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South Korea's booming 'webtoons' put Japan's print manga on notice

Should Japanese manga publishers, who have for years invested first and foremost in developing print content, jump on the webtoon bandwagon to strengthen their outreach to a foreign, tech-savvy audience?

Opinions among industry insiders and experts are mixed, but at least for Hideki Egami, a former editor at leading publisher Shogakukan, the answer is a definitive yes.

“Sales for comic magazines in Japan have long been trending downward — we don’t know how much further the domestic market for print manga will shrink,” Egami said.

“Japanese publishers are now at a stage where they can’t overlook the need for going digital and overseas. … Webtoons, I think, are the most reasonable way forward.”

Vertically optimized

Unlike Japanese manga, which in most cases are first marketed for a print audience and only subsequently promoted online via apps, webtoons cater to digital device users from the get-go: Their format has already been optimized for personal computers or smartphones.

Webtoons typically scroll vertically and are in full color, as opposed to traditional manga, which are often black and white and read horizontally. Once they spread on popular manga apps in Japan, the digital South Korean comics immediately attracted a youth following here.

Third-Gen Ryzen Threadripper Zen 2 CPUs Mysteriously Vanish From AMD's 2019 Roadmap + Tom's

Delaying Threadripper 3 might make a lot of sense. If Ryzen 3 doubles the max core count to 16, and Epyc 2 doubles it to 64, Threadripper 2 will continue to have up to 32 cores. It is unknown what core count Threadripper 3 will have. They could use 4-8 chiplets to provide 32-64 cores. Most high-end users probably don't need it right now, Threadripper 2 is still a better value than Intel, and AMD could just cut Threadripper 2 prices to get rid of the inventory.

AMD Navi GPU Rumors: Navi 20 Based Radeon Instinct Delayed To Q1 2020, 7nm Navi Can’t Reach 7nm Vega Clocks, Alleged Radeon RX Navi Specifications

What is known is that Navi will still be based on AMD's Graphics Core Next (GCN) design which is showing its age. It effectively has a 4,096 stream processor limit.

PS5 will include a Navi GPU, and the GPU or SoC will apparently include hardware acceleration for ray tracing. It's not known if desktop Navi GPUs will have this capability.

From the article:

Navi is meant to be the last GCN based GPU design by AMD and as such, should be the most optimized version of the architecture we have seen to date with multiple improvements being delivered. However, the report says that early Navi samples are not even able to match Vega 20 clock speeds and the Navi GPUs which can meet the frequency targets are reportedly facing major thermal and power consumption issues. We heard similar rumors for the Vega 10 and Vega 20 parts before they launched and those rumors turned out to be very close to the real image when the cards finally landed into consumer’s hands.

It may be possible that AMD is trying to uplift the performance by increasing frequency while sacrificing thermals and power efficiency. That is pretty much what Radeon VII was but it’s still much early to say if that’s the truth as the cards won’t be available until next year.

Worst case scenario: Navi is lackluster due to being GCN-based and power consumption issues, and its first non-GCN successor ends up lackluster due to a lack of optimizations.

A leaked/alleged lineup is given in the article showing Radeon VII or better performance starting at $430, and RTX 2070 performance at $330. If that holds true, Navi could be a price/performance win over Nvidia, just not as good as it could have been.

A parody website with embarrassing photos of Joe Biden is outranking his official campaign page on Google

The internet snafu suggests the Biden campaign is having early difficulty with its digital operation. That could pose trouble for the 76-year-old as he competes in a field that has already proven to be savvy with new tools for online outreach and fundraising.

The problem has also emerged despite the Biden campaign's prolific spending on Google.

An online tracker maintained by the progressive digital advertising firm ACRONYM shows the Biden campaign has spent more than $360,000 on Google platforms, racking up more spending on the site than all the other candidates in the crowded field except Sen. Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Google search

joebiden.info

joebiden.com

The informative parody website doesn't come with an annoying popup like the official one does.

The parody website presents a number of Biden's past positions:

In 1996, Senator Joe Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. This law also prevented states from recognizing same sex marriages.

Senator Joe Biden voted for the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which initiated the “3 Strikes and You’re Out” policy which has resulted in many people spending life sentences in jail for minor crimes.

In 1982, Senator Joe Biden initially voted for a constitutional amendment which would have allowed states to overturn Roe v. Wade – the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion.

In the 1970s Joe Biden stated that “I have become convinced that busing is a bankrupt concept.” He actively worked to oppose busing as a way to desegregate schools. Biden even wrote letters seeking the support of people who thought schools should be segregated by race.

Senator Joe Biden, who at the time was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted for the resolution to authorize military involvement in Iraq. The Iraq war resulted in the death of 4,424 US military members and cost taxpayers $2.4 trillion.

Harsher mandatory minimum sentences for drug use, civil asset forfeiture without a conviction, and imposing death penalty for drug related murders – this is Joe Biden’s legacy. He voted for both the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and its 1988 counterpart and claimed George H. Bush’s war on drugs was “not tough enough, bold enough, or imaginative enough.”

Daily Show segment from 2015 (5m5s)

Previously: Joe Biden's #MeToo Adventure Continues

Since the story has already hit the HoF, I assume you lot are relatively aware of what went down with aristarchus and myself regarding his "control the narrative and push other discussion down the page with lots of top-level AC posts that nobody can tell are all by the same person" tactic and me modding the posts Spam for it.

Well, martyb/Bytram gave me a good chewing on and reversed the mods because that particular type of spam isn't covered in the moderator guidelines. And he's absolutely correct. I maintain that it definitely should be and something covering it may very well be added to the moderator guidelines soon but it was not there when I did the moderating.

We'd barely finished discussing it in a private, unlogged staff channel when Azuma Hazuki was out in the main channel assuming that I did the moderating and that I wouldn't be held accountable for it even though she got mod banned for misusing the Spam mod by myself earlier. She actually had something of a point mixed in all the angry. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. So I mod banned myself.

Feel free to have a good laugh at me and look for a story on the moderator guidelines in the next month or two.

Intel to Support Hardware Ray Tracing Acceleration on Data Center Xe GPUs

No confirmation on the first-generation Xe client or integrated GPUs, but I will be surprised if the "enthusiast" tier doesn't have it.

Another thing to look for: will the implementation be dramatically different from Nvidia's approach? Will Intel need to dedicate a portion of the die for ray tracing?

Japan's 'revolutionary' Emperor Akihito to abdicate, leaving imposing legacy for his son

When Emperor Akihito abdicates Tuesday, he will become the first Japanese monarch to do so in more than two centuries.

Akihito, 85, will step down after more than 30 years on the Chrysanthemum Throne.

His reign has seen Japan continue its post-war modernization and win a bid to host the Olympic Games in 2020, but has also been marked by lows such as the economic crash of the 1990s and severe natural disasters.

He is widely revered for bringing the imperial family closer to the people, and has also won respect for his efforts to heal the nation’s post-World War II wounds. In a sign of Akihito's popularity, a record crowd packed into the grounds around the Imperial Palace in early January for his final New Year's public appearance.

This imposing legacy, combined with shifts in the nation’s politics and rising regional tensions, leave Akihito’s eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, facing numerous challenges after he assumes the symbolic role May 1, experts say.

Knives found at Japan prince's desk days before abdication

Police in Japan have launched an investigation after two knives were found near the school desk of Emperor Akihito's 12-year-old grandson, local media report.

The knives were discovered on Friday in a classroom at a junior high school attended by Prince Hisahito.

Police are probing CCTV footage of a man trespassing on the school grounds.

Prince Hisahito is set to become second in line to the throne after Emperor Akihito's abdication next week.

Police believe the unidentified man caught on camera, who was dressed in blue and wearing a helmet, posed as a construction worker to access the building at Ochanomizu University.

Prince Hisahito and his classmates were in another part of the school when the knives are believed to have been planted.

Security ahead of coronation stepped up after knives found in Japanese prince's classroom

The two kitchen knives, which had been taped to either end of a stick and whose blades were reportedly painted pink, were discovered balanced between Hisahito's desk and his neighbor's, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported. Nothing indicating a motive, or a claim of responsibility was left with the contraption.

Each desk has the name of its occupant written on it, making the prince's desk easily identifiable, the newspaper said.

A knife for both the prince and his neighbor. Is it symbolic, or were they meant to fight each other to the death with them? I'm sensing good anime potential in this. Or pay-per-view blood sport with kidnapped constitutional monarchs/offspring and other elites. #CringeWorthy

1968, or so they claim, Otis Redding did 'Sittin' on the dock of the bay'. I missed the anniversary, and just stumbled over the tribute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ca5QoXSe18

Great song, of course. But only after I sat on the docks of dozens of ports did I truly appreciate it. Like seafood, the song goes best with the smell of brine, and the smell of life in all stages of development and decay in your nostrils.

But, TBH, I didn't arrive directly on that tribute page. First, I landed on this page, produced by playingforchange https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es3Vsfzdr14 The title of the video page is 'Sittin' on the dock of the bay | Playing for change | song around the world

Catchy title, ehhh? I almost closed it, but the initial image of an old black dude sitting in the street intriqued me. Go ahead, give it a listen. The images from around the US and the world are a treat, as are the various sounds of the artists.

I won't list any more videos - I just give you the link to https://playingforchange.com/ and you can explore all you like.

I wonder though . . . Playing for Change makes me think of our MDC. Wonder if he ever went out to Westport, and played Otis? https://parks.state.wa.us/284/Westport-Light
Maybe - even city boys sometimes wander out to the lonely places. It's a great place to take your offspring, and let them get their feet wet, while you embellish some sea stories for them. (Unfortunately, when I had my son there, the upper levels of the lighthouse were closed. But we did get to see a lens really close up!)

After listening to several offerings, by several artists, you may want to listen to the "original", that we all listened to when I was starting junior high school. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyPKRcBTsFQ

Rest in peace, Otis. And, rest in peace, Michael David.

Apologies to anti-Youtubers - that's where I landed today. Enjoy!

Anita Hill says she wants 'real accountability' from Joe Biden

A woman who accused a Supreme Court nominee of sexual harassment has rebuked White House candidate Joe Biden, who chaired the 1991 hearings.

Anita Hill said Mr Biden must show "real accountability" for his handling of her complaints during Clarence Thomas' confirmation in Congress.

Ms Hill told the New York Times the former vice-president had called her before announcing his presidential bid.

But she said his apology was not enough without "real change".

Joe Biden Declines to Directly Apologize to Anita Hill for His Handling of 1991 Hearing

In his first sit-down interview of his presidential campaign, Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Friday repeatedly declined to directly apologize to Anita Hill for his handling of the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings, instead delivering a broad statement of remorse for how she was treated during the combative questioning she faced from an all-male Senate committee that he led.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View,” which is heavily watched by women, Mr. Biden was asked by one of its hosts, Joy Behar, about his reluctance in recent months to offer a straightforward apology to Ms. Hill for his own judgment and leadership during the hearings. Ms. Behar suggested that Mr. Biden should say, “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, not for the way you were treated.”

“I’m sorry for the way she got treated,” Mr. Biden responded. “If you go back to what I said, and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly.”

Biden Gives Bumbling Apology as ‘The View’ Confronts Him on Creepy Touching, Anita Hill

Biden was initially greeted by The View hosts with a very warm welcome by the panel and extremely friendly audience. But the tone shifted halfway through the chat when co-host Sunny Hostin brought up recent accusations from multiple women that he invaded their personal space and made them feel “gross.”

“We’re in a different time now,” Hostin asked. “We’re in the #MeToo movement. Are you sorry for what you did? Are you prepared to apologize to those women?”

The former veep replied that “everybody has to be more [aware] of the private space of men and women” before awkwardly asking the all-woman panel if he can hug them, noting that he wasn’t sure what to do when he walked out.

'He gave me permission': Joe Biden jokes about touching complaints

Joe Biden has twice made joking references to complaints from women that his physical behavior made them uncomfortable.

The former vice-president’s comments on Friday came during his first public appearance since the allegations began to surface last week. Taking the stage in Washington at a gathering of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Biden was introduced by the president of the union, Lonnie Stephenson. Biden quipped: “I just want you to know – I had permission to hug Lonnie.”

The crowd, which was mostly male, erupted in laughter. Later, Biden made a similar joke after inviting a group of children onstage and putting his arm round a young boy. “By the way, he gave me permission to touch him,” the former vice-president said, again to laughter. “Everybody knows I like kids more than people,” Biden said.

Lucy Flores isn’t alone. Joe Biden has a long history of touching women inappropriately.

Democrat Lucy Flores was preparing to give one of her final stump speeches in a race for lieutenant governor in Nevada when she felt two hands on her shoulders. She froze. “Why is the vice-president of the United States touching me?” Flores wondered.

Flores recounts her experience with Joe Biden in a first-person essay for New York magazine, describing an incident in 2014 when Biden came up behind her, leaned in, smelled her hair, and kissed the back of her head.

“Biden was the second-most powerful man in the country and, arguably, one of the most powerful men in the world,” Flores wrote. “He was there to promote me as the right person for the lieutenant governor job. Instead, he made me feel uneasy, gross, and confused.”

[...] Flores’s experience isn’t unique. It is no secret in Washington that Biden has touched numerous women inappropriately in public. It’s just never been treated as a serious issue by the mainstream press.

Sleepy Joe or Creepy Joe?

Pop Star’s Illicit Kiss Becomes Fodder for Government Ads in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong government does not usually weigh in when the tabloids catch a pop star cheating.

But this week, after the city was riveted by the scandal of a married singer caught on video kissing an actress, some government agencies were criticized for using it as fodder for jokes in public service announcements.

Government officials expose their own lack of workload.

What France Has Money For

A journalist sarcastically asked Philippe Martinez, the leader of a major labor union, whether the flood of donations was evidence of trickle-down economics. “Money doesn’t trickle down for everything,” Mr. Martinez answered, adding that the outburst of generosity from French billionaires only exposed the inequalities that divide the country.

Such gifts aren’t just a private matter; they cost the state, too. For one thing, and certainly in the eyes of some Yellow Vests, these philanthropists are offering only a small fraction of enormous fortunes they have amassed partly by avoiding taxes otherwise needed to fund basic public services. And since their proposed gifts are destined for France’s national heritage, the bulk of them could benefit from major tax exemptions — up to 90 percent if a proposed bill presented this week were to pass.

Notre-Dame’s Safety Planners Underestimated the Risk, With Devastating Results

Unlike at sensitive sites in the United States, the fire alarms in Notre-Dame did not notify fire dispatchers right away. Instead, a guard at the cathedral first had to climb a steep set of stairs to the attic — a trip Mr. Mouton said would take a “fit” person six minutes.

Only after a blaze was discovered could the fire department be notified and deployed. That means even a flawless response had a built-in delay of about 20 minutes — from the moment the alarm sounded until firefighters could arrive and climb to the attic with hundreds of pounds of hoses and equipment to begin battling a fire.