Tagged: japan

Cogoo – Turntable Rider

Cogoo, are a Japanese bike lending/hiring/giving company… Well I don’t know, I heard they did clever things with bikes and technology, slightly similar to London’s Barclays Bikes… But then I saw something that no floppy haired moyoron could ever accomplish:

Turntable Rider

You can discover more here.

Or watch the ‘making of’ here (i.e. below).

Hey There Doll Face

DO YOU LIKE YOUR FACE?

DO YOU LIKE DOLLS?

WELL HOW ABOUT HAVING YOUR FACE ON A DOLL?

Well that’s the latest crazy offering from those awesome über geeks in Japan. Some surround phtography of your head, some clever programming and a 3D printer and voila… Action me!

(P.S. That is not me)

You can find out more about it here.

via @GavRov

Instant Modern Retro Future Classic: #modernretrofutureclassic

First thing this morning I was introduced to the most impressive bit of tidying tech since the ‘3 second shirt fold‘, I know that’s not technology, but it was impressive so leave it.  This was the magical mystical cleaner-upper that had me so gobsmacked.  I just like the way it picks the smallest smears of grease up and is able to place them back on the surface as if untouched… excellent.

But that piece of pish was blown out of the water by this instantly cool implementation of technology.  It’s cool because it’s music based, which is as simple as getting a Grammy for playing retard (but not full retard), and it’s the most useful bit of digital since the compact disc, because it is (just a little more compact).

Anyway this is ultimately awesome, an instant modern retro future classic:

 

The good the bad and Tsunami

The ongoing tragedy that started last week in Japan is one of the most terrible stories I have ever had the misfortune to experience (not first hand of course), and I would certainly not want to make light of it in any way but… It has thrown up a few interesting things, here we will look at both a positive and negative example:

THE GOOD

This eBay listing has created one of the greatest feel good stories since the tragedy struck.  What began as a simple selling of a wet suit ended in an entire narrative packed with comedy, kindness and bears.  Yes, bears:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/XCEL-3-2mm-Infiniti-Drylock-Summer-Wetsuit-Medium-USED-/160559216667

THE BAD

Lesson 25: Don’t advertise a surf holiday after a tsunami.

My heart goes out to all those involved both directly and indirectly.  Oh yeah, and D. H. Morgan (Good work).

Samurai Shadow Fighting

Amazing choreography as well as perfect timing and excellent audio make this an astonishing joy to watch from start to finish.

I hail this piece… a flawless victory:

2011年1月2日（日）～1月5日（水）に天王洲銀河劇場にて行われた早乙女太一 [吉例]新春特別講演『龍と牡丹』内「剣舞／影絵」。
映像効果を駆使し、早乙女太一が自分自身の影絵と繰り広げられる殺陣。形を変 え 次々と襲いかかる影絵との舞台は、一糸乱れぬ緻密な映像演出と早乙女太一 の才能の上に成り立っています。

（c）SJK
企画・映像：チームラボ

Taichi Saotome, Special New Year Performance of Dragon and Peony, Sword
Dance and Shadowgraph
2nd to the 5th of January 2011 at the Galaxy Theater Tokyo

(c)SJK

Video Production by TEAMLAB


Unfortunately, beyond TEAMLAB I barely understand a word of the credits.  So if you anyone can translate all/any of that, well good for you.

Thanks DNS for pointing this one out.

Jurassic Spark

Well actually we’re beginning at the Quartenary period, but a) nobody will know that and b) it doesn’t fit nicely into a JP gag.

Anyway, this post is about bringing dinosaurs back from the dead.  Scientists in Japan are starting a programme this year that could bring about the return of the Dinosaur.  Almost exactly the same as planned in the Jurassic Park movies, (except their fertilising elephant wombs and not test tubes) these genius Japs plan to bring a Wooly Mammoth thundering back onto the planet in around 5 years.

Read more here

So to celebrate this Mammoth development, I thought I’d post the Jurassic Park theme tune slowed down 1000 times.  It’s amazing how you can still recognise what part of the song you are at even though the entire piece sounds like a mash-up of Michael Jackson’s ‘One Day in Your Life’:

Follow this link to the slow Jurassic Park remix.

Happy Blue Monday

So today is supposed to b the most depressing day in our calendar.  Due to overly audacious Christmas’s have left us with little in pocket and a lot in the stomach.  So to help cheer you all up here is a list of videos.  Some old, some new, but all very funny!

Mini Monster Jump:

WTF Japan style:

Genius Soap Dispenser:

Kottke.org soap dispenser

The Many Faces of Louis Walsh:

And last but certainly not least…

Ricky Gervais and his comedy Gold(en Globe):

I hope that has helped cheer you up this dreary Monday.