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Check it out, I had one of my photos favorited by a guy whose favorites consist entirely of intra-car portraits.
I'm going to call this not-creepy. I think. Strike that, it's kinda creepy after all.
New Year Dragons Eat Cabbage
Feb. 26th, 2007 11:08 amOh yeah, the other day we stumbled upon some lunar new year dragoning over at Super88.
I kind of like that last one.
I kind of like that last one.
Cartoonishly Squalid
Nov. 28th, 2006 10:39 pmHey, look, Mr. Godeon says what we're all thinking. Well, what I'm thinking. When my mom isn't around. (My mom has a difficult time with this sort of thing, but I understand her taste pretty darn well, so it's never hard finding her something I think she'll like. Really she sort of makes me feel bad about it period, because she is my mom.)
(The post is about not specifically going Xmas Shopping for Everyone, because you end up just trying to fill the list and not allowing good choices for presents to appear (due to time pressure). Instead, a better strategy is to just always keep an eye out for appropriate things for people, and if you find something good, then good. If no, then they don't have to suffer through a stopgap gift. This is completely sensical to me; I've been doing this for a good long while now. It also helps that my husband is a strong proponent of this viewpoint.)
I usually end up, with good friends whom I see, having something for them somewhere around hmas. Sometimes I remember to keep it for then, sometimes I just give it to them when I have it.
Something that always upset me a little is how weirdly people look at you when you just give them something, outside of holidayspace. Like it's only okay if it's during that time period. Pointless culture-fillip.
(The post is about not specifically going Xmas Shopping for Everyone, because you end up just trying to fill the list and not allowing good choices for presents to appear (due to time pressure). Instead, a better strategy is to just always keep an eye out for appropriate things for people, and if you find something good, then good. If no, then they don't have to suffer through a stopgap gift. This is completely sensical to me; I've been doing this for a good long while now. It also helps that my husband is a strong proponent of this viewpoint.)
I usually end up, with good friends whom I see, having something for them somewhere around hmas. Sometimes I remember to keep it for then, sometimes I just give it to them when I have it.
Something that always upset me a little is how weirdly people look at you when you just give them something, outside of holidayspace. Like it's only okay if it's during that time period. Pointless culture-fillip.
(no subject)
Oct. 30th, 2006 02:48 pmFuck you, no.
(PS: No offense to foxxtail, naturally, but this is not something I personally would ever want. I blame my lack of corporeal spandex-readiness as well as my failure to identify with female superheroes/-villains.)
(PS: No offense to foxxtail, naturally, but this is not something I personally would ever want. I blame my lack of corporeal spandex-readiness as well as my failure to identify with female superheroes/-villains.)
(no subject)
Oct. 20th, 2006 11:54 amIn a similar vein to the almost content-free previous post, here's a link (about women feeling they have to 'look pretty') that sort of depresses me with its ostensible upliftingness. Like so many other things, I guess it's cool (the post) if it helps people, but, folks, we shouldn't have to say this. Looking nice/presentable is one thing, but always having to look at yourself in the mirror and ask 'do I look pretty?' must be goddamn hell on earth.
Also the comments are freaking me out.
Also the comments are freaking me out.
(no subject)
Oct. 20th, 2006 11:20 amOkay, don't actually watch this, because it's appalling, but just from flipping through irritably I've learned that apparently having ears is out this season.
(no subject)
Oct. 3rd, 2006 10:33 amIf I may, I'd like to be horrible for a small amount of time and point out that this tight jeans crap really is something I wish would go away. Even skinny people look sort of horrifying in them. Guys, if they are skinny liek punk or what have you, seem to do okay, but jeez. Not females.
...I'm already sorry I made a post about this.
Someone should comment and tell me what they hate so that I feel better.
...I'm already sorry I made a post about this.
Someone should comment and tell me what they hate so that I feel better.
(no subject)
Oct. 3rd, 2006 10:17 amThis is how you know (scroll down to just under the column of screenshots, to where it says 'Miyazaki and son') that someone is dedicated to their craft. Their response to hearing about the Miyazakis' cold relationship is that hey, maybe that's why Miyazaki Sr.'s work is so good, and maybe this family bullshit is just getting in the way.
I love it when people get that obsessive.
[To clarify: I mean I am fascinated by the viewpoint of the cartoonbrew guy, that he would have this perspective, not that I think the Miyazakis are exemplary in their behavior.]
I love it when people get that obsessive.
[To clarify: I mean I am fascinated by the viewpoint of the cartoonbrew guy, that he would have this perspective, not that I think the Miyazakis are exemplary in their behavior.]
Poor choices in advertising, 101
Aug. 16th, 2006 11:50 amOkay, all you people who have a foot in the game world need to look at this and revile it for what it is: very poor advertising. This is an excellent example of the work of people who seem to have similar goals to me, but who somehow manage to besmirch the cause by aligning themselves with it (there was some kind of makinglight discussion on this concept recently but I'm unable to find it). It's an imitation of the low-budget seamless-and-diffuse-lighting 'mac vs PC' ads (which themselves are sort of chintzy, but this is not my point), only with consoles (PS3 and Wii) substituted in.
Now, conceptually, personifying something like an OS or console is sort of doomed to be pretty subjective and prone to straw-manning. It's like live-action political cartooning. The choices made by the creators of this ad are not even consistent in their message, although their mindset is very accurately depicted. Let's look at this sucker.
Okay, first shot. We have here a chunky dark-haired girl in black and blue representing the PS3. Presumably what they're trying to evoke is a needlessly bloated system, and not just playing the fat chick card (benefit of the doubt at this point). She's wearing glasses, which could either mean she's smart, or could mean she's a nerd. Smart isn't bad, and since the PS3 is being demonised here, I've got to assume they want her to look not-cool. First data point on the creators: they don't like nerd girls.
Next to her we have a blond chick in hot pants and some kind of bikini top. Also some weird striped high heel boots. She is pretty obviously The Hot Chick that is trotted out in ads pretty much constantly. The forthrightness of this could either be subversive or really brain-dead. Let's guess which! No, we don't know yet, we haven't watched the video. She's supposed to represent the Wii, so I guess our ad creators are for the Wii, since they've just heaped the 'positive attributes' onto this character. So, the Wii is, uh, naked? It's stripped-down and runs fast or something? Not too clear yet. Second data point on the creators: they enjoy blond chicks in bikinis better than nerd girls.
Okay, let's hear some dialogue. Uh, oh. I see. The 'Wii' is a dumb whore. The PS3 is understandably put off by her. Hmm, PS3 seems to have interests that most stereotypical gamers enjoy (WW2 games?). Are the ad creators not stereotypical gamers? Are they gamers at all (I'm unwilling to assume that they are sick of the same old shit, because there's no mention of it, and also because I already hate them)? Wii says she's 'as cute as a button' in response, which is an amusingly pointless thing to say. The console is cute? Does it DO anything?
It's a little clearer halfway through; the PS3 is supposed to be a sexless intelligent stereotype, presumably, even though the concept of the male viewer wanting a vibrate function (apparently for SEXY REASONS) is pretty stupid. The Wii is all sex and nothing else. Is this meaningful? Perhaps in the way that people refer to new gadgets as 'sexy', that being the most shallow way a person can talk about an object. Yes, your goddamned palm pilot is sexy. It has buttons and is new. Awesome, champ. Data point 3: ad creators like new and shiny. They own new high-capacity ipods.
There's some attention paid to ease of use, at least. Okay, valid point number one. Cost, valid point number two (although hearing Blondie the Blond Blond say 'I'm cheap' is kind of making me want to jam a q-tip into my brain).
At the END, the VERY END, they're managing to get to their point, which is almost cohesive. The PS3 has all these features you may or may not have asked for (bloating), wants to be a 'media center', and is very taken with its awesome cutting-edge whatnot. The Wii merely is what it is, I guess. Boy, I can think of probably dozens of better ways to show that.
So, okay, I sat through it again. All the way through. Apart from the points I mentioned and possibly the mapping of 'ease of use' onto 'stupid slut' (which I honestly can't be sure was intentional), this was utterly meaningless and vapid.
What's the main purpose of the Wii, in the real world? To be accessible, and easy to understand and use. This is maybe represented in the character of the Wii chick, BUT by translating this trait in this particular way, you have made the 'Wii' (the in-ad version) INACCESSIBLE by essentially the entire audience that Nintendo wants. Smooth move, ex-lax, let's alienate the entire fucking world except for your goddamned 18-45 nuts-and-gum heterosexual male fucknauts. An accessible ad for an accessible system? Fuck that! I want to look at some dumb hole giggling and slapping her own ass! Fuck the smart one I can talk to, let's paste her onto the thing we hate!
Nice one, guys, I hope you end up with the relationships you deserve in life. Even if you do like the Wii.
Now, conceptually, personifying something like an OS or console is sort of doomed to be pretty subjective and prone to straw-manning. It's like live-action political cartooning. The choices made by the creators of this ad are not even consistent in their message, although their mindset is very accurately depicted. Let's look at this sucker.
Okay, first shot. We have here a chunky dark-haired girl in black and blue representing the PS3. Presumably what they're trying to evoke is a needlessly bloated system, and not just playing the fat chick card (benefit of the doubt at this point). She's wearing glasses, which could either mean she's smart, or could mean she's a nerd. Smart isn't bad, and since the PS3 is being demonised here, I've got to assume they want her to look not-cool. First data point on the creators: they don't like nerd girls.
Next to her we have a blond chick in hot pants and some kind of bikini top. Also some weird striped high heel boots. She is pretty obviously The Hot Chick that is trotted out in ads pretty much constantly. The forthrightness of this could either be subversive or really brain-dead. Let's guess which! No, we don't know yet, we haven't watched the video. She's supposed to represent the Wii, so I guess our ad creators are for the Wii, since they've just heaped the 'positive attributes' onto this character. So, the Wii is, uh, naked? It's stripped-down and runs fast or something? Not too clear yet. Second data point on the creators: they enjoy blond chicks in bikinis better than nerd girls.
Okay, let's hear some dialogue. Uh, oh. I see. The 'Wii' is a dumb whore. The PS3 is understandably put off by her. Hmm, PS3 seems to have interests that most stereotypical gamers enjoy (WW2 games?). Are the ad creators not stereotypical gamers? Are they gamers at all (I'm unwilling to assume that they are sick of the same old shit, because there's no mention of it, and also because I already hate them)? Wii says she's 'as cute as a button' in response, which is an amusingly pointless thing to say. The console is cute? Does it DO anything?
It's a little clearer halfway through; the PS3 is supposed to be a sexless intelligent stereotype, presumably, even though the concept of the male viewer wanting a vibrate function (apparently for SEXY REASONS) is pretty stupid. The Wii is all sex and nothing else. Is this meaningful? Perhaps in the way that people refer to new gadgets as 'sexy', that being the most shallow way a person can talk about an object. Yes, your goddamned palm pilot is sexy. It has buttons and is new. Awesome, champ. Data point 3: ad creators like new and shiny. They own new high-capacity ipods.
There's some attention paid to ease of use, at least. Okay, valid point number one. Cost, valid point number two (although hearing Blondie the Blond Blond say 'I'm cheap' is kind of making me want to jam a q-tip into my brain).
At the END, the VERY END, they're managing to get to their point, which is almost cohesive. The PS3 has all these features you may or may not have asked for (bloating), wants to be a 'media center', and is very taken with its awesome cutting-edge whatnot. The Wii merely is what it is, I guess. Boy, I can think of probably dozens of better ways to show that.
So, okay, I sat through it again. All the way through. Apart from the points I mentioned and possibly the mapping of 'ease of use' onto 'stupid slut' (which I honestly can't be sure was intentional), this was utterly meaningless and vapid.
What's the main purpose of the Wii, in the real world? To be accessible, and easy to understand and use. This is maybe represented in the character of the Wii chick, BUT by translating this trait in this particular way, you have made the 'Wii' (the in-ad version) INACCESSIBLE by essentially the entire audience that Nintendo wants. Smooth move, ex-lax, let's alienate the entire fucking world except for your goddamned 18-45 nuts-and-gum heterosexual male fucknauts. An accessible ad for an accessible system? Fuck that! I want to look at some dumb hole giggling and slapping her own ass! Fuck the smart one I can talk to, let's paste her onto the thing we hate!
Nice one, guys, I hope you end up with the relationships you deserve in life. Even if you do like the Wii.
And as it moves, and as it sounds
Jun. 24th, 2006 12:23 pmMefi lunk this messageboard thread in which a russian guy talks about and posts photos of the fishing cat (maybe twice the volume of a domestic cat; lynxish-sized) that he and his wife own (I think they bought it from a zoo? It's a little hard to tell, what with the babelfishing). It's awesome, really (they fostered it on a housecat, and seem to feed it deer carcasses and non-scaly fish, which it catches in the bathtub), but one of the best bits is sifting through the babelfishy translation and trying to work out what's going on. At one point someone asks how 'hard' the cat's 'language' is, and from context you can tell that it's meant to be about its tongue instead, which is awesome.
Also, the guy often starts a post with 'How do you do everything!' which I eventually realized meant 'How do you do, everyone!' not 'How are you able to get everything done!' 'Everyone' must be gender-neutral, or else the word being used is more like 'all'. The cat's always referred to as a 'tomcat,' so boy-cat must be a term on its own. I'd almost say that cats-plural is masculine, too?
There is a good bit of conspicuous subject-object-verbing, which I just enjoy on its own.
Often a '4' will show up in sentences, and I don't know what that means. Just being a 4-number isn't right; maybe russian has a construction like 'a few' that literally translates to '4'? That doesn't even necessarily work, though. Oh - I think it's 'the', or some particle of that sort.
There's something that I assume IS 'a couple' or 'a few' that keeps getting rendered as 'pair-troika.'
Oh, and I think russian must have a word for animals-eating which is also used for eating-like-an-animal (as in german) because it's always rendered as 'gorging'.
It's possible there's a construction like in latin where you begin and end your 'thing and other thing' or 'thing or other thing' with a signifying word, too, given the structure of the title of this post. Sort of like 'both thing and other thing,' where 'both' and 'and' are the same word?
Anyway, it's strangely enjoyable. I love this sort of thing.
Also, the guy often starts a post with 'How do you do everything!' which I eventually realized meant 'How do you do, everyone!' not 'How are you able to get everything done!' 'Everyone' must be gender-neutral, or else the word being used is more like 'all'. The cat's always referred to as a 'tomcat,' so boy-cat must be a term on its own. I'd almost say that cats-plural is masculine, too?
There is a good bit of conspicuous subject-object-verbing, which I just enjoy on its own.
Often a '4' will show up in sentences, and I don't know what that means. Just being a 4-number isn't right; maybe russian has a construction like 'a few' that literally translates to '4'? That doesn't even necessarily work, though. Oh - I think it's 'the', or some particle of that sort.
There's something that I assume IS 'a couple' or 'a few' that keeps getting rendered as 'pair-troika.'
Oh, and I think russian must have a word for animals-eating which is also used for eating-like-an-animal (as in german) because it's always rendered as 'gorging'.
It's possible there's a construction like in latin where you begin and end your 'thing and other thing' or 'thing or other thing' with a signifying word, too, given the structure of the title of this post. Sort of like 'both thing and other thing,' where 'both' and 'and' are the same word?
Anyway, it's strangely enjoyable. I love this sort of thing.
Some sort of homeless werewolf *
Jun. 14th, 2006 04:13 pmOh yeah, I forgot to post that also on Friday we went to see the Aquabats, which was fun. They wouldn't let me take my camera in, because I guess the Avalon are jerks about that or something. They tried to blame it on the bands, but unless it was one of the opening acts who made the edict, I think they were lying. I'd never had this problem at the previous venue the Aquabats always got. Well, I don't know! Anyhow, it was fun. Not taking pictures really changes the experience of a show. I kind of bopped around like an idiot, because I don't know how to do much else. Also I was between BJ and Kelli, so they sort of cancelled each other out as environment indicators (BJ is very energetic). There was a girl in front of us who was pretty much peanuts-dancing (side-to-side variety) except when she thrust her arms up triumphantly at Giant Robot Birdhead, which was really cute.
Also there was a 10-year-old kid there with her parents, who didn't seem to know what to make of it all. There was a part where Crash McLarson was pitching under-13s bodily into the pit so that they could crowd-surf briefly (which is awesome), and the circle-skankin' teeners near us decided that the kid needed to be championed to the band so that she could be thrown too. They pointed at her and shouted in unison TEN YEARS OLD! TEN YEARS OLD! but she and they were inaudible way in the back and also, seriously. What were they going to do, pass her up to the stage like a pool toy?
So then they tried to console her in her perceived state of rejection by drawing her into the circle, which she bore for a few revolutions and then broke away from, back to her parents. She looked up at her mom, shrugged, and turned back to the stage.
* A description of one of the Aquabats' enemies.
Also there was a 10-year-old kid there with her parents, who didn't seem to know what to make of it all. There was a part where Crash McLarson was pitching under-13s bodily into the pit so that they could crowd-surf briefly (which is awesome), and the circle-skankin' teeners near us decided that the kid needed to be championed to the band so that she could be thrown too. They pointed at her and shouted in unison TEN YEARS OLD! TEN YEARS OLD! but she and they were inaudible way in the back and also, seriously. What were they going to do, pass her up to the stage like a pool toy?
So then they tried to console her in her perceived state of rejection by drawing her into the circle, which she bore for a few revolutions and then broke away from, back to her parents. She looked up at her mom, shrugged, and turned back to the stage.
* A description of one of the Aquabats' enemies.
