27 September 2006

The Internet is Falling! The Internet is Falling!!!

I don't know what happened, but today, I opened up my browser and this page showed up. I HAVE NEVER seen a google page go down... EVER!!! This is the company that has thousands and thousands and thousands of computers, for the sole task of searching the internet!!!!

I was shocked. The Internet is Ending.


In other news, I took up my Kanji studies again. I'm doing a little each day. And with the help of http://kanji.koohii.com I'm getting more benefit out of using mnemonics to remember the Kanji.

for example: take

for example. If we break it apart, on the left you have water (three drops) on top you have capture, the grid in the middle is a rice field, and on the bottom you have fire. It means "fishing." Normally Japanese just memorize it... but they learn all these over 6-7 years in school and have the advantage of starting when they're 5 and being surrounded by it everyday. I don't have EITHER of those luxuries. So I make stories. For this one (left to right, top to bottom) you're a Japanese farmer on the water. You capture the fish, go home and throw the head and guts in the rice field (for fertilizer) and then cook it over the fire. water, capture, rice field, fire! Easy! Take the water on the left off and you have 魚, fish(out of water).

Of course, there's more to it than that... and you have to build your way up to that... but now I can recognize seemingly complex kanji like 願 much more easily without studying for 6 years. By the way, it means petition and I remember it by imagine a huge wizard of Oz head in a meadow... don't ask. Of course, I still need to learn the pronounciations, but hey, one step at a time, right? I'm 10% done.

Anyway, it's interesting and Seiko gets a kick out of it... she doesn't see how I can get it... (Of course, because she has these characters etched into her brain from childhood)

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25 August 2006

A Bipedal Dog...

Calling all Dog Lovers. Bringing you another gem from the vestiges of youTube. This makes me want to get a two-legged dog. I know it's possible to teach a human to walk on their hands... but this is AMAZING!

24 August 2006

18 August 2006

Finger Exercises for the Otaku in you!


Wish you were better at Mario Party? Wish no more! You too can have the amazing skill of 16 button presses per second!

Just do these Japanese finger exercises. Actually, they're really difficult! I wonder if these were sponsored by Nintendo?

16 August 2006

You don't know the power of the cute side...


What happens when Darth Vader goes soft? I don't know where this is, or WHAT this guy (girl) was thinking... but in case you're were wondering what REALLY happened when Vader tried to go undercover in Japan...

02 August 2006

Those Crazy Russians

Click here for a crazy (high-strung?) russian in the Massive Moscow Subway system.

Little known fact: Moscow has one of the most used and most beautiful subways in the world. 8 million people per DAY travel on that subway and it covers a HUGE area. Each station has amazing art and architecture, mostly built while the nation was communist! This map is 35 x 45km.

26 July 2006

Crazy Crosswinds

Ever see a plane land sideways? Check it out.

25 July 2006

Don't Copy that Floppy

For all those that remember the computers of the early 90s and happen to love old-school hip-hop...

13 July 2006

In honour of Portugal

Okay, it's been a while. I promise to never... no scratch that, I can't make promises. Hey, this blog is free entertainment, so quit complaining!
The World Cup is over, and this is a video of Portugal practicing.