Annoying frustration of Google image search

I don't know what's going on with Google's image search, but every so often I'll come up with a search term that brings about annoying behavior that I cannot figure out!!

OK. On the desktop, it's WinXP with all the latest updates. We have AVG and Norton for antivirus protection, possibly Spybot S&D in the background, and Norton Internet Security.

Most recent search term I used was the entire line, including quotes:

"car show" "sailor moon"

The first page comes up blank!! It'll have the Google stuff at the top and then the line of page numbers at the bottom but no results in between! This bodes badly. If I bring up page 2 of the results, I get stuff. Usually when one page of results comes up blank, others later on can sometimes behave the same way. "gamehotties" or the site URL in full also brings up similar behavior of Google image search - some pages are blank.

WebTV NEVER has this problem!!! By comparison!

This behavior on the desktop occurs in BOTH Internet Exploder 6 and Firefox 1.whatever it is. (I have the install for FF 2 but haven't run it yet.)

I don't think I've ever had a problem with Google Image search when I used Internet Exploder 4 on the Win95 laptop.

ARGH! I hate knowing something could be filtering and or blocking my content for absolutely no reason at all other than it's trying to piss me off. A good thing I still use WebTV.

Sometimes when you fiddle with something you figure it out

When I found out about yet one more piece of Wedding Peach animation that I still had not seen, I tried a bit of a websearch to find it. One website had a link - the key verb is HAD - but the file was removed and so was the link!

Then I found someone on Youtube uploaded a rather poor quality copy of it. The clip is the 3 girls Yuri, Hinagiku, and Momoko, on stage singing Virgin Love. This appeared on a Furil concert Laserdisc, but for some reason ADV never got the rights to it.

The problems with the clip from Youtube, aside from the asinine and annoying blockiness - Youtube allows for clips to be 150MB or 10 minutes, so when you're under the time limit, at least go for quality - is that when you have decoders that can play Flash Video media, they don't always transcode into other container formats well enough that the audio and video match up.

One converter I have can do the video from 23 to 29.97 frames per second. The video plays too fast at 23, and too slow at 29.97. There was a middle setting of 25 that I had to use when extracting the video by itself. Then I had to go back in and pull out the audio by itself.

If I couldn't adjust the playback speed of the video, but I do have Audacity and it can adjust the playing speed of the audio! In order to remotely have the video and audio synchronized for much at all, they'd have to play at almost the same length of time. The audio, I found out, was about 1.7 seconds too short! Audacity allowed me to adjust the speed by a small amount - -.8 percent. That's a Negative eight tenths of a percent speed reduction. This meant the audio would now run longer than the video, but under tests I performed using Windows Movie Maker, it pretty much synchronized well, much better than the program that had converted it.

I had used VLC to play the original file and it did a nice job - the video and audio remained aligned, but VLC as a stream converter, it's lacking in functionality. It can play the file it creates, but almost nothing else will. My Apex DVD player could play it...

But at any rate, I was able to convert the file, mix it back together, and even grabbed my translation of Virgin Love, and subbed about 95% of the clip. ^_^

If I can get a nice clearer copy and the dialogue translated a bit better than I did it, I'll resub it again.

Now that I figured out that Windows Movie Maker can do subtitles but not exactly where I'd like them, I might re-do the Hana Yori Dango movie... ^_-

I figured out how to grab streaming media...

With the use of SDP Multimedia's streaming media downloading software, which is free, and Mozilla Firefox, also free, I finally was able to grab digital audio samples of stuff from Japanese web pages for anime CDs that have samples to listen to.

I focused mainly on Tokyo Mew Mew CDs because I seriously want the actual CD. Two tracks for Mew Pudding have a Chinese flavor, and it's those I really wanted. The audio samples are about 45 seconds in length, unless of course the actual track is just under that length... ^_^ The Windows Media Player clips are much clearer and better quality than the comparable and muddy audio of RealPlayer. I guess it's not Memorex either.

Basically... Load up SDP's software and launch Firefox (provided you are already online). Launch a 2nd window of Firefox because you will need it.

Go to CD Japan's website (just as an example - this could work for others that offer streaming clips of anything). Find the listing in English of the CD you are interested in. If it shows that samples are available, launch that page link in another tab. Close the originating tab.

Find the WMP streaming link for the clip you want to hear and left click on it. A smaller window will now open and load from some website. Pay attention to the URL that Firefox says it's loading that window from. You will need that as your Main website URL in the 2nd window. Write it down, and then type it in the 2nd window, but don't click Go yet.

Go back to the player window that opened. When the player window is loaded and likely the clip playing already, hit Stop on the play bar. Move your mouse pointer to the bottom, just above the bottom border for the window. If you right click here, you will eventually get to the pop up menu for Showing that page or frame's source. Open it. You want to see the source HTML for the player window. For the player I had to deal with here, the 2nd line actually linked to the media bar and played the clip. Highlight this line. The first one loaded the album image, the 2nd is the line you want. It's easy enough to figure out. Do Not include the quotes!

Copy the line that basically has the URL info you need, and go into your 2nd browser window. Paste the text there after the main site URL that you should have observed Firefox loading from, and Go.

You should get a slightly funky page, but the streaming media bar will be there, and loading the media. Stop the playback, and right click to look at the source for the page. This is where you should find the MMS link to the WMA media you are trying to save! When you find it, highlight and Copy. Bring up SDP's thingy, and Open, Right click to Paste and OK. Then Go and it will bring up a Save box, then grab your media. Presto. Always look for MMS links for media, and SDP can grab it.

Some of the Tokyo Mew Mew clips I saved were less than 45 seconds long, and the rest were about 45 seconds. Sometimes that's enough, but I still want those CDs!!

Da latest

Well, I have my withdrawal card from the union. I've begun filing for unemployment compensation but I don't know right now if it'll be approved right away or I have to appeal. I think that'll need cleared up.

I wrote a 2 page letter to the union appealing the decision to not pursue my situation, so perhaps it will be further looked into, since I can bring up any other issues that relate to my case.

I've filled out lots of job apps. Nobody's called me back on any of them. Maybe I should call them? Dammit.

When they ask for reason why I left LJS, I put down "desired a less stressful environment." The reason for leaving Big Bird, I put "desired a return to food service."

Rite Aid, in the same plaza as Big Bird, is looking for a full time cashier. That would be sweet. I'd be visible in the same building and pRick couldn't do anything about it. But they ask if I've ever been dismissed or forced to resign. I was dismissed before my probationary period was up at Fisher's Big Wheel because I couldn't work with one other guy and unload the trucks fast enough. I guess that counts, but if I don't list it as one of my thingies in employment history, I think they'll ask why it's not there, and I guess my answer would be it was over 10 years ago.

Hmm...

I applied at the nursing home where my sister works, but unless her boss lady gets enough balls to get rid of one lady who's been milking the clock, as my sister puts it, then I'm still waiting for too long for that call. My sister says I'd have to get a physical (I hate them), a TB test (I don't have it and one test in Jr. High I basically avoided because I hate tests where stuff is injected into you - just something creepy and wrong with that), and something else. And for some stupid reason, I'd have to wear scrubs. Uh... Altman Hospital has an online job app site, but they ask if I've ever been fired. Online info I found doesn't indicate that they can't ask that, and advice people have left says to answer truthfully. I'm not sure what reason to put.

Big Wheel - couldn't work fast enough
LJS - ???
Big Bird - buying the wrong item at the wrong time

Some people say to write "ask me to explain".

My friends who still unfortunately work there are not spending their money in the store anymore for fear what happened to me will happen to them. As long as it doesn't line pRick's pockets. Mom's psychiatrist (or whatever she is) says she's very familiar with Asperger's. Mom just happened to ask out of the blue. The doctor rattled off a list of stuff and Mom seemed to think it described me well, and that I was probably born with Asperger's, which means I got it from my dad, and he's a real jerk. So there's possible talk to set up an appointment for possible evaluation. And then there was talk of possible "prescribing" of medications. She can prescribe whatever she wants, I ain't taking it. I will refuse because I don't need medication for anything mental. I don't believe in in it because I'm not experiencing anything that needs medication. I'm not a crazy person like one lady friends have told me about. But if the evaluation goes the way we're expecting, at least there's SSI or whatever I'd get.

Gee, if only they hadn't changed the rules, otherwise I could look forward to a several thousand dollar award, like my dad got. For his "mental impairment" of whatever, he got a check for a cool $10K when he filed. Promised each of his kids $1K each, but me and my sisters had to call him on the phone at his new personal 800 number to beg for it. While his kids with his 2nd wife didn't. Messed up, ne? I never saw any of the promised money, either. I could use it now!!!

I felt good about Subway when I applied there. "We're Rolling" Pretzel company was hiring and I applied there. Panera Bread was hiring and I applied there, but they actually gave me an estimated amount of time before I could expect a call.

I guess things are more stringent now. Consumer reports? Background checks? !!! What does my credit score have to do with being able to work? That's stupid and unfair.

I am so bored.

Tamagotchi V.4.5 has the star thingy attachment and looks like the UraTama a friend got for me from Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo. ^_^

Oh yeah, blurb: Comic Con announcement of sorts: Tokyopop licensed Mamotte Shugogetten manga. At least this time we'll likely get to see the entire run. Raijin got only 4 books out, with nearly 5 or 6 books worth of content in their magazine. I emailed Tokyopop about not making the same mistakes.

I recommended they look into "Bow Wow Wata" and when I email them again about Shugogetten, I'll ask them to look into Hanaukyou Maids manga.

Compounding Crap

Well, it wasn't enough for me to get suspended from my job for doing
nothing wrong. Oh no. Our tenanant in Apt. B and her 'boyfriend' had to
add something more. At some point after Tuesday, like Tuesday night or
whatever, they threw a bunch of brand new finishing nails under my car.
While I think they were intending to try to make me drive over them and
flatten a tire, they were thrown in such a way as to short out something
in my electrical system, thereby shorting out my battery and destroying
my alternator.

I'm going to fill out an application where my younger sister works and
see how soon things happen after that. The union is fighting for me and
everyone feels I have a case to get my job back. There's things I did
wrong, but there's things I did right.

I have a feeling it'll be a tough fight and I might have to take it to
an arbitrator.

Just yet another personal vendetta thing the high boss has against me in
his quest to make me quit working there.

A little note taped to the back door window this morning

Our renter in Apt B is finally getting the idea that the electric should
have been in her name all along. We're still going to file an eviction
notice just to make sure she leaves.

"To whom it concerns"

Well, she knows my name, this wasn't necessary.

"Please tell your sister to send me the bill for June. I'll pay it - it
will be in my name Friday, and I was planing (sic) to give you some
money Friday, And we plan on leaving within 2 weeks. I apologize for
being an inconvenience. I'm sorry being rude to you & [your sister]."

I wonder what happened recently that she's all nice-nice now. Anywho,
I'll half-accept it for now. I'll completely accept it after she leaves.
Maybe.

"If she has any questions, she can reach me at [deleted]"

"Thank you (signed) Morgan"

At least we got her attention that we are definitely in control and
anything they try to do is going to be illegal.

I feel good about this.

So Apt B tenants continue to thwart us

But not for much longer. At least my older sister is getting the form
filled out and notarized. I will pay the fee. I want them out.

After looking over the lease she wrote up, my sister told me do
something about the power to the apartment. I leave, then come back a
while later. I find out the power to the apartment is back on. Jamie
Miller, the guy who's Morgan Delane-Haught's boyfriend and father of her
baby daughter, broke in the basement here. I've filed a complaint with
the Columbiana County sheriff. A deputy told me later that the electric
service can't be legally shut off. And actually, if they felt like it,
they could do a similar complaint against us for turning the power off.
(Sounds like it would cancel each other out.) And I'm like WHAT? It's
YOUR property but you can't do anything about it? The service was
supposed to be turned into Morgan's name and she never did that. Since
she moved in, she's been running up the bill by leaving lights on for
days at a time. She doesn't care, she's not paying the bill!!! Even
though my sister says she'll be sending her a bill for the electric, I
don't think it'll get paid. So we'll add that on to the amount we say
she owes.

I want to be there when the eviction notice is served. The deputy was
helpful in saying we might as well follow the eviction process and let
it go. And we should get an attorney who can advise us on stuff like
this before we do anything.

Still, he broke in. The complaint's filed.

I'm writing the lease contract this time. We'll check backgrounds on
applications thouroughly. Not getting screwed again.

Colossalcon goodies haul and other stuff

What I collected at Colossalcon:

Eiken DVD

Kashimashi V.1 - This series is being marketed to "Yuri fans" and is
Subtitle Only - No dub.

Otaku no Video, Princess Tutu V.6, and before the Canadian Premiere, I
had Suzumiya Haruhi V.1 at Best Buy and earned Get-Go fuel points at the
same time.

I didn't buy any CDs at the convention. I did find The Beatles' Revolver
CD though before the convention. Been wanting that for a while.

Sorta Huge Chii-chan figure.

Suzumiya Haruhi goodies - playing cards, 2 Suzumiya Haruhi "Flash Plate"
thingies - solar powered!; SOS Brigade leader armband and a Haruhi
plushie. ^_^ One girl had purchased a big Mikuru plushie but some jerk
stole her off the table she had it on in the artists area.

Air Gear Gachapon set only because of 1 bunnygirl figure. I will likely
sell the rest on eBay.

Sailor Moon World 2 cards, Cardcaptor Sakura cards from the first movie.
Rei-chan plushie that's also a towel holder (if you want to use it that
way). Sailor Jupiter stationery. I also found 3 posters. These are those
posters you can't buy at Anime North anymore because it's one of those
"indeterminable license" items.

Tsukuyomi girl in PE Bloomers figure ^_^ Kawaii!!

4 figures (entire set) of Princess Rein (rain) and Fine from the anime
The Twin Princesses of the Mysterious Planet. One trading figure from
the PSE 3.0 trading figure set by Range Murata. It wasn't the girl on
the front which is the reason why I took a chance to buy it.

Loads of keychain figures - Ojamajo Doremi Christmas set, Pretty Cure,
and Pretty Cure cellphone charms. Tokyo Mew Mew pencil toppers.

Completed the set for Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne manga and picked up Pastel
book #3.

I think that's mostly everything.

NOW onto something completely different-

We served a 3 day notice to vacate on the tenant in Apt. B. When I got
home from the convention, Mom found a lot about the lady my sister got
in the apartment.

She used her maiden name instead of her married name which she had
gotten in trouble for because of writing bad checks. Last month, she
wasn't in the hospital - she was in JAIL for one day. She keeps getting
arrested for passing bad checks!

We had a couple of "bums" as mom put it hanging around front. The guy
just got out of jail, and was violating parole for being around the
woman he was with who was wanted in Columbiana county!

She's been lying to us this whole time. In fact, she got some sort of
attitude like how dare I return home while she was out. Um, like I live
here? I found my Do Not Block Driveway sign had been ripped off the
buidling. OK, I'll add that to the damages she or her friends have
inflicted, like the broken hole on the back porch. I nailed that sign
back up.

So she's like "I'm not going to move until you serve me an eviction
notice" attitude. Fine. I went to get the forms on Monday. If my sister
has problems paying the $196 fee to have it served in person, I just
might help as long as I get the refund on the $100 deposit for the
sherriff's services to serve the notice. My sister is trying to see if
her arrests can become a fast track out of here.

Now, if my sister would just sell her property in Florida, she'd be out
of her hole in what she owes my aunt. Maybe.

Colossalcon 2007 Report

The first thing I have to say about Colossalcon is that I had a very
good time there.

Registration opened up at 9 am!! 9 am! Anime North opens that at 1 pm.
That means for Colossalcon, stuff happens as soon as the day starts. I
got to see some Otaku no Video in one of the video rooms.

Oh hey - this will impress you if you've never seen this - the video
rooms are run off computers. Unless they have to run a videotape,
everything is loaded onto the hard drives and run off the systems,
equipped with projectors. The neat thing, if the system is set up in
this way, that someone could use their wifi connection, check up on what
file is playing, adjust volume, pretty much keep up on the status of the
video rooms at any moment. The only time this went bad was a Spanish
subbed live action Death Note movie was playing, and someone volunteered
the use of their DVD with English subs. I got to fix that, and the crowd
of cheers I got when I figured it out (I haven't much experience with
PowerDVD).

The systems ran all day with few problems. Neat.

I later was able to go into the dealers room on Friday and bought a copy
of Otaku no Video on DVD. Only 1 dealer had it. And it's the only
official Gainax release with any Daicon Bunnygirl footage in it!

The dealers room was small but made up for it with the dealers in there.
Fast Food Anime (bought Kashimashi 1 for $15!), Hammergirl Anime with a
large selection of discounted manga (I completed my set of Kamikaze
Kaitou Jeanne manga and got Pastel #3). One dealer had 8 different
flavors of Ramune. I also bought out their Sailor Moon World 2 cards. I
had almost a complete set from one box, and box 2 had Card 29 of that
set which was the only one I needed. JC Comics and Cards had a nice big
Chii-chan figure I snapped up. There was one guy selling trading
figures, but if you ended up with a double, he would trade you for
another until you didn't have a double. Anime Pavillion was there but
without their customary CDs. Anime Palace from Columbus OH had very
reasonable prices on items I bought. One guy offered Staff discounts!
^_^

I struck out trying to complete my sets of Angel's Tail (need 3 and 4),
Galaxy Angel Z (again, need 3 and 4). Princess Tutu (just need #1!!!).

Also on Friday was a test run of our Okonomi Stop. ^_^ Got donations for
6 servings that day. ^_^

We also had reports of 2 people counterfeiting badges for the
convention. In fact, the con chair was escorting one of these idiots out
so he had like 2 minutes to tell us to get cup ramen ready for the
eating contest. We whipped up 50 cups in very little time, and
considering we had very little notice... ^_^;;;

Saturday was the main operation of Colossalcon's unofficial ramen stand.
The microwave oven we were using burned out mid-way through operations.
However, I managed to mix up 2 more batches of okonomiyaki and made back
my money and a little extra on the supplies I bought. That was
definitely the hit of the convention. I'm sad to say some people didn't
get to try any when I shut down at 5 pm so I could go to the cosplay and
videotape it. I'm hoping next year I'm able to offer more variety, but
this at least proves when I have something authentic, made with good
ingredients and with authentic Japanese Okonomi sauce and Kewpie
Japanese Mayonaise, it will be good and people will buy some.

Though we had a couple close calls of nearly getting shut down by
convention security (one or 2 well-meaning individuals who got
straightened out).

I had hoped to open around 10 am, but we had people sleeping in the room
and I wanted my shot at the dealers room again. ^_^

After counting the money I had collected, I decided to lay low on the
last day of Colossalcon. Besides, we were having to clean up, pack up,
and get out that day anyway. I didn't get much of a chance to see people
and costumes, but at least I have one roll of film to process and I've
yet to watch the video I shot.

I spent too much money. I didn't spend it all though. And I struck out
again on meeting any girls... T.T

Another Renter Bites The Dust

After only 1 month, the latest occupant of Apartment B has been ordered
to vacate due to not paying the security deposit as well as not paying
rent for June.

She "lost" her job in May. Boy, that set a new record. At least the
previous occupant had her job for about 5 months before she got fired
from it due to stealing from a client.

We're going to pick the next renter and I'm going to write up the lease
contract. There's a LOT of conditions that will be met.

I figured this lady would be trouble from day one. While she was moving
in, the building was having the roof worked on. We were told in no
uncertain terms what was to go in the dumpster and was not. She decided
upon herself without asking anyone to put one chair we had in Apt. B in
the dumpster. I had to remove that. Then she put in other items she no
longer wanted - apparently going through the stuff she was moving and
getting rid of it. Garbage. Garbage consisted of any personal items you
would buy for yourself. That included clothing and furniture as well as
food. I had to put a sign on the dumpster before it stopped, which was
me writing on a pizza box that got deposited in there.

The chair smelled like dog urine, apparently peed on by the little dog
of the lady who lived there. It didn't smell like that before!

Then she claimed she kept getting nails in her tires and had to buy 3
new ones, and wanted my sister to pay for them. She refused. But she did
pay for new carpet to be installed. Hmph.

We eventually did get rid of the chair. But one night I came home and
found mom's roll top desk sitting outside Apt. B with flowers and
planters all over it. Morgan, not her real name, said she didn't have
room in the apartment for it, and asked if we had room for it. I told
her no, but it could be put in Apt. C, but it was mom's and she wouldn't
want it ruined. Again, she decided without asking to move something we
provided, and did so in a way that we would not have approved.

I had to post a sign saying Do Not Block Driveway and put up a Visitor
Parking sign. I told her it was safe to park in the grass next to the
house. She did that only once, instead opting to park in front of Apt.
B's front door or our door or some space across the road. I had to honk
my horn only twice when coming home, and had to deal with a drunk who
backed up a little too much early on.

My older sister, the landlord, is not waiting this time. When she got a
call from the renter, she explained that we was going to ask her to
vacate and had 3 days to leave. "But I have no other place to go!" Too
bad, you no pay rent and security deposit ($750), you no stay.

So we got the statement tonight, printed 2 copies. One was posted on her
front door, the other was put in an envelope and slid under her front
door.

Apt. B renter finally returned about 10 minutes ago. I was in the
kitchen doing stuff. She knocks on the back door. Right away, she
accused me of entering her apartment and wanted to know how the envelope
"got into the middle of the floor". I told her I simply slid it under
the door. I don't have a key to her apartment, and I was never in there.
What had happened is that the envelope was caught by the bottom edge of
the door and was pushed into the room when she came back and opened it.
That seemed to calm her down a bit, but does not remove the reason for
the letter, and that is to vacate in 3 days.

How dare she get smart with me and accuse me of being in there anyway?
Well, you didn't pay rent, and you spoke to the landlord over the phone
who said you are to leave. She isn't going to take her money, because
then you have to wait all over again to evict someone. If she doesn't
leave, then there will be a sheriff called to evict her.