Radiation Schmadiation
I've been excited about an upcoming trip to Tokyo for a couple of months, so the earthquakes and tsunamis and meltdowns should come as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about me and my relationship with the universe. We're still planning on going, of course. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Tokyo wasn't badly hit by the natural disasters, and I'm sure they can use the tourist dollars.
Still, the combination of massive radiation leaks and thousands of unrecovered bodies can only mean one thing to a paranoid geek: Zombie Apocalypse. I was prepared to deal with yakuza and do battle with ninja (preferably on the roof of a speeding bullet train), but radioactive undead is pretty much a deal-killer for me.
Fortunately, this chart from the ever-lovely XKCD shows that the fear over the Fukushima leaks may be slightly overblown. As the chart shows, levels at the nuclear plants in question are nowhere near that at Chernobyl. A person spending two days at Fukushima takes less rads than she receives over the course of a year under ordinary conditions. Now, picking up a dose of radiation in one go is a much different (mutated) animal than absorbing it over time, and no meltdown is ever good, but I don't think we need worry about Japan being overrun by ravening undead just yet.
Still, the combination of massive radiation leaks and thousands of unrecovered bodies can only mean one thing to a paranoid geek: Zombie Apocalypse. I was prepared to deal with yakuza and do battle with ninja (preferably on the roof of a speeding bullet train), but radioactive undead is pretty much a deal-killer for me.
Fortunately, this chart from the ever-lovely XKCD shows that the fear over the Fukushima leaks may be slightly overblown. As the chart shows, levels at the nuclear plants in question are nowhere near that at Chernobyl. A person spending two days at Fukushima takes less rads than she receives over the course of a year under ordinary conditions. Now, picking up a dose of radiation in one go is a much different (mutated) animal than absorbing it over time, and no meltdown is ever good, but I don't think we need worry about Japan being overrun by ravening undead just yet.
Monday, March 14, 2011 Costumed Propaganda, Wave 3
March Modok Madness! submission by the ever-awesome Paul Sizer.
Beautiful work by Tim Fisher
by Laura Pittman
by Francesco Francavilla
(likely inspired by the BBC's piece for Doctor Who's fifth season.
Unknown photoshopper from the intrawebs
by Francesco Francavilla
(likely inspired by the BBC's piece for Doctor Who's fifth season.
Unknown photoshopper from the intrawebs
by Steve Squall
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Shanghai Blues
I've only seen Shanghai Blues once, but it made a great impression. It was back when I was just discovering HK cinema, making regular trips into Chinatown to rent VHS tapes from an herbalist's shop. I had also stumbled across the Film Center of the Art Institute of Chicago's annual Hong Kong festival just in time for their Jackie Chan season. I can't describe how incredible it was to experience all this eye-popping, mind-blending cinema for the first time on the big screen - and then have the man himself turn up to shake hands and answer questions from the audience. Freaking bliss.
My memory is hazy, but I believe the following year was the Film Center's Tsui Hark season. I was eagerly devouring each offering and got turned on to such classics as Zu and Swordsman II. But it was a romantic comedy called Shanghai Blues that really showed me there was more to Hong Kong cinema than just crazy stunts and hopping vampires. Twenty years and countless films later, I don't recall much about the movie other than I really enjoyed it.
I never got a chance to revisit Shanghai Blues, as it has never received an English-friendly DVD release. But thanks to a heads-up on the Mobius Home Video forum and the generosity of some nameless web denizen, I finally have the opportunity to watch a decent copy of this film. It's an mp4 rip of the old laser disc and it is available via the link below:
Hark's other works get a lot of love in HK fandom, especially Peking Opera Blues, but I almost never see Shanghai Blues get a shout-out. I think that's down to the film's scarcity than it's actual merits, and this is borne out by recent discussion thread on the Mobius forum sparked by the movie's "web release". It's great to see that others enjoyed this film as much as I did and I can't wait to watch it again after all these years.
If you are a fan of Tsui Hark or 80's HK cinema, don't miss this chance. Grab your copy while you can.
Monday, March 7, 2011 Mental Organism Design Only for KUDDLING!
Ah, springtime! When a young man's fancy turns to rabbits and supervillains with giant heads.
It's March Modok Madness time again! I have always been a huge "fan" of Modok - I even dressed as him for Halloween a couple years back - and I love seeing the tributes, variants, and just plain goofy fun that Brendan Tobin's blog turns out every year at this time. Above is my favorite illo so far (although g.Webber's entry is a close second) and I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the month's offering.
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