Everything’s coming up robots, even the New York Times special magazine section on Women’s Fashion. They revisit Thierry Mugler’s femdroid-inspired suits from the late 20th century, then show some modern versions, and even refer to "the online robot-fetishist community".

But a magazine like this takes some time to put together. They may even have ( Read more... )

It's harder than ever to write science fiction these days because the facts keep catching up with it.

Robo-rights: Utopian dream or rise of the machines?

Should I be worried that the report was issued by an organization called Sigmascan?!

I think it’s the old classroom habit, "demonstrate you understood the original sentence structure," that’s tripping me up. Japanese sentence structure is so different it comes out sounding like Yoda. I’m not in the classroom now, so I have to learn not to do that anymore. I should loosen up with a little more practice.

This next section is more ( Read more... )

I just started posting here again, but IRL I’ve been talking about RMX for a couple of months, about since I special-ordered the Compendium. I also admit, even though no new games have come out very recently, there are still games that are new to me. So my good friend Shirayasha said she’d get me X8, either to give me something to do or shut me ( Read more... )

If I ever criticized Capcom’s translation staff, I take it back! Ugh, re-reading my own stuff, it looks terrible! That’s what comes of learning Japanese in a classroom, where strict accuracy and demonstrating that you understood the original sentence structure are more important than ease of reading or flow in English ( Read more... )

I don’t know exactly what brought this on, but I’ve been getting back into Rockman X! There haven’t been any new games very recently, but that’s OK, because I come to it from the manga anyway. I’ve found some info sites in English, and some creative sites in Japanese, but a lot of places have closed ( Read more... )

It's possible to make the backward-e cast-on work! I had tried it before and didn't like it. Those loops went on easily enough, but knitting into them for the first row was murder.

I looked up other methods online: the knit-on cast-on and the cable cast-on. I suspect these may be easier for English-style knitters. I knit Continental, and they didn' ( Read more... )

I've done as much as I can with the materials on hand:  I've knit both half-width sections, which means I'm about 1/4 through.  Now I just have to wait for the longer needle.  The place I ordered it from, Red Barn Farm, e-mailed me today to say it will ship tomorrow.  That's pretty fast, and it was very nice of them to let me know.  They must know ( Read more... )

The Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics start today, but I just sent away for a longer circ yesterday, so I didn't think I'd be able to start on time.  Now, I don't know if this is a great inspiration or a disastrous one, but I have an idea.  The Bog Shirt is worked in one piece starting from the bottom, but about 3/4 of the way up, it divides for the ( Read more... )

I've declared my project for the Knitting Olympics, and I have the pattern and the yarn.  I've swatched on the diameter needles I mean to use, and used those numbers in the calculations the pattern calls for.  This is a fine time to realize my circs aren't long enough!  And I don't know any place around here I could buy the right size.

( Read more... )