Tan Teen Oni Waifu, episode 8

FYI for the translator: not only does yoroshiku tanomu not mean “I hope this works”, what idiot thought that Our Mighty Hero would ever say “I hope this works” to his troops right before a battle? Have they watched the show?

This is far milder than the sort of localization errors that really set fans off, where woke morons are rewriting the scripts to change the point of entire scenes and the nature of major characters, but come on, even the still-mostly-broken online translator apps don’t mistranslate a simple phrase like “yoroshiku tanomu” (“I’m counting on you”).

Anyway, The Big Battle doesn’t go as either side expected, but if you were expecting things to go badly for The Good Guys, clearly you haven’t been watching the show, either.

Verdict: Boy Gets Doggy Girl. And I suspect Our Loyal Sidekick will be less reticent than his master, so I expect puppies soon.

(unrelated GenAI doggy girl is one of the few I got who didn’t have a muzzle)

10 Years A Harem Lord, episode 8

Okay, so they did cast the queen, and brought her on-screen this week, which means that they could easily have followed the source and had her show up earlier, both in locking down the vampire’s Big Magic Rock and in providing a bit of late-night fan-service when they opened the tunnel. Which makes it look like they just didn’t want the fan-service?

Anyway, no one should be surprised that the crime boss was easily defeated and that they found plenty of evidence he was Up To No Good, and also that there are still vampires running around behind the scenes.

Also, we have a new damsel in distress, and this one’s got red underrim glasses, so you know she’s worth rescuing. Speaking of haremettes, the loli redhead is going to be a real heartbreaker in a few years.

Verdict: Good Clean Fun.

(yeah, just throwing out unrelated pics tonight…)

Amazon fixed estimated delivery times!

By removing them! This week, none of my orders that reached the “out for delivery” stage has an estimated delivery window, and while the map view still gets loaded, it no longer indicates how many stops away the driver is or their approximate location.

Dear Apple,

Could you please unfuck the behavior of the “repeat” functionality in the MacOS Music.app? Eventually? If I select “repeat one”, I expect it to do two things:

1. repeat the same song until I choose another one.
2. stay selected until I select a different option.

This hasn’t worked since you replaced iTunes with this PoS that demonstrates that you don’t need vibe-coding to write garbage.

Playing with Obsidian

I’ve been having issues with Joplin’s sync (for a long time, actually), and a co-worker suggested I try out Obsidian, which has various sync options including an end-to-end encrypted service they run for a small fee, as well as a robust plugin architecture.

Which you need, because out of the box it’s kinda limited for the sort of things I want from a note app. To achieve rough parity with Joplin, I had to add:

• Importer - required to get your existing data into Obsidian.
• Note Toolbar - basic formatting buttons.
• Frontmatter Date Manager - update the “updated” field on edit; otherwise you simply can’t sort notes by recent edits.
• Fold Properties By Default - otherwise you lose a lot of screen space to note metadata.
• Vault Backup - export to compressed archive.

One thing that took a while to figure out was a reverse-chronological display of every note in a vault, regardless of where it was stored in organizational sub-folders. Turns out you need to use “Bases” and set up a list view that sorts by the “updated” metadata field (which is never… updated by the basic app). The results aren’t terribly pretty, but it works.

Pity it’s Yet Another Node.js App.

There are some recipe-management plugins, which might make it a decent alternative to the current crop of paid apps, and it’s apparently got a big following in the role-playing community, for setting up and running games.

(fun fact: the randomized prompt didn’t specify an animal species for this one)

Oh, look, more GenAI horseshit!

I was wandering through Amazon recommendations, because there’s a new release of Asimov’s Lucky Starr novels, and came across an “enriched edition” of The Stainless Steel Rat, with the following blurb. I shit you not:

In Harry Harrison’s book ‘The Stainless Steel Rat’, readers are taken on a thrilling journey through a futuristic world filled with advanced technology and cunning criminals. The book combines elements of science fiction and heist genres, offering a unique and engaging reading experience. Harrison’s witty writing style and fast-paced storytelling keep readers on the edge of their seats while exploring themes of morality and rebellion in a society governed by strict laws and regulations. The Stainless Steel Rat is a classic example of Harrison’s ability to blend humor, action, and social commentary in a thought-provoking narrative. Harry Harrison, known for his extensive work in science fiction, brings his expertise to ‘The Stainless Steel Rat’. His background as a military engineer and involvement in political activism provides insight into the themes of rebellion and social justice present in the book. Harrison’s rich imagination and attention to detail make ‘The Stainless Steel Rat’ a must-read for fans of science fiction and adventure. I highly recommend ‘The Stainless Steel Rat’ to readers looking for a captivating blend of futuristic technology, clever heists, and moral dilemmas. Harry Harrison’s masterful storytelling and unique narrative style make this book a standout in the science fiction genre, offering a thrilling and thought-provoking read.

In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience:

• A succinct Introduction situates the work’s timeless appeal and themes.
• The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
• A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era’s events and influences that shaped the writing.
• A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
• Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work’s messages, connecting them to modern life.
• Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
• Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.

The so-called “editorial reviews” are about completely unrelated books. The release is from 2020, but I can’t help but think someone had their chat-bot “freshen” the blurb recently. Much as dog urine could be used to “freshen” a fine whiskey.

The worst part is that they reused the ASIN listing for the actual book, so Amazon thinks I own it, and likely would try to “upgrade” the copy I have if I re-downloaded it.

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