Otakon
Pros:
- Nearly within walking distance for me.
- Wouldn't even need a hotel room (though could be more fun to have one).
- More people who I know would be there.
- Possibly some good movies.
- Video games.
- Lots of cute girls.
- Cosplay is likely, and that's always fun.
Cons:
- Been there, done that. Wouldn't be all the exciting necessarily.
- Kinda annoyed by the current generation of so-called "otaku". Why in my day we watched anime on 17th generation VHS copies straight from Japan, and we liked it. And we didn't fight over subs or dubs because we didn't have either! We just bucked up and learned fucking Japanese.
- Just lots of stupid, annoying people in general.
- Haven't really kept up with the latest anime. The only things I've seen in the last year are whatever I watched at Otakon last year, Wolf's Rain, which is old, and Princess Tutu, which isn't that popular (and also not all that new).
Defcon
Pros:
- Interesting talks that I actually care about (as opposed to, say, "how to care for your pillow girl", or "meet some random English dub actor who you couldn't give two shits about").
- More educational and interesting in general.
- Cooler people in general. More opportunity to meet interesting people.
- Might be able to get work to pay for it.
- In Las Vegas, which I don't care for in general, but oh man the buffets. And free booze. And magic shows.
- Might also be able to get work to send me to Blackhat (which I haven't been to yet). That should be interesting. That would mean like a week long Vegas vacation paid for by work.
- Hacker chicks, many of whom are cute, and who are certainly smarter and more interesting than the average girl you'll find at Otakon (not that there aren't lots of awesome chicks at Otakon too--they're just much harder to find).
- Toxic BBQ. Awesome parties where most people are actually over 21.
- Also has video games.
Cons:
- More expensive, even if I do get work to pay for it. Would still have to pay for Lisa's plane ticket and con membership (which is twice as much as Otakon).
- And if I didn't get work to send me, it would probably cost anywhere for 20 to 30 times as much.
- It's in Vegas. For all the things I surprisingly liked about Vegas last time I was there, it's still pretty awful. The air is incredibly dry, and there's a permanent haze of cigarette smoke, which would be hell on Lisa's asthma. It's like an even huger version of Disney World, but where everyone's wandering around drunk. To paraphrase Hunter Thompson, it's a fucking reptile zoo, and somebody's giving goddamn booze to those creatures.
- Wouldn't get to see people at Otakon who I do like.
- Wouldn't know as many people in general--and the fact that I'm so shy doesn't help with that. Then again, it is a smaller convention where it's easier to meet people. And having Lisa with me would help with that too.
- Would have to get someone to take care of the cats.
Poll #1519007
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Otakon or Defcon?
3 (37.5%)I thought I had already used both of mine. In fact, I thought MLK Day was one of them for some reason (though it makes more sense that it's not, given that it's a federal holiday). So it turns out I have one left this year. The end of the current fiscal year is this Friday, so if I don't use it I lose it forever. So even though I was already off this Monday, I think I'm going to take this Friday off too.
Should figure out something to do that day that isn't just sitting around at home.
There's one scene that emphasizes the amount of effort a number of Japanese put into practicing their golf form. It stood out to me as amusing that these Japanese people put as much effort into perfecting their golf swing as I've put into perfecting my katana swing (of course I have long ways to go there).
Other notable scenes include interviews with an actor and a cameraman who worked with Ozu, and a day spent in a workshop specializing in plastic display case food.
If you have the same sorts of nostalgic feelings that I do about Japan, I would highly recommend watching it. Even more so if you've watched a few of Yasujiro Ozu's films. I will make sure to preserve a copy of this movie for...ah...academic...purposes. That's it. So if you'd like to watch it let me know. It's also available on Netflix. There's a commentary track on the DVD as well, so I might check that out another time.
- Mood:
sleepy
I might want to take some rust off and otherwise clean it up a bit. But otherwise it's perfect. And it's a dangerous weapon that nonetheless will probably pass through convention security with no problem.
( For comparison... )
Hat unrelated.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
ennyousai last night. She's a big fan of it, but hadn't actually seen it yet in 3D (despite having already seen it, what, 2 or 3 times?). As if Mr. Cameron does not have enough money as it is. We had tried to see it on IMAX the night before, but it was completely sold out, like, forever. Might try again next weekend, but I insisted that since she hadn't seen it on 3D she should make sure to do so while still possible.I think that the 3D movie thing is pretty gimmicky, and I think that too many movies seem to be trying to add it in without much added benefit. But Avatar was definitely made for 3D, and some scenes are just that much more eye-popping with it. In particular, I think that the flying scenes, and any scene involving the Tree of Soul seeds really benefit from it.
I didn't mind seeing it a second time at all. I don't recall being bored at any point--the movie is very well paced. Maybe it's just that I set my expectations so low to begin with, but I do like it a lot better than I expected. Sure the acting is hammy and the characters are cartoonish, almost completely lacking in nuance. But it's clear that that's intentionally the case, and it works.Colonel Papa Dragon (whatever his name is) is so wonderfully over the top that it's just fun to watch him. Who cares if he's an evil fuck when he's so ridiculously badass? You don't necessarily want him to win, but you do kind of root for him in a way just to see what awesome, hardcore thing he'll do next. I hear there's even a fan club for him.
The scientists are also hilariously caricature-ish, and I would have liked to have seen more of them. Then again, too much of the scientists would have meant more bad technobabble, which might have become a drag. And the main character, Jake, is surprisingly likable and unobnoxious. They try to give him a little bit of internal conflict, but not too much, which is good: if they had him angsting through half the movie it would have killed the fun.
It was clearly written to maximize fun, and sense of awe. Stupid, maybe. But again, based on the hamminess of acting and the lightness of the plot and writing ("unobtainium", lol) it's clear that Cameron really doesn't give a fuck, and has the balls to be honest about it. I have to give him credit, for all the faults he's a much better film maker than George Lucas. Not that that's saying much. But I'd probably be willing to see it a third time if it's still available somewhere on IMAX by next weekend.
And let me just tell you, I am terrified of the horrible, horrible fanfiction and fanart that must already be out there for this thing... Oh god...
- 01:07—Why is my backspace key suddenly broken? This is highly irritating.
- 18:13—And suddenly my backspace key is working again. It was broken no more than a minute ago, and now it's working.
- 19:38—So what're you all doing for New Year's Eve?
- 19:46—Go ahead, ask me anything guys: http://bit.ly/7JwSHj Why the hell not.
- 13:46—http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joan
_walsh/politics/2009/12/29/obama_double_ standard Joan Walsh hits it - 15:02—RT: @KagroX: Dear TV: Please analyze terrorism using the same crew that believed in Balloon Boy. Thank you.
- 18:17—My goodness... cogen seems like it might be useful to me, but it's utterly baffling.
- 18:18—Maybe I should just try it anyways, and if it ends up working I can go back and try to understand it better, maybe write some better docs
- 18:31—Feeling crappy all of a sudden. I think it's mostly just hunger. Gonna leave now.
- 17:10—Don't you love it when you're pulling your hair out wondering what's wrong with your JS only to realize that it's just a bug in firebug?
- 21:43—http://bit.ly/90lHts This is amazing. I reads like something I would have written.
- 00:05—purchased a pretty comprehensive upgrade for my computer. we'll see how this goes. I might need a new PSU too, but not sure yet.
- 00:06—I haven't upgraded my video card in almost 5 years, and even then it was pretty low-end, so not used to how much power these things suck.
- 14:35—Stuck in line behind a moo with lots of kids -_- It'll take me 30 seconds to order and pay.
- 14:38—yeah, I love doing that sort of thing. As long as you don't mind other people organizing your stuff
- 15:21—Wait, Karl Rove was *married*??? Eeeewwwwww...
- 15:43—Just realized that my socks, while having a similar pattern, are mismatched, LOLZ PLZ RT
- 15:48—And it gets better: One of them is inside out. This shows you how awesome I am in the morning when trying to stumble out the door.
- 22:00—Richard Dawkins does not argue well with idiots like Chopra. He just gets flustered, and it's funny. Unfortunate, but funny.
- 17:23—I know 3D glasses look dorky, but so fucking what? You're watching a movie, not making a fashion statement. No one is looking at you.
- 18:18—I hate how video cards have become these huge blocky things that I'm always worried won't fit on my case.
- 19:56—I think I'm gonna finally go ahead and upgrade my machine to play some modern games reasonably well.
- 19:57—I spent so little money in November that I can go ahead and drop a good chunk on a major upgrade without feeling too guilty about it.
- 21:55—God, I hate Deepak Chopra so much. He is such an idiot and a charlatan.
- 12:29—Can anyone recommend a good rat wheel? My old cage had one built in (one thing I didn't like about it). Would prefer on I can mount to cage
- 13:24—I have a $100 gift certificate for Amazon but I don't know what to get myself.
- 13:25—Have various things on my wishlist, but I don't want any more books because I'm way behind on my reading as it is.
- 13:25—I could get more CDs, and I just might do that, but somehow it all just feels like clutter right now. I guess I need a bigger place...
- 15:32—Some idiot on the network made their hostname "localhost"
- 00:45—Had a bit of wine. Ready to pass out now. 'Night you guys...
- 19:02—I got a new cage for my rats today. The old one was getting a little...ratty... harharharhar
- 21:52—You know, spammers are one thing, but fuck the idiots who keep buying viagra from them, keeping them in business. What stupid assholes...
- 21:58—http://bit.ly/4rHVnZ This lady is utterly insane. People like this are the reason we can't have nice things boys and girls.
- 23:32—"My son, who is younger than me..." Well I should fucking hope so lady.
- 23:47—If TSA imposes any new ineffective "security measures" as a result of recent incidents, then the terrorists have won.
- 12:04—http://bit.ly/90kq2x Sure. Please stop participating in political^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hhate activism and go stay inside to pray and fast.
- 15:48—Been up for a number of hours now, and have done pretty much nothing ._. How's everything going on twitterland?
- 22:02—Verizon Wireless's website is endlessly terrible.
- 19:29—There's a big pile of rat food in the corner of their cage. No human put it there. They collected it themselves by sneaking out.
- 20:01—THERE ARE JEWS EVERYWHERE
- 20:03—AND LASERS HOLY SHIT. LASERS AND THAI FOOD AND JEWS EVERYWHERE
- 21:19—I ate so much. I mean, a lot compared to what I have been eating lately. Going to fall over now bbl.
- 21:54—Am I the only one who thinks it would be _awesome_ if Obama really did throw a snowball at a cat?
- 10:54—By badge disappeared somewhere between my apartment and work >_< Usually it turns up in my car, but I don't see it. Outside somewhere?
- 10:55—I'll be annoyed if I have to deal with getting a new badge next Monday.
- 11:00—My former PM, known I'm a Jew, just wished me a happy Hanukkah. Hanukkah was OVER last week.
- 11:02—RT @courtneyatmsnbc: Nothing says Christmas like the whole family, together, watching... America Ninja Warrior.
- 18:36—Finally leaving work in a few minutes. A little short of 8 hours, but close enough. More than I thought I'd manage to do today.
- 18:41—LOL Ashish and I are probably the only people left in the building, looking out at the parking lot...
