Calcite is one of those mediums with which nature fully displays its crazy genius in the open. These sculptures have been shaped so long ago, that one can not truly comprehend of timescales using a human generation as the incremental measurement. They appear as complex forms with patterns that resonate deeply within innate beliefs and intuition, yet in the end they were created by the same force that creates plaque on showerheads. Which leads me to the question, has anyone ever had a stalactite grow out of their faucet or shower as the result of a high mineral content in their water supply, coupled with prolonged neglect? I had 3 inch stalactite hanging from my kitchen faucet, but that was merely an icicle.
The following pictures were all taken in the same cave, which I plan on posting more about shortly.
The first time Akebono fought (vs. Bob Sapp) everyone was skeptical that he would be able to hold his own, but there was a glimmer of hope that the underdog might triumph. Sumo wrestlers, the argument went, are professional athletes and perhaps his unorthodox martial art would give him an edge against Sapp’s brute strength. And then he fell, and the truth became all too clear. After the fight, many people felt bad for him, and wished him a quick recovery and success in a non-MMA career.
But he just wouldn’t stop. Whenever an Akebono fight came on, many of us watched, not because we thought he had any chance of winning, but because we wondered how badly he would get beaten. There were no longer any discussions of it was possible for him to win, but rather how long it would take for him to go down. An Akebono K-1 fight is painful to watch. He looks like a nice enough guy, and you just want to see it end quickly. No, Hoyce Gracie vs. Akebono was not a fight I really wanted to see (but I watched it anyways).
Why hasn’t Akebono stopped fighting yet? It has to be for money, and its sad to see that he intends to keep on fighting. It’s even sadder that K-1 will keep on putting him on the bill until the public demand to see him severely beaten eventually dries up. Watching this story unfold is like watching a Greek tragedy. In this case, the protagonist has already made the pivotal choice and now we are witnessing a very painful fall from grace. I hope he wins his next fight, so that he can retire in peace.
I was up late last night waiting for the reports of Titan via the Huygens probe to start pouring in, but was bitterly disappointed by the results of CNN’s analysis and coverage. Well, more data and pictures are coming in, and I will be following this story closely. It boggles the mind to think that this chunk of sensors was blasted into space 9 years ago, and only yesterday embarked upon its prime objective. The space program, and its operational timetables seem visionary in a most (still precocious) Asmovian way. Space programs kick ass.
Last night I got to see the Beastie Boys for free thanks to Taro, who came through in the clutch- thanks bro. It was an awesome show- they played a mix of music mostly off of Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and To the 5 Boroughs.
The last time I saw the Beastie Boys was at the Forum (in L.A.), back in High School. I noticed some differences right away. This time they played a longer set, Mix Master Mike was a crowd favorite in Osaka and especially on top of his game, and this time we were treated to some instrumentals with a fully fleshed out band.
Things that I remember, and thoughts on the show:
Some people were rocking out harder to the opening act (Le Tigre- no comment) than to the Beastie Boys.
The crowd was very quiet, and didn’t make enough noise for an encore, but luckily they came back out anyways.
The Beastie Boys have one of those camera arrays that take a picture from multiple angles all at the same instant, take jump pictures, and display them in real time.
To take bootleg photos, it is best to turn OFF the lcd on your digicam BEFORE the concert.
In So. Cal, everyone stands at a B Boys show. In Osaka, most people sit down, except for the two spastic high schoolers in front of yours truly.
Osaka Beastie Boys groupies fall into the “has a nice personality” category.
The guy who plays the latin percussion is “Bunny” from Sabotage.
People were actually leaving during the middle of the show, while the Beasties were playing, and they left at the very end during the middle of their last song, Sabotage. WTF is that all about?
There were a lot of old people in the crowd. Nursing home age. Right on, but strange nonetheless.
Few people seemed to be into the instrumentals.
Osaka-jo Hall was not sold out, not by a long shot. Yes, it was Wednesday, but back in So Cal, tickets would have sold out in 10 minutes.
It was cool to listen to them banter on stage and know that very few of us understood what was going on.
Why do they never play anything off of License to Ill?
We braved the arctic winds of Sumoto Port and hooked 5 of these vicious marine predators. With an equal mix of luck and skill, we ended up unscathed and with a first hand knowledge of how the mighty Gashira tastes as (badly mutilated) sashimi and deep fried in karaage batter. I bet it tastes like sculpin (which I’ve heard are quite delicious), and wonder if their dorsal spines have similar toxins as well. The remedy for treating sculpin envenomation, dousing the wound into water as hot as you can bear, sounds like something I’d rather not experience.
When you hold them by the bottom lip or agitate them sufficiently, they flare out their fins into a defensive posture exposing ridges of spines in their fins. I believe they do this to deter potential predation, and to appear bigger.
I was initially very reluctant to eat these fish because they remind me of puppy dogs with their gaping mouths and large eyes. They were delicious, but I think from now on I will catch and release. You would have to kill too many of them to make a decent meal.
This interview with Hiroshi Yamauchi is obviously fake, but pretty funny because it really looks like a legit article out of Wired Magazine. Can you seriously picture any Japanese businessman talking like this? (This question is an ignorance litmus test).
Taking a walk through Suntopia Harbor, I was looking for a better place to fish. Weaving amongst the upscale apartments juxtaposed by overgrown weed lots, I stumbled upon some real exotic crafts rotting away, forgotten and neglected by their owners.
This semi-submersible looks like something straight out of Star Trek with it’s dramatically curved pontoons and bulbous design. Not meant to submerge at all, it rides on the surface, but the passengers sit in the hull well below the waterline, and can look out of the domed windows. The aft portion of the craft reveals a small propeller and rudder that suggests this exotically designed take on a glass-hulled boat is only meant to cruise in protected bodies of water, and may be a hint as to why it is still not in use around this area.
Looking like something that might lead the Rebel squadron to an attack on the Death Star, this airfoil is built for speed. Mounted behind the long cockpit is a huge fan, not unlike those used by the fan boats on the everglades. It is sad that these two awesome crafts are left to rot in an abandoned lot just a few feet from the water, but upkeep and storage costs must be prohibitively expensive for items of such limited utility.
As if to match the theme of my walk, I spotted these strange fruit, busting out of fur covered appendages. It’s ordinary excursions like these that make wandering around such a rewarding activity.
