Haibane.info

Author: Otaku-kun

  • Congratulations, Astros

    I’m not normally a baseball person, but wow, that Game 5. It’s why I hung on until the 8th inning of game 7, hoping to see more of that tense down to the wire contest. But the Dodgers, in the end, came up short.

    There’s some criticism of pitcher Yu Darvish out there, but I think that’s absurd. The reason the Dodgers lost was simple: 10 batters stranded on base, only 1 home run.

    Another statistic out there – which I haven’t bothered to verify – is that the Astros and Dodgers each scored a total of 34 runs over the entire 7-game series. I think the Dodgers have justifiable reason to be proud they got there, even if they fell short. Of course, how many runs you score isn’t as important as the distribution of those runs over the series. Much like the electoral college 🙂

    I didnt really have a dog in this Series; the Cubs were eliminated by the Dodgers, so there’s some satisfaction on my part. I also spent 9 years in Houston, so can’t begrudge the Astros their first win (I do begrudge construction for Minute Maid park, which was a pain in the ass, traffic-wise). Still, my preference was for the boys in blue to win, because after all, I live here.

    Next year, I might actually watch some baseball. Postseason, anyway. The great thing about this Series was that it showed me that this sport can actually be fun, if the right teams play.

  • Bitcoin, explained

    This video is a bit long (under 30minutes), but it is a superb explanation of the principles of Bitcoin. I did not really know what a blockchain was or how mining really worked until I watched it, and I unequivocally recommend watching this for anyone with even the slightest curiosity about cryptocurrency – which soon, will be everyone.

  • This can’t be good

  • Hexagonal Phase incoming

    There isn’t that much new here, but more details on cast, and confirmation that it will based on Eoin Colfer’s fantastic And Another Thing… which I bought as an audiobook because Simon Jones is the narrator – so it’s Arthur as Arthur. I can’t even express the joy I feel when I hear him reprise his role. Hexagonal Phase will be an interesting contrast. In a way I kind of enjoyed Jones’ take on Zaphod in the audiobook more. But it doesn’t matter. I’m obsessed.

    Trillian will return, with a new voice actor. And we have a new voice of the Book, too.

    Starring alongside Simon will be Geoff McGivern as Ford Prefect, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox and Sandra Dickinson as Trillian, as well as special guest stars including Jane Horrocks as Fenchurch.

    Following in the footsteps of the late Peter Jones and William Franklyn, Adams’ friend, co-author and former flatmate John Lloyd will step into the voice of The Book.

    image: Fair use, Link

  • Karachi

    i am traveling to Karachi tomorrow, to attend the annual Ashara Mubaraka majlis. I haven’t been to Pakistan in 20 years, half a lifetime ago. I plan to take the opportunity to do some traveloguing and photography accordingly.

    Above, a photo I took in 2008 in Colombo, when I started attending Ashara every year. One of my favorite shots. Karachi is not known as a photographic paradise, but I am confident there will be images that present themselves.

  • Existential Dredd

    (via @WobblyOnion)

  • Goodbye, Cassini

    Goodbye, Cassini

    I met Cassini in 1996 at JPL before it departed for Saturn. For 20 years I have cheered its mission. That mission is over, and Cassini’s watch has ended.

    I posted this six years ago here at haibane, but it’s worth reposting in salute: an incredible compilation of a flyby of the Saturnian system:

    5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.

  • Star Trek rediscovery: a real score

    FINALLY!!

    Whether or not I buy into CBS All Access, I will probably be buying this soundtrack. The music of Trek – except for the abomination of Enterprise – has always been hand in hand with it’s basic message of boundless optimism and grand adventure, about journeys rather than destinations.

    For no other reason than I love it, here is my favorite musical segment of all Trek: the Battle in the Mutara Nebula.

  • Star Wars, JJ-verse edition

    I guess Spielberg is out.

    I honestly don’t know how I feel about this. Cue the half-finished gas-giant-based super weapon with an orbiting planet full of cute aliens, a huge space battle and a climactic light saber battle where Rey defeats Kylo WHO IS HER BROTHER OMFG and then Kylo embraces the light and throws Snoke down a well.

    Then again, JJ is coming in late so hopefully the script will have been fixed by the story group and not be as vulnerable to JJ’s flights of fancy, or lens flares.

    If it sucks, we can always say it was an alternate universe and go back to Extended Universe for our head canon.

  • the end is nigh

    ct-peanuts-great-pumpkin-corn-mazes-20160914

    Today is the day of the Great North American Eclipse, also known as potentially the greatest migration of human beings in the history of civilization.

    If you’re out to catch the eclipse, don’t forget your Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses!

    joojanta

    To be honest, I am waiting for something more momentous.