Why isn't it a surprise that it's a http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/04/15/j ... od-as-new/]Japanese craftsman who can do the apparently impossible?
Anyone who's got a treasured but crumbling book might want to look into this guy's rates, and how much it costs to ship round trip to his shop.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Denver Comic Con has come and gone again, as it does, and I picked up a couple commissions, as I do. One of them was a portrait of my favorite comic relief/deus ex machina:

Fig. 1: Dee in her standard human-scale avatar body, along with five Troyer miniature models and a standard Black Mesa construction/maintenance spider unit. Illustration by http://sheathcomics.com/]Sheath Comics.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

Okay - here's an idea I'm just going to toss out. I'm probably not even going to use it myself. It's far too silly... 
 

Kamen Rider Blackadder

As you might guess, he's NOT going to be the shining example of heroism to look up to, oh noooo...

In case you're wondering at the references - 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider_Series

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder

Quote:[After Blackadder has gotten a reprieve, no thanks to George and Baldrick]

Blackadder: I'm not a religious man as you know, but henceforth, I shall nightly pray to the God who killed Cain and squashed Samson that he comes out of retirement and gets back into practice on the pair of you! 

[the phone rings] 

Captain Blackadder speaking. Ah, Captain Darling. Yes, well some of us just have friends in high places, I suppose. Yes I can hear you perfectly. You want what? You want two volunteers for a mission into no-man's land? Code name: "Operation Certain Death"? Yes, I think I have just the fellows. 

[he hangs up and grins cruelly at George and Baldrick] 

God is very quick these days!

Well, one does in the being-filmed Suicide Squad movie. (Assuming that is an "L" painted on the fuselage-wreckage prop.) And apparently it isn't the only aircraft that crashes in the movie.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/s ... -1.3087047

(Heh - two blocks south-east and it would have "taken out" Maple Leaf Gardens.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Well, I found a big one earlier last night while reviewing things.  Check it out:

Quote:“Oh, speaking of things in the air,” said Usagi suddenly.

“Raven’s breath, here we go...”

“What is up between you and Rei?”

“Heeh?” said Naru cutely.  “Did something happen last night?”

Kaname scoffed.  “I should say so!  This friend of Usagi’s?  Hino Rei?  Miko at the Hikawa Shrine?  Gorgeous girl that goes to that super-upscale girls academy downtown?  You’d think she’d be some proper and reserved little hime-chan.  And she probably is most of the time.  But apparently Zee-kun’s mere existence is enough to make little miss perfection go completely thermonuclear.”

I had to stifle a snort at that - if only Kaname knew who Rei really was, then she’d know that ‘thermonuclear’ would be putting it a bit mildly.
“Heee-eeeehhh?” said Naru.  “But I've seen her before!  She’s always so cool and collected, even when other boys try to ask her out or hit on her.  Did she really get angry?”
Kaname laughed.  “She tried attacking him!  And then Zee-kun laid her out like this happens to him every day!  I swear if it hadn't been so scary at the time I would have laughed when it happened.”

It seems ever since #GamerGate kicked off last August the PC police have begun lashing out in every direction as if to compensate for their inability to cower gamers back into line.  
Just a few days ago there was a rather predictable uproar from the "trigger" crowd about a controversial rape scene in the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Of course, nearly every episode includes scenes of people being horrifically injured or dying, not only in battle, but by being tortured, having limbs amputated, drowned, burnt or tossed off cliffs. Children are given poison to drink. Distinguished community leaders are burned alive and eaten by dragons. If there's one thing you can be assured of, it's that George R.R. Martin truly gets how awful and brutal life in a middle age (fantasy) culture can be, and how cheap life is and has been for the vast majority of humanity's past. And he doesn't shrink from portraying it. But somehow this scene crossed a line. “Never mind all that brutal murder, off-screen rape is where I draw the line!”
Just a couple weeks earlier there was a backlash against Avengers: Age of Ultron because Black Widow’s desire to have children apparently undermines her character in a way the skin-tight leather suit never did.  There was so much vitriol sent Joss Whedon’s way for this that when he left Twitter, everyone assumed angry feminists drove him off.  He later told BuzzFeed that was not the reason despite his explanation sounding quite a bit like it was.
And it goes on and on. Scientists wear unacceptable shirts. Star Wars fans are racist for wondering about that black Stormtrooper. Yahoo even has people complaining that the new Supergirl series’ trailer is too girly and therefore sexist.
Well, Jurassic World star Chris Pratt decided he’s not waiting to be accused of some kind of -ism for a comment during the upcoming press junket for that film.  Instead, he issued a terribly amusing pre-apology on his Facebook page:

Quote:I want to make a heartfelt apology for whatever it is I end up accidentally saying during the forthcoming ?#?JurassicWorld? press tour. I hope you understand it was never my intention to offend anyone and I am truly sorry. I swear. I’m the nicest guy in the world. And I fully regret what I (accidentally will have) said in (the upcoming foreign and domestic) interview(s).
I am not in the business of making excuses. I am just dumb. Plain and simple. I try. I REALLY try! When …I do (potentially) commit the offensive act for which I am now (pre) apologizing you must understand I (will likely have been) tired and exhausted when I (potentially) said that thing I (will have had) said that (will have had) crossed the line. Those rooms can get stuffy and the hardworking crews putting these junkets together need some entertainment! (Likely) that is who I was trying to crack up when I (will have had) made that tasteless and unprofessional comment. Trust me. I know you can’t say that anymore. In fact in my opinion it was never right to say the thing I definitely don’t want to but probably will have said. To those I (will have) offended please understand how truly sorry I already am. I am fully aware that the subject matter of my imminent forthcoming mistake, a blunder (possibly to be) dubbed “JurassicGate” is (most likely) in no way a laughing matter. To those I (will likely have had) offended rest assured I will do everything in my power to make sure this doesn’t happen (again).

Quote:…and I’m too busy wishing this clip wasn’t 70’s era sexist. She’s a stiff, he’s a life-force – really? Still? http://t.co/qqts4jpSva
— Joss Whedon (@josswhedon) April 10, 2015

http://femurdesign.com/theremin/

Don't forget to try all four of the waveforms.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

I have a small pile of old Babylon 5 miniatures - in the smaller, hex-map-conforming "Fleet Action" scale - that I'm never going to use, and it's time to start clearing my basement.
(And I could really use some extra cash, I just got hit with some bills that are going to make the next couple of weeks very uncomfortable.)
I also have a couple of the spaceships from Battletech (a McKenna, two Camerons, and an Aegis) if anyone's interested in those.
Centauri: $30 the lot, or per loose/blister:Loose2x Primus ($3.50 ea)2x Centurion ($3.50 ea)4x Kutai ($2 each)
In Blister ($6/blister)Haven
Lias
Narn: $30 the lot, or per loose/blister:
Loose2x G'Quan ($3.50 ea)3x Rongoth ($2.50 ea)
Blister ($6/blister)Var'nic DestroyerSho'kos Cutter x2
Earth Alliance: ($35 the lot, or loose2x Hyperion ($3 ea)3x Olympus ($3 ea)1x Oracle ($3 ea)6x Omega ($3.50 ea)
Shadows $6/blisterDestroyer/Scout x2Medium Fighter
Vorlons $6/blisterLight CruiserTransport/Scout x2
League of Non-Aligned Worlds
Brakiri $6/blisterHalik x2Falkosi Light FighterFleet Box ($30) (Worth $46 at AoG's current per-ship pricing)
Hyach ($40 the lot or loose/blister)Loose:Urutha Kal DN ($5)Tachila Kor CVS ($3.50)2x Irokai Kam BC ($3.50 ea)4x Okath Kat FF ($2 ea)1 Alichi Kav Sub ($2)
Blisters ($6/each)Irokai Kam BCSenchlat Kes CAOkath Kat FFTachila Kor CVS
Dilgar: $45/set or loose:1 Mishakur DN ($6)2 Tratharti BC ($3.50)2 Targath CA ($3.50)4 Ochlavita DD ($2.50)4 Jashakar FF ($2.50)3 Protra Scout ($2.50)7 fighters ($4/set)
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.