Hey everyone, Grin here. So you may have noticed a long dead space in my post dates. Sorry about that. Grinning Studios is still here and I have a new website for my YouTube channel.
http://youtube.grinningstudios.com
So, if you have not watched any of my videos and are wondering where my gaming posts are, then here is a short explanation.
I'm a father now! Here's my insanely photogenic baby Malukah Smiles!
Being a father now, means that my priorities kind of changed a bit. I'm still doing videos and such, but my writing on all of my websites has gone down extensively. I will be doing more writing soon and bringing some more interesting content as well in the next few weeks and I have a lot planned for the next few months.
First, I am going to be hosting some videos from friends, this includes Time Lapse Japan and a documentary by Linh Vien Thai about Mongolia! My video game series and Let's Plays will be available as well of course.
Soon I will be posting a lot of information about the Larian Studios game "Divinity: Dragon Commander." This will include tips, let's play video, and Strategy and Tips videos. I sent an Email asking for permission to make the videos and Larion Studios accepted. Not only do they make awesome games, but they are a team of equally awesome people who love their fans!
If you don't own the game Divinity: Dragon Commander, I highly recommend adding it to your collections. You can find it on Steam, Here.
Some other great "Living in Japan" videos are also coming and more. I have over 1TB of video to edit and will get to it when my daughter isn't hogging all of my attention. Seriously, check out that Malukah Smiles video, you'll totally love it!
Sincerely,
Grin
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Stay Creative, It's good for you.
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Time Lapse Japan - Episode 1 - A drive from Gunma toward Saitama Japan.
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This video is from Bruce Schofield's "Time Lapse Japan" series of videos. Bruce Schofield is a Grinning Studios Network partner. You can check out his videos at -
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZEUvpGUMxA0aheNAD4tcQ
Check out Bruce Schofield's commentary version of this video at -
http://youtu.be/VQUR8-vsh8g
The music from this video is; TeknoAXE's Royalty Free Music - Royalty Free Loop Music #20 (Tribal Drum Corps) PercussionActionSuspense and can be found at -
http://youtu.be/07CBXS8Ed2g
and
TeknoAXE's Royalty Free Music - Royalty Free Loop Music #22 (Fields of Fury) ActionSuspenseOrchestra which can be found at -
http://youtu.be/XONLDlY7fUE
The video was recorded by Bruce Schofield, The sound effects can be found for free use at - http://www.freesound.org and http://youtu.be/i0R_Ydn_Th4
Grinning Studios owns all rights to use, monetize, distribute, modify, and do what ever we want to all the elements in this video. All rights are reserved by Grinning Studios and our network partners, including channels, Save Sci-Fi, and Bruce Schofield. For information about becoming a network partner, please message us, or visit out FaceBook Page link at the top of this description.
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Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Walking the Streets of Japan: Niigata, Furumachi - Episode 1
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Come walk the streets of Japan with me!
This is a pilot for a new series called Streets of Japan. The idea is that I will walk through various streets of Japan and record as I go, talking about what I see and explaining what I can. The first streets of Japan I plan to walk through are in Niigata, since that is where I live. If the series becomes popular, I will go to other places and even visit points of interest, buildings or possibly businesses.
Streets of Japan has no current schedule for release, but if the series is popular enough, I will consider every other week. If it becomes very popular, I will make it more often and perhaps buy a better camera/microphone.
If you would like to support the project - please like, and subscribe on YouTube and share with your friends and networks.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Getting a Japanese Driver's License.
Here is my story about how I managed to get my Driver's License in Japan.
These videos include scenery and places in Japan while I tell you stories or explain something about my life in Japan, or experiences in Japanese culture. Get yourself some popcorn and enjoy the story and insight into life in Japan.
First thing I talk about is the Subaru Stella's Echo Idle. The 2012 Subaru Stella has a feature that saves gas by shutting off the engine while you are stopped at lights and in traffic, then seamlessly starting back up when you let go of the brake pedal.
After the echo idle tangent, I go into explaining how I got my driver's license in Japan. Getting a driver's license in Japan if you are from England, New Zealand, Australia or many other countries is easy. You just translate your driver's license and take a written test. Pass the test and you get a Japanese driver's license. Getting a Japanese driver's license if you are American is not so easy.
If you want to be successful in Japan, having a Japanese driver's license is a great tool to use on your road to climbing the success ladder in Japan. You should do it, but if you are American, expect a difficult path. Americans must take the practical driving test in order to get a Japanese driver's license. Depending on what Prefecture in Japan you live, This test can be quite difficult to pass. Here is my story about my six failed tests to get my Japan driver's license, and how I was lucky to even get it on my seventh attempt.
Hope you enjoy.
Please like and subscribe to support my 4 hours of video work per month.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
These videos include scenery and places in Japan while I tell you stories or explain something about my life in Japan, or experiences in Japanese culture. Get yourself some popcorn and enjoy the story and insight into life in Japan.
First thing I talk about is the Subaru Stella's Echo Idle. The 2012 Subaru Stella has a feature that saves gas by shutting off the engine while you are stopped at lights and in traffic, then seamlessly starting back up when you let go of the brake pedal.
After the echo idle tangent, I go into explaining how I got my driver's license in Japan. Getting a driver's license in Japan if you are from England, New Zealand, Australia or many other countries is easy. You just translate your driver's license and take a written test. Pass the test and you get a Japanese driver's license. Getting a Japanese driver's license if you are American is not so easy.
If you want to be successful in Japan, having a Japanese driver's license is a great tool to use on your road to climbing the success ladder in Japan. You should do it, but if you are American, expect a difficult path. Americans must take the practical driving test in order to get a Japanese driver's license. Depending on what Prefecture in Japan you live, This test can be quite difficult to pass. Here is my story about my six failed tests to get my Japan driver's license, and how I was lucky to even get it on my seventh attempt.
Hope you enjoy.
Please like and subscribe to support my 4 hours of video work per month.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Toilets in Japan: Hightech and not so high tech.
Doing your business in Japan has never been more comfortable. I mean using the restroom, or toilet to be specific. That's what the toilet companies would have you believe in Japan. The truth is a little more oblique however, and it holds true in all facets of living in a foreign country. So let's get to the seat of the matter, clean off the misconceptions, and see what washes up and what flushes away. Perhaps you have seen in the news or on the internet that Japan has some of the most technologically advanced toilets in the world? Yes, that's right, toilets.
Some toilets in Japan come jam packed with all the comfort features you would expect from a porcelain throne. They have heated seats, washlets, bidets, will play music, will remove odor, will massage your backside, self clean, and so many other features you probably couldn't imagine. You might think that every visit to a restroom in Japan is an adventure in the comfort of doing your business, stylishly, and with such convenience that you may never have the need to leave the stalls for the entirety of your stay in Japan.
You may be surprised when you get to Japan and visit the nearest airport washroom. The toilets are so modern and amazing! Welcome to Japan. Or, should I say, welcome to modern Japan.
The truth is that these toilets are so new, and Japan's buildings and infrastructure are so old, this techno toiletry is the exception, not the rule. If you are on a visit and stick to the restrooms in the hotels and fancy restaurants, expect all the comfort Japan's freakish attention to comfort through technology can offer. Venture to live in Japan or travel the mass transit systems, and you may find a completely different story.
These techno-toilets are nice, but the simple fact is that they are expensive, and most places are not equipped with the space or plumbing to support them. The standard Japanese style toilet is little more than a hole in the floor. That's how the majority of Japanese do their business, squatting.
With the modern concern for handicapped and special needs peoples of the growing and aging population of Japan, there has been a mass conversion of the old squat style toilets to more convenient western style toilets, but it is still inevitable that you will visit a toilet in Japan that has not made that conversion yet.
What can you expect? Below is a video depicting a typical mall in Japan that has made the conversion, but still sports the old Japanese style toilets.
Most old homes and buildings still have the old squat style of toilets and you may need to expect it in some cases. Be aware of where you are. If the building or facility you are in is old you can expect, not only a squat toilet but also, in many cases, no heating in the restrooms either.
There are conversion kits to turn old toilets into more modern western style thrones, but the cost is often not considered by the majority of Japanese who feel quite comfortable using the squat toilets, as they have since they were children growing up.
In the end, Modern Japanese toilets are truly technological wonders, but most of Japan has not actually caught up to modern ways of construction much less technology. So while you will find some of the most amazing creature comforts and attention to convenience in newer buildings, you may also be forced to learn how the Japanese do business in the Japanese style as well. Keep that in mind when you make that decision to live in Japan, or tread the less beaten paths of Japan's tourist centers.
Above all,
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
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Thursday, January 10, 2013
Japan Mc Donalds: The Mega Mac in 60 seconds or it's free!
Get fat yo! That's the mantra for the Japan food section of Grinning Studios. This episode is all about the Japan Mc Donalds Mega Mac. That's a Big Mac with four patties instead of just two. On top of the Mega Mac set offer, Mc Donalds Japan promises to make and deliver your meal in 60 seconds or less, if ordered from 11:00 to 14:00, or or they will give you a bigmac free! How does it stack up? Check out the video below to find out.
Overall, the sandwich was pretty good! At 740 yen it is priced to fill you up for your money. It comes with a side of fries, M-size, and a drink, also M-size. If you want ketchup, you have to ask, but this lady knows me, as I am a frequent customer, and puts the ketchup and my drink in the order without even asking. She's so good to me! She remembers me and is always smiling. The customer service at Mc Donalds Japan is fantastic.
In the video, I unbox the Mega Mac and give you a good view of it. Then I go to town and get that puppy in my belly. I didn't know it, but the Big Mac also includes pickle slices. Not a fan, but the pickles were not half bad. There's lots of lettuce in this burger so I feel consoled in the healthy undertone of this fat building meal. Overall, this set was totally worth the price.
Hope you enjoyed the video.
The music in the BGM is Try 2 B written, played, recorded and produced by me 2010. I own all rights to this song.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
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Overall, the sandwich was pretty good! At 740 yen it is priced to fill you up for your money. It comes with a side of fries, M-size, and a drink, also M-size. If you want ketchup, you have to ask, but this lady knows me, as I am a frequent customer, and puts the ketchup and my drink in the order without even asking. She's so good to me! She remembers me and is always smiling. The customer service at Mc Donalds Japan is fantastic.
In the video, I unbox the Mega Mac and give you a good view of it. Then I go to town and get that puppy in my belly. I didn't know it, but the Big Mac also includes pickle slices. Not a fan, but the pickles were not half bad. There's lots of lettuce in this burger so I feel consoled in the healthy undertone of this fat building meal. Overall, this set was totally worth the price.
Hope you enjoyed the video.
The music in the BGM is Try 2 B written, played, recorded and produced by me 2010. I own all rights to this song.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
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Sunday, October 28, 2012
Pepsi Energy Cola - How does it taste? Where to buy?
Pepsi Energy Cola (ペプシ エナジーコーラ) is back, and it's bigger than last year, with a big bad sith lord endorsement.
This is year two of the Pepsi Energy Cola drink and the second time it has made a debut in Japanese convenience stores. The Endorsement of the most famous sith lord in the Star Wars universe, Darth Vader, is a dark and nerdy touch. Last year (2011) it started it's debut in 7/11 stores, and then migrated to SaveOn stores. While 7/11 sold their last stock, SaveOn had it for a few months after. Then it disappeared from all stores until October of 2012. This year, again, it has debuted at 7/11 stores, but can also be found at Lawson and possibly many other convenience stores (conbini). You won't, however, find this drink in the supermarkets.
The can is 250 ML this year (2012) where it was only 200 ML [apparently, my memory is bad and last year it was also 250 ML (2011). So this year the price has gone up from 150 yen to 200 yen for the same amount.] A unique part of the drink this year is the can's art design featuring Darth Vader and the caption "Give yourself to the dark side." I downed this drink with pleasure as it is one of my favorites, and couldn't feel any actual "dark side" taking over me, but I did have a good feeling of drinking something I truly enjoy.
How does it taste?
The flavor inducing Ingredients include; Royal Jelly, Panax Ginseng, Guarana, Arginine. and a Cola Base.
The flavor is cola with a bit of smarties/guarana flavor to it. Half the people that I have seen drink it say it tastes wonderful! The other half say it tastes like (insert something you don't like here that might have a similar flavor i.e. Dr. Pepper.)
KEY POINT on flavor. If you have congestion and can't breath through your nose well, this drink will have a more medicine-like flavor. The smell that you get from the mouth up the back of the throat to your nose really adds to this drink and makes it wonderful. So I suggest avoiding the drink when you have a cold or allergies.
Overall, it is quite nice and priced better than a cup of Jo. It is the size of a large Red Bull (250) ML but costs 200 yen instead of 275 yen. This drink is currently, (October 2012,) only available in Japan.
Where to buy it?
Pepsi Energy Cola can be found at 7/11 and some other Convenience stores in Japan. You can also buy it online, but only in Japanese. Here are some links.
Rakuten: ペプシエナジーコーラ
Amazon: ペプシエナジーコーラ
Apita Super Markets also had Pepsi Energy Cola on their shelves, but after one week they went on sale for half off. That's right 100 yen per can. They may have sold out by now.
This image was taken on November 10th 2012.
This may be a telling sign that Pepsi Energy Cola is not as popular as they had hoped, and may be going away again as a seasonal item, or that it will no longer be sold in the supermarkets. Either way, catch your chance to snatch them up for cheap.
This is year two of the Pepsi Energy Cola drink and the second time it has made a debut in Japanese convenience stores. The Endorsement of the most famous sith lord in the Star Wars universe, Darth Vader, is a dark and nerdy touch. Last year (2011) it started it's debut in 7/11 stores, and then migrated to SaveOn stores. While 7/11 sold their last stock, SaveOn had it for a few months after. Then it disappeared from all stores until October of 2012. This year, again, it has debuted at 7/11 stores, but can also be found at Lawson and possibly many other convenience stores (conbini). You won't, however, find this drink in the supermarkets.
 | |
| Can art; top 2012 - bottom 2011 |
How does it taste?
The flavor inducing Ingredients include; Royal Jelly, Panax Ginseng, Guarana, Arginine. and a Cola Base.
The flavor is cola with a bit of smarties/guarana flavor to it. Half the people that I have seen drink it say it tastes wonderful! The other half say it tastes like (insert something you don't like here that might have a similar flavor i.e. Dr. Pepper.)KEY POINT on flavor. If you have congestion and can't breath through your nose well, this drink will have a more medicine-like flavor. The smell that you get from the mouth up the back of the throat to your nose really adds to this drink and makes it wonderful. So I suggest avoiding the drink when you have a cold or allergies.
Overall, it is quite nice and priced better than a cup of Jo. It is the size of a large Red Bull (250) ML but costs 200 yen instead of 275 yen. This drink is currently, (October 2012,) only available in Japan.
Where to buy it?
Pepsi Energy Cola can be found at 7/11 and some other Convenience stores in Japan. You can also buy it online, but only in Japanese. Here are some links.
Rakuten: ペプシエナジーコーラ
Amazon: ペプシエナジーコーラ
This image was taken on November 10th 2012.
This may be a telling sign that Pepsi Energy Cola is not as popular as they had hoped, and may be going away again as a seasonal item, or that it will no longer be sold in the supermarkets. Either way, catch your chance to snatch them up for cheap.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Hello Kitty Merchandice Give Away - Grinning Studios Vlog 08-29-2012
The contest is in motion! I have purchased all the Hello Kitty merchandise and sent it off to TheLily1077 in the UK. She will be running the contest from here! So please check out her channel to find out how to win the contest!
If you would like to do a collaboration with me, I am very much open to working with more YouTubers for anything in Japan. Tell me what you want, I will find it, take video of it and the pricing and post it. If you want it, we can hammer out the details in PM.
The only rules I have are 1. Nothing illegal of course. and you must make a YouTube video of you opening the package after you receive it.
If you have a Hello Kitty request, please visit the main video and tell me what you liked from it and at what time you saw the item you liked. I will post a video for you with more detail. The video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq5ZYmBPZIA&feature=g-upl
The music in the BGM is Try 2 B written, played, recorded and produced by me 2010. I own all rights to this song.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Japan public event: 24 hour television in Nagaoka, Niigata - 08-26-2012
This is my artistic report on the 35th 24 hour television charity event for the Local area of Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan. This public and free event is a local part of the larger tokyo broadcasted 24 hour television event, and fundraiser for many charities. You can learn more about the Charity at: http://www.ntv.co.jp/24h/contents/english.html
Or in Japanese at: http://www.ntv.co.jp/24h/
Learn more about the specific local show that I was at here: http://www.teny.co.jp/tokuban/24h/index.html
The contents of this video are news based and fair-use. I am fully within my right as a commenter, artist, participant, and reporter to use these images in my news report and do with the video as I see fit. The arrangement, and structure of this video is my artistic expression of my experience at this free public event. No tickets were issued and no license agreement was made or implied at this public, local, and free event. no restrictions were made and video recording was encouraged as the parents of many of the children performing were taking video of their children. I have full right to use this video as my own creation as did everyone else that attended and recorded the event in Nagaoka. I own the rights to this video and the BGM "Try 2 B." as my own creations.
"Try 2 B." BGM written, arranged, produced, recorded and everything else, by me: Grin
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
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Monday, August 27, 2012
A closer look at some of the Hello Kitty merchandise.
The original video with the first look at the merchandise is here.
The story of how this Hello Kitty project began is here.
This video is a response to requests by
MrUsucksomuch: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrUsucksomuch
and
Cutecremepastries: https://www.youtube.com/user/cutecremepastries
The prices are in Japanese yen. I don't know what currency you use, so please convert the prices using yahoo finance or XE exchange rates or something.
First, is for cutecremepastries: Plush Jewel Pets at 0:20 - Tamaire (basketball like game) candy case 0:37 - Finger puppet cellphone screen cleaners at 0:54 - and the soap dispensers at 1:14 are actually prizes you can only get from a contest, and cannot be purchased.
For MrUsucksomuch: All the Ohashi, (chopsticks,) and their prices at 1:30 .
If you have a request, please visit the main video and tell me what you liked from the video and at what time you saw it. I will post a video for you with more detail. The video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq5ZYmBPZIA&feature=g-upl
The music in the BGM is Try 2 B written, played, recorded and produced by me 2010. I own all rights to this song.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
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Thursday, August 23, 2012
How the Hello Kitty Contest began.
This is an interesting story, and I thought I would share it with you. If you have not seen the video yet, you can check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq5ZYmBPZIA.
On August 7th, I posted a video about a Sanrio store in the mall that I work at. It is a great store with wall to wall Hello Kitty merchandise. I originally posted the video for my niece in the USA to watch, but I somehow caught the eye of a YouTube member in the UK. Her channel is Thelily1077 and she trades cute things with other girls through YouTube.
I wasn't expecting any commenting on the video, but Thelily1077 was thrilled about the Sanrio store and compelled to thank me for showing the video. She said there were no Sanrio stores in the UK and that it was really interesting to see what one looked like and the merchandise they sell.
Thelily1077 was the first commenter I've had that was so generous and nice in her comments and messages showing a genuine continuous interest in what I was posting. The YouTube community is so much more than just posting videos. It is also a social network with many wonderful users. In the spirit of the YouTube community, I thought how we could both grow and do something interesting. That is when I came up with the idea of the Hello Kitty give away contest.
I wanted to give Thelily1077's YouTube channel something unique. I thought, perhaps we could stir up some interest together. When I told her I wanted to do a contest with her, she was happy to do it. At first she worried that she would have to spend money, but I wasn't about to let her spend any money on my idea. When she realized I was going to send her free stuff to give away on her channel she was ecstatic! Even though the gifts I was going to send her were not for her specifically, she was more than happy to give it away.
Since then, many other crafters, collectors and enthusiasts have seen the video in a short time and asked to do collaborations. Even though I specifically said I could not do any more free give aways, I am getting collaboration requests. I never realized how interested people where in collectibles in Japan since I see the stuff every day. I think it is great that I can help creative people get something unique to share to their YouTube subscribers and grow their channels.
I hope to do many more things like this in the future, including; An internet and comic cafe video, a UFO catcher video, a miscellaneous coin machine toys video, and of course more Hello Kitty stuff. If there is something you would like to see in Japan. Let me know, I would be happy to do a video for you.
Sincerely,
Grin
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
and,
Show me your nerd swagger. ^_^
On August 7th, I posted a video about a Sanrio store in the mall that I work at. It is a great store with wall to wall Hello Kitty merchandise. I originally posted the video for my niece in the USA to watch, but I somehow caught the eye of a YouTube member in the UK. Her channel is Thelily1077 and she trades cute things with other girls through YouTube.
I wasn't expecting any commenting on the video, but Thelily1077 was thrilled about the Sanrio store and compelled to thank me for showing the video. She said there were no Sanrio stores in the UK and that it was really interesting to see what one looked like and the merchandise they sell.
Thelily1077 was the first commenter I've had that was so generous and nice in her comments and messages showing a genuine continuous interest in what I was posting. The YouTube community is so much more than just posting videos. It is also a social network with many wonderful users. In the spirit of the YouTube community, I thought how we could both grow and do something interesting. That is when I came up with the idea of the Hello Kitty give away contest.
I wanted to give Thelily1077's YouTube channel something unique. I thought, perhaps we could stir up some interest together. When I told her I wanted to do a contest with her, she was happy to do it. At first she worried that she would have to spend money, but I wasn't about to let her spend any money on my idea. When she realized I was going to send her free stuff to give away on her channel she was ecstatic! Even though the gifts I was going to send her were not for her specifically, she was more than happy to give it away.
Since then, many other crafters, collectors and enthusiasts have seen the video in a short time and asked to do collaborations. Even though I specifically said I could not do any more free give aways, I am getting collaboration requests. I never realized how interested people where in collectibles in Japan since I see the stuff every day. I think it is great that I can help creative people get something unique to share to their YouTube subscribers and grow their channels.
I hope to do many more things like this in the future, including; An internet and comic cafe video, a UFO catcher video, a miscellaneous coin machine toys video, and of course more Hello Kitty stuff. If there is something you would like to see in Japan. Let me know, I would be happy to do a video for you.
Sincerely,
Grin
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
and,
Show me your nerd swagger. ^_^
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Sanrio store in Niigata Japan
Sanrio is the parent company of the world wide popular Hello Kitty brand. Often you can find a Sanrio Store in department malls all over Japan. Here is a quick look at the inside of a small Sanrio Store in Niigata.
Thanks for watching. If you like these videos even a little, Please spread the butter on the bread! and by butter I mean the videos, and by bread I mean the social network of your choice. Share it wherever you share things, like it when you do, post your comments and show me your Nerdswagger.
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Thursday, March 29, 2012
Big names in comic, fiction, and art industry, banded together by one man, publish Fables For Japan's disaster victims.
It isn't breaking news that Japan was hit hard by a 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and three nuclear meltdowns. If you are reading this blog, it is highly unlikely that you are reading about it for the first time. What may be news to you, is that the disaster isn't over yet.
An estimated 80,000 refugees from fukushima and surrounding areas are still in government issued "temporary" housing. Even a year after the disaster. Read more about that here. That's just the refugees living in government housing, according to Wikipedia the disaster aftermath left over 300,000 refugees.
The assistance from the government, and Tokyo Electric Power, the company that owns the reactors, has not been enough to help these people get the medical, psychological, housing, financial, or job assistance they need. Read more about that here.
It was by luck that I stumbled upon one concerned man trying to make a difference and move mountains on his own for the suffering peoples of Japan. His name is Jason Temujin Minor, a talented comic and 3D artist. If you haven't heard of him, you have probably heard of some of the comics and games he has worked on; from TMNT to Star Wars. Being moved to lend a hand to the people of Japan when the disaster first struck, Jason made a donation to the Red Cross. At first he felt good about his donation, and the part he was playing in helping the victims. Then he saw a video of an entire village, on fire, and being swept away by the tsunami. His small donation just did not fill the hole in his heart for what he saw.
Jason is not a rich man, and was not sure how one person could make a difference, but he was determined to make that difference. In his search for how to help, Jason contacted a college student, Matt Funk, that was looking for artists to illustrate some short stories he had written. Matt intended to bind the stories and art into an anthology to sell and donate the money to charity for Japan. Jason volunteered, but due to logistical problems, Matt eventually called it off.
Inspired by Matt's Idea, Jason decided to give another try at it. With Matt's permission, he picked up the project and all of it's challenges. Jason contacted many writers, and artists from all walks of the industry to promote his idea. His determination began to pay off as many industry big names began to show interest in his anthology. Here is a list of contributors. How many can you recognize?
| Mark Badger | Jeff Baker | Anna Bron | Leanne Buckley |
| Ross Carnes | Christopher Clements | Nancy A. Collins | Federico Dallocchio |
| Nathanael Dodge | Amy Evans | Mathew Funk | Joan Upton Hall |
| Kristen Grace Hall | Mary Elizabeth Hall | Phillip Hester | Risa Horiuchi |
| Ryan Kelly | Teddy Kristiansen | Patricia Morse-McNeely | Jason Temujin Minor |
| Stuart Moore | Martin Pèrez | Tom Peyer | Eric Prince |
| Ayan Sengupta | Gareth Sleightholme | Leigh Walls | Yao Xiao |
| Carlos Cara Álvarez | Andy Catlin | Claudio Cerri | Kourtis Charalampos (Babisu) |
| Mitch Cook | Kristine Angela Demetrio | Carolyn Watson Dbisch | Mike Dubisch |
| Mathew Funk | Vasia Glava | Christopher Golden | Keith Grachow |
| Joan Upton Hall | Kristen Grace Hall | Mary Elizabeth Hall | Unnur Jònsdòttir |
| Achilleas Kokkinakis | Khoa Le | David Lloyd | Pablo Marcos |
| Patricia Morse-McNeely | Carol MacDonald Menchu | Amy Mihara | Jason Temujin Minor |
| Rebecca Minor | Viktoria Piechowitz | Neel Sawhney | Andrew Segal |
| Gary Shipman | Todd Shulek | Gareth Sleightholme | J.C. Vaughn |
| Shawn Wagner | Mark Weatley | Charles T. Whipple | Charlotte Winroth |
To Be announced...
That's a pretty impressive list of writers and illustrators, but the content will get you hooked. In the next few days, I will be writing detailed book reviews for both books. Strangely, even with such great support, paying for a bound book and hoping to make any money for the charity would create huge money, and logistical hurdles, and one of the many reasons Matt had given up. Jason decided to give it a shot as an e-book and set in motion the collection of artists, illustrators, and contributors.
Through incredible persistence and perseverance, Jason realized his project with the final construction of the first book on September 11th 2011. He put the book up for sale for $3.95, and announced it to the world! Even though he made a few sales and collected some money for charity, few people were buying the book compared to the supporters he had. After the second book was released January 9th, 2012 a lot of the hype for the book had subsided. People weren't talking about it as much any longer. Charity sales were dropping. There was still one more book to release but the support wasn't growing. He dropped the price to $2.95 and still nothing much changed.
When I found Jason it was the beginning of March 2012. I was online searching for e-books to review for my websites and came across his. I asked him if I could see a few pages of the books so that I could write an article about them on my blog and give his project some promotion. I was pleasantly surprised when he gave me a free copy of both book one and two and asked me to promote it as much as I could.
I poured over the books, enjoying the stories and artwork and just delighted by the product overall. The writers and illustrators are first class, the stories are interesting and the entirety of both books are beautifully put together. Even if it were $19.95, which is what this e-book should be priced at in my opinion, the value within the digital pages is worth every cent. I couldn't fathom why he was having difficulty selling these books.
After some thought, I realized what the problem was. Jason was just one man promoting his idea. He didn't have the marketing clout of a publisher necessary to promote this book and get noticed by enough people to really set it into sales motion. I encouraged into him that he would make a lot more sales for his charity if he could get more people talking about it on their websites. After some convincing, and willing to try whatever he could to keep his charity drive going, Jason joined an affiliate program.
It wasn't an easy decision for Jason. He had already collected $1,200 for International Medical Corps, doing a lot of work dealing with relocating the Fukushima evacuees and treating the psychological needs of the survivors (along with basic medical care.) Being in an affiliate program means he will have to give up a small portion of what he makes to pay the people marketing his book for him. However, the amount of marketing exposure he will get could really shoot his charity project into success! His creativity, motivation, and care knows no bounds, and I hope everyone get's a chance to read this wonderful book and support his project.
To really show the people his idea, story, book and charities, Jason will be on the Grinning Studios Podcast April 2nd in an open interview to tell us all about it. The podcast will be available for download on April 8th. Comment on this post or send any questions you might have specifically to me in the contact me page and I will make sure they get asked in the interview.
I can't wait to talk to Jason and hear how this story progressed from desire to help, to fantastic e-book and beyond. I hope you will join me in celebrating this creative, philanthropic adventure. Good job Jason, I admire you and though you don't call yourself a hero - and don't like it when other people call you a hero - heroes don't get to chose who calls them heroes. The victims get to choose, and as a first hand participant in the Japanese Disaster, I can tell you that you and the great list of people you have brought together for this production, are my heroes.
Keep up to date on this and other events coming to Grinning Studios by Joining the mailing list. As an added bonus, anyone that joins the Grinning Studios mailing list will get an update on the release of the third book and more bonuses in the future, including information on how to promote your idea, tips and tricks for getting the word out and selling your creativity, and much more!
Stay Creative Jason Temujin Minor, It's Good For You.
Join the grinning studios mailing list here.
Jason Temujin Minor's bio page.
Update 3/30/2012
I am writing a review for the contents of the books, Please look for it in the next few days.
I paid for my books today. Both books. It was nice to get them for free, but now I feel legit.
Dear Steven,
Thank you for your purchase. Your Invoice ID is 3xq2dri4jrmj2oby8dwfdra0gs0wsk
You can download your order here:
We appreciate your support of Fables for Japan and sincerely hope you enjoy the e-books.
70% of the money from this purchase will be going directly to those affected by the March 11th, 2011 earthquake in Japan.
If you'd like to leave a comment or a review, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to post them here: http://www.fables4japan.com/p/
Follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Fables for Japan
Thank you for your purchase. Your Invoice ID is 3xq2dri4jrmj2oby8dwfdra0gs0wsk
You can download your order here:
Hidden.
We appreciate your support of Fables for Japan and sincerely hope you enjoy the e-books.
70% of the money from this purchase will be going directly to those affected by the March 11th, 2011 earthquake in Japan.
If you'd like to leave a comment or a review, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to post them here: http://www.fables4japan.com/p/
Follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Fables for Japan
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Podcast episode 6: Japan Blog List Webmaster, Jonathan Allen
He also talked about some of his favorite blogs and here is the list of the blogs he mentioned.
http://www.tokyoreporter.com/: The slightly seedy side of Japan.
http://greeneyedgeisha.
blogspot.jp/: Sadly seems to have stopped posting.
http://JapanProbe.com
http://muza-chan.net/: She doesn't even live in Japan , but posts
something interesting everyday.
http://www.ourmaninabiko.com: The British guy who put together the book 2:46
http://shibuya246.com/: Combini's and travel.
http://yonasu.com/
http://www.wordpress.
tokyotimes.org/: A photo blog.
We also talked about monetizing our blogs, the steps we have done to monetize, and how other people have monetized. We talked about Adsense, adwords, and more.
There is a possible chance for a collaboration between Japan Blog List and Grinning Studios. Jonathan Allen and I spoke about possibly doing a feature blog interview promotion. We'll hopefully keep in touch about that and see where it leads.
We talked about Jonathan's life in Japan, his hobbies, his wife's hobby/job as a yoga master, and things that he likes and enjoys In Japan. One of these likes was a program for people that want to study Sake (Japanese rice wine) and his experience drinking Sake's to earn a good appreciation of good sake. The link for that is at http://www.sake-world.com/html/about-john.html
Jonathan Allen's Wife's website is http://yogasan.net.
Hope you liked the show and enjoyed the interview with the creative, Jonathan Allen, webmaster of www.japanbloglist.com.
(OFFLINE!!) Go to http://grinningstudio.blogspot.jp/p/podcast.html
Listen to the podcast:
On iTunes:
On Grinning Studios Blogcast:
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Networking your blog with other bloggers in Japan
The premise of this page is to help bloggers of Japan connect and network with other bloggers. Make partnerships, exchange links, find like minded people, make friends, and enjoy a rich community of bloggers and website owners that all have a creative interest in Japan. Here you can find musicians in Japan, meet people that teach in Japan, find writers in Japan, get tips and ideas for your blog or website and grow your reader base.
How To:
To join this bloggers page and get your page listed there are a few simple steps. Items with an asterisk (*) are optional.
1. Go to Japan Bloggers on Facebook and like the page.
*2. Send a message with a link and description of your blog as you would like it to appear on Japan Bloggers.
*3. When your page is added, like the picture and write a message. This way, people that want to network with you, can do so at your blog picture and you will get an alert that someone posted to it.
*4. Spread the word.
RULES:
1. English Only.
2. Spamming will get you permabanned.
3. No link promotion! You can talk about something you posted on your blog and link to the picture of your blog, only!
4. Posting links to blogger's resources is acceptable spam links will get you banned. Spam links are links to ad heavy sites for the purpose of getting sales, clicks, or exploiting the Japan Bloggers good nature.
5. The rules may change, please keep up to date with the rules. All changes will be posted on the timeline.
Networking just got a little bit easier for creative people in Japan. Become part of this great community and start growing today.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Website networking: bloggers in Japan find their audience from Jonathan Allen's, Japan Blog List.
Veteran bloggers know the value of Internet marketing and networking. Every link to their blog is plated with a golden opportunity to grow audience, and search engine ranking. Exposure is needed for growth and the search for that exposure never ends. For bloggers in Japan, one of your first back-links should be Japan Blog List.
Japan Blog List is a monthly list and summary website for blogs in Japan. Submit your blog and summary and the web master, Jon, will post it on the list the next month. The only stipulation is that your blog be something about Japan. The original site was started in 2007 by a man named Gary living in Vancouver Canada. Gary is a lover of all things Japanese, but didn't have the time to keep up with the website. Jon took over the website August, 2010, and it has been growing quickly ever since.
Jon is an IT man with a creative pension for blogging. His first Blogger blog was "I'm A Seoul Man in Tokyo," but now he spends his creative free time blogging and tweeting for The Japan Blog List. He has worked in IT for companies such as Goldman Sachs and lived in London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Seoul South Korea and now Japan. He is an interesting and creative person, and I will be welcoming him on my podcast, to talk about his creative projects and life in Japan, this weekend.
Stay tuned, and Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Japan Blog List is a monthly list and summary website for blogs in Japan. Submit your blog and summary and the web master, Jon, will post it on the list the next month. The only stipulation is that your blog be something about Japan. The original site was started in 2007 by a man named Gary living in Vancouver Canada. Gary is a lover of all things Japanese, but didn't have the time to keep up with the website. Jon took over the website August, 2010, and it has been growing quickly ever since.
Stay tuned, and Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tokyo Kids & Radiation Interview: Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Radiation Disaster Anniversary
Earlier this week, I had a chance to interview David moore, a concerned husband
and father of two living in Tokyo. He built a home radiation lab consisting of Geiger counters, dosimeters, a multichannel analyzer for nuclide spectrometry, and a lead shielded testing tube for his two inch Scintillator. He has
been testing for radiation, and radio nuclides in samples from all over
Japan. He has tested everything from food to dirt and is accurate down
to 6.5 Bq. His website is http://sites.google.com/site/tokyokidsradiation/ where he posts all of his data, charity work, clean-ups, and information. He also has a community Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tokyo-Kids-Radiation/227762067240468.Summary of the interview.
David talked about his experience in Japan during the Earthquake, Tsunami and Radiation disaster. It was amazing to hear him describe a concrete tunnel he was in during the earthquake twisting and turning like a snake. He spoke about how, even though the Japan earthquake unnerved so many, once over, they were quick to line up for the next train and continue as if nothing had happened.
"For me, I had that, 'oh shit! I have to run away,' feeling." David admitted.
His wife, stuck in a building on the ninth floor, was forced to stay in the building by her boss, and had to walk 6 hours home across town in high heels after work ended, because by then all transportation had been closed down.
David had actually lived through the two major natural disasters of the century. Not only had he lived through the Japan earthquake, but also lived through the Katrina Hurricane Disaster in New Orleans. He explains how people cleaned store shelves and horded everything they could in both disaster. The Japan disaster food hording wasn't so bad, he explained to me. "In my home town, a man killed his sister over the last bag of rice," during the Katrina disaster.
After the initial shock of the earthquake and tsunami the Nuclear power plant in Fukushima was on the news. Plant Dai Ichi in Fukushima had three nuclear meltdowns with reactors spewing radioactive particles into the air. David explained to me how the school he worked at, on his advice as the nuclear meltdown began, and for the safety of the children, canceled classes for their protection.
As the nuclear situation got worse, their care and safeguarding efforts grew. They had taped up their windows, created a decontamination area in their entry hallway, and wore masks anytime they went outside the house.
As time passed, and they grew more and more discontent with the lack of radiation information being reported by the news and government, David's family began reaching out for information. He brought some dirt that he had measured with a simple dosimeter from an area around his home to a Nuclear Scientist at Tokyo University's Isotope Center, Dr. Shozugawa. The good doctor initially measured the dirt with a scintillation probe and was surprised by the level of contamination. The doctor requested to take some of the sample to test further. After some time the doctor reported back to David that the dirt was in excess of 22,000 Bq of cesium. That is when he and his wife realized they had to work to protect their environment and children on their own, because the Mayor of the town dismissed his findings. David put teams together and began doing cleanup/radiation decontamination in his neighborhood.
David began building his own Radio Nuclide lab and with the help of many people from FaceBook Groups like Tokyo Radiation Levels, Japan Food Safety, and his own community, Tokyo Kids and Radiation, he was able to calibrate his equipment to detect as little as 6.5 Bq of radiation. THe process wasn't easy as most radiation detector making companies were charging up to 3.5 times the value of their equipment in Japan. Unfortunately, these companies are still gouging the market and an underground of radiation testing equipment sales is a movement of it's own in Japan. David explains how he detects radiation, how a scintillation probe works, how gamma spectrometry works and other information you may find useful in building your own lab.
After months of building his data, and website where he posted that data, and thousands of dollars - he began to draw a picture of the situation in Japan. The Japanese agricultural economy was going through a slow suicide, and it is still happening.
Overall, this interview was very insightful and informative. If you want a first hand account of the stress of the march 11th earthquake, tsunami and the stress of the ongoing nuclear disaster, this interview will provide that. I hope you like the interview and hope that you will support TK&R and other groups like it in Japan. They are growing in number and need all the support they can get.
You can find the Podcast on iTunes. Search for Grinning Studios, the episode is number five. Or you can listen to it online: http://grinningstudio.blogspot.com/p/podcast.html
If you like the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes. 5-star reviews will get a 5-star shout-out on the next show.
If you want to support the Grinning Studios blog, and what I do to promote creative people, please make a donation. There is a donation link in the right sidebar. You can donate one dollar, five dollars, one Million dollars - or any amount you like. Or buy me a Redbull to keep me up and posting.
Thank you for your support! I couldn't do it without you.
David Moore from Tokyo Kids & Radiation,
Stay Creative, It's Good For You!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Speech Jammer researcher and creator, Kazutaka Kurihara: Interview
With any new knowledge and device, there are intended uses and there are those people that will abuse such devices. It is not the researcher's obligation to nerf your world, but to grow the understanding of science and technology for all its good intentions and uses.
Stay Creative, It's Good For You.
Sincerely,
Grin.
Kazutaka Kurihara is the researcher at The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Ibaraki-ken who devised, designed and tested the Speech Jammer Gun. Read more about the Speech Jammer Gun in my previous post.
Speech Jammer original post.
Kazutaka Kurihara E-mail Interview:
 |
| Grin |
What is the SpeechJammer, and how does it work?
 |
| Dr. Kurihara |
 |
| SpeechJammer Prototype1 |
 |
| SpeechJammer prototype2 |
[What's DAF?]
It is thought that when we make utterances we not only generate sound as output, but also utilize the sound heard by our ears (called "auditory feedback") in our brains. Our natural utterances are jammed when the auditory feedback is artificially delayed. It is thought that this delay affects some cognitive processes in our brains. This phenomenon is known as speech disturbance by Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF). |
| Grin |
You seem like a very creative person. Some of your projects are quite interesting.
What was the inspiration for the Speech Jammer; what gave you or your team the idea for this research?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
I soon consulted a friend of mine Dr. Koji Tsukada, "the gadget master," who had once demonstrated a "Directional Speaker" to me that could convey sound a few tens-of-meters with a very sharp direction sensitivity. I contacted him, because direction sensitivity was one of the key features that SpeechJammer should have and I needed a strong partner who was good at hardware. After I explained my idea to him, he agreed to join my project. It was a marriage between science and gadgets!
|
| Grin |
How many people worked on this project together?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
|
| Grin |
Can you tell us a little about how you worked together?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
|
| Grin |
Did you think you would get such a strong response from the news and online?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
We are really surprised at the response we are getting.
|
| Grin |
When people contact you about the Speech Jammer, what do they most want to know?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
* Journalists asked us the mechanisms of SpeechJammer and who I would want to to shut up. (Grin: xD Haha!)
* An Israeli consultant in Defense asked us very specific details of the effectiveness of the device.
* Media Artists asked us to hold some exhibitions with them.
* people who are inspired by SpeechJammer provided us with some future application ideas.
* And of course, many people wanted to buy a SpeechJammer device.
|
| Grin |
Has the response you have been getting favorable?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
|
| Grin |
My website alone receives 20 hits a day from google keyword, "Speech
Jammer Buy." Have you thought about commercializing this product as it
seems there are plenty of people that want to purchase it?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
|
| Grin |
Your research paper is well written in English. Do you write all your papers in English as well as Japanese?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
|
| Grin |
Is this project finished? What will you do next?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
https://sites.google.com/site/qurihara/top-english/cinemagazer
It is totally different from SpeechJammer, but has some of the same root philosophy. Modern society unavoidably requires us to receive too much information: including speech, text, and movies. So I think that we have to establish some technological support so that recipients can actively control the comfortable flow of the information they receive. This project will be presented at AVI'12, an academic conference, this May. You can read the preprint article and watch a demo movie from the above link.
Koji has been creating many, many simple gadgets to improve our daily activities. For example, AwareHanger is a context-aware hanger that can detect laundry status automatically and inform users via multiple media (e.g., sounds or Twitter), and EaTeremin that entertains you with various sound effects determined by what food you are about to eat.
AwareHanger:
http://orange.siio.jp/~nanami/project-en.html
EaTheremin:
http://orange.siio.jp/~azusa/projects_04.html
|
| Grin |
Is there anything else you would like to say about this project for anyone interested?
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
|
| Grin |
I also hope that creative individuals will find a productive use for this technology. Time will put its use into place, and testing and research will provide understanding of its proper use. Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate your work and ingenuity. Stay creative, It's Good For You.
|
| Dr. Kurihara |
Friday, March 2, 2012
Speech Jammer: The - Shuttup! - Gun
UPDATE 3/8/2012
You can read the interview here.
End UPDATE
Recently, I got in contact with a research scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken. His name is Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara, and he and Dr. Koji Tsukada are the brainchildren of a recent invention we all wish we could use on those annoying babble chatters on the train, in the office, elevator, or lobby, or mother-in-laws that just won't shut up!
The device is called the Speech Jammer. As you can see by the image on the left from, Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara's website, it is designed to stop those annoying, interrupting, and long winded chatter boxes by cutting off their speech and boggling their minds. The person in the image I believe is none other than Dr. Koji Tsukada. Please visit Dr. Koji Tsukada's research website and see what other projects he is working on as well.
A Speech Jammer? Where do I get one? There are only two prototypes at the moment, but hopefully after my interview with Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara, or if I can get an interview with Dr. Koji Tsukada, they can be persuaded to get this thing into production so you can buy it!
Just how does this thing work? The device accomplishes silence-of-the-lames by picking up the offending speech through a directional microphone, and feeding it back to the offender at a delay of about 0.2 milliseconds. This delay causes auditory feedback and induces a kind of stuttering behavior, but sadly, no pain or physical discomfort. The speaker loses track of what they are saying and will have difficulty thinking about their next words.
The Speech Jammer is an amazing... um, tool, and I invite you all to visit Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara's website, where he even has a video of how it works. Also read his PDF paper that explains the project and research in detail. With any luck, I will post an interview with him over the next few weeks, and with a little more luck, I will convince him to talk about all of his amazingly creative projects on my podcast. I would like to see him get more funding for his inventive projects.
Stay Creative, Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara, it's guguguood ffu fufu ... ummm... for yayaya you! xD
You can read the interview here.
UPDATE 3/6/2012
I sent an 11 question email interview to Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara. He has many projects and I just could not interview him on all of them. I decided to stick with the Speech Jammer project with an option to talk about all of his, and his team's, projects on my podcast. End UPDATE
Recently, I got in contact with a research scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken. His name is Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara, and he and Dr. Koji Tsukada are the brainchildren of a recent invention we all wish we could use on those annoying babble chatters on the train, in the office, elevator, or lobby, or mother-in-laws that just won't shut up!
The device is called the Speech Jammer. As you can see by the image on the left from, Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara's website, it is designed to stop those annoying, interrupting, and long winded chatter boxes by cutting off their speech and boggling their minds. The person in the image I believe is none other than Dr. Koji Tsukada. Please visit Dr. Koji Tsukada's research website and see what other projects he is working on as well. A Speech Jammer? Where do I get one? There are only two prototypes at the moment, but hopefully after my interview with Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara, or if I can get an interview with Dr. Koji Tsukada, they can be persuaded to get this thing into production so you can buy it!
Just how does this thing work? The device accomplishes silence-of-the-lames by picking up the offending speech through a directional microphone, and feeding it back to the offender at a delay of about 0.2 milliseconds. This delay causes auditory feedback and induces a kind of stuttering behavior, but sadly, no pain or physical discomfort. The speaker loses track of what they are saying and will have difficulty thinking about their next words.
The Speech Jammer is an amazing... um, tool, and I invite you all to visit Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara's website, where he even has a video of how it works. Also read his PDF paper that explains the project and research in detail. With any luck, I will post an interview with him over the next few weeks, and with a little more luck, I will convince him to talk about all of his amazingly creative projects on my podcast. I would like to see him get more funding for his inventive projects.
Stay Creative, Dr. Kazutaka Kurihara, it's guguguood ffu fufu ... ummm... for yayaya you! xD
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