaining to Licorice.
It's this sweet little tune with xylophones.

Perfect Arrange
On the Perfect Arrange Album, listening to Happy Run is sort of nostalgic, I think it was used as the "daily happy life" music in the series.
One problem I have is with the encoding though.
This isn't just my normal bitching, a lot of noise was picked up here, it really ruins the guitar in some places cause of oversampling.
Anyway it's a good song, cause hey, it's classical guitar!
While listening to Twin Fairy, I'm worried the entire encode of the Perfect Arrange soundtrack has this kind of noise.
Twin Fairy is...I think really good!
Moody cello and piano combination for the win.

Asa DRAMA CD
Holy shit yes, drama CDs!
I could just listen to these all day!
Of course I listen to Asa's first (Sorry Nerine =X).
(Though, 320kbps for speech files...ok you're REALLY pissing me off encoder.)
Kareha has her own special sound effect already in place =D.
Wow...already in Asa's drama CDs..."Am I betraying Kaede's feelings?"
Interesting...Kareha's plan is for Asa to ask Rin Kaede to go to an amusement park, and Kareha will lure Kaede away somewhere during it.
So all four go...and Nerine, Sia, Itsuki, and Mayumi show up.
(Asa: "Not just Kaede...huh...-_-")
(Nerine's scared of roller coasters.)
(And Kareha makes her move by asking to sit with Kaede, and...stupid ITSUKI asks Asa.
MAYUMI, of all people gets to sit with Rin.
Kaede faints on the coaster, Itsuki freaks out and does Itsuki things "WHERE ARE YOU TOUCHING", Asa bashes him.
And now the fathers are stalking along too?
Geez, this is like a side story of the anime.
Wow, honestly, Asa's drama CD, Asa spends a lot of time worrying about betraying Kaede. Buuuh.
Yay another chance, while the demon's and angel's parents are busy stalling the girls, Asa lures Rin away!
AGH, Rin's stupid.
This is just the drama CD, but still!
She offers to go alone with him, and he's like the others will get worried.
No, when he says others, he ACTUALLY says "Kaede-tachi blah blah blah."
What a moron -_-a

Yappari...Kaede no issyou ni no hou ga ii no ka na...
O?
Boku to hutari kiri zya....dame ka na...

Translations:
I knew it, being with Kaede makes you happy...
What?
Only the two of us...it's no good is it...

Ok Rin redeems himself!
Goes with Asa on the ferris wheel, says flat out I don't like Kaede That Way since Asa keeps mentioning it.
Asa really is hung up on betraying Kaede...is this how she was in the game?
It's sort of sad.
And of course, as he's about to say something, bzzzt, ride stops.
And the two stooges start calling his name on the loudspeaker.
ATTENTION, RIN-DONO. RIN-DONO.
Asa's like ah well, too bad, we should return.
Rin's like screw that, let's stay together a little longer.

Original Soundtrack

Irony, I listen to songs on the original soundtrack last.
Anyway, With You, good piano, not sure if it was used in the series.
Little emotional piece.
Yuria's Mirage Lullaby(Half Size) was used as the opening for the game?
It was used for the ending of the Prologue.
I'm unsure, all I know is that it's pretty good when listened to in original form.

Yuria Anime Opening Single YOU
Ok the OST was second to last, er wait third to last.
I still haven't touched the Rainbox Remix.
Anyway, this is the anime opening.
I like the ending better, but the opening isn't bad.
It's a good energetic theme, the electric guitar really does well.
The second song Karafuru is a reallllly upbeat song.
I guess well, it IS by Yuria, aka part of I've Sound.
It's sortta weird, I'm not sure what they were going for.
It's like a song you play when you win something.

Yuria Rainbow Remix

And we finally hit our final soundtrack.
Course the first song I chose was Mirage Lullaby, remixed by none other than Hosplug!
Hosplug does his funky dance sprinkles, and the resulting piece is catchy/weird at the same time.
There's this part where heavy heavy synth bass comes in, and it's pretty nice.

Edit: Future edits and impressions will be categorized by their CD.
CD order was determined by which random song I listened to first, then second, then third, etc.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Dilemma.

I...just read a friend's post.
It's dated two days ago, when I was glibly recommending Shuffle! to anyone who'd listen.
She's the only one who took the bait.
If she reads this she'll know.
Episode 19 and 20 can be gotten from #Kazenokoefansubs, so don't go to #AnimeU!

Anyway, her post was about...one's path in life.
I don't know, the post strikes somewhere deep in me.
Something rings back out when I read that line:
"I wanted to study language and become a translator."

I graduated this May, and I now have a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science from JHU.
I'm unemployed.
Am I really looking?
I don't really know.
I think when I first graduated I tried pretty damn hard.
I had more than half a dozen interviews all over the place, I was getting calls regularly.
I didn't land a single job.
My parents go apeshit EVERY SINGLE DAY because I am unemployed.
Nowadays I mostly sit around, browse the job websites, check my email, waste time on the web, and work on translating Utawareru Mono.
I've started watching anime again.

Do I want to be employed?
Would I rather be installing operating systems, or programming in java, then say...translating a game, as I am now?
I don't know.

「ここで魔法を使ったら、ボクは人間でなくなっちゃう......」

Shuffle! Episode 20.
Breaking point.
She went all out.
People bash for Rin for not realizing her feelings, but do people fault her for not realizing Rin's feelings?
It's like they want to simultaneously hope nothing is wrong with the other.

Anyway, I wrote I gigantic post on animesuki, and I'll repost it ONCE YOU CATCH UP TO ME.

Anyway, I've said this many times before...but I felt what he did at the end of Episode 20 was the only thing he could have done, and the right thing.
He had to "break the flow."

Meanwhile, I have so many spoilers about 21-24 by virtue of the game that I'm dying everytime I read some ignorant post on animesuki or statement in #KNKF.
I guess I can't really call them ignorant, as they don't know...well spoilers!
But still, it's like they ignored EVERY GODAMN HINT the series gave, and there are a lot.

Allan, if you pick this up, don't read my last entry either.

Also, the title of this post is ANOTHER spoiler, it's said in Shuffle! the game, and it refers to what's happening in the series now.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Shuffle!

This will be long, we'll start with the first and work toward the most recent impressions I had of this show.
I WILL hide names occasionally because I WANT people to watch this show without getting spoiled; it is AMAZING for what it is (Best damn harem show I've ever seen -_-)
They will be referred to as: Rin(Guy), Sia(Angel), Nerine(Devil), Rimu(Little Girl), Kaede(Childhood Friend), Asa(Sempai)

Episode 1:
Character introduction.
Kaede is REALLY subservient. Almost scarily so.
Asa is wow. A surprise. Second favorite girl already after the one that drew me into the series.
Itsuki (Best male friend) is AWESOME.
He rocks. "Welcome to my heart" indeed.
Mayumi (Female friend) is ALSO AWESOME.
It's nice to know you can interact NORMALLY with females in these types of shows.
Sia is cute, but well, I'm not into characters like her.
Nerine is <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 sooooooooooooooooooo cute <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3.

Episode 2:
Primula/Rimu is <3 <3 <3 <3 ok I shouldn't put so many hearts cause now I feel wrong.
Don't know where to rank her, let's just say I can't because that would be wrong -_-.
Very interesting how she knows his name already and clings to him like glue.
And here we see a very small hint (If you knew spoilers) about Primula and Ama (Sempai's mother).
Also larger hints with Primula and Nerine.

Episode 3:
Sia focus episode.
She's ok enough XD.
Hates studies, math especially, likes rain (because of the romantic implications?), cheerful, a bit low self esteem.
Childhood meetings, ooh clichetastic!

Episode 4:
Nerine focus episode.
Good in studies, weak physically?, quiet BURNING kind, good singer!, scary when mad (attack magic is off the charts)
Wow. She's bad at cooking.
Well, least Asa taught her how to make omlettes ^^a...now if she would only learn something else -_-a
Childhood meetings, clichetastic^2!
That line she says at the end, "Let me love you more and more," was just fantastic.

Episode 5:
Kaede focus episode.
Wow, Nerine is bad at EVERYTHING. Cooking, cleaning, anything remotely housework related.
How...opposite of cliche expectations XD.
Kaede however, is good at everything housework related.
Hm...the relationship he has with his childhood friend is so...odd, but it works.
His parents and her mother died in a car accident, and her dad works to support them both now, so they live together.
That's a pretty choice setup for her.
She's STILL so subservient though, it's really odd.
Gets jealous easily, but is really good at not showing it.

Asa is...really something.
She coaches him in every girl situation it seems, gives him advice in her awesome flirt/teasing way.
I like her a lot.

Episode 6:
Primula focus episode.
Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
I feel wrong -_-a
Anyway, turns out being the wandering weird strange girl she is, she has almost no good clothes to speak of.
This includes underwear, and you can already see where this is going.
All girls going out to help buy some make it worse...
Rin flees pretty quickly.

Episode 7:
Asa focus episode
I was actually waiting for this one...because her character is sooo good!
Flirty, helpful, older sisterish, cute at the same time.
Hm though, they changed animators for this episode, and it shows.
Seems like it's something Japanese animators do amongst themselves and their friends for fun.
Style is DIFFERENT, but not unpleasant.
I guess you could technically count Sempai as a childhood friend, they've known each other from junior high.
Helped Kaede learn to cook. (She's pretty damn good, so Asa must be amazing)
Chef material it seems!
Also has the dubious honor? of being one of the girls Kaede absolutely trusts, to the point that when Rin goes over to her house, she thinks nothing of it. (Kaede also has gone over for cooking many many times and also to eat with Rin)
Has a rather interesting attitude toward relationships, just wants to enjoy what she has a while longer.
I think she's the most similar to Rin in this regard, because Rin doesn't exactly want to start breaking hearts yet.
And that scene at the end...that was close!
You have to wonder about her...

Episode 8-10:
Sia makes the first move!
And what a move it was.
I'm curious here as to whether or not Episode 9 was influenced by her magic or not, there was a very weird quality to the entire thing.
Episode 10 is TENSE.
The rumors have changed the status quo, and everyone is feeling it.
In the end though, Sia "takes one" for the team to return the situation to the status quo and give everyone more time to think =O, which I was really surprised at.
However, her evil self showed itself, and I think we'll be seeing more of her.

Episode 11:
Ooh, a very good sidestory episode.
Goes over the two females who AREN'T in love with Rin (Where are you Kareha -_-), the teacher and Mayumi.
Mayumi is downright hilarious, it's easy to like her.

Episode 12-15:
Devil world arc.
Very well done, Primula takes the cuteness cake, and eats it too.
Plus, we see exactly Nerine's reasons for coming to Earth.
Multiple personality disorder one shows up, and wow it encompassed a lot.
Her singing, her love, it's no wonder that after she disappears things tone a bit down with her other half.
I am still rooting for her ^^;;, but I think Asa has more of a chance now.
Speaking of which, Asa was in amazing form.
She couldn't go with them to the devil world, but giving her ribbon, and her teary performance before they left were really good.
It's hard not to like her more and more.
Also, Episode 14.
KIKYOU comes out!
I did not even notice that, but the voice and the eyes were obvious as hell.
Damn you Shuffle! animators.
You gave so many godamn hints.

Episode 16-17:
Not ONE of these girls is normal.
Oh yeah, I know there's an angel, a devil, two spoilers and a human in one mixed up world and what not, but at least they seemed normal personality wise, if a bit devoted.
But no, EVERY SINGLE ONE IS HALF crazy, minimum.
Anyway, after the devil world arc, Sia has noticed IMMEDIATELY the change in Nerine.
More open, happier, but at the same time, NOT AS ONE-PERSON devoted to Rin.
And it worries her, that her friend has found a sort of happiness in this, because her selfish self can't understand the concept of "Happy as long as he is happy" mentality.
Multiple personality disorder 2, more crying, and I think we've narrowed down the "winner" now.

Episode 18:
The long awaited date episode!
However, things never go so smoothly, and he ended up hurting her quite a bit.
I think that's one of the main themes now of this show; you can't just let things go on as they are, you have to start making choices.
The longer you stall or let others push you, the more it hurts the rest.

Episode 19:
HOLY FUCK. Psychotic. With a capital 'P'. She is fucking psychotic.
On rewatching early episodes, she's very cute when jealous, or reserved, but mother fuck watching this episode was a wakeup.
S-C-A-R-Y, her young self is straight out of a horror film.
I always wondered why she does EVERYTHING for him the way she does, but obviously it is a NATURAL extension of her psychotic personality.
This type of person is...really scary.
To switch from facade to insanity to facade like that, this is NOT a normal girl.

Summary for now:
I think...I think we might have another Mia-like psycho on our hands.
No wait, even worse, cause holy shit what she did when she was younger to Rin was just twisted.
She's so bound to him because of her guilt that if she loses him she will most certainly self-destruct AND take someone down with her.
And now that Rin's basically made his choice, and it's not her, but one of the people she trusted the most, she's snapped.

That last episode was sickening/heartbreaking as hell.

Friday, December 02, 2005

Kid


Boku wa kiddo!

Thursday, December 01, 2005

BAND.

How...odd.
I managed to get banned from the [Lunar] anime forums after TWO posts.
TWO.

I don't see how that's even possible, I didn't even say anything remotely insulting.
And hell, I was all excited that one of the main translators was JHU '05!
Ping pong club vice president no less.
(I think Kenny's in that job now? I'll have to ask him)

But yeah, talk about sort of depressing e-drama.
Bleah.