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Rant, moan, rave and share - for all your chatter, natter, ETCETERA! 2013/2014

Ozoneocean
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Thanks for that info Lonne! I didn't know that about Nagimi! I really enjoiyed that anime. I wish there were more series dubbed in English available for it online.
I used to be a subs ONLY snob, because of the preferences of an exgirlfirend… But now I really prefer dubs because I draw while I watch and I can't do that if I have to read subs! Plust, dubbing is WAAAAAY better these days, voice recordings are higher quality, the timing mates better to lip movements, the translation is more accurate, and the voice actors often match the styles of their Japanese counterparts really well, especially for the crazy sounding characters.
 
@Bravo- I completed all episodes of Haganai. LOVED it! The ending was hillarious!
 
@Lonne- that's sad about your parents man… you're an orphan now. Both my parents went through that pain a few years ago. It takes a long time to fade.
For you Windows system, maybe try getting a touchscreen monitor?

Lonnehart
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ozoneocean wrote:
For you Windows system, maybe try getting a touchscreen monitor?

Not sure I like reaching over my keyboard to touch the screen when I could just use the mouse.  They're pretty expensive anyways… $500 for a 19 inch screen…

When I bought the OS disk the computer store attempted to offer me a cheaper alternative.  For a fee (much less than the cost of the disc) they could install the OS into my machine.  Had to refuse as I've found (through experience) that it's better to have it yourself.  I've been saved many times by having the OS disk with me when it came to recovering my computer.  :)

bravo1102
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ozoneocean wrote:
@Bravo- I completed all episodes of Haganai. LOVED it! The ending was hillarious!
Both seasons and the first season OVA?  With the relay story?   The site you linked to only had the first season?  There is a second one called "Next" Plus a OVS episode 13 for season one with the relay story.

I only prefer watching subtitles because the audio on my computer can't compete with the background noises at work and it'd be a bit much to carry around speakers.  Headphones are frowned upon.  I'm supposed to monitoring the situation not a show on my lap-top.  I download subs for everything I watch because the white noise at work is very bad.  So I might as well watch everything subtitled.  I also like some foreign live action film so another reason to force myself to watch subtitles.  

Ozoneocean
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@Lonne- I kow what you mean! You're always better off with the damn system disk!
Don't know what you mean about that monitor price, a quick search showed me a lot of results for 23 inch monitors for half that cost!
 
@Bravo- no, only the first 13. Can't find the next lot in English anywhere. Sure it's online enough in subs, but I need a dub to do my work too :(
 
I ordered a nice looking short double breasted coat from Korea on Ebay… It's taked AGES too come, well over a month, and now that it HAS come they sent the wrong size! Arrrrghhhhh!!!!!!!!!
I'm very disapointed because I've had to wait so long AND because I bought a jacket from them ages ago and it was perfect- I wanted to replace it with this new one as my nice semi formal jacket. NOT gonna happen with a too big ill-fitting jacket.

bravo1102
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Know a good tailor?   My last suits had all kinds of little alterations done (pleats, rear vents, side seams, butt) because the place I got them from prided themselves on that.  I took them back to get them resized a year later because I had gained a few inches.  You want to look tailored, you have to visit a tailor and have the piece fitted.

My new navy sports jacket was a 46 long and I tried on 6 different jackets to get that one but the sizes I thought I was, the fit was never quite right. But I tired on size after size until it was prefect.  Some lines have every imaginable gradiation in size with athletic versus traditional fit as well as the measurements of chest and length.  So when I went for a linen sports jacket two years ago, the size was right.  But without all that time finding the perfect size and fit I never would have known.  

I used to sell the stuff once upon a time so at least I can walk in with a clue about fit and fabrication.  So I know what I'm looking for, but finding it is something else.  Gotta try it on.

Lonnehart
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While Minecraft is NOT equal to real life, I wonder if surviving the first night in the game is the same….

Soon as you spawn into the world (in all modes except Creative), you first need to create the tools you'll need to perform your tasks.  Then go find a source of food (perhaps being lucky enough to find a reliable source of sustenance), then build (or find) a shelter that's safe enough that nothing will disturb you at night….

The differences?  You'd need a fire in real life, something that you'd just find material for in Minecraft (9 cobblestone blocks to build a furnace and coal to power it).  And I'm sure that building a rail system, exploring open aired ravines and caves, and battling undead, giant spiders, and the game's own "troll" call the Creeper (so call because they tend to sneak up behind you without a sound before exploding with a 1.5 second timed fuse) are also just things in Minecraft.  

Of course, death is permanent in real life… you don't get to reappear at your original spawn point…  though Hardcore mode death is also permanent except that you take your whole world with you….
——-

Also found out that Oriental business where a father demands that his daughter cannot go out or have a boyfriend until married.  According to one of the tenants at the condo I'm keeping an eye on, back then marriages were arranged.  Children were never allowed to choose their spouses as they were already chosen for them.  Not sure how much of this is true, but the statement where "No going out and no boyfriend until you are married" kinda make sense.  Except after you're married you can't do either…
——–

*sigh* even after my father's death the family squabbles continue.  My eldest uncle (who was seemingly unable to attend my father's funeral or rosary) has asked me to ask my sister if he can join us when we lay his ashes to death on my mother's grave.  Her response?  A big fat NO with the intensity of a very rabid forest fire.  Complicating things for him was the fact that he never bothered to call my father when he was sick and not bothering to call his eldest son (who was there with us) about going there, and also not flying out when my grandmother (HIS mother) died.  I get the feeling that he may have been purposely left out when we had my father's funeral and that the two had a bit of animosity going between them when my father left for California nine years ago.

And somehow despite attempting to avoid this mess I'm still caught in the crossfire…

Ozoneocean
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They should let him do it Lonne. I would, no matter how self-estranged he's been. The healing as to start somewhere.
 
————
 
@Bravo- the style of the jacket doesn't really lend itself to adjustments. It's a "fashion coat" in the style of a short Great coat with a quilted lining- so the lining is all swen into the dam thing all over… You could still tailor it but I don't think it's worth the trouble or expense. It'd be cheaper to send it back and get a replacement or my money back.
 
Really, I'd rather buy a genuine military greatcoat that was illfitting and get that tailored than do it with some "fashion" thing that's meant to fit better in the first place.
Might do that actually, get a nice navy or airforce one.
 
I just don't want to make do with ill-fitting or ugly crap ever again. Too many men do these days, you see sad guys with their trousers bunching at the ankles because they never had them taken up, men who look boxy in hulking poorly deisgned jackets and coats designed to fit people 4 times their girth, jeans that bunch and bag around their thighs, etc. If it doesn't fit right and can't be made to then I don't want it.
 
You used to sell clothes Bravo?

Lonnehart
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Ugh… the flu.  In the past I could easily shrug this off in a day or two, but the latest strains of the disease have been hitting me really REALLY hard.  I've had it since I came back from California.  The weakness and the pain from bright lights/loud sounds are there.   And it hasn't gone away.   I get the feeling that soon a variant of the flu will come out that cannot be vaccinated (as they'd instantly adapt and keep on spreading).  I feel like eventually the flu will mutate to an extent that it will wipe out all life on Earth…  

And I'm feeling miserable…

HippieVan
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@lonne: your family stuff reminds me of some of what happened when my grandfather died a couple years ago. These things have a way of bringing all those tensions to the surface. :(



Minor rant: I keep hearing that song "Happy" everywhere I go, and I absolutely can't stand it. Very grating.

bravo1102
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Lonnehart wrote:
Ugh… the flu.  I feel like eventually the flu will mutate to an extent that it will wipe out all life on Earth…
Nah, the purpose of the flu is to reproduce.  To do that it doesn't kill, merely make you feel miserable so you'll spread it by coughing and sneezing.  Diseases that kill everyone are not evolutionary succeses.  Can't survive without a living host  But it kills every host so it doesn't survive either. Not a success.  

Worked in Macy*s Men's department for years back in the day.  I went to seminars every year whre they explained how stuff was made and kinds of ethemera.  My neighbor is a seamstress and I've seen her make trousers out of a jacket let alone tailoring a lined jacket.

 You do realize that most trews worn by Scottish regiments started out as kilts?  Imagine taking out all those pleats to make a pair of pants (while I look at my flannel black watch tartan pajama pants)  And then 18th century regimental coats were to last X years as a coat then be cut down into a waist coat?  When you have to make do with what you have you will find a way to make anything into anything.

Lonnehart
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HippieVan wrote:
@lonne: your family stuff reminds me of some of what happened when my grandfather died a couple years ago. These things have a way of bringing all those tensions to the surface. :(
Yep.  What happened was that my eldest uncle failed to fly out to see to my grandmother (his mother) when she died.  Everyone is pretty much trying to leave him out of things.  AND they're demanding that I not talk to him either.

I suppose they do have a point, but the anger I'm feeling from them is not healthy and that's got me worried…  Let's just say that even though I'm talking to my sis on the phone, I could feel the intensity of her anger despite her efforts to hold it in…

HippieVan
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Lonnehart wrote:
Yep.  What happened was that my eldest uncle failed to fly out to see to my grandmother (his mother) when she died.  Everyone is pretty much trying to leave him out of things.  AND they're demanding that I not talk to him either.

I suppose they do have a point, but the anger I'm feeling from them is not healthy and that's got me worried…  Let's just say that even though I'm talking to my sis on the phone, I could feel the intensity of her anger despite her efforts to hold it in…
 
Yikes. That's fine if they don't want anything to do with him, but it's unfair (and pretty crappy) of them to try to control your relationship with him.
 
What happened in my family was a bit flipped, but still pretty stressful. My grandfather was a pretty bad person so when he died a lot of people had unresolved feelings. My mom was supposed to drive my uncle the 10 hours to the funeral and he changed his mind at the last minute and didn't show up. I was a little bit caught in the middle because I completely understood my uncle's reasons for not wanting to be there, but at the same time felt pretty sympathetic for my mom because (as the most responsible member of her family) she got stuck with ALL the arrangements, paperwork, etc., without any emotional support from her brothers.
 
It makes me think that we spend most of our lives avoiding issues until we absolutely have to deal with them.

Lonnehart
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Well, my family is worried about my well being as I live alone, but it is stressful.  And it's not the only issue.

My brothers have a very low opinion of the doctors at the VA.  They actually think the government would be dumb enough to hire a bunch of "quacks" to treat soldiers.  Civilian doctors are apparently better because they get paid more.  Heck…

My current nutritionist tells me carb counting will help with my blood sugar.  I just take in a certain amount every meal, but I can eat pretty much what I want.  As long as I keep a tight control of my food intake I shouldn't have any problems.

Their "dietician" tells me that the best way is to eat nothing but green vegetables.  That will be a better way to control blood sugar.  Oh,..  and somehow coffee, tea, and even drinks that use artiicial sweetener will aggravate my condition (even though there are no carbs or sugars in them). 
——–
Heh… my favorite Animal Planet show has what has to be one of my favorite intros/advisory…
"Warning!  This video contains material that is just too cute.  Viewer Discretion is advised."

:)

HippieVan
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Well, my laptop is broken again. For like, the fourth time in the last month. This is becoming a bit of a nightmare. I had a few panicky hours today when I thought I might lose 8 pages of a 15 page essay due Tuesday, fortunately I've managed to get my computer back up and running long enough to back everything up. I have google drive installed but the problem with that when your computer isn't working in weird ways is that google drive apparently wasn't working either.
 
The real problem, though, is that I'm off to take a spring course at a university in another city in less than two weeks, and I definitely need a working computer by then. I think (hope) my computer is still under warranty with Asus, but there's no way I'd be able to get it shipped to them and repaired in time. The only solution we've come up with is that I could bring along my dad's computer, and he could use my little sister's while I'm gone. My sister isn't too taken with that idea, obviously. Kind of sucks because my computer is a lot better than his (or it was while it was working) but it might be the only option.
 
 

Lonnehart
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If only it were easy to repair laptops….  

My data drive finally broke down.  It's an old IDE hard drive which held stuff that I kept in storage but didn't mind using (and the extra space was nice too).  And now it has failed.  I guess I'll keep my IDE/SATA connector in storage now that there's no use for it (no one is selling IDE drives anymore).

Just a thought, but how jealous would a woman have to be to become enraged when her husband looks at a female stick figure he drew himself?

HippieVan
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Only 1000 words left to write for my final essay! I was getting pretty worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it by Tuesday, but that is definitely doable in a day. :)

bravo1102
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Can't I write a fantasy comic script that isn't 100 pages?  Sheesh.  I've hacked down what I have to 52 pages but there's still half the story to tell.  And why did I make the dialogue grammar so stilted again?  Right to hint at class structure and the differing speech patterns of second(third, fourth)-language speakers.  

Finished that Negima anime with the 10 year old wizard teaching a middle school class.  Mirrors what a guy teaching a room full of middle school girls can go through.  Fortunately as a 10 year old he's innocent enough where it isn't quite as dirty as a twenty-something teacher.  Though the students do think that way.  Nice change of pace to see an anime without panty shots and less in your face fan service.  Som e of the character styles are so archetypical that you can see the same character with the same hair playing a similar role in another anime in a different genre.  Some bits and characters seemed like those in the horror animes I've watched earlier.

Almsot done with Bubblegun Crisis: Tokyo 2040 and wondering why mad scientists always create gooey amorpheous monsters in these things with veins and tentacle like appendages.  Every time.   

Ozoneocean
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Heeey, you watched all that Bravo? :D
 
Did you see all the 3 series or just the first that's dubbed in English? I've only see the first, I'm quite curious about the others.
That show had so many characters, I couldn't remember all of them except as their "types". That seemed to be an in-joke I think, that they had almost one of every type of anime girl character; scientist, shy bookworm, dork, cosplay idol, sporty, sammurai, ninja, magical girl, hunter, robot, witch, ghost, twins, rich girl, bestfriend… etc.
 
 I like how they made the rich girl have the personality of a "prince charming".
Not a deep anime overall, but nicely light and fun.
 
Baka and Test is pretty funny. They really exagerate the anime tropes heavily. There's one boy who's entire existance revolves around trying to take sneaky pervy photos of the girls, and who's constantly on the brink of death due to catastrophic bloodloss from his nose. :D
 
@Hippie- I hope you're able to get a tablet as backup. They're really pretty good in that function now, either Android or ipad.
With Google Drive on PC I never use the installed version, using it through your web browser works much better I find.

Lonnehart
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bravo1102 wrote:
Almsot done with Bubblegun Crisis: Tokyo 2040 and wondering why mad scientists always create gooey amorpheous monsters in these things with veins and tentacle like appendages.  Every time.
Still prefer the original series myself.  The music was pretty good.  There hints that one of the main Knight Saber crew was themselves was one of those amorphous metal monsters called "Boomers", but more highly advanced.  From what I could gather, Stingray's father invented them and intended to use them for world peace, only to be assassinated by Genom so they could use his research to make war machines, which they unleashed on the city's hapless populace for "battlefield" tests".  Still trying to figure out how it was supposed to be cheaper to use innocent civilians as test subjects for the Boomers, though…
Bubblegum Crash intro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQgq7465rz0

HippieVan
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ozoneocean wrote:
@Hippie- I hope you're able to get a tablet as backup. They're really pretty good in that function now, either Android or ipad.
With Google Drive on PC I never use the installed version, using it through your web browser works much better I find.
 
It looks like my family is going to chip in and get me a tablet for my birthday, but that'll be after I'm back from my travels so not much help really. :/
 
I have had the most ridiculously frustrating responses from ASUS. They've been very quick to tell me that my computer is out of warranty (even before I gave them any information about my particular computer), but have consistently refused to give me a straight answer when I ask what the manufacturer's warranty is for my specific product. They keep telling me "the standard warranty…" and I'm like "Fuck the standard warranty, I just gave you my model # and serial number, tell me my warranty!"
 
Then when I select my model on their website to get warranty information, I get a 404 error. Jesus…

Lonnehart
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It looks like they discontinued support for that model, just as Microsoft did with Windows XP.  That's how I'm reading it.  -_-

Well, now I've replaced my CRT for an HDTV.  That's right.  An actual flatscreen TV rather than a dedicated computer monitor.  I'm sure having a touchscreen would've been useful, but here on Guam they're incredibly expensive and out of my reach.  Furthermore, I'm starting to believe in the durability of HDTVs.  3 dedicated flatscreen monitors for my computers have all burnt out, yet my HDTV (which I bought at the same time as the first monitor) has yet to go dark….

Hmm…  it'll be nice to play my XB360 on my computer desk for a change.  :)

Never thought a world made of blocks could look so…. vivid!!!  Now if only I could figure out how to use PRNTSCRN with this thing…  :)

Ozoneocean
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I think the LEDs they use in most newer TVs last longer than the CFL globrs they use in older LCD monitors. I mostly use HD TVs for my comps… appart from my Cintiq. They're always better when using a HDMI or DVI to HDMI cord at the very least. They usually all suck on VGA.

Lonnehart
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I wish I had an HDMI cable at the moment.  But for now I'll keep using VGA mode.  I'm not sure how much better things are supposed to look in HDMI mode.  I'd invest in an HDMI cable if the improvement is great enough though…

Ozoneocean
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Get HDMI cheap through Ebay.
The VGA mode on most HDTVs tens to be limited to lower resolutions and/or duller colours I've found. Among other things.

Lonnehart
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Well, grabbed an HDMI cable from Home Depot.  Works pretty well.  As expected, the TV speakers themselves fell far below what I'd like.  Not that it matters anyways as I use headphones in all my computing.  :)

Oh… and made a new Facebook page just for you guys.  And anyone else I choose to add to it.  Just search "Lonne Hart" over there.  Nothing in it yet…  :)

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