Archive for August, 2009

Kirin autumn beer

Monday, August 31st, 2009

l_2048_1536_1872172B-8777-4FEA-9D44-40CC23531C2D.jpeg

In addition to the lowering temperatures and typhoons heralding in Japanese autumn, we now have another sign that summer is ending. An autumn-flavored limited edition beer from Kirin. Perfect for toasting away what’s left of summer 2009.

You had a good summer? ^^.

Maruko bashi

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Marukobashi 1

Maruko-bashi runs across Tamagawa (Tama river) which borders Tokyo and Kanagawa. Depending on where I’m headed, the car navigation system (car navi for short) greets me with a “You’ve entered Tokyo” (東京都に入りました) or “You’ve entered Kanagawa” (神奈川県に入りました) whenever I drive across this bridge. There’s a walkway for pedestrians on either side of the bridge. If you’re up for it, a pretty nice stroll awaits. Today, I’m just here for the lights.

(more…)

Bob, universal connector

Friday, August 28th, 2009

l_2048_1536_BD34F0AF-5299-47D5-BBDF-668856755880.jpeg

Ran into Bob today. He probably has more pins than you do holes. ^^. What do you do when you travel overseas? I usually just bring the specific adaptor for where I’m going. But then again, I’ve never been on a round the globe trip before.

Kuay Tiew Nam Tok Moo

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

l_2048_1536_54AA5D15-3DB1-4692-AB16-0201D6919DA0.jpeg

Had a sudden craving for Thai tonight. So, I didn’t the only honorable thing. I went to Bangkok Kitchen in Jiyugaoka (自由が丘) for some chow. I was craving this particular bowl of noodles called ก๋วยเตี๋ยว น้ำตกหมู. I’m told it reads Kuay Tiew Nam Tok Moo. Kuay Tiew translates into rice noodles. Nam Tok means brown soup and Moo means pork (not cow).

Does it mean anything if you crave ก๋วยเตี๋ยว น้ำตกหมู? ^^.

Yellowbird Camera… COOL!

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

This is just about the coolest video I’ve seen so far!

Why? Try doing this. When the video is playing, click and drag within the video. You’ll see why. AMAZING! Simply amazing!

A little something lifted from the yellowBird homepage. They have a rather long url.

http://www.yellowbirdsdonthavewingsbuttheyflytomakeyouexperiencea3dreality.com

A variant of the yellowBird camera is being utilized within the Google Streetview technology. The prominent difference is that the yellowBird camera records video instead of photographs. The camera uses six cleverly divided lenses in order to capture every possible viewing direction. The data stream generated by the camera is impressive. Through a double glass-fiber connection, a stream of 1200 Mbit per second is captured and saved in an uncompressed format. Next to the camera, a surround sound microphone system enables to record audio at 96 khz as well.

The yellowbird camera can be utilized in a variety of ways. First of all, videos can be captured from a regular tripod. Additionally the camera can be setup within a steadycam suit and “float” above the head of the camera operator. Furthermore, multiple connections support the camera to be mounted on a car or under a helicopter.

All that sexy tech talk. How cool is that!

Infinite Gratification

Monday, August 24th, 2009

infinite プチプチ

Like bursting bubble warp? This little device is like an infinitely long sheet of bubble wrap. Use infinite プチプチ (puchi puchi) long enough and your thumb goes numb. ^^. Puchi puchi, as you’ve guessed, is a Japanese onomatopoeia.

(more…)

Shibuya #7 An empty junction

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Shibuya Junction Empty

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. An empty Hachiko crossing in Shibuya. Took this photo quite a while back when I roamed Harajuku early one Sunday morning. Even at that early weekend hour, getting a seat at Starbucks overlooking this popular junction required a short wait.

(more…)