Dio

Glad it's not Griffith Park Conservatory, or else you'd see them ducking bullets and hear gang slogans in the background /from Chicago

The file is complete and Insurgent detects no codec conflicts. I just plain can't run the Gattai *.mkv on VLC, WMP, or Media Player Classic, and I'm using CCCP on a 1.33GHz 1GB machine that runs other videos just fine (including the AiA Episode 1, which is encoded differently I know). The closest I've come so far is getting the audio with a video that freezes about 3 frames in. Think it may have to do with the 24fps setup?

I too am having one heck of a time running it on anything. I've got the CCCP installed, and both regular Windows Media and the Media Player Classic return errors. I'm plum out of ideas at this point, maybe I should just wait for AiA to turn their sub out, since I know their Ep 1 worked great for me.

I propose that a mod take some of the photos that have been posted and turn them into a captioning contest, they're just too sweet to pass up. Now the debate raging in my head... download RAW now or wait for subs? Heck, why not do both? Then it's like two separate holidays per episode! ... guess that was a short debate.

I think the article draws far too much of a distinction between people who are obsessive over socially-accepted interests and those who are obsessive over "geeky" interests. Obsessive is obsessive, regardless of the focus. The girlfriend who's ignored over World of Warcraft is just as unfulfilled as the one who's ignored over Monday Night Football (and it irritates me to no end when they can't draw that distinction - fortunately, I hammered it home to my wife very early on). Whenever you allow any passion in your life to hurt you psychologically, or cause you to behave in an antagonistic manner, you're letting it go way past the point of reason. I also take issue with the fact that the author claims geeks give up on their interests out of frustration. If that were the case, you wouldn't see geeks returning constantly to their hobby time and time again after every perceived slight they go online to vent about. Yes, I've seen people act like complete immature idiots (G1 Transformer purists, I'm talking to you) over how they feel a movie based on their favorite hobby is tarnishing their childhood, abandoning the source material, etc - and have chided them for it, and earned quite a bit of misplaced enmity in the process. I too have been disappointed at first by changes that were made to things I held dear, but instead of getting worked up about it, I found things to love with the new revision (Macross 7 FTW!). Maybe I'm just a more easygoing fan of the things I'm into, but I definitely consider myself a geek (MS in Mechanical Engineering, if that tells you anything). I just don't see the point in letting something get me angry - and if it does, I shift my interests elsewhere until it catches my eye again. For example, I bounce back & forth between enjoying Transformers and Macross/Robotech on a pretty seasonal basis (coincident with dry spells for toy releases). The problem arises, again, when you allow the focus of your passion to become the only thing in life you derive enjoyment from. When it disappoints you, you're left with nothing, and the inability to adapt your interests to a new topic locks you into that spiral. But that's not a "geek" thing, let's call it what it is - the personality flaw of obsessive interest in something, to your own detriment. The phrase "get a life" holds very true for the unfortunate people who cannot figure this concept out. Diversify your interests a little bit and life is that much more fulfilling.

I too had the same issue until I downloaded that codec pack, from then on it worked flawlessly. Azrael, mind putting up a link to the CCCP (Community Core Codec Pack) website on the first page of the thread? I think that might save several people some grief in the long run.

I voted to keep it as-is, only for lack of a "Remaster it!" option on the ballot. Mac7 is easily my favorite among the sequels available (though Frontier may depose it in the next several months).

I'm yet another one of those Robotech kids who dug deeper later in life (better access, better resources) and found the wealth of Macross available to me.

I'm optimistic as well. "Don't Be Late" was a pretty cool song on its own, but what really glamorized it was the fact that it was synched up to incredible animation. I'm particularly fond of the point in the song which they coordinated with the VF-171 catapult launch, to name one such example. They also set that sneak peek clip (think it was about 3 minutes long - the one with the purple VF-25) to the song in several places, if you look back on it. The new song we're hearing has only been set to a jumble of clips from the next episode, and neither the song nor the footage was created in any sort of harmony with the other. Once they create an original OP, featuring its own montage of animation, I'm sure the opening song will get appreciated for its true potential.

I thought of it earlier today (independently), and when I finally got some internet time I find several of you have already beaten me to the punch This one gets my vote! VF-25 Katana It heavily follows the style of the VF-19 Excalibur, which is also named after a weapon, but it looks to be sleeker and more elegant - contrast the Japanese katana with the European longsword and you can see what I mean. And, I dunno... it just seems to fit.

My first choice would have been Basara. Second choice goes to Sheryl - she may beat him out in the end though, since all we've got to go on is one song of hers.

Well, one out of three ain't bad

I'm going to follow up on this discussion, because that was one of the questions this first episode left me asking - why call it the "Deculture Edition," and what significance does the term have to the episode, the Chinese restaurant, or the plot in general? Theory 1 "Deculture" is an active verbal form of "to deculturate," which means to cause the loss or abandonment of culture or cultural characteristics of (a people, society, etc.). On its own, I wouldn't think it had any significance, but in the presence of the APHOS - "Protoculture" - it seems to have a lot of relevance if you consider how the Big Red Space Monster is acting. It's possible they have encountered some sort of primitive, barbaric offshoot of the Protoculture species, or even worse still they may have run into remnants of the Protoculture nearer the galactic core, which have in some way been corrupted to become this destructive entity or were already weaponized subgroups from that civilization. We might want to consider how the original APHOS in Zero behaved - it seemed primitive and instinct-driven, but that one was different in that it had a human controlling it compared to these new autonomous monsters. I'm still a bit confused by the Zero APHOS and why it needed a pilot in the first place, so maybe someone more knowledgeable could compare the two for me. However, if we wish to tie this back to Zero we might also consider the possibility that the APHOS flying off into space at the end may be the root cause of this entire conflict - if Sara and Shin were taken up by the bird-human, they (or the situation the bird-human was escaping) may have had an effect on whatever its exodus led to (perhaps the center of the galaxy with the rest of its kind?). Considering what kind of message it might bring back, the surviving Protoculture could easily decide that the civilizations they tried to set up will inevitably try to kill themselves or each other, and should therefore just be eradicated and end their great cosmic experiment. Sort of like an armageddon - or a destruction of a culture, as the definition states. Needless to say, the homages/clues are reaching out and smacking us in the face. There is some connection between Big Red Space Monster and the APHOS, and it will most likely get explained in later episodes. Keep in mind, too, that Macross Zero is still quite fresh in the minds of the production staff, so it's very likely to have some bearing on the story of this new series. Theory 2 Kawamori is having some fun with us, since (as mentioned earlier) Exedore says "de culture" as a synonym for shock or surprise. This was our "special sneak peek surprise edition" episode of Frontier, so perhaps it's nothing more than a humorous wordplay on his part. Theory 3 Ranka's mention of deculture, as if it were an item served on the menu at her restaurant, might just be a playful way of saying "take a break from your own society and experience an exotic culture by eating at our (ethnically-themed) restaurant!"

You sure about this? From the photos it looked almost like a carbon copy of the wings from the VF-11, just narrower in profile so they sit back flat against the shoulders & torso when in battroid mode. Mind linking a photo that shows this "90 degree angle" you're talking about? Edit: After looking at the photos some more, I think I see what you're suspecting - it looks like there may be a hinge joint just inboard of the wing swivel which would enable the wing to fold back, very similar to the overall wing design for the Metal Siren in Macross II (back and down like Tinkerbell wings) and similar in structure to the wing joints in the SV-51 or YF-21. I'm not sure if this is really the case or not, since all we have to go on is that slow-motion transformation clip to go on and in that clip the wings don't really do anything but fold down VF-11 style. I think they'd make more of a point of them folding back during mid-transformation if it was an intended function.

Absolutely sexy. It's reminding me a little of Vandread, with the colorful mecha animation style, just much more refined. Count me in the group of "desperately waiting to download the fansub." Also, what is the difference between a VF-17 and a VF-171? I see the terms both being thrown around, but I'm confused by the "171" - is that in error or did I miss something?

Turns out it was my ISP that needed the DNS fix, not my computer. Case solved!

To anyone with the technical know-how to fix this, I beseech thee: Recently (within the last few weeks) my Internet Explorer has suddenly decided not to recognize www.macrossworld.com or any of its forums, images, etc (things reached through the site, basically). My browser says "connected to site," hangs for a while, the bar slowly grows for a few seconds and then I get a "canot find server" error. This is only an issue for Macross World. Other sites, forums, etc. behave as if nothing is wrong. The only way I'm even connecting to it to make this post is by using AOL's web browser ::shudder::. I've purged my cookies, checked my host file, deleted all my history & temp internet files, and still it acts as if the site no longer exists. Could someone with the know-how to resolve this issue please email me any solutions you might know of? I have never had such a site-specific issue like this happen before, which is why it's so frustrating for me to fix. Thanks!

No cracks, but the left rear landing gear on my Ghost does not want to go back in, it seems like the screw was tightened down too much. Does it only require removing the 5 screws from the underside (4 toward the rear and one at the nose, 3 which are hidden under caps) to access the landing gear pivots?

Recall, Gamlin was called "Alpha Spiritia" by Sivil when she scanned him once. Sivil also thought the Flower Girl was Anima Spiritia, but never got the chance to scan her further. Perhaps "Anima Spiritia" just means an incredibly high level of spiritual energy generation in a human, and isn't a title given to a singular being? Side note: Gepernitch's man-body was named Ivano Gunther before he got possessed... very macho-sounding name for a character who is at one point confused for a woman by Basara (at least, according to the subtitles my series has). "Who's that lady?" Also - LOL @ "Geperwhatchamacallit" Sorry, I'm a Mac7 fanboy

This is why they gave us self-checkout. You buy one toy from the earlier line, then scan it again for each toy (of the same price point) that's in the new line (this will work for everything but Leaders and Ultimate). If someone asks, you're "just making it easier since you bought a bunch at once." You'll have "Transformer toy - 9.99" show up on your receipt and can even take the associate back to the toy aisle to verify the price if they're persistent. Then you just return the old-line toy a couple days later. This way, Wal Mart and Hasbro get your money for their product, and you get the toy you want without cheating anyone. This is how we punish Wal Mart for their false advertising. Or just wait till next Saturday and go wild.

I just thought of this earlier... could the YF-19 swing the gunpod around 180 degrees in his hand (like he's firing it backwards) and then just point the back end to the other hand, or the clip attached to the bottom of the shield? Someone with the toy should try this pose and see if it works in practice.

Ask and ye shall receive. http://tfkenkon.com/g/?mode=view&album...000&start=0

At a very cursory glance I counted the following number of users (who chose to identify their nation of origin) making statements I would classify as either: Misogynistic - selfishly anti-female angle. Unrelenting attitude toward toy display (or his own right to satisfy interests in general) Neutral - self-explanatory. Compromising - expressed a desire to maintain his own interest, be respected by her, and offering respect in return. Willing to, or has already worked the issue out with his wife/significant other amicably. USA - 12 Compromising, 2 Misogynistic Canada - 1 Compromising England - 2 Compromising, 1 Neutral Australia - 2 Compromising Panama - 1 Compromising Netherlands - 1 Compromising Total 19 Members advocating compromise, or have already worked things out and are doing fine. 1 Neutral Member, whose statement did not reflect a strong opinion in either direction. 2 Members who stated opinions which reflect a Misogynistic bias. Total (including comments by members whose location is not specified) 27 Compromising 1 Neutral 2 Misogynistic The average sampling size (1-3 Members) outside of the USA really isn't enough to generalize any sort of national trends. However, it would appear that the overwhelming majority of users here are willing to, and have or would actively pursue a respectful compromise with their significant other in order to display their toys without it being a point of contention or conflict. In short, I think to classify aggressive machismo as a predominately American value would be incorrect, based on the evidence available to us here.

It's all about balance and harmony. If your <insert interest here> becomes too much of an obsession, your girl will not like it. This is applicable for everything men have gotten engrossed in since the dawn of time... hunting, crusading, politics, toys, cars, football... the list goes on and is probably different for each and every one of us. The key is balance - I've got my toy hobby, and one hell of a respectable collection at that. I also have a job that I enjoy, designing aircraft components, and spend some more of my free time fighting (in the Mixed Martial Arts sense). I don't let any of it monopolize my time though, and make sure to spend time with the wife and let her know she's important - as a result, she is supportive of my interests and even participates in a few of them from time to time. Likewise, while I may not be into scrapbooking or animals the way she is, I sit through the occasional nature special or help her take pictures. The point is that it doesn't have to be all one way or the other - hence, the term "compromise" being thrown around whenever people talk about their relationships. Being yourself, and respecting your partner for themself, ultimately rewards both of you.