Check out these authentic sword images:

Lunch for the knight


Image by One lucky guy
Eating a breadbowl stew, trying to capture as much of the authentic feel as possible. A Coke can and styrofoam plate really kill the period touch.

Cutting pellet by Isao Machii (Guinness World Record holder). His Youtube Official Page www.youtube.com samurai katana tachi isao machii technique broad long sword tameshigiri war warrior knight load swordsmanship bushido bushi sword smith master weapon technology test cut cold steel armour armor iron steel machine gun century late middle ages early modern period east west western japan japanese europe european 日本刀 刀 太刀 剣 ソード ロングソード ブロードソード 騎士 武士 侍 騎士道 武士道 西洋 東洋 検証 実験 試し斬り 試し斬り 居合斬り 剣術 抜刀 居合 町井勲

US $549.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Feb-10-2012 13:14:52 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

US $549.00 End Date: Friday Feb-10-2012 16:15:03 PST Buy It Now for only: US $549.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

Check out these authentic sword images:

Ever More Horror


Image by pbyrne
Here’s more evidence of the arm-related carnage after the blood drive at work. I’m worried this picture reveals more about me as a person than the poor job done by the nurse who took my blood. See the notes.

Reader Question: The Impact of Blogging on Travel


Image by LeeLeFever
We recently received a nice email from Nath at Blue Fronier Media. Nath questions…

Firstly, how much has running this blog taken over the ‘mission’ that you guys have embarked upon?

Hi Nathan!
What a can of worms you have opened. We like talking about this stuff… Let’s see…about the mission…

TwinF is a huge part of our experience – I am personally thinking about it all the time – usually in terms of what would make fantastic content and where the next Web connection is going to come from (man, I sound like a junky). As for mission though – TwinF was part of the mission from the beginning. We saw it as an opportunity to travel and experiment at the same time. We had a hypothesis that a new type of travel is possible now because the Internet makes it so simple to collect information and meet new people. In testing this hypothesis, I get to learn new things for my work with Common Craft. So, we’re very motivated to keep things rolling. I’d also say that our hypothesis has proven to be right – blogs and the Internet have enabled us to learn about places and meet people we never would have known otherwise. TwinF has helped us make our travel world much smaller and more localized. We call it the "Long Tail of Travel", if you’re familiar with that thought.

Has it enriched the trip…something to keep you interacting with your world and — in the case of a travel diary like yours perhaps — ensuring that you keep engaging critically with what’s going on around you; chasing the next post, as it were).

It’s a double-edged sword. It is incredible to know that people are watching and are ready to help, but it’s also intimidating sometimes. I honestly worry about looking like a rookie or saying something insensitive. Aside from that, the notion of sharing something on the web has pushed us into places and situations that we may not have pursued otherwise. The perfect example is eating weird things in Asia – that would not have been so fun without video and TwinF as a means to share it. Also, it has made us really reckon about how a place makes us feel because we want to be as authentic as possible. I have no regrets – I would say blogging has enriched more than detracted by a long shot.

Also, Member Travel Experiences along with comments and emails has enriched the trip immeasurably. We found some of our favorite spots by asking for advice from our readers.

Has it become a pain at times when you’d just rather blow TwinF off and be another hedonistic, aimless vagabonding vagrant?

I have a small voice in the back of my head that is constantly keeping track of the length of time between posts and sometimes it is a bit too loud. But, that voice is not specific to TwinF, I’ve heard it since my first blog and I’m used to it.
It is the administrivia that gets ancient… Finding a connection, uploading pictures, trying to use the mobile phone, dealing with comment spam, etc. If wifi was ubiquitous and the technology worked consistently, we would have no complaints.
Blowing off TwinF has never even been a possibility and I reckon we would both count it as a failure if we did. TwinF is a project that are both committed to seeing through to the end and I reckon we’re lucky that we have such fun doing it.

A few nice authentic sword images I found:

Knight Sword Test


Image by Mollenborg
He has to hit the onion on the pole.

Medieval Swords: For Medieval Weapon Connoisseurs

Medieval swords are largely collected by a lot of people. These swords are a symbol of courage, toughness, pride and heroic behavior. In fact, having a medieval sword in your room not only gives it an elegant look but also, accentuates your passion and personality as a right, tough individual. All medieval weapons are an incredibly significant work of art, not because of their superb designs, strong handles, sharp blades and diligent method of construction, but largely on the grounds of its superbly glorious past. Medieval era has witnessed some of the most spectacular battles, which surely would not have been possible without the powerful existence of these weapons and armors.

But, before buying medieval swords, it is vital to figure out the purpose of your sword. Usually, people buy swords for two specific reasons- first, they want to use their medieval sword as a show piece and hang it on the wall and secondly, to use it for functioning battles, games and plays. As for the former reason, it is advised to go for the stainless steel sword since it requires small or no maintenance. The latter purpose needs sincere consideration as it demands a lot of care and maintenance. Moreover, battle medieval swords are forged from high carbon steel that can rust over time when not taken care of properly. People who wish to buy a sword only for show or costume purpose can stick to the option of prop swords. On the other hand, those who are buying it for a tough sword game should go for two handed Scottish Claymore which is a heavy sword, specially designed to be used for heavy duty sword plays.

Shopping for medieval swords and other period items is quite an simple job today. All that one has to do is browse the internet smartly and obtain a list of manufacturers and dealers offering these items. Moreover, with online shopping system, you can check out the entire catalogue without having the requirement of hoping from one shop to another. But, while doing this market research, it is vital for you to be extremely cautious about the authenticity of the seller as these items are quite expensive. Moreover, you also need to be assured of your seller’s authenticity so as to obtain real genuine items.

This is an authentic sword form from Franklin Kwong, who had a direct lineage to the Yang family Tai Chi Chuan. I learned this form back in the 1980s at the International Tai Chi Institute at NYCs Chinatown. At the institute I was a Sifu teaching Chang style [ancient Yang style] Shuai, throwing applications. Matthew Leung was also a co-instructor there and after time we exchanged some of our Kung Fu. Matthew was a direct student of Franklin Kwong as was my other Sifu Peter Chema. This sword form is THE REAL THING!
Video Rating: 5 / 5

US $29.99 End Date: Friday Feb-10-2012 5:08:35 PST Buy It Now for only: US $29.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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