I wish you were Shinichi

I saw another great scene in Detective Conan yesterday and wanted to share: Detective Conan – I wish you were Shinichi.

This video was ripped at the end of episode 308 (The Dark Footprint – Part 2), but it was replayed again at the beginning of 309 (Contact with the Black Organization – Negotiation Part). Ran and Conan are walking home, hand in hand, whe Ran bursts out asking if people change and do separated people’s heart grow apart. She finally utters that she wishes Conan was Shinichi. Conan wants to tell her he is, but can’t put her in danger until he’s captured the Black Organization.

Free WinRAR 3.51

Only from Sunday 12:00am on 7/30 to 12:00am on 7/31. Here’s the thread WINRAR 3.51 Free Sunday July 30th 2006 (from B$):

To Say Thanks and to Celebrate: Get the Winner WinRAR 3.51 for FREE on Sunday In order to thank everyone who voted for us and made it possible for us to win this prestigious award, we are offering the WinRAR 3.51 single user license non upgradeable version this Sunday the 30th of July 2006 from 00:00 until 24:00 CET for absolutely FREE. Please click the following link which will become active on Sunday. Fill out the form on that page in order to receive further information via e-mail about how to get your FREE version of WinRAR.

WinRAR Homepage


Random Crap:

Stop-Motion Human Space Invaders (from MS newsgroup) – I had posted the Human Pong in one of my previous posts, but this is 10x better with more people and more action. The movement is also a lot faster and the game lasted longer. Both apparently are directed by Guillaume Reymond.

Someone posted this link: www.ie7.com and guess where it leads. It was just hilarious.

FREE Appetizer at TGI Friday’s (coupon from SD) – enjoy!

In2TV – AOL Television (from RayAlome) – I was just watching a couple cartoons on this and the quality’s not bad. They even have Beetlejuice and Animaniacs. Only bad thing is that it uses some weird Active X thing that requires you to watch in IE and there’s 4 commercials stuck inside 1 episode. RayAlome tells me that they change often and episodes disappear and new ones appear.

puppy fluffiness
Taken from Cute Overload (from Cari)

Everything Is Illuminated

The movie is based on the book written by Jonathan Safran Foer. Apparently he even makes a cameo as the leaf blower in the beginning of the movie. The movie was beautifully shot and the story was touching. The movie was recommended to me by ChemChampion and I’d recommend it to anyone else who hasn’t seen it. Listening to Alex (the Russian/English translator) speak was hiliarious. Here are some of my favorite lines:

  • … but all of my friends dub me Alex, because this is much more flaccid to utter.
  • Many girls want to be carnal with me because I’m such a premium dancer.
  • Were you able to manufacture the the Z’s? Repose. Did you repose?

Obivously Alex knows some difficult English words. He’s just one funny guy.

Official Site
IMDb: 7.6/10 (4,608 votes)
Yahoo! Movies: The Critics: B- / Yahoo! Users: B
Rotten Tomatoes: Rating: 66% / Average Rating: 6.5/10
Apple Trailer
Amazon.com DVD
Amazon.com Soundtrack

everything is illuminated postereverything is illuminated postereverything is illuminated poster

Spoilers: (Show)

AIM Pro

So AOL is releasing a new IM client for their AIM services called AIM Pro. It’s targetted for businesses, but it’s still free, works with the regular AIM network, and comes with automatic encryption with anyone else that has AIM Pro. If you’re going to use a new AIM client released by AOL, don’t bother with Triton as AIM Pro is a gazillion times better. There’s no more ads and even integrates with Outlook to notify you of meetings.

One thing it still lacks is logging chats, though it does have the ability to save up to 30 days of history (wonder why they couldn’t make it infinite). I’ve given it a shot on my laptop (which doesn’t even have the basic AIM client) and my home computer which had Triton installed (was really happy to uninstall it) and I’ve got to say, it was a lot cleaner than what I would’ve expected. I haven’t tested its integration with Outlook yet (don’t plan to either), but if you do, let me know how it goes.

Apparently, it’s tied up with WebEx to provide solutions to online meetings and web conferences.


Random Crap:

Which New Browser Is Best: Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 7, or Opera 9? (from /.) – this review done by ExtremeTech is a really well researched article that compares the top 3 browsers of today. Definitely worth a read to see how well they fare against each other.

Bicycle donuts (from Cari) – You know, not everyone can afford to waste tires by doing donuts in the parking lot using their own car. For that matter, not everyone can afford a car. Those lacking the funds to drift and do donuts all day long in their daily driver may want to check out this video. It’s cheaper, safer and a much better workout than inducing your car to oversteer from the comfort of your Recaro. Haha.

Gaming Goodness for the geek in all of us! (from Tera) – On Sunday, Samantha and I went to check out a store I had been told about by one of my students. I was told it sold a “few” second hand games and cd’s. Armed with a well drawn map (thanks Saori!), we traveled 3 stops from Oami on the Togane line to Gumyo. After walking for about 30 mins in sweltering humidity, we came to our destination. 2 large black shops loomed in the distance. From the outside, it looked like one of those stores where you purchase goods aimed at, shall we say, the more mature market. Upon entering the store, I was transported into what can only be called the “Nerd Nirvana”. WOW, a few second hand games I was told! What stood before me was a massive collection of second hand games, CD’s and Manga. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t know where to start. The store is just amazing! Though the Xbox section does seem a bit small…

Wacky Alarm Clocks

First saw this on an SD thread titled: For those who oversleep, Sonic Boom Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock $32 shipped (was $50). The product in question is the Sonic Alert SB300 Sonic Boom Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock with Large Display. The 2 distinguishing features it has that sets it aside from normal alarm clocks is powerful 12 volt bed shaker and a loud 113db adjustable tone and volume control.

You can get a older model, the SB200 for $7 cheaper. The only difference I can see is that the display isn’t as large.

Someone also pointed this Puzzle Alarm Clock. It wakes you up by firing four puzzle pieces up in the air, and then it is your task to get the pieces and put them back in the alarm clock – it won’t turn off until then. Cost is a little bit higher at $52. Someone mentioned, “That would piss me off so much in the morning, good idea though.” and another said, “I would kill that Puzzle Alarm before I’d even attempt to find the first piece“, that would sort of be my mentality too.


Random Crap:

Unflinching Triumph – not sure if this is video is a parody, but it appears staredown is a professional sport. Not as silly as the rock paper scissors, but come on.

Just saw the trailer for Renaissance awhile and was amazed at how awesome the animation was. Definitely worth a viewing.

I’ve seen this video before: Magic Hamburgers, but never really figured out how he did his trick. Since he’s wearing a short sleeve shirt, the only way I can think of is that the hamburgers are actually coming from behind the sign.

Human Pong – don’t remember if I posted this before, but it’s somewhat neat, though it could’ve been a lot faster. Do check out the ball when it escapes through the top.

Hit the nickel, split the balls (from Deadlock) – hilarious video about how a guy boasts that he can split a billiard ball by hitting a nickel, and some fool believes him.

Exactly what kind of tourists do they want?Fancy sex on a fishing boat? Then visit the Lake Balaton resort, say Hungary’s authorities in a recently launched campaign aimed at attracting young people to its main lake resort. The tourism authority is sending around an email with an internet link http://abalatoninyar.fw.hu/ (NOT WORK SAFE), leading viewers to a short cartoon film which features a young blonde woman having sex with a married man on a fishing boat on the lake.

Someone on /. posted about how this new sitcom Nobody’s Watching was canceled, but apparently because after people watched it on YouTube and liked it, it was given new life. Here’s Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, if you want to watch the pilot.

Meet the Remote-Control Self (from /.) – Hiroshi Ishiguro is a busy man. Between his two jobs, countless meetings and presentations, his demanding schedule was eating up all his time. So he built an android version of himself to pick up the slack. Do check out the photos.

Parodies of the Mac Ads (from MS newsgroup) – There are three seperate parodies of the Apple ads in the video below, the third is my favorite, the trust fund line isn’t bad either. :-> Pretty funny parodies, yet completely in the same spirit of the Mac commercials.

Jon Stewart on Net Neutrality (from MS newsgroup) – “The internet is not something that you just dump something on. It’s not a big truck. It’s, it’s a series of tubes.” “And if you don’t understand that tubes can be filled, and if they’re filled when you put your message in it, it gets in line, it’s gonna be delayed by anyone who puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.” “Ten movies streaming across that that, internet, and what happens to your own personal internet? I… just the other day, got internet was sent by my staff at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday, I got it yesterday. Why?” Haha! Yet another hilarious Jon Stewart piece. Here’s a follow up with John Hodgman: The Daily Show (TDS): Net Neutrality With John Hodgman

Australian motorist plays dead for car helpA driver stranded on a remote stretch of Australian highway Wednesday tried to summon help by playing dead in the middle of the road, a police officer said. A woman who was driving with her two children spotted the man and had to swerve to avoid hitting him, said Doug Backhouse, a detective with the Western Australia state police.

The 12 Differences Between Super Mario Bros. 2 and Doki Doki Panic (from RayAlome) – The 12 Differences Between Super Mario Bros. 2 and Doki Doki Panic

Lower Car Insurance

Yippee! Apparently moving to my new place has dropped my auto insurance at Safeco from $495 to $463. The reasoning being: The rating territory is corrected. Guess I live in a safer neighborhood now? *shrug* But this policy is for full coverage ($250,000 / $500,000 / $50,000) with $500 deductibles. For those who’ve seen my car, you know why I need full coverage (which means it includes Comprehensive and Collision), which added $223 to my total. I was thinking of removing the $5 towing & labor charge since I already have AAA, but I thought $5 for 6 months might be too much hassle to remove. Plus having a cheap towing backup isn’t a bad plan.


Random Crap:

Researchers using waves to write on water (from /.) – In fact, before coming up with their current design, researchers at Japan’s Akishima Laboratories were only able to get poorly-formed letters to pop up once every 15 minutes in their first stab at using waves to “print” on the surface of a specially-built pool.
write on water using waves

To heal a wound, turn up the voltage (from /.) – The researchers grew layers of mouse cells and larger tissues, such as corneas, in the lab. After “wounding” these tissues, they applied varying electric fields to them, and found they could accelerate or completely halt the healing process depending on the orientation and strength of the field. That’s pretty neat!

What could possibly go wrong?British police have condemned a role-playing game where contestants travel all over London armed with water pistols looking to “assassinate” other players, saying it could spark terrorism alerts. Haha! I remember playing this back in high school. It was a seniors only game, but the administrators got whiff of this, and demanded we stop or there would be consequences (there were about 50 of us, many who were the top of the class).

New York City’s cathedrals of consumer electronicsMost major brands have an American flagship store somewhere in Manhattan. These shops are without exception designed to be spectacles for the ear and eye, the kind of spectacle that makes consumers crack open their wallets and slap down some plastic. Where else can one find an 80 inch plasma TV, a 24-hour Genius Bar, and an “I Scored with the Princess” sticker within the space of a few blocks? Pretty neat read. Well, I stopped reading half way and just looked at pictures. It’s like Tokyo, but in New York.

Are you a woman going solo? Try a blow-up manHe fits in a car’s glove box, appears at a flick of a switch and when a woman has finished using him, she can just pull the plug and he deflates. He’s the “Buddy on Demand”, a blow-up man launched on Tuesday with the aim of making solo female motorists feel less nervous about driving at night. On paper, it may sound like making people feel safer, but you know the real purpose is to use the carpool lane.

The Final Chapter of Mario Brothers Flash Series

It’s finally out! Posted both on my old blog and recently, it turns out it’s finally released. To give you an idea of how long it’s been, chapter 4 was released on 4/27/2004. Chapter 5 was released on 6/30/2006. Looking at my blog entry, I had actually checked for this in mid-April and think I finally gave up on the final chapter.

You can visit Alexander Leon’s Official Mario Brothers Flash series website and watch the 5th chapter there. It’s also mirrored on Newgrounds.

Though this episode was great and the ending being completely unexpected (unless you rewatch the beginning of Chapter 1), I think I still liked Chapter 2 the most. It’s the same reasoning I like The Two Towers better than The Return of the King. Having a big pack of enemy charge into a fortress is always awesome. The soundtrack on that chapter was also better.

Spoilers: (Show)

Which way should the ceiling fan blow?

So I just realized my ceiling fan can spin in either directions. I had always wondered for the longest time why I didn’t feel any wind when I stood underneath it. It hit me when I was standing in the hallway where you can look down into the living room (where ceiling fan is located) and gushes of wind were hitting me.

So it’s the $100 question of whether the fan should suck or blow. In a computer, the fans in the front tend to suck in air and the fans in the back tend to blow out air. However, my house gets really hot in the afternoon (especially during this heatwave). All the windows on my 2nd floor are opened for ventilation purposes.

So if the fan blew up, it’ll be pushing hot air onto the 2nd floor and hopefully that’ll escape some how.

On the other hand, the fan can blow down and cause air to circulate below it.

Which way should it blow? Up or down?

Did I mention how nice it is to have an ice maker and water spout on the fridge? I think I can finally stop buying Kirkland bottled water!

Move In Day

So thanks to the help from Tekman, Xyon, and Derek, I’ve successfully moved into my new place! It’s been a tiring week, transporting stuff back and forth, but my old apartment is basically empty besides some cleaning solutions, vacuum, paper towels, trash bags, and trash that I need to get rid of, which I’m planning to do next week. Oh how hot it was these past few week. I couldn’t have picked a worst day to move.

So I reserved a 14′ U-Haul truck several days ago and let me tell you, driving that is so scary yet so powerful at the same time. I feel like I nothing can hurt me, but I can hurt anything in my path. Though it was definitely more scary than powerful. I’d rather drive my Civic any day of the week. I did in fact damage something with it. I sort of crushed the rain gutter on the mail box center, but that was basically it. Total cost came to $52.xx, but it turns out they charged me $7 for the dolly which I didn’t use. Tekman and Xyon pointed that out when they saw my receipt, but when I was paying, I was too eagar to just get rid of the truck. Oh yah, we went to Anthony’s Home Port in Kirkland for all-you-can-eat crab and get to see out into the lake. Since Derek had plans tonight, their compensation dinner will have to wait.

So here’s the photos of what my house looks like after move in:
storage roomstorage roomliving roomdining roomofficekitchenbedroom 1bedroom 2

So after dinner, I came back and started building my bed, since I know if I set up my computer first, I wouldn’t have a bed to sleep in tonight.
bed in bedroom 2

I also made my first damage to the house while building this bed. When one of the sides tilted over and fell, it made 2 dents into the wall. Hopefully I can just paint over it like nothing happened. *Whistle*
damage to wall

Speaking of damage, I also made my first fix to the house. Do you see what’s wrong in the picture below?
what's wrong in this picture?

If you had guess the blinds were on the incorrect side, you’re right. If you had guess anything else, please do let me know. Furnitue everywhere doesn’t count. ;p
reversed blinds on patio door

Since I already build one bed and had experience on what not to do, I decided to build the second bed before I forget that experience. My plushies also needed a bed to sleep on.
bed in bedroom 2

And last of all of what I accomplished tonight, my office:
office

Oh yah, I setup my clothing and toiletries, but you wouldn’t be interested in that.

Akismet Spam Detector

7 more slipped through since my last post
5,534 Caught / 48 Missed / 0 False Positives (99.1% accuracy)

Accuracy rating has been dropping…

*Update*

5 more slipped through since above
5,646 Caught / 53 Missed / 0 False Positives (99.1% accuracy / down 0.07%)