So You Want a Japanese Tattoo...

Ah tattoos...very personal symbols indeed. From what image to colors, to placement you use is your own. As otaku, there may be certain...Japanese tattoos that inspire you. So allow me to give you some advice on how to go about getting your perfect ink. This entry will only be about designs. I'll post another bit later on choosing an artist and the process.

First and foremost, you have to remember that tattoos are permanent. Yes, there is painful, expensive surgery to get rid of them; but why would you waste your time, money, and pain tolerance on removal when you can just take your time in thinking about what you want on your skin for the rest of your life. For now, we'll focus on three Japanese styles: art, kanji, and anime.

Art: Japanese art tattoos have a very distinct style that suits skin well. Ever notice how tattooed images can look a little...cartoony? Well Japanese style tats bend that look into a graceful art. However, there is something important to keep in mind...the Yakuza.

I was quite surprised when my friend in Kanazawa informed me that tattoos are not very well accepted in Japan. In fact, most tattoos are associated with Yakuza. You wouldn't be allowed in most hot springs without covering your ink. Even worse, you damn well better not get caught by one of these guys with a full-body Yakuza design. Take the Japanese tattoo style and make it something of your own. Don't be a poser.

Kanji: The same friend of mine has a brother who got some kanji tattooed on his neck. He thought it read "spiritual energy" but ended up actually being something more like "sexual power." The moral of this story is: always research your kanji. There are websites that will charge you to design your kanji tattoo, but if it's not something too obscure, you can easily do some internet research and save some images. Be sure to cross-reference your words. Just like in English, there are heterographs (words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings such as "roll" and "role" or "bored" and "board.") For example, the word "jishin" can mean both "earthquake" or "self-confidence" depending on how the kanji is drawn.

I got lucky with my kanji tattoo. I always knew that I wanted "unmei" on my left ankle. I happened to wander into a store where they had a calligrapher who would design the tattoos for the artists to trace on the skin. (There's a funny story here, but this is a lengthy post as is) As long as you know exactly what you want and how the kanji is supposed to look, you should be alright.

Anime: We love our anime. Some of it means more to us than others. Sometimes we find a symbol or a character we can relate to on a deep level. The most important question to ask yourself when considering an anime tattoo is "Will I be embarrassed to explain to others what this is?" If the answer is "yes," you might want to reconsider.

As some of you heard, I recently got an anime-related tattoo. I don't have a finished image yet, but I'll post it when I do. I decided to get the rose crest from the TV version of "Revolutionary Girl Utena." Why that symbol? I have my reasons. It's not just because I love the anime, but it's a series that some of my dearest friends and I bonded over. To me, it doesn't just symbolize my passion for anime, it also symbolizes the love I have for my friends.

In conclusion, think long and hard about what you want etched into your skin. Make it worth your time, money, and pain. More on the mechanics of getting a tattoo next time.

Reader Request: Red Curry Recipe

If you're into anime, you've probably seen plenty of references to curry. Curry comes in a wide variety of flavors and styles. Ever since I first discovered Thai style masamun, I've been making my own. Of course, my stuff doesn't taste much like what you find in restaurants, but it's still tasty. Some of my twitter followers have been asking for my red curry recipe, or as I call it...

TEGGY'S SPICY ORANGE GOO OF DEATH!!!

Death? Really? Yes. This curry could kill several personal friends of mine with their allergies. If you have any aversion to the ingredients in this recipe, use your common sense and don't eat it.

(Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS
1 can of light coconut milk
1-2 tbsp red, green, or masamun curry paste (add to taste)
3 tbsp fish oil
2 tbsp brown sugar

1 potato - Russet baking potato or sweet potato
1-2 boneless chicken breasts

Optional: 1/2 cup of chicken or beef stock to cut the coconut milk, small handful of peanuts or cashews, bamboo shoots, lemongrass, whatever other veggies or meat/tofu you might like to add (I strongly advise against turkey)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat conventional oven to 450 degrees for regular potatoes, 400 for sweet potatoes. Wash and pierce potato, then bake it for 1 hour. Begin the next process with 15-20 minutes left to bake.

Grill chicken breasts or pan fry your protein of choice. You can also find pre-grilled chicken strips to save time. Those I just dice up and brown a little in a pan on the stove first. No oils necessary.

Pour the coconut milk into a medium saucepan, then add the curry paste, fish oil, and brown sugar (also add chicken stock and lemon grass at this point if you want them). Be cautious with your fish oil to brown sugar ratio. If you have too much fish oil, it'll taste funky. To correct, just add a little more brown sugar. If it's too sweet, add a touch more fish oil. I like to wisk the mixture to get the ingredients to blend well. The curry paste needs to be mashed up and well blended to avoid chunks of spicy pain.

Very slowly, heat up the sauce pan. Keep stirring and add in the chicken at this time. The goal is to have it at about a boil when the potatoes finish cooking. Don't let it heat too quickly or boil too long without stirring. This causes the curry to get a little too gooey and separate. You want it liquidy.

When the potatoes are done baking, remove them from the oven and cut off the skins. Then cut the insides into small, bite-sized chunks. Smaller is better when it comes to spicy...trust me. Add the potato chunks to the curry and let them simmer for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring! You can also add other veggies at this point if you desire.

Serve in small bowls with rice on the side. I like to add some peanuts once the curry is in the bowls because I store the leftovers in the fridge. If you add peanuts into the leftovers, they'll get soft when they sit till next time. If you like it that way, then all the power too ya!

To reheat, just pour the concoction back into a saucepan (usually a smaller one) and slowly reheat. It will be a bit thicker than the night before, but it should still taste the same.

Note: You can make the same recipie with green curry paste. I don't care for yellow, so I haven't tried that yet.

Caution: This stuff is wicked hot and spicy! Be very careful when handling so you don't burn yourself. And no, there is no wine that goes with curry. You'll want to drink lots of water.

Placating Pirates May Piss Off the Rest of Us

(image from Joystiq)

In a recent talk with Kotaku, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello stated that even though the company doesn't care for pirates, EA is trying to view them as a market for downloadable content. He states, "There's a sizable pirate market and a sizable second sale market and we want to try to generate revenue in that marketplace." Basically, EA thinks they can get pirates to buy DLC and still recover some of the money lost to theft.

Now hold on a second.

What does that say to consumers who legitimately purchase video games if EA is so nonchalant about piracy? It sends the message that they're willing to let it slide if some people steal from them.

So why not the rest of us? Why should we bother to pay for a video game and the DLC when EA will allow others to purchase DLC even if they don't pay for the game? That's like giving out bonus points on future purchases at retail to people who buy items as well as shoplifters. Why should theives be allowed the same perks as the law abiding citizen? That's not fair at all.

If I were in charge-- mostly cause I can be a really harsh biotch when it comes to people breaking my rules --I would do what Eidos did with Batman Arkham Asylum and add glitches that render the content unplayable unless they are legitimate copies. You wanna steal from me punk? I'll make damn sure you get no pleasure from it.

Source: Kotaku

Pokemon is the Devil!

Holy crap this shit is funny.

HAWK SMASH!!!

Update: The NPD group reports that Tony Hawk: Ride sold only 114,000 units. That's 9,000 united LESS than DJ Hero.

Skateboarding legend and roller coaster designer Tony Hawk is not a happy man. Sure has has millions of dollars from an empire he built on sheer talent and cunning....

...but no. Despite this, Tony is unhappy because his latest video game Tony Hawk: Ride is getting panned by critics. Someone who has been in the spotlight for years knows perfectly well that some people just aren't going to like you or your product no matter what you try. After a while, you stop taking it personally.

Not so much this time. Tony has fired back in under 140 characters by stating, "Most snarky critics had their minds set before ever seeing/playing the game. I'm proud of what we created; it's innovative, responsive & fun."

My question to Tony is, "How do you know that first sentence to be true?" Many critics who did not care for Ride enjoyed some earlier installments in the skateboarding franchise. Yes, many critics even thought the board peripheral was innovative, but unless your game executes its primary function in a satisfactory manner, then it only harms the game. Especially when the developers leave out the option to not use the board. When he questions the integrity of video game reviewers, that does nothing but make them angry.

In conclusion, it's perfectly okay for Tony to be unhappy with the criticism. That's a normal reaction. What he needs to do next is realize that if a majority of critics have negative comments, then he needs to accept that the problem is his game, learn from it, and create something better next time. Hey, if 50 Cent could do it, certainly Tony Hawk can.


Source: Tony Hawk Ride response