I hope you can all read the hoody, if not it says, “Fuck me I’m Jap!!” What I am not clear on is the meaning. Is it a proposition or is he really upset over the fact that he is Japanese? What do you think? Also the two exclamation marks really help to emphsize the gravity of the statement.
4 comments March 27th, 2006
Picture from here. He has some other cool prints and his own graphic design studio too.
So what does dancing like a robot (wait for the guy in the orange shirt he is phenomenal) have to do with the future of technology? Well recently Sony of Japan has shown us what dancing like a robot actually looks like. The tech demo is pretty awsome and along with some other nifty robotic stuff that has been that has also come out recenly it makes me wonder what the future has in store for us. Maybe five, ten years down the line I could see one of those Qrios dancing around my apartment maybe even giving me some dancing lessons. Trust me I could use them. Or maybe I would be more like this.
Pic from here
Ok so maybe not that advanced. At least not in ten years but no matter how you look at it robotic technology is becoming more accessible as well as more implemented everyday. Yet while grim visions of the future, like the ones seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion (above picture) and the Matrix, seem a little or a lot far fetched there are those that seem much more based in reality. Could this be a glimpse into the way of tomorrow? Definitely there is a possibilty of that. But where would something like that lead. The Universe created within the Matrix again presents one harsh version with the animated short the the Second Renaissance Part 1 from the Animartix (which can be view for free on that site). It incorporates famous historical imagery taken from slavery and war to create a future reality that seems all too possible. Does history repeat itself? What does the future of robotics have in store for us? Wish I had the answers. While science fiction becomes science fact I just hope that the realities that have been previously depicted do not become truths.
Add comment March 26th, 2006
I’m back from Okinawa and it was great but it is late and I need to sleep so here is a picture to hold you over until I post more tomorrow. Take care everyone.
ただいま。今日、京都に帰ってきた。沖縄に行ったよ。超楽しかった。明日、願いポストを書くつもり。疲れたし、今遅いし。 オヤスミ。
1 comment March 6th, 2006
Here it is, my first entry in a series I will call…uh…portopics…no that sucks. How about cellphotos? No, just getting worse. Well I’ll just explain the concept and do the artistic thing and call it (untitled) like all the cool artists.
In Japan everyone and their mothers have cellphones but something like 99.99% of them have camera funtions and Japanese people use them all the time. So I thought when in Rome…Enjoy
(Untitled) #1
By the way my phone was the crappy free model so the quality sucks but its all part of the artistic style. Yeah thats it, it was a style choice.
3 comments February 28th, 2006
This is something I have been meaing to tell everyone about for a while because I enjoy this article so much that I felt the world should know. Natalie Stanchfield of the Friends World EAC wrote an excellent paper last year about graffiti in Japan. The paper has been published here on graffiti.org for everyone to see. The wonderful thing about her paper is that you do not need to be interested in graffiti to come away with something from her essay. She uses the street art and the hip-hop scene as a vehicle to discuss some common concepts in Japanese culture. I went in expecting a good essay because I had read bits and pieces but I did not expect to walk away amazed. Also right now her work is being translated into Japanese and she recently was sought out for an interview to further discuss the topic. Further more a podcast featuring the brilliant Ms.Stanchfield can be heard here on the lovely Amye Frye’s blog. Congratulations Natalie and here’s to many more.
1 comment February 28th, 2006
Ok so it has been a while since I have written anything on this blog of mine. This is partially due to the fact that there is very little I feel I have to say right now. But on the other hand how can I expect to get any hits and improve on my non-existent reader base.
So what I am going to attempt has probably been attempted by thousands of people already. That would be to post at least once a day about something, anything, but here is the catch I want it to be at least somewhat inspired. And more then one post a day does not exempt me from another day.
However I am going to say this now to get it out of the way and it may sound like I am slacking already. I am leaving for Okinawa on Thursday morning and I do not plan to take my computer with me. However I am going to take something else with me and, if I have even a little luck, all you out there that don’t read this will be in for a surprise. But I am exempting myself from my rules until Monday when I come back. So after that is when the real test begins. Good luck to me and anyone else that attempts this incredible feat in the future.
So to help me in my daring and courageous test of self I have set up some themes for posts and I will try to hit each one at least once a week. I also believe that consistency of content will help me improve that which is in need of improvement (this blog). Each will also be explained in the first post of each theme. The excitement just keeps building.
Themes:
Japanese Language Tips
My Keitai Photos
One post on each of my two main topics: Video Games and Homelessness (’cause those go hand in hand)
Something Cool and/or Crazy on the Internet
Something Cool and/or Crazy in Japan
Personal Reflection (you don’t have to read these)
If I post on one of these each day of the week then I should be set. So does this count as my reflection post. Let’s hope so. Also laziness is really the other reason that I have been so…well…lazy about posting. Today I am going to post on something I have meaning to write about for a long time (I think it will qualify as “something cool in Japan or maybe on the internet”). But I also do not want to let these themes limit me in anyway I am just using them as a springboard and a foundation for my blogging. Wish me luck.
2 comments February 28th, 2006
These have to be some of the best valentines cards ever created!
Thank you Something Awful!
かっこいいバレンタインデーのカードだねぇ！Something Awfulというページありがとう！
2 comments February 11th, 2006
I have been studying Japanese and by living in Japan for about a year and a half. Through my experiences I have had the chance to learn some things about the language that are culturally relevent. And now I want to use this space to share some of what I have learned. So here goes:
Hit the Jump below yo!
Continue Reading 3 comments February 8th, 2006
With the release of the Xbox 360 the next generation of video gaming did, in so many words, start last year. Since then many have become skeptical of supposed “next-gen” technology as many games that were released on cross platform look and play equally as good on both current and next generation units.
The video game industry has been able to grow into a multibillion-dollar industry that now rivals that of movie production. They did this through creating a formula for software that worked and then, in the same way mad-libs work, change minor aspects of the whole to continue to create new and “innovative” games. With the next generation here and the lack of interesting and obviously more advanced software both gamers and the gaming press (some of them at least) grow more suspicious everyday.
More after the jump.
Continue Reading 3 comments February 6th, 2006
This past Thursday I finally got my first chance to go back to the Children’s Center in Nishinari since I got back to Japan on January 13th. It was great to visit again I was welcomed with open arms and got to play a few rousing games of dodge ball. Apart from that I went with a purpose in mind as well. Within Nishinari there are a few food kitchens that attempt to provide food to the thousands of homeless in and around the area and there is never enough food to go around.
Fortunately, last year my school started working with a food collection organization called Family International. Generally this Non-profit organization collects unused food goods from companies but also hosts food drives in the Kansai area to spread awareness. Through the connections I have gained in the past year volunteering in Nishinari and my new friends at Family International I would like to try and get more food in the area. I’ll keep you posted.
Add comment February 6th, 2006
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