If you aren’t an Astronaut, you probably haven’t seen the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis from Space. But luckily there are some serious camera fanatics in orbit these days, here is a glimpse of what they have been up to where the Auroras are concerned. If you pay attention, you will also get to see some far ranging lightning strikes from a gods-eye view, so you can take in how a single strike can hit 50 places across a continent at once. Also, here is the link for the full 4K version at YouTube, or you can go directly to NASA for the best possible quality. Visit the NASA TV Gateway to check what is coming up on each of their channels and link directly in. You need at least 13MBps down to watch 4K TV online even if nothing else is trying to use the internet from your house, but most broadband services these days give you 10 times that or better, on the theory that your whole family will be trying to do things at that resolution at the same time.
The title says the important bit, but it is not the full story. Worldbuilders let people who donated money vote on what would be read. In this instance, the author/reader was Neil Gaiman, and Jabberwocky won the toss (the also-rans included Goodnight Moon, Fox in Socks, and Where the Wild Things Are). Thanks to everyone who contributed, we got this excellent rendition of a master writer reciting a masterpiece. This particular contribution took place back in 2014, but the work continues; be sure to visit Worldbuilders and see if you can’t find a current project worth your own contribution.
In Movies we get IP Man 3, which completes the story of the man who became a legend in the Martial Arts community for much more than training Bruce Lee. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon is a documentary you have to see if you appreciate comedy, covering them from the 70s through the 90s. The animated feature film Norm of the North is also being released on disc this week.
In Anime, ALDNOAH.ZERO: Set 4 brings the conclusion of the war between terrestrial humanity and the VERS, and sets the stage for mankind’s next venture to the stars. It is a smart series which doesn’t mind breaking some standard Anime tropes. Black Butler: Book of Circus is season 3 of the adventures of the demonic Butler and the woman he serves. This time they go undercover in a Circus to learn what is happening to the children who disappear when it comes to town. Finally Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories brings season 1 and 2 together in a single boxed set, with all 3 seasons currently streaming.
Season 2 of the Asterisk War is now streaming, with the competition at the Festas heating up. Combat as spectacle, pitting the schools against each other, with the prize going to the last team standing. Our protagonists are facing ever deadlier opponents with each new round, and already within the first few episodes we are introduced to a new school and the mastermind behind them. This one has new episodes each Saturday morning; tomorrow morning we will get episode 3.
TV has Heroes Reborn: The Complete Event Series, and I was thrilled to discover it has 13 episodes. Somehow my DVR only captured the first 12, when I got to the end of my binge watching session I thought they left it like that to try to get the fans to pressure NBC to do another season. It turns out it does have an actual ending, and I am going to get to see it after all. Movies has the DC direct to video animated Justice League vs. Teen Titans; I am afraid I am not a fan of the animation style, it is reminiscent of bad Saturday morning cartoons from the 70s and 80s. Someone is also releasing all of the Alien and Alien vs Predator movies in a single bundle; if you don’t already have them, now is your chance to get the entire collection at once.
In Anime, Gugure! Kokkuri-san is about a doll girl who summons a Kokkuri-san, or fox ghost, by accident. He decides to haunt her and cook for her, because all she eats are cup noodles, and he can’t stand it. Maken-Ki! 2 is the second season of this school for magical combat, done as comedy with a large helping of fan service. While it isn’t genre, Tonari no Seki-kun: Complete Collection are short, fun little episodes about the Master of Killing Time. Each day he sits at his desk in school and creates complex diversions to entertain himself, driving the girl at the next desk out of her mind from the distraction. While he never manages to get caught, her reactions pull plenty of attention from the teacher. It is pretty amazing how they manage to fit so much tension and humor into a show only 7 minutes long per episode.
A less than subtle band, Contemporary Life is a blast of fresh air from Asia, an Alt Rock band from Osaka. The first track is Husky Girl, the second track is Yankee Girl, and they are both quite energetic and worth your time to check out. Then there is Let’s Go Gedo (Let’s Go heresy) Tour, also a tune of note. They might even have won some awards at some point, it appears. Enjoy.