The Counter-Machine

Mostly retro mecha anime posts, with a focus on Mobile Suit Gundam UC., Besides that, literature and art stuff,  and some zesty politics. 

[major-literature]

Post Draft

[tooyoungtoreign]

“We’re gonna watch the sunrise. Don’t you want to see that?”

[rimbaudelaire]

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

[nowthisnews]

‘We’ve shown this state and this country who we are’ — Sarah McBride just made as history as the first out transgender person to become a state senator in the U.S.

follow @nowthisnews for daily news videos & more

[magictransistor]

Jack Kirby. Collage for Jimmy Olsen, Hunger Dogs, The Mighty Thor, The Fantastic Four, Spirit World. 1964-1972.

[noaasanctuaries]

Enjoy a moment of calm today with these dolphins swimming in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. 

(Photo: Eden Zang/NOAA) 

[Image description: Three dolphins swimming at the surface of a calm ocean.]

[madamecolette]

➤ Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

[npr]

Heroes of alt-rock and idols of classic Hollywood, jazz luminaries and Pulitzer-winning composers, cult legends and rule-breakers, rising stars and old masters: Music communities around the globe lost dozens of shining voices this year. Here’s NPR Music’s celebration of some of the musicians who left the world in 2019.

In Memoriam 2019: The Musicians We Lost

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Warner Music Caption: Nipsey Hussle. Aug. 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019

[animenostalgia]

Some sad news for fans of old school anime: voice actor Makio Inoue, known for such roles as Harlock in Captain Harlock and Ishikawa Goemon XIII in Lupin the Third, has passed

Some sad news to share this morning, folks. Makio Inoue, the voice of iconic characters such as Captain Harlock and Ishikawa Goemon XIII has passed away from heart disease at age 81. RIP to a true anime legend.

[noaasanctuaries]

Happy Manatee Awareness Month! 

Frequent visitors to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, manatees face threats of habitat loss and watercraft collisions. But it’s not all doom and gloom for these gentle sea cows, as manatee populations have been increasing significantly since conservation efforts began. If you’re boating in a known manatee habitat, keep them safe and slow down! 

(Photo: Bob Bonde/USGS) 

[Image description: Close-up of a manatee.]

[dayinanimanga]

Today in AniManga History

November 3rd, 1928

Osamu Tezuka is born. He is referred to as various versions of the “godfather of manga” as he is considered the artist who shaped modern manga. His major works include Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, and many many more. As demonstrated in the picture above, Tezuka wrote an insane amount of manga (about 700 series, apparently) in his career of about 40 years. There is a museum for him in Takarazuka, Japan. Many of his works are available in English from the wonderful @vertical-inc.

[velvetrooms]

“At the end of their lives, all men look back and think that their youth was arcadia” - Goethe

Arcadia of My Youth (1982)

[montereybayaquarium]

Welcome back, chambered nautiluses!

The wait is over, chambered nautiluses are back on display in the Aquarium’s “Tentacles” special exhibition! 

Nautiluses are survivors of an ancient ocean that once teems with shelled cephalopods, before competition with fishes and catastrophic extinction events nearly wiped them all out. Chambered nautiluses have existed in some form for over 500 million years, living a scavenging life in the darkness of the deep sea. 

Having survived everything Nature has thrown at them so far, their biggest hurdle is surviving us and our love of their shells! Nautiluses live 20+ years, and grow and reproduce very slowly. The unsustainable harvest of nautiluses for their shells is putting pressure on populations worldwide. 

Our nautiluses are here has a part of scientific research efforts to better understand their life cycle. We’ve partnered with researchers in Fiji who are working to protect and manage these animals, and we hope to inspire people to conserve nautiluses in the wild.

Help us spread the word to leave the shells to the nautiluses, and let’s all join together and show the world some appreciocean for these masterful mollusks!

[weirdlandtv]

Mardi Gras costume designs from the late 19th/early 20th century. Masters of the Universe in the Victorian era.

[nitratediva]

From The Phantom of the Opera (1925).

[the-insidious-dr-grey-matter]

In the 1960s, director/UC Santa Cruz staffer Sheldon Feldner wrote to Marvel Comics asking if an artist would be willing to draft costumes for the University of California’s production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Jack Kirby happily obliged, and they’re pure Kirby.

The costumes were made out of military surplus, plastic, and vinyl.

[gundamexplored]

“Out of concern for Garma’s development, Degwin kept the Zeon media away from him until he could enter the Military Academy. But when a news tape was finally released announcing his matriculation, Garma had been catapulted into the limelight, and become a national idol overnight.

His delicate, almost nervous features conveyed a great nobility. The tone of his voice sometimes made him seem a little aloof, but with kindness. 

No matter what the situation, his public speeches began with the sentence, ‘Thank you, friends, for giving me the opportunity to address you.”- Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening; by Yoshiyuki Tomino/