sketchley

A bit of a pessimistic interpretation of the article, my friend. It appears that LG has to rework some of the guts of the player to get it up to spec (and the article didn't even ask the question about whether that DVD Forum has given HG access to the software that is needed to play the additional content on the HD-DVD). In addition, it sounds like the DVD Forum is playing like a spoiled child - especially if they choose to litigate LG for displaying a product with their logo on it... The DVD Forum and HD-DVD is coming across pretty badly here... and it's making me wonder about their customer relations in the future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Allen_radiation_belt I'm guessing the potential versus the average altitude. Solar flares/winds etc. do have an effect somehow.

Please read the wikipedia article you cited more carefully. Though it doesn't directly state the shuttle, it does state conditions that are directly applicable to it - both electronic, and the potential altitude of the Van Allen Belts. In addtion, there are a couple of other conditions to be aware of - the existing hardware, and its user interface in the shuttle, it's use of HAL/S, and financial restrictions by the prime fund provider of NASA. All of which combined against upgrading to another computer system, especially when the original computer system required a large part of the research that went into the original building of the shuttles. EDIT: Jenius, you beat me to it. You hit on the two main points: budgeting and compatibility. I agree that there is the capability to build rugged computers, but there is a limited market for it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Allen_rad...on_space_travel

OK, change what I said so that it means 'passes through solar radiation like that present in the Van Allen Belts and not ordinarily present at sea level on Earth.' The point that I want to make is that modern computers are less robust than the dinosaur that they have on the shuttle, and are (or at least were) impractible for the missions the shuttle takes.

Isn't it because the computer is something that came out of the late '70's, and nothing since has the shielding or strength to still be operational in orbit, after the rough ride to orbit, and passing through the Van Allen (Radiation) Belts? It's not their fault that their computer supplier(s) opted to manufacture less robust products.

Macross 7? Trash? You guys talking about the manga Macross 7 Trash?

Go with the Russian suit. It's bound to be cheaper (and you'll spend less time in the airlock adjusting to the lower pressure - mind you, as the Russian suit runs at a higher pressure, some tasks using the hands will be a bit more labourous.

They might have confirmed that all of the ASS-1's crew were dead, and left orbit, or destroyed the ship (and South Ataria Island in the process) and left. If I'm not mistaken, the Zentraedi, or at least Buritai's fleet had orders to not interfere with the Protoculture. The fact that humans had commandeered and reconstructed the ASS-1 was what prompted them to not destroy the ship outright, instead following it around the solar system.

It's been brought up: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...20766&st=77 Technically it's under renovation, and all of the links, save Macross Zero, are closed.

Golly gee... cyde01 already posted to that effect - but at least he was polite enough to be discreet about it (thank you cyde01.) The only addition I have is that I was under the impression that upgrading pre-existing DVD manufacturing facilities to HD-DVD was easier to do than with Blu-ray, because of the similarities between HDDVD and DVD - DVD using red lasers et al. Now I know that it has nothing to do with lasers, and everything to do with the thickness (depth) of the scratch resistant laser - and knowing is half the battle. Go Joe! Oh, and today I was talking with my coworker about the differences between the two formats - and once again I must vote for Blu-ray, simply because it is easier to say, and the name does have a connection to how it functions. HD-DVD is just another confusing jumble of letterfied jargon that tended to get an extra D in the middle. Yes, more alphabet soup to add to the difficulties of attempting to explain the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R, etc., etc, etc. in a foreign language.

I don't belief Kawamori did the tank. It doesn't have his signature drawing style. I believe the same guy who did the designs for the vehicles in GitS did the Think-tank - Takeuchi Atsushi. I'm guessing, but I believe he also did the handguns and briefcase machine gun too (but innitial design inspiration goes to Masamune Shirow, as it's first seen in his manga, and Mamoru Oshii for including the scene in the movie.) All of the vehicles from GitS can be found on this page: http://www.serenadawn.com/GITS-Vehicles.htm Kawamori Shoji's two helicopters are (fanfic?) named as: AWACS helicopter and Megatech Hekatoncheires Sniping Helicopter, whereas the tank in question is referred to as the Kenbishi Standard Light Weight Tank – Multi-Ped. All of those names are fan-fic, as it's the first and last time that I have heard or read them.

You'll have to do your own research on pricing and availability (and I suspect currency conversion), nevertheless, imports are by their very nature, expensive. Here's a simple breakdown of why: distributor cost (sometimes retailer cost) + overseas transport + brokerage fee + customs fee + tariff + transport to retailer + (currency conversion & small buffer in case exchange rates change) + retailer mark-up = 2 to 10 times the retail cost in Japan. Even direct-mail purchases are more expensive: retail cost + shipping + currency conversion fee + wire-transfer fee. Of course, coming to Japan intails costs of their own, but that's something which can be balanced by the experience of travelling in Japan and looking at the merchandise before spending any money. Hope this helps.

Most trains have an overhead rack in which you can put big stuff. It is also highly advised to NOT travel during rush hour - both when arriving/leaving, AND during daily travelling. Space is at a premium and it may be well beyond your comfort limits. Limousine Bus service is another option, as mentioned. Leaving your baggage in your hotel suite should be ok - though yes, what little space is available will be eaten up by them. It all depends on the type of hotel that you stay at. Some do offer large rooms - you just have to pay more for them. Shinkansen (Bullet) Trains have both reserved, and unreserved seats. Unreserved is basically first-come, first-served. During this most recent holiday rush, some news shows were reporting that some of the Shinkansen trips were reporting between 150 and 200% capacity. Another reminder of why you don't want to be traveling during rush hour or one of the major holidays here in Japan...

Eh? It has to be something more than that... differing lens focal point shouldn't be what's causing this format war. Though, in a way, it does explain the 'ease' in which a multi-player can be made... I stand corrected.

Uh... different wavelengths. It's the main reason that different formats exist, and different amounts of data can be stored on the two variations. Blue-ray has a smaller wavelength, so it is able to read/write in a smaller amount of space than the HD-DVD. I've also heard that the beams read at different depths, which is the main reason why these multi-players are an option. DVD, HD-DVD and Blue-Ray are at 3 different depths, readable via three different wavelengths, thus they can cohabit the same disc. If you are talking about HD-DVD and DVD, then yes, they are similar enough that factories don't have to retool very much before switching between them. I'm not a technical expert, but it appears that that is one of the main selling points of HD-DVD (to the manufacturing sector, not the consumer.) http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/19/blu-ray...ion-s-division/ A nice image: And more info can be found here: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=ja&q=HD...ser+wavelengths

You can ask them: http://www.sofmap.com/tenpo/shop/nanba_1.htm My guess is that it is such a niche release that the price never got knocked down because there were too few copies to begin with, and it was forgotten about/not eating up enough shelf space to be a concern. But, that's just IMHO. Just to check: http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E8%B6%85%E6%99%82...=UTF8&s=dvd amazon.co.jp knocked off 22% of the price, but it is still in the 'stratospheric' price range for DVDs.

He's been pushing film technology since his 4th movie (Aliens.) I do hope that his directorial skills have been modified from the streak he was on before - bloated budget movies are the leading cause of the increase of movie ticket prices.

I'm tempted to agree with you that when it comes to anime that was released in 1998 on DVD being expensive, HOWEVER: Ghost in the Shell 1998 ￥3,800 GiTS, being releases in the same year, for about 1/2 the price, doesn't support that assertation. Neither do the highly varied costs of the other DVDs released in the same year support the assertation. Also, considering that I can currently get DVDs like Innocence (イノセンス) for ￥3,121, The Indian Jones Triology Box set for ￥5,000, and oodles of Hollywood movies for beteen ￥500 and ￥1,200, DYRL? is expensive. The fact that I purchased a new 1998 pressing of DYRL? (BCBA-0238*) also attests to its lack of popularity - as in it never flew off the shelves; instead sitting their, gathering dust for 7+ years. Yes, it gets credit for having 2 repressing after the original release - but that could also indicate that it had low print-runs; something indicated by the high cost per unit. Market forces at work, my friend. Small print run = high cost per unit. * Pressing 1998 July 25

It's already on DVD... and by the looks of things, it wasn't a big seller (expensive sticker price - almost as much as one of the the 4 disc LOTR extended edition box sets! And I still spot them in the new (well, previously unowned) sections of DVD stores.)

Well... that new multi-player looks tempting. Though, it really depends on what titles are available for which format; because right now, the only titles I am remotely interested in acquiring, are in Blue-Ray, and I am already tempted by the PS3, because it'll play the PS1 and PS2 Macross games that I have. At least for me, I'm going for the Blue-ray (in addition to the above, there's the larger amounts of data storage available on them...) Nevertheless, a new TV comes first and there's no rush...

All (save the last two or three) can be found in the Macross Hobby Handbook, along with alternate designs of the Destroids, the Earth Trekkers, alternate/new/experimental VF FAST and Armoured sets, and the only *official* print of the VEFR-1 Funny Chinese that I have seen (and I have a lot of Macross books...)

Was the box sent air or surface? Surface mail is the far cheaper option, but one will still have to wait about 30 days or longer. And yes - heavy stuff costs more. Japan is also undergoing an interesting phenomenon at the moment - the Koizumi government privatized Japan Post, and there is currently at least one company starting to directly compete with Japan Post in mail delivery. The company - Yamato Transport. It was originally a courier company, and I know that it had offices and delivery trucks in Vancouver and Victoria. You may want to find out if they offer comparible, or better rates. Remember to also write your information (sender, receiver, etc.) in BLOCK LETTERS, as despite many people in Japan knowing English, English, and its associated alphabet are not as well known as the three Japanese alphabets; and I have had mail sent to me with the address written in English, being returned to sender. Usually writing the country in BLOCK LETTERS will suffice (and that's the correct name of the country, not the common. Eg. Republic of Korea, not South Korea.) Don't forget to write 'Air Mail' on the package, lest you pay for it, and someone else in the shipping process puts it into the surface mail bin... And I'm surprised that no one has given any links for transit options in Tokyo. KNOW THEM, they are your friend: http://ktransit.com/transit/Japan/tokyo.htm http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/200...Tokyo%20Transit http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2017.html http://www.google.ca/search?hl=ja&q=tr...tation+in+tokyo Handy googlemap (zoom out to see the extent of the city): http://www.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=...p;tab=wl&q=

You mean 'hourly' vs. 'allnight'.

Always ask before taking a picture. It is against the law to take people's pictures without consent (here in Japan.) Re: places to stay/eat/shop The general rule of thumb is that the more convenient/closer to a train station a hotel/restuarant/shop is, the more expensive it will be. The three places listed are going to be mighty expensive. It'll be cheaper to get a hotel somewhere else, and take the train to where you want to go to. Depending on how far you are from the city center, you could also use JR, or one of the many private rail lines. In general, the private rail lines are cheaper then JR. Rail lines are also faster than subways, as they offer express services that don't stop at every station. Even within Tokyo, one could always take the JR Yamatone line from Akihabara to Shinjuku and Shibuya. I stayed at a nice business hotel in Shinbashi. Though, it was on the weekend, so I'm not sure of the availability during the workweek, and if the price increases dramatically or not. To be honest, I'm not even sure if Akihabara and Shibuya have hotels - as they are commerce/business areas. Roppongi - limited to love hotels and capsule hotels, if you ask me; but as I'm a local of Osaka, my knowledge of Tokyo is limited. If you're willing to risk the embarrassment, staying at a love hotel may prove to be a cheap alternative - though don't expect much in the way of services, and don't expect the usual hotel experience (check out every day, etc..) And it cannot be stressed enough that the more convenient a place is, the more expensive it'll be.

I'm just guessing, but maybe he means the bluish highlights along the underside of it? On the nose, missiles, and most of the white parts.