Fun / foon Tokyo

Thursday, October 21, 2004

'Wearable computers' in Tokyo: I want my brainstem implant!
Topic: Japanese Tech

New Wearable Computers
Reuters Television: Business Oct. 20 - The latest in digital consumer technology went on show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Many of the gadgets on display looked like they belonged in a science fiction thriller.What caught the eye were the range of 'wearable computers'.
Such as the "Synchro Reality" technology developed by camera-maker Olympus. The device enables the wearer of its headpiece to receive real-time information which can be interpreted into pictures....

Posted by trek/taro at 11:08 AM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (46) | Permalink | Share This Post

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Health Support Restroom(tm) the "Raw footage" from Japan!
Topic: Japanese Tech

Via Reuters TV, Aug 30 (requiring Windows Media Player or Real Player)
Japan's Hottest Inventions--"Future Creation Fair"
The future was on display on Friday (August 27) in Tokyo as hundreds of the latest high-tech inventions exhibted ..... celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation, many were inspired. ...

Posted by trek/taro at 1:36 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Whoa! $12M for an RSS bunch of crappy blogs?!
Topic: Japanese Tech
My friend, Gen Kanai, is saying on his weblog [August 24, 2004] that $12 million in venture capital is being dumping into often-offline-&-buggy, RSS blog search engine, Technorati.

Posted by trek/taro at 3:12 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (4) | Permalink | Share This Post

Tripod beer photography
Topic: Japanese Tech
Now here's the right way to take pix...

Via JeanSnow

Posted by trek/taro at 1:11 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post

Monday, July 19, 2004

Dr. NakaMats' silly claim of "inventing" the floppy disk
Topic: Japanese Tech

Dr. Nakamatsu aka NakaMats makes many bold claims to fame but he prefers to be known as the inventor of the floppy disk and the CD.
What he invented was a phonograph record of fine wood could be read poorly by light sensors. IBM owns the patent for the floppy disk after it had to agree to a number of computer-related patents that Nakamatsu wildly claimed in the 1970s.
Many people have really get suckered on that floppy disk claim just like Nakamatsu?s assertion that he "invented" the fuel cell. Sheesh.
Dr. NakaMats filed a floppy disk patent claim in JAPAN only because IBM Japan farked up and forgot. Both IBM and Dictaphone companies had floppy-like disks years before the good Dr. As part of the patent settlement, IBM had to pay off old NakaMats just token ammount of yen and agree to never publically contradict Dr Fraud's claim (since Dr. NakaMats' ONLY real money maker is selling fraudulant "creativity" self-help kits).

Via ABC News' "The Wolf Files"With the floppy now standing as one of the century?s great contributions, IBM claims its scientists invented the disk in the late 1960s using in-house technology.
Inventor Soaks His Head
Big Blue admitted in the past that it has licensing agreements with the doctor but downplayed his contributions. Now, spokeswoman Laura Croker says the company line is ?No comment? on Dr. NakaMats?s claim.
?I signed a non-disclosure agreement,? says NakaMats. ?I can?t talk about it. But I invented it.?

Posted by trek/taro at 6:01 AM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (23) | Permalink | Share This Post

Friday, July 16, 2004

Hmm, I swear my ikebana said something to me at lunch.
Topic: Japanese Tech
Turn up the Flowers! Let's Party !

Listen to the flowers
... A Japanese woman listens to music through a bouquet of gerberas during a demonstration of the "flower speaker". The flower speaker uses a coil in the base of a flower vase to send musical vibrations through the water and have them emanate from the flower petals and leaves. Photo: Reuters

Posted by trek/taro at 4:44 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (7) | Permalink | Share This Post

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Ubiquitous RFID wristwatch for Japanese Borg
Topic: Japanese Tech

RFID Reader Wristwatch
Via Wristdreams.com July 14, 2004
Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory led by Professor Ken Sakamura of the University of Tokyo unveiled the "UC-Watch," a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader embedded in a wristwatch.
The UC-Watch features a function to read data based on "ucode," an RFID code system that the Ubiquitous ID Center developed. Users can pick up objects that contain a RFID chip to read the info, which is then displayed on the 120 x 160pixel screen on the RFID wristwatch.
More details on the Nikkei

Posted by trek/taro at 3:18 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (4) | Permalink | Share This Post

Monday, July 12, 2004

"Hello Kitty Robo(tm)"
Topic: Japanese Tech

AFP 12 Jul 2004 12:00 AM
TOKYO, JAPAN: Japan's computer giant NEC and robotic venture Business Design Laboratory unveils in Tokyo, 12 July 2004 the prototype model of communication robot "Hello Kitty Robo", which is able to recognize human voices, faces, and to speak thousands of phrases. The 52cm, 6kg robot will go on sale from 01 November...

Posted by trek/taro at 4:37 PM KDT
Updated: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 1:51 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Big Mother is Watching You
Topic: Japanese Tech

Japan Firm's Chip Tells Mom if Kids Out of School
Tue Jul 6, 8:58 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - Forget the notebook and the multicolored pen, a Japanese firm has developed the latest in school supplies -- chip-embedded student ID cards.... make it easier for parents to keep tabs on their youngsters, said Toru Hasegawa, a spokesman for software firm NAJ Corp, based in western Japan.... Students scan ID cards on passing through the school entrance and the time is recorded and sent via email to their parents' mobile phones or computers, he said. Parents are also alerted if their child fails to arrive at school... when school is over, so parents know when to expect their children to arrive home.
Despite safety worries, many education-obsessed parents send small children to late-night cram schools. It is not unusual for primary or junior high school students to be returning home at 10 p.m.

Posted by trek/taro at 1:56 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Monday, July 5, 2004

Sony screws up, AGAIN! The electronic book reader from hell, the Sony Librie
Mood:

don't ask
Topic: Japanese Tech

Sony's new Librie electronic book reader

REVIEW: Sony E-Book a Revolution for Eyes apnews.excite.com
COMMMENT
Would it hurt Sony so much to have put WiFi in it?
They can disable the cut-&-paste function to protect their damn holy DRM....but... Oh Buddha, the E-Book has got the screen and the keyboard so why not make it a huge value to traveling biz people by giving the Librie electronic book reader the functionality of email and/or web browsing via WiFi? Sheesh.
But wait... you can't copy and paste passages to another computer or device. And copy protection built into the software garbles your books into useless data after two months.

Posted by trek/taro at 5:34 PM KDT
Updated: Thursday, July 15, 2004 11:50 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (6) | Permalink | Share This Post

Get text messages on your mobile via the dead Lucie Blackman
Topic: Japanese Tech

Tragedy inspires text service
ic NorthWales, UK - 5 July
The father of British hostess Lucie Blackman, who was murdered in Japan more than three years years ago, has launched a personal safety service based on mobile phones. ....Tim Blackman came up with the idea for Safetytext while searching for his daughter, who disappeared in 2000. Her dismembered remains were found seven months later.
The new service allows customers to leave a delayed message explaining where they are going and with whom.
Users decide how long to delay the message, from 30 minutes to 24 hours. If they do not return within the stated time and cancel the message, it is sent by text to a chosen friend or relative.

Posted by trek/taro at 3:23 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Friday, July 2, 2004

Topic: Japanese Tech
Q: What's the Japanese word for videoblog?
A:ビデオブログ (Videoblog)

Momentshowing ask: " I expected to find all these Japanese sites with videoblogs. Why?"

Sheesh. They're Japanese: 100 years in the hardware future and 100 years behind in software.

My standard Japanese company joke:
Q: "What do you call a salaryman with an opinion?"
A: "Unemployed."
Blogging is not as big in Japan because having an opinion is gauche.

オーディオブログ（Audioblog）、写真ブログ（Fotolog）、法律ブログ（Blawg）、ダイジェストブログ（Digest blog）Warblog、マット・ウェルチ発明）、日記ブログ（Journal blogとDiary blog）、知識ブログ（Knowledge Log、Klog、K-Blog）、ニュースブログ（News blogs）、専門家ブログ（Pundit blog）、技術ブログ（Tech blog）、グループブログ（Group blog）、移動ブログ（Moblog）、などが挙げられる。

"blogs are the equivalent of public urination on the web"

---ultragaijin

Posted by trek/taro at 12:40 PM KDT
Updated: Friday, July 2, 2004 1:12 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Suntory's blue Four Roses--Is blue beer next?
Topic: Japanese Tech
For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.

Roses are red, and now come in blue
July 1, 2004 - The Japan Times
Distiller and beverage manufacturer Suntory Ltd. said Wednesday it has developed the world's first blue roses with Australian firm Florigene Ltd. Suntory officials said researchers extracted the gene that produces blue pigment in pansies and activated it inside the roses....

Posted by trek/taro at 12:12 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink | Share This Post

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

iSight upgrade!
Topic: Japanese Tech

Apple Computer has announced a new version of OS X (v. 10.4) called "Tiger" today at the WWDC Apple Developer's Conference. This will have over 200 new features. The coolest of which is video conferencing with iChat AV. You can now have up to 30 streams of audio and 4 streams of video. iChat AV is now powered by the h.264 codec. Now you too can give NTT the middle finger when you "phone home".
h.264 codec - AKA MPEG 4 v.10 is a scalable video technology that produces higher quality and lower data rates for use in anything from 3GPP to HD.

Posted by trek/taro at 10:05 AM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Thursday, May 27, 2004

Japanese Gutter Bondage big in the US
Topic: Japanese Tech
rain chain for gutters

Japanese Rain Chains Emerging as New Design Trend
05/26/2004 OutdoorDecor.com --- JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- May 26, 2004 -- Over the past several years the "kusari doi" or rain chain, has been taking the outdoor garden and patio market by storm....quickly becoming a garden staple in homes all over the United States.
The rain chain first originated in Japan hundreds of years ago and was developed primarily out of need. These beautiful ornaments serve a more practical use very similar to our common downspout. The rain chain was created as a style of downspout to guide rainwater into large pots for garden and household purposes.

Posted by trek/taro at 3:31 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink | Share This Post

Newer | Latest | Older

Gen Kanai wrote:

Technorati = $12M?!
Whoa!

Draper Fisher Jurvetson does a $6.5M Series A of Technorati at a $12M valuation.

Now.... it's a waiting game for Bloglines and Feedster.

Technorati gets fed VC dollars

Posted by trek/taro at 3:14 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink | Share This Post

Monday, August 23, 2004

Topic: Japanese Tech
Habitat Perspectives "talks about that process in the form of a visual representation as users gradually turn strange spaces into neighborhood..."

'Habitat Perspectives' is a Keitai-cam experiment were people send in images tagged with GPS space/time info. As people send in more and more pix from their cell phones, a social/mental map Tokyo gradually emerges of the keitai users' personal "opportunity space."

Posted by trek/taro at 7:16 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink | Share This Post

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Epson Japan's micro-robocopter, autonomous with Bluetooth, w00t!
Topic: Japanese Tech
Honey, I shrunk the robo-copter

Epson Announces Advanced Model of Micro-Flying Robot
Epson's microFR-II
Aug 18, 2004 / Tokyo (JCNN)- Seiko Epson (TSE: 6724) has announced the successful development of a lighter and more advanced successor to the FR, the world's smallest and lightest micro-flying robot.
Utilizing advanced micromechatronics technology, Epson has redefined the state of the art with its FR-II micro-flying robot, which also features Bluetooth wireless control and independent flight.
The FR-II will be on display at the Emerging Technology Fair, part of the Future Creation Fair that runs from August 27 to 30 at the Tokyo International Forum.
モ?ベッタ... more...

Posted by trek/taro at 12:33 PM KDT
Updated: Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:43 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Rock 'em Sock'em Robots 2004
Topic: Japanese Tech

Kickboxing match for walking robots
Weds. Aug 11
--This year's winner robot 2325-RV, left, developed by the Humanoid Project from Kyushu University, bangs on its opponent HAJIME ROBOT, developed by Hajime Sakamoto, with both arms during the semifinal match of the Sixth Robot-One Contest in Kawasaki...

Posted by trek/taro at 3:34 PM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post

Monday, July 26, 2004

Non-invasive treatment for fibroids available in Japan
Topic: Japanese Tech

Israeli non-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids recommended for FDA approval
Israel21c.org July 25, 2004
... FDA panel's recommendation for the approval of a new Israeli-designed system for non-invasive treatment of uterine fibroids....The FDA's Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Panel recently recommended the ExAblate 2000 System, manufactured by InSightec Ltd.
...The ExAblate system is intended to provide a non-invasive alternative to current treatments for symptomatic uterine fibroids, which include hysterectomy, myomectomy, uterine artery embolization, and drug therapy. The system uses focused ultrasound together with MR imaging to pinpoint tumors and effectively destroy them, without incisions, without anesthesia, and without the need for hospitalization.
...The device received the European CE mark in 2002 and is currently commercially available in Israel, Europe, and Japan.
The recent FDA panel recommendation was based on the results of a multicenter, controlled clinical study that was performed at centers in the United States, Europe, and Israel, including Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US, St. Mary's Hospital in London, Charite Hospital in Berlin, and Sheba Medical Center and Hadassah Hospital in Israel.

Posted by trek/taro at 3:20 AM KDT
Updated: Monday, July 26, 2004 3:23 AM KDT
Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink | Share This Post

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Badass breasts (and here's the Japanese science)
Topic: Japanese Tech

Breast augmentation: no leaking or rupture
Modern medicine offers women titanium-coated breast implants
07/15/2004 18:04
...Doctor Kotaro Yoshimura and his colleagues from the University of Tokyo are working on a principally new method of enhancement. Japanese doctors transplant adipose cells from woman's stomach or thighs. The transplantation of adipocytes is used in cosmetology for smoothing out wrinkles or scars. However, the transplantation of a large quantity of adipose tissue, which is practiced for breast enhancement, may kill a part of adipose cells due to the lack of the blood circulation. However, Dr. Yoshimura believes it is possible to avoid such side effects adding stem cells to the transplanted adipose ones. ...
The new method has more chances to gain success. It uses natural cells that will not be seized. Moreover, women will like the idea to get rid of some fat from the stomach for the benefit of their breasts.

«	April 2024					»

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30