Saturday September 06, 2008 
Monday September 01, 2008 Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Iowa Speedway
Wednesday August 20, 2008 Before:
After:
Alison, Nick and myself at the Anime Iowa Right Stuf and Nozomi panel.
Thursday August 07, 2008 
The artist that's been painting it annually for the last 10 years.
Posted by rich ( Aug 07 2008, 10:11:41 PM CDT ) Permalink
Friday July 11, 2008 Having recently destroyed my original iPhone, I needed to get a replacement. 90 minutes in line later, I had an iPhone 3G. Here are a few initial impressions:
- Easier to hold shape, but really dislike the plastic. Feels cheap.
- Blacks on the screen don't seem to be as dark as my original iPhone.
- Increased speaker volume is nice, I often had problems hearing the other party when the environment was noisy.
- Better Wi-Fi reception. I used to stand next to my access point at home, and the iPhone wouldn't notice it was there.
- Restoring my iPhone's backup to the iPhone 3G was handled well. 5 minutes and all my old data is back (notes, photos, settings - everything).
- Love the additional space (16 G vs. 8 G - old one was full). Not 3G specific, but still nice.
- I really dislike that I needed to buy a new dock.
- I still hate AT&T.
Friday June 13, 2008 
Monday April 21, 2008 Just launched on Friday: Anime Today Forums
Posted by rich ( Apr 21 2008, 03:22:16 PM CDT ) Permalink
Friday April 18, 2008 I want to like Novell... Really...
To download SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Novell require a login. When creating an account, they state "By completing this form, I am giving Novell and/or Novell's partners permission to contact me regarding Novell products and services." with absolutely no option to opt out of being contacted by a partner.
After registering (with a disposable email address), they require you to answer a questionnaire:
How many employees work in your entire organization?
What is your company's industry?
What is your current relationship with Novell?
What is your primary area of interest?
What are your current requirements/requests of Novell?
Annoying. And it required an activation code to install it.
How do new technologies get adopted by me, and subsequently by the businesses I work with? Let me obtain it, hassle free, and try it out. Telling me that my contact information will be distributed to third parties, steering me through questionnaires after seeing a list of download that I might be able to get after I hand over just a bit more information, doesn't qualify in my mind. And that was after I had already handed over my name, address, phone number, and email address just to register on their site.
Posted by rich ( Apr 18 2008, 03:59:06 PM CDT ) Permalink
Thursday April 17, 2008 ANIME TODAY Interviews VIZ Media VP Gonzalo Ferreyra
Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Gonzalo Ferreyra – the vice president of sales, publishing and home video for VIZ Media– to episode 64 of ANIME TODAY.
In this new interview, Ferreyra discusses how anime and manga are interconnected, plus the challenges and opportunities that arise when both anime and manga components of a series are available in the same market.
Also in Episode 64:
- Chad tells listeners “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
- Just back from the Tokyo International Anime Fair, Shawne shares his photos and impressions of the event.
- Stan Dahlin, founder, guest relations and events chair of Kawaii Kon 2008, previews the event, which takes place on the weekend of April 18-20 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- L.B. Bryant, the webmaster of Otaku Review, reports on Sakura-Con 2008’s industry panels and musical guests, plus shares details about his interview with actor/director Todd Haberkorn.
- Shawne reminds listeners about the last days of “The Savings You Seek” on DVDs and more from FUNimation.
- Rich and Nick remind listeners about the contest for the first two volumes of the Del Rey manga Fairy Tail and about updates to the official site for The Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye.
- Marie checks out the Clamp Double Feature, a two-disc set that includes Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom and xxxHOLiC: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- Listen to musical clips from the JapanFiles.com release, Echo Park by advantage Lucy.
- And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.
Ready to listen in? Download episode 64 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!
Posted by rich ( Apr 17 2008, 09:49:31 PM CDT ) Permalink
Tuesday April 01, 2008 ANIME TODAY Interviews Del Rey Manga Associate Publisher Dallas Middaugh
Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Dallas Middaugh – associate publisher for Del Rey Manga – to episode 63 of ANIME TODAY.
In this new, two-segment interview, Middaugh discusses his career in the publishing industry, the start of Del Rey’s manga imprint, the state of the North American manga industry and its relationship with manga fans, Del Rey’s upcoming collaboration projects with Marvel Comics (X-Men and Wolverine) and Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas), and what Del Rey Manga has in store for in 2008, including Faust and the launch of Fairy Tail, a new title from Hiro Mashima (Rave Master)
Also in Episode 63:
- Chad tells listeners “What’s Hot” in the world of anime and manga.
- Rich reminds fans about the last three days of the “Spring Cleaning Clearance” at RightStuf.com.
- Kris and Judy have “spring break” on the brain and talk about visiting onsen in the “Anime and Gamers’ Guide.”
- Rich and Nick announce the winners of the contest for Dragon Ball Z video games on several game platforms and kick off a new contest for the first two volumes of the Del Rey manga Fairy Tail.
- Marie checks out the new anime Tweeny Witches.
- Judy-sensei teaches listeners onsen-related words in this episode’s installment of Japanese 101.
- Listen to musical clips from the JapanFiles.com release, Time Machine RK by Rocket K.
- And finally, ANIME TODAY highlights some of the newest fan reviews from RightStuf.com visitors.
Ready to listen in? Download episode 63 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!
Posted by rich ( Apr 01 2008, 11:25:44 PM CDT ) Permalink
Sunday March 16, 2008 Buell Ulysses 1,000 Mile Service and Suspension
Yikes ... I brought the bike into Zylstra H-D/Buell last week, $328. I don't remember what the Sportster's first service was, but I don't think it was quite that much.
Another important lesson: I'd been lazy and never taken the time to setup the suspension according to the guidelines in the owner's manual. I finally did today, and WOW, what a difference. It feels like a completely different, and even more incredible bike. I'd never really seen what a dramatic difference suspension could make in a vehicle's handling.
Two annoyances: I cannot get used to having to shut off the blinkers manually. Also, the throttle feels like its very soon, 1/8" - 1/4" inch of looseness. I asked the dealer to look at it during the service, and they said it was properly adjusted. I can't believe that's correct, and I forgot to check the Buells that they had sitting on the floor to see how their throttles were adjusted.
Posted by rich ( Mar 16 2008, 09:45:42 PM CDT ) Permalink