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I sat down sometime in January and attempted to write a 'Worst of everything in 2013' post, basically listing all those elements of anime and manga that most irked. Unfortunately i didn't have nearly enough data to complete that post, specifically in the area of worst manga, villains or even heroes.
Though truth be told the anime section came quite easily, not only consisting of BlazeBlue, Valrave the liberator and the like but chiefly led by this anime, Arata Kangatari; one of the worst anime series i came across in 2013.
In fact Arata Kangatari topped my worst protagonist/hero list (Arata standing along side Korra from Avatar) as well as my Worst villains/antagonists of 2013 list (this referring primarily to Kadokawa).
That's how bad i found Arata Kangatari to be, absolutely lacking of anything that could be mistaken for quality in every field that i could think to judge it in.
Every 30 years, a new princess is chosen from the Hime family to serve the Hayagami. The time has come again, however the Hime family hasn't produced a daughter in 15 years; save for one, the 15-year-old Arata.
The only problem is, Arata is actually a male. Forced to disguise himself and take the place of the princess candidate until a formal one can be found, he attends the festival only to witness the current princess, Kokuri-hime, murdered by the hand of the princess' personal guard, the 12 Shinshou. As he runs for his life, Kannagi of the 12 convinces everyone that Arata is the one who murdered the princess instead, and now everyone in the Imperial Court is after his head.
Okay, let's look at what Arata Kangatari might put forward as its hook. While fleeing from the murderous intentions of an imperial court, and indeed nation, beguiled into seeking his blood for the most heinous crime ever committed in their world, young Arata is thrust out of his fantastical realm into modern day Japan, a world devoid of all magic.
Modern day Arata, while struggling to remain afloat amongst the chaos of high school life is suddenly thrust out of modernity and dropped into a fantasy land, where magic reigns and legendary beings walk.
Two boys with the same face struggle to come to terms with the new hand they have been dealt. Now does that sound like something you would want to watch? Well it intrigued me.
Because with such a situation what you can expect is confusion to ensue; as both parties struggle to assimilate into their new environments, feathers are bound to be ruffled, secrets brought to the light and unknown demons confronted, the resulting contention making for some pretty engaging conflicts.
And what makes a quality story if not conflicts on an epic scale, the purpose of which is to draw viewers into the complex web that form's our protagonists' attempts to overcome hardships
So what did Arata Kangatari deliver instead? Well, conflict of course, confusion, chaos, challenges to overcome and all that. Which can only mean great success for the series, right?
+But before that. I have to ask; was Arata Kangatari really a 2013 anime series? Is Wikipedia really trying to convince that Arata Kangatari only made its debut in 2013? With production values such as was presented?
When a writer/director sits himself down to pen an anime, in no way can they guarantee the success of the story that will eventually appear on screen, and that's because it's impossible to determine which way personal tastes will swing.
SO does that mean that one can only sit back, anxiously waiting for the fates to decide how an anime will appeal to its viewers? Well, no, because an anime creator still has in his hands the power to control how the anime is received; at the very least making certain that, in the worst case scenario, where otaku happen to be completely disgusted by the plot and characters of the story, they do not walk away from the experience utterly distressed.
Rather its within the hands of an anime creator to ensure that every creation has a little something that will positively impact their crappy story, one or two elements that should at least keep the audience glued to an anime till the end.
And this couldn't be easier to achieve in shonen fantasy, because all you need to keep us viewers interested is decent animation, great action scenes, intricate battle structures, either so mind blowing as to wow us, or so complex as to engage us intimately with regards to the strategies in play.
Combining these elements together along with a great musical score, its more than possible to entertain the hell out of anime fans even in the presence of garbage story telling (though thinking about it, this can't be true; because Blazeblue was just that, great animation, art, decent music, action scenes and a garbage story line. In the end it still sucked to no end).
But what the hell did Arata Kangatari deliver? Mediocre art, less than mediocre animation, terrible action scenes, negligible musical scores, basically zero production values worth talking about.
And what exactly did they assume would keep me glued to the screen, great story telling? Or maybe compelling and well developed characters? Because even these they couldn't deliver.
Back to the story. Arata Kangatari is terribly written and not because it lacked compelling plotlines. And you can't really complain about the concept either; the series fails at the execution stage.
It's almost like the writer marked off all major points in his story map, couldn't really figure out how the story would jump from one point to another, figured it didn't matter and threw whatever he thought would work into the picture so long as it brought about the desired outcome.
And this is my problem with Tales of the Abyss, an even worse anime (that i can't believe am still watching). All these series seem to assume that the end always justifies the means; that we don't care how that epic battle comes about, who did what and why, so long as we get epic battles at one point.
+Though it might be argued that the story truly began to flounder at the character stage. I don't think i have ever come across as sappier, needy, self centred twat of a primary protagonist (not even sure what twat means, but it fits the bill here).
As a hero Arata fails, firstly because he whines all the time for no justifiable reason. Seriously, this dude could be worse than even Shinji; everything is about him, all the suffering he has undergone during his years of torture in school, all the horrors of normal life.
He doesn't move without some sort of pep talk pulling him back from an abyss of passiveness. And i never could really figure out the logic of his misery. Again it's like the authors needed a hero that had suffered certain horrors yet couldn't figure out why these actions were targeted towards him and why it affected him so intensely.
Arata Kangatari basically states a lot of facts and expects you to just swallow them; its infuriating how dumb this series got. I want anyone who watched it to try and reason out to me the rational of Kadokawa and his hate for Arata.
I mean this guy just came off as little more than a psycho hiding under the guise of mentally tortured soul turned bully. None of these characters made sense. Every single one of them existed for the sole purpose of being positively affirmed by someone else.
It's like if they didn't receive their fair share of 'That's a good boy.' pats on the head, they couldn't truly accept the potential they carried within them, and could only wait to crumble under some vague mental or physical burden.
…thinking about, i want to scream at this anime. Pondering on what i watched, it is only hitting me now just how pointless Arata was, how dumb his rivalry with Kadokawa was, how irrational Arata's weaknesses were, only in existence to allow for some ridiculous and none existent character development to occur in the end.
We had to wait 12 episodes just to see everyone recognise just how amazing Arata is, like that was the magic bullet he needed to spur him forth. It might seem like i am placing so much emphasis on Arata, but am not.
Every other character in the series pretty much falls into this same mould, except for the real Arata, whose role in the series was pretty negligible.
VERDICT: Arata Kangatari is basically a telenova, where chaos ensues because people always face each other on the field of battle, could lay their souls bare, could easily clear up all the misunderstands, but instead choose to fight, only to laugh about everything at the end, never acknowledging how stupid they were, that by choosing to not leap to conclusions over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, the world would be at peace.
Arata Kangatari is without a doubt the worst anime of 2013, at least that i watched. The series spends more time dramatizing tiny moments during its run that trying to tell a compelling story.
RATING: 0/10, i have never awarded anything a 0 before; but this most definitely deserves it.
HIGHLIGHTS: The Kannagi/Akachi feud almost irritated me as much as the Kadokawa/Arata rivalry; with a cast full of attention hungry irritations there isn't one moment worth highlighting.
I think i mentioned it somewhere that it wasn't until 2007 that i first began watching anime and reading manga with gusto, having had little exposure prior, precluding YuGiOh! which is devoured with intensity during my earlier years.
Sufficing to say my approach to anime and manga is a little different now than it was a few years back, a little less discerning; it was probably because my exposure to anime back then was so limited that i pretty much devoured whatever i encountered-so long as it fell within specific battle oriented categories.
Only now, with my tastes slowly expanding and transforming, can i say that i have gathered a pretty intricate perspective on anime, at least based on what i have watched and read; and its only now, after so many years that i can begin to appreciate just what anime and manga has to offer as a pretty unique medium of entertainment and, more importantly, all the flaws that it has been known to present to its viewers.
Though that description might in itself present some issues; after all how do you separate a fault, a failing, from an attribute; it's like complaining that no one ever dies in comic books, not taking into account that the triviality of death is a deep rooted attribute and characteristic of the comic book universe, if it is to continue down its current structure of story telling.
In this post i attempt to cover all those elements and factors of anime and manga that i have found irksome and irritating over the years.
Though i would qualify that by saying that not every element or attribute mentioned in this post is applicable to anime in general, but rather specific facets, types, genres of anime that i have come across.
Equally important is the fact that the negative nature of some of the elements mentioned is only determined by their usage; in other words certain elements might prove irksome in one scenario but brilliant in another; most times it comes down to execution.
So, without further delay, what irritates me, sometimes even downright infuriates, me about anime:
1. NAKAMA POWER- I intend to elaborate on this issue in another post, but for now i will say that there is probably no bigger sin that has ever been introduced in anime than this irritation known as nakama power. The idea that the outcome of battle would be determined by the feelings and positive hopes one one party makes my blood boil.
I was highly amused while watching this one anime in which, after spouting a grand speech on heroic ideals and determination and wanting to protect others, the hero found himself soundly defeated by an enemy that went on to remind him that no amount of resolve could close the distance in strength between them.
Even within the fictional world of anime one expects a level of logic and realism to prevail; and there is no plausible realm in which great resolve can translate into raw power and skill, and 99% of the anime that utilize this concept are completely ruined by the presence of Nakama power.
Notice that even Dragon ball z, the cliché of cliché' anime, somehow managed to avoid the use of nakama power, instead depending on ridiculous power ups, a silly tool still way more justifiable than Nakama power.
Note worthy examples include almost everything in Fairy tail, One piece to an extent; though bleach [sort of] escapes this category, instead finding its poison elsewhere. Not forgetting Guilty Crown
Acceptable uses of the concept can be found in Gurren Luggan and History's Strongest Disciple. Though series like Blood+ and Fullmetal Alchemist has proven this concept largely unnecessary.
2. RANDOM POWER UPS- I HATE random power ups almost as much as i detest Nakama power, and while it fares more positively in comparison Nakama power, the sudden emergence of hidden abilities, earth shattering powers, never before hinted upon weapons will destroy the credibility of an anime (at least in my eyes) faster than the dumbest plot holes.
And the coincidence of all such circumstances, always timed to unleash in time to contend with some unstoppable force, rendering any strategy or battle plans meaningless.
And yes i consider Ichigo's sudden uber hollowification against Uluquiora to be a random power up, just one of the few that worked but only because the Esparda's defeat by any other means would have been, as otaku like to say, an ass pull.
And here's where i appreciate series like Naruto and One piece that showcase a primary protagonist's slow rise to power; because the majority of shonen anime depend upon sudden power ups to turn wimpy incompetent heroes into formidable opponents to near invincible villains.
One wonders why they create such powerful villains if rationally defeating them will eventually prove impossible outside some previously unknown super saiyan mode.
And am now hearing rumours that Hunter X Hunter does just this with Gon during the Chimera ant arc; though one can only assume that, given Togashi's track record, he, along with the likes of Gurren Luggan, will be one of a few that can pull this off brilliantly.
3. GENIUS PROTAGONISTS- Its difficult to believe that some years back many Naruto fans were floating the idea that the series would have been better off with Sasuke as the lead, which doesn't make sense because natural born geniuses in anime strip the tension out of most story lines, making things seem too easy.
There is no place for geniuses in anime and manga outside of support roles or as antagonists; thought its worth mentioning that those anime which effectively utilize genius protagonists balance them out with even smarter villains and acceptably challenging obstacles. Just look at Death note where no victory was achieved without considerable struggle.
4. BATTLE GENIUSES- Back to picking on the big 3; I am talking about characters that, while barely average in intelligence, will walk onto the battle field against a superior opponent and almost always emerge victorious, always adapting in the last instant against a power initially overwhelming to them.
And this pretty much describes Ichigo, always spending the better part of an hour getting skewered and battered, only to discover the opponents weakness through pure observation when challenging an invisible attack, or gaining that extra boost of speed to match a demonically fast enemy.
It's always the same dumb nonsense, that an ability to adapt in the field can literally serve you against any and all enemies, one wondering just how discovering your enemy's weaknesses after an hour's battle will aid you at a point in time where you should be in no physical shape to achieve victory.
It's probably why i appreciated Jiraiya's death so much in Naruto, that even after discovering the enemy's true power, he found himself incapable of doing anything other than sending this information off to his pupil, dying in the process.
A lesser mangaka would have eliminated that particular plot, instead having Naruto display uncharacteristic intelligence in the midst of battle.
5. NAKAMA- Maybe there was something initially endearing to this concept upon its conception who knows how far back, but i am tired of anime and manga that possess little to no plot outside of the protagonist's need to defend his nakama.
This term has been severely misused in story telling, the topic of many grand speeches to justify one unnecessary conflict after another.
6. FAN SERVICE- It would be a strange otaku that would complain about the presence and level of fan service in Queen's blade, because that's pretty much all the series is about. However one such Otaku would be more than justified in making the same complaint against a series like Freezing Vibration, essentially attempting to take a darker tone with its story but ruining the tension created by attacks that do little more than rip cloth and expose flesh.
Fan service has its place in anime, and a few splashes here and there in even the most serious anime isn't likely to disparage its quality. Unfortunately most fan service proves to be quite unnecessary.
I should also probably mention the weird and unrealistic body sizes and proportions.
7. WHINY VILLAINS- I have elaborated on this fault in a separate post detailing the traits of a great villain. And reiterating those complaints, i have just about had it with villains in anime and manga whose primary purpose in life seems to be to elicit sympathy from the audience.
That so many villains these days have to berate use with a sob story about their lives, that we are expected to forgive and relate to fiendish characters whose only saving grace is the ridiculously unrealistic levels of torture they underwent during their youth; that almost all anime today end with the hero and villain weeping incessantly over the course their lives took. It irritates me to no end, that anime cannot bring to us some truly evil villains.
Tortured pasts and complicated origin stories do not necessarily make great villains.
8. GRATUITOUS VIOLENCE- I have come across what i would refer to as some considerably strange otaku who will not touch an anime unless it spills blood and guts in liberal amounts. I don't get the appeal.
Action series devoid of blood in any form are unrealistic and make absolutely no sense. However there are series whose only selling point is the glorious amounts of blood spilt in each episode.
Too many anime series use gore for shock's sake, attempting to keep fans glued to the screen with the promise of a thousand unique and gruesome deaths. It's the reason i failed to watch Final Destination, which is just one massive death fest.
Great offenders here include Afro Samurai and Shigurui. Again i understand the place gore has in anime; however more than half of the bloody anime i have come across felt like they were forcing gore for gore's sake.
9. LENGTHY BATTLES- I wrote a post on this particular topic a while back, comparing short and long battles in anime. And i remember concluding that both forms of battle had a role to play in an anime, and how positive a long or short battle proved to be was always determined by the the circumstances in play.
In other words there are times where lengthy battles are indeed a necessity. This unfortunately doesn't apply to most anime, who have no problem allowing duels to run into the dozens of episodes at a time.
Most such anime simply fail to keep the clashes fresh, and over time the battles become repetitive, basically bringing to the screen too many of the intricacies of the fight, basically a blow by blow telling.
10. COMPLEX TERMINOLOGY- One of several reasons mecha as a genre simply doesn't appeal to me; the idea that an anime would waste precious minutes explaining to us viewers the intricacies of some of these scientific and engineering concepts simply baffles me.
I understand the need to create realism in one's story, but do we need to waste time listening to characters blurting out gibberish about how the central triflorating coil impacts the heating of the semi concrete switch.
90% of all mecha and sci-fi series feel the need to fill us in on how their false science works. Outside of actual elements of an anime that are key to understanding the concept that drives a series, they all need to stop.
11. UNYIELDING PROTAGONISTS- During my first two hundred episodes of One Piece is seriously considered dropping the series, not because of its quirky style but primarily due to Luffy, a hero that, no matter how many times he was decimated by his enemy, always got up, again and again, ready to take loads more punishment.
Now am not saying that Luffy never went down during those initial 200-400 episodes; I am saying that when he did go down, he still stood up to face his opponent once more, most definitely unconscious but none the less indomitable.
I am curious. Medically speaking if i snatched a club up and knocked a human being down, unconscious and all, would it be within their ability to rise up none the less and continue engaging in battle? Because i might be wrong and Luffy could well be within the limits of reality.
12. BATTLE MONOLOGUE- I understand why combatants would choose to express themselves in battle; what i don't understand is why any being of average intelligence would decide to reveal the secrets of his ability to his enemy.
I mean, isn't that part of the strategy, keeping your enemy guessing and basically ambushing them during a fight? I get that we the viewers need to understand what is going on in a given scene, but writers could be smarter about educating anime fans.
It's probably for this reason that i still appreciate the old Samurai X anime, that each major clash included a bystander that basically provided us, the viewers, a blow by blow of the fast paced events occurring on the battle field; that's actually a more believable tool that Kenshin simply spilling to Sato the rational of his legendary skill.
13. INBALANCED CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT- Krillin says it all. I would have had much greater appreciation for Ichigo's growth during Bleach's progress if there was anything akin to favourable development for support characters such as Rukia and Sado.
Anime series, especially those with large casts, need to learn to provide balanced development to all core cast members of any given stories. The idea of a single character driving the success of an entire story is long obsolete.
14. THE ONE- This harks back to my 13th point; the idea of that so called singular hero born and bread and chosen to rise, rule, save the world has a tendency to turn me off. Though, as i have mentioned before, certain series have the uncanny ability to pull tropes such as this off brilliantly.
Again it all comes down to execution; and anime that choose to gush over a single core character at the expense of all other important characters will kill an anime for me.
15. AMATEUR HEROES- Now this isn't necessarily a criticism, but more of a…consideration. I understand the idea of anime, especially shonen, being targeted primarily towards certain audiences; but i can't be the only one to notice that 95% of all heroes in all anime universes a younger than 12 years of age.
The idea that, on a vast planet of diversely skilled individuals, one ten year old stands as the best hope of humanity against one threat or another. This was my problem with copellion (Anime), whose organization had the opportunity to engineer their heroes into being rather than simply choosing them from the masses.
And they still chose to create restrictively skilled high school age girls and boys. I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes at the idea of a 7 year old acting no different from a 30 year old, commanding great power and respect and displaying even greater wisdom.
And again this isn't always a bad thing; after all i love Naruto. But some of these kids shouldn't even know how to tie their shoe laces, yet i am supposed to believe that they can concoct genius level strategies and pilot super robots?
16. WHINY CHARACTERS/CONFLICTED HEROES- I think most Otaku will have at some point encountered these most irritating of characters. More often than not, the most conflicted heroes are also the most whiny. You know them, those protagonists that simply cannot make their minds up, will spend most of the series fleeing from responsibility or a calling, whining and crying about their supposedly poor lives, before finally making an appearance at the end.
I can probably accept a little whining, but characters spending nearly two thirds of the series weeping extremely irritate me.
I have to confess; i have come across very few female characters in anime and manga that i actually like; and it has nothing to do with the fact that so many of them play little more role than the damsel in distress…okay maybe that's partly the problem.
However i am most irked by how useless most of them are to the plots of their respective series, besides contributing to fan service and ecchi components.
I get it; they're filler, supposed to allow us a glimpse into the lives of our protagonists as they wind down from the stress of daily life, should be funny, supposed to be enlightening, but i am sick to death of them.
If every anime chose to strike these beach/camping episodes from their structures, i would be greatly pleased. The only exception i have found is Another, which actually used the beach episode to pull off a shocking death.
19. CONTRADICTING AGES- Characters with 12 year old bodies that are supposedly several years older-for the record, i am not talking about vampires and the like, but basically human characters; this goes back to my complaint about a silly abundance of teen and pre teen heroes, which is what most such anime do, supposedly bringing older and more mature protagonists to situations, but still determined to bring a child like attitude and atmosphere to the series.
20. PAEDOPHILIA- There are certain anime series that can pull off some innocently funny situations between considerably older and considerably younger characters. Most however come off as quite disturbing.
And that's it for this rant about those dark sides of anime that infuriate me; though strangely enough, its because this is anime we are talking about that i am not actually advocating for any of these to get eliminated from basic anime story telling.
Anime has a reputation for taking the mundane and squeezing magic out of it; i am certain that, by putting their heads together, anime writers, producers, creators can take any of these elements and transform them into items that can generate considerable entertainment.
With only a few years of experience under me in terms of anime and manga, each new year and each new batch of anime that i experience brings to my attention new aspects about, and new genres or subgenres of anime that i simply cannot stand.
Asura Cryin is, well, i don't even know how to describe it outside of the generic genre descriptions you find on Wikipedia, and am not sure there is a name for it.
Natsume Tomoharu is a normal high-school student in every way with one exception: he's being followed by the ghost of his best friend, Misao.
After moving into his brother's old house, Tomoharu expects to continue living his normal life when, one day, he receives a mysterious and locked briefcase.
He has all intentions of leaving the case in storage, until his house is invaded by multiple groups of people chasing the briefcase. Unaware of its true purpose, in escaping with the briefcase Tomoharu and Misao are thrust into a world of conspiracies as they try to unravel the strings connecting Misao and the case and why its use has consequences for the whole world.
There's a sequel? Really? Why? I usually prefer keeping my reviews brief (ish) and somewhat general in describing the overall structure of an anime, this including characters, plots, villains, whatever caught my attention.
I won't bother doing that Asura Cryin, and not only because i came four episode short of actually finishing the first season. If you haven't seen it, there are ghosts that can turn into robots, are summoned out of dimensional portions and can do battle with unique abilities.
And as always the primary character is gifted with the most powerful mech of all-well, maybe second most powerful, i will assume that, as per the title, the Asura Cryin is the most powerful.
As always he does his best to stay out of trouble, basically choosing to keep all the chaos of his new life at an arm's distance, intent on enjoying average life despite the dangers facing him or those around him.
That is until a girl's thrown into the mix, a girl who, having tried to kill him earlier on, finds herself on the wrong end of a sword. And suddenly he's the gallant hero, ready to throw his life on the line for this stranger, and as always spouting some nonsense about right and wrong.
I can't be imagining it, right? That all these male characters suddenly find their righteous spirit when the plot throws a girl into the story; and suddenly they are willing to throw all on the line for sudden and supposed justice.
And why do all these girls fixate so intently on a single male character after only one or two acts of kindness? And they always bloody move in with him. Either that or an important figure in said female's life entrusts them to the protection of the suddenly important male character, the same male character that can barely protect himself in the best of circumstances.
-Oh, and by the way, that is Tohomaru for you, along with Kanade, Ania, Christina and more; let me just say that i hate dormant male protagonists, the kind that receive mysterious suit cases and choose to lock them away rather than expend energy seeking answers.
I don't want to bother criticising Asura Cryin, or comment on its fairly acceptable characters, uninspired music, okay voice actors or even the generic artistic designs. Because i know or rather i think i know what this anime was trying to achieve, but i don't think it had any idea.
VERDICT- I would be curious to find someone who could defend Asura Cryin's quality to me. The male lead is weak in every way and its because he has no stake in the conflict, no interest in its intricacies that he can go around both fighting and befriending both sides like a buffoon, playing absolutely no role in progressing the plot.
The action hits both extremes, either over the top or underwhelming. The female characters were all TERRIBLE; its like whoever was writing this chose to reserve all the corniest lines of dialogue and plot points just for them, especially Kanade.
And why do they all have to be so pitiful and pathetic, only in existence to search for that hero that will save them. And did i mention how terrible Tomoharu was? Or maybe it was his whiny character that infuriated me.
I have no idea how to describe anime and manga such as this; but i am certain there is word for these sorts of situations.
RATING:>3/10; seriously, how did this anime make it to season 2. Though i might give it a look for curiosity's sake.
I am starting to wonder if its too late to extricate myself from monthly manga; because as good as some of them are, every manga has tame chapters, lulls in the story that, on a weekly basis, can be acceptable; but which, over the period of one month can become irritating.
Mother keeper chapter 44 wasn't terrible; and maybe i can point out some entertaining moments…actually no i cannot, because this chapter was only 15 pages long and did nothing to advance the story.
THE CHAPTER: The invasion continues
Really, nothing really progressed in the story from the last two chapters, and that probably has something to do with the very short run of this chapter.
Was i looking forward to Torukisu Vs. Ricalna? Yes, and for all intent and purposes it pretty much…well no, i can't say it delivered, because again it was only 15 pages. The battle felt like it closed just as it was starting.
Rather what i will say is the art in this chapter was pretty good, specifically the battle between these combatants, the panels arranged in such a way that the carefully choreographed moves were fast paced yet easy to follow.
That's it, that's all i can say about this chapter; because Lint facing off against the Chaos tide thugs wasn't much of a cliff hanger, nothing to keep me be glued to the series till the next chapter.
We have always known what the rebels were after, mother, the same thing Ricalna tried to obtain when he first infiltrated Eden; so it isn't like we learnt much from the chaos tide conversation.
Well maybe its worth pointing out the fact that they said if mother was all they acquired from the invasion, they were as good as victorious in their endeavours; which means they probably have secondary objectives besides taking Eden's CPU.
Now that would be a great mystery if we hadn't seen the rebels dragging a massive rocket into Eden; i guess that goes back to the question of their motives.
But by destroying Eden and killing a number of its inhabitants, they will formally lose entitlement over the description of hero. And i can't see Ricalna returning to their side after that.
RATING: 4/10; sure, great action sequences, but also very short.
I will commend Copellion here for almost pulling a fast one on me; it was at the end there, as the series came to a close that i found myself wondering at the thoughts sauntering through my head, that this anime might have been a pretty good series to invest my time into.
Which isn't the case, unfortunately; probably worth a lazy afternoon with absolutely nothing to do, but nothing to really engage you in any entertaining manner; though that doesn't take into account the fact that Copellion is artistically beautiful.
In 2016, the meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the city has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation. From that area a distress signal is received. The Self Defence forces dispatch three girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
With a series that proffered me mild enjoyment, this is where i would normally talk about the potential possessed but wasted; but i don't know if that is the case with Copellion, because in speaking of potential, am pretty certain the only thing i would be referring to is the animation, which also fails along the way.
I have heard Copellion referred to as an anime of contradictions and that is something i can believe, when you consider all its parts:
1. The Concept- first of all, what's with the high school girls? Someone in Japan is clearly lagging behind in the times, because i feel that this is one of those tropes that should have been left back in the early 2000s.
Sure i was intrigued when the series first kicked off, expecting some dark and tragic story with the way the series initiated; and is that what i got? Unfortunately yes, a boat load of it, an seemingly endless parade of miserable characters wallowing in despair, whose only purpose in the series was to create an unnecessarily gloomy atmosphere over our main characters.
Basically, there was way too much wailing and whining, initially necessary and eventually excessively overdone, the series clearly determined to attract cheap pity and sympathy for some really pathetic characters.
And what was with Copellion? Who the hell are they and what do they do? I know, it seems obvious especially in the premise described above, or the first episode; until you progress further, only to realize how ambiguous the entire concept is.
It's almost irritating to watch, when you consider how irrational the entire idea is, that a government would genetically engineer kids, put them through high school and send them into a danger zone, instead of crafting strong, emotionally stable soldiers with the wits to operate professionally.
This reminds me of all those mech shows that leave me wondering why, following an alien invasion, the creation of giant mechs to compound on the destruction levels would be the first solution the world would turn to.
Rating: 3/10
2. Characters- Really can't say i liked any of the main characters; first the whole school girl thing just seemed odd and irrational to me, and why the hell were they wearing school uniforms during field work?
More importantly could there have been a more mismatched and handicapped team ever assembled to provide emergency services and contend with the warped minds of villains?
The first episode quickly starts by building upon Ibara's character, natural born leader, head strong, willful, physically capable, determined; then as the series progresses she seems to contradict every single one of her traits, firstly a little too generic in terms of skills, always, and i mean always breaking down, and so pacifistic and idealistic in her determination to do no harm as to be ABSOLUTELY STUPID.
She quickly becomes irritating and again its something i commend the series about, that in those last few episodes i seemed to forget that.
Aoi made no sense as part of team Ibara, COMPLETELY USELESS; and i mean that literally, in that she spent every episode screaming, crying, running from danger, getting kidnapped…you really cannot understand how someone so incapable made it to her station.
Admittedly she stood out as one of my favorite because she, at least, proved consistent, from beginning to end, and her antiques were pretty funny after a while, especially during the last few episodes, as she came face to face with her former bullies.
Taeko was, well, Taeko. And the villains, well, let's just say that no matter how vile any of them presented their agendas to be, i haven't seen bad guys this lacking in passion and determination in a while, basically present only to make grand speeches to dumb and naive Ibara.
I want to latch onto someone, anyone that made this series worth the time spent making it; but the entire cast was simply unlikeable.
Rating: 1/10, 1 star for Aoi
3. The Plot- but can you really blame the characters for their lackluster nature with a plot as bad and pointless as what Copellion gave us? Because the simple fact is this; Copellion had absolutely no idea what it was doing, its characters randomly wandering from one accidental meeting to another, new interactions launching new missions with little to no purpose.
Precluding the finale, there was a definite aimlessness to the series, which reminds me of the utter incompetence of Copellion, the organization in this series.
Rating: 3/10, seriously this really could have been something great, but…
4. Art- If there is one element in this whole series that made it worth watching, it was the art. No, that is the only reason i actually stuck around till the end, because no matter its failings, Copellion is absolutely beautiful to look at, a master piece at that.
And not the entire creation, but rather the backgrounds, the landscapes and buildings in their desolation; there was a realism i couldn't help but appreciate, the colors vivid without being unrealistic.
Copellion is an anime worth viewing if only to marvel at its artistic presentations.
Rating: 10/10
5. Animation- Now one has to wonder what happened with the animation; not bad, by the way, but somewhat…blotchy, inconsistent; only made worse when contrasted with the aesthetic beauty of the background elements in each episode.
It kind of infuriated me to tell you the truth, almost confused me, trying to figure out what was wrong with a scene that should have been breath taking to look at.
Rating: 4/10
6. Music- Not even worth mentioning, largely inconsequential to the series as a whole. And i can't say i was impressed with some of the voice actors, especially Ibara.
I could rant on for a few more pages about why this anime simply missed its mark, but what would be the point? Because Copellion isn't trash or anything, it's simply…unfocused, almost unplanned, with little to no objective. If anything there is more effort injected into spreading an environmental awareness message than in telling a good story.
There is something to be said about the tragic elements at the end, which seemed less forced than usual.
RATING: 5/10, Okay i wasn't actually bored during the series' run, simply uninspired to keep watching by any of the elements in the anime.
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Filmlinc DailyRSS
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
A circuit arrangement, node, clustered computer system, and method incorporate a primitive communication mechanism for use in exchanging data between adjacent nodes coupled via a point-to-point network. A plurality of network ports are used to couple a node to other nodes in the clustered computer system over point-to-point network interconnects, and a plurality of communication registers are associated with each of the network ports for the purpose of storing data received through their associated network ports. A node desiring to communicate information to another node receives a port identifier from the other node that identifies the network port on the other node through which the pair of nodes are coupled. The port identifier is then used by the node to communicate data to the other node through the use of one or more write operations directed to the communication register on the other node that is associated with the network port identified by the port identifier. On the other node, a control circuit is used to automatically notify the other node whenever data is stored in any of its communication registers, e.g., by generating an interrupt in response to non-zero data being stored in any of such communication registers.
1. A method of communicating between nodes in a clustered computer system, the method comprising:
(a) communicating a port identifier from a first node to a second node coupled to the first node over a point-to-point network, wherein the first node includes a plurality of network ports and a plurality of communication registers, wherein each network port is configured to directly couple to an adjacent node in the clustered computer system over a point-to-point interconnect in the point-to-point network, wherein each communication register is dedicated to an associated network port among the plurality of network ports and is configured to store data received over such associated network port, and wherein the port identifier identifies a network port among the plurality of network ports to which the second node is coupled to the first node; and
(b) communicating data from the second node to the first node by initiating a write operation on the first node using the second node to store the data in the communication register associated with the network port identified by the port identifier.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
8. The method of
9. The method of
10. A circuit arrangement, comprising:
(a) a plurality of network ports, each configured to couple a first node from a clustered computer system to another node in the clustered computer system over a point-to-point network;
(b) a plurality of communication registers, each dedicated to an associated network port among the plurality of network ports and configured to store data received through such associated network port; and
(c) a control circuit coupled to the plurality of communication registers and configured to automatically notify the first node in response to storage of data in any of the plurality of communication registers.
11. The circuit arrangement of
12. The circuit arrangement of
13. The circuit arrangement of
14. The circuit arrangement of
15. The circuit arrangement of
16. The circuit arrangement of
17. The circuit arrangement of
18. An integrated circuit device comprising the circuit arrangement of
19. A program product comprising a hardware definition program that defines the circuit arrangement of
20. A node for use in a clustered computer system, the node comprising:
(a) a plurality of network ports, each configured to couple to another node in the clustered computer system over a paint-to-point network;
(b) a plurality of communication registers, each dedicated to an associated network port among the plurality of network ports and configured to store data received through such associated network port; and
(c) a control circuit coupled to the plurality of communication registers and configured to automatically notify the node in response to storage of data in any of the plurality of communication registers.
21. The node of
22. A clustered computer system comprising:
(a) a plurality of nodes, each node including:
(i) a plurality of network ports;
(ii) a plurality of communication registers, each dedicated to an associated network port among the plurality of network ports and configured to store data received through such associated network port; and
(iii) a control circuit coupled to the plurality of communication registers and configured to automatically notify such node in response to storage of data in any of the plurality of communication registers; and
(b) a plurality of point-to-point network interconnects, each coupled between a pair of nodes from the plurality of nodes through network ports on each of the pair of nodes.
The invention is generally directed to clustered computer systems, and in particular, to network communication and initialization thereof.
�Clustering� generally refers to a computer system organization where multiple computers, or nodes, are networked together to cooperatively perform computer tasks. An important aspect of a computer cluster is that all of the nodes in the cluster present a single system image�that is, from the perspective of a user, the nodes in a cluster appear collectively as a single computer, or entity.
Clustering is often used in relatively large multi-user computer systems where high performance and reliability are of concern. For example, clustering may be used to provide redundancy, or fault tolerance, so that, should any node in a cluster fail, the operations previously performed by that node will be handled by other nodes in the cluster. Clustering is also used to increase overall performance, since multiple nodes can often handle a larger number of tasks in parallel than a single computer otherwise could. Often, load balancing can also be used to ensure that tasks are distributed fairly among nodes to prevent individual nodes from becoming overloaded and therefore maximize overall system performance. One specific application of clustering, for example, is in providing multi-user access to a shared resource such as a database or a storage device, since multiple nodes can handle a comparatively large number of user access requests, and since the shared resource is typically still available to users even upon the failure of any given node in the cluster.
The nodes within a clustered computer system are typically coupled to one another via some form of communication network. One type of network used to interconnect nodes, for example, is a broadcast-type network such as an ethernet network, where nodes coupled to the network have unique addresses, and where information is transmitted in the form of packets that are addressed to the particular node or nodes that are the intended recipients of the information. With a broadcast-type network, the packets are received by all nodes, and only those nodes having appropriate addresses will process the packet. Often, broadcast-type networks rely on central hubs or switches that receive packets from sending nodes and broadcast the packets to all other nodes on the network.
Another type of network used to interconnect nodes in a clustered computer system is a point-to-point network, which includes a number of point-to-point interconnections between nodes, and where the nodes themselves assist in routing packets to appropriate nodes on the network. As with a broadcast-type network, each node is typically assigned a unique address. In contrast with a broadcast-type network, however, each interconnection effectively has a single node at each end, so that a packet that needs to be sent to a node that is several interconnects away from a sending node will be relayed by all of the intermediate nodes in the path. Typically, nodes will have multiple network ports that are directly linked with individual network ports on other nodes. While point-to-point networks are typically more complex than broadcast-type networks, such networks tend to offer comparatively greater bandwidth, since individual packets are typically only routed over a subset of the networked nodes, and as a result, multiple packets may often be communicated at the same time over different paths in the network.
Both of the aforementioned types of networks typically require that each node be aware of the network address of every other node with which that node wishes to communicate. Such a requirement, however, presents a problem if a network is initialized to a state where none of the nodes has a network address assigned a priori or through an external agent, as nodes are initially unable to communicate with one another due to an inability to determine the addresses of the other nodes on the network.
Various distributed consensus algorithms are known to initialize a network and assign appropriate network addresses to various nodes that are present on a network. However, in many instances, these distributed consensus algorithms still require that each node already have a unique network address that is known to all other nodes on the network. Thus, in cases where unique network addresses have not yet been established, conventional distributed consensus algorithms cannot properly initialize a network.
The inability to properly address network communications when unique addresses have not been established for all existing nodes is particularly problematic in clustering environments, and in particular clustering environments that rely on point-to-point networks, as the high availability requirements of such systems often dictate that nodes be added to and removed from the system with minimal interruption of service, and often without interrupting communications between unaffected nodes. Moreover, even where a network is first being initialized, it is highly desirable for network addresses to be assigned with minimal, if any, administrator interaction. However, distributing network addresses among nodes in an automated manner, when the nodes are not yet aware of the network addresses of other nodes, is often not practicable in conventional clustering environments.
It has been found, therefore, that distributing network addresses throughout a cluster's network prior to assignment of unique addresses requires some form of communication mechanism that allows at least rudimentary information exchange between nodes without requiring the use of network addresses. A significant need has therefore arisen in the art for a manner of permitting at least limited communications between nodes without the requirement for unique network-wide addresses being known to all nodes.
The invention addresses these and other problems associated with the prior art by providing a circuit arrangement, node, clustered computer system, and method incorporating a primitive communication mechanism for use in exchanging data between adjacent nodes coupled via a point-to-point network, often without and/or before establishment of network-wide node addresses. To implement the primitive communication mechanism, a plurality of network ports are used to couple a node to other nodes in the clustered computer system over point-to-point network interconnects, and a plurality of communication registers are associated with each of the network ports for the purpose of storing data received through their associated network ports.
Consistent with one aspect of the invention, a node desiring to communicate information to another node receives a port identifier from the other node that identifies the network port on the other node through which the pair of nodes are coupled. The port identifier is then used by the node to communicate data to the other node through the use of one or more write operations directed to the communication register on the other node that is associated with the network port identified by the port identifier.
Consistent with another aspect of the invention, a control circuit is coupled to the communication registers of a node and is used to automatically notify the node whenever data is stored in any of the communication registers. In various embodiments consistent with the invention, for example, the control circuit may be configured to generate an interrupt in response to non-zero data being stored in any communication register for a node. In other embodiments, a software program may poll the communication registers looking for non-zero data.
These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described exemplary embodiments of the invention.
The embodiments discussed hereinafter address the difficulties associated with communicating information between nodes in a point-to-point network in the absence of network-wide addresses by implementing a primitive communication mechanism that functions much as a sideband communication between nodes at a very low level networking protocol. The primitive communication mechanism provides for simple communications between adjacent nodes in a point-to-point network in such a manner that no prior knowledge of the names used to address nodes in the network or preallocation of buffer space beyond that required by a set of registers to receive messages from adjacent nodes over specific network ports.
As will be discussed in greater detail below, nodes are provided with one or more network ports, and dedicated communication registers are associated with each of the network ports, and are used to store data received over the network ports. Automated detection circuitry is utilized in connection with the communication registers to automatically notify a node whenever data is received into a communication register associated with a particular network port. Moreover, given that each network port is assigned a dedicated communication register, the node can readily determine the network port through which the information was sent.
Moreover, each node is provided with a configuration register that provides node configuration information upon request to the various nodes that are coupled to such node. Among other types of configuration information, a port identifier may be supplied to indicate to which of the network ports on the local node the node requesting the configuration information is coupled. Using the port identifier, the requesting node can then direct future information to the communication register associated with that port. As such, nodes are able to communicate effectively with their adjacent neighbors, and determine both the local and remote network ports through which they and their neighbors are coupled. Among other benefits, such a communication mechanism may permit a clustered computer system network to be initialized and modified in a fairly automated and dynamic manner, e.g., by assigning and distributing network-wide addresses to the nodes in connection with a distributed consensus algorithm or the like.
Turning now to the Drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views,
Each node 12 may be implemented, for example, as any of a number of multi-user computers such as a network server, a midrange computer, a mainframe computer, etc., that is capable of serving as a processing or cluster node within a cluster. Various additional types of networkable nodes 12 may also be utilized in clustered computer system 10, e.g., bridge nodes that interface processing nodes with input/output (I/O) devices, or other networkable I/O controllers, adaptors and/or devices that provide input and/output functionality for the clustered computer system. However, it will be appreciated that the invention may be implemented in other computers and data processing systems, e.g., in stand-alone or single-user computers such as workstations, desktop computers, portable computers, and the like, or in other programmable electronic devices (e.g., incorporating embedded controllers and the like). Moreover, multiple nodes may reside within a single physical computer, e.g., in a logically-partitioned system.
Point-to-point network 14 includes a plurality of point-to-point interconnections 16 that are respectively coupled between respective network ports 18 on a pair of nodes 12. Each node can have a varying number of network ports 18, and each network port is capable of directly communicating information between that port's node and another node that is directly coupled to the same interconnect 14. In the exemplary system of
Network 14 implements a point-to-point loop network topology, where messages are passed between any two nodes on the network by relaying the messages along a path of point-to-point interconnects from a source node to a destination node. Thus, for example, in the exemplary system of
As shown in
To provide support for various input/output (110) resources, including interconnectivity with other nodes, I/O hub 24 interfaces processor(s) 20 with the plurality of network ports 18. In this regard, a set of I/O registers 26 are maintained in I/O hub 24, a port of which are utilized in connection with the primitive communication mechanism described herein. In addition, a control circuit 28 is utilized to manage communications occurring through the I/O hub.
Also shown in
CRS program 32 represents a clustering infrastructure for the node, which implements, among other functions, the higher level network protocols that support the clustering-related communications between nodes in the system. In connection with implementing the higher level network protocols, CRS program 32 also manages network and clustering initialization, as well as other node management operations such as adding and removing nodes, changing network topologies, etc.
It will be appreciated that the functionality described herein may be implemented in various alternate combinations of hardware and/or software in each of nodes 12, and that the functionality may be allocated among other programs, computers or components in clustered computer system 10. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, typically much of the primitive communication mechanism is embodied in hardware circuitry (e.g., with hardware state machines), although a programmable controller may be used in the alternative. Nonetheless, despite the hardware-based implementation, the term �routine� may be used herein to describe the hardware-based functionality implemented in the mechanism. Moreover, other programs and layers of software may be utilized in connection with CRS program 32 to implement parts of the networking and network initialization functionality described herein. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific hardware and software implementation described herein.
The discussion hereinafter will focus on the specific routines and circuitry utilized to implement the above-described functionality. The routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module or sequence of instructions, will also be referred to herein as �computer programs,� or simply �programs.� The computer programs typically comprise one or more instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when read and executed by one or more processors in a computer, cause that computer to perform the steps necessary to execute steps or elements embodying the various aspects of the invention. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented directly in hardware circuitry, via one or more circuit arrangements that are typically disposed on one or more integrated circuit devices.
Moreover, while the invention has and hereinafter will be described in the context of fully functioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include but are not limited to recordable type media such as volatile and nonvolatile memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM's, DVD's, etc.), among others, and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links. Moreover, circuit arrangements, while typically disposed in operation on integrated circuit devices, may also be distributed as a program product, e.g., as a computer program or data file (referred to as a hardware definition program) defined by a hardware definition language (HDL) such as VHDL, verilog, EDIF, etc.
It will also be appreciated that various programs described hereinafter may be identified based upon the application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature that follows is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.
To implement a primitive communication mechanism consistent with the invention, the illustrated embodiment utilizes a set of I/O registers mapped to known register addresses within a register address space of each node. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, each node in the network includes N communication registers, each of which is configured to store data received over an associated network port for the node. In addition, a configuration register is utilized on each node to provide, among additional information, a port identifier that informs another node requesting access to a particular node, which of the network ports on the node being requested is being used to communicate with the requesting node.
In the illustrated implementation, as shown in
Now turning to
In the illustrated implementation, each register 44, 46 is implemented using a 64-bit register. In the alternative, multiple registers may be utilized to store configuration information, as well as communication information associated with each network port (e.g., two registers of configuration information). Moreover, registers may be combined into the same physical register circuit, and addressed via separate bit ranges at a combined register address (e.g., port 1 might be allocated bits 0-31 of a communication register at address X, while port 2 might be allocated bits 32-63 of the same register). Moreover, the information stored in registers 44, 46 may be stored in the node within other hardware components than the I/O hub. In general, therefore, the precise hardware mapping of the information in the communication and configuration registers to physical register logic within a node can vary in different applications.
In the illustrated embodiment, the automated detection circuitry in control circuit 28 is implemented using one or more OR gates that together implement a logical-OR operation, as represented at block 50. Tn the illustrated implementation, each of the bits in each of the communication registers 46 is fed to logic gate 50 to perform logical-OR operation on all of the bits in all of the communication registers. Thus, for example, in the implementation illustrated in
With this configuration, should any communication register be written with non-zero data, the assertion of any of the bit lines output from such registers will cause gate 50 to assert an interrupt signal that generates a hardware interrupt for handling by the interrupt handling circuitry in the node (block 30 of
It will be appreciated that, given the relatively simple logical operation that is performed by gate 50, a number of different hardware implementations may be used to implement this function. For example, a tree of OR gates may be used instead of a single logical OR gate, e.g., with a first level of OR gates used to logically-OR together all of the bits in each individual communication register, with a second level OR gate coupled to the outputs of the first level OR gates. Moreover, other manners of detecting storage of data into a communication register may also be used. For example, edge-triggered detection may be used to detect a change in values in one or more bits in a communication register, or the value of the data lines fed to the communication register may be polled instead of the contents of the register. Moreover, separate interrupts may be generated for each communication register and processed separately by the interrupt handling logic. Also, a software program may poll the communication registers for non-zero or otherwise modified data. Other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The function of automatically detecting a data store into a communication register serves the purpose of providing a mechanism through which the software executing on a node can be directed to handle incoming data fed to a communication register via the primitive communication mechanism. A combination of the hardware-based detection and the software-based handling of a communication from another node provides an efficient, yet flexible communication infrastructure. However, it will be appreciated that other implementations may partition the detection and handling functionality differently among hardware and software. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular implementation discussed herein.
As discussed above, the configuration and communication registers are mapped to predefined locations in the register address space of each node, such that every node can access these registers on other nodes. Moreover, in the illustrated implementation, read and write accesses supported on each network port, typically with any of a number of known protocols used to communicate both an address and an access type over a point-to-point interconnection, as well as to provide write data in association with any write requests. For example, a network interconnect may include control lines, address lines and data lines, or in the alternative, multiplexed address and data lines. Moreover, requests and other transactions may occupy single or multiple interconnect cycles, as is well known in the art.
Returning to
In the alternative, the port identifier may be returned in response to a request, without actually storing the port identifier in the configuration register, and/or without returning other configuration information. Moreover, rather than a read request directed at a configuration register, a request with another request type may be used to retrieve a port identifier, and further, in some embodiments, no configuration register may be used in connection with a primitive communication mechanism.
Using the aforementioned primitive communication mechanism, when a particular node A wishes to communicate with a neighboring node B on the network, node A sends a read request on the network, which returns the contents of the configuration register from node B. The value of the returned data indicates which of the N ports on node B the read request from A entered. This information is used by node A to pick which of the N communications registers in B to use when sending messages to B. Node A then writes a non-zero data pattern to the selected communication register in the neighboring node B, which generates an interrupt on node B. This interrupt causes node B to examine the contents of the communication register for the message data, and after the message data has been obtained from the communication register, node B resets the value of the register to 0, which deasserts the interrupt signal. Through this process, all the neighboring nodes of a given node on the network can simultaneously and independently communicate with that node.
A wide variety of data may be transferred between nodes using the aforementioned mechanism. As mentioned above, one particularly useful application is in initializing all or a portion of a network (as when a node is added to an existing network) to distribute network-wide addresses and establish higher-level networking messaging functionality.
In this regard,
As discussed above, any node that receives a read request for its configuration register over one of its network ports will return the contents of its configuration register, along with the port identifier for the port over which the request was received. Therefore, for each received response, block 64 passes control to block 66 to (1) mark the network port from which the response was received as active, and (2) store the configuration information received in the response in a local data structure on the node within which neighbor information is maintained. Among the configuration information is the port identifier for the network port on the responding node to which the initializing node is coupled. Control then returns to block 64 to process additional responses.
Once all responses are received, control passes to block 68 to proceed with network initialization, e.g., using a distributed consensus algorithm such as that discussed below in connection with
Various interrupt handling routines may be used to handle interrupts generated by virtue of data stores to the communication registers. For example, it may be desirable to implement a round robin interrupt handling routine that, in response to the interrupt signal from control circuit 28 and passed by interrupt handler 30, polls each communication register in order for non-zero data (typically starting after the last register found to have non-zero data). If a non-zero register is found, the contents are forwarded to a higher level software program, and the register is reset to a zero value. If the interrupt signal is asserted and no non-zero data is found, an error may be signaled. Moreover, typically in many processing environments, an interrupt termination notification may need to be generated after the communicated data is retrieved from the register. For example, in a Power PC environment such as used on AS/400 or iSeries eServer midrange computers, an end of interrupt (EOI) code may be generated after the register is reset.
Other routines may be used to handle the generated interrupts. For example, different registers, and by implication, different ports, may be granted different priorities, with interrupts handled in order of priority.
It will be appreciated that other types of information may be communicated using the primitive communication mechanism consistent with the invention. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the primitive communication mechanism may be used even after higher-level network messaging has been established. For example, status and performance information for a particular network interconnection could be periodically communicated between nodes in the manner described herein, as might topology modifications made to the network. Other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
While the primitive communication mechanism described herein has a wide variety of applications, one exemplary application, for use in initializing a point-to-point network in a clustered computer system, is described hereinafter and shown in
To support the distributed consensus algorithm, a message format is typically utilized to format the data communicated via the communication registers described herein. For example, in this exemplary application, a format of 8-bits opcode, 2-bits of sliding window protocol bits (sequence number and sequence number acknowledge) and 54-bits of payload may be defined for communication register messages. Moreover, in this exemplary implementation, different opcodes may be defined as appropriate for the particular application being implemented.
Once network addresses are distributed, a higher level protocol may be used to communicate cluster communications, and such communications may still utilize the primitive communication mechanism in certain instances. One exemplary message format includes 8-bits message type, 8-bits reserved, 16-bits source node ID, 16-bits source and destination partition ID's (if logical partitioning is used), 8-bits Opcode extension and 8-bits opcode.
Given the flexibility provided by the aforementioned primitive communication mechanism, a wide variety of message formats may be envisioned. Then invention is thus not limited to the formats discussed explicitly herein.
Now, given a set of independent peer computer systems that initialize to an identical state but have unique serial numbers that exist on a common network fabric where the network protocol requires each computer system to have an unique network address, the primitive communication mechanism described herein may be used to assign a unique network address to each peer computer system on the network without outside intervention.
In this exemplary application, when each of the nodes on the network first initialize, the only difference in their state is the value of their serial number. This value is assumed to be unusable as a network address as it typically does not fit within the name space of the network protocol. At this point, the network may be considered to consist of N sub-networks, where N is the number of nodes connected via the network fabric. None of the nodes can communicate with each other via the standard network protocol that can be configured to transport packets of data between any two endpoints to the network. The only communication mechanism that is supported is the aforementioned primitive mechanism that allows two neighboring nodes on the network to send a register-size piece of data to each other per network cycle.
Thus, subsequent to performing the operations described above in connection with
Next, referring to block 84, after two neighboring nodes on the network have exchanged serial numbers, they each compare the serial number of their neighbor with their own value. If the local system's serial number is greater than that of its neighbor, no further messages are generated until the remote system responds or until a timeout expires. If the local system's serial number is less than that of its neighbor, this system sends a �submit� message to the remote system and changes its state to �submit.� Each lower serial number node (referred to as a submit node) becomes subservient to the higher serial number node (referred to as a control node).
Next, referring to block 86, when a node receives the �submit� message and it is in the �initialization� state, it changes its state to �control� and responds with an �init� message that contains a bit vector describing the set of network addresses being used by this node.
Next, referring to block 88, when a node receives the �init� message, it changes its network address to a non-conflicting address, changes its state to �suspended� and responds with an �initack� message that contains the new network address of the node and system address or pointer that can be referenced by the remote node in order to perform a direct memory access (DMA) to communicate a configuration table from the local node to the remote node.
Next, referring to block 90, when a node receives the �initack� message, it changes its state to �controlGroupUpdate,� configures the network routing to enable communication with the neighboring node, and does a DMA pull from the address given in the initack message. After the DMA has completed, the node processes the information obtained in the DMA and builds up an accurate and complete representation of the network configuration in its own configuration table. This table is now the master configuration table for the two nodes in this portion of the network. Next, this node sends a network message, �tableupdate� that contains a system address or pointer that can be referenced by the remote node in order to DMA over the new configuration table.
Next, referring to block 92, when a node receives the �tableupdate� message, it does a DMA pull from the address and node given in the tableupdate message. After the DMA has completed, the node processes the information obtained in DMA and updates its configuration table to the accurate state given by the remote node's table. After this processing is complete, the node responds with a �tableupdateack� message to the control node.
At this point, both nodes have full network addressability to each other and can begin cluster communications. Then, referring to block 94, if any additional nodes adjoin either of these two nodes on the network, the processes repeat until all nodes in the network have been initialized in this manner, until a complete network topology is generated and distributed to all nodes on the network. Referring to block 96, clustering can proceed as appropriate, including establishing higher-level networking protocols to exchange cluster messages between the various nodes.
Various additional modification will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention lies in the claims hereinafter appended.
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Shared Wireless Access Protocol
Developed by the HomeRF Working Group, SWAP is a specification for wireless voice and data networking in the home.
SWAP works together with the PSTN network and the Internet through existing cordless telephone and wireless LAN technologies. It supports TDMA for interactive data transfer and CSMA/CA for high-speed packet transfer.
SWAP operates in the 2400 MHz band at 50 hops per second. Data travels at a rate between 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps.
On a SWAP network via cordless handheld devices, users will be able to voice activate home electronic systems; access the Internet from anywhere in the home, and forward fax, voice and e-mail messages.
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Subway Runner 2014
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A Symmetric Key Cryptographic Algorithm
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Executive Summary
Any communication in the language that user and user speak - that is the human language, takes the form of plain text or clear text. That is, a message in plain text can be understood by anybody knowing the language as long as the message is not codified in any manner. So, now the authors have to use coding scheme to ensure that information is hidden from anyone for whom it is not intended, even those who can see the coded data. Cryptography is the art of achieving security by encoding messages to make them non-readable. Cryptography is the practice and study of hiding information.
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Let's Have A Vigorous Debate About Business School Rankings
And who the Marriott School of Business needs to screw to make the Top 25.
Let's Exchange Heated Words Over: Business School Rankings, Duke Is #1 Edition
Is Duke's Fuqua School of Business the best business school in the country? According to BusinessWeek, which has jumped on the ranking of MBA programs bandwagon, yes. Obviously, many of you are going to have thoughts about this as well as other things on the list that may have touched a nerve (perceived slights like […]
Let's Exchange Heated Words Over: Business School Rankings
Once again, as it does every year, US News has released its ranking of the best, not bad, and okay business schools. As this is the sort of thing that inspires unbridled rage over perceived slights like finding out your alma mater dropped one spot or having to suffer the indignity of an inferior institution […]
Life At JP Morgan Is Looking Up
Yes, the bank just agreed to pay $13 billion to settle only one of the many investigations into its practices. Yes, #AskJPM didn't exactly go off as planned. Yes, the public outrage reserved for Goldman Sachs has all but turned to 270 Park. Yes, the firm's headquarters are visited regularly by an exorcist. And yes, […]
UK Hedge Fund Manager's Chickens To Maintain The Lifestyle They've Grown Accustomed To In 2013
What motivates a hedge fund manager to continue busting his ass to churn out profits year after year, once he's already amassed a fortune most people can't even fathom, when he could easily pack it all in and live more than comfortably without ever working another day? For some, it's the thrill. For others, it's the trophy's wife's shoe habit. For Crispin Odey, it's the chickens.
The Odey Asset Management founder (and sausage brand ambassador)'s got a mess of high-maintenance ones and earlier this year, had architects draft blueprints of a "Palladian-style" mansion he intended to build them (seen at left), replete with a grey zinc roof, "pediments, cornice, architrave, and frieze in English oak," and columns "hewn from the finest grey Forest of Dean standstone." After finishing 2011 down 20.3%, things were no doubt more than a little tense over in Herefordshire, where questions of whether or not construction would have to be halted, or if they'd have to make the switch to [whispers] generic-brand feed. Certainly a moment of panic swept over Odey each day when he returned home, wondering as he turned the knob if he'd be entering an empty house, the chickens gone and a note explaining they couldn't do this anymore on the fridge. Ran off with the general contractor because what was the point of shacking up with a money manger if the money wasn't there? Luckily for all parties involved, it won't have to come to that; according to Bloomberg Markets' annual ranking of the top performing hedge funds, performing under pressure is one of Odey's specialities.
It's finals time, folks! In undergrad, this meant camping out in the 24-hour library, not showering, ingesting solely caffeine and mozzarella sticks, sleeping less than four hours, arriving exam day in the ultimate defeatist attire (college hoodie and pajama pants). In business school, finals time means … hmm some light stretching, a hearty yaaaaaaaaawn from […]
Let's Exchange Heated Words Over: Business School Rankings
US News has regaled us with its annual ranking of the top business schools. I know you need a safe space to get huffy about perceived slights (be it your MBA program being lower than you believe is accurate or by having to suffer the indignity of an inferior institution being too close on the […]
For those size queens out there, Institutional Investor has compiled the 2011 rankings. 25. ESL Investments ($14.0 billion) 23. Moore Capital ($15.0 billion) 23. Appaloosa Management ($15.0 billion) 22. Davidson Kempner Capital ($15.3 billion) 21. DE Shaw ($15.6 billion) 20 Landsdowne Partners ($16.146 billion) 19. AQR Capital ($16.7 billion) 18. Elliott Management ($16.8 billion) 17. […]
Ladies Love (Respect, Admire, Bow Down In The Presence Of) Lloyd Blankfein
Men too! According to Fortune's annual ranking of the "50 most admired companies," Blankfein's Goldman is 25 overall (the top 50 also includes JPMorgan and Wells Fargo) and number one out of the "megabanks." In that category, here's how the rest stacked up: 16. Royal Bank of Scotland 15. Mizuho Financial Group 14. Citigroup 13. […]
Which Wall Streeters 'Run' The Art Market?
With few exceptions (thinking about how they could do things like buy a random restaurant just to fire the rude waiter who serviced them, having an IHOP built in their bedroom), few things are more satisfying to financiers than buying multi-million dollar pieces of art to hang above their toilets. Every now and then it's […]
Asking For Your Signature To Be Removed From An Email Thread Nominating Hottest New Female Hires Apparently Not Enough Of A Safeguard From Provoking Firm's Ire
This is just a little head's up, trick of the trade: if you're considering circulating a "short list" of nominations for the hottest young female recruits at your company, asking your colleagues to remove your name before forwarding it on may not be enough to keep you out of HR's line of fire. You might […]
Financial Times Says Give It Up For George Soros
He's one of the most well-known hedge fund managers in the world, praised prett-ay, prett-ay, prett-ay frequently for his market savvy but the FT has decided that Jorge just doesn't get the props he deserves.
Jamie Dimon, Lloyd Blankfein Moving Up In The (MBA) World
The president may not appreciate them but you know what? Screw that guy. JD and LB don't need him when they've got the votes of MBA Candidates. CNN Money's annual ranking of the top companies business students want to work for is out and apparently these kids want a piece of James D and his […]
Bill Gates To "Top" Warren Buffett Tomorrow?
Tomorrow, Forbes will release its annual list of the richest billionaires in the world. Who will take the number one and two spots? The CNBC brain trust has crunched some numbers and is guessing it'll be Gates, followed by Buffett. This is all pretty upsetting to everyone in the Oracle's camp, as it would mark […]
The 25 Most Powerful Men In Finance: Only Includes Four Goldman Sachs Employees?
According to Institutional Investor, yes (Lloyd Blankfein, Gary Cohn, David Heller, and Richard Friedman, who the magazine insinuates has some job security in the fact that his wife is a gal-pal of Laura Blankfein). Also included, Jamie Dimon, obviously, who beats out LB for slot number one, Bob Diamond (4), Brady Dougan (5; really?), Tom […]
'Vanity Fair' Can't Keep Its Middle-Aged Jews Named Steve Cohen Straight
Earlier this morning an absolutely flummoxed Dealbreaker wondered aloud how SAC Capital founder Steve Cohen could have possibly been placed in the completely demeaning slot of 99 (out of 100) on Vanity Fair's annual ranking of the most 'Influential' people in the world. It seems we've discovered the answer: Vanity Fair has no idea who […]


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Have You Seen This Man?
A Florida man who was found at the bottom of a pool is now on life support after a good Samaritan pulled him out and contacted paramedics. Investigators have released this sketch–possibly of what he might look like in happier times or as a King of the Hill character–to the media.
This post was created by a user and has not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone can post awesome lists and creations. Learn more or post your buzz!


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Joey's Purple Ball
Mark Edwards and Mary Heiss attended Joey's Purple Ball.Of the more than 200 people gathered at Calvert Hall College High School for Joey's Purple Ball, there wasn't a single guest who wished there wasn't a reason to be there. But, there also wasn't a single guest who would have missed it. The... Karen Jackson, For The Baltimore Sun


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Director[Greg Alves] delivers some good-looking couples in some good-lookingsituations. While there's no one starlet to take this one over the top likea Stephanie Swift or Janet Jacme, the girls are hot enough to make this amost watchable film. It's put together in scenes with no real plotconnection (not that it bothers us).... Read the Full Review!


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Anything but the shamrock: gardening experts name their Irish favourites
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Food File: the weekly food news round-up
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Ballymaloe Litfest continues its ascent If you haven't yet been to Litfest at Ballymaloe, you've been missing out on one of the most important gl(...)
Gunman believed to have killed Michael Collins was granted military pension
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The man widely credited with shooting Michael Collins at Béal na Bláth in 1922 was awarded a State pension for his actions in the War of Independence (...)
15-inch-hole events will help golf get out of a hole
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Cameron visiting flood-hit UK areas as army on standby
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British prime minister David Cameron will continue to visit flood-hit areas of the UK today in an effort to demonstrate that he has a grip on the cris(...)
More than 23,000 customers in west and south left without power
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About 250 ESB Networks repair crews worked until 9pm yesterday to reconnect supplies to more than 23,000 customers in the midlands and south, most (...)
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Repair crews headed out early this morning to begin work on restoring power to some 25,000 customers in the south of the country. According to (...)
48% of children in HSE South care on voluntary basis
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Almost half of all incidents where children were taken into care in Cork and Kerry by the HSE occurred on a voluntary basis with the support of their (...)


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Christian Worldview: A Student's Guide - eBook
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CBDReader App for Kindle Fire
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Product Information
|Format: DRM Free ePub
Vendor: Crossway Books & Bibles
Publication Date: 2013
Availability: In Stock
Publisher's Description
Everything we think, say, and do reflects our worldview. Whether we realize it or not, basic beliefs about God, humanity, history, and the future inevitably shape how we live.
Philip Ryken, prolific author and president of Wheaton College, explains the distinguishing marks of the Christian worldview, helping us to engage thoughtfully with our increasingly pluralistic society. Based on the notion that ideas have consequences, this accessible resource will help you see lifes "big picture" by equipping you with a well-reasoned framework of Christian beliefs and convictions.
-William Edgar,
Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
Philip Ryken thoughtfully explains the ins and outs of a Christian worldview, backed by considerable biblical support and key selections from cultural touchstones. The book is a quick read but is certainly not slight. Thorough and accessible, this is a perfect resource for students who need a solid grounding or a fresh reminder of truths of the Christian worldview.
-D. Michael Lindsay,
President, Gordon College
I have written a behemoth of a book of nearly four hundred pages on the history of the worldview concept. Phil Ryken, Wheaton's fine and gracious president, has said what needs to be said about a Christian worldview in a much, much shorter space. And he's said extremely well what needs to be said about it. His book is most engaging. It is, indeed, a privilege to commend and to recommend this magnificent volume. To all: Tolle Lege - Take up and read!
-David K. Naugle,
Chair and Professor of Philosophy, Dallas Baptist University
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