Bastish makes it into Kura

Bastish: blogger, photographer, outdoorsman and hubby of Tomoe made it, made it into the Kura magazine in Japan. Full story.

He is also in the Chunichi paper too, but I'm reading that through Google Translator:

Living in the village is connected to nature. Field, and can not say 100 per cent can live. And the city, the money is gone hopelessly vague anxiety, but I can live right here with confidence.

People are warm ties. Residents feel benevolent watch it. City, the money is not only to protect oneself. That's a really happy life? So I was "happy".

Something lost in translation, but the sentiment is there, I think. Look at his blog, then watch "My Neighbour Totoro" - yup, he lives in Totoro's village.

Tekkeon myPower Go

I collected the Tekkeon myPower Go unit from the sorting office today. That place is turning more space over to failed deliveries of parcels/packets each time I go there. I wonder if someone in power will see this failure to communicate as a problem for the Post Office, or will we customers keep having to bear the hidden costs of self-collection, or turning over our weekends to waiting for a redelivery.

But anyway... the Tekkeon unit. It's a box. About 80mm x 65mm, and the height of an old audio cassette box (ask your grandparents about that one). Slot in 4 AA batteries (not supplied), close the box and plug in the USB-terminated cable and the relevant connection head. The batteries can then be used to charge devices. There's an input socket, and you can use the myPower Go as a battery charger.

In the box, there's a decent manual, and a pile of connections and a carry bag. If you have a USB cable for a device (eg an iPod), you can use that to charge the device. The manual mentions not watching videos on the iPod when recharging as the iPod batteries are drained faster than the myPower Go can recharge the player.

Spec - weight 4.5 oz with batteries (127 grams). Not waterproof (dry locations only). 18quid delivered from Expansys.

From 4 AA batteries. 6 hours of mobile phone talk-time; 1.5 hrs of media player time; 20 hours of audio playback. iPod times are listed separately.

Rationale for ordering.

Also collected GITS SAC 2nd GIG. All 26 episodes. YT clip. Kusanagi and Co (not Grasscutter, that's from Usagi).

My Kind of Logic

I like this kind of logic, but I can see these armbands being collectors items on eBay by the end of the day.

Police chiefs in the Thai capital, Bangkok, have come up with a new way of punishing officers who break the rules - an eye-catching Hello Kitty armband. The armband is large, bright pink and has a Hello Kitty motif with two hearts embroidered on it. From today, officers who are late, park in the wrong place or commit other minor transgressions will have to wear it for several days. The armband is designed to shame the wearer, police officials said. (link)

"(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps," Pongpat said [acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division]. (link)

You can create your own artwork at the Hello Kitty site (link)

And just when you think you've seen everything, there's this Hello Darth Vader image. Warning, do not click if you are of a nervous disposition. I warned you.

Tonkan

...and the raves...

Listening to This Week in Tech podcast, episode 90 "Idiocracy" in the background. Good weekly roundup of tech-related news...and then off topic down 'rat-holes' on the "content free podcast". If you want to singalong, here's the song. Film being mention "Idiocracy" on IMDB.com, and looks good - It is by Mike "King of the Hill" Judge. (YT link, warning: adult language).

BTW: Andy, Bob & WD,if you haven't heard TWiT's podcast yet maybe the format gives you the same ideas it gives me. They did some video in the past too.

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Watched "Macross Plus" film last night. Number 8 in the SFX magazine top 25 anime. Not having seen the original tv series (YT link) I will now have to go and get it. I'm not surprised that "Anonymous"'s step-niece watched it a lot. The spiky-noses were strange, but a great indepth storyline. 13 years old, but the high-quality work that was put in back in 1994 means that the animation hasn't dated that much.

We watched it in the subtitled versions, voices:

• Isamu: Takumi Yamazaki
• Guld: Unshô Ishizuka - voice was familiar, as he was in "Cowboy Bebop"
• Myung: Rica Fukami

Details from IMDB.com

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After that, we watched "Syriana", with George Clooney looking like John Cleese (sources 1,2,3).

Do not watch the trailer - the movie is not an action film, it is better than that. The trailer put me off the movie, which is an intelligent political drama. Watch out for lots of familiar faces - none more so that Doc Bashir himself. Hmm...I can't help but notice that he only appears on the 'extended' cast list on the IMDB page: alphabetical listing problem, or maltreatment of "Johnny Foreigner"? (oops, best not end on a rant).

Dancing Squaws

Nipped out at lunchtime to the shops (a rare occasion), and bought Neil Griffiths' "Gurkha Reiver: Walking the Southern Upland Way" and the Pocket Mountains book "Southern Uplands" [pdf]. Many thanks to the young lady in Waterstones who went and got the Reiver book for me, as I couldn't find it.

Fopp were selling Macross Plus boxed set for 7 quid. Movie plus the 4 episodes of the TV series. It came 8th in the SFX Anime Top 25.

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Call from Rose to make sure I'd received the package from BPL okay. I haven't eaten the jelly babies yet. Think I'll stow them somewhere secure for a trek.

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Clare Balding rambled on the West Highland Way for her 100th programme of "Ramblings" on Radio 4. Section hiking from Bridge of Orchy to Forest Lodge, with Jimmie MacGregor discussing the history and environment. There is a 'listen again' feature. [Thanks for pointing that out, Simon]

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TV on Saturday: "Born Survivor: Bear Grylls" 7:20pm - 8:20pm Channel 4.

Grylls parachutes into the French Alps and shows us how to survive.

TV on Sunday: "Countryfile" 10:45am - 11:30am BBC1 Scotland, includes:

Juliet Morris reports on the complexities of animal reintroduction, asking what the British countryside would be like if it was once again home to wolves, beavers, brown bears and even walruses.

source: Radio Times

Oh, and "Castaway" starts on the BBC, but I really can't be @rsed. As if to annoy me even more, a trailer for it bleeps out at 9.02pm on BBC2 to tell me that the program starts at 9.00pm on BBC1. I wish they'd get their clocks sorted. Radio stations can do it, but not the TV stations. Hey ho.

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Watching the docu-drama about the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" on BBC2. I like old photos. Some of them have the 'ghosts' in them. It is people who were moving across a photo as it is being taken.

I think it is because it reminds me of the ghosts that we are in other peoples' lives as we walk by them in the street. The npcs, the extras, if you will.

Harkens back to a "Sapphire and Steel" episode I saw as a kid.

Oh, Liam Cunningham, who's playing Wyatt Earp in the BBC2 prog, is in the new "Dog Soldiers" movie.

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Throat getting worse, coughing, and eyes streaming.

Black Sheep

Just when you think you've seen everything, there's this. Be afraid, be very afraid. Don't watch it before going wildcamping in Scotland.

As I used to help out with the sheep when I was younger, I know how violent rams can be. I also recall noticing that one of the ewes had escaped, so lifted her back over the fence on my way down to the school bus - only for her to tag me with a dose of the trots down my school trousers.

Sheep aren't stupid, if there was a hole in the fence anywhere on the croft, they'd find it and be out.

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Some fun photos of Inverpolly can be found at Gosney.plus.com - the index has links to other photos too. Canoeing and climbing peaks. I liked the photo of the portage.

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More GITS stuff - found a pile of clips at this tv station.

Ooh, lyrics to the songs too.

The Thief of Time

Well, found some great photos from The Boy Hope's online gallery. These ones are from his 2005 expedition to the Lairig Ghru and surrounding peaks. The view from the top of the Bod is stunning - sounds like a bad chat-up line!

Back to get the marking done for tomorrow's class. Yes, I know what the time is, but I haven't had the chance so far today. Getting new system unit working, retrieving files from backup (then moaning to myself that I may have lost the originals of the WHW photos). Hey ho, c'est la vie.

One advantage is that I can now watch Totoro on my iPod. And the live version of the closing theme. I still think it's the cheeriest d@rned song I've ever heard! Well done Miyazaki-san.