Thread "2015 Rant/Share/General Discussion thread" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 3:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

Kroatz wrote:
You don't call it United States Dollars do you? So I'm guessing that Canadians don't call their own currency Canadian dollars either. Except when the difference needs to be clear.

I know i feel stupid it just never occured to me it was 'dollar' elsewhere. I always thought australia had pounds, actually.

Posted at 5:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

I did some buying on Australian and Canadian sites and then there's price matching on model building sites. If the forum odesn't have little flags for the poster's nationality it can get confusign without the USD, AUD even NZD. Then there's the mad confusion that is HKD (Hong Kong Dollars). What do you mean it's 230 HKD for that! Oh right HKD convert really low with USD almost as low as Yen.

Then some Brit throws in pounds and it's time for conversion charts.
And then HKD have a better exhange rate with Euros than USD so you buy European stuff through Hong Kong to save money. Doesn't anyone remember when paperback books had all those dollar conversion prices on the back? $5.95. $6.95 can. $8.95 Aus, $10.95 NZ, $1095 HK etc.

Posted at 5:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

"Pounds" were last seen in Australia in 1966.
We call our money "The dollar".
When talking in an international context we say "Australian dollar", "American dollar", "New Zealand dollar", "Canadian dollar", or Aud, USD etc like Kawaii and Kroatz said. :)
And I never have nearly enough of them!

I read that the name comes from Spanish money originally! Interesting.

Actually, our FIRST real money back in the day were dollars! They were called "Holy dollars". They had a whole boatload of Spanish dollar coins that they cut the middles out of. The cut out bit were called a "dump" (I'm not joking), and that was worth money too.

Posted at 6:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

Looks like it's the middle of page 6 where fprum threads messup and start misscounting so they dsiplay wrongly when you comment (showing no posts under your comment window, and when you submit the post (it shows the page AFTER the one tht has comments with a message that the page has no comments yet).
How anoying!

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I did a quick check of my novel collection and couldn't find any US prices… The most they had is UK, NZ and AU. There might be some somewhere, but I have too many to check and since I don't read them anymore they're all covered in little toys and shells and crap so they're too hard to access. -_-
Maybe it's time I got rid of some stuff…?

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Hippie, show us your new boots! BTW, neither of those links you posted are working.

Posted at 6:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

ozoneocean wrote:
I did a quick check of my novel collection and couldn't find any US prices… The most they had is UK, NZ and AU.
——–

Check where they were printed. Books printed in the UK or for the UK will have pounds and depending if headed for distribution in North America or Asia will have the appropriate prices. I have a few books with prices in UK and USD with the legend "distributed in US by X" So obviously the cover was printed with the apporpirate pricing for who is distributing the book. I have some friends in publishing who have confirmed my musings as well as a few old Writer's Markets and Writer's Yearbooks that go over all this too.

Posted at 8:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

OK, so I had a look at a few. Most of the paperbacks I pulled out at random were printed in Britian. 2 were printed in the US. The US ones didn't have any reccomended prices at all.
One of the British ones had Uk, AU, NZ and Canandian prices. That's the most any had.

It seems really wierd! Australia has old political and cultural ties with the UK, but we're such a long, long way away! What a weird commenwealth only publishing deal they must have had.

Posted at 9:01AM, Jan. 28, 2015

ozoneocean wrote:

It seems really wierd! Australia has old political and cultural ties with the UK, but we're such a long, long way away! What a weird commenwealth only publishing deal they must have had.

Not publishing, distribution deals. Remember also that the prices are usually only printed on the cover? Distributors can switch covers depending on where a batch is to be sent. Heck they also sometimes switch cover art depending on distribution. You know that "UK only special edition cover!" One of my Sci-fi histories had some of the variant covers from UK and Europe and some were much better than the one in the US.

These strange distribution deals extend to model kits too. Tamiya the model kit giant of Japan has exclusive distribution for Italeri in Japan and often reboxes them under their own label. Well Tamiya has a better rep for detail than italeri so some modelers go apeshit when Tamiya announces X when it's just an Italeri kit in a Tamiya box. *YAWN* Recently Tamiya got rebox rights for Asuka which is a premium company so started reboxing their kits for cheap. A boon for builders.

Posted at 6:01PM, Jan. 28, 2015

That's the sort of thing the expert collector learns.

I'm a pretty crappy collector of things myself. Things have to conform to some mental unatainable image of imagined perfection so that I can never be satisfied.
Soon after I've got my very first antique sword I wan to buy yet another sabre… Not an antique this time, just a weird repropduction. It's supposed to be the famous 1796 light cavalry pattern, but it's wrong. And that's why I want it.
Plus, it's cheap.

I will have ALL the sabres!!!!

Posted at 10:01AM, Jan. 29, 2015

You'll have them, but can you use them? I don't mean in random attacks kind of way but could you use a sword? Many years ago i used to e a fencer, I was pretty handy with a sabre, it was more my speed than the foil and eppee. Had a lot of fun training with stuntmen, olympic contenders and the like. I was never fantastic but capable.

Posted at 1:01PM, Jan. 29, 2015

A long time ago, when I was a child,
Of no more than six years, or seven,
I used to have friends, that were secretly foes,
And I used to send each one to heaven.

We'd meet by the playhouse, near to my home,
And gather our shield and our sword,
And then we would battle, until dusk arrived,
Or any of us would get bored.

Sometimes we'd play heroes,
Sometimes we'd be crooks,
We hadn't the armour,
But we had the looks.
We played and were happy,
With swords made of sticks,
We cared not for bruises,
And we took our licks.
And when we were tired,
And bloody, and done,
All of the dullness of life,
would be gone.

And then we went home,
and were children again.
And I miss that time,
Now that I am a man.

So I collect sabers,
And need more and more,
To regain that feeling,
Because my life is a bore.

;P

Posted at 1:01PM, Jan. 29, 2015

That Kroatz. He'll cut ya. XX

Posted at 5:01PM, Jan. 29, 2015

@Genejoke - nope. That takes a lot of training, which I haven't done, so no, I can't fight with them. They're a bit different from more modern sports sabres, being more about the hack and slash than the thrust. It'd be good to learn both types of fencing though.
The newest sword is very curved, only sharpened on the last 6 inches of the blade, and the point if balance is waaaay in front of the hand, about 7 inches. It's really tricky to learn to cut with. A very specialised cavalry sword.

@kroatz. My life IS sabres!l

Posted at 11:01PM, Jan. 29, 2015

@Oz
Do you display them? Have you ever taken a full display pic?
————–

Ended up seeing two war movies today- american sniper and fury. I really like this trend of 'nonstop intensity' in recent movies like american sniper. Captain philips did this, and to a lesser extent, life of pi kind of did, i don't know if there's an actual word for it.

I actually went to see american sniper with my mom because of her desperation to use a theatre giftcard. I laughed when she told me to look away from all the blood and gore…i'm so desensitized to it. I'm surprised it even bothered her. Ah, 'murca, killing little kids graphically on screen gets you an r rating, show a boob and its 17 and up.

Fury was a dissapointment. It reminded me of tropic thunder, not that it was funny, but basically a movie about pretty movie actors starring in a movie.

Posted at 11:01PM, Jan. 29, 2015

Ooo, the forum is displaying OK again in replies. Hmm.

@Skull- you know, I never have… That might be a good idea!
Normally I just hang them losely from the wall or put them in an umbrella stand, but it would be interesting to take a photo of them all together.

That assessment of Fury is exactly what it looks like from the previews…

Posted at 4:01AM, Jan. 30, 2015

well with sport fencing the sabre is about hack and slash as well. It's the epee and foil that are all about the thrusting, which is why I liked the sabre best. I miss those days… i suppose I could go back and do it again… but would rather find a medieval sword fighting school, but sadly there are none within 100 miles of me.

Posted at 7:01AM, Jan. 30, 2015

Here you go Skull:

@Genejoke - Matt Eastern, AKA Scholagladiatoria, it's pretty good with that sort of thing.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt14YOvYhd5FCGCwcjhrOdA
Even if you can't get to a school the vids are very informative and some offer a form of training.

Their newest school is out in Surrey apparently., but they're mainly based in London. I think there are other HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) groups in other parts of Britian though.
There are a few listed here (many are in London though…): http://www.dawnduellists.co.uk/fencingGroups.asp

Posted at 11:01AM, Jan. 30, 2015

I agree about Fury. It's more about acting and being intense. The tank crew really ednds up being a bunch of drama queens instead of killers. But the tanks and uniforms and general atmosphere is one of the best recreations of WWII ever. The tanks are especially accurate for 2nd Armored Division in PAril 1945 and that is a real-life Tiger tank not a simulation. But it's war as if fought by a bunch of Hollywood drama queens out for Mr. Oscar. Even the the understated lines are intense "FEEL IT!"

But then tank crews can be like that. We can be a bunch of drama queens on the rag because we know each other too well and really hate the buddy who you fight next to but realize you owe your life to him a thousand times over. Mother-fuck me I hate this shit.

But tons of little accurate details. You see it is full of actual events that happened to guys in WWII, just that they all didn't happen to the same five guys in one day. Really strains credulity.

Posted at 3:01PM, Jan. 30, 2015

Wow… that's a lot of swords.

I'm curious though. Is it just for "dramatic effect"? Why are swords so oversized in anime and video games from Japan? Heck… in the second game of the Grandia series, the giant sword everyone is talking about is the size of a space cruiser!

Hmm… maybe it's the same reason why Americans like oversized guns…

Posted at 3:01PM, Jan. 30, 2015

I know a good number of people (myself included) who would benefit greatly if women walked around with shirts or signs above their head that read: "Drama Queen on the Rag" during the appropriate time of the month. Unfortunately, some people use PMS as an excuse all the time.

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Ozone, you own a wonderous assortment of swords! They look like they could be deadly weapons. I really like the fine detail on the sword hilts. I am waiting for Inigo Montoya to ask, "I do not mean to pry, but you don't by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?"

Posted at 10:01PM, Jan. 30, 2015

My History of Islamic Law classes are quickly becoming the highlights of my week. I've genuinely never had a class that was so engaged before. It's about an even split between Muslim students who are quick to argue with the professor on the finer points of Islam, and those of us who are totally new to it all and eager to catch up. The classes are intended to be more lecture-style, but it's ended up being more of a seminar. Often when I pose a question it will be another student who jumps in to answer it. Overall just a very interesting and engaging atmosphere, although I have no idea what to expect from the final exam.

Also, there are a bunch of really cute guys in that class.

[b/]kawaiidaigakusei wrote:
I know a good number of people (myself included) who would benefit greatly if women walked around with shirts or signs above their head that read: "Drama Queen on the Rag" during the appropriate time of the month. Unfortunately, some people use PMS as an excuse all the time.

I'm unfortunately one of those women who are genuinely affected emotionally by PMS. It's pretty sucky most of the time, although I find that happy/excited feelings get amplified as well as grumpy ones. I just try to be aware that my feelings are a little crazy during that time and I shouldn't take things too seriously, which definitely helps. But yes, that t-shirt would come in handy for those times when you have to explain to someone why you're bawling your eyes out over an episode of Fresh Prince.

ozoneocean wrote:
Hippie, show us your new boots! BTW, neither of those links you posted are working.

Weird, they're both working for me! Maybe the site only likes Canadians. These are the bags I was linking to…the first one is the size and design I'm looking for (smaller, not roll-y), and I like the pattern of the second one.

And here are the boots! Not too exciting, but I like em. :)

Posted at 11:01PM, Jan. 30, 2015

@HippieVan:
The phrase "drama queens on the rag" was originally coined by bravo1102 in an earlier post used to describe the way a group of tankers act while on the field. I thought about how that same phrase could be used to benefit the emotional well-being of others. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air deals with dramatic subject matter, so tearing up during an episode is very understandable. I can become an emotional wreck over really random commercials like the Friskies "Dear Kitten:" ad, as well as the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials that reminded me of War Horse.

Those boot are really cute! They can go with all sorts of outfits and they look weatherproof. And this:

The strategically placed Romeo Bunny in the background is just too adorable for words.

Posted at 2:01AM, Jan. 31, 2015

@ Hippie - Those are GREAT boots Hippie! Good find. They have a bit of an army style look to them bt they're quite stylish and sleek. Utilitarian, but not plain. A great balance of style and function.
I hope you find the bag you're looking for, it can be so hard to get just the thing you want, beleive me. And making your own, or getting it made, is very hard and expensive -_-
-LOve the bunny Kawaii pointed out there! Sneak attack!

@Lonne - Purely dramatic effect. The bigest swords in use were about 5 and a half feet long. The Japanese famously had the No-dachi or dachi, and in europe there were the Greatswords.
They were big but wieghed about the same as smaller two handed swords because they had the same amount of metal in them, it was just beaten out thinner.
The purpose of a big sword is to give the fighter longer reach. But after a certain size the sword shape is impracical so you use a spear, pike, spontoon, bisento, naginata or somethong like that instead: basically a big blade on a pole.

@ Kawaii - the scabards make i look like there are more than there are :)
I hope I don't run into Inigo Montoya! I'm no Man In Black, or Dread Pirate Roberts… or Weasly… He'd beat me no contest!

Posted at 1:01PM, Jan. 31, 2015

So at least for the Japanese it's cool to wield a gigantic sword the size of a bus in anime, but in a real fight you won't last long… And perhaps length doesn't really count for much if you're facing a skilled dagger duel wielding agile opponent…

Gotta love how "dramatic effect" shows up everywhere in media. If you watch the gunplay in a lot of old FIlipino films, you'll notice one thing… that the guns (ESPECIALLY the handguns) fire more rounds than they could possibly hold. So why show reloading? For "dramatic effect"… -_-

Posted at 2:01PM, Jan. 31, 2015

Dramatic effect is very important, otherwise people would catch on that there is completely no reason to keep watching the waste of time and brainspace "Action" movie they're watching. I really feel like there could still be action movies with some meaning to society, but we'll need a new generation of writers first. It's a sad thing that the deepest things on TV are superhero movies and series.

- - - - - -

I finally got my hands on a good translation of Montaigne's "Essais" for a nice price. I can't wait to dive into it, but I want to read it all in only a few days, instead of spreading it out over a month, so I have to wait for my next vacation… Now I wish I still had the original French version. Damn it, back to Murakami, which is torture to read.

- - - - - -

I miss Robin Williams.

- - - - - -

Magic: The Gathering is so much fun to play, but I think I enjoy building decks even more. There's just so much different ways of winning. I have one deck right now with a lot of wizards, and if I have the right three or four cards out, I can make my turns last for five minutes, pass the turn, and win whenever I want to. It gives me a perfect opportunity to be a dick, without acting outside of the unwritten laws of social interaction.

Another deck of mine is based on dragons. DRAGONS! It is just big monsters beating the crap out of my opponents. It hardly ever works, but it's still evolving. And new dragon cards come out every few months, that have awesome interactions with cards that are over 10 years old, so I keep getting new ideas on how to beat my friends into a bloody pulp.

And then there's this deck that is completely designed to make it impossible for anyone to win. Players can't draw cards, play things, attack, lose life, gain life, or even untap any of their mana sources. If it goes off, I just smile and wait for everyone to sigh and give up. I especially like that it is also impossible for me to win, because there isn't even a single win condition in there.

Posted at 3:01PM, Jan. 31, 2015

Lonnehart wrote:
Gotta love how "dramatic effect" shows up everywhere in media. If you watch the gunplay in a lot of old FIlipino films, you'll notice one thing… that the guns (ESPECIALLY the handguns) fire more rounds than they could possibly hold. So why show reloading? For "dramatic effect"… -_-

Actually that shows up in a lot of movies. Once upon a time I'd count rounds to see if the guy reloaded when he was suposed to. A lot of Westerns are pretty good about that. Some movies like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers make it an accurate plot point about how often you reload and the peculiar habits of certain weapons. Then there are films like Rambo where one belt of 30 rounds lasts forever (wonderfully spoofed in Hot Shots Part Deux)

In real gun fights it is high drama when you gotta reload. And then the misfire because you didn't do it right. Slap and tap and pull and whatever the rest was. Remember in a tank it is only one round at a time. MISFIRE! Screw it, open the breech, spin the round and spit on it! On-the-way-BOOM!