Lost In Translation

Podcasts

The last couple of weeks I have really been getting into podcasts. Wednesdays are my long days where I teach 5 classes at two different universities that are quite far from each other and my home, so at the end of the day when I am exhausted and embarking on my hour plus journey home, I usually feel too tired to read so listneing to podacasts from Slate has been an entertaining diversion. Here's an article that discusses some podcasts and introduces one by Ricky Gervais of The Office fame. I recently down loaded his first podcast, and the first 15 minutes or so were funny, but after that a littlle tedious--the Slate pieces usually never run more than 15 minutes. The pieces they pick are usualy ones that I didn't read on the website, so I'm exposed to some topics I wouldn't have necessarily sought out on my own and have found them intersting. Anyone else getting into podcasts, if so any recommendations? I'm guessing that NPR probalby has some good ones.

New Link

My friend Lorenzo has a blog up and running, check it out: Dream Theater.

Additions

I have added some links to the "Links" list on the right. Blue Lotus and Azian Brewer are a couple of blogs that have links to mine, so I thought I'd reciprocate. Blue Lotus is by a Canadian woman living in West Tokyo and her blog has lots of great food posts. Azian Brewer is a home brewer from NYC, with an interest in Asian spirits.

Neomarxism is a site I visit occasionally-it has intersting commentary on Japan and Japanese pop culture.

Noodlepie is a blog from Ho Chi Mihn City, Viet Nam-that has lots of great posts about food, particularlly Vietnamese street food-very inspiring.

The Marmot's Hole is a blog from Korea that often has interesting posts about North Korea/Japan relations and Korean culture.

Check them out.

Erotic+Weblog=Erog

I came across this, from Wai Wai, while surfing:

There are blogs, moblogs, vlogs and even Kellogs. But now, thanks to liberated attitudes and the Japanese language’s lack of an “l,” the latest online fad in this country is erogs, erotic blogs, according to Asahi Geino (5/19).

[…]

“Eroggers, the name given to the mostly female participants who post saucy pictures onto their erogs, are the hottest current new trend on the (Japanese) Internet. While a lot of them may simply want somebody else to look at them in an erotic situation, in my humble opinion, I’d say there are a lot of eroggers who want people to look at them as ‘real women,” Kyosuke tells Asahi Geino. “I think a lot of them like getting comments from male readers telling them about how beautiful, or cute they are. Eroggers like the idea that there are guys out there who find their looks attractive and desirable, or who want to make love to them. These are things husbands or boyfriends may often feel but not express. Erogs make it easy for people to write stuff they may otherwise be embarrassed about saying out loud and they also allow for raw opinions from others.

Click here to read the rest.

I've taken the liberty of finding an example for you to check out, there are a ton of them on the net.

The Best Of The Web Japan 2005

Japanzine has selected the best Japanese-related websites for 2005: Click here to read the feature article.

Sony PSP

There are a couple of new Sony PSPs on display in the wall at Ikebukuro station, but as the sign says they will not be availaible until 12/12, hence the guards to protect them from theft.

In the PlayStation Meeting 2003, Sony Computer Entertainment revealed details and specifications for its upcoming handheld, the PSP. SCE described the PSP as the "21st-century Walkman," showing confidence in the company's upcoming product, which utilizes a number of high-end components. The PSP will consist of two microprocessors, an advanced sound engine, a 3D graphics engine, a 4.5-inch, 16:9-format TFT LCD screen, and a number of connection capabilities.

Click here to read more.

Keitai Karaoke

"Keitai" is Japanese for cellular phone, and the one featured in this ad can be plugged into a TV for karaoke. Only in Japan.

Cool Site

My friend Makiko and her French boyfriend Sylvain have just put up an interesting site, with some really impressive photography. It's in French, so mono-lingual me had a little bit of difficutly navigating the site, but it is definately worth taking a look.

Blog Traffic

My friend Dave, who runs the server for this blog, has notified me that I'm getting 700+ hits a day and 130 visitors a day, which is surprising. I would have thought that the traffic was much lower. Click here for the stats.

Blogging In Japan

Here's an interesting article about blogging in Japan:

Japanese Entrepreneur Spreads Blogging Gospel
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Posted: 10:46 AM EDT (1446 GMT)

Joichi Ito speaks about blogging at his office in Tokyo.

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Snapshots of his pet dog, thoughts on democracy and a recipe for bamboo shoots clutter Joichi Ito's Web journal, a lively peek into the tireless mind of one of Japan's biggest Internet stars.

After developing some of the country's hottest Net ventures, the 37-year-old entrepreneur has a new mission: Making the journals known as weblogs, or blogs, not just a thriving business but also a key element of everyday life here.

Click here to read the whole article.