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Celebration of Light 2010 – Night 3

Frederick Linsmeyer • July 29, 2010 • Local, Photography

Mexico delights the crowds

The beaches were packed as Mexico took the stage, err, barge, during the third evening of the Celebration of Light. The crowd cheered on a magnificent performance by Lux Pirotecnia that lit up English Bay.

This time I sat with a group of friends on the rocks by the inukshuk on the beach and was able to capture some truly spectacular pictures of the fireworks. Sadly, a few last minute stragglers blocked my friend (who has the better camera and full tripod), so she wasn’t able to take any photos.

There’s only one more night left to the Celebration of Light – a tribute to China, on Saturday, July 31^st, 2010. Head down to English Bay to catch the last pyrotechnical show of the year over the water.

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Celebration of Light 2010 – Night 2

Frederick Linsmeyer • July 25, 2010 • Local, Photography

Spain lighting up the sky

Spain put on an amazing show for the second night of the Celebration of Light fireworks festival. The evening was bathed in dazzling colours that lit up the darkened skies and wowed the crowds along English Bay.

If you missed the show, take a look at some of the photos taken from my spot on the sea wall. These turned out much better considering I used a mini tripod to help steady the camera.

Mexico will take to the skies next on Wednesday, July 28^th, followed by China on Saturday, July 31^st.

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Chicago ‘L’ photos

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 26, 2010 • Photography, Trains

Looking north from the Adams/Wabash transfer bridge

Taking rapid transit in another city is always a unique experience. It’s a great way to get around and see the surrounding landscape from a different angle. Most major cities have some form of rapid transit from light rail to heavy rail and in varying ways be it above or below ground. Chicago is an interesting case utilizing infrastructure that dates back to the turn of the century along with some of the most recent rolling stock.

Chicago is probably one of the few cities in the world that hasn’t totally embraced the subway and buried everything underground. The majority of the system, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), is elevated above streets with steel support structures and embankments, or running down the median of major freeways. The overhead trackage has earned the system’s name as the ‘L’, which is short for elevated. Sections of the elevated structure vary in detail and colour, with some portions in the Loop being painted a deep yellow or maroon. This unique structure makes a great contrast over the modern streets of Chicago, a rarity among most metropolitan areas.

A CTA transit map in a 3200-series car

The ‘L’ system has been growing for over a century and each of the lines have their own distinctive style. The stations in the Loop are a mixture of new and old; decorative wooden mouldings and sheet metal structures to glass panels and steel supports. Other stations throughout the system were constructed from brick with sculpted facades to elegant stone walls with Greek-styled columns. Most newer stations, especially those along the highways, are bare concrete with glass and steel; nothing elegant, but still beautiful in its own way.

Below is a selection of my photos taken on the ‘L’ while wandering through Chicago. It’s just such a unique system where the stations vary almost at every stop and present amazing subjects for the camera. Keep in mind, when snapping pictures on the ‘L’, to please follow and respect the CTA’s photography policy.

Note: These photos were taken over a period of three years during various trips down to Chicago.

System information courtesy of Chicago ‘L’.org

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Stanley Park photos

Frederick Linsmeyer • June 19, 2010 • Photography

Totem Poles at Brockton Point

Since this past Saturday, along with today, had proven to be exceptional weather-wise, I headed down to Stanley Park to wander around the sea wall and along the many trails. Not many cities have access to such a large and spectacular natural area within the downtown core.

In both my trips, I took quite a few photos of the sea wall, Siwash Rock, the Lions Gate Bridge, the Rose Garden, Beaver Lake and the totem poles at Brockton Point. All of the photos are available on Gallery.

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Anime Central 2010

Frederick Linsmeyer • May 22, 2010 • Conventions

It’s been thirteen years since Anime Central, or ACen for short, first made its appearance in 1998, and being my third time here, it didn’t disappoint. ACen is one of the larger anime and manga conventions in the United States and rightly so, seeing as fans of Japanese culture come from all over (myself being from Vancouver, British Columbia). This year, ACen returned to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois for all things dark and mysterious about anime, seeing as this was the thirteenth ACen.

View from the Hyatt Regency O'Hare

As per my custom of booking a hotel room at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare (seeing as I don’t like to travel too and from conventions during the day and it makes things easier to stay in the same building), our group checked in to our room. We discovered, to our delight, that we got a balcony and one that faced the entrance over Bryn Mawr Avenue. This would make for a great location when people watching over the weekend.

But back to our group – which consisted of four people: myself (as Vyse from Skies of Arcadia), Soul Eater Evans (of Soul Eater fame), Ban Midou and Ginji Amano (both from Get Backers). Of course, we had the obligatory visitors stop by for some balcony fun and dinner.

Ginji and Ban from Get Backers

This was my first time debuting another costume that wasn’t Naruto Uzumaki, this time going as Vyse from Skies of Arcadia, after I commissioned it from my friend. We set out and began our first full adventure of the convention for 2010.

The artist’s alley was spectacular again, including the return of our friend SHADi and new-comer, Joey Blondewolf2. Lots of talent and many with amazing prints and sketches and other neat trinkets were available for sale. I just wish I had space back home to display all of it.

The exhibitor’s room was expansive as always which makes it easy to get lost in, but you’d always find yourself at a booth that sold something interesting, unique or a shrine to Shaq-Fu. At the FUNimation booth, they had copies of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and the third Soul Eater box set for sale before their scheduled retail date which was pretty neat; a kind of bonus for fans of the series at the convention.

I purchased a few shirts, some Naruto Shippuden figures, the Soul Eater box set two and the entire Higurashi no Naku Koro ni box set (the latter alone was a steal primarily because HMV in Canada sells the individual DVDs for $40 CAD where this box set at the FUNimation booth for the whole series was $40 USD).

We also took advantage of DeathCom Multimedia‘s photo booth in the Hyatt for a few professional photographs together. I’d never done this before, but seeing as the Ban and Ginji in our group had done it and had shown how well their pictures had come out, I had to give it a try. Getting your picture taken is free, but there was a fee if you wanted prints (8½ by 11 or 4 by 6). It was worth it though.

Legend of Zelda photo shoot

Later in the afternoon, I attended the Legend of Zelda and Soul Eater photo shoots. Both featured amazing costumes and a lively atmosphere as everyone in character posed for the cameras. Amusingly, during the Zelda poses, the wind had picked up, and neither Links from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker were able to tame the breeze. My friend, as Soul Eater, had a fun time at his namesake shoot, being abused by Maka and frightened when Excalibur appeared. I unfortunately missed the Naruto and Fire Emblem photo shoots though. Need to plan better for next year.

Kouki Uchiyama signs a Soul Eater wall scroll

On Saturday, we picked up postcards from the FUNimation booth that listed the autograph schedules for the Japanese voice cast of Soul Eater. The first session was at 11:30 am with Yumiko Kobayashi (Black Star) and Narumi Takahira (Patty Thompson), where we were able to get a few wall scrolls signed. We returned at 1:30 pm when the rest of the cast would be available to sign my friend’s Soul Eater jacket. While we waited in line, Vic Mignogna made a brief appearance from behind one of the curtains dividing the autograph booths. My friend, who knows Vic quite well personally, was able to speak with him shortly until Vic’s fan girls found him and began screaming. For those who have never attended an anime convention where Vic was a guest, his fans are loud — not the good kind of loud at a concert, but the kind of loud that’s reminiscent of nails being dragged down a chalkboard. That sound even frightened Vic which was pretty amusing. After the line started moving, we were able to get our wall scrolls and my friend’s jacket signed by Kouki Uchiyama (Soul Eater) and Kaori Nazuka (Tsubaki), along with the producer of the animated series, Masazumi Kato.

People watching at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare

Most of the ACen attendees know how much trouble the elevators at the Hyatt can be, especially during the afternoon and evenings. Me and a friend had gone down to pick up our pizza from the front desk and upon entering the elevator (which also had a few other people bringing back their own dinner), we found that we were over the weight limit. Usually, the elevator makes a loud buzzing noise and the doors don’t close to alert the occupants. In this case, the doors did close and the elevator moved a foot before stopping – and then dropped about a half a foot which freaked me out. So about ten minutes later after repeating the same dropping motion over, some of the people exited and we were on our way (being stuck in the elevator wouldn’t have been half bad seeing as we all had food and drinks).
My friends however, made a smarter decision, and took the stairs instead; responding to comments of the building reminiscing the ShinRa headquarters in Final Fantasy VII.

Shinichi Watanabe strikes a pose

I found the convention to be much more organized and the staff was really friendly and helpful. I know in previous years, IRT would use brightly coloured zap straps or ribbons on approved props, but this year, they marked the back of the badges with a red star stamp. ACen badges are pretty unique among convention goers, since the administration has gone through varying styles to create something different and forgery-proof each year. This time, the badges were actual plastic badges with a printed label containing the badge name, number and other information on it.

All in all, Anime Central this year was pretty amazing. Only disappointment was that Doug Walker of That Guy With The Glasses fame wasn’t around all that much. Seeing as he’s busy making hilarious videos and was a last minute unofficial guest, I can’t fault the convention for it. But overall, it was well planned and was a fun weekend. I can’t wait to return in 2011!

Photos are now available online in Gallery. Videos will be posted shortly.

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Anime Central 2010 photos

Frederick Linsmeyer • May 18, 2010 • Conventions

Soul Eater photo shoot

As another Anime Central has come and gone; now it’s time now for the memories. Most of the pictures taken have been posted on Gallery, however the videos are still being processed. It’s been fun, and of course, there’s always next year!

A convention recap will be released shortly.

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Sakura-Con 2010

Frederick Linsmeyer • April 5, 2010 • Conventions

Cloud Strife in all his 32-bit glory

Fans of Japanese culture converged on Seattle’s Washington State Convention and Trade Center over the Easter weekend for Sakura-Con 2010 to celebrate all things related to anime, manga and gaming. Sakura-Con has been a mainstay in the Pacific Northwest for the past thirteen years, drawing in attendees from not only Washington, but Oregon, Idaho, California, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta.

The convention this year was well organized and had a variety of events, panels, exhibitors, artists and video rooms. Con-goers were treated to concerts and even an exclusive premiere of the latest Trigun movie, Badlands Rumble, which is scheduled for in Japan later this month. There was also the long line of respectable guests, including voice actors, artists, musicians and industry personnel.
One feature that I thought was pretty neat, was providing special wristbands to attendees who had booked rooms at con-approved hotels. These wristbands granted priority seating for concerts and additional privileges.

The trip into Seattle wasn’t eventful, thankfully. Our group arrived shortly after 8:30 pm on Thursday evening, giving us a half hour to park at the hotel and bolt for the convention centre to claim our pre-registration badges. Fortunately, we got in just as last few people were being admitted, so we were pretty lucky. We returned to the hotel to check in and unpack our costumes and prepare for Friday morning.

A family of Naruto fans!

I returned to the convention on Friday morning ahead of the rest of my friends who had elected to stay back and add some finishing touches to their outfits.
Unfortunately, one member of our group wasn’t able to pre-register online, and had to stand in line to get their badge. This turned out to be a five hour wait for him (which for a convention of Sakura-Con’s size, we hoped to have been much less).
While he stood in line, I wandered around for a bit, snapping photographs, having my picture taken, and running into other people that I’ve met at previous conventions (or work). There were lots of amazing costumes and it was great to see every one dressed up as their favourite characters. My friends arrived later; two of them dressed as Fire Nation Soldiers and as Toph, from Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.

After a brief photo-shoot outside (in between the rain and light snow), we made our way indoors to one of the panels featuring a number of voice actors: Todd Haberkorn, Richard Epcar, Brina Palencia, Luci Christian, Kent Williams, Chris Patton and Wendy Powell. The group fielded all sorts of questions regarding the voice acting industry in North America, and even provided valuable tips and suggestions for those looking to get their foot in the door.

I checked out the exhibition hall later on, where there were rows upon rows of purveyors of anything and everything related to anime. Lots of booths with vendors hawking figures straight from Japan along with DVDs, books, doujinshi, manga, pillows, shirts, energy drinks, Pocky, katanas, kimonos and much, much more.

Various forms of Sora from Kingdom Hearts

After dinner and some rest, I returned to the convention centre to partake in some of the late night panels, particularly “Chris Patton Shares Too Much” at the suggestion of another friend. The name is pretty accurate, as voice actor Chris Patton, does indeed share too much, and it’s quite entertaining. However, like most late night panels, it is restricted to adults, and we were asked to produce identification upon entering.
My friends wandered off after Chris’ panel and checked out the Anime Swimsuit Contest and the Adult Anime Dating Game, but weren’t too impressed with the organization of both events.

Saturday was a good day, minus the schizophrenic weather. As per our tradition of visiting Sakura-Con, it’s not quite complete with a brief stop at the amazing Pike Street Market in costume (and venturing into the ever-so busy first Starbucks store).

Upon returning to the hotel to drop off my purchases, I encountered a full gathering of the Power Rangers, complete with Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd in the lobby. Pretty freakin’ epic, I must say.

Two Virals versus a bunch of Yokos

I knew there was a Naruto photo-shoot on Saturday at 2:30 pm (thanks to a fellow attendee staying in the same hotel), but wasn’t sure where it was being held (I’ve been to maybe one Naruto photo-shoot in all of the conventions I’ve attended – such luck). Since the weather had been fair for a few hours, everyone had massed outside in Freeway Park above the I-5 freeway where I caught the last remnants of the Naruto shoot as they were departing. I seem to run into almost every other photo-shoot except the ones I want to participate in, but maybe next time.

I made my way back in and rejoined my friends (who, ironically were amassing for an Avatar photo-shoot) after grabbing some shots from the Gurren Lagann and Bleach gatherings.

Yuusuke and Meg of HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR performing on stage

Later in the evening, a few of us made our way into the main stage for the concert featuring Dazzle Vision and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR.
Dazzle Vision is an indie Japanese band, which is much harder than most J-rock bands, utilizing alternating vocals and heavier guitar playing. Dazzle Vision involves Maiko as the vocalist, Yu on guitars, Haru on drums and Takuro on bass.
J-rock band, HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR, is noted for their dual vocalists, Halca and Yuusuke, and their heavy sound. In addition to Halca and Yuusuke, Kazuto is on lead guitar, with Meg on the rhythm guitar, Mackaz on bass and Sassy on drums. HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR finished off their performance with the third opening to Bleach, Ichirin no Hana.
The concert was pretty intense, complete with crowd surfing and a mini mosh pit. I hadn’t seen anything like this since Black Label Society was at the Commodore Ballroom five years ago. It was a great experience to see these two bands from Japan live on stage.

Sunday was much quieter as con-goers packed up and prepared to head back home. All that was left was the Exhibitors, autograph sessions and a concert by Hsu-nami. Unfortunately, we didn’t stay too long on the last day since our group had to return to our individual homes before early evening.

Overall, Sakura-Con 2010 was pretty amazing and well done. Aside from a few missteps in the planning of some events, it was a great convention. I look forward to returning in 2011, when the convention is scheduled for the weekend of April 22^nd – 24^th.

Photographs from Sakura-Con 2010 are available on Gallery.

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Getting closer to the cauldron

Frederick Linsmeyer • February 17, 2010 • Winter Olympics

Olympic Cauldron and enclosure

Locals and visitors alike have been upset that the Olympic flame is burning behind a chain link fence down by the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Last night, VANOC adjusted the fence by moving it in closer to the flame and removing a half foot section between the fencing to make it easier to get a better shot. It’s an improvement, but most everyone would like it if the fence was toned down or removed altogether.

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The Olympic Line

Frederick Linsmeyer • February 5, 2010 • Trains

Olympic Line at Granville Island

After a significant absence from the streets of Vancouver, the street car has returned courtesy of the City of Vancouver, Bombardier, and Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles. Two Bombardier Flexity street cars are now operating on a 1.8 km stretch of track between Granville Island and the Olympic Village Canada Line station (Cambie Street and West 2^nd Avenue).

I was finally able to get a chance to ride the street cars on what is being called the Olympic Line. The cars are 32 m long and feature five doors on each side along with large picture windows to provide an unobstructed view. The really neat thing is that the cars have low floors, basically riding only a few centimetres from the ground, which makes it easier to board and alight, especially for those who have strollers or use a wheelchair.
The trains are actually one long articulated car which can navigate sharper curves and winding streets, like those in older European cities. Digital displays on the side and ends of the cars make it easy to advertise the line or destination. The two cars on loan are designed with a silver, bronze and carbon black livery and carry the Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles logo.

Doors from inside

Inside, there are unique seating arrangements, including seats that face the aisles, row seating, fold-up seats and larger bench-style seats. Standing passengers also have the added luxury of holding on to leather straps that are attached to the stanchions. There’s plenty of room for everyone on-board!
Security cameras are mounted along the ceiling along with two display screens that are positioned over the aisles to announce upcoming stops and route maps. Buttons on the stanchions allow passengers to alert the operator to stop the train at the next platform. It’s pretty much like a bus, but one that runs on rails.

The ride is really smooth and quiet, even though the train doesn’t run very fast (wouldn’t say more than 30 km/h). It’s only a 3 minute journey between Granville Island and the Olympic Village station on Cambie Street, but it gives you few minutes to enjoy the ride and the sights of the community in between.

Hopefully this experiment will allow street car service to return to the city and offer an alternative mode of transportation around False Creek and into the busy downtown core.

The Olympic Line is free and runs between 6:30 am-12:30 am PST until March 21^st, 2010. Additional photographs are available on Gallery.

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J-Fest photos online

Frederick Linsmeyer • January 24, 2010 • Photography

Ed starts an alchemic transmutation

Although it wasn’t a full scale convention, J-Fest was a preview of what would be at Anime Evolution; featuring an artists room, panels on costume design, a video room and registration for the convention itself. A small gathering of cosplayers showed up to debut their costumes and support their series at the one day event. Take a peek at some of the fans who came out on Saturday.

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