final Anime LA prelaunch systems test
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Video #0016 – Cool Find: Air Video HD: stream your downloaded anime, with perfect subtitles! ![[Play Now!]](http://media.otakunopodcast.com/images/PlayNow.jpg)
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OK, I’ve started blocking out my time at Anime LA. Obviously, anime conventions, human frailties, etc. being the way they are, I might not make it to all the events I’ve called out, but I’ll do my best. And of course I’ll do my best to get plenty of audio, photos, and videos to share on the podcast as well. If there is an event you would be interested in me covering (see the schedule for a list of events) please let me know and I’ll do my best to cover it (or have one of my evil minions cover it). FYI, the draft event schedules for Anime Los Angeles, as well as the anime video room schedule, are now online. Cosplay gathering schedule coming soon, and of course being a draft schedule, all of this is very much open to change, so do check back often. Update: 01/05/2010: A restaurant guide (PDF) is now online. This should help all you hungry otaku feed your need, whatever it may be. Also, their tech department is in desperate need of a few good men and women (i.e. volunteers). Okonomiyaki is a Japanese food best described as a sort of Japanese pancake (or perhaps omelette), with various other ingredients (meats, seafood, vegetables, cheese, etc.) mixed in. It may be difficult to type, but it’s pretty darn tasty. Like many other Japanese dishes, it is enjoyed throughout the country, and each region has its own variation on the dish. It’s sometimes cooked in front of you Benihana-style, and sometimes the restaurant leaves the cooking to you – each table has a grill on it, and you basically get a bowl full of mixed ingredients that you can grill to your liking. The most well known ones comes from Osaka (where it is said that okonomiyaki was invented) and Hiroshima. In our 2004 Tokyo trip, we had the pleasure of enjoying some Hiroshima okonomiyaki during a break in our tour schedule. It was indeed mighty tasty. In their latest episode (and their first video episode), the TJX crew demonstrate how to make this delicious food. Be warned tho, you might want to at least have some snacks nearby, you’ll get hungry watching it! Watch it here. EDIT: If you want to “kick it up a notch,” (ha!) and you have some decent cooking skills and have access to a decent Asian foods market or specialty store, I found this recipe for completely made-from-scratch okonomiyaki. And if you’re a wimp and/or rather use the pre-made stuff, but can’t find it anywhere locally… well, you can order anything on the Internets these days… Amazon has both the mix and the sauce! EDIT 01/05/2010: Locally-mirrored copy of the video removed at the request of TJX, because it was causing confusion. This video is theirs, and I ask that you please direct any inquiries, comments, etc. to them directly. You should be able to play the video directly from their website, but if you can’t get the video to play in their embedded player (like I did), there IS a link to directly download it (look for “Podcast: play in new window / download” below the black video box). Or you can subscribe to their podcast – I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having a few more subscribers 😉 Sorry for the confusion guys. Gomen nasai. EDIT 09/27/2010: The embedded version is back! The Japan Xperience: The Okonmiyaki Experiment from Ron M on Vimeo. All right, I’ll admit it. I have absolutely no artistic talent whatsoever. For ample evidence of this, just take a look at my podcast logo. First of all, it’s not even mine – I based it off of two pieces I found online (Creative Commons licensed, don’t worry). Not only that, but it’s not even composited correctly. (So not only do I lack any artistic talent whatsoever, I also suck at Photoshop. In fact, feel free to submit it to Photoshop Disasters. I know you want to.) In any case, I’m definitely looking to replace my logo with something nicer. Also, I’ve always thought the website looked a little plain, and was in need of a splash of… something. And the new theme I’m using has room for a banner image at the top of the page… So I’m putting out the call for artistic assistance! If you’re an artist, or know one, who would be willing and able to help out Otaku no Podcast with some much-needed artwork, please get in touch using any of the means listed on the Contact Us page. Obviously the artwork must be in some computer-readable form (if nothing else, I could scan in hand-drawn/painted art using my scanner). And, of course, I would be willing to liberally sprinkle the website and podcast with links back to the artist’s website, etc. In Japan, one of the traditional activities undertaken by families at the start of the New Year is a thorough cleaning of the home. This is seen as symbolic in the sense that you are sweeping away the junk and detritus of the old year, to start the new year in a fresh and clean state. Well unfortunately doing this in my own home is, erm, not bloody likely. (If you’ve seen my home, you’ll know why.) But I can do it to the Otaku no Podcast website! So let this be a warning to you that, over the next few weeks/months, you may start to see some changes in the Otaku no Podcast website. I’m not doing this just to annoy you, or because I want to play with some new bit of WordPress code. (Well, ok, I’ll confess, I actually am playing with a new bit of WordPress code.) But it’s for a good reason. I’ve found a new WordPress theme, Atahualpa, that offers a tremendous level of flexibility in terms of the ability to configure and customize things without having to directly hack on the wordpress theme code, which is what I had to do with our previous theme when I wanted to add something custom like a “subscribe to podcast” link or an ad banner or whatnot. Basically, the practical upshot of all this is that you, the user, will end up with a much prettier, more functional, and faster website, whereas I, the webmaster and server guru, will end up with something much more manageable. Don’t fret however. I’ll be confining most of my, erm, experimentation on my personal blog and website, and will only update the Otaku site once I have something that is stable, works well, and looks good. Look forward to it! In the meantime, yes, I’m still working on Anime on the Cheap, Part 2; I’ve also gotten into the anime review groove (thanks to my recent work on the Anime Secret Santa project) and have started writing up some reviews of other anime series I’ve completed recently. You can look forward to those appearing gradually on the website in the coming weeks/months. Finally, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and I wish you all the best for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
I couldn’t help but think of this tragic event as I watched the opening moments of Twin Spica, an anime based on the seinen manga written and illustrated by Kou Yaginuma. It tells the story of a near-future Japan entering the space race with its first manned mission, Shishigou (Lion), which ends in disaster when the rocket’s booster catches fire shortly after launch. No, unfortunately, this isn’t Part 2 of “Anime on the Cheap” that I’ve been promising. Things have been just too hectic and I haven’t been able to finish the research for this. However, I think you’ll like this just the same. Think of it as a special Winter Holiday Season present from us to you. We’re coming up on a new year, which means of course a new year of Anime Conventions! And what do we like to do at anime conventions? (Besides the obvious of course) Take PICTURES!!! To that end, friend of the show Dave “KirinDave” Fayram and I, being enthusiastic amateur photographers, decided to get together and share some of our favorite tips and techniques for getting those awesome cosplay shots that everybody fawns over. Speaking of conventions, Anime Los Angeles is coming up real soon now… Friday through Sunday, January 8-10, 2010, to be precise. Perhaps I will see you there? (look for the clueless looking guy handing out Otaku no Podcast business cards…) Continue reading Episode #0010 – Convention Photography 101 Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:26:55 — 79.6MB) | Embed Happy Holidays!! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:40 — 796.1KB) | Embed |
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On January 28, 1986, a stunned America watched helplessly as the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after liftoff. I was a grade school student at the time, and I remember that this disaster hit us particularly hard due to the presence of Christa McAuliffe, the first member of the Teacher in
Space Project, on the Challenger crew. It took years for the American space program – and the American nation – to recover, and some might argue that even today it still hasn’t fully returned to its pre-Challenger level of vitality.
