littleforeigner

May 7

Why is your living (lack of) space so bloody cold/hot?

Following their attempt to get to the bottom of “What’s with all the concrete facades?” in part two in their Ask An Architect Neojaponisme goes part way in answering the question “Where’s the insulation?”

We’ve just moved into an old Japanese house made of wood, dirt and straw and know full well that mikan oragnges in our genkan will be more likley to get frozen solid than go off in the winter, but I’m looking forward to putting the old “Japanese houses are traditionally constructed to make the summer more ~~comfortable~~ bearable” chestnut to the test this August.

May 2

Kintaro ukiyo-e prints ::: Pink Tentacle

Nice selection of pics and explanation of the “Golden Boy” who features heavily on next week’s Boy’s Day holiday.

Apr 24

Flower tower = a few days off coming soon (-:

twitterに日本語で書けることになったが最近日本の携帯のメールアドがなければmixi登録ができなくなりました。つまり外国から登録できない。ちょっといやな感じ！

Apr 23

引っ越し地獄！　In the middle of moving hell. Roll on Golden Week!

Apr 18

Shonen Young by Denki Groove

Denki Groove may have not had a single out in years, but they are still huge. I’m not really in a position to comment on W. David Marx’s analysis, but I do love the ironic spin through idol culture in the video for their new single. I’m sure those who can recognise all the references will love it.

They are performing on Day 2 of this year’s Setstock festival. From a look at some of the vids of their show at Fuji Rock in 2006 could be a nice way to spend a summmer evening - assuming they will be billed to play last.

Joi Ito - Creative Commons man in Japan - is someone I greatly admire. Here, in this well put togther 4 minute video by Loic.tv, he makes a nice contrast between the economics of “old” and “new” media. He also answers the old chestnut, “Isn’t all user generated content a load of crap?” pretty well.

On his blog he apologises for ranting, but I think the straight talk is refreshing.

Apr 17

Next Level Bentos

I was pretty chuffed with myself for producing this bento for my son last year. Nothing special, but I got up pretty early to make sure that he didn’t get too many “poor gaijin kid” looks at his school picnic.

I’ve seen some cool looking bentos arranged to look like Hello Kitty and Ampanman and wondered just what time their parents get up to make them. However, these bentos made to look like album covers by Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box and introduced by Pink Tentacle via Zaeega are on a whole other level.

I just hope my kids don’t see this post…

Apr 10

The Logic of Life

Cycling around in the rain, I’ve been catching up on my podcasts. One of the many excellent (and free) podcasts offered by the BBC is Start The Week, and last night I listened to an excellent edition that featured a great interview with novelist Peter Carey on his latest book His Illegal Self. The bit that really caught my attention, however, was on a book called The Logic Of Life by economics columnist Tim Hartford who specializes in making connections between economic theory and every day life.

The thrust of the book seems to be that many of the decisions that people make in their lives which seem irrational or “stupid”, may actually be rational after all. One example he gives in the podcast concerns the US teenage “oral sex epidemic”. Hartford points to studies that suggest that the “epidemic” is a rational response on the part of teenagers bombarded with information about the risks of unprotected sex. It seems teenagers are having sex later, using condoms more and the pill less, and substituting intercourse with oral sex.

Here is the author running the gauntlet on the Colbert Report (4 minutes), and in a more formal setting, here at Authors at Google (40 minutes).

Apr 8

Pangea Day, May 10, 2008

In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it’s easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that - to help people see themselves in others - through the power of film.
On May 10, 2008 — Pangea Day — sites in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro will be linked live to produce a program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music.

In this video a Japanese troupe performs the Turkish national anthem (though I would skip the less than peace inspired comments). See more anthems here.