Artifacts of Ancient Sudan

God of the afterlife, with winged uraei flanking sun disc overhead. Meriotic, I think.

I managed to catch this exhibition at the Cultural Foundation of Abu Dhabi just days before it was due to close. I knew that there was much to see about ancient Sudan, and was especially interested in seeing this one after reading the recent Nat Geo special on Napatan Kush ( http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/02/black-pharaohs/robert-draper-text.html ), but even I did not expect to spend as much time as I did poring over the artifacts on display. There were pieces from all the major historical eras of Sudan - Neolithic, Kerma, Egyptian, Napatan, Meriotic, Christian and Islamic. The ones from the Egyptian, Napatan and Meriotic period were especially worth a second look. Great sculptures and carvings, and intricate goldwork (couldn't get pics of those, due to resolution constraints). As Nat Geo mentioned, the Nubians were probably the first Egyptomaniacs, and they carried their particular branch of Egyptian culture well into the ADs and past the subsumption of classical Egyptian civilization, even invading and holding Egypt for a time.

Klingons in Dubai

The Klingons have apparently set up an espionage outpost in Dubai, using an innocuous-looking small event company as a front.

I will continue observing them on behalf of the (yet-to-form) Federation to ensure that they do not sabotage First Contact and take over the galaxy. I will have to brush up on my tlhIngan Hol.

Angela Chang - Qin Ai De Na Bu Shi Ai Qing

 

張韶涵 - 親愛的那不是愛情

Just the kind of soft ballad I like. Meng Li Hua was good, but she's done a lot better with this one.

g00d 0m3n?

Today on my way back from evening classes, an SUV with the license plate 1337 happened to linger awhile in front of the car I was in. What are the odds?

Street Fighter: Where are they now?

Ten years after the Street Fighter saga began, the warriors regroup for a final fight ... but this time, it may be a mortal combat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLrWgVPeCzI

Hey, is it "hadouken"? I always thought it sounded like "aboogit" or something. Well, you learn something new everyday. There are 9 parts in all. The other 8 episodes can be accessed from the "Related Videos" panels.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is proof that fanbase-driven indies can be far better than cheesy commercialized big-name crap. I'm referring to that ridiculous movie they tried to make on the SF franchise back in the 90s. Ugh.

Speaking of which, CAPCOM has apparently not had enough of an embarassment with the first attempt, and wants to have another go at it. Let's see how they handle this one.

Azumanga Daioh

Ah, just finished watching Azumanga Daioh ... nearly 4 years after the first time I saw it. I bought my own copy recently, and it was worth every dollar (plus the relatively exhorbitant shipping). This is truly one of those feel-good Japanese animations. It's not quite a comedy, drama or action series. A bit like Seinfeld, it's a series "about nothing". The series in general is free of serious issues ... just the drama of the completely ordinary lives of 6 girls in high school. But there's something about each of the girls with which we can all identify. I personally feel closest to Sakaki, who loves small cute animals, but can't keep one and has trouble even getting close to one. A great watch anytime.

Garb for Geeks. Nyeh-heh-heh!

http://www.thinkgeek.com

If you are a geek to any degree, you will grin ear-to-ear browsing through this site. The designers of these products go beyond mere stereotypes, having creatively come up with stuff that embodies the essences of true geek cultures. Some of my favorites:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/724a/ : The geek love poem. For the non-geeks, #FF0000 and #0000FF are red and blue in hex color code, and All Your Base Are Belong To Us is a well-known geek meme.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/apparel/hats-ties/9352/ : Now if only I had an 8-bit suit to go with it.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/5d6a/ : 127.0.0.1 is the IP address that represents the universal home, or local host, address

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/illuminated/8e31/ : Hey, nobody seems to be winning.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/popculture/78c6/ : Scaryyyyyy!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/watches/6a17/ : On the bright side, it's far more robust than your regular LCD watch.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/sciencemath/8953/ : Not quite the popular definition of heavy metal, but technically quite accurate

If you haven't had your fill of geekiness, here's a little bonus: http://www.ducttapefashion.com/