Tag: ‘Meta’

Pink Tentacle greatest hits – 2009

28 Dec 2009

As we bid farewell to 2009, it's a good time to look back at some of the most popular Pink Tentacle posts of the year. Here are the top ten, in case you missed them the first time around.

Animated stereoview of old Japan --

1. Animated stereoviews of old Japan: Meiji-period stereoview photographs by T. Enami, presented as animated GIFs to create the illusion of three dimensions.

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Photo of Odaiba Gundam at night --

2. Nocturnal Gundam: A glimpse of the Odaiba Gundam after dark.

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Kappa mummy --

3. Monster mummies of Japan: A look at some of the mummified monsters found at temples and shrines around Japan.

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Pregnancy doll from Edo-period Japan --

4. Pregnant dolls from Edo-period Japan: 19th-century dolls designed to teach the anatomy of pregnancy.

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Sculpture at World Sand Sculpture Festival, 2009 --

5. World Sand Sculpture Festival: Photos from the 2009 World Sand Sculpture Festival in Tottori, Japan.

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Kuniyoshi tanuki print --

6. All-purpose tanuki testicles: Ukiyoe prints by Kuniyoshi depicting the remarkable versatility of oversized tanuki (raccoon dog) testicles.

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Anatomy of Kuro-kamikiri --

7. Anatomy of Japanese folk monsters: Cutaway diagrams from Shigeru Mizuki's Yōkai Daizukai, an illustrated guide to yōkai anatomy.

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Ultrasonic bath --

8. Ultrasonic bath: Video and photos of a futuristic human washing machine unveiled at the 1970 World Expo in Osaka.

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La Machine in Yokohama --

9. Giant robot spider in Yokohama: Photos and video of the first La Machine sightings in Yokohama.

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TOSY robot at iREX 2009 --

10. iREX 2009: Photos from the 2009 International Robot Exhibition held in Tokyo in November.

Have a Happy New Year! See you again in 2010.

Pink Tentacle greatest hits – 2008

30 Dec 2008

Pink Tentacle, 2008 --

As the year draws to a close, it's time to look back at Pink Tentacle's most popular stories of 2008. Here are the top ten, in case you missed them the first time:

1. Scientists extract images directly from brain: New brain analysis technology allows scientists to read minds, perhaps paving the way for the development of a dream recorder.

2. Japanese custom scooters: Links to photo galleries of radical custom bikes.

3. Styrofoam dome homes: Cheap, sturdy igloo-shaped modular home kits made of expanded polystyrene foam.

4. IKEA decks out Kobe train: Photos of an IKEA ad campaign that transformed the Kobe Portliner Monorail into a moving showroom.

5. Edo-period monster paintings by Sawaki Suushi: Old-school horror.

6. Origami spaceplanes to launch from space station: Details of JAXA's plan to throw paper airplanes toward Earth from the International Space Station (see photos). In December, the space agency canceled their plans over safety concerns.

7. Bento lunches decorated as album covers: Magnificent bento art.

8. Monster octopi with scores of extra tentacles: Extraordinary freaks of nature.

9. Decorated trains of Japan: Photos of anime and manga inspired trains.

10. Man charged with dumping silicone girlfriend: Breaking up is hard to do.

Thanks for reading! See you again in 2009.

Pink Tentacle greatest hits – 2007

28 Dec 2007

Pink Tentacle greatest hits 2007 --

As we near the end of 2007, now is the time to look back at Pink Tentacle's most popular stories of the year. Here is a rundown of the top ten crowd-pleasers of 2007 (based on total page views for the year). Enjoy!

1. Rice paddy art: Photos of wonderful crop art in the village of Inakadate. (See also the harvest photos.)

2. Otaku fuel tanks: This mini-gallery of custom-made anime-themed fuel tank door decals was big in Japan.

3. Transparent frogs: Because sometimes it's more convenient to have see-through skin.

4. Frilled shark: Rare footage of a lovely prehistoric creature from the depths.

5. Extreme custom vans: Links to photo galleries of extreme custom vans.

6. Neo-Ruins: Hisaharu Motoda's haunting lithographs of post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

7. RFID powder: Hitachi brings us RFID chips in powdered form.

8. Yuki-taro: Cute robot that gobbles up snow and defecates blocks of ice.

9. Electro-conductive cement: Slightly Star Trek?

10. Japanese buzzwords: List of 60 popular words and phrases of 2007.

Also, special thanks to PC Magazine for including this site in their list of 100 favorite blogs and to the readers of What Japan Thinks for voting this site the Japan technology blog of the year. Next year promises to be chock full of excitement, so make sure to visit again soon!

Pink Tentacle’s biggest spikes of 2006

27 Dec 2006

Pink Tentacle Top 10, 2006 --

As 2006 comes to a close and Pink Tentacle celebrates its first birthday, I'd like to thank all the readers for making this a rockin' first year for the site! In 2007, Pink Tentacle will continue to probe the less explored regions of the Japanese web in search of excitement. In the meantime, here's a quick look back at the site's top 10 stories of 2006 in case you missed them. Enjoy!

10. AIST develops 3D image projector -- Coming soon: eye-popping signs and ads that float in mid-air. (Watch a short video of this technology demonstrated at SIGGRAPH 2006.)

9. Hiroshima engineers develop robotic carp -- Robocarp!

8. Asimo: 'I've fallen and I can't get up' -- For many, the only thing more amazing than a robot climbing stairs is a robot falling down the stairs. Poor Asimo. This video spread like wildfire just as Asimo's new commercials were set to debut in the UK. However, rumor has it that Asimo is playing us all for fools, deliberately taking a dive to generate buzz for the commercials before their release. Even so, Asimo may never live it down.

7. Eco-friendly bra doubles as shopping bag -- Just say NO to plastic bags (and YES to braless grocery shopping).

6. Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid -- Toyama owes its economic existence to the bioluminescent firefly squid, a fishery product that also fuels the local tourist industry. Local residents recently worked with Solid Alliance to develop a USB drive modeled after their beloved glowing beast.

5. Dekotora photo galleries -- Wild Japanese art trucks!

4. Gallery of fantastic creatures -- Roam the hallways of Hajime Emoto's Museum of Fantastic Specimens.

3. Through the (zero-reflection) looking glass -- Is this glass truly invisible?

2. Actroid DER2 fembot loves Hello Kitty -- Fembot for rent. She ain't cheap, fellas, so start saving your yen.

1. Device uses waves to "print" on water surface -- AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin) writes on water. Check out this short video of AMOEBA in action.