Fanboy Moment

While I'm in the mode, more on Battle Royale.

"Battle Royale" was first a Japanese novel written by Koushun Takami. It was - thankfully - translated into English, but I digress. It's also been a manga and, of course, a movie.

I've enjoyed each and have to say, they're not all the same.

I first saw Battle Royale, sans subtitles, when I picked up a DVD on one of my trips to Japan. I have a Region Free DVD player at home so I watched it.

I was a bit surprised at the level of violence and watched it again. Then I searched the Internet and found a Korean version that had (excellent) English subtitles. I bought that and watched the film and actually found out what was going on.

I later found an English translation of the novel at a book store. I read that cover-to-cover and found the manga had recently been translated. I got that and read it as well.

That's a lot of psychotic material. Just so you know.

So, if you're worried about spoilers, you might want to stop reading. Otherwise, I'm going to go ahead and summarize a bit. The summaries will have spoilers.

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You were warned.

Overall, the three versions are very similar. In an alternate Japan, a class of schoolkids, including the protagonist - Shuya Nanahara - are selected for the BR program in which schoolkids are abducted, put on a deserted island, fitted with collars that contain and explosive, given some supplies and weapons, and told to kill one another.

To quote Highlander: "There can be only one."

The details differ by medium.

The Movie
The kids are "selected" through the influence of a former teacher - Kitano - and set loose on the island. They're each given food and water for three days as well as a map of the island. They're told about their collars:
- the collars will detonate if tampered with
- the collars can detonate by remote
- the collars will detonate in random "dead zones" that move around the island, forcing the kids to constantly move about
- the collars will detonate at the end of three days if there are more than one survivors

The collars also, of course, monitor the kids so the people running the game can tally the kills.

Each kid is also given a random weapon, ranging from an assault rifle to a pot lid.

In this version, Shuya Nanahara is far less-capable and a much softer character. Further, some of the antagonists differ.

The Book
There's more back-story in the book. The Kitano character doesn't exist. A corrupt administrator - Kinpatsu Sakamochi - briefs the kids. It's clearer that the BR program is really just a corrupt "reality show" that government officials use for gambling (betting on the survivor, stuff like that).

Kazuo Kiriyama is a prominent character in the book as one of the amoral antagonists. That character doesn't exist in the movie.

The Manga
The manga follows the book more closely but goes into a few more side-trips (and, of course, adds grisly visuals to the fight scenes). There's a lot more sex and obligatory nudity in the manga.

I'm not going to go into specifics about the story as a whole. In all three versions there's a number of characters - some interesting, some not. Most are doomed.

It's a fascinating story. If you have a reasonably-high tolerance for violence, I recommend the movie. I recommend the book regardless.

I'm not inclined to recommend the manga unless you really like hard-core manga that crosses into hentai territory.

Battle Royale

WTF Japan, Seriously reminded me by posting a trailer.

Battle Royale.

Comparing it with The Hunger Games is likely unfair, but also inevitable. On one level, they're very similar. Kids are forced to enter a contest to kill one another at the behest of a corrupt administration of some sort.

Battle Royale, however, takes it much further than any American-made movie would go.

* Explosive collars
* Psychopaths
* Spraying blood
* Horrible betrayal

Did I mention explosive collars?

This is one of my ten most favorite movies ever.

That does not say good things as to my character, but such is life.

Hashing the Sling

Okay, WTF is up with all the slingshots lately?

First there's the Montie Gear one that's suddenly so popular that it's on a month backorder (okay, it looks REALLY COOL... but I digress).

Now the Gadgeteer has a post for the Pocket Predator, another kind of uber-slingshot of some kind.

I'm not complaining, mind you. It's all just a bucket of awesome in my corner of the world, but it does seem a bit weird.

More things for me to crave. *sigh*

Yeah.... um...

I've seen far too much hentai to ever look at this and not think... well, why go there, huh?

One of many reasons why I'm not a Jedi

Yoda used to bitch to Luke about his lack of patience in The Empire Strikes Back.

I think Luke is a whiny punk and a bit pathetic, but I'm kind of down with that personality flaw.

I also lack patience.

Unlike Skywalker, I wouldn't hesitate to succumb to the Dark Side. There's just something about being able to throw lightning that appeals. Besides, I love wearing black.

Wait. This wasn't what I planned to post.

Back up.

So, I've posted a few times about the Eon Extreme Floodlight by Iain Sinclair.

Waaaaaaay back in late 2011, I placed an order for one to replace (or back up) the one I purchased earlier in the year. I previously indicated a bit of a problem with my first purchase of said light.

Since then, the ship date for the Eon Extreme has been a constantly-moving target. It's now been shifted to March 31, per their occasionally-updated FAQs. I think I'll cancel the order and move on if the date slips again. There's just so much nonsense a body can handle.

Wait. What was my point? Oh yes. Patience.

So this is a case where I've been remarkably (indeed, uncharacteristically) patient. I mean, I placed that order in October of 2011...

Sadly, it looks like delays in shipping are a common theme in the Internet these days. That Montie Gear slingshot is on a month's backorder as of the day Uncrate ran their post.

And the glory of Black Blood of the Earth is delayed at least a month due to overwhelming demand for that awesome elixir.

Can't say I blame folks for wanting a bit of awesome.

Doesn't help me with my patience issue, but as I can't Force choke or throw lightning yet, I don't see that this is anyone else's problem thus far.

Epiphany

I blame the sleep issues. It took a while but I finally got it.

Conclusion: I've been fighting a bug. Again.

I swear, I've been at-war with illness (or allergies?) more times this year...

Hang on. Let me back up.

Yesterday was pretty much a disaster. I was constantly struggling to stay awake. My Black Blood of the Earth supply is tapped out and more people discovered the awesome, preventing me from resupplying in the foreseeable future.

I digress.

I was wiped the hell out yesterday. My sinuses were giving me that throat tickle and I had just enough energy to drive home, make dinner, and turn into a houseplant.

I went to bed and slept - without the assistance of Nyquil - from 7pm 'till about 4am this morning.

I feel vaguely human now. So far.

zzzsnerkurg....

Ever since the abomination that is known as Daylight Saving Time... oh, I should be honest, even before the latest time-change... I have been having trouble with my sleep cycle.

I don't really have a problem going to sleep, so much. I have a terrible problem waking and getting going.

I suppose I should just bite the bullet and have my blood supply completely replaced wtih coffee.

That might help in the short-term.

So tired...

Hee Hee Hee

Heathen
Infidel

(for the hell of it... pun intended)
Heretic

The Case of the Hemorrhaging Wallet

Uncrate continues its one-site war on my wallet and my self-control by continually taunting me with stuff I lust after.

I clearly need to take a long look at my life priorities, but that's another matter entirely.

So first they advertise the Carbon Fiber Daggers. I like knives. I like carbon fiber. These things make me strangely-fascinated. That said, I can pretty easily resist these. I don't need some kind of murder weapon that can get past metal detectors and these are expensive as novelty items. In the end, I could safely say: "Pass" and move on.

Proud of my self-control, I gloated as a few days passed. Then Uncrate hit me with a double-whammy:

Skinth Sheaths and the Montie Gear Y-Fork Slingshot.

The bastards.

I love little holster things. Even as a kid I always was fascinated by things that could carry stuff. As society started incorporating portable devices that we carry about with us (cell phones, etc.) I found with glee that I could start carrying these holster things and it wouldn't make me look like any more of a dork than I already do (and, to be fair, I take the dork look pretty far).

I've been fond of the Chrome Bags Accessory Pouch and using that as my cell carrier in most circumstances. It lets me slide in my tiny cell, a pen, and even a pack of chewing gum. It only gets occasional eye-rolls from people.

The Skinth Sheaths seem to take the functionality much further.

And then there's that slingshot. I don't need a slingshot. I really don't. I have a wristrocket slingshot somewhere.

But this one looks so... cool...

I must... succumb... to... materialism...

Google

Gizmodo has an interesting piece on Google.

I recommend giving it a read.

Google is a fascinating company. It's become a verb in our vocabulary. It's so much a part of the Internet now that people confuse it for the Internet.

I have Google email accounts (plural). I use their Google Sites for some stuff. I use Google Maps above Mapquest and other sites when getting directions to and from places. Hell, Blogger is now part of the Google Collective. I've got friends who work for Google.

Despite all that, I have to admit I have a lot of trust issues with Google. They're not dissimilar to the trust issues I had with Facebook prior to my nuking of my Facebook account.

These trust issues are a big reason why I only sparingly uses Google + and do my best to try to prevent Google's tracking of my moves about the Interwebs (be they innocent or not).

Our technology is shaping our society very, very quickly and I'm firmly of the opinion that the public (myself included) is not educated enough to understand how that technology is affecting our lives and our future.

Google's a big part of that and they could stand a lot more scrutiny and no small amount of regulation.

No raining on my parade

I whined earlier about losing my favorite umbrella in a bootleg cab in the city over St. Paddy's Day.

What I didn't mention is that I immediately placed an order for a new one as soon as I got home that night.

Yeah. So... here's a lesson kids: don't have your credit card handy if you've been drinking and if you're upset.

Yes, I ran up my credit card an unnecessary amount of money for a new umbrella. It arrived yesterday. I must admit I'm not feeling even a twinge of buyer's regret. Indeed, I think the entire losing-the-previous-umbrella situation may have been a blessing.

These folks have done some kind of upgrading to the design since my first purchase. The catch used to slip on the prior umbrella so it only stayed closed if I used the cloth fastener to keep the umbrella from expanding.

That statement makes more sense if you've actually seen the umbrella in action. Moving on...

Yeah, so the newer one feels different. It feels much more solid. And the catch seems better-constructed. The quality is impressive.

I like umbrellas with crooked handles. I find them easier to deal with when I'm negotiating carrying a number of items. I can just hook the umbrella on a limb (or bag) and go about my business. Plus it makes a dapper-looking walking stick/cane.

My martial arts classes (to which I hope to one-day return) offer "cane fighting" training at the black belt level. It would be ridiculously-easy to substitute an umbrella for a cane (which is sort of the purpose of this thing). Good reason for me to hunker down and aim for a black belt, I suppose.

I must say, I'm glad I made the purchase. Sure, this means I have to rein in other expenses (less beer *SOB!* and such) but I have a new favorite umbrella.

I say DAY-UM!!!

Coiled Spring

According to my calendar of chocolate desserts (don't ask) and my less-exciting work-provided desk calendar, today is the first day of Spring.

I'm pleasantly surprised that my sinuses are not (yet) under siege. I expect to be repeating my allergy whining in the coming weeks/months.

I am so appallingly sleepy that I'm not clear how I got to work. And this is with a fair amount of coffee in the bloodstream.

Yeah, I got nuthin' else.

Oh Sweet Irony

Spring begins tomorrow and winter is finally giving the Bay Area a bit of attention.

Kind of chilly this morning (and all weekend long). I'll be surprised if I don't come down with something, what with me drinking, walking in the rain, and standing around in the cold air over the weekend.

Though alcohol kills germs, so...

I think I've devolved into a more Morlock-like state than usual. The fluorescent lighting of my office is more painful than usual. I huddle deep in the cowls of my hoodie like the wannabe Sith I am.

Or it could just be Monday.

Revenge of the Leprechauns

I lost count of the pints. I know there was some whiskey amidst the beers.

At any given point, I wasn't really more than mildly-buzzed. I was really enjoying the company of good friends more than the beer. The fact that there were tons of scantily-clad, 20-something young women about didn't hurt at all.

Losing my umbrella while headed out? That was a bit of a blow. I think I left it in the bootleg cab we took.

That hurt, but such is the way of things. I regret nothing.

Slainte

Erin go braugh!

I've no idea if I'm spelling that right. I don't really care.

Two pints so far (with lunch, just fyi). I've already gotten St. Patrick's Day and Thanksgiving confused in my exit from my first watering hole.

Listening to "Wicked Tinkers" and cleansing the body and soul for what lies ahead.

Sweet FSM and it's not even 1pm...

Aaaah! Almost forgot!

I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME!!!!

There. I think that ought to cover me until this nightmare is over in the Fall.

Between the Ides and Erin go Bragh

Ides of March yesterday and St. Patrick's Day tomorrow.

That makes today Friday. I am happy with that.

Helps take the edge off of my somewhat-justified paranoia.

I have to admit, not all changes for the future are grim. Some are just weird.

My jaw hurts from yesterday's dental work. Getting old sucks.

ow

Almost two hours to the minute of needles, drills, numbness, not-quite-enough-numbness, and the sounds of tooth bits getting blasted away.

I can't feel the right side of my face. When I can, I know I will feel pain.

That said, my dentist is nine hundred different kinds of awesome.

But... ow.

OH HELL YEAH!

Here I'm wondering about "The Legend of Korra" premiere and Topless Robot gives me the answer. It's April 14 at 11am.

Plus, new trailer!!!

(via Topless Robot

BLARGH

Working a half-day today. The morning has started off surprisingly-well. I think I'm mostly past my DST-lag.

I still hate Daylight Saving Time. I feel slightly-ashamed I didn't needlessly repeat myself yesterday.

So let me say it again: I hate Daylight Saving Time.

I think I'll have another go tomorrow then let this rest. In pieces.

I bit the bullet yesterday and prepared to downgrade my cable TV package to the most basic level. I'm paying a ridiculous amount of money for TV stations that just air crap. I enjoy USA's offerings, for the most part, but the other expanded channels I used to enjoy (Cartoon Network, SciFi Channel) have turned into shit.

I can stream the USA shows I like online. So... downgrade.

And, just like that, the cable rep on the line offered to put me on a promotion that halved my bill. I can (will) revisit this in September when the bill goes back to ridiculous levels.

Too weird. Too funny.

It's my hope that Nickelodean will air "The Legend of Korra" before then. Otherwise I suppose I can buy eps from Amazon or iTunes or something.

On the topic of "Avatar: The Last Airbender", I saw this:

This was just awesome.

Soon it will be St. Patrick's Day. Mmm... Irish beer...

How'd you like a nice piece of Pi?

Happy Pi Day math nerds!

I'm rubbish at math, but I do appreciate a good (or better yet, bad) pun. So happy Pi Day, people of Earth!

---
The rain is socking the Bay Area nicely. It's steady but not too heavy. For all that, there's a lot of standing water on the road and the recurring themes of people who can't seem to handle adjusting their speed for wet roads.

There was some accident on the freeway this morning about sixty yards before I hopped on the road. It was apparently bad enough to stop traffic cold, so when I bopped on, I had a freeway to myself.

Weird feeling. I could get used to it, though...

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I've finally given up on watching "Alcatraz". What a crappy show.

---
Added a couple of links to the side. The ITS Tactical Store and Preparedness Deals.

[Edit] I also added a link to Sharper Now a knife dealer.[/Edit]

Perfect stuff for the prepared or would-be survivalist.

I haven't actually purchased anything from ITS Tactical. Their prices are a mite high, but I like looking at what they have. I mainly like reading the posts on the main site. These guys are pretty hard-core prep/survivalist/tactical-whatever types. There's a part of me that admires that dedication. I can't quite get so crazy over the guns and such, but reading their posts (and folks like Apocalypse Equipped) does inspire me to try to get out of my rut and make my lazy arse more prepared for the crazy future.

I have purchased from Preparedness Deals before. They ship quickly and their stuff is pretty neat. A lot of it is restricted to appropriate people (which is probably a good thing) but they have a fair amount of stuff that's available to common folk too.

[Edit] I got an onPoint TOPS knife from Sharper Now some time back and kept meaning to pimp them. I found them very responsive and pleasant to deal with. Neat selection of sharp things, too.

Why did I buy the onPoint Knife? It's shiny.

Okay, it's not really shiny. It's neat and I like it. Don't judge. It'll be a good camping knife.[/Edit]

Yes, I realize I sound like a nut. At least I'm not going completely batshit crazy.

Yet.

Rain! Yay!

We finally get a bit of a rainstorm this week. Woo-hoo!

I still hate DST. Just to be clear.

Nothin' much else to report. Apparently the month of April is "Beer Month" here in the Bay Area. We've got (potentially) the Firkin Fest in Berkeley, a beer festival out in the eastern portions of the East Bay, then the (overpriced) SF Beer Festival at Ft. Mason.

*sigh* I don't have the funds to hit all of 'em... How sad.

update

I retain an undying hatred for Daylight Saving Time.

Just in case you were wondering.

No. No need to thank me. It's what I do.

ahem

I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME!

That is all.

Expect similar such rants as the week continues.

Twelve Hours

It started yesterday morning. It was really, really difficult to get out of bed and get to the office. I managed it, but I never really shook the tired feeling.

Then I started getting that achy feeling that is never a good sign. Coupled with the headaches and fatigue, I hastily took a half-day at the office and went home.

And napped.

I woke, went to the dentist (*sigh*... that's a whole other basket of crap) and insisted on wearing my jacket in the office.

I was cold. The staff thought I was nuts.

Yeah. That was just a bucket of awesome.

I picked up some dinner and went home. And I was wiped the hell out. I ate then crashed.

For twelve hours, combined.

I woke to my alarm. I remember deciding that there was just no way I was operating a car this early. I called in and went right back to bed and slept more.

I'm ambulatory now and feeling a lot better, but still kind of tired.

Sleep. It does a body good.

No drinking for this little monkey this weekend. I just want to be healthy to nerd out tomorrow.

And the goddamn time change starts Sunday.

F********************************************************CK!

The Most Astounding Fact

People of this country need to listen to more of the Neil deGrasse Tysons and less of the Rush Limbaughs.

Just sayin'.

(via io9)

Just another hump day

The moon's gettin' fuller every morning. A lovely sight in the cold chill of the morning.

I'd like to start my annual tirade against Daylight Saving Time, but honestly I'm too tired. Expect a lot of whining from me next week.

New PC at work. Adjusting to the new-ness of it all. So far so good. I think.

Yesterday was kind of a wash for productivity thanks to the transition, but it's certainly an improvement.

---

Even though I tend to avoid computer games (addiction issues) I must say I'm enjoying all the trailers for the "Mass Effect 3" game. I like the computer animation they're using in the cutscenes. I wish Hollywood would release animated full-length feature films using that quality.

A nice space opera wouldn't go amiss these days, either on TV or in theaters.

Can't wait for Prometheus...

---

Is it ominous to have a dental appointment during a full moon?

---

Today's decision: shop for groceries that may well spoil as the weekend plans hit full-swing or dine out for dinner over the next few nights.

A brewery dinner is sounding very tasty right now... and it's not even 5:30 am.

I think that's a sign of a problem.

Waxy Moon

The moon's working its way towards being full. If I were superstitious, I'd use that to justify what a weird day yesterday was.

I don't think that's the case, though. It was weird because of general weirdness.

The wind is howling this morning and there's claims that rain might hit. I doubt we'll see much rain. Sad, really.

All my shows are on break or done for the season. Out of desperation for mindless entertainment, I recorded "Alcatraz" last night. Now I'm wondering what the hell I was thinking. Sweet FSM this show is awful.

The fluorescent lighting of my office burns more than usual this Tuesday morning. I huddle in the shadowy confines of my hoodie and try to avoid their migraine-inducing rays of hate.

I have opinions.

I wish I had something more interesting to post. Life has hit new lows of boring. Work is the only excitement going on, and that's kinda sad.

Still, boring is good. I could do with less excitement for a while, I suppose.

Shaken but not stirred

The latest USGS evaluation is that the quake a few minutes ago was a 4.3. I'm sure that will get downgraded as the day goes by.

[Edit:] Not more than a minute later and it got downgraded to a 4.0. At this point I'm a bit embarrassed to have even noticed it. [/Edit]

I have really got to get into the habit of taking cover instead of watching the walls move during quakes.

Good F***ING Morning to you TOO!!!

Sitting at my desk, loading applications for the day, reading the news, listening to music... then suddenly the entire building shakes like blazes.

Yep. Earthquake.

USGS doesn't have a magnitude yet.

Nice little wake-up call.

By which I mean, yikes!

Recursive Inspiration

Yesterday, I barely left my apartment, save to get groceries.

I was attempting to avoid pollen exposure. As a result, I did not go outside and enjoy the sun and blue skies. I stayed indoors and tried to make angel food cake from scratch.

A tip: when making angel food cake, don't use whole wheat pastry flour, even if it's the only pastry/cake flour available at your local supermarket. Go somewhere else and get proper cake flour.

That said, I only had one abysmal failure. The second attempt is more fluffy and cake-like, albeit a bit odd in consistency.

Yesterday, my good friend Erik was somehow inspired by my previous post whining about the weather.

I realized yesterday I essentially shut myself off from the world. I even forgot to turn on my cell phone (and missed three calls that might have gotten me out of my man-cave that smells like failed pastry experiments).

This morning, I woke and was determined to get my lazy arse out and do something related to fitness. My bicycle still requires repairs, alas, but that just means it's time for a nice run.

A couple of miles later, I'm feeling pretty good. If history is any indication, I will feel the pollen intake soon, but it was worth it. Gorgeous day.

And yes, I still plan to whine when I start sneezing.

Springing into Inaction

Friday has arrived to the joy of many.

So has sunshine and warmer weather. With that, like a hateful cloud of evil, comes pollen and allergies.

*sigh*