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Archives: August 2005
Tue Aug 30, 2005
"What kind of a sick mind can actually imagine Truman Capote playing football?"
More than you ever wanted to know about Fred Phelps.
(Via Kathy Shaidle and Eve Tushnet.)
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Incompetent marketing, not cultural differences
Here's another asinine article on manga and anime in the USA. I'd prefer to ignore it, but this paragraph requires comment:
Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 anime masterpiece "Spirited Away" ... grossed more than $250 million in Japan, but even though it made many American movie critics' best-of-year lists, it barely limped to the $10 million mark at the U.S. box office.
The reason Spirited Away only made $10 million in the USA is that Disney did its damnedest to kill it, giving it a minimal release and no advertising. I caught it in the theatre only because I was actively looking for it. It's amazing that it made any money here at all, given how deeply Disney buried it.
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Numbers
Katrina, with a minimum pressure of 902 mb, is the fourth-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record. It's also potentially the most devastating one ever to strike the USA. According to Dr. Jeff Masters:
Remember in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, how there was a lot of relief about how much worse it could have been, and how well Miami fared? This cheerfulness faded once the search teams penetrated to Homestead and found the near-total devastation there. The fact we have not heard at all from the areas hardest hit by Katrina--Slidell, Bay Saint Louis, Pass Christian--means that these areas have probably been mostly destroyed, with substantial loss of life of those who failed to evacuate. While the winds of Katrina were only of Category 3 strength when the storm moved through these areas, Katrina's 20 - 22 foot storm surge was still characteristic of a Category 5 storm. Remember, the all-time record for a storm surge in the U.S. is 26 feet--from Hurricane Camille--and Katrina's storm surge was close to that level, but covered an area three times larger. And with a two block long breach in the Lake Pontchartrain levee allowing the entire city of New Orleans to flood today, we are witnessing a natural disaster of the scope unseen in America since the great 1938 Hurricane devastated New England, killing 600. Damage from Katrina will probably top $50 billion, and the death toll will be in the hundreds.
I got curious about storms stronger than Katrina. The most powerful hurricane on record was Gilbert in 1988, which had a minimum pressure of 888 mb. It devastated Jamaica and the Yucatan peninsula, and its remnants spawned 29 tornadoes in Texas. Gilbert, however, is dwarfed by Typhoon Tip, which was both the strongest storm ever, and the largest. Its pressure reached a low of 870 mb and at its largest its radius was 675 miles.
Here are a couple of other notes on Tip and Gilbert, and here is A Hurricane Hunter's Photo Album.
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Mon Aug 29, 2005
No triskaidekaphobia here
Now showing at Chan's Theatre: Carnival of Music #13. I want the Bob Moog Action Figure.
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Sun Aug 28, 2005
Corpse flower
An Amorphophallus titanum will bloom in Florida soon. Steven will be there.
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Fri Aug 26, 2005
Wailing with Banshee
Aliens in This World, your source for Russian science fiction, celebrated its third bloggiversary this week.
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"To be simple without being stupid"
An interview with Suggs, the singer with Madness. I was interested to learn of the connections with Deaf School, whose first album, Second Honeymoon, is an old favorite of mine.
(Via Old Oligarch.)
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Stealing home
You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Mark Sullivan's tribute to Zeke Bonura.
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Dance from Maramaros
A gypsy tune from the appendix of Stacy Phillips' Klezmer Collection.
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Thu Aug 25, 2005
The real babes
According to Robert the LB, Nancy Drew has turned into an anime babe. (Actually, a manga babe; the item in question is a graphic novel. Or you can finesse the issue and call her a "bishoujo.")
Bah. While Nancy is undoubted much cooler than the Hardy Boys (I read one of the latter books in my childhood and wondered how something so lame could be so popular), she'll never be in a class with Ryoko or Lum.
By the way, Munuvians might be interested to see the real Pixy Misa.
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Not Vannevar Bush, either
Al Gore didn't invent the internet. Teilhard de Chardin did. (I wonder if the crew who made Serial Experiments Lain, the tale of a noosphere gone wrong, had read Teilhard.)
(Via Ernesto.)
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Flying boats
As an aircraft design engineer, Miyazaki is a superb animator.
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Khosid Dance
The thunderstorms have moved out of the area for now, but it's late and I'm exhausted, so I'm going to recycle a couple of Hungarian tunes that I posted earlier this year. This one is a sort of csárdás-style freylakh.
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Wed Aug 24, 2005
Advisory
When I hear thunder, I unplug the computer. Consequently, tomorrow's tune may be late.
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Practice souls for apprentice angels
J. Greely recently watched Haibane Renmei and posted some speculations about ABe's universe. Some of his notions are intriguing. If you've seen this most interesting series, his notes are worth perusing -- but only if you've already watched it. (If you haven't yet seen Haibane Renmei, do so at the earliest opportunity. The exceptionally good deal ($30 for the complete set) is still available. (Later: the second half of the set is now sold out.))
(Via Chizumatic.)
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Tue Aug 23, 2005
Misereri nostri
Miserere nostri, Domine, secundum misericordiam tuam.
An anonymous round published in 1609.
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Mon Aug 22, 2005
Twelve tones
There's now a Carnival of Music for each note of the chromatic scale.
Carnival of Music #12.
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God save our sov'reign
God save our sov'reign Charles, our faith's defender.
Let all good men his laws and honour tender.
Protect Queen Cath'rine, England's nursing mother.
Preserve York's Duke, our king's illustrious brother,
Who to his pious votes denies his hand --
I pray for hime to, but wish him out o'th land.
By Henry Purcell; published in 1685.
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Sat Aug 20, 2005
Friday's feast, Saturday's leftovers
The Friday Five is retired, so MamaT has instituted the Friday Feast:
Appetizer
Do you get excited when the season begins to change? Which season do you most look forward to?
Excited, no. At most, I'm relieved when winter and summer end.
Soup
What day of the week is usually your busiest?
Tediously busy: Tuesday, at work. Productively busy: Saturday, at home.
Salad
Would you consider yourself to be strict when it comes to grammar and spelling? What's an example of the worst error you've seen?
I strive to make my own writing faultless, but it ain't easy. I try to be tolerant of other people's errors. One of my favorite bloggers has trouble with "their," "there" and "they're," but I'm not about to scold him for it; his creativity more than compensates for his solecisms.
Main Course
Who has a birthday coming up, and what will you give them as a gift?
No one in the near future that I'm aware of. I do have a few gifts for various people in mind, but I'm not saying what and who, in case any of them should wander over here.
Dessert
If you could have any new piece of clothing for free, what would you pick?
Something expensive that I couldn't otherwise afford, of course. Perhaps a nice silk brocade houppelande.
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Low numbers
Once the Tour de France is over, there usually isn't any reason to look at the sports pages until July of the next year. However, this year Bernadette Luse, daughter of William Luse, is on the LPGA tour. According to this morning's paper, she's two under par at the tournament in Portland, Oregon this weekend.
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More pictures
I've getting caught up with the scanning. Here are some more pictures from the spring dance performance at Friends University:
Anyone care to suggest a caption for this one?
Soundtrack: Don McClane, "The Flying Moose" (Yes, I occasionally listen to my own music. If I didn't like what I write, then why bother?)
Later: I uploaded several more pictures.
More...
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Fri Aug 19, 2005
In case you missed it ...
... here are many screen grabs from The Backstroke of the West. I have a hunch that these improve on the original script.
(Via NRO.)
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I will show you fear in a cupful of juice
Fear death by fanfic: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Poet.
(Via Steven.)
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Come follow, follow
Also from 1652, by J. Hilton.
Come follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow me.
Whither shall I follow, follow, follow, whither shall I follow, follow thee?
To the gallow, to the gallow, to the gallow, gallow tree.
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Thu Aug 18, 2005
Sharp-dressed men
Here's a collection of paper dolls in Medieval and Renaissance garb. Several of the outfits are similar to those I made for myself back in my SCA days. There's also a Morpheus for Neil Gaiman fans and an Oscar Wilde for dylan.
(Via Reflections in d minor.)
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Eauia
Today's word: Thoreauian (see the comments).
The real reason why biographers have so little interest in Thoreau is that he was actually an engineer.
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Cuckoo, go neighbors
Cuckoo, go neighbors help us to hedge in the cuckoo,
keep keep, keep, O keep in the cuckoo.
According to my disintegrating copy of Penguin Book of Rounds, this 1652 round by E. Nelham is "a version of a traditional folk tale, always told of a neighbouring village, in which the stupid inhabitants believe that if they can keep the cuckoo from migrating, they will have spring all year round."
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Wed Aug 17, 2005
Sneak preview II
Another, milder, excerpt from the current wretched mess:
Reading by Halo-Light (mp3; 1 megabyte)
I've also uploaded a better version of this 16th-century rocker:
Washerwoman's Bransle (mp3; 1.8 megabytes)
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Tue Aug 16, 2005
Frames vs. Fr. Hien
There's an article in a regional paper I would very much like to link to. Unfortunately, the paper's website is designed in such a way that it is impossible to link to any particular story. Not even the New York Times is that arrogant. So, I'm afraid that I can't give you a direct link to the story of Fr. Hien Nguyen, refugee and priest. The paper's website is here; to read the story, scroll down in the left-hand column to "New parish priest experienced miraculous escape from Vietnam."
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Rural sports are sweeter far
"Altered from Monsr L'Clerc" by T. Warren, and published in 1764.
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Mon Aug 15, 2005
Turning it up to 11
The eleventh Carnival of Music is up at Reflections in d minor.
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Half an hour past twelve o'clock
It's about time for some rounds. This one, by J.B. Marella, was published in 1764.
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Sun Aug 14, 2005
In 3010, the potatoes triumphed.
If you find the entries to the annual Bulwer-Lytton contest a bit wordy, you might prefer The Little Lytton Contest, in which contestants must make their point, or whatever, in twenty-five words or less:
Monica had exploded, and I had a mystery, and pieces of her pancreas, on my hands.
(Via Dustbury.)
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Sat Aug 13, 2005
Wasting good electricity
A celebration of dyspepsia: excerpts from Roger Ebert's reviews of unbelieveably bad movies:
"Halloween III " ("Season of the Witch")
The one saving grace in " Halloween III " is Stacey Nelkin , who plays the heroine. She has one of those rich voices that makes you wish she had more to say and in a better role. But watch her, too, in the reaction shots: When she's not talking, she's listening. She has a kind of rapt, yet humorous, attention that I thought was really fetching. Too bad she plays her last scene without a head.
(Via Chizumatic.)
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Fri Aug 12, 2005
Halos 75% off, while supplies last
I've mentioned yoshitoshi ABe's Haibane Renmei many times recently. If you think that this exceptionally interesting anime series might be worth your time, you can find the four discs on sale here for a total of $30 (an extremely good price; the usual prices are $20-$26 per disc). I don't have any experience with this dealer, but it looks like a legitimate operation.
[8/18/05] The deal is for real. The set I ordered arrived today. I'll be able to loan the new discs out to friends without getting impatient for their return.
More...
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Shrubbery
Here's the current fad quiz in these parts:
Roger the Shrubber
There is a pestilence upon this land. Nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
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Thu Aug 11, 2005
Celebrate the fakeness
Not from The Onion:
Academic takes PhD in art of air guitar
(Via Dustbury.)
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Wed Aug 10, 2005
Disappearing lines
Disney Erases Hand-Drawn Animation --
-- a lousy 75th birthday present for Betty Boop.
(Via Cartoon Brew.)
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Tue Aug 09, 2005
Mon Aug 08, 2005
The CIA did it
Furries 1, moonbats 0.
(Via Relapsed Catholic and Aliens in This World.)
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10
The tenth Carnival of Music is up at a site new to me, solitude.in.music.
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Fri Aug 05, 2005
Well, of course
 | You scored as Severus Snape. Well you're a tricky one aren't you? Nobody quite has you figured out and you'd probably prefer it stayed that way. That said you are a formidable force by anyone's reckoning, but there is certainly more to you than a frosty exterior and a bitter temper.
Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...? created with QuizFarm.com |
(Via Eve Tushnet.)
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Thu Aug 04, 2005
Sneak preview
Here's a preliminary mix of an excerpt from the current fiasco-in-progress:
Washerwoman's Bransle (mp3; 1.8 megabytes)
This is the third section (probably) of what will eventually be a suite between five and eight minutes long. I will most likely revise it heavily before I'm done. This tune is from Arbeau's Orchesography.
(8/16/05: uploaded revised version)
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No longer alone
At last -- another Catholic blogger from Wichita:
The Befuddled Catholic Teacher
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Wed Aug 03, 2005
Dual Stromberg carburetors, etc.
The results of this years's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest are in. Here's the winner for "romance":
Billy Bob gushed like a broken water main about his new love: "She's got long, beautiful, drain-clogging hair, more curves than an under-the-sink water trap, and she moves with the ease of a motorized toilet snake through a four-inch sewer line, but what she sees in me, a simple plumber, I'll never know."
(Via TSO.)
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Tue Aug 02, 2005
A world without angst
I'm not particularly interested in manga, and i have no intention of reading this one, but it's worth a mention:
The hotly anticipated Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days begins its run as the exclusive manga insert, marking its English-language debut.... Angelic Days takes the angst-ridden Eva pilots and sets them in a lighter, brighter world, where choosing the right girlfriend is more important than saving Earth from unimaginable threats.
(Via Chizumatic.)
What other stories might benefit from translation into a "lighter, brighter" universe? Here are a few possibilities. Each of these would make a good basis for a teevee sitcom:
Godot Can Wait: Pozzo hires Estragon and Vladimir as cook and gardener on his estate; madcap mischief ensues.
Wiser Blood: Hazel Motes preaches The Power of Positive Thinking to his growing congregation and buys a really good car.
Beautiful Sailor: Adventures in the Navy with Billy Budd and his special friend, Jemmy Legs.
Prufrock's Perfectly Peachy: J.A. teams up with his pal Sweeney to open a seaside fruit stand where they can watch girls play volleyball.
Hunger No More: The hunger artist meets a nutrition counselor and begins an exciting new career in data entry.
Soundtrack: Toshiyuki Honda, "After All"
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Mon Aug 01, 2005
... number nine ... number nine ... number nine ...
This week's Carnival of Music is up. (The blog's template doesn't work quite right in all browsers. You might find the text easier to read if you highlight it.)
More music: here's the video for They Might Be Giants' Dr. Worm. (N.B.: 25 megabytes. Via Cartoon Brew.)
If you're in the Wichita area Thursday evening, go to the Sedgwick County Zoo to hear and dance to Brave Combo. I'll be there.
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