tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33982992011-04-21T13:38:25.116-07:00Order of Randomness - Hyperlinks of a Blogged MindWords about Japan, Technology, Politics, and Entertainment seldom spelled correctlyBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comBlogger1611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1109260010819808312005-02-24T07:39:00.000-08:002005-02-24T07:50:32.900-08:00I'm BACK! I forgot about my blog. However I shall now resume. I'll start with a recent and rather surprising discovery... at least to me. Few other people in this world will give a damn. Someone is competing against a former employer of mine and offering website application service to used Japanese car exporters. My previous job was developing a site very similar to this for an exporter of Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1079544077521685752004-03-17T09:21:00.000-08:002004-03-17T09:26:26.840-08:00Here are a whole LOT of paper craft links that I am going to utilize some day. Most were culled from Boing Boing (the website I hate to love).
Star Wars,
Aliens,
Miscelaneous lame ones,
Victorian Sub,
Nasa Toys,
Yamaha,
Functional Dirkon Camera
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1079543784436937802004-03-17T09:16:00.000-08:002004-03-17T09:19:12.653-08:00 I LOVE THIS PICTURE. I found it here. The episodes of the Simpsons that it is take from is a great one also.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1075460707471120532004-01-30T03:05:00.000-08:002004-01-30T03:09:06.856-08:00More hypnotic-ally cool visualization
Ben Fry is doctoral candidate at the MIT Media Laboratory. This guy impresses me and he's doing stuff I would love to have the time or patience for. I particularly like the maps of machine language and his maps of code revisions.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1073904272776290032004-01-12T02:44:00.000-08:002004-01-12T02:46:39.216-08:00Stop Motion Studies of Japan Subways
Not all of these "hypnotic-ally cool" images are of Japan, but a good many are. I'm not sure if they accomplish what the author wants. Personally I enjoy them for their resolution, clarity, and sense of depth. Kind of like living photos, moving, void of the tyranny of actual motion. I don't know... I just like them. Don't be surprised to find me Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1073818189522719022004-01-11T02:49:00.000-08:002004-01-12T02:47:22.233-08:00Anti-Customer Coporations
Miramax is an example of how unbelievably clueless corporation's can be. Hear is an open letter from an Asian film fan sight explaining their errors. Miramax should thank them profusely for the clue and mend their faults. I personally have seen Shaolin Soccer
and liked it quite a bit. I watched a pirated copy purchased in Asia however. It just goes to show thatBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1073716747222837032004-01-09T22:39:00.000-08:002004-01-12T02:47:55.060-08:00Bad Bush
I used to only slightly and passively dislike President George W. Bush's administration, but lately I'm starting to actively dislike it. Just one of the reasons is its complete disregard for rights of privacy. Another reason is it's right wing and religios spins on science, discussed in the article "Bush vs. Science: Is the White House Credible?" (synopsis) in the print version of Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1073383860938644162004-01-06T02:11:00.000-08:002004-01-12T02:49:26.966-08:00Ancient Geek
I read about the CURTA in the most recent issue of Scientific American. Its darn cool, but also surprisingly simple.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1073360765855434272004-01-05T19:46:00.000-08:002004-01-05T19:47:25.996-08:00An obvious solution
There is no reason that outsourcing software has to be the only way to save cost. With all the out-of-work programmers, you can simply save costs by hiring them in the USA for a lower wage.
http://businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/dec2003/sb2003122_8887.htm
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1071586960813331492003-12-16T07:02:00.000-08:002003-12-16T07:05:22.420-08:00Sexual Evolution
I have shortened a fascinating and enlightening article, A Review of Sexual Selection and Human Evolution, by G. F. Miller. This is the core of the information that I found the most compelling.
Darwin (1859, 1871) realized that his theory of natural selection through differential survival could not explain extravagant male traits such as the peacock's tail, because such Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1069430951907780232003-11-21T08:09:00.000-08:002003-11-21T08:09:38.686-08:00Very cool examle of recursion, the coolest concept computer science ever introduced me to, formally.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1069214276310478272003-11-18T19:57:00.000-08:002003-11-18T19:59:35.216-08:00
Some very cool art, no doubt inspired by the Road Runner ;-)
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1067954741500827752003-11-04T06:05:00.000-08:002003-11-04T06:06:51.023-08:00Here are some some really cool watches from Japan. If you are a lunatic committing amazingly unnecessary and completely senseless acts of generosity... then donate that cash to charity... but if you are just determined to do something utterly random and without reason, then concider getting me the pimp watch :-)Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1065866810502046942003-10-11T03:06:00.000-07:002003-10-11T03:08:22.176-07:00A letter to the Government of the Unitied States of America
Please, I beg of you, review the following two articles from well-respected magazines and websites regarding the future of technology in the USA and take appropriate action for the sake of Virginia and the USA. I honestly believe that we are facing perhaps the single greatest threat to the economy of the USA in recent history and theBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1065769084771094982003-10-09T23:58:00.000-07:002003-10-10T00:02:35.043-07:00A link of some videos about Japan and North Korea. I would not say the vidoes are fair indicators of life in Japan, they dwell on the odd and the "fun", but they are mildly entertaining. Some more reserved videos of Japan can be found here.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1065768904632160152003-10-09T23:55:00.000-07:002003-10-09T23:56:39.220-07:00Coppied from Slashdot:
"A couple of weeks ago BMG released an audio CD with a new type of DRM. Earlier this week, a computer science graduate student at Princeton wrote a report showing the DRM was ineffective - it could easily be defeated by use of the 'shift' key. The stock of the DRM company (SunnComm) has since fallen by 20%. Now, SunnComm plans to sue the student under the DMCA and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1065539409445101142003-10-07T08:10:00.000-07:002003-10-07T08:15:19.286-07:00More freaky Japanese fetish gadgets. File it under, WTF. This is taking technology too far. Tech can attempt to replace or augment a partner, but some things a person can just do better himself! Trust me. Perhaps it could be use for a paralyzed person, but it doesn't seem at all erotic, IMHO. Warning, link is sexual, but no real nudity.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1063714734376756292003-09-16T05:18:00.000-07:002003-09-16T05:24:02.623-07:00Admire Japan's Technology
My friend messaged me saying, to the best of my recollection, "Hey Panasonic just released a new cell phone. Check this out, it is amazing technolgy", and then sent me this link. He is right, Japan does have some interesting products.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1063556843941666292003-09-14T09:27:00.000-07:002003-09-14T09:27:23.970-07:00Electrolux
A new way of looking at grandma's old vacuum cleaner.
The past was so much more futuristic!
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1063459126662953732003-09-13T06:18:00.000-07:002003-09-13T06:36:35.893-07:00My thoughts in progress
Campaign finance: we must decouple businesses from the government.
Finance: the stock market places too much emphasis on short term gains over stable growth. (prevent the movement of shares to keep riding crests).
Media: Free speach is costly. Media is how businesses control the minds of the people and thus the govement. We must keep diversity. Diversity of opinionBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1063370217768040552003-09-12T05:36:00.000-07:002003-09-12T05:41:11.760-07:00More examples of Japan not acknowledging what a sick FUCKED UP country it used to be:
The Great Kanto Earthquake and the following massacre
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1063106781675367502003-09-09T04:26:00.000-07:002003-09-09T04:27:22.640-07:00New Pictures of Me
Actually, old pictures in a new place. Look under "Mirror Project" on my
Portfolio site.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1062730241433277342003-09-04T19:50:00.000-07:002003-09-04T19:51:33.376-07:00THE USA NEEDS MEDIA REFORM
Media reform and campaign finance reform are the two most important keys in reclaiming true democracy in the USA. Democracy is what made us great isn't it !?!?
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1062729407071313602003-09-04T19:36:00.000-07:002003-09-04T19:36:47.070-07:00If its not the heat death of the universe, it something else
"'In the long run the universe doesn't want to be four-dimensional. It wants to be 10 dimensions.' So sooner or later, the loops will unravel like a tangle of rubber bands, passing through a succession of configurations that take less and less energy to maintain, until finally the other dimensions expand and the cosmological constantBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1061996391763126232003-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:002003-08-27T08:00:35.590-07:00this page has some Japanese commercials and music videos.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1061901210924871632003-08-26T05:33:00.000-07:002003-08-27T08:01:32.880-07:00Protest the movie Kill Bill
I'm pissed. I was really looking foward to the release of Tarantino's newest movie Kill Bill. I really like Pulp Fiction, I really like Uma Thurmon, and I was looking foward to the Japanese pop culture and samurai elements of the film. The first part is due to be released on October 10th, close to my birthday. However I just found out that it will be released inBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1061830082019319342003-08-25T09:48:00.000-07:002003-08-25T09:52:04.223-07:00New America and the FCC
I found the New American Foundation. It looks interesting, but I'm not sure exactly what there policies are. However their stance on spectrum policy looks like a well thought out position. Relatedly, its time for media reform. Ironically we had some decent rules in place, before they got eroded by the-powers-that-be, so instead of reforming we are actually need Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1061824423625040722003-08-25T08:13:00.000-07:002003-08-25T08:25:38.473-07:00Another example of how stupid some people are, are the threats by some Japanese against North Koreans boarding this ship. A message to those hot headed Japanese: Hey wake up! These are just kids travelling on a college trip. They don't have a choice, they are required to go in order to graduate. So calm down and relax. Don't make a mistake and take out your frustration about that fool Kim Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1061732254594711992003-08-24T06:37:00.000-07:002003-08-24T06:37:34.620-07:00I watched this movie a while ago, but lost the link. I just found it again. Its really good I think.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1060951274037140872003-08-15T05:41:00.000-07:002003-08-15T05:45:36.330-07:00When I read this statement about dark matter for the first time, it seemed rather profound.
"The majority of the Universe does not emit light, does not scatter light, does not absorb light, and is not even made out of atoms. It can only be "seen" by its gravitational effects." - from hereBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1060165900935181422003-08-06T03:31:00.001-07:002003-08-06T03:38:25.390-07:00I recalled someone telling me that Edward Norton had lived in Japan and decided to Google it. I found out that he studied Japanese at Yale and then lived in Osaka for a few months after graduation in 1991 working for The Enterprise Foundation in Osaka, a company that his grandparents founded. A guy has to wonder how many Japanese girls a good looking guy like Ed with some Japanese language Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1060159050065807522003-08-06T01:37:00.000-07:002003-08-06T01:37:59.920-07:00Japanese Justice
Because of its robots, mobile phones, and other great technology, Japan appears to many technology oriented people to be a role model of the future modern world. However I just got a link reminding me that socially it still has a long way to go. Whether you agree or not about the purpose of the site, the overview of the Japanese justice system is informative, with plenty of Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1060158356460544292003-08-06T01:25:00.000-07:002003-08-06T01:38:53.490-07:00
Jap Psych Art
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-1055590737603936852003-06-14T04:38:00.000-07:002003-06-14T04:39:57.800-07:00I Moved to Cebu, Philippines!
I need to restart my blog soon and rebrand it as a "Philippines Blog"... I guess... almost sadly... I am no longer a "Japan Blogger".
Read about it here.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-946861102003-05-21T07:15:00.000-07:002003-05-21T07:15:40.750-07:00
Japan Cult Believes in White-Power!
I've seen a bit of these nutters on TV here in Japan. I didn't know much about them because I can't understand the TV. I found out more here. If it was art it would be cool. What is the saying? Life is often stranger than art? I like to say there is a fine line between "artists" and "freaks", not that I have anything agaist either category.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-945751122003-05-19T04:24:00.000-07:002003-05-19T04:24:49.263-07:00Support The Eric Eldred Act to help open up the Public Domain and "help right the wrong of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. This bill, now titled "The Public Domain Enhancement Act," would require a copyright owner, 50 years after a work is published, to pay a $1 maintenance fee. If the owner pays the fee, the copyright continues. If the owner does not pay the fee, the work passes Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-945742992003-05-19T03:54:00.000-07:002003-05-20T20:34:36.000-07:00We are being FUCKED by the government
Here we see The Daily Show's Jon Stewart expose what a joke the government has made of fraud. And now it is stealing more money from middle class Americans to pay for the tax cuts on stock dividends to help these same crooks. The government is nearly about to remove the 80k foreign earned income exclusion from US taxes. This exclusion allows lower to Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-945736112003-05-19T03:22:00.000-07:002003-05-21T07:16:14.000-07:00
Those silly Japanese have made a great gift for that woman that really has you by the balls.
comment or discuss
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-939211632003-05-07T04:40:00.000-07:002003-05-07T04:41:01.000-07:00Infiltration of Japan
No! I'm not talking about the increasing number of "gaijin" in Japan. I'm talking about infiltration of the modern ruins and hidden places of Japan. Most of the links
found here are in Japanese, but you can click around to see the pictures, which is the main point anyway. I have repeatedly thought that Japan offers a lot of modern ruins and overgrown areas perfect Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-938051872003-05-05T08:42:00.000-07:002003-05-05T08:45:45.000-07:00Engrish Poop Dick
I have become use to the crazy Engrish that Japanese use, but this one is by far the craziest! Please, you damn crazy fools! Pay some poor English teacher 1000 yen to check your attempts at English... or perhapes even better, don't use it. You have your own language you know! As a side note, Engrish is a pun because the Japanese have a hard time differentiating "r" and "l"Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-933496292003-04-27T10:26:00.000-07:002003-04-27T10:29:50.000-07:00Scanning for SARS by Infrared
This story says, "Quarantine officers at Tokyo's Narita airport, the main international gateway to Japan, will introduce an infrared thermography this week to detect passengers with a fever in an attempt to prevent the spread of the SARS virus in the country, an official said Wednesday." Its already being done in China for outgoing passengers. I could hardly findBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-931867272003-04-24T10:00:00.000-07:002003-04-27T10:23:59.000-07:00Gone? but not forgotten.
Here is a very funny parody of an Eminem song, gone
Hussein in the Membrane
comment or discuss
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-929343082003-04-20T08:54:00.000-07:002003-04-21T00:03:14.000-07:00Pop Religion. Just two links I really like. The Athiest Game and Get Out of Hell Free cards and a Lego church. I beat The Athiest Game... sort of. If you hit the Y key and hold, and then quickly hit the space, and hold, you will hop off the back edge and get stuck in mid fall. My very liberal "artistic impression" is that this equates to living forever. Your kind of stuck however, but it Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-926421492003-04-15T03:48:00.000-07:002003-04-15T03:54:32.000-07:00
Masked Wrestler Wins Japan Assembly Seat.
Jesse Ventura has nothing on this guy.
comment or discuss
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-925910392003-04-14T09:36:00.000-07:002003-04-14T09:38:31.000-07:00There is no reason to watch TV. The internet just has more good stuff than I can process. Here are two must see video clips (3 actually). The first is Terry Tate, Office Linebacker and the second is Britney selling drinks in Japan (2 clips). Normally I hate most commercials done by foreign celebrities in Japan because most of them would never do that commercial in their own country, and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-925881302003-04-14T08:45:00.000-07:002003-04-14T19:28:14.000-07:00Two Sides of Every War. I have succumbed to posting about the war again. Here are two links to concider.
The first
is the "intended and achieved" result of the war in Iraq. This is the result that many people believed in and hope for. No matter what you think about the war itself or the Bush-administration (I myself am not a fan), if you think American's are supporters of "wars of Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-923629402003-04-10T07:56:00.000-07:002003-04-10T08:30:20.000-07:00Update on Googlewashing
Joi Ito posted
a very good link to some
very good remarks
made by Kevin Marks regarding the previous
Register story about Googlewashing.
Here are my two yen: I also felt that the original article was bit over the top and seemed a bit like a professional journalist lashing out at the blogsphere he is not a part of. Perhaps the author just wanted to hold Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-922185962003-04-08T06:11:00.000-07:002003-04-10T07:59:38.000-07:00A double hit of anti-racism for Asians
1.) If you meet any Japanese, Koreans, or Chinese who think they are a special unique race that looks significantly different than other Asians, give them
this test.
2.) Here is a person trying to break down the barriers of a seldom discussed social problem in Japan, that is also little known about outside of Japan, the
Korean-Japanese (Zai Nichi Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-921466492003-04-07T06:18:00.000-07:002003-04-07T06:19:36.000-07:00
A (blogless) friend pointed me to a cool article on astrophysics, but most people are going to just intersted in the pretty pictures (click image).
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-921459752003-04-07T06:02:00.000-07:002003-04-07T06:21:19.000-07:00
comment or discuss
Media Consolidation is Bad!
Click here to read about why the FCC is about to make some very big decisions that every citizen should be concerned about.
I wish I had the time to educate on the subject. But the importance is clear to anyone who has taken an
introduction to communication studies
course with
Professor McAllister.
I think such courses Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-919810662003-04-04T05:52:00.000-08:002003-04-10T08:30:35.000-07:00Googlewashing - meme of all memes
Patrick Tyler described the global anti-war protests as the emergence of "the second superpower"... Anti-war campaigners, peace groups and NGOs took to describing the global popular protest as "the second superpower"... And in less than a month, the phrase was being used by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan...And a week ago, a Google search for the phrase would Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-918389422003-04-02T04:28:00.000-08:002003-04-02T04:28:44.873-08:00I usually try to avoid posting things about the war much. To many people are doing it already and I'll just be lost in the static. The war has really brought the Blogging scene into a limelight of sorts. However the use of depleted uranium (DU) shells by the "good guys" is worrying.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-918353282003-04-02T02:36:00.001-08:002003-04-02T04:32:20.000-08:00
Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time
Hosted by the Museum of Hoaxes.
I only read the top 20 or so, but I'm particularly like NPR's reporting that Ex-president Nixon was running for election again with the slogan, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again."
Cats in Hats
The Japanese are taking their cosplay actvities too far.
Yeah! I'm sure your average cat is Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-917533452003-03-31T20:04:00.000-08:002003-03-31T20:07:23.000-08:00Eyebees Swarming. I have not actually tried the software from EyeBees.com. But there is a major reason, I see absolutely no reason too. This site is interesting in the context of the relatively new concepts and thought being developed about swarming, smart mobs, and social networks. Eyebees seems like a bold first(?) attempt to harness these concepts in a visible and understandable way. The Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-917437082003-03-31T17:03:00.000-08:002003-03-31T20:02:53.000-08:00
Minako Komukai
Not sure if I got the name correct or who she is. I'm not even sure if I know what this thing is. It seems to be some sort of lifesize cutout of a Japanese idol, that you can use as a clothes hanger? I'll order and ship it to anyone who wants it, for money of course. For the right money, I'll work my best at arranging the actual girl ;-)
comment or discuss
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-915372822003-03-28T01:52:00.000-08:002003-03-31T20:08:20.000-08:00Wacky cool Internet Explorer Tricks
Did you think that a web page can open up your CD drive? There is an explaination.
Click-drag across the images on this page, as if selecting text, to see another trick. If you don't know what I mean by "click-drag", type "Ctrl+A". If you still don't get it, go away. Warning: reveals rated-R images, but nothing obscene.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-915244842003-03-27T20:19:00.001-08:002003-03-31T17:03:32.000-08:00The Hussein Game
A fellow foreigner in Japan says, "While flipping through the channels last Saturday night trying to pick up news on the war, I came across a show that was teaching kids about the conflict. It looks like the show (or segment) is called Kodomo Nyusu (Kid's News). They were using toy props and cartoons to show a trio of very glum-looking kids what was happening in Iraq. Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-914102202003-03-26T05:47:00.000-08:002003-03-26T06:12:11.000-08:00The 1984 Society.
I have recently had an idea that I think is wonderful: A new educational movement based on one simple concept, distribution of the novel 1984 by George Orwell. This is one of the few books that I have ever read that has profoundly affected me. I believe that the warnings contained in this book for our increasingly surveillance capable society are of biblical proportions. Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-911138892003-03-21T01:07:00.000-08:002003-04-02T05:19:08.000-08:00Odd "Sports"
Does something seem strange about this picture?
Click here to find out what it is.
The page is in Japanese, but the pictures tell the story.
What the hell is going on in this picture?
Click here to find out what it is.
comment or discuss
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-910015442003-03-19T09:32:00.000-08:002003-03-20T01:32:42.000-08:00AntiAmerican ExPats
Someone said in an email to a mailing list that I am on: I'm an American but it makes me sick to look at the flag. Happy to be in Japan.
My response: I'm an American also, and I'm
happy you are in Japan also. I hope you never return
as long as that is your attitude.
I am not for the war. I'm not necessarily against
it either. I would say there are good argumentsBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-909745112003-03-18T21:56:00.000-08:002003-03-18T22:06:19.000-08:00Here is a very strange English lesson. It made me laugh at the end, but maybe I've been in Japan too long.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-908556292003-03-17T06:42:00.000-08:002003-03-19T23:07:37.000-08:00USA Citizens, DEMAND that your politicians stop the increasing rate of exporting service industry jobs.
The topic is the outsourcing of IT related jobs to overseas companies that use a far cheaper labor force.
Read a lot of good comments here on Slashdot about an article on CNN. We are allowing the CEO's to sell out the workers for their own profit. I really agree with this comment and this Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-908388102003-03-16T21:24:00.000-08:002003-03-16T21:27:07.000-08:002 Games Try this block puzzle.
Or this parking puzzle. Not in English, but just click start, and move the car out as the arrow shows.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-907160112003-03-14T08:26:00.000-08:002003-03-14T09:09:33.000-08:00Blogger/BlogSpot Subdomain Error???
Something strange is going on. I submitted the following report to BlogSpot: I tried to create a new subdomain, but almost every single time I get a page at the end, just a simple white background and black text, not like the other formatted pages, saying that the subdomain is not available. However this happened many many times. I even tried "Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-907042562003-03-14T03:55:00.000-08:002003-03-14T04:36:29.000-08:00
This Ain't No Tea Ceremony
A double hit of Japanese drink related wackiness.
1. To your left is an
Amino Supli Aminonger.
The drink is actually not too bad, and neither are the
TV comercials
2. If you don't want something cold, why not try something hot, with your new
USB powerd coffee cup below.
comment or discuss
document.write("(" + Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-906467202003-03-13T06:20:00.000-08:002003-03-14T02:31:44.000-08:00
Crystals and Bars
Here are some really great pictures of snowflakes.
(found on BoingBoing)
We move from the complexity of nature to the deceptive simplicity of the artificial.
Bar Code Art may be the perfect symbol for our consumption of the artificial.
discussion or comments
document.write("(" + ct_20_USFa + ")");
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-905835342003-03-12T04:56:00.000-08:002003-03-14T09:10:31.000-08:00Slashdot Whuffie
Woo! Hoo! Slashdot has finally accepted one of my story submissions on the main page! (Notice where it says "Bakajin writes"). And it only took 16 tries :-p Now I feel guilty however that I didn't give credit to BoingBoing, where I found the link to the original story about despair in the independent game community. I did give the story the "opportunity" twist however, and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-905570482003-03-11T17:32:00.000-08:002003-03-14T09:11:55.000-08:00Mobile Status in Japan
In reference to an article found on BoingBoing, I have to say that it seems like not having a mobile phone in Japan is either a cause for sympathy or a cause for alarm. Either the person is too poor to have one or they are antisocial or mentally disturbed. Japan is famous for being a society that encourage conformity and places the highest values on being part of a group. Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-904898192003-03-10T16:59:00.000-08:002003-03-13T21:08:23.000-08:00Before doing what you think is right, first think.
Politics of the hive mind. This guy has made a video that expressed very well my opinion about the war protesters. I am not for or against the war because I am not well informed enough to have a strong opinion, and I seriously doubted that many of the protesters were either. My answer to "How much time should the inspectors be given", could beBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-904017012003-03-09T06:53:00.000-08:002003-03-09T07:02:58.000-08:00A new milestone has been reached in my blossoming blog. I have found a link to my site from the website of a stranger. There seems to be a lot of interesting people online leading incredibly cool lives, yet they seem very accessible if you had something interesting to say. Side note, just knowing the definition of digerati nearly makes you a member. However using it reference to youself too Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-902337772003-03-06T04:18:00.000-08:002003-03-06T04:18:49.856-08:00Here are two links that seem to say something about life. Paper Sky its cool just on a asthetic basis and interesting music also. In my opinion its title could be related in a someway to "Vanilla Sky", the movie, maybe. Max and Isa is perhaps less sophisticated and has a very cartoonish adult situation, but has a similar theme I think. Neither one is comforting, if you are in the mood for Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-901556682003-03-04T20:16:00.000-08:002003-03-04T20:19:16.000-08:00Watch a water balloon BOUNCE in s l o o o w w w m o t i o o o n n n.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-900364742003-03-02T22:36:00.000-08:002003-03-04T20:16:02.000-08:00The time is 03-03-03 3:33 in Japan, roughly. Never mind the date above. That is the date on Blog Spot's server. Well I just had to post something on todays date. I recieved a chain email asking to make today an international day of prayer. Of course the sender more than likely intended that to be Christian prayer. In any case, I'll post some peaceful, even if secular, links. The first is Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-898786312003-02-27T19:26:00.000-08:002003-03-14T02:32:26.000-08:00
Japander
:n.,& v.t. 1. a western star who uses his or her fame to make large sums of money in a short time by advertising products in Japan that they would probably never use. ~er (see synecure, prostitute) 2. to make an ass of oneself in Japanese media.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-897563392003-02-25T20:31:00.001-08:002003-03-14T02:32:49.000-08:00
To the left is the first inline photo that I have posted to my log. It was freaky enough to be worthwhile.
Read about it to see exactly why it is so freaky.
As long as were are exploring the grays boundaries between childhood and adulthood, I found a far less disturbing and much more fun example,
my current wallpaper which came from
a collection of advertisements by Dr. Seuss.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-896785412003-02-24T17:00:00.000-08:002003-02-26T21:43:43.000-08:00I have found too many references on the net lately about the newest crazy craze in Japan that I can no longer ignore it. First, I live in Japan, and I have never seen anything like this. IF the skirt's exisited, it would definately NOT be a rage. Even in Japan the're not that crazy. Teenage girls may be prostituting themselves for designer clothes, so the media tells us so, but they do it in Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-896435222003-02-24T06:27:00.000-08:002003-02-24T06:42:35.000-08:00I'm glad that the UK is getting serious about renable energy. It is about time and I hope they really do. It is also time, past time actually, for the USA to do the same. I have never voted, but I have 2 issues that I will go out of my way to vote for from now on. The first is campaign finance reform, and the second is combating global warming.
Not worthy of its own post, but still Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-896401282003-02-24T05:16:00.000-08:002003-02-24T05:16:22.326-08:00I recently, last year, took the official Japanese language test. Officiated by whom I don't know. In any case I passed the the level four test! If that sounds impressive, then that is becaus you don't know that level 4 test is the easiest level, and level 1 is the hardest. During this test, I'm sure one or five of the problems I missed delt with recognizing correct kanji (Chinese characters).Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-894647392003-02-20T16:31:00.000-08:002003-02-20T16:40:17.000-08:00Here is the amazingly well designed Official Homepage of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, where you can learn that "the great leader Kim Il Sung will be always with us". You can also learn amazing facts that "only a few people in the world know", such as the USA is the only thing keeping North and South Korea divided. The fact that North Korea is a communist dictatorship has nothing Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-893966422003-02-19T15:56:00.000-08:002003-02-19T16:02:14.000-08:00Do you like the comic strips from most newspapers in the USA? I found a classic Dilbert that seems especially appropriate for some of my ex-colleaguesBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-893488672003-02-18T19:35:00.000-08:002003-02-18T19:36:58.000-08:00At this date and time, I am coining, tradmarking, and patenting the word, term, expression, phrase, sentence, and paragraph, "qooler", optionally spelled "cooler" or "kooler". The meaning of this term is a combination of the slang terms "cool" and "killer". An example sentence would be "Hey man, that website is pretty qooler".Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-893402282003-02-18T17:06:00.000-08:002003-02-18T17:06:08.453-08:00CNN did a story about this website. It would allow me to rate my Viginia Tech Professors, if I felt justified doing that 4 years after graduating. I realized today that if I had a child born right now, I would be my dads age now when my child graduated. And yet I still don't plan on having a kid for another few years. This thought made me realize however that I should be careful that I am not Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-892873272003-02-17T21:28:00.000-08:002003-02-17T21:28:32.113-08:00A friend and fellow web-surfer sent me a link to the United States Patent and Trademark Office's copy of a patent for a Hydro-therapeutic stimulator. Make sure you lick on the "Images" link at the top.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-890343062003-02-13T07:01:00.000-08:002003-02-17T21:39:04.000-08:00I discovered a freakin gold mine of free movies! This is great. They are all old, which makes them so cool. A library of old educational videos online. I'm dowloading plenty of them. I suggest always getting the DivX whenever available. In addition, here is a video made by a coworker of himself and my friend driving the hell out of the "company car". You will need the latest Quicktime Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-889676342003-02-12T03:52:00.000-08:002003-02-12T03:52:40.196-08:00I really like modern ruins and some day really want to visit Gunkajima Island, Japan. On a completely unrelated note I found a a good web Rubik cube linked from this site.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-888276942003-02-09T18:58:00.000-08:002003-02-09T19:03:37.000-08:00I saw a report on Japanese television last night about this dog washing machine. It occurred to me that if they dogs could name it, they might call it "Box-O-Hell". It was quite funny to watch these dogs get shoved into a box and sprayed down and then blow-dried and they at first panicked and then finally pressed themselves against the glass to try and escape. As they were let out, the look onBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-886336132003-02-05T21:50:00.000-08:002003-02-05T21:50:57.590-08:00Ever wonder why we hiccup?Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-885847132003-02-05T03:40:00.000-08:002003-02-09T18:49:05.000-08:00Join the EFF. Help regulate against the large multinational corporations taking over the public domain and destroying fair use. Help fight software patents and take action on many other issues that can dramatically affect our future in an ever more wired world. Here is a funny Comedy Central skit about the police state (movie: funny political satire) that the EFF is trying to prevent.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-883102922003-01-30T21:12:00.000-08:002003-02-09T19:08:02.000-08:00Here are a whole bunch of cool eye candy. First is this super cool flash by a Japanese guy. I can't read what it says either, but you don't need to. Next are two anti-smoking adds that I really like. For some reason I have a strong connection between guns and cigarettes in my mind. You might guess that I don't smoke. Another polical cartoon I like deals with the same theme as my previous Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-878278582003-01-21T22:40:00.000-08:002003-01-21T22:41:02.000-08:00Some interesting stats to go along with a conversation at work. According to the CIA Factbook, these are the populations of a few countries of interest (to the people in my office).
China: 1,284,303,705 growth 0.87%
India: 1,045,845,226 growth 1.51%
USA: 280,562,489 growth 0.89%
OZ: 19,546,792 growth 0.96%
NZ: 3,908,037 growth 1.12%
Indonesia: Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-877582752003-01-20T17:55:00.000-08:002003-01-21T22:41:36.000-08:00This is a story I recently submitted to Slashdot (and was rejected): The Museum Tour is reporting that they have recieved a patent infringement notice from SBC Intellectual Property based on this patent. "The letter suggests that any website which has static, linked information which are displayed while other sections of the page are displayed as non-static infringes upon the patents they Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-875842452003-01-17T03:05:00.000-08:002003-01-17T03:05:05.283-08:00On a lighter note, here is a really fun and creative card/game/art thing. I'm not sure what it is, but I like it. I have been reading the final book of the HHGG (Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy) series and it really reminds me that sort of fanciful wonderings.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-875841042003-01-17T02:58:00.000-08:002003-01-17T21:30:36.000-08:00I had an idea recently that I really like. Maybe it is not new. I realized there are stock funds out there that refuse to purchase stock of companies that aren't "morally good". However, I think most major corporations make at least some morally questionable decisions. Someone is still going to own the stock of these companies, so why not encourage morally responsible people to own them, and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-872080682003-01-09T23:27:00.000-08:002003-01-17T03:01:44.000-08:00"I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who have ever lived -- an entire generation pumping gas and waiting tables; or they're slaves with white collars. Advertisements have them chasing cars and clothes, working jobs they hate so they can buy shit they don't need. We are the middle children of history, with no purpose or place. We have no great war, or great depression. The great warBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-872032672003-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:002003-01-20T18:01:26.000-08:00I really feel like this guy sometimes... well except for the hand smelling... usually do that during the day, not at night. He pointed me to this page of blinding backgrounds. It really does hurt.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-871163192003-01-08T07:56:00.000-08:002003-01-08T07:56:31.493-08:00Another example of good geek fun is this project, in which a guy turned an old manual typewriter into a keyboard for his computer.
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-871161952003-01-08T07:54:00.000-08:002003-01-08T07:54:12.000-08:00This webcam shows a corner I have walked past many many times. It shows the very center almost of the Kyoto nightlife and shopping district. A walk up this street takes you to the world famous Gion district.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-857096142002-12-08T20:12:00.000-08:002002-12-08T20:14:25.000-08:00There are some great photos in this collection of classic Consumer Reports. Some of them are really cool, like the Agent Zero M Sonic Blaster, 1966, the car record player, 1961, and the portable electric hair dryer, 1961Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-857007702002-12-08T16:56:00.000-08:002002-12-08T17:02:56.000-08:00Here are some great pictures of the Earth as art taken from satellites. Any fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will really appreciate Iceland's Fjord. With the book's large fan base, I don't think its a coincidence that the picture is the first one in the Europe group.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398299.post-855367212002-12-05T06:03:00.000-08:002002-12-05T06:03:36.090-08:00I posted some pictures of Hong Kong and Macau from my recent trip.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448230528547660540noreply@blogger.com