Random Thread ~Usagi-Chan ☮ Tūsurī~

[JonCC]

getting weird errors again on the forum. It's on and off.

Same here.

[TotallyUncool]

And I just got an Internal Server Error message.

[rikkikow]

This is the inexpensive multi-region Blu-ray/DVD player that I bought seven years ago, when my old multi-region DVD player gave up the ghost, and it's served me well. You can even connect it with RCA jacks if you have an old-school TV without HDMI connectivity.


It plays any region DVD right off the bat, but you have to enter a code to change the Blu-ray region.

Million dollar question:
Did your old school TV have a HDMI connection port?

[erilaz]

^ Negative. Just RCA audio and video inputs. That's why I mentioned the RCA jacks.

[rikkikow]

^ Negative. Just RCA audio and video inputs. That's why I mentioned the RCA jacks.

What is the secret of getting the Blu-ray to work with it. I kept getting "no hdmi output" error and just gave up. I even tried using a converter with the same result$.

Probably time for me to upgrade.

[Celedam]

The Blu-ray and HDMI specs were revised a few years ago to require support for copy protection in every component, including the cables and connectors.

You might be okay if all of your components are old (i.e., pre-revision), but if you have a mix of old and new then that's the error you would get.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-bandwidth_Digital_Content_Protection

[rikkikow]

^ muchas gracias!
In my research with using the converter there was mentioned it might not work due to copy protection like you described.
I'm not losing my mind after all!

[Starra]

*Pops back in*

Something that frustrates me is the fact that my Japanese skill level is still pretty low after a good 17-18 years being surrounded by it online almost every day. I figure that by now, I should be a lot more proficient... but then I have to remind myself that I've never* formally learnt the language and most of my knowledge comes from absorbing it via my hyperfixations. And that most people do not learn languages that way.

I can make basic convo, navigate my way through Japanese websites, not get lost in Japan itself (enough to get Nihongo jouzu'd and even asked the fabled "How long have you lived here for?" question so there's that) and figure things out if I know what I'm looking for, but lately I've been trying to read more things in Japanese and I'm honestly finding it really hard. It's good practice, but it's annoying having to look up a word every other sentence or so.

I'd love to study it properly, but I simply don't have the mental energy for that. *I tried learning it in high school, but I had to do it via correspondence (as in, I filled in homework and sent it off to get marked) and I found that without the instant feedback communicating with someone at a higher skill level and just doing everything out of textbooks, I wasn't motivated enough to keep going. I think I'd be better off talking back and forth with someone who can correct me, and look over my work while I'm next to them.

I just wish I could, like, instantly become fluent. Sure that takes out some of the fun but I just wanna consume more things in Japanese. Or if nothing else I wish my brain wasn't useless and I had the oomph to actually learn things. But oh well. Such is life.

Also, the hardest part about learning to read Japanese is kanji. The hardest part about learning to speak Japanese is learning how to pronounce English words incorrectly and then use them in contexts that don't even exist in their native language. (Joking aside, I love wasei-Eigo but I also hate it lol.)

[esm]

It's hard to really measure your growth and progress without tests, not that tests really measure everything (and I'm speaking from a public school teacher point of view -- I know the frustration every day). Language is first and foremost for communication, so if you're able to use it in authentic contexts, like even just watching movies and consuming any real-world content, that's more productive than just taking classes and studying and, say, trying to learn obscure kanji just for the sake of learning more characters. Also, you're going to be more conscious of what you don't know than what you know. Like if you find yourself not getting lost in Japan you'd just go about your way, whereas if you're lost because of language issue then you'd be frustrated.

[erilaz]

Something that frustrates me is the fact that my Japanese skill level is still pretty low after a good 17-18 years being surrounded by it online almost every day.

I'm right there with you. *sigh*

In preparation for my first trip to Japan, 17 years ago, I managed to get to a certain level of proficiency fairly quickly and easily: able to have simple conversations, order food, ask for and understand directions, find what I want in a Japanese CD shop without assistance, etc. The problem is that I never progressed much further than that. Sure, I can chit-chat about H!P with a fellow H!P fan, but show me a Japanese movie without subtitles and I'll only understand dribs and drabs. If I practiced every day, that would help, but I don't.

Also, the hardest part about learning to read Japanese is kanji.

Ain't that the truth! If you don't practice every day, they'll fade faster than anything. At my very best, my knowledge of kanji was no better than that of a Japanese third-grader, and I'm sure it's worse now. My ability to recognize kanji doesn't fade so quickly, but my ability to write them certainly does. Lately I've been having brain farts where I can't even remember how to write certain kana. I really need to get back into the habit of writing Japanese, because typing rōmaji input and letting a computer do all the heavy lifting does precious little to aid the memory.