The Danger Zone, as seen from two continents

The Internet has given humanity, for better or worse, the ability to share just about anything with millions of people. Cat memes... dumb jokes... vital economic data... it's all there.

It has also made it immeasurably easier to create and share pieces of cinema that, 15 years ago, simply didn't exist outside of movie trailers. I am of course talking about hype videos. This being an aviation d̶o̶r̶k̶ enthusiast's blog, and the aforementioned d̶o̶r̶k̶ enthusiast being located in Asia this post focuses on fighter jets and China.

First, what does a modern fighter jock's hype video look like? Here's one of the best, from the Navy's VFA-27 Royal Maces squadron, which apparently has Michael Bay on staff:

And here's a version from the other side of the planet, courtesy of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (if the video doesn't show up below, click the preceding link):

Similarities:
-Airplanes
-Engine noises
-Stirring music

Differences:
-Few pilots visible (China)
-No CGI (VFA-27)
-No danceable music (China)
-No colored smoke (VFA-27)
-No weapons fired (China)
-No chess pieces (VFA-27)

The two videos, in all seriousness, have different audiences. The VFA-27 piece isn't meant for wide distribution, other than getting some viral play. It's really aimed at other pilots and d̶o̶r̶k̶s enthusiasts. Showing off, in other words--a favorite pastime of fighter pilots.

The PLAAF video, by contrast, is meant for everyone to see. It's a commercial for the growing airpower might of China... as evidenced by the repeated use of J-31 footage. (And of course also by the inclusion of English in the video.)

Overall, it just illustrates that the need... the need for speed... exists across the globe. And as long as the fight centers around who is better at timing their smash cuts to the music, that's not a bad thing at all.

Kind of a big deal

Yeah, yeah... you are by now tired of first sentences that go something like, "I know it's been a while since I've posted, but blah blah blah." So we'll just dive right in.

First of all, Kansas won the Big 12 again. This is cool not just because it's incredibly rare for one team to win a power conference 11 times in a row, but also because it sets the stage for a Spinal Tap reference:

Eleven. Exactly. One louder.

Second of all, the conference was exceptionally tough this year; some number crunching indicates it was actually the toughest conference top to bottom. And that means the Big 12 tournament, which starts next week, will be unusually fun to watch. Just about every matchup either puts two ranked teams against each other or involves general bad blood.

I'm sure this, like all memories, has become a bit sepia-toned with age. But I remember getting into a game on an early day of the 1988 Big 8 tournament to watch Oklahoma (I remember because they had Skeeter Henry) play Colorado (I remember because they had, and still have, a buffalo mascot). My dad had gotten tickets. Kemper Arena smelled of sweat and popcorn. And cheering on two teams my 12-year-old self only vaguely cared about with my dad was... awesome.

Sadly, most of the games will be on at an hour that not even an unhappy Baby Blog would care to be awake at. I'll either be watching solo, or on time delay. Either way, I'm sure there will be a stream of text messages that will give me a pretty good idea of how things went. And then it's on to the NCAA tournament.

So here's to some great basketball. This has always been my favorite time of year for sports... even before Kansas' streak started.