Honyaku Gets A Face Lift

I have been using Yahoo's translator for a few years and like any translator it is still more of a guide but definitely a useful tool. Typically a major change like this is more of a frustration, but they got this one right. Automatically detecting the input language is plus. The green is a nice change too. Check it out: http://honyaku.yahoo.co.jp/

A Journey Into the World of Class A

What is hot, extremely inefficient, but sounds really nice? A Class A amplifier.

A lot of times associated with tube amplifiers, a class A amp can be just as effective using transistors. Listening to the Leo Laporte podcast at Twit.tv, lead me to the Home Theater Geeks podcast found on the same site, which in turn, I found myself listening to a podcast featuring Nelson Pass form Pass Labs. Get inspired by the podcast with Nelson Pass HERE!

The above rendering is my concept for the enclosure of my class A amplifier project. If you ever dabbled in, or want to jump into the world of electronics, building a class A amplifier might be the perfect project to get you started. You can find all the info you need to get going at, Pass Labs, Pass DIY, and First Watt. All the help you need can be found at diyAudio. Due to the lower wattages a modest class A will output, you may want to research speakers that are more efficient thatn the typical offering such as the Jordan JX92S at Jordan-USA. Alternately, these can make very nice headphone amplifiers.

Designs can be as simple as some spare parts and light bulbs such as below, or as complex as you like to squeeze out every last drop of distortion as possible and maximize efficiency. So round up some parts and have fun!

This image is from the De-Lite Amplifier PDF by Nelson Pass, taken by Dana Brock.

Get Lamp - The Text Adventure Documentary

If you don't have any fond memories of those classic text games, you missed out. I was lurking the internet for information regarding the implementors (infocom/text adventure designers) of times past. To my pleasant surprise, I found out about an upcoming documentary on the storytellers and history of the genre. 

Thanks to Jason Scott, the world will soon get a glimpse of a now seemingly small but very important slice of the gaming industry with his newest documentary "Get Lamp". In an email from Jason, he expressed huge progress and an update to his blog this month. For status on the project, to offer support, or if you have anything to contribute, you can contact Jason at jason@textfiles.com

Jason Scott is also the director of "BBS: The Documentary" which can be found at bbsdocumentary.com.

Steve Meretzky Does Nerdcore

Due to the  advent of "Get Lamp", I came across a music video with Steve Meretzky in it. Steve Meretzky is responsible for a few infocom games text in the 80's including, Planetfall, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Zork Zero. You can see his site at Boffo.

Jason Scott's documentary seems to have breifly given new life to the interest of this whole genre, albeit a small following still. I've never even heard about Nerdcore until I saw this MC Frontalot video, in which Steve Meretzky makes an appearance towards the end. Regardless of your preference in music, I thought this was an interesting event in the history of this subject.

Goovie! 岐阜 × 動画

One of my favorite places in Japan is Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県). So, I was pleased to stumble across a website called Goovie (sounds like a combination of Gifu and movie). Primarily it is movies of things going on in Gifu. For someone like me this is the perfect way to see some of the things I miss.

Go over to Goovie.jp and check it out , they only have a handful of movies up right now, but please support them and subscribe to their Twitter and Youtube.

JAPADOG!

If you are in Vancouver and your hot dog tastes like sushi, you are in the right place.

I found out about Japadog on The Weather Channel of all places. Located in Vancouver, and with the advent of the Olympics, this is sure to catch on worldwide. From what I saw, there was a 20 minute wait in line at the hot dog stand. More info and history at the Japadog website.

Cream puffs from Osaka - ビアード パパ

These sounded to good not to post about them. In 1999 Yuji Hirota opened the Beard Papa store in Osaka selling the perfect cream puff.. 11 years later I am just finding out about this. I doubt I will know for sure how perfect they are anytime soon, as most of the locations that sell these in the U.S., are in California, Florida, and Hawaii. For now I will just have to drool on the website. Check out the Beard papa websites in ENGLISH and 日本語.

Merry (nano) Christmas?

Photo: National Physical Laboratory

The UK's NPL (National Physical Laboratory), is celebrating the holidays this season, with the creation of a nano snowman. Constructed of two tin beads, facial features milled with a focused ion beam, and a nose made of ion beam deposited platinum. It is 1/5th the width of a human hair. See how they do it HERE.

Is it just me? I thought snowmen had three sections.

Shanadoo - Launch Party!!!

2 years after the release of The Symbol, Shanadoo releases another album, Launch Party!!!. The latest compilation seems to stray from the heavier Techno/Eurobeat of the previous releases. They have also slowly transitioned from being German produced to Japanese. Don't forget to check out their first album Welcome to Tokyo.

Off the new CD:  Love Space Ship | World's End Supernova | Next Life

Steampunk Keyboards

Saw a G4 episode on Steampunk last night. One of the cooler things I think is the Steampunk keyboard. So, I though I would collect a few pictures and post them here. If you want to make your own Steampunk keyboard, amongst other Steampunk creations, check out The Steampunk Workshop.

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Iwako Erasers

Iwako erasers seem to have become popular in our area. I just saw these the other day on Amazon, a few days later my wife found and bought some at a local toy store. The detail is quite amazing. Some come with stickers you have to put on yourself for more realism. I'm not sure how practical they are a erasers, as I have not tested them yet, though I am thinking they are not meant to be used for erasing anything. The Japanese website is HERE. The English is HERE.

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Redneck or Practical?

When I showed this to my wife the first word she said was redneck. All I know is, we get tired of emptying the stock shredder bin every other day. Sure I had to bypass a safety feature, but as long as you are careful, you can shred till the thing overheats. Best of all it goes right in a trash bag.

Google launches a Japanese IME converter.

Google has launched a Japanese typing converter (IME) for the language bar. Once installed it sits right along side the built in converter from Microsoft, giving you the choice to revert back if you want to. One thing I wish it did, that The Microsoft IME doesn't do either, is let me select Hiragana as my default input for every application. Why it defaults to "direct input" all the time, I do not know. If someone could tell me how to choose an input method, other than "direct input" as my default, please help. Get it HERE.

Google 日本語入力は、変換の煩わしさを感じさせない思いどおりの日本語入力を提供します。

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Learning with J-Drama's

After a short break from J-Dramas and studying Japanese, I am back in the habit again. As always Japanese TV, for me at least, is a great way to retain vocabulary and keep up do date on slang.

Started Fugoh Keiji last week, and have some others waiting to watch. Fugoh Keiji is a funny concept. A super wealthy grandfather tries to make right is sordid past by allowing his police detective granddaughter to try and spend all his money solving cases.

Japan's rice fields in September

Again, my friend 花火 in Japan has been kind enough to send me an update of the rice fields. I am posting this just now, but this was taken at the end of September. Thank you 花火!

Selected for Google Earth!

I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of my pictures made it into the latest update of Google Earth.

The GP-1 GPS unit for my Nikon D90 was well worth the investment. It is especially handy when you have no idea where you were at the time you took a picture. It is fun to go back and see where you were exactly on the map. When planning my trip to Japan I relied on the Panoramio photos on Google Earth to get feel for different areas I would visit. Since I got back I have been geotagging points of interest around the area I live in for others to explore.

McDonalds Japan's Mr. James TV Commercial

This commercial pokes fun at gaijin in Japan. I don't find it offensive at all really, what do you think? More info on Mr. James and the Nippon All Stars HERE.

Total solar eclipse in Japan on the 22nd of July

日本ではまもなく、皆既日食がみられます。

今、１００年に一度の皆既日食！ということでみんなルンルンです。

しかし、ウィークデイ。

みきとしては仕事の真っただ中。。

しかも高層ビル。。

一応は高いところでみられるけど。。

記事の一部↓↓
’’2009年7月22日には日食が起こります。日本では、全国で部分日食を観察することができます。また奄美大島北部、トカラ列島、屋久島、種子島南部など、皆既日食帯と呼ばれる細長くのびた地域・海域内では、皆既日食を観察することができます。’’

The news article.

’’Totality in a solar eclipse, partial eclipse of the sun"!

On July 22nd, a partial eclipse of the sun will occur in various regions in Japan. Also a total solar eclipse will be seen in Amami Oshima north , Tokara, Yakushima island each , Those areas will be considered a "total solar eclipse area".

In Japan, many TV companies will begin a live broadcast of the century event in that day. Now in Japan , I think many foreingner and tourist will visit to see this centry event on each island. Anyway, please don't miss it out! ;)

Miki.

Asus Eee Keyboard spotted in Neuromancer artwork!

The Eee Keyboard by Asus has an uncanny resemblance to the one seen below. The artwork is by Barclay Shaw for the 1986 Phantasia Press edition of the 1984 novel by William Gibson. Looks a little bulkier than the Asus model, but has the same LCD display on the right. Could this have been the inspiration for Asus's new keyboard PC?

The rice fields are growing up.

One of my friends in Japan just emailed me this picture this morning. How thankful I was to recieve this. It brought back so many memories. Of course when I was there the fields were full of water with people everywhere planting little rice plants by hand or with little tractors. During my stay I must have passed tens of thousands of these little fields all carefully placed and planned out. I still don't quite understand how the tractors they use to plant the rice don't sink into the flooded rice fields, but they don't.

I wish I were there to walk through the fields in person, but pictures will have to do. Thank you 花火, for bringing back memories of the Japanese countryside and my journey through Japan.