Friday January 18, 2008

ANIME TODAY Looks Forward to 2008 With Zac Bertschy of Anime News Network and Protoculture Addicts

Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Zac Bertschy – executive editor of Anime News Network (AnimeNewsNetwork.com) and managing editor of Protoculture Addicts – to episode 58 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new interview, Bertschy takes a look back at the successes and surprises of 2007, experiments in packaging and distribution, the differences between what series are popular with Japanese and Western fans,  and the issues and challenges facing the North American anime industry in 2008.

Also in Episode 58:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime.
• Shawne reminds fans about the final days of Right Stuf’s “Savings That Rule” on books and DVDs from Viz Media.
• Judy-sensei returns with a new Japanese 101 lesson about weather-related phrases.
• Marie recommends the manga With the Light, one of the inaugural releases from Yen Press.
• Rich and Nick remind listeners about the Viz Pictures contest for a Love*Com gift pack and kick off a new contest that celebrates the new TV season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• Rich and Nick provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download episode 58 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes!

Sunday January 06, 2008

First Ride of 2008

Starting Ulysses mileage: 863 (barely getting started)

Went for a nice, 42 mile ride around Des Moines today, this afternoon the temperature was around 44 or so, so it really wasn't too bad. I wasn't planning on it, really, until I went to get groceries this afternoon and saw another motorcycle out and figured, why not?

First picture is from Gray's Lake, still frozen over, but they're flying the red flag indicating that it isn't safe to walk out on.

These are the penguins from the Jolly Holiday Lights display in Water Works Park.

I still need to fix the bent bits on the bike from when it was backed into, right after they showed up the temperature here dropped and I've done nothing out in the garage since mid-November.

Struts Sprout - Annotation-Powered Simplicity for Struts

Some time ago, I was looking for a way to simplify the build process for a Java application I've been working on for quite some time. It started out using XDoclet 1.2 to generate the EJB and Struts configuration files. As the years have gone by, that version of XDoclet hasn't aged very well, and even the improvements made in Java 5 proved problematic for it. Eventually, some folks released an updated xjavadoc for use with it, but it never worked quite correctly (support for some syntax changes were incomplete).

Some time ago, I made the changes needed to move to EJB 3, and eliminated XDoclet from that portion of the build, but I was still using it to generate the struts-config.xml. I always meant to do something about that, but ended up just dragging my feet on it. I'd stumbled across Sprout a long time ago, it seemed interesting, but I never did anything with it at the time.

Finally, in December of last year, XDoclet had annoyed me enough so I went back to looking at Sprout. Its support for configuring Struts wasn't complete enough to cover what I needed it to be able to do so I dropped the author, Seth Fitzsimmons a note asking if he'd done anything with Sprout beyond the version posted to his web site. Unfortunately here's what I received back: "I haven't touched Sprout (or Struts, for that matter) for about 3 years now, but it's been waiting all that time for someone like you to find it useful. You're welcome to either continue to use my svn repo as you change things or move it elsewhere."

So we chatted a bit by email, and I decided to set it up as a Google Code project: Struts Sprout and add the features to it that I needed. Finally, today, I got around to adding some of the code that I wrote back in December to the public site. Once I have a chance to make the classpath scanning a little more robust, and write some examples using the new annotations, I'll post a download with a new version number, but until that time, at least the changes are available in Subversion.

ANIME TODAY Looks at the Year in Anime With Chris Beveridge of AnimeOnDVD.com

Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Chris Beveridge – the founder and webmaster of Anime On DVD (AnimeOnDVD.com), – to episode 57 of ANIME TODAY.

In this “anime year in review,” Beveridge shares his thoughts about 2007’s biggest anime stories, industry trends in licensing and packaging, the future of high-def anime and what fans can look forward to in 2008.

Also in Episode 57:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime.
• Shawne reminds fans about the final days of Right Stuf’s BIG New Year’s Clearance sale.
• Dustin Phillips, chairperson of Ohayocon 2008, previews the signature events, panels and more that await for those attending the eighth annual convention in Columbus, Ohio.
• Kris and Judy talk about new video games, available in Japan and in North America, that can help anime fans keep their New Year’s resolutions in the “Anime and Gamers’ Guide.”
• Rich and Nick announce the winners of our contest for Geneon Entertainment “Volume 1” gift packs and kick off a new contest for a Love*Com gift pack from Viz Pictures.
• Marie recommends the Hell Girl anime.
• Judy-sensei starts 2008 with a new Japanese 101 lesson.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download episode 57 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes!

Friday December 21, 2007

ANIME TODAY Interviews VIZ Media’s Wendy Shimamura

Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Wendy Shimamura – associate product manager for VIZ Media’s Home Entertainment division – to episode 56 of ANIME TODAY – to episode 56 of ANIME TODAY.

In this all-new interview, Shimamura discusses the highlights of VIZ Media’s 2007 anime releases, its download-to-own products and Toonami Jetstream project, next-generation formats, growing the shoujo anime market, the challenges facing the anime industry and what’s coming up in 2008.

Also in Episode 56:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime.
• Shawne provides an update to the “12 Days of Anime” – a second “Bundle of Anime Joy”(!) – with an assist from the Right Stuf Glee Club. (Remember: The promotion only lasts through midnight on December 25, 2007.)
• Kris and Judy share a list of Japan’s “hot products” for 2007 in the “Anime and Gamers’ Guide.”
• Rich and Nick announce the winners of the Anime Today and Nozomi Entertainment MySpace contest and remind listeners about the contest for Geneon Entertainment “Volume 1” gift packs.
• Marie recommends the manga Her Majesty’s Dog by Mick Takeuchi.
• Judy-sensei teaches about “New Year’s” greetings in the latest installment of Japanese 101.
• Rich and Nick provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download episode 56 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes!

Tuesday December 11, 2007

Right Stuf's ANIME TODAY Interviews Writer, Director & Voice of SPEED RACER Peter Fernandez

Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome actor, writer and director Mr. Peter Fernandez – the voice “Speed” and “Racer X” in the classic 1960s Speed Racer anime – to episode 55 of ANIME TODAY.

In this all-new interview, conducted just before the New York Anime Festival, Mr. Fernandez discusses getting started in the entertainment business, how adapting and directing anime has changed over the years, his roles in the new Speed Racer live-action movie and animated series, and why the Speed Racer story has an impact on audiences.

While Mr. Fernandez is best-known to anime fans as an actor and as the writer and director for Speed Racer, he also wrote, directed and performed in a variety of dubs for classic programs including Marine Boy, Star Blazers, Ultraman and some of the Godzilla films, was responsible for ADR work for live-action films such as A Fist Full of Dollars, and even more recently directed the animated series Courage the Cowardly Dog for the Cartoon Network.

Also in Episode 55:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime and manga.
• Shawne – and the Right Stuf Glee Club – chime in with the details of this year’s “12 Days of Anime,” which lasts through midnight on December 25, 2007.
• Kris and Judy discuss the rules foreign visitors now encounter when entering Japan in the “Anime and Gamers’ Guide.”
• Rich and Nick announce the winners of the Viz Pictures’ Gackt: Greatest Filmography and Ping Pong contests, kick-off a new contest Geneon Entertainment “Volume 1” gift packs, and remind listeners about the Anime Today and Nozomi Entertainment MySpace contests.
• Marie checks out Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download episode 55 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes!

Wednesday November 21, 2007

Right Stuf's ANIME TODAY Interviews New York Anime Festival Organizers John McGeary & Peter Tatara

Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome two of the organizers of the upcoming New York Anime Festival (NYAF) – Vice President and Show Manager John McGeary and Programming Manager Peter Tatara – to episode 54 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new interview and preview of the show, which will take place on the weekend of December 7-9, 2007 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, McGeary and Tatara share why they feel it is important to offer professional events alongside fan-oriented programming, talk about their extensive guest list and share details about NYAF-exclusive premieres, the World Cosplay Summit masquerade competition, musical performances, the maid café and more.

Also in Episode 54:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime.
• Shawne kicks off the holiday season with a new sale, “Be Quick Like a Ninja,” that gives customers 30% off almost everything at RightStuf.com.
• Kris and Judy talk about Japanese customs that surround the giving of gifts between friends in a new installment of the “Anime and Gamers’ Guide.”
• Rich and Nick announce the winners of the contest for weekend passes to the New York Anime Festival and remind listeners about the contest celebrating Viz Pictures’ DVD releases of the two Gackt: Greatest Filmography video collections and the film Ping Pong, as well as the contest celebrating the launch of the official MySpace pages for Anime Today and Nozomi Entertainment..
• Marie checks out the anime series Mushishi.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download episode 54 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes!

Tuesday November 13, 2007

Right Stuf's ANIME TODAY and ASTRO BOY Director Fred Ladd Talk Early Anime and Live-Action Adaptations!

Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Mr. Fred Ladd – the pioneering TV producer responsible for the English adaptations of early U.S. anime hits, including Astro Boy, Gigantor and Kimba the White Lion – to episode 53 of ANIME TODAY for the second installment of a new, in-depth interview.

This time around, Mr. Ladd discusses his favorite projects through the years, his involvement in bringing Sailor Moon and Tobor the 8th Man to North American audiences, his thoughts on Hollywood’s planned, live-action adaptations of classic anime properties and his current projects.

Also in Episode 53:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime.
• Shawne shares details about the “Book It to RightStuf.com” sale on manga and more from TOKYOPOP.
• Rich and Nick announce the winners of The Taste of Tea and Hula Girls contests, announce a new contest celebrating Viz Pictures’ DVD releases of the two Gackt: Greatest Filmography video collections and the film Ping Pong, remind listeners about the ongoing contest for weekend passes to the New York Anime Festival, and unveil a new contest to launch the new MySpace pages for Anime Today and Nozomi Entertainment.
• Marie takes on Yoshiki Nakamura’s comedic shoujo manga Skip Beat.
• Rich and Nick provide a rundown of upcoming conventions, courtesy of AnimeCons.com.
• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download episode 53 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes!

Sunday November 04, 2007

Less Than 1 Month Later...

I was having a late lunch at Bakers Square, and a woman driving a minivan backed into the Ulysses in the parking lot.

The rear left blinker was scuffed up as well, but it didn't show up well in the photograph. The damage to her minivan actually appeared quite a bit worse than the bike's damage, a number of scratches, and it was dented in. At least the bike fought back a bit.

Friday October 26, 2007

Right Stuf's ANIME TODAY Interviews Astro Boy Director Fred Ladd!

Right Stuf, Inc. kicks off its third year of podcasting by welcoming Mr. Fred Ladd - the pioneering TV producer responsible for the English adaptations of early U.S. anime hits, including Astro Boy, Gigantor and Kimba the White Lion - to episode 52 of ANIME TODAY.

In the first half of this new, in-depth interview, Mr. Ladd discusses his start in the radio and television industry, how Japanese animation was discovered by the West, the challenges of bringing Astro Boy to U.S. audiences and how the success of Astro Boy influenced the animation that followed it on both sides of the Pacific.

Also in thie Episode 50 of ANIME TODAY:

• Chad tells listeners "What's Hot" in the world of anime and manga.

• Shawne shares details about the "Spooky and Spectacular Savings" to be found on DVDs from FUNimation and AN Entertainment.

• Morgan Kollin, chairperson of Detroit, Michigan's YoumaCon, previews the games, guests and events planned for the convention's third year, during the weekend of November 1-4, 2007.

• Marie reviews the manic anime comedy of School Rumble.

• Rich and Nick remind listeners about the ongoing contest celebrating Viz Pictures' live-action releases of The Taste of Tea and Hula Girls and unveil a new contest in conjunction with the New York Anime Festival for weekend passes to the event.

• And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.

Ready to listen in? Download Episode 52 now!

Meet other ANIME TODAY listeners, submit your suggestions for future episodes and more at the official ANIME TODAY forums at AnimeOnDVD.com.

Just joining in? Learn how to subscribe or even check out the Anime Today Archive episodes - complete with regular and extended show notes!

Improving Navigation

In today's podcast, we mention that we've added menus to the site to improve navigation. Below you'll find a couple examples of these. The online store's most popular categories are now always within reach on the main site, and even Anime Today has one to make jumping to the episodes easier.

Thursday October 25, 2007

Continuing the Sneak Peak

We're actually going to be talking briefly about some of the features of the new web site in the episode of Anime Today that will be posted tomorrow. One of the sections that we're all extremely happy with is the new Nozomi Entertainment area. The latest releases are featured on the front page of their section, and all the series sites are in a detailed index so that you can quickly see which ones have wallpapers, avatars, screenshots, and all the other extras that we love to pack into these sites.

All the trailers that we've posted have been encoded at a higher quality than we've posted them at before, and they look stunning. The trailer feed also works great with iTunes, and we've tested it with iPods, iPhones, and Apple TVs (and in HD they look even more stunning).

Right now, its looking like the new site will be officially launched on Tuesday (if everything goes as planned).

Death to Blue!

After having a dark blue web site since the Spring of 2001, we decided that its really time for a change. Here's a small preview:

(Now if I could just find time to make this blog look a tad better.)

Friday October 19, 2007

"Your headlight is burned out."

When I was considering buying the Ulysses, I ran across a discussion board thread where someone wrote:

"I'm constantly being told I have a headlight burnt out and personally think it would look better with both lit all the time."

When I was in Ames last night picking up the bike, about 5 minutes after I left the dealership I ended up stuck at a traffic light that was having difficulties due to the storm. While waiting, a helpful person headed the other direction stopped their truck next to be and politely told me one of my headlights was burned out. I laughed to myself, and thanked them. It'll be interesting to see how frequently that happens in the future.

Thursday October 18, 2007

2008 Buell Ulysses

Even since Buell announced the Ulysses, its been a bike that's really caught my eye. When I was much, much younger, I rode a Suzuki DS80 dirt bike. The idea of having something that would be at home on highways, but wasn't afraid of getting dirty, sounded fun.

Several weeks back, a friend in Ames gave me a gift certificate to Zylstra Harley-Davidson/Buell in Ames for my birthday, and when I stopped by there to use it, I noticed that they had a 2006 Ulysses sitting on their floor. I sat on it, started at it, and went on my way.

The following week, I stopped back - this time, with my helmet in the car, and talked to another sales guy and asked if I could take it our for a test ride. They agreed, I was thrilled, and afterwards, the willpower to resist buying one was nearly gone. After leaving the dealer, I stopped at a local Des Moines Suzuki/etc. dealer, and tried out several other dirt bikes, dual sports, and such. No other brand I tried out felt as good as the Ulysses did when I took it out on the interstate. A few days later, I called the sales guy back, and told them to order a 2008, in barricade orange. Projected delivery date: January at the best. I was seriously disappointed.

Well, the second sales guy left the dealer in the meantime, and the third one, Mike, called me last week to let me know that not only did Buell have the bike I wanted, it would be on a truck and delivered this week! Their Thursday delivery rolled in, and this afternoon I received a call that it was ready for me to pick up. During what's been one of the rainest weeks of this year. This month, 5.26 inches, today, just under half an inch.

Despite the bad weather, a friend and I headed up to Ames, I had my rain gear and waterproof gloves (that I just bought a couple weeks ago), and picked up the bike. It poured on the way back, but I was relatively dry, and thanks to the heated grips, my hands were extremely warm.

And here's the new addition to the garage (along with me, extremely wet):

I can't wait to get it out on a nice fall day. Even in the pouring rain, with brand new (slick) tires, the bike handed incredibly well.