...as close to a date as I'm going to get, methinks.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Drizzle
I have a feeling that's going to be the word for today... Yesterday was the first day of 'ugly humidity' for this summer, but thankfully the temperature has eased off so far today.
I thought my DVD burner was back in business but a restart later and things are back to normal, ie. making coasters with 100% reliability... arrgh! I can't afford to buy a new PC, but since this one's now gone past three years, I guess it's something I have to consider. I DON'T want to have to buy one with Vista, but since M$ are withdrawing it soon, I may have no choice. Poo.
Aside from that, I'm 36, with no romantic prospects, no kids, no house, in a job with no chance of promotion or a pay rise. How's your life? (Gawd, the drizzle is taking its toll today, isn't it!?)
At least I can fill my head with knowledge: sweet, silly, useless knowledge.
Guerilla Gardening has hit the New York Times, so now it's jumped the shark already?
In Australia, the signs are that the economy is starting to slow down. In China, however, the stock market has plummeted over the past few months, and other signs are not as promising for the nation to continue its incredible growth over the past few years. This, of course, will have repercussions for countries like Australia and Japan.
Australia's Number One (for fat people)!! Yeah!!!
Japan's showcase eco-friendly house for the G-8 summit features technology that is standard for most modern Western homes... Yawn.
A restaurant in China makes every dish with beer, sweet, nourishing beer.
Crop Circles are still around. Will the madness never end?
Want a gun? Talk to the UK.
High fuel prices have seen fishing fleets kept in port in Europe, but now it's spread to Japan as well. While on the subject, here's a very interesting article about North Korea as a canary for how the fuel/food crisis could play out.
Bush/McCain's idea of starting wholescale offshore drilling is a crank. Not only is the current price of oil not being driven by actual supply/demand, but it'll take at least ten years for any proceeds of such a policy to finally hit the market. At least it'll make the oil companies happy - and that's really what it's all about, boys and girls.
In today's Global Warming is Crap story, the sea is rising faster than scientists first thought. How's about a nice country house? All the hot air is making vegetarians even more smug than usual.
You're retired with nothing to do, so what do you do? How about build a treehouse? Bonus points for building it in a mango tree that grows four different kinds of mangoes.
I think I probably wrote something about Dumpster Diving or being a Freegan before, but here's another take on it. I must admit it sounds attractive to me, but being Japan, I'm sure it'd be severely frowned upon. (I've never tried it here, to be honest) The closest I get is cruising the half-priced goods after work for stale bread and slightly crusty looking vegies!
I so want the talking Jesus doll!
Forget drizzle, now we have heavy rain and lightning!
This is just ridiculous. A 12 year-old got a court to overturn her father's grounding for breaking a house rule. Sweetheart, suck it up.
Pseudo-science story of the day: eating a cheese sandwich could help you get a raise. Yeah, right. In other news, the Ultimatum Game is stupid. I'd just give them the $10 - sheesh, it's 10 bucks!
Thailand occasionally gives Japan a run for its money in the weirdness stakes. Today, some schools have three toilets - one for transvestite students.
In Hong Kong, speakeasy kitchens are the way to go to get the best treats for your stomach. I'll have to look into this when I finally make my way there.
Breaking News - I managed to go a whole post without trashing Obama. Wow...
The rain has passed - for now. Time to eat and get a new mobile phone. Mine needs a new battery, but it's cheaper to get a new phone than a replacement battery!
I thought my DVD burner was back in business but a restart later and things are back to normal, ie. making coasters with 100% reliability... arrgh! I can't afford to buy a new PC, but since this one's now gone past three years, I guess it's something I have to consider. I DON'T want to have to buy one with Vista, but since M$ are withdrawing it soon, I may have no choice. Poo.
Aside from that, I'm 36, with no romantic prospects, no kids, no house, in a job with no chance of promotion or a pay rise. How's your life? (Gawd, the drizzle is taking its toll today, isn't it!?)
At least I can fill my head with knowledge: sweet, silly, useless knowledge.
Guerilla Gardening has hit the New York Times, so now it's jumped the shark already?
In Australia, the signs are that the economy is starting to slow down. In China, however, the stock market has plummeted over the past few months, and other signs are not as promising for the nation to continue its incredible growth over the past few years. This, of course, will have repercussions for countries like Australia and Japan.
Australia's Number One (for fat people)!! Yeah!!!
Japan's showcase eco-friendly house for the G-8 summit features technology that is standard for most modern Western homes... Yawn.
A restaurant in China makes every dish with beer, sweet, nourishing beer.
Crop Circles are still around. Will the madness never end?
Want a gun? Talk to the UK.
High fuel prices have seen fishing fleets kept in port in Europe, but now it's spread to Japan as well. While on the subject, here's a very interesting article about North Korea as a canary for how the fuel/food crisis could play out.
Bush/McCain's idea of starting wholescale offshore drilling is a crank. Not only is the current price of oil not being driven by actual supply/demand, but it'll take at least ten years for any proceeds of such a policy to finally hit the market. At least it'll make the oil companies happy - and that's really what it's all about, boys and girls.
In today's Global Warming is Crap story, the sea is rising faster than scientists first thought. How's about a nice country house? All the hot air is making vegetarians even more smug than usual.
You're retired with nothing to do, so what do you do? How about build a treehouse? Bonus points for building it in a mango tree that grows four different kinds of mangoes.
I think I probably wrote something about Dumpster Diving or being a Freegan before, but here's another take on it. I must admit it sounds attractive to me, but being Japan, I'm sure it'd be severely frowned upon. (I've never tried it here, to be honest) The closest I get is cruising the half-priced goods after work for stale bread and slightly crusty looking vegies!
I so want the talking Jesus doll!
Forget drizzle, now we have heavy rain and lightning!
This is just ridiculous. A 12 year-old got a court to overturn her father's grounding for breaking a house rule. Sweetheart, suck it up.
Pseudo-science story of the day: eating a cheese sandwich could help you get a raise. Yeah, right. In other news, the Ultimatum Game is stupid. I'd just give them the $10 - sheesh, it's 10 bucks!
Thailand occasionally gives Japan a run for its money in the weirdness stakes. Today, some schools have three toilets - one for transvestite students.
In Hong Kong, speakeasy kitchens are the way to go to get the best treats for your stomach. I'll have to look into this when I finally make my way there.
Breaking News - I managed to go a whole post without trashing Obama. Wow...
The rain has passed - for now. Time to eat and get a new mobile phone. Mine needs a new battery, but it's cheaper to get a new phone than a replacement battery!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Hey there
How ya doin'?
Obama is a hawk, seeking to make Jerusalem solely under Israeli control, and seeks to expand America's power into Latin America. As the article says, not even George Bush has said this. John McCain is hardly a saint either.
You have to wonder when you firstly introduce articles of impeachment against the President of the United States, spend four hours reading them onto the record, go on various media talking about how important this is, say you'll re-introduce articles of impeachment if this motion fails, then finally voting against your own articles of impeachment? Huh? And you thought we finally had a politician who had some good sense...
Speaking of good sense, Afghanistan's president is threatening to attack Taliban camps that are located inside Pakistan. That's going to go down well.
Another scary headline, "Is Italy Going Fascist?". Short answer: No, but it's pretty darn close.
Also Taiwanese vessels are playing chicken with the Japanese Self Defence Forces.
This has got to be the best reason to have a unique name. A girl who just happens to have the same name as a girl featured in a viral video is worried what will happen when prospective employers google her name. Of course, she can't ask Google to block those sites, because the girl in the video actually has the same name as her... In other news, my in-browser dictionary doesn't recognise 'google' as a word.
Dear Sex and the City, thanks for everything. Love, Pfizer.
In Aco, just down the road from where I live, comes this cautionary, yet amusing tale of checking the number of zeroes.
I will never understand the Japanese sense of humour.
Look like my return to Australia will be delayed once again. Not only is the price of fuel skyrocketing, but it's having a spill-over affect on public transport, which is already full , but now heading towards overflowing with passengers. The prices of houses also look set to increase, which is small comfort for those like me who don't own a home already, since rents also look likely to rise as well. Some think that the fact that this will make homes completely unaffordable will soon put a stop to any price rises. I wish I could share their optimism...
Another interesting development would be if the Japanese government reversed decades (centuries?) of policy and allowed large-scale immigration into the country. Of course, the widespread notion that foreigners are all criminals could possibly put a dampener on that ever happening. But when you consider that even the leaders of Japan are giving up on Japanese ever having enough children to reverse the ageing of the population, that's (some kind of) progress. Another prospect is that under the proposed legislation foreigners who live in Japan for at least ten years could be granted citizenship. I wonder if that will be extended to the Koreans and Chinese who have been living in Japan for three generations? You also have to think about the fact that in the face of possibly large scale immigration, will the Japanese people be so accepting of it? (Incidents like this were once almost non-existent) Also, would anyone really want to live here for more than ten years anyway?
This is a good summary of what's been happening with the prices of food and fuel, and the reasons why they've increased so much recently.
The Socceroos are through to the next round of World Cup qualifying! Yay! Also, in sports, cricket may have just been rocked to the core by an ambidextrous batman.
Eco-prats can now enjoy organic spirits in their cocktails. Save the world and get drunk at the same time? Yeah, OK... welcome to the next fad.
In other environment news, Honda have released a production car that runs on hydrogen fuel cells, which is great if you're near a hydrogen filling station. (Hint: most of us aren't) But, a Japanese company has also developed a car that will run on water. The only problem seems to be that you have to let Jason Voorhees drive it. Hopefully this kind of thing will come into production before the world ends. Even Japan is now experiencing crime directly related to the high cost of petrol.
But on the good news front, it looks like some Australian state governments are seriously getting into solar power. Instead of "three or four" plants though, try building thirty or forty? Then we'd know you're being serious about it...
This is the best photo blog about other photographers I've seen for a very long time.
Mmmmm.... Mangosteens...
Seeya later. Time to go buy some blank DVDs (my DVD burner has started working again - best strike while the iron's hot) and go to work.
Obama is a hawk, seeking to make Jerusalem solely under Israeli control, and seeks to expand America's power into Latin America. As the article says, not even George Bush has said this. John McCain is hardly a saint either.
You have to wonder when you firstly introduce articles of impeachment against the President of the United States, spend four hours reading them onto the record, go on various media talking about how important this is, say you'll re-introduce articles of impeachment if this motion fails, then finally voting against your own articles of impeachment? Huh? And you thought we finally had a politician who had some good sense...
Speaking of good sense, Afghanistan's president is threatening to attack Taliban camps that are located inside Pakistan. That's going to go down well.
Another scary headline, "Is Italy Going Fascist?". Short answer: No, but it's pretty darn close.
Also Taiwanese vessels are playing chicken with the Japanese Self Defence Forces.
This has got to be the best reason to have a unique name. A girl who just happens to have the same name as a girl featured in a viral video is worried what will happen when prospective employers google her name. Of course, she can't ask Google to block those sites, because the girl in the video actually has the same name as her... In other news, my in-browser dictionary doesn't recognise 'google' as a word.
Dear Sex and the City, thanks for everything. Love, Pfizer.
In Aco, just down the road from where I live, comes this cautionary, yet amusing tale of checking the number of zeroes.
I will never understand the Japanese sense of humour.
Look like my return to Australia will be delayed once again. Not only is the price of fuel skyrocketing, but it's having a spill-over affect on public transport, which is already full , but now heading towards overflowing with passengers. The prices of houses also look set to increase, which is small comfort for those like me who don't own a home already, since rents also look likely to rise as well. Some think that the fact that this will make homes completely unaffordable will soon put a stop to any price rises. I wish I could share their optimism...
Another interesting development would be if the Japanese government reversed decades (centuries?) of policy and allowed large-scale immigration into the country. Of course, the widespread notion that foreigners are all criminals could possibly put a dampener on that ever happening. But when you consider that even the leaders of Japan are giving up on Japanese ever having enough children to reverse the ageing of the population, that's (some kind of) progress. Another prospect is that under the proposed legislation foreigners who live in Japan for at least ten years could be granted citizenship. I wonder if that will be extended to the Koreans and Chinese who have been living in Japan for three generations? You also have to think about the fact that in the face of possibly large scale immigration, will the Japanese people be so accepting of it? (Incidents like this were once almost non-existent) Also, would anyone really want to live here for more than ten years anyway?
This is a good summary of what's been happening with the prices of food and fuel, and the reasons why they've increased so much recently.
The Socceroos are through to the next round of World Cup qualifying! Yay! Also, in sports, cricket may have just been rocked to the core by an ambidextrous batman.
Eco-prats can now enjoy organic spirits in their cocktails. Save the world and get drunk at the same time? Yeah, OK... welcome to the next fad.
In other environment news, Honda have released a production car that runs on hydrogen fuel cells, which is great if you're near a hydrogen filling station. (Hint: most of us aren't) But, a Japanese company has also developed a car that will run on water. The only problem seems to be that you have to let Jason Voorhees drive it. Hopefully this kind of thing will come into production before the world ends. Even Japan is now experiencing crime directly related to the high cost of petrol.
But on the good news front, it looks like some Australian state governments are seriously getting into solar power. Instead of "three or four" plants though, try building thirty or forty? Then we'd know you're being serious about it...
This is the best photo blog about other photographers I've seen for a very long time.
Mmmmm.... Mangosteens...
Seeya later. Time to go buy some blank DVDs (my DVD burner has started working again - best strike while the iron's hot) and go to work.
Friday, June 13, 2008
interestinger.
I knew there was a reason I bought such a stupidly big TV: it's to watch NBA finals basketball! Thankfully the live broadcasts are here in the morning, so I ate breakfast and watched the action. And it turned out to be a good game in the end. Life is good.
Time to head down the memory hole, before my PC packs it in. There's been a lot happening lately so I want to save this lot for posterity. Of course, there is the actual Memory Hole website, which does a much better job by actually saving the information instead of just linking to it!
That video I posted of the guy going nuts turned out to be a fake. Ah well - it was good as a fantasy - twice!
Aaaargh! My Bloody Valentine are back together! Arrgh! They're coming to Japan and I can't see them! Arrrgh! Aaaarrrrrgh!!
Apparently Bush regrets his legacy as a man who wanted war. He'll have plenty of time to contemplate it from the cell being prepared for him...
If you have any doubts that the US is going to try and stay in Iraq forever (even when McCain's quote is taken in context), then look at the plans to build 38 more bases, the threat to keep (or is that steal?) billions in seized Iraqi foreign reserves, and the corporations making billions. Take in the fact that Cheney has already tried to invade Iran and, oh, Pakistan's military spending is up on those nice grants from the US military.
Also Blackwater is trying to be part of the privatisation of America's intelligence services. This cannot end well.
Here's a collection of the best 'last words' ever uttered. They probably came soon after some of these insults... But try saying them after drinking some of these.
It seems my new theme is stupid hobbies. Add making cartoon characters out of balloons to the list!
It's a clock. (It costs over $1000)
At least you shouldn't have troubles getting a reservation - the biggest restaurant in the world sits just over 6000 people! It's in Damascus though... but that's just another reason to go for me!
While in the Middle East I should pop over to Jordan and see what's left of what's possibly the oldest Christian church ever found. They'll probably find a copy of the Baptist Hymnal among the ruins.
Apparently Kevin Rudd was in Japan this week sometime...
In Australia, some people want English to be made optional as a school subject because it's 'too hard'. Too hard?! Soon we'll become like some other countries where everyone speaks English, but nobody understands each other... ridiculous.
According to a survey, Australian workers are the least likely to take annual leave in the world. Obviously this survey only looked at countries that don't start with the letter 'J'.
Not exactly the best way to find out that rum is good against snakebite - ouch!!
Make sure you wear your nice underwear when travelling - especially in the US.
It's June 13th today. When anyone tells you with absolute certainty the date of the end of the world, would you really take notice? Or would you just back away slowly...
While it's not an affordable reality, some researcher have pushed a Toyota Prius to nearly double it's fuel efficiency through such innovations as bigger and better batteries, as well as sticking solar cells on the roof of the car. While it's a step in the right direction, it is still a car that uses petrol...
The cost of gasoline is forcing some police agencies to spend some of their time patrolling by foot or bicycle, rather than by car. Interesting to see if that helps reduce crime or increase it... at least the police officers will be fitter! One interesting development is that the US government has approved $15 billion for Amtrak, but Bush is going to try to veto it. He really needs to rejoin reality.
In one of the most unfortunate double entendres in recent memory, authorities in LA are using 400,000 black balls to stop people getting cancer from drinking water.
So eat that Peking Duck already! The red yeast extract that gives it its colour may prevent cancer. Here's another article talking about growing your own food and how it's better for you and the environment... pretty obvious really, but it's not a bad idea. Now all I need is a place that has earth attached...
An interesting read about the state of the rice industry in Japan. The global price of rice is about $1000 per ton, but in Japan it's about $2500. The thing is that with the recent price increases in wheat-based products such as pasta and bread, the stable price of rice is beckoning consumers back to what used to be the Japanese staple food.
Another reason the Japanese birth rate is so low: man can't afford to have a sex life. Yes, because they don't earn enough to pay for sex, but also they're working too long and hard to bother chasing women for friendship either.
Hot on the heels of Japanese people being told to save energy by having a shorter shower, now 'Japanese housewives' are being told to put their husbands smelly laundry in with the rest to cut down on the number of loads - and so save more energy! Come to Japan - the country where the 1950s still lives!
The real-life 'Lost In Translation'; what happens when Hollywood celebrities come to Japan.
In Japan, if the government allows the resumption of beef imports from the US after a mad cow disease scare, people grumble and probably avoid buying it in the supermarket. In South Korea 80,000 people stage a violent protest and the cabinet offers to resign. (That's how you get things done!)
In China, the government have issued the official rules of behaviour for Olympic visitors - in Chinese only. Thanks for that!
Finally in archaeology, they may have actually found some of Burke and Wills' lost equipment. Pretty interesting stuff for Aussies.
Time to head down the memory hole, before my PC packs it in. There's been a lot happening lately so I want to save this lot for posterity. Of course, there is the actual Memory Hole website, which does a much better job by actually saving the information instead of just linking to it!
That video I posted of the guy going nuts turned out to be a fake. Ah well - it was good as a fantasy - twice!
Aaaargh! My Bloody Valentine are back together! Arrgh! They're coming to Japan and I can't see them! Arrrgh! Aaaarrrrrgh!!
Apparently Bush regrets his legacy as a man who wanted war. He'll have plenty of time to contemplate it from the cell being prepared for him...
If you have any doubts that the US is going to try and stay in Iraq forever (even when McCain's quote is taken in context), then look at the plans to build 38 more bases, the threat to keep (or is that steal?) billions in seized Iraqi foreign reserves, and the corporations making billions. Take in the fact that Cheney has already tried to invade Iran and, oh, Pakistan's military spending is up on those nice grants from the US military.
Also Blackwater is trying to be part of the privatisation of America's intelligence services. This cannot end well.
Here's a collection of the best 'last words' ever uttered. They probably came soon after some of these insults... But try saying them after drinking some of these.
It seems my new theme is stupid hobbies. Add making cartoon characters out of balloons to the list!
It's a clock. (It costs over $1000)
At least you shouldn't have troubles getting a reservation - the biggest restaurant in the world sits just over 6000 people! It's in Damascus though... but that's just another reason to go for me!
While in the Middle East I should pop over to Jordan and see what's left of what's possibly the oldest Christian church ever found. They'll probably find a copy of the Baptist Hymnal among the ruins.
Apparently Kevin Rudd was in Japan this week sometime...
In Australia, some people want English to be made optional as a school subject because it's 'too hard'. Too hard?! Soon we'll become like some other countries where everyone speaks English, but nobody understands each other... ridiculous.
According to a survey, Australian workers are the least likely to take annual leave in the world. Obviously this survey only looked at countries that don't start with the letter 'J'.
Not exactly the best way to find out that rum is good against snakebite - ouch!!
Make sure you wear your nice underwear when travelling - especially in the US.
It's June 13th today. When anyone tells you with absolute certainty the date of the end of the world, would you really take notice? Or would you just back away slowly...
While it's not an affordable reality, some researcher have pushed a Toyota Prius to nearly double it's fuel efficiency through such innovations as bigger and better batteries, as well as sticking solar cells on the roof of the car. While it's a step in the right direction, it is still a car that uses petrol...
The cost of gasoline is forcing some police agencies to spend some of their time patrolling by foot or bicycle, rather than by car. Interesting to see if that helps reduce crime or increase it... at least the police officers will be fitter! One interesting development is that the US government has approved $15 billion for Amtrak, but Bush is going to try to veto it. He really needs to rejoin reality.
In one of the most unfortunate double entendres in recent memory, authorities in LA are using 400,000 black balls to stop people getting cancer from drinking water.
So eat that Peking Duck already! The red yeast extract that gives it its colour may prevent cancer. Here's another article talking about growing your own food and how it's better for you and the environment... pretty obvious really, but it's not a bad idea. Now all I need is a place that has earth attached...
An interesting read about the state of the rice industry in Japan. The global price of rice is about $1000 per ton, but in Japan it's about $2500. The thing is that with the recent price increases in wheat-based products such as pasta and bread, the stable price of rice is beckoning consumers back to what used to be the Japanese staple food.
Another reason the Japanese birth rate is so low: man can't afford to have a sex life. Yes, because they don't earn enough to pay for sex, but also they're working too long and hard to bother chasing women for friendship either.
Hot on the heels of Japanese people being told to save energy by having a shorter shower, now 'Japanese housewives' are being told to put their husbands smelly laundry in with the rest to cut down on the number of loads - and so save more energy! Come to Japan - the country where the 1950s still lives!
The real-life 'Lost In Translation'; what happens when Hollywood celebrities come to Japan.
In Japan, if the government allows the resumption of beef imports from the US after a mad cow disease scare, people grumble and probably avoid buying it in the supermarket. In South Korea 80,000 people stage a violent protest and the cabinet offers to resign. (That's how you get things done!)
In China, the government have issued the official rules of behaviour for Olympic visitors - in Chinese only. Thanks for that!
Finally in archaeology, they may have actually found some of Burke and Wills' lost equipment. Pretty interesting stuff for Aussies.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
something else
At least I'm doing better than this guy.
Time for some other stuff.
The cost of regular unleaded in Japan has hit 164 yen per litre in some parts (like mine) so the government is asking anyone who'll listen to do something about it. The general reaction from everyone else has been "I dunno". For a start, I guess they could stop buying overpriced melons and coffee or going on luxury cruises around Japan. Perhaps putting more effort into fixing the economy instead of telling girls to stop fixing their faces on the trains may also help.
At least they've finally officially recognised the Ainu as a people.
Gen Y is hitting the office blocks of Japan. Watch this space.
Toyota has developed a new kind of hydrogen powered hybrid system for cars, as well as new petrol/hybrid models, but the future really is in developing an affordable all-electric system.
Looks like AIDS is no longer a major threat to some of us - but best wrap up to make sure, right?
An interesting, but very wordy article on how the changes in the world since the end of the Cold War have created a kind of global hegemonic way of thinking. The idea is interesting since if we all think the same way, then there'll be no dissenting opinions, and those in charge of determining the way we all think will take us to wherever they want to go - which may not be good for the majority of us. Variety gives us more options, and it's good for us intellectually as well. It's good to be able to quote Ghost In The Shell at this point, "If we all reacted the same we'd be predictable. And there's more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple. Overspecialize and you breed in weakness. It's slow death."
So, why did Obama win? And why does it play out more like 'Why did Hillary lose?'. (To give her credit, she's done much more than any other woman before her - unlike certain movies) Now the focus is on what will happen next, and, like I've noted before, it looks like Obama really is not the candidate of change he's making himself out to be.
In a move that's surprised no one, the Chinese government are now clamping down on the media in the lead up to the Olympics. Now the US is reconsidering the sales of crowd control weapons since they might be used in a clampdown on human rights protests (ya think?!?). I do love the Chinese guy in charge's response to everything: submit your complaint in writing, even your complaints about the complaints taking too long to respond to! At least the streetlights will be funky and the souvenirs will be... errrmmm... unique!
Proof that skiing in Australia really is expensive! Flying to Hokkaido is cheaper!
Looks like Spring has arrived in Hong Kong.
Australia actually gets more tornadoes than the US, but since most of them happen in the desert, they don't affect people so much - except when they do touch down in a city.
PETA went after a US university for having a live eagle mascot. Their response in the last sentence is a classic!
Some good reading I'll try to pick up.
Josef Goebbels would be laughing in his grave knowing that one of the countries that beat the Nazis is now burning books. The article reads like a horror story - and what's worse is they think they're doing the right thing!!
Goebbels would really like how the US has turned out actually...
Another person not to trust. Beware of smiling accountants clutching Bibles.
And the religious nutcase trifecta is complete.
Students in Ukraine really know how to protest.
I still think Christopher Walken did it better in Pulp Fiction...
Some people really do have too much time on their hands...
And who hasn't considered going nuts in the office just one or twice in their lives?
Did you enjoy reading this? By 2012 it could be all gone. (The Dan Rather talk posted in the comments is also worth a look.)
Time for some other stuff.
The cost of regular unleaded in Japan has hit 164 yen per litre in some parts (like mine) so the government is asking anyone who'll listen to do something about it. The general reaction from everyone else has been "I dunno". For a start, I guess they could stop buying overpriced melons and coffee or going on luxury cruises around Japan. Perhaps putting more effort into fixing the economy instead of telling girls to stop fixing their faces on the trains may also help.
At least they've finally officially recognised the Ainu as a people.
Gen Y is hitting the office blocks of Japan. Watch this space.
Toyota has developed a new kind of hydrogen powered hybrid system for cars, as well as new petrol/hybrid models, but the future really is in developing an affordable all-electric system.
Looks like AIDS is no longer a major threat to some of us - but best wrap up to make sure, right?
An interesting, but very wordy article on how the changes in the world since the end of the Cold War have created a kind of global hegemonic way of thinking. The idea is interesting since if we all think the same way, then there'll be no dissenting opinions, and those in charge of determining the way we all think will take us to wherever they want to go - which may not be good for the majority of us. Variety gives us more options, and it's good for us intellectually as well. It's good to be able to quote Ghost In The Shell at this point, "If we all reacted the same we'd be predictable. And there's more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple. Overspecialize and you breed in weakness. It's slow death."
So, why did Obama win? And why does it play out more like 'Why did Hillary lose?'. (To give her credit, she's done much more than any other woman before her - unlike certain movies) Now the focus is on what will happen next, and, like I've noted before, it looks like Obama really is not the candidate of change he's making himself out to be.
In a move that's surprised no one, the Chinese government are now clamping down on the media in the lead up to the Olympics. Now the US is reconsidering the sales of crowd control weapons since they might be used in a clampdown on human rights protests (ya think?!?). I do love the Chinese guy in charge's response to everything: submit your complaint in writing, even your complaints about the complaints taking too long to respond to! At least the streetlights will be funky and the souvenirs will be... errrmmm... unique!
Proof that skiing in Australia really is expensive! Flying to Hokkaido is cheaper!
Looks like Spring has arrived in Hong Kong.
Australia actually gets more tornadoes than the US, but since most of them happen in the desert, they don't affect people so much - except when they do touch down in a city.
PETA went after a US university for having a live eagle mascot. Their response in the last sentence is a classic!
Some good reading I'll try to pick up.
Josef Goebbels would be laughing in his grave knowing that one of the countries that beat the Nazis is now burning books. The article reads like a horror story - and what's worse is they think they're doing the right thing!!
Goebbels would really like how the US has turned out actually...
Another person not to trust. Beware of smiling accountants clutching Bibles.
And the religious nutcase trifecta is complete.
Students in Ukraine really know how to protest.
I still think Christopher Walken did it better in Pulp Fiction...
Some people really do have too much time on their hands...
And who hasn't considered going nuts in the office just one or twice in their lives?
Did you enjoy reading this? By 2012 it could be all gone. (The Dan Rather talk posted in the comments is also worth a look.)
Profound sadness.
And so it goes. On the 5th anniversary of a young, depressed Japanese man entering an elementary school with a knife and stabbing a number of students to death, we had a repeat; a young, depressed Japanese man entered Akihabara in Tokyo, driving a truck. He mowed down a number of people then jumped out and started stabbing them until he was eventually subdued by the police. The prime minister of Japan, Yasuo Fukuda, has ordered an investigation into the 'social background' of the man now in custody.
As people have commented, a proper investigation into this man's social background would involve having to take a long, cold hard look into the heart of modern Japanese society. The investigation would have to look at how this society fundamentally operates. Japan is built on living and working as a group, which stifles creativity and dissent, which excludes any who don't fit in - sometimes violently and absolutely.
It's a society that works on being in a constant state of denial. (It sounds like I'm stereotyping here, but actually, in a homogeneous society like Japan, it's unfortunately quite possible to do this) Workers are still led to believe in and work within a system that worked 40 years ago, but hasn't changed at all since then. Men work from early in the morning until late at night, putting in tens of hours of unpaid overtime every month. They then have to go out drinking with their superiors and colleagues, destroying their bodies and then have to go back to work the next morning to repeat the process. They never see their families, creating a disconnect between them and their wives and kids. To compensate their wives turn to rampant materialism and the kids take it out on each other or turn inwards, some becoming Hikikomori, or 'shut ins', unable to face the world outside. To admit any kind of mental flaw or deficiency is a taboo in Japan, so there is a dearth of mental health professionals and institutions, medicine is rarely available, and the stigma attached to it is so great that people would rather disappear than have to deal with it.
As the world starts to learn more about the man who did this thing, it appears that he is, in one sense, a victim himself. He was a poorly paid part-time worker who was losing his job in a society struggling to deal with the idea of not having a well paid job for life. He advertised what he was going to do, when and where and how, even posting updates on the internet for all to read, but we only found out afterwards. He said he hated his own life. Now, for the life of me I will never understand how someone who hates themselves would see that somehow taking a bunch of innocent peoples' lives is ever justified... words fail me at this point...
And there was another attack just a few hours later with some similar overtones...
The point is that if ever there was time for an investigation into the fundamental fabric of a society, now is the time.
The problem is that Japan refuses to take a look at itself, because it is afraid of what it knows is there. We'll likely get more denial, more suppression and repression. Japan will continue, under it's own inertia, to plod along, getting older and emptier until there will be only a shadow of what was once a great country, and potentially so much more. It's probably too late to change.
We will, sadly, probably also see more of this kind of thing.
As people have commented, a proper investigation into this man's social background would involve having to take a long, cold hard look into the heart of modern Japanese society. The investigation would have to look at how this society fundamentally operates. Japan is built on living and working as a group, which stifles creativity and dissent, which excludes any who don't fit in - sometimes violently and absolutely.
It's a society that works on being in a constant state of denial. (It sounds like I'm stereotyping here, but actually, in a homogeneous society like Japan, it's unfortunately quite possible to do this) Workers are still led to believe in and work within a system that worked 40 years ago, but hasn't changed at all since then. Men work from early in the morning until late at night, putting in tens of hours of unpaid overtime every month. They then have to go out drinking with their superiors and colleagues, destroying their bodies and then have to go back to work the next morning to repeat the process. They never see their families, creating a disconnect between them and their wives and kids. To compensate their wives turn to rampant materialism and the kids take it out on each other or turn inwards, some becoming Hikikomori, or 'shut ins', unable to face the world outside. To admit any kind of mental flaw or deficiency is a taboo in Japan, so there is a dearth of mental health professionals and institutions, medicine is rarely available, and the stigma attached to it is so great that people would rather disappear than have to deal with it.
As the world starts to learn more about the man who did this thing, it appears that he is, in one sense, a victim himself. He was a poorly paid part-time worker who was losing his job in a society struggling to deal with the idea of not having a well paid job for life. He advertised what he was going to do, when and where and how, even posting updates on the internet for all to read, but we only found out afterwards. He said he hated his own life. Now, for the life of me I will never understand how someone who hates themselves would see that somehow taking a bunch of innocent peoples' lives is ever justified... words fail me at this point...
And there was another attack just a few hours later with some similar overtones...
The point is that if ever there was time for an investigation into the fundamental fabric of a society, now is the time.
The problem is that Japan refuses to take a look at itself, because it is afraid of what it knows is there. We'll likely get more denial, more suppression and repression. Japan will continue, under it's own inertia, to plod along, getting older and emptier until there will be only a shadow of what was once a great country, and potentially so much more. It's probably too late to change.
We will, sadly, probably also see more of this kind of thing.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Long weekend!
Yay! I have a three-day weekend so tonight will naturally be an all-night drinking and clubbing extravaganza in Sannomiya. One of my ex-Nova comrades, Vince, is heading back to Ireland, so we'll be celebrating in true Irish style. The craic should be good. Tomorrow there's pro-wrestling in Akashi too, so we'll be 'recovering' there. I haven't been to see Japanese pro-wrestling before, but for those not in the know, the Japanese form is probably the third 'best' in the world after the American and Mexican versions. It should be entertaining - to say the least!
Back to the world-wide craziness.
It was nice to see that they've finally put a price on trying to stopping the climate change thingy - only $45 trillion! That's how much they think it'll cost to build enough nuclear power stations as well as wind and solar power generation to offset the energy produced through carbon-producing methods. Now, do you think it's likely to happen? I didn't either...
As the Obama gravy-train gathers momentum, once again it's important to realise exactly what you're buying into when you support him to be the next president of the US. While George W. Bush's name will live forever in infamy (especially if he attacks Iran), the answer to that question is, basically, more of the same. Nothing in Iraq is going to change. The various economic crises are not going to stop. The problems with the cost of food are not going to improve. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, really... The great distraction continues.
Newt Gingrich has joined the Taliban, it seems. Note this quote: " “This is … one of the great tragedies of the Bush administration,” Gingrich continued. “The more successful they’ve been at intercepting and stopping bad guys, the less proof there is that we’re in danger. And therefore, the better they’ve done at making sure there isn’t an attack, the easier it is to say, ‘Well, there never was going to be an attack anyway.’ And it’s almost like they should every once in a while have allowed an attack to get through just to remind us…."
So, let me get this right. The US government should allow some terrorist attacks to happen in order to maintain fear, and thus control over the populace. So does this mean that the conspiracy theorists are right and that the US government was ultimately behind 9/11? Does this mean we should automatically be suspicious of any future terrorist attacks? I mean, soon the Pentagon will be able to control any computer or telecommunications device in the world... so they have no reason NOT to know anything.
As the world's coastlines start to resemble the Nullarbor Plain, the overfishing of what's left of the world's fishing grounds means that soon we'll have a choice of overpriced (and immature) farmed stock or 'jellyfish and slime'.
Daily distractions from the serious stuff - apart from beer:
In some countries women are kept as trophy wives and playthings. In Korea the trend is for women to adopt a 'pet boy'...
The official Chinese cheer for the Olympics is, "Olympics! Add petrol! China! Add petrol!". Translations area funny thing, to be sure, but the fact that Chinese spectators have (and maybe require) government direction on how to cheer is also a cause for concern....
Adolf Hitler's descendants are alive and living in America. Interesting footnote is that all of them have made a pact to not have any children, thus condemning the line to extinction.
In Japan, Poetry Boxing is hitting the mainstream.
Monta Mino doesn't do any favours for those seeking an end to the overworked salaryman.
I didn't know the Bible was a repository of dirty jokes, but I guess it can truly be interpreted any way you can see fit!
Rinse, repeat.
Back to the world-wide craziness.
It was nice to see that they've finally put a price on trying to stopping the climate change thingy - only $45 trillion! That's how much they think it'll cost to build enough nuclear power stations as well as wind and solar power generation to offset the energy produced through carbon-producing methods. Now, do you think it's likely to happen? I didn't either...
As the Obama gravy-train gathers momentum, once again it's important to realise exactly what you're buying into when you support him to be the next president of the US. While George W. Bush's name will live forever in infamy (especially if he attacks Iran), the answer to that question is, basically, more of the same. Nothing in Iraq is going to change. The various economic crises are not going to stop. The problems with the cost of food are not going to improve. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, really... The great distraction continues.
Newt Gingrich has joined the Taliban, it seems. Note this quote: " “This is … one of the great tragedies of the Bush administration,” Gingrich continued. “The more successful they’ve been at intercepting and stopping bad guys, the less proof there is that we’re in danger. And therefore, the better they’ve done at making sure there isn’t an attack, the easier it is to say, ‘Well, there never was going to be an attack anyway.’ And it’s almost like they should every once in a while have allowed an attack to get through just to remind us…."
So, let me get this right. The US government should allow some terrorist attacks to happen in order to maintain fear, and thus control over the populace. So does this mean that the conspiracy theorists are right and that the US government was ultimately behind 9/11? Does this mean we should automatically be suspicious of any future terrorist attacks? I mean, soon the Pentagon will be able to control any computer or telecommunications device in the world... so they have no reason NOT to know anything.
As the world's coastlines start to resemble the Nullarbor Plain, the overfishing of what's left of the world's fishing grounds means that soon we'll have a choice of overpriced (and immature) farmed stock or 'jellyfish and slime'.
Daily distractions from the serious stuff - apart from beer:
In some countries women are kept as trophy wives and playthings. In Korea the trend is for women to adopt a 'pet boy'...
The official Chinese cheer for the Olympics is, "Olympics! Add petrol! China! Add petrol!". Translations area funny thing, to be sure, but the fact that Chinese spectators have (and maybe require) government direction on how to cheer is also a cause for concern....
Adolf Hitler's descendants are alive and living in America. Interesting footnote is that all of them have made a pact to not have any children, thus condemning the line to extinction.
In Japan, Poetry Boxing is hitting the mainstream.
Monta Mino doesn't do any favours for those seeking an end to the overworked salaryman.
I didn't know the Bible was a repository of dirty jokes, but I guess it can truly be interpreted any way you can see fit!
Rinse, repeat.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
24 hours
A lot happens, eh!
It looks like Obama has sown up the Democratic Party's nomination. Get ready for the next five months of Obama vs. McCain hoopla.
A couple of family orientated stories. Firstly, delaying fatherhood can be potentially bad for your kids, and also there are less and less boys being born anyway. That great 50s sci-fi D-grade masterpiece called 'Planet of the Bikini Women' or something could end up coming true - woo hoo!
Continuing the recent theme of the unravelling food crisis, global leaders are meeting in Rome to work out what to do. The likely answer will probably be 'more of the same', ie. more power and money to the big agri-business corporations and more of the policies that have led local producers to the brink of bankruptcy. Yay, Capitalism!
One interesting development is that Aussie dairy producers are (at last) making some money since demand for Aussie milk products is huge, and growing, and it just isn't possible to turn on a switch to increase production.
Another day, another book from a Bush insider about how incompetent the regime has been on Iraq. No kidding!? This one has some great quotes from the Dear Leader though.
If you're going to have a hospital for soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (a good idea), try not to build it next to a military firing range (possibly not such a good idea).
Japan's answer to increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere? Bathe more quickly to save energy! As anyone who's ridden a train in summer will testify; that is NOT a good idea! How about not charging up your three mobile phones and iPods constantly? It's nice to see Australia doing something too. This story is about a website for young kids where they can enter details about their lifestyle and see what age they should die in order to save the planet. Hmmm....
Want Europe's cheapest petrol? Move to Greenland, where it's still more expensive than the USA per litre. Yes, that USA which has 5% of the world's population but uses 44% of the world's gasoline.
At least we'll all be around for much longer to see the world suffer and die...
America is much safer now because travellers have to give 72 hours notice they're coming. Oh yeah, that's going to really help things along...
I really need a holiday.
It looks like Obama has sown up the Democratic Party's nomination. Get ready for the next five months of Obama vs. McCain hoopla.
A couple of family orientated stories. Firstly, delaying fatherhood can be potentially bad for your kids, and also there are less and less boys being born anyway. That great 50s sci-fi D-grade masterpiece called 'Planet of the Bikini Women' or something could end up coming true - woo hoo!
Continuing the recent theme of the unravelling food crisis, global leaders are meeting in Rome to work out what to do. The likely answer will probably be 'more of the same', ie. more power and money to the big agri-business corporations and more of the policies that have led local producers to the brink of bankruptcy. Yay, Capitalism!
One interesting development is that Aussie dairy producers are (at last) making some money since demand for Aussie milk products is huge, and growing, and it just isn't possible to turn on a switch to increase production.
Another day, another book from a Bush insider about how incompetent the regime has been on Iraq. No kidding!? This one has some great quotes from the Dear Leader though.
If you're going to have a hospital for soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (a good idea), try not to build it next to a military firing range (possibly not such a good idea).
Japan's answer to increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere? Bathe more quickly to save energy! As anyone who's ridden a train in summer will testify; that is NOT a good idea! How about not charging up your three mobile phones and iPods constantly? It's nice to see Australia doing something too. This story is about a website for young kids where they can enter details about their lifestyle and see what age they should die in order to save the planet. Hmmm....
Want Europe's cheapest petrol? Move to Greenland, where it's still more expensive than the USA per litre. Yes, that USA which has 5% of the world's population but uses 44% of the world's gasoline.
At least we'll all be around for much longer to see the world suffer and die...
America is much safer now because travellers have to give 72 hours notice they're coming. Oh yeah, that's going to really help things along...
I really need a holiday.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Yay!
After 4+ hours of fun with the PC I managed to get Windows reinstalled and up and running. The fun included trying to remember how I connected to the Internet as well as having to reinstall the DVD burner software after it crapped out again!! Anyway, it's working now and better than before, so I'm happy(er).
The rainy season has officially started in this part of Japan and the forecast for the next 5 days is for nothing but rain - so it might rain, or might not. Rainy season is kinda weird since you basically can't forecast at all, so the weather people just give every day a 50% chance and then go on holiday somewhere sunny, like Australia, for 3 weeks.
Another interesting development is that Japan Post are going to switch their entire transportation fleet over to all-electric vehicles over the next few years. One reason is the cost of fuel, but another is that it'll reduce their carbon output. Is this the start of something big here? Japan Post is partially privatised, but still is pumped up by the government (as well as the huge reservoir of cash from the postal savings accounts).
If you know me, you know I love bananas; they're part of my daily ritual. Today there's news of a resurgence of the Panama disease that nearly wiped out the global supply of bananas in the '60s. It's pretty scary stuff!
So as the banana supply starts to dwindle, Americans engage in ever more creative efforts to stay liquid but actually get themselves deeper into debt, the world starts to wonder just where they will get clean water and affordable food from, it's nice to see that Peru and Chile have opened hostilities over who had the potato first... Errrrmmm... guys? Priorities?
Speaking of endangered species, whatever happened to Gen-X?
The surveillance society that is storming the planet (latest installation is taking place in China, with American tech know-how) has been expolited by an English band who performed in front of a bunch of CCTV cameras in public places and requested the footage through the Freedom Of Information Act to add to their film clip. Nice idea, but they still sound like Coldplay.... urrrrgh!
Apparently wearing a t-shirt with a print of a gun on it can get you thrown out of an airport nowadays. The continuing death of common sense continues unabated...
If you still think Obama is the saviour, watch this. This has to be the best rant I've seen for a long time! But the re-writing of history continues as well. Witness the New York Times perpetuating the myth that George Bush won the 2000 election, when even they said themselves that he didn't. In the end you have to wonder if it all really matters since the election really is just a distraction from the eventual corporate takeover of the United States...
Really, I am a fun-loving guy!
The rainy season has officially started in this part of Japan and the forecast for the next 5 days is for nothing but rain - so it might rain, or might not. Rainy season is kinda weird since you basically can't forecast at all, so the weather people just give every day a 50% chance and then go on holiday somewhere sunny, like Australia, for 3 weeks.
Another interesting development is that Japan Post are going to switch their entire transportation fleet over to all-electric vehicles over the next few years. One reason is the cost of fuel, but another is that it'll reduce their carbon output. Is this the start of something big here? Japan Post is partially privatised, but still is pumped up by the government (as well as the huge reservoir of cash from the postal savings accounts).
If you know me, you know I love bananas; they're part of my daily ritual. Today there's news of a resurgence of the Panama disease that nearly wiped out the global supply of bananas in the '60s. It's pretty scary stuff!
So as the banana supply starts to dwindle, Americans engage in ever more creative efforts to stay liquid but actually get themselves deeper into debt, the world starts to wonder just where they will get clean water and affordable food from, it's nice to see that Peru and Chile have opened hostilities over who had the potato first... Errrrmmm... guys? Priorities?
Speaking of endangered species, whatever happened to Gen-X?
The surveillance society that is storming the planet (latest installation is taking place in China, with American tech know-how) has been expolited by an English band who performed in front of a bunch of CCTV cameras in public places and requested the footage through the Freedom Of Information Act to add to their film clip. Nice idea, but they still sound like Coldplay.... urrrrgh!
Apparently wearing a t-shirt with a print of a gun on it can get you thrown out of an airport nowadays. The continuing death of common sense continues unabated...
If you still think Obama is the saviour, watch this. This has to be the best rant I've seen for a long time! But the re-writing of history continues as well. Witness the New York Times perpetuating the myth that George Bush won the 2000 election, when even they said themselves that he didn't. In the end you have to wonder if it all really matters since the election really is just a distraction from the eventual corporate takeover of the United States...
Really, I am a fun-loving guy!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Fun...
My PC keeps crapping itself when I try to burn a DVD. I tried to re-install the software, restart and restart again but to no avail... it just doesn't want to work... so I'm going to try to reinstall Windows and see if that helps the situation. So now I'm trying to back up everything that I know I'll need - like my Internet Bookmarks that I forgot to back up last time I did this and lost everything!!!
I had a lovely day otherwise... It's drizzling nicely and it's grey, overcast and cool outside, so I'm in a state of bliss. I caught up with four ladies I used to teach at Nova in Himeji. We went to one of their houses (Wow! What an amazing place!) for coffee and cake and chatted for a couple of hours. A good time!
It's good to see that in an age where people are becoming more and more isolated from each other that communities can still band together for a good cause.
The next generation of drives is starting to take shape in the lab. A one terabyte disk the same size as a CD-ROM?? Bring it on, I say! It'll be nice to have a drive that works...
Australia has officially finished its stint in Iraq (except for the 70 personnel protecting the Aussie embassy in Baghdad) but Rudd is under fire again for trying to turn the public service in to 'Workaholics R Us'. Perhaps this is a symptom of a deeper hubris... Actually Australia may be starting to display signs of the kind of logic that Japan is famous for... For example, there is a shortage of people with suitable skills to fill vacancies for highly skilled jobs. What do you do? If you're the Australian government, you RAISE the fees for technical colleges. Wuh?!? How does making college more unaffordable help people who have no money get jobs? (Oh, you put them on HECS, so they have to pay you back afterwards, crippling their earning ability after they start working - nice! .... Dumbass)
Similar logic is happening in Melbourne, which has finally surpassed Sydney as the cosmopolitan capital of Australia, only to have the government slap a 2am curfew on all bars and clubs. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
The environment is still big news, of course. It's good to see that even the weapons manufacturers are getting on the bandwagon and developing bombs that will blow you to smithereens, but still be good to Mother Nature... errrmmm...
Some people aren't prepared to sit down though. This story is about Guerilla Gardening - a movement which not only cleans up unsightly public spaces but is also good for the environment, visually as well as biologically. Gives me ideas...
Hey, remember Global Warming? Maybe it isn't going to happen after all! Yay! Let's go burn some stuff! Or just wait for the massive release of methane. (No Indian food jokes, please)
More good reading about the food crisis as well as what's happening with the economy and the price of oil. It's good to see that people are taking the train more though.
Japan joined the 20th Century again this week as they passed a law requiring people to wear seatbelts in the back seat. Not that anything will change as people still think wearing a seatbelt at all is optional - including most of the police force.
Also from Japan, but sad and incomprehensible is this story of a girl who received a comment on her blog telling her to go kill herself, so a few days later, she did. The book I'm reading at the moment about the current state of Japan is shedding some light on the kind of mindset that is striking at the heart of this amazing country, but unless Japan is willing to undergo rapid and (short-term) painful change, scenes like this will sadly just become more and more commonplace.
The conspiracy theorists are at it again, this time over the recent earthquake in China. Unusual clouds that appeared in the sky are (apparently) the evidence of a weather weapon, using vast amounts of energy to change the weather or (in this case) set off earthquakes. 'Apparently' the targets were nuclear facilities in Sizchuan Province, which 'apparently' were not damaged in the quake according to the Chinese media. Why the US would want to target Chinese nuke facilities by causing the deaths of over 70,000 civilians is beyond reasoning... but then again, perhaps the truth IS stranger than fiction (like this story about the US compiling a list of civilians to detain under a military government - or the one about the North American Union).
John McCain has foot in mouth disease. But maybe he's already won the election. Whatever happens, you can bet the Pentagon's budget will increase.
So why do optical illusions work the way they do? This guy reckons he knows, but there are lots of pretty pictures to test your brain too. Wooo! Weird!
A trio of stories about the homeless caught my eye this week. There was one about a woman who lived in a man's cupboard for a year (in Japan, of course) before he realised something was wrong. There was also this about the people who live at Heathrow Airport. Finally, an Australian woman is making weatherproof swags for Aussie homeless. It'll be the middle of winter soon there, so her work is becoming more and more urgent.
Best English lessons (for Japanese girls) ever. Need some extra tutorials for practice, ladies??
Also there was this about how to succeed in Japanese business culture, also known as "How to get your boss drunk and get what you want out of him". Oh, this is Japan, so your boss will be a 'him'. Sorry, feminists.
The obsessive fetish displayed for brand names in Japan is truly lost on me, but now I see it can have its uses - like fighting crime!
This guy really has balls (and knows how to use them too!).
Actually here are some guys who had bigger kahoonas than you can imagine!
I didn't know there was a grand slam of fishing - let alone three of them...
A story about a guy who managed to collect on one of the most macabre bets ever made... his own death.
Quote of the Day: "I have never had an accident where I have pressed a button and accidentally sent seven chapters into cyberspace, never to be seen again. And have you ever tried to hack into my typewriter? It is very secure." - Frederick Forsyth.
If I ever go to China, I've found what I want as a souvenir: Pork Stones!
I had a lovely day otherwise... It's drizzling nicely and it's grey, overcast and cool outside, so I'm in a state of bliss. I caught up with four ladies I used to teach at Nova in Himeji. We went to one of their houses (Wow! What an amazing place!) for coffee and cake and chatted for a couple of hours. A good time!
It's good to see that in an age where people are becoming more and more isolated from each other that communities can still band together for a good cause.
The next generation of drives is starting to take shape in the lab. A one terabyte disk the same size as a CD-ROM?? Bring it on, I say! It'll be nice to have a drive that works...
Australia has officially finished its stint in Iraq (except for the 70 personnel protecting the Aussie embassy in Baghdad) but Rudd is under fire again for trying to turn the public service in to 'Workaholics R Us'. Perhaps this is a symptom of a deeper hubris... Actually Australia may be starting to display signs of the kind of logic that Japan is famous for... For example, there is a shortage of people with suitable skills to fill vacancies for highly skilled jobs. What do you do? If you're the Australian government, you RAISE the fees for technical colleges. Wuh?!? How does making college more unaffordable help people who have no money get jobs? (Oh, you put them on HECS, so they have to pay you back afterwards, crippling their earning ability after they start working - nice! .... Dumbass)
Similar logic is happening in Melbourne, which has finally surpassed Sydney as the cosmopolitan capital of Australia, only to have the government slap a 2am curfew on all bars and clubs. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
The environment is still big news, of course. It's good to see that even the weapons manufacturers are getting on the bandwagon and developing bombs that will blow you to smithereens, but still be good to Mother Nature... errrmmm...
Some people aren't prepared to sit down though. This story is about Guerilla Gardening - a movement which not only cleans up unsightly public spaces but is also good for the environment, visually as well as biologically. Gives me ideas...
Hey, remember Global Warming? Maybe it isn't going to happen after all! Yay! Let's go burn some stuff! Or just wait for the massive release of methane. (No Indian food jokes, please)
More good reading about the food crisis as well as what's happening with the economy and the price of oil. It's good to see that people are taking the train more though.
Japan joined the 20th Century again this week as they passed a law requiring people to wear seatbelts in the back seat. Not that anything will change as people still think wearing a seatbelt at all is optional - including most of the police force.
Also from Japan, but sad and incomprehensible is this story of a girl who received a comment on her blog telling her to go kill herself, so a few days later, she did. The book I'm reading at the moment about the current state of Japan is shedding some light on the kind of mindset that is striking at the heart of this amazing country, but unless Japan is willing to undergo rapid and (short-term) painful change, scenes like this will sadly just become more and more commonplace.
The conspiracy theorists are at it again, this time over the recent earthquake in China. Unusual clouds that appeared in the sky are (apparently) the evidence of a weather weapon, using vast amounts of energy to change the weather or (in this case) set off earthquakes. 'Apparently' the targets were nuclear facilities in Sizchuan Province, which 'apparently' were not damaged in the quake according to the Chinese media. Why the US would want to target Chinese nuke facilities by causing the deaths of over 70,000 civilians is beyond reasoning... but then again, perhaps the truth IS stranger than fiction (like this story about the US compiling a list of civilians to detain under a military government - or the one about the North American Union).
John McCain has foot in mouth disease. But maybe he's already won the election. Whatever happens, you can bet the Pentagon's budget will increase.
So why do optical illusions work the way they do? This guy reckons he knows, but there are lots of pretty pictures to test your brain too. Wooo! Weird!
A trio of stories about the homeless caught my eye this week. There was one about a woman who lived in a man's cupboard for a year (in Japan, of course) before he realised something was wrong. There was also this about the people who live at Heathrow Airport. Finally, an Australian woman is making weatherproof swags for Aussie homeless. It'll be the middle of winter soon there, so her work is becoming more and more urgent.
Best English lessons (for Japanese girls) ever. Need some extra tutorials for practice, ladies??
Also there was this about how to succeed in Japanese business culture, also known as "How to get your boss drunk and get what you want out of him". Oh, this is Japan, so your boss will be a 'him'. Sorry, feminists.
The obsessive fetish displayed for brand names in Japan is truly lost on me, but now I see it can have its uses - like fighting crime!
This guy really has balls (and knows how to use them too!).
Actually here are some guys who had bigger kahoonas than you can imagine!
I didn't know there was a grand slam of fishing - let alone three of them...
A story about a guy who managed to collect on one of the most macabre bets ever made... his own death.
Quote of the Day: "I have never had an accident where I have pressed a button and accidentally sent seven chapters into cyberspace, never to be seen again. And have you ever tried to hack into my typewriter? It is very secure." - Frederick Forsyth.
If I ever go to China, I've found what I want as a souvenir: Pork Stones!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Yay
Still sore. Sometimes better, sometimes not. Whoopie.
A 747 splits in half on the runway. Good thing it didn't happen 5 minutes later!
The knives are out for Kevin Rudd - what, already? What a surprise!
With energy and food prices going nuts, some Americans are doing what they do best, buy guns and go country. The current situation is giving us a great opportunity to find ways to live without oil, but no government has the real vision to do anything about it - unless they're in Scandinavia...
On the solar research front, scientists have demonstrated 'the avalanche effect'. That means about the same to you as it does to me. But if it can be made to work, it could increase the efficiency of solar cells from about 15% to 44% - effectively three times the electrical output, making them much, much better!
Following on from the article about John Cusack, here's an interview with him about War Inc.
Burma's junta have done the right thing and focussed all efforts on delivering aid to the victims of the terrible typhoon that razed the country two weeks ago. Actually no. They've focussed their attention on extending the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi instead. Morons.
I always thought the last thing you wanted to hear a doctor say about you was that you were 'very interesting'. Turns out I was wrong.
I remember reading comics when I was young and wondering about those ads that were in every copy ever made. Well, someone ordered the stuff - and of course, it was all crap! Maybe they'll start selling real estate in them soon if the housing slump continues like this.
In Japan, the fallout from the recent sumo tournament continues, with the two Yokozuna (grand champions) getting into hot water over their final bout. It may seem a bit funny when compared to other sports, but in a sport based on such ritual as sumo, getting steamed up and bitch-slapping your opponent after the bout is over is a huge deal! At least it'll get people more interested in the sport...
Aaah, TV. Teacher, mother, secret lover. And changing... We could be going to an internet-based approach if this Japanese research follows through - or have holograms in our living rooms.
Time for all you can eat Italian food - yay!
A 747 splits in half on the runway. Good thing it didn't happen 5 minutes later!
The knives are out for Kevin Rudd - what, already? What a surprise!
With energy and food prices going nuts, some Americans are doing what they do best, buy guns and go country. The current situation is giving us a great opportunity to find ways to live without oil, but no government has the real vision to do anything about it - unless they're in Scandinavia...
On the solar research front, scientists have demonstrated 'the avalanche effect'. That means about the same to you as it does to me. But if it can be made to work, it could increase the efficiency of solar cells from about 15% to 44% - effectively three times the electrical output, making them much, much better!
Following on from the article about John Cusack, here's an interview with him about War Inc.
Burma's junta have done the right thing and focussed all efforts on delivering aid to the victims of the terrible typhoon that razed the country two weeks ago. Actually no. They've focussed their attention on extending the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi instead. Morons.
I always thought the last thing you wanted to hear a doctor say about you was that you were 'very interesting'. Turns out I was wrong.
I remember reading comics when I was young and wondering about those ads that were in every copy ever made. Well, someone ordered the stuff - and of course, it was all crap! Maybe they'll start selling real estate in them soon if the housing slump continues like this.
In Japan, the fallout from the recent sumo tournament continues, with the two Yokozuna (grand champions) getting into hot water over their final bout. It may seem a bit funny when compared to other sports, but in a sport based on such ritual as sumo, getting steamed up and bitch-slapping your opponent after the bout is over is a huge deal! At least it'll get people more interested in the sport...
Aaah, TV. Teacher, mother, secret lover. And changing... We could be going to an internet-based approach if this Japanese research follows through - or have holograms in our living rooms.
Time for all you can eat Italian food - yay!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Stiff
The neck's still giving me jip. Went to a different massage place today and I think they isolated where the problem is: a couple of vertebrae down from the skull. It was really tender and sore around there, as well as behind the shoulder blades, but I grit my teeth and endured the pain as the masseuse did her thing.
Beer is good though.
It looks like Australia's fast becoming a really expensive place to live with inflation spiralling upwards and the dollar approaching parity with the US dollar (ironically keeping petrol prices lower!). But, with the cost of fuel affecting so many things, and life in Australia really revolves around having a car (unless you're my brother), I don't really see how I can come back any time soon. Believe it or not, but living in Japan is fast becoming cheaper than living in Oz! Mind you, that's because in Adelaide I'd have a social life, whereas here.... well..... I'm doing what I can.
I don't know whether to give this kid a high five for being so smart, or a slap on the head just for being smarter than me... but anyone who works out a way to biologically decompose plastic bags using bacteria is a good person as far as I'm concerned.
Climate change is going to cause Jupiter to explode... well maybe not.
Quentin Tarantino is a prat. But he made Reservoir Dogs, which is one of the coolest movies ever, so ...
Just another day in Japan. A man storms a newspaper office with a knife because the workers were rude to him. Never mind that storming a business armed with an offensive weapon while ranting isn't exactly the height of polite behaviour!The last sentence gives it all the justification you need, "He was drunk at the time of the incident, police said," In other news, a man reached through the driver's side window and squeezed a woman's breasts after she stopped to help him . Never mind that her husband was also in the car with her and he pinned the guy down until police arrived! Also a man was arrested after stealing cars hired by his two ex-wives in a scam involving GPS high tech and the women's real IDs with their real addresses on them. But the real scandal is the possible passing of being able to see schoolgirls in skirts. Yup, this was just another day in Japan.
But, Kotooshu won the sumo tournament with a day to spare! Good on ya, son!
There was also this interesting short piece on how the nation's psyche has changed completely since World War II. Mind you, that is just a tiny piece of the puzzle that is the Japanese national psyche!
Time for the annual kangaroo cull in Australia - and time for the freaks to come out.
More good reading about the Iraq situation. Yes, it's still going! (But don't miss the next instalment!)
A really thought-provoking piece about the causes of climate change for your consideration. It's not just about the CO2; everything we do as humans has fundamentally changed the ecosystem and affected the weather too.
Goodbye Hillary. Hello war tax.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall sell the arms they confiscated back to the militias they are supposed to be disarming.... Wait, what?
Finally, the tragedy that is Open Mouth Disease.
Beer is good though.
It looks like Australia's fast becoming a really expensive place to live with inflation spiralling upwards and the dollar approaching parity with the US dollar (ironically keeping petrol prices lower!). But, with the cost of fuel affecting so many things, and life in Australia really revolves around having a car (unless you're my brother), I don't really see how I can come back any time soon. Believe it or not, but living in Japan is fast becoming cheaper than living in Oz! Mind you, that's because in Adelaide I'd have a social life, whereas here.... well..... I'm doing what I can.
I don't know whether to give this kid a high five for being so smart, or a slap on the head just for being smarter than me... but anyone who works out a way to biologically decompose plastic bags using bacteria is a good person as far as I'm concerned.
Climate change is going to cause Jupiter to explode... well maybe not.
Quentin Tarantino is a prat. But he made Reservoir Dogs, which is one of the coolest movies ever, so ...
Just another day in Japan. A man storms a newspaper office with a knife because the workers were rude to him. Never mind that storming a business armed with an offensive weapon while ranting isn't exactly the height of polite behaviour!The last sentence gives it all the justification you need, "He was drunk at the time of the incident, police said," In other news, a man reached through the driver's side window and squeezed a woman's breasts after she stopped to help him . Never mind that her husband was also in the car with her and he pinned the guy down until police arrived! Also a man was arrested after stealing cars hired by his two ex-wives in a scam involving GPS high tech and the women's real IDs with their real addresses on them. But the real scandal is the possible passing of being able to see schoolgirls in skirts. Yup, this was just another day in Japan.
But, Kotooshu won the sumo tournament with a day to spare! Good on ya, son!
There was also this interesting short piece on how the nation's psyche has changed completely since World War II. Mind you, that is just a tiny piece of the puzzle that is the Japanese national psyche!
Time for the annual kangaroo cull in Australia - and time for the freaks to come out.
More good reading about the Iraq situation. Yes, it's still going! (But don't miss the next instalment!)
A really thought-provoking piece about the causes of climate change for your consideration. It's not just about the CO2; everything we do as humans has fundamentally changed the ecosystem and affected the weather too.
Goodbye Hillary. Hello war tax.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall sell the arms they confiscated back to the militias they are supposed to be disarming.... Wait, what?
Finally, the tragedy that is Open Mouth Disease.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Ouch
My neck is killing me, so I'm off to see if a decent massage can loosen things up. Work was terrible as a result yesterday, so I'm not having a repeat if I can help it.
Looks like high petrol prices are here to stay. In Japan it's nearly 160 yen a litre, putting it on a par with what's happening in Australia. Some say the price of oil may soon go down, but you can bet the prices won't! At least some people are coming up with some practical ways of dealing with it, such as going back to the future.
In Japan, gynaecology is steadily becoming a profession to be avoided, contributing to the declining birthrate. Who wants to have kids if there are no doctors? (The number of paediatricians is also in decline) Another reason is the number of moron husbands that they have to deal with. But hostessing is increasingly being seen as an honorable profession. So Japan will become a nation of hostess bars and old folks homes.... wait.... MORE of a nation of hostess bars and old folks homes.
A good read about a good read.
Kotooshu, the Bulgarian sumo wrestler, is closing in on his first victory at a sumo tournament. If he wins, he will be the first the first European to hold the Emperor's Cup. He seems like a good bloke too.
Condi Rice for VP? AS revolting as the idea sounds, she seems to be interested in it. Time to do some reading up on the lady.
Oooops. Someone let the cat out of the bag.
Glorious coffee. Wonderful spices.
Shotgun!
Looks like high petrol prices are here to stay. In Japan it's nearly 160 yen a litre, putting it on a par with what's happening in Australia. Some say the price of oil may soon go down, but you can bet the prices won't! At least some people are coming up with some practical ways of dealing with it, such as going back to the future.
In Japan, gynaecology is steadily becoming a profession to be avoided, contributing to the declining birthrate. Who wants to have kids if there are no doctors? (The number of paediatricians is also in decline) Another reason is the number of moron husbands that they have to deal with. But hostessing is increasingly being seen as an honorable profession. So Japan will become a nation of hostess bars and old folks homes.... wait.... MORE of a nation of hostess bars and old folks homes.
A good read about a good read.
Kotooshu, the Bulgarian sumo wrestler, is closing in on his first victory at a sumo tournament. If he wins, he will be the first the first European to hold the Emperor's Cup. He seems like a good bloke too.
Condi Rice for VP? AS revolting as the idea sounds, she seems to be interested in it. Time to do some reading up on the lady.
Oooops. Someone let the cat out of the bag.
Glorious coffee. Wonderful spices.
Shotgun!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Up and down
Gotta love this time of year in Japan. The days are warm enough to wear shorts but the nights are still cool and crisp. The rice paddies have been ploughed and are awaiting being flooded to start the planting of this year's crop. I can see a dozen or more from my study window so I'll be right up to date as things happen! The noise from the frogs and other critters will be ridiculous come the evenings - we'll see who's louder; them or the Shinkansen!
Russia's becoming more and more of a proto-Fascist state, which is nothing new of you've been reading the papers, but this article summarizes recent developments quite well. There was also something interesting about Russia's continuing sphere of influence in the former Soviet states.
'1984' is looking more and more like a documentary, especially if you live in the UK.... But it's not the only scary thing happening in the world (of course); take a look at the routine drugging of illegal immigrants in the US, or the next 'great distraction' for the upcoming US election.
A post-Bush world... what will it look like? Whatever it does, it's going to take a long time to undo the damage, if at all. The numbers don't look good.
The Global Peace Index is out and Iceland has topped the list again with the USA in 97th place (down a spot) and Australia in 27th (down two). Japan is 5th (but I guess old people can't lift those heavy guns...).
You know it may be too late to do anything about climate change when serious scientists start proposing crazy solutions, such as dying the sky purple. Another is to sue the oil companies a la Big Tobacco for screwing up the environment. But it IS possible to go green. One city has cut its electricity use by up to 30% - in a month!
Don't laugh at me as I drive my Mitsubishi rollerskate. These little cars are hot! (The tank is 30 litres and I last filled up after going 450km on one tank!)
Oil is not the only force behind the food crisis. Here's a look at how the World Bank and the IMF are also responsible for what's happening. There's also a bit about how to go against them and save your country's food supply at the same time. Go Malawi!
With the Aussie Dollar continuing its strong run against pretty much everything, the long term effects are starting to be felt, especially in what's left of Australia's manufacturing sector.
But the burning issue of the day is, will Warnie roll one over against the Poms!?
Now we can all scowl at the pregnant women using mobile phones. Do they hate their children that much???
Pervert.
I support this uplifting experience. My cup runneth over. But I should be brief and not (G-)string you along.
I can't decide if this is funny or sad, so I'll go with pathetic.
You've heard of books that have changed the world, but how about books that screwed up the world?
Mugshots are also forever in the Internet Age.
I want one of these - and possibly also one of these (at least I'd have a reason to get a DS!).
Russia's becoming more and more of a proto-Fascist state, which is nothing new of you've been reading the papers, but this article summarizes recent developments quite well. There was also something interesting about Russia's continuing sphere of influence in the former Soviet states.
'1984' is looking more and more like a documentary, especially if you live in the UK.... But it's not the only scary thing happening in the world (of course); take a look at the routine drugging of illegal immigrants in the US, or the next 'great distraction' for the upcoming US election.
A post-Bush world... what will it look like? Whatever it does, it's going to take a long time to undo the damage, if at all. The numbers don't look good.
The Global Peace Index is out and Iceland has topped the list again with the USA in 97th place (down a spot) and Australia in 27th (down two). Japan is 5th (but I guess old people can't lift those heavy guns...).
You know it may be too late to do anything about climate change when serious scientists start proposing crazy solutions, such as dying the sky purple. Another is to sue the oil companies a la Big Tobacco for screwing up the environment. But it IS possible to go green. One city has cut its electricity use by up to 30% - in a month!
Don't laugh at me as I drive my Mitsubishi rollerskate. These little cars are hot! (The tank is 30 litres and I last filled up after going 450km on one tank!)
Oil is not the only force behind the food crisis. Here's a look at how the World Bank and the IMF are also responsible for what's happening. There's also a bit about how to go against them and save your country's food supply at the same time. Go Malawi!
With the Aussie Dollar continuing its strong run against pretty much everything, the long term effects are starting to be felt, especially in what's left of Australia's manufacturing sector.
But the burning issue of the day is, will Warnie roll one over against the Poms!?
Now we can all scowl at the pregnant women using mobile phones. Do they hate their children that much???
Pervert.
I support this uplifting experience. My cup runneth over. But I should be brief and not (G-)string you along.
I can't decide if this is funny or sad, so I'll go with pathetic.
You've heard of books that have changed the world, but how about books that screwed up the world?
Mugshots are also forever in the Internet Age.
I want one of these - and possibly also one of these (at least I'd have a reason to get a DS!).
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Aaah yes.
Listening to the most recent Art Of Fighting album is a good way to wind down after playing the bass. Actually I haven't picked up the bass for a good couple of months or so so my fingers will be sore today. Never mind - it's going to suffice for 'exercise' at the moment since my schedule is basically revolving around sleeping and teaching - hence the lack of updates. I have to kick the laziness... perhaps around September or so.
Everything is up in the air at the moment. I can sense change is in the offing but when and how is anyone's guess. I guess since my life changed so drastically in the past twelve months that I'm now up for something new. Maybe 'change' has become the norm and this period of stillness is the 'normality' settling in. Problem is that things have now settled to the point where I could easily cruise through the next several years and nothing could change at least on a personal level. As Ferris Bueller said, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
So I stopped. I looked. I found something nice. Can I bring it home with me? Time will tell.
Bad design is the highlight of today's posting.
First comes what could only be described as the perfect mix of bad taste and permanency (so this is the reason why laser surgery was developed?), the Hello Kitty Darth Vader tattoo.
Next, also from Japan, comes a mix of sci-fi and not thinking much about the reality of cost and the environment comes the pyramid built over Tokyo Bay that'll house 750,000 people and contribute vastly to the death toll if there's an earthquake or tsunami. Hey, isn't Tokyo overdue for a major quake? Why, yes, it is!
Seriously, how would you play a guitar with six heads?!? At least you wouldn't have to buy another one. The sixth one is a baritone, apparently, and the fifth is a six string bass a la the Fender VI, which would be my next purchase in itself, if I could afford one. Originals cost about $3000 new! (I saw one for that price in Kobe a few months ago)
One architect's response to a council's red tape over building a simple garden shed on a farm is a model for the witty sarcastic response - the irony being that the council would likely accept such a response as it satisfied all the criteria for the application!
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy has a contender. Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to welcome to the stage, Joey Linello! Mullet would happily support him on his Australian tour.
Not so much bad design, but bad taste: things people do and wear that they think make them look cool, but actually make them look like they're stupid.
We're kind of segwaying into a couple of my usual topics for posting: the limitless depths of human stupidity and the environment. Witness the first stupid move of the Rudd Government (up for debate), the means testing of the solar panel rebate, instantly cutting the revenue for these companies in half. Ummm... show me the working middle and lower classes who are going to put solar cells on the homes? I agree with the commentator who says that cutting CO2 levels is going to take a bold and broad-sweeping move, especially when we read that levels are at the highest for the past 800,000 years and climate change is a global phenomenon. Cutting rebates is not going to do that at all. It's really going to take a global movement to make it happen - and do you think that's going to happen soon? I didn't think so either.
Organised crime has its hands in our waste disposal. Insert witty irony-laced comment here.
The strange quirks of our bodies show the history of evolution. A decent read!
DARPA is 50. Here's a list of its successes, and (more amusingly) its failures. Mechanical elephants indeed!
Speaking more than one language may slow the ageing process in the brain, and the more languages you speak the better according to this study.
The drums for war across the Middle East and even into Asia grow louder, and already the predictions are coming out. Too many too much to go on about here concisely, but sometimes you need to listen to what seems like crazy ramblings. The ones before the Iraq invasion were ignored and now the fallout has extended into food prices going up around the globe and creating a food crisis now starting to spiral out of control towards... what? Already China is eyeing a global land grab to grow food for its population while Australia continues to change into a dust bowl. Japan's government is conducting studies (as they usually do), fiddling while Rome burns. Meanwhile Bush, who should be indicted on war crimes charges, may be gunning for life-long dictatorship in the USA. Read, watch, listen, prepare.
Is it time to invade Burma?
It's nice to see one superstition supporting another, such as the Catholic Church now saying it's OK to believe in aliens. Does this mean the pope's a Scientologist?
The ten longest novels ever written.
At least someone's had the courage to tell the truth about England, but the English themselves!?
And finally, the complete ACME catalogue.
Everything is up in the air at the moment. I can sense change is in the offing but when and how is anyone's guess. I guess since my life changed so drastically in the past twelve months that I'm now up for something new. Maybe 'change' has become the norm and this period of stillness is the 'normality' settling in. Problem is that things have now settled to the point where I could easily cruise through the next several years and nothing could change at least on a personal level. As Ferris Bueller said, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
So I stopped. I looked. I found something nice. Can I bring it home with me? Time will tell.
Bad design is the highlight of today's posting.
First comes what could only be described as the perfect mix of bad taste and permanency (so this is the reason why laser surgery was developed?), the Hello Kitty Darth Vader tattoo.
Next, also from Japan, comes a mix of sci-fi and not thinking much about the reality of cost and the environment comes the pyramid built over Tokyo Bay that'll house 750,000 people and contribute vastly to the death toll if there's an earthquake or tsunami. Hey, isn't Tokyo overdue for a major quake? Why, yes, it is!
Seriously, how would you play a guitar with six heads?!? At least you wouldn't have to buy another one. The sixth one is a baritone, apparently, and the fifth is a six string bass a la the Fender VI, which would be my next purchase in itself, if I could afford one. Originals cost about $3000 new! (I saw one for that price in Kobe a few months ago)
One architect's response to a council's red tape over building a simple garden shed on a farm is a model for the witty sarcastic response - the irony being that the council would likely accept such a response as it satisfied all the criteria for the application!
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy has a contender. Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to welcome to the stage, Joey Linello! Mullet would happily support him on his Australian tour.
Not so much bad design, but bad taste: things people do and wear that they think make them look cool, but actually make them look like they're stupid.
We're kind of segwaying into a couple of my usual topics for posting: the limitless depths of human stupidity and the environment. Witness the first stupid move of the Rudd Government (up for debate), the means testing of the solar panel rebate, instantly cutting the revenue for these companies in half. Ummm... show me the working middle and lower classes who are going to put solar cells on the homes? I agree with the commentator who says that cutting CO2 levels is going to take a bold and broad-sweeping move, especially when we read that levels are at the highest for the past 800,000 years and climate change is a global phenomenon. Cutting rebates is not going to do that at all. It's really going to take a global movement to make it happen - and do you think that's going to happen soon? I didn't think so either.
Organised crime has its hands in our waste disposal. Insert witty irony-laced comment here.
The strange quirks of our bodies show the history of evolution. A decent read!
DARPA is 50. Here's a list of its successes, and (more amusingly) its failures. Mechanical elephants indeed!
Speaking more than one language may slow the ageing process in the brain, and the more languages you speak the better according to this study.
The drums for war across the Middle East and even into Asia grow louder, and already the predictions are coming out. Too many too much to go on about here concisely, but sometimes you need to listen to what seems like crazy ramblings. The ones before the Iraq invasion were ignored and now the fallout has extended into food prices going up around the globe and creating a food crisis now starting to spiral out of control towards... what? Already China is eyeing a global land grab to grow food for its population while Australia continues to change into a dust bowl. Japan's government is conducting studies (as they usually do), fiddling while Rome burns. Meanwhile Bush, who should be indicted on war crimes charges, may be gunning for life-long dictatorship in the USA. Read, watch, listen, prepare.
Is it time to invade Burma?
It's nice to see one superstition supporting another, such as the Catholic Church now saying it's OK to believe in aliens. Does this mean the pope's a Scientologist?
The ten longest novels ever written.
At least someone's had the courage to tell the truth about England, but the English themselves!?
And finally, the complete ACME catalogue.
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