Washi continues to watch, and to like, Chu-Bra. He's a braver man than I am.

Aroduc has continued watching it, too. He tends to be quick on the trigger to terminate shows he thinks really reek, so this is at least a small point in its favor.

Washi makes an interesting point: the steamiest images in the show are invariably scenes imagined by one or another of the characters. Probably the single steamiest of them was in episode 8, the inevitable onsen episode, where the blonde guy imagines Nayu and Haruka getting especially intimate. Frankly, I wonder how that managed to get broadcast without loads of concealing steam.

Or at least I think that's what's going on, based on Aroduc's frame grabs. Me, I gave up watching the show about a month ago.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 05:01 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A graphic demonstration.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 02:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Where can I buy one?

(It reminds me a bit of Angelic Layer. Just a bit. No animated Barbie doll, but still.)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 03:47 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Still a bit stone-age (device good, UI not so much). Just wait until they get one working that can handle a game of 40K...

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at February 16, 2010 04:27 PM (mRjOr)

2 Well, you have to start somewhere!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 16, 2010 05:10 PM (+rSRq)

3 Avatar, you mean Warhammer? That would be awesome!

Posted by: Jaked at February 16, 2010 05:26 PM (EjkUJ)

4 I'm sold too.  Now all I need is $15,000 for the surface

Posted by: Mark at February 16, 2010 05:49 PM (1y5ce)

5 First thing I thought of was "Star Fleet Battles" myself.  And "geekasm"

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at February 16, 2010 05:58 PM (3oQMF)

6 Mr Oosting, I like the way you think.  Particularly if it can a) handle the accounting paperwork for each individual ship without needing actual paper, and 2) handle to dice rolls for a full-on alpha strike involving many Phas-Gs that gets through a shield.

If it could do that, I'd almost want to marry it.

Posted by: Wonderduck at February 16, 2010 06:37 PM (G8/ak)

7 I'm something of a luddite, it seems.  Cool a gadget as it is, I couldn't ever see being able to use it for an RPG.  Maps have given way to narration.

Posted by: metaphysician at February 16, 2010 07:42 PM (DQ9zJ)

8 What's really cool is when you start thinking about the underlying technology--a decent processor, a glorified webcam, really hot image recognition software, and a projector of some sort--and start thinking of what else you can do with that.

A table is just the simplest form factor (both for making the parts work and for conceptualizing its uses).  For those who have seen Stellvia, think about the computers they had, and how they used them.  Now, think about things like Project Natal.

The hardware may no longer be a limiting factor; it may all come down to what developers can imagine and write.

I suspect that within the next decade, the fancy interactive screen in Minority Report will be laughed at as an anachronism--after all, it required silly things like special gloves, and there was only one display.

Posted by: BigD at February 16, 2010 10:02 PM (LjWr8)

9 You know, small & simple LCDs are not that expensive; nor are touch-screen overlays (think the size of a PSP or NDS/DSi.)  I don't know how touch multi-touch is but I bet you could whip up a D&D-playing device for a lot less than $15K.

Posted by: RickC at February 17, 2010 09:53 PM (8GbPX)

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Apropos nothing in particular, this story about Razul interviewing for a job in Iraq as a bomb-sniffer dog.

I do wonder what it was about the interpreter that got the dog so interested. Maybe he smelled of cordite.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 01:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Anyone interested in a gigabit pipe into your home?

I'm not sure that would really make any difference. Nothing out there will serve data at anything like those kinds of speeds. The fastest sites I visit don't saturate my link and it isn't remotely as fast as that. (I think it's 12 megabits.)

UPDATE: Google also just introduced their own social networking package called "Buzz". Rusty says it sucks blows. What he wants is an anti-social network. (Um, may I introduce you to "Something Awful"?)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 12:26 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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(via) The Sleeping with Hinako website has gone live.

I can't resist it. I'm going to order a copy come Thursday, just for the kitsch value alone. On Blu-Ray, of course!

UPDATE: They're selling a Hinako cuddle-pillow case. NSFW but not as ecchi as you might think.

UPDATE: Peter saw the new Haruhi movie. He doesn't say a lot about it, but he says he liked it.

UPDATE: If enough copies of this Hinako BD sell, maybe we can get them to do 入湯...

UPDATE: Here's a Japanese DVD I won't be buying: "Crying Girl"

Ye Gods. I don't want that even if it's free.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 05:09 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Run away! Run away!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 09:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Looks like the Washington DC area really got hammered last night.

RACS is near there, or at least near enough to be caught in the same storm. I wonder how bad it was?

UPDATE: The roof of an ice skating rink collapsed from the weight of the snow. The place was open at the time, too. The owner saw the main roof support beam was begining to give way, and got everyone out in time, so no one was hurt.

UPDATE: Dan Riehl says "This should be illegal in Virginia."

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 12:07 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Apparently it isn't yet illegal for small-breasted Australian women to appear in porn. (DFC-lovers the world over rejoice!)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 04:48 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Washi sez that season 2 of Strike Witches will air starting in June, produced by AIC.

It'll be the same gang, reunited, fighting against the Neuroi again. Only this time it'll be in the Adriatic instead of the English Channel.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 06:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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