Photographer Shintaro Sato captures beauty in the chaotic Tokyo cityscape viewed from emergency staircases at dusk. Check his site for the full gallery of high-resolution images.
[Link: Tokyo Twilight Zone]
See also:
- Suburban Tokyo nightscapes
- Highway interchange photos
- Fantastic Japanscapes
What happens when you take the records away from record players? You get "without records," an installation by experimental musicians Otomo Yoshihide and Yasutomo Aoyama that uses more than 100 record-free turntables to explore the sound of disappearing technology.
"without records" - YCAM Otomo Yoshihide / ENSEMBLES
You also get the "hyper wr player," a four-armed hi-fi version of the concept.
"hyper wr player" - YCAM Otomo Yoshihide / ENSEMBLES
These installations are on display as part of the "ENSEMBLES" event at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM), which runs until October 13.
[Link: ENSEMBLES/Otomo Yoshihide]
Japanese precision machinery manufacturer Castem has sent nine origami space shuttles to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) office in Houston, it was announced on October 7. If all goes as planned, the paper planes will conduct experimental flights from the space station to Earth early next year.
The 29-gram (1 oz) origami shuttles, which measure 38 centimeters (14 in) long and 22 centimeter (9 in) wide, are made from lightweight but durable sugar cane fiber paper that has been chemically treated to resist heat and water. Developed by JAXA and the University of Tokyo, the special paper has already been used to construct a miniature prototype shuttle, which was tested in a hypersonic wind tunnel in January. In that test, the prototype survived wind speeds of Mach 7 (8,600 kph/ 5,300 mph) and temperatures of around 200 degrees Celsius (nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit).
If NASA approves, the Space Shuttle Discovery will carry the origami planes to the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2009. JAXA astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata, who will be living aboard ISS when the origami planes arrive, will carry out the experiment from the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module. It is yet to be decided whether Wakata himself will throw the paper planes or whether he will use the space station's robotic arm.
In either case, JAXA estimates it will take two days for the origami shuttles to complete the 400-kilometer (250 mi) journey from ISS to the planet surface.
A message printed beneath the wings identifies the plane, explains that it has completed a return journey from the space station, and requests the finder to contact JAXA. The message is printed in 10 different languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese, Hindi, and Arabic.
Japan Origami Airplane Association chairman Takuo Toda, a strong proponent of the experiment, says he hopes the test flights will help engineers develop new types of lightweight spacecraft in the future.
Midori-san, the blogging houseplant, at bowls Donburi Cafe in Kamakura
If houseplants could blog, what would they say? To find out, Kamakura-based IT company KAYAC Co., Ltd. has developed a sophisticated botanical interface system that lets plants post their thoughts online. A succulent Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerii) named "Midori-san" is now using the system to blog daily from its home at bowls Donburi Cafe in Kamakura.
The plant interface system, which is built around technology developed by Satoshi Kuribayashi at the Keio University Hiroya Tanaka Laboratory, uses surface potential sensors to read the weak bioelectric current flowing across the surface of the leaves. This natural current fluctuates in response to changes in the immediate environment, such as temperature, humidity, vibration, electromagnetic waves and nearby human activity. A specially developed algorithm translates this data into Japanese sentences, which are used as fodder for the plant's daily blog posts.
Diagram of plant interface system
Midori-san started blogging about a week ago. So far, the plant's highly structured posts summarize the day's weather, temperature and lighting conditions, describe its overall physical condition, tell how much light it received via the user-activated lamp (see below), and explain how much fun the day was. Each post also includes a self-portrait photo and a plant-themed pun (in Japanese), which Midori-san likely did not write. A graph at the top of the sidebar shows the plant's surface potential in real-time.
Readers can also treat Midori-san to a dose of fluorescent light either through the website or this widget:
To activate a web-controlled fluorescent lamp positioned next to the plant inside the cafe, click the "Give Light to Midori-san" (?????????) button at the bottom of the widget, enter your name (or a nickname), and click OK. (Get the widget code here.)
Once the lamp activated, the widget shows a real-time view of Midori-san under the light.
Judging from the blog content and the numerous "thank yous" below the fold of each post, Midori-san seems to really appreciate every chance it gets to photosynthesize.
In addition to exploring the potential of intelligent networks that involve the natural environment around us, KAYAC hopes this entertaining plant interface system will inspire people to think about the environment in new ways.
[Link: Kyo no Midori-san]
Chindogu master Kenji Kawakami demonstrated some of his celebrated "unuseless" inventions on a recent Nihon TV variety show.
Kawakami shows off the following chindogu: shoe umbrellas that keep your toes dry in the rain (but admittedly make it difficult to walk), the Driver-Drier golf club which lets you dry laundry while practicing your golf swing, a portable subway strap consisting of a ring attached to a toilet plunger that sticks to the ceiling of the train, pachinko ball collection shoes that let you inconspicuously pick up as many as 200 stray pachinko balls simply by walking around the parlor, and a comfortable cafe chair and table on wheels for coffee drinkers on the go.
These stylish matchbox ads for Japanese bars, cafes and restaurants date from the 1920s to 1940s. See the complete Flickr photoset (uploaded by maraid) for much more.
Shimbashi - Dai-san Otako (Izakaya?)
Ichifuji Shokudo (Restaurant) // Cafe Takimichi
Bar Romance
Fujiya Shokudo
Kissakeishoku Eho (Cafe Eho) // Cafe Eiraku
Asahi Tea Room
Shimbashi Mahjong Club
Ogawa Cafe // Ultra Service
Honten Morishita no Fuji to Seiyu
[Related: Matchbox madness]
Nihon TV recently aired dramatic footage of "Rollerman" Jean-Yves Blondeau in his BuggyRollin suit, racing Japanese celebrity biker George Takahashi down a mountain road. (See who wins.)
Studded with dozens of wheels, the full-body BuggyRollin suit transforms the wearer into a human luge that can reach speeds of up to 116 kph (70 mph) on steep slopes.
Improv musician Atsuhiro Ito wields a flickering noise contraption called the "Optron" (or "Optrum"), a miked-up fluorescent light tube he plugs into an array of effects pedals and plays sort of like an electric guitar. The Optron is featured in some Sony Walkman commercials.
+ Optron - Walkman CM 2 (with Yoichiro Shin on drums)
[More on YouTube: Atsuhiro Ito, Optrum, Optron]
Robots old and new are on display at the CEATEC 2008 home electronics trade show currently underway in Chiba, Japan.
Nissan BR23C Biomimetic Robot Car
Nissan unveiled the bumblebee-inspired BR23C Biomimetic Robot Car, which is equipped with a prototype collision avoidance system developed in cooperation with the University of Tokyo. The next-generation safety technology is modeled after the way that bees avoid crashing into each other.
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Mechadroid Type C3
The Mechadroid Type C3 receptionist robot developed by Business Design Laboratory relies on face recognition technology, a touch panel display, speech, and facial expressions to interact with visitors and guide them to their destination.
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ifbot
Ifbot -- also developed by Business Design Laboratory -- is a speech-capable robot that can identify emotions in the voice and word choice of the person talking. The robot can also communicate its own emotions with a range of facial expressions.
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Murata Seiko-chan and Seisaku-kun (a.k.a. Murata Boy)
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.'s popular robot bicyclist, Murata Seisaku-kun (a.k.a. Murata Boy), was joined on stage by his recently-unveiled younger cousin, Murata Seiko-chan, who is well-balanced enough to ride a unicycle.
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Nabaztag
The Nabaztag Wi-Fi Smart Rabbit manufactured by Violet is a bunny-shaped personal assistant that connects to your home wireless network.
Nabaztag
In addition to announcing the latest news, weather and traffic information, the rabbit can tell the time, light up when email arrives, stream Internet radio and podcasts, and respond to spoken commands.
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Enon leads the way to the wine section
Fujitsu's Enon robot demonstrated the ability to interact with customers and guide them to the wine section.
Enon takes a break
