Today's HP Touchpad fire sale, and the whole "out of the consumer biz" HP move put me in a sour mood. The sale because it was a huge tease. Us mere mortals know that such discounts are out of our reach, yet we cling on to this miniscule hope that maybe we'll luck out. It never actually happens. The stores were simply not on the same page, and some of them might have been playing games. I heard of at least two people go to Walmart and be told that the tablets weren't being sold for the $99 sale price. Three hours later, when they called back, the store was sold out. Playing favorites? Anything is possible with this shit.
As for the business move, it just shows you f-ed up the business world is. HP's computers were profitable, but not profitable enough. So now they're probably going to be gone. We all know the deal - businesses aren't charity cases, they have to make profits. But the amount of profit desired, and the steps shareholders are willing to take to get them, are getting absurd. When you have people who are willing to burn something to the ground in order to line their pockets, maybe this whole "publicly owned company" thing is a bad idea. Not that it is a bad idea in general, just when you have a society that can't be trusted to handle such decisions. Libertarians often think that the free market will fix anything, but I think a lot of the business decisions you see today show that companies will leave money on the table if it means going after a bigger table with a bigger pile. If that means that you and I can't find a decent PC (or an operational Postal Service), "tough noogies" is the answer we get.
Gahhh, I need a drink. And a cheap Touchpad.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
College Football
Looks like Texas A&M is looking to shake up the college football world by trying to defect to the SEC. Cue another flood of editorials complaining about how college football is being ruined by a desire for money.
These opinion pieces frustrate me to no end. It isn't that I disagree. I just don't understand how we got to this point.
Let me explain. I know why all the big schools are chasing the money - there's a lot of it. It isn't at all surprising to see some of the crap that goes on during every season. But that money has to come from somewhere, and that's what confuses me. What drives people to love this particular version of the sport so much that it can become its own mini NFL?
I'll admit, I had no football team at my college, so maybe that's why I can't understand the passion. It's one thing to have fond memories of your alma mater, and even to want to make a difference as an alumni. But the football programs, especially in the bigger schools, are practically their own entity, far removed from the academic side. Professing your loyalty to your school via its football program shows... what, exactly? That you appreciate the values and mission of the college? Is that necessarily reflected on the field? I doubt it.
Furthermore, when I think of those big name football schools, I don't think of the quality of its education, like I would with an MIT or an Ivy League (okay, maybe I would think of USC, as they seem to have some decent programs). I wonder, then, if prospective students do. Or do they want to go to the school so they have a popular team to route for?
Maybe that's it. Maybe college football's fanbase is established early, with kids rooting for a team years before they even finish secondary school. That would really make it the mini-NFL. The only way I see this kind of passion stemming from four years of undergrad is if it results from alumni being unable to let go, much like you see from college freshmen wishing they were back in high school (where they were kings and queens). When you're twenty years out, you can be anywhere in the country and still have an easy connection to your frat days.
Who knows. At this point, the only thing for sure is that collegiate football and basketball probably don't belong to exist beyond the club level (but unless both pro versions of the sports develop farm systems, that will never happen).
These opinion pieces frustrate me to no end. It isn't that I disagree. I just don't understand how we got to this point.
Let me explain. I know why all the big schools are chasing the money - there's a lot of it. It isn't at all surprising to see some of the crap that goes on during every season. But that money has to come from somewhere, and that's what confuses me. What drives people to love this particular version of the sport so much that it can become its own mini NFL?
I'll admit, I had no football team at my college, so maybe that's why I can't understand the passion. It's one thing to have fond memories of your alma mater, and even to want to make a difference as an alumni. But the football programs, especially in the bigger schools, are practically their own entity, far removed from the academic side. Professing your loyalty to your school via its football program shows... what, exactly? That you appreciate the values and mission of the college? Is that necessarily reflected on the field? I doubt it.
Furthermore, when I think of those big name football schools, I don't think of the quality of its education, like I would with an MIT or an Ivy League (okay, maybe I would think of USC, as they seem to have some decent programs). I wonder, then, if prospective students do. Or do they want to go to the school so they have a popular team to route for?
Maybe that's it. Maybe college football's fanbase is established early, with kids rooting for a team years before they even finish secondary school. That would really make it the mini-NFL. The only way I see this kind of passion stemming from four years of undergrad is if it results from alumni being unable to let go, much like you see from college freshmen wishing they were back in high school (where they were kings and queens). When you're twenty years out, you can be anywhere in the country and still have an easy connection to your frat days.
Who knows. At this point, the only thing for sure is that collegiate football and basketball probably don't belong to exist beyond the club level (but unless both pro versions of the sports develop farm systems, that will never happen).
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 8
If Zeta Gundam Volume 8 had a sub-heading, I'd suggest "Bitches be crazy".
It starts off where we last left, with Kamille dealing with a more psychotic Four Murasame. It ends with the return of Rosamia Badam, who is now brainwashed in her own terrible way. Back in volumes 3 and 4, I mentioned how I disliked how these two characters were handled. Both filled the same general role of "teenage girl made into mentally unstable Cyber Newtype", and were introduced within episodes of one another. I don't know what Tomino's intentions were when writing this part of the story, but either he or his editors realized that it would look sloppy for both of them to coexist. As a result, Rosamia was whisked away almost as quickly as she was introduced, making way for Four to dominate the entirety of Volume 4 to become Kamille's impossible love interest, the Zeta Gundam equivalent of Lala Sune.
In Volume 8, these two tragic young women essentially trade places in regards to screen time, though it doesn't really matter. Four is killed at the disc's start (if you count her arrival at the end of Vol. 7, her return lasts just two episodes), while Rosamia dominates the last two eps, with at least one more appearance at the start of Vol. 9. Just like before, there's simply not enough time for the show to handle both characters properly, but once again I'd say that Four gets the better treatment. The show does a reasonable enough job selling the idea that she's (sadly) a lost cause, and her death allows Kamille to learn some important life lessons from his mentors. If the intention was to use Four to demonstrate the tragic nature of Cyber Newtypes, then I'd say it succeeds.
Rosamia, on the other hand, has been conditioned into thinking she's Kamille's brother, which leads to a very awkward episode which also features Haman Kahn and Mineva Zabi in a bit of absurd comic relief. For whatever reason, the AEUG take her on board, and it becomes apparent that she's going to be have a mental breakdown before flipping out and being killed in battle. With little background information on her character, and no knowledge as to what was done to her off screen, so far Rosamia feels like an unfortunate waste of a character. Perhaps they could have given her some of the purpose that was ultimately reserved for Four, though my gut tells me that it would be better to write her out.
I can't end this post without mentioning "Day at Dakar", perhaps the most widely referenced episode of Zeta Gundam. It is during this ep. that Char makes his famous speech, which anyone and everyone cites as one of his finest moments as a character, and a fine moment for Gundam in general. I'll have to go back and watch it subtitled, to see if it lends any more gravitas to the moment. In English, there's no doubt the scene is important, but for whatever reason I was expecting something more.
Despite my gripes with the characterization of the Cyber Newtypes, I liked this batch of episodes. It isn't Zeta at its most gripping, but it's well animated, and occasionally dramatic (and goofy). Still, I'm increasingly curious - and afraid - of what will come next. There's only ten episodes left, and it doesn't feel like the show is anywhere near ready to wind down. Something big is going to have to happen to set up for the endgame. That, or it will be rushed to at the last moment.
It starts off where we last left, with Kamille dealing with a more psychotic Four Murasame. It ends with the return of Rosamia Badam, who is now brainwashed in her own terrible way. Back in volumes 3 and 4, I mentioned how I disliked how these two characters were handled. Both filled the same general role of "teenage girl made into mentally unstable Cyber Newtype", and were introduced within episodes of one another. I don't know what Tomino's intentions were when writing this part of the story, but either he or his editors realized that it would look sloppy for both of them to coexist. As a result, Rosamia was whisked away almost as quickly as she was introduced, making way for Four to dominate the entirety of Volume 4 to become Kamille's impossible love interest, the Zeta Gundam equivalent of Lala Sune.In Volume 8, these two tragic young women essentially trade places in regards to screen time, though it doesn't really matter. Four is killed at the disc's start (if you count her arrival at the end of Vol. 7, her return lasts just two episodes), while Rosamia dominates the last two eps, with at least one more appearance at the start of Vol. 9. Just like before, there's simply not enough time for the show to handle both characters properly, but once again I'd say that Four gets the better treatment. The show does a reasonable enough job selling the idea that she's (sadly) a lost cause, and her death allows Kamille to learn some important life lessons from his mentors. If the intention was to use Four to demonstrate the tragic nature of Cyber Newtypes, then I'd say it succeeds.
Rosamia, on the other hand, has been conditioned into thinking she's Kamille's brother, which leads to a very awkward episode which also features Haman Kahn and Mineva Zabi in a bit of absurd comic relief. For whatever reason, the AEUG take her on board, and it becomes apparent that she's going to be have a mental breakdown before flipping out and being killed in battle. With little background information on her character, and no knowledge as to what was done to her off screen, so far Rosamia feels like an unfortunate waste of a character. Perhaps they could have given her some of the purpose that was ultimately reserved for Four, though my gut tells me that it would be better to write her out.
I can't end this post without mentioning "Day at Dakar", perhaps the most widely referenced episode of Zeta Gundam. It is during this ep. that Char makes his famous speech, which anyone and everyone cites as one of his finest moments as a character, and a fine moment for Gundam in general. I'll have to go back and watch it subtitled, to see if it lends any more gravitas to the moment. In English, there's no doubt the scene is important, but for whatever reason I was expecting something more.
Despite my gripes with the characterization of the Cyber Newtypes, I liked this batch of episodes. It isn't Zeta at its most gripping, but it's well animated, and occasionally dramatic (and goofy). Still, I'm increasingly curious - and afraid - of what will come next. There's only ten episodes left, and it doesn't feel like the show is anywhere near ready to wind down. Something big is going to have to happen to set up for the endgame. That, or it will be rushed to at the last moment.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Zeta Gundam Volume 7
Volume 7 kicks off with "Half Moon Love", which doesn't have much in the way of love, but does have a bomb go off in a lunar city. One which kills few, if any civilians, and doesn't put a scratch on its intended target, the Argama. It does, however, force the ship to flee before being able to complete repairs, leaving it in terrible shape before beginning a very dangerous operation. As a complete episode, "Half Moon Love" is far from classic, but the ending foreshadows the overall theme of this disc. Ever since Kamille returned to space, I'd argue that the AEUG have had the upper hand in battle. They have more high tech mobile suits, and less nameless mooks as pilots. With Volume 7 the roles reverse. The Titans get more new suits to counter the AEUG, and their current ace, Yazan Gable, is the first Titans pilot who won't lie down and die in a fight (Jerrid might not be dead yet, but his survival is due more to comic relief and Plot Armor than to any skill). Throughout the disc, our heroes find themselves outnumbered and pushed beyond their limits. Dissent and fatigue kick in, and they wind up losing one of their own, which we haven't seen since Roberto's death in Volume 3.
This volume sounds much more interesting than it actually is, mostly due to some poorly executed character arcs. In "Moonside Love", Kamille acts practically schizophrenic around Titan pilot Sarah, showing both contempt and concern for her (though nothing like love, which I hope the episode title is not referring to). Worst of all, however, is Reccoa. She's been a very important character lately, and her screen time answers two important questions about her - What talents make her worthy of working in the AEUG, and does she feel as under-appreciated and disrespected as she should? The answers themselves are satisfying, but her ultimate fate is not. Her tumultuous mental state turns her into a complete space case, in a manner that suggests a sadly sexist "love and emotions turn a woman's mind into mush" type of event. It all leads to her capture by the Titans, and just doesn't feel like an dignified treatment of her increasingly interesting character.
Also unfortunate is that the AEUG thinks she's dead, and this puts the crew into angst mode. Kamille gets bitchy and punchy with Quattro, and Quattro himself becomes the saddest of sacks, unwilling to defend himself. I could tell you that it's because him and Reccoa were in love, but the writers hinted at this immediately before her capture, so it's tough to tell just what the hell it was supposed to mean(there is, arguably, earlier proof of the two of them together, but the show never pursued it). The angst hits its peak at disc's end, when Kamille and Quattro's bickering causes them to get stuck on Earth again, after which Kamille learns that Four Murasame is alive. All of his character development unravels as he becomes a bitchy, love stricken teen again, causing as much trouble as ever before.
Still, there is one redeeming aspect of this disc. The middle sections introduce the Zeon Remnant, and their leader, Haman Kahn. Haman is a major player in U.C. lore, and her debut didn't disappoint. In just a few major scenes, she gave an air of complete control and competence; just the way she causes Quattro to flip out gives you a great sense of her character. These episodes stand in isolation for now, but they give you a sense of just how screwed the AEUG might be after a Titans/Zeon alliance, and for the first time, we see Quattro (who I should probably just refer to as Char now) wrestle with his past life as the Red Comet. You tell how hard it is for him to make peace with it, as well as come to terms with the fact that his countrymen are no longer truly his own.
Not the best volume in the back half of the show, but Zeon's arrival hints at potential for the future.
Also unfortunate is that the AEUG thinks she's dead, and this puts the crew into angst mode. Kamille gets bitchy and punchy with Quattro, and Quattro himself becomes the saddest of sacks, unwilling to defend himself. I could tell you that it's because him and Reccoa were in love, but the writers hinted at this immediately before her capture, so it's tough to tell just what the hell it was supposed to mean(there is, arguably, earlier proof of the two of them together, but the show never pursued it). The angst hits its peak at disc's end, when Kamille and Quattro's bickering causes them to get stuck on Earth again, after which Kamille learns that Four Murasame is alive. All of his character development unravels as he becomes a bitchy, love stricken teen again, causing as much trouble as ever before.
Still, there is one redeeming aspect of this disc. The middle sections introduce the Zeon Remnant, and their leader, Haman Kahn. Haman is a major player in U.C. lore, and her debut didn't disappoint. In just a few major scenes, she gave an air of complete control and competence; just the way she causes Quattro to flip out gives you a great sense of her character. These episodes stand in isolation for now, but they give you a sense of just how screwed the AEUG might be after a Titans/Zeon alliance, and for the first time, we see Quattro (who I should probably just refer to as Char now) wrestle with his past life as the Red Comet. You tell how hard it is for him to make peace with it, as well as come to terms with the fact that his countrymen are no longer truly his own.
Not the best volume in the back half of the show, but Zeon's arrival hints at potential for the future.
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