J-breakbeat duo Hifana's video for "Connect" -- the title track from their latest CD+DVD -- stars KZO Machine and Cowman 3000 as funky robot shoppers for sale in a sweet TV shopping channel hallucination. Press "Buy" to get yours now.
Hifana are on the W+KTokyoLab label and the video is directed by +Cruz and WOOOOG, with animation and design by Mark Okon, Genki Ito and Ian Lynam.
(Premium Unit Bath)
Artist Tetsuya Nakamura?s Premium Unit Series of curvaceous, luxury bathroom fixtures -- a tub, a pair of sinks, a step designed for insertion into a stairwell, and a decorative column -- are sculpted from fiber-reinforced plastic and painted with colorful, fluid patterns meant to evoke a sense of speed. Nakamura, who created the Premium Unit Series with the DIY-er in mind, encourages the purchaser to add his or her own custom paint job, body modifications and part upgrades, despite the 3 million yen ($26,000) cost of the tub and 1.5 million yen ($13,000) price tag on each of the other items. According to the accompanying disclaimer, Nakamura's heavy emphasis on form -- and relative disregard for function -- means bathers should enter the tub at their own risk, as the artist and dealer assume no responsibility for injuries or accidents that may occur.
(Premium Unit Sink)
(Premium Unit Sink)
(Premium Unit Step/Premium Unit Pillar)
[Link: Nippon Style]
When Osaka resident Kana Yamaguchi's neighbors cut the grass in a nearby field, a number of fleeing insects sought refuge in her flower bed. Among them was an odd pair of grasshopper-like bugs -- one pink, one white. Osaka Museum of Natural History entomologist Itaru Kanazawa identifies them as the larvae of Euconocephalus thunbergi ("kubikirigisu" in Japanese), a close relative of the katydid. While he says it is normal for these insects to change between green and brown to match their surroundings, pink and white are considered abnormal. Speculation is that the pink is an extreme variation of the brown coloration, and the white specimen is believed to be an albino, though nobody will know for sure until it becomes an adult. Regardless, says Kanazawa, "It is quite rare to find three different colors at the same time."
[Source: Asahi]
Shuetsu Sato is a Japan Railways employee known for making complex, stylish signs and maps from strips of colored duct tape. For years, his work graced the walls and construction barriers at Shinjuku station while it underwent extensive renovations. Sato's creative use of tape has earned him quite a following, particularly online, and recent blog buzz has prompted some Japanese TV networks to take notice. This video from an NHK news magazine program profiles Sato and his work at Nippori station on Tokyo's Yamanote line, where his most recent work is currently on display.
The video begins with commentary about the online popularity of Sato's work. (At the 30-second mark, a screenshot of Pink Tentacle appears while the narrator describes the attention Sato's work has received on "overseas" blogs...!?!) From 1:00 to 2:00, Sato shows how it is done -- this is the highlight of the video, as it shows the degree of complexity involved in shaping tape into beautiful kanji. From 2:00 to 2:40, Sato laughs off some criticism he has received for the way his "?" character looks, and from 4:30 to 5:00, Sato demonstrates his techniques for creating rounded corners. At 5:30, one of the hosts tells Sato that bloggers have honored him by naming his font style "Shuetsu." He looks almost as if he might be impressed.
Here are a few photos of Sato's work at Nippori station:
On September 5, the Omron Corporation unveiled smile recognition software that promises to improve the ability of machines to read human emotions.
Built around Omron's previous face recognition technology, the new "OKAO Vision Real-time Smile Measurement Technology" is designed to automatically identify faces in digital images and assign each corresponding smile a score of 0% to 100%. The system works by automatically fitting a 3D face model onto the subject's face and analyzing a number of key points, such as the degree to which the eyes and mouth are open, the shape of wrinkles at the edges of the eyes and mouth, and changes in the position of facial features. The entire process, from the time an image is input until the time the smile score is output, takes 0.044 second (for a 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 processor).
OKAO Vision can analyze multiple faces simultaneously as long as they are at least 60 pixels wide and facing the camera (tilted less than 30 degrees to either side and less than 15 degrees up or down), and the software does not require faces to be registered beforehand. OKAO Vision, which Omron says is more than 90% accurate, was developed by studying the facial expressions of 15,000 individuals ranging from infants to the elderly, from a variety of countries.
The 46-KB, Windows 2000/XP-compatible program can easily be incorporated into a variety of devices, say the developers, who hope to see it put to use in digital cameras designed to capture the perfect smile, or in robots that can recognize when humans are happy. Masato Kawade, OKAO project leader, says he hopes the technology "can contribute to the development of an ideal society where machines operate in harmony with human emotions."
Omron plans to release the new OKAO Vision system later this year, making it the latest addition to a line of face recognition technology that boasts features such as the ability to determine a subject's age, gender and line of sight. In the future, the company plans to shift the focus away from shiny, happy people and develop technology that can read faces for anger and sadness.
[Sources: Kyoto Shimbun, RBB Today]
Kiri-origami artist Taketori cuts and folds paper to make realistic-looking insects. Each critter is crafted from a single sheet, without glue, and paint is often used to add to the realism. Check out his gallery of 60+ beasties (click the "?????" link on the right side of the page to display the thumbnail images).
Stag beetle
Lucanus maculifemoratus vs. Japanese rhinoceros beetle
Woodlouse on a hydrangea leaf
Ants vs. oriental longheaded locust
Stag beetle
Paper wasp
Centipede
[Links: Gallery, Taketori homepage via Gizmodo Japan]
In a development that brings space-based power generation systems a step closer to reality, researchers from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Osaka University Institute of Laser Engineering have developed groundbreaking new technology for converting sunlight into laser beams.
Relying on plates made from a special ceramic material containing chromium (which absorbs the sunlight) and neodymium (which efficiently converts sunlight to laser light), the newly developed lasers demonstrated an impressive 42% solar-to-laser energy conversion efficiency, outperforming previous technology by a factor of four.
The researchers say the new laser technology will play a key role in JAXA's "Space Solar Power Systems" (SSPS) project, which aims to put space-based power systems in orbit by the year 2030. By mounting the system on a satellite in stationary orbit 36,000 km (22,400 mi.) above the equator, sunlight would be collected and converted into a powerful laser beam, which would then be aimed at a terrestrial power station and used to generate electricity or produce hydrogen.
Unlike earthbound solar power stations, which are subject to night-time darkness and cloudy conditions, JAXA's SSPS will be able to make use of solar energy 24 hours a day. With slight improvements in the solar-to-laser conversion efficiency and by incorporating solar collectors measuring 100 to 200 meters long, a single satellite will be able to match the output of a 1-gigawatt nuclear power plant, the researchers say. One can only hope these lasers never fall into the wrong hands.
The results of the research were announced at a meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics that began on September 4 in Sapporo.
[Source: Asahi]
Following the success of its vending machine ramen, foodstuff producer UMAI has added two flavors of udon to its canned noodle selection -- kitsune udon (udon with fried tofu) and curry udon. The canned noodles have begun to appear in vending machines and convenience stores nationwide.
Like UMAI's ramen, the thick udon noodles are made from konnyaku, so they don't turn soggy before you eat them. The kitsune udon is priced at around 300 yen ($2.60) per can, while the curry udon goes for about 350 yen ($3). Each ready-to-eat serving comes with a small plastic fork.
The idea for UMAI's canned noodles came when the manager of the Men-ya Musashi ramen restaurant in Tokyo was distributing food and supplies to victims of the Niigata earthquake in 2004. There, he was inspired to develop noodles that could be enjoyed by people in areas with disrupted gas and water supplies. About 2 million cans of the popular ramen have sold since it was launched in April.
To provide general consumers, disaster victims and Akihabara vending machine aficionados an ever-more enjoyable selection of canned treats, the company plans to keep expanding its product line. Future noodles in the works include kenchin udon, various regional styles of ramen, and canned versions of ramen from famous restaurants.
[Source: IT Media]
The Tokushima-Kainan Observatory took some terrific photos of Japan's space fireworks show.
