If you're one of those rare people that actually come to visit this blog, you may have noticed that the visual style has changed. I've been learning CSS lately, so I thought I'd give customizations a shot. What do you guys think? Feel free to leave feedback in the comments.

The official IM@S blog brings us new details on G4U! First off, Although the video has been up since the beginning of August, I never linked it, so for those who haven't seen it yet, here is the G4U! playthrough promotion video. G4U! VOL.1 will be on the beach, and as can be seen from the video, the featured outfits are swimsuits. G4U! VOL.2 will be in a school classroom, and we get two school related outfits, one being the school uniform, and the other being the school swimsuit. There are no details yet on further volumes of G4U!. As posted previously, G4U! VOL.1 will be included in the the PS3 [THE IDOLM@STER 2] First-run Limited Production Edition Special Box, while subsequent volumes will be included in the [Anime & G4U! Pack] for each anime Blu-ray. The IM@S blog warns however that like the Special Box, the Anime & G4U Packs will also be limited production, so to be sure to pre-order if you want to get the later volumes of G4U!. And it has been confirmed that a fil...

Official news on IM@S 2 for PS3 and G4U! Vol. 2 comes by way of Dengeki Online ! Some of it confirms what I posted previously, but there is a bunch of brand new stuff too. First-run Limited Production Edition (19,800 yen, tax included) PS3 Software [THE IDOLM@STER 2] Anime Blu-ray [THE IDOLM@STER Vol. 1] Complete Production Limited Edition Vocal CD [PERFECT IDOL 01] Newly commissioned novel Voucher for priority event ticketing Digipak case with commissioned illustration by Atsushi Nishigori Special Pin-up Box to hold all 9 Blu-ray volumes of the anime PS3 Software [THE IDOLM@STER Gravure for You! VOL.1] Soundtrack CD for [THE IDOLM@STER 2] [Monthly Idol Gravure VOL.1], a seasonal idol support magazine For Monthly Idol Gravure VOL.1, Haruka and Iori are the "PUSH GIRL" for it, which I'm guessing means they're the featured idols. As for the PS3 game, it will have a new song and a new costume for Ryuuguu Komachi. The song is 七彩ボタン (Seven-colored Button)...

Nooooo, if this source is correct, IDOLM@STER 2 is coming to PS3 on October 27th! Now I might need to buy it again! It will include all the clothing, songs, and accessories up through DLC catalog 3, and it will also include "READY!!", the new anime opening song. I wonder if it will include Little Match Girl? Anyway, I'm actually kind of sad that it's losing Xbox 360 exclusivity. Hopefully it'll be a good port though; I still want people to experience IDOLM@STER favorably. It might be interesting if it did some kind of hook up with the PSP versions to unlock stuff if you had their save data. I doubt it though. Update: After reading more stuff on the internet, it seems they will be releasing some kind of super edition of the game that includes a the first disc of the anime as well. This site says this edition will contain: PS3 Game "IDOLM@STER 2" PS3 Game "IDOLM@STER Gravure for You! Vol. 1"* First Blu-ray disc of the IDOLM@STER anime (Lim...

So I went to a nearby hi-fi audio store the other day to see if they had headphones that I could audition there. I didn't go in with any kind of prepared playlist or anything; I just tried songs off my iPod that I thought might be interesting. Anyway, they allowed me to audition the following headphones: Grado SR80i Bowers & Wilkins P5 Denon AH-D5000 Beats by Dr. Dre studio Grado SR125i So out of all of them, I liked the Grados and Denon the best. The Denon I liked better for punch and clarity, but the bass was too strong for my taste. They were very comfortable too. The Grados were pretty good, but like other open-backed headphones I've used, they feel like they're missing some impact. It's like they can't focus the music into my ears. That doesn't stop me from using open-backed phones, but it's not where I want to go for impact. Anyway, both Grados sounded very similar; I wasn't able to tell the difference, but I also wasn't able to lis...

Keeping in mind the advice I got from you all on things to keep in mind when doing arcade stick artwork, I have created a second design. I think this one should still look fine even when hands are covering most of it while in play. Still don't know if I should do something with the buttons or not. Once again, any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks! New and improved(?) arcade stick artwork design After some advice from another friend, here is an alternative. Perhaps more improved?

So I bought a bento box from Kofuku Shop at Harvard Square in Boston, MA this past weekend, and decided to try to make use of it today. This was my first time making a bento. When making the food for it this morning, I discovered that it didn't actually hold a whole cup of rice in the bottom tray, so I'm thinking next time I make rice for it, maybe 3/4 cup is the way to go. Nevertheless, I didn't really plan out the box, so it's not a particularly balanced meal, but still, at least I got some vegetables in it. It's got some approximation of tamagoyaki in it, a hot dog, and my first effort at blanching spinach. Spinach really does take up a lot less room after cooking it, so I'll have to make more next time. Anyway, I have a picture below of my finished efforts right before I was going to start eating it for lunch today. The milk coffee is mine too, but anything past that is not. My delicious first-time bento (with Milk Coffee!)