FEPY

As part of an online marketing campaign for the Walkman media player over the past few years, Sony has produced over a dozen short videos featuring a stellar assortment of underground Japanese musicians cutting loose in the studio.

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- Tucker

DJ/keyboardist Tucker shows off his mad cooking skills by whipping up a spicy blend of rhythmic kitchen noise topped with crunchy guitar.

+ More Tucker: Clocks, toys & turntable // Oil drum, thumb piano, bass & keyboards // Guitar, bass & keyboards // Misc. items in aquarium

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- Fuyuki Yamakawa

- Video

Armed with a bone conduction microphone and electric artificial larynx, performance artist/body musician Fuyuki Yamakawa drops a flurry of skull-thumping, mouth-tweaking beats.

* * * * *

- Tomo Yamaguchi

- Video

Wearing an assortment of tin containers, junk percussionist Tomo Yamaguchi crashes and bangs his way through quiet residential backstreets.

+ More: Studio solo // Collaboration with Tucker

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- Goma da Didgeridoo

- Video

Goma da Didgeridoo plays the aboriginal wind instrument with a twist of techno.

+ More: Collaboration with chef Tucker

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- Atsuhiro Ito

- Video

Atsuhiro Ito gets down with the Optron, a miked-up fluorescent light tube run through an array of effects pedals.

+ More: Collaboration with drummer Yoichiro Shin

* * * * *

- Taeji Sawai

- Video

Interactive media designer Taeji Sawai shows off his scintillating light-controlled sound generator.

+ More: Ito’s Optron vs. Sawai’s light-controlled sound generator

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These delectable, sweet-tasting Sea Otter Boogers (rakko no hana-kuso) are available at zoo and aquarium gift shops across Japan. The ones shown here are from Kamogawa Sea World in Chiba prefecture.

The protein-packed booger snacks are actually made of amanattō, or candied black beans, and they are quite tasty if you can get over the name.

Sea Otter Boogers can also be purchased online for 525 yen (about $6) via the Hanakuso web shop, which also sells the ever-popular Gorilla Boogers.

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This captivating promo video for the ARROWS’ “Karada no V” track (on the recently released AROI album) features footage from the award-winning “Frog in the Well” performance by the Okayama University Modern Dance Club.

+ Video

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US and Japanese consumer/pop culture icons converge in an explosion of mashup madness on the festive streets of “Nihon Town,” an illustration by Ken Taya (Enfu).

Search the the high-rez version for the likes of Hello Miffy, Bossbucks Cha-fe, Astroboy-Mickey, Yebiweiser, Doraemon-Garfield, Oubei Baba (Obey Giant meets Giant Baba), and much more. Consult the detailed image index if you get lost.

Poster and print versions of the work are available at Enfu.

Also check out the Enfu Flickr stream for other awesome creations like Super Ultra Man and the yummy-sounding Ase Cola (pictured below).

[Link: Enfu]

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Sometimes, Photoshop can be overkill. Thankfully, on the Mac, there’s a good variety of light weight alternatives. Sure, you sacrifice on features, but you also get snappier performance and an easier learning curve.

In this category, I put Pixelmator at the top of the heap. It has a good feature set while balancing out the speed and simplicity. I’ve used Pixelmator on a few projects involving web graphics and it passed with flying colors.

I’ll still depend on Photoshop for my raw image processing and high-end image manipulation. But for simpler web-related content, Pixelmator is a well-crafted solution.

Currently priced at $59, Pixelmator represents an excellent value.

[Pic from Pixelmator]

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On February 10, Japan’s KAGUYA (a.k.a. SELENE) lunar explorer shot video of the Earth as it passed between the Sun and the Moon. The probe’s high-definition cameras captured a rare view of the so-called “diamond ring effect” seen from the Moon. The phenomenon is usually only ever observed during total solar eclipses on Earth, just as the Sun emerges from behind the Moon.

+ Video

This video shows the Sun emerging from behind the Earth, just as they are rising over the lunar horizon. The bead of sunlight peeking over the edge of the planet looks like a diamond on a precious ring.

[Link: JAXA]

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Ars Technica - It looks as though there may be some trouble brewing with Intel’s celebrated X25-M SSD. PCPerspective has published a lengthy review of long-term performance in which they found that Intel’s sector remapping and wear-levelling algorithms, which are intended to boost performance and prolong SSD lifespans, were in fact lowering performance dramatically as the drive became fragmented. Worse, conventional defragmentation tools only exacerbated the problem since the fragmentation occurs on a level below the filesystem, and the only available tool that can reset the drive’s sector maps requires a complete wipe of the drive.

Crap. I hope this is only a minor problem. Before this incident, I thought 2009 would be the year for SSDs to emerge as a viable storage option for consumers willing to pay a little extra. Raid 0 performance from a 2.5″ notebook drive. Who wouldn’t want that?

[Pic from Ars Technica]

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Devastation of Urban Gas Attack

In 1938, the Japanese Red Cross worked with government authorities to create a series of posters to teach the public about the new Anti-Aircraft Defense Law, which was enacted in seeming anticipation of air strikes following the outbreak of the Japan-China War (1937-1945). Among other things, the law required citizens to take protective measures against gas attacks and prepare for disinfection, evacuation and relief. For the government, one purpose of the posters — which were created as part of a military exhibition at the Red Cross Museum — was to instill a pattern of “anti-aircraft defense thought” among the population.

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Asphyxiant Gas: Evacuation and Aid

Do not allow victims to walk. Carry them gently.
Head to a nearby shelter.
Move to a safe location upwind.

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Gas Detection: Smell and Color

- Asphyxiant gas (chlorine, phosgene, etc.): Pungent or hay-like odor. White or yellowish in color.
- Blister gas (yperite/mustard gas, lewisite, etc.): Mustard or geranium-like odor. Colorless in gas form, reddish-brown in liquid form.
- Tear gas and sneezing gas: Odor resembles pepper, spicy mustard or bitter almond oil. White, yellow or colorless.

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Blister Gas: Evacuation and Aid

Toxic area! Run! Flee!

Better to seek soap and water nearby than to travel to an aid center far away.

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Poison Gas Symptoms

- Asphyxiant gas: Accumulation of fluid in lungs/ Suffocation (dry drowning)
- Blister gas: Blisters/ Respiratory inflammation/ Inflammation of the eyes
- Tear gas: Watery eyes
- Sneezing gas: Salivation and nasal discharge/ Coughing/ Chest pain/ Vomiting/ Sneezing

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Gas Masks: Type and Purpose

Military use
- Full protection
- Rubber face mask
- Body suit (rubber)
- Filter
- Gloves (rubber)
- Boots (rubber)

Civilian use
- (Right) For any gas except blister gas and tear gas
- (Center) For various types of gas
- (Left) Transparent visor

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Gas Attack and Emergency Escape

Quick emergency mask
- Gauze
- 2% sodium carbonate/water solution
- 10% urotropin-water solution

Simple homemade masks
- Can contains charcoal particles

Use when no gas shelter is available or when your home has been destroyed.

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Making Gas Protection Tools

For small children, prepare a gas-tight baby carriage or bag with attached oxygen supply.

Keep this type of protection on hand at all times.

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Phosgene Poisoning: Progression of Symptoms and Death
(Based on British Army research during the War in Europe)

Death rate by day:
- Day 1: 81%
- Day 2: 12%
- Day 3: 4%
- Day 4: 2%
- Day 5: 1%

Progression of symptoms
- Fluid begins to accumulate in lungs within 2 to 8 hours, causing difficulty in breathing.
- Fluid seeps into alveoli.
- Victim turns pale in mild cases, ashen white in severe cases.
- Fluid in lungs becomes increasingly evident.
- Absorption begins.
- Recovery.

Caution: Sudden death may occur within minutes or hours.

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Yperite (Mustard Gas): Progression of Symptoms and Death
(Based on British Army research during the War in Europe)

Death rate by day
- Day 1: 1%
- Day 2: 2%
- Day 3: 5%
- Day 4: 8%
- Day 5: 23%
- Day 6 to 30: 81%

Progression of symptoms
- Initial 2 to 8 hours: Itchiness
- Day 2: Pain
- Day 5: Rupturing of blisters, intense itchiness

Recovery takes 2 to 7 weeks.

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Treatment of Asphyxiant Gas Victims

1. Bed rest and warmth
2. Fresh oxygen supply
- Do not use an artificial respirator (victim may worsen if moved).
3. Blood draw
- Do not perform if the victim is pale.
4. Heart stimulants and beverages
- Strophantin/ Digitoxin/ Caffeine/ Camphor

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Treatment of Blister Gas Victims (Part 1)

1. Undress.
2. Clean the skin of poisonous substance. (Use cotton or absorbent paper.)
3. Apply solvent (oil, benzene or alcohol).
4. Sterilize. (Apply calcium hypochlorite.)

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Treatment of Blister Gas Victims (Part 2)

5. Wash thoroughly with soap. (Dispose of mask after washing.) Decontaminate with water if no medicine is available.

6. Wash eyes (2% baking soda/water solution) and put on clean clothes.

7. For poisoned lungs…
2% baking soda/water solution
Gauze mask

Caution
- Immediate action required, at least within 15 minutes of exposure.
- Treatment within the first few minutes of exposure may prevent the development of blisters.
- Symptoms begin to show within a few hours.
- Failure to quickly remove poison from the skin will result in death.

- - - - -

Effectiveness of Gas Masks
(Based on British Army statistics from the War in Europe)

- April 1915/ No masks/ Chlorine gas (weak)/ 7,000 casualties/ 85.7% casualty rate

- December 1915 - August 1916/ Primitive masks (cloth)/ Chlorine, phosgene gas (strong)/ 4,207 casualties/ 24% casualty rate

- July 1916 - July 1917/ Canister gas masks/ Phosgene, diphosgene gas (strong)/ 8,806 casualties/ 6% casualty rate

Canister gas masks reduced the casualty rate by a factor of 12. Primitive masks reduced the casualty rate by a factor of 4.

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Gas-tight Room and Mosquito Net

1. Seal all gaps in the ceiling, doors and floor to create a gas-tight room.

2. To create a gas-tight tent, keep the bottom hem of the mosquito net pressed to the floor and place a layer of paper over the tatami.

3. Assuming there is one person per tatami mat and you stay calm, you can remain safely in the room for 7 hours and in the tent for 3 hours.

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Blister Gas Decontamination (Part 1)

Chemical treatment
- For mustard gas, use calcium hypochlorite.
- Wash rubber products 30 minutes after exposure.

Wet-heat treatment
- Steam: 20 minutes
- Boil: 15 minutes
- Hot water (80 degrees Celsius): 30 minutes

Dry-heat treatment
- Incinerate

- - - - -

Blister Gas Decontamination (Part 2)

Wash and wipe

Sun-dry
- Winter: 5 days
- Spring/Autumn: 1 to 3 days
- Summer: 8 hours

Burial
- Disappearance of gas odor is a sign of decontamination.
- Do not allow residual gas indoors when decontaminating.

[Link: National Archives of Japan]

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Found on Kotaku. This new attraction should satisfy fans of deluxe cabinet arcade games.

Four words: High. Speed. Bobsled. Racing. This March, SEGA’s Joypolis amusement theme park are getting just that.

Dubbed Storm-G, this super deluxe cabinet set-up hurls riders at speeds reaching 300km/hr (185mph). Each sled is two-per-person and outfitted with twin joysticks. Pressing the buttons on the sticks causes the sled to rotate 360 degrees and increase the sled’s speed.

Less an arcade game per se and more an amusement ride, Storm-G costs ¥600 (US$6.50) for each individual. The attraction lasts approximately 10 minutes. The memories last forever.

Price is a bit steep, but I’d give it at least one go. Any chance we’ll see this in the States?

[Pic from Kotaku]

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In his “Blast” series of photographs, Naoya Hatakeyama uses remote-control cameras to capture the drama and destruction of Japan’s limestone blasting operations from point-blank range.

The dangerous, close-up views of exploding debris inspire the viewer to consider the human capacity for destruction, while providing a unique perspective on the instant obliteration of these ancient rock formations.

Hatakeyama began photographing Japan’s limestone mining operations in the early 1980s. In 1994, he published Lime Works, a photo book focused on limestone processing facilities.

In 1995, he turned his camera toward the detonation side of the mining process, which he has been photographing ever since.

Limestone, a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), is one of the few natural resources in which Japan is totally self-sufficient.

It can be argued that Japan’s (and the world’s) entire way of life is dependent on limestone, a key ingredient in the production of concrete, steel, glass, plastic, and even medicine.

Japan extracts about 200 million tons of limestone from quarries each year, scarring countless mountainsides in the process.

The nation is believed to have an additional 10 billion tons of limestone deposits at its disposal — enough to last another 50 years at the current rate of consumption.

[More “Blast” photos: 1, 2, 3]

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