Monday, November 27, 2006

Adult : Automatic sex machine

It seems the Koreans have taken the first step towards ensuring gender equality in Japan. The invention and export of 120 automatic sex machines to Japanese love hotels is finally giving women--many of whom claim never to have had an orgasm before--the chance to seek their own pleasure zones. Called The Dream Love Chair, the device is actually a set of two seating areas, one that thrusts and another that rotates at 10 different speeds. It's height-and incline-adjustable, too. A Korean robotics professor experimented with 100 couples to perfect this thing. He and the Japanese distributor, a company called AD-D, claim the biggest benefit is that it minimizes pelvic grinding. Obviously, they're guys.

Thank you Korea! We kick your ass in many things but you definitely beat us to the punch on this one.

USB : USB Mushroom Humidifier


Yes, I know it looks like I have fungal growth next to my desktop (and a forest behind my desk). I DO have a forest behind my desk, but that cute little mushroom is actually a humidifier. The water goes in the stem. Air is filtered through the mushroom head and circulated via its internal fan motor, and then released through the vents. It can run on batteries or charge via USB.

It's 2,362 yen and you can buy it here.

Gadgets : USB Sucky Ducky Vacuum Cleaner


Hi, I'm USB Ducky. I like to suck dirt off your keyboard and watch you work. My sucking can be turned off and on easily by a simple switch.

Buy me here for 1,480 yen.

New Tech : High-tech devices for blind and deaf people

Japan's Ministry of Health just launched a major collaborative effort with 10+ companies and research institutes to create highly exportable, high-tech devices for people with hearing and vision disabilities, including one that will instantly translate spoken words into cell phone text messages for the hearing impaired. Hitachi and IBM already have gadgets that will read web sites, but nothing that reads printed text from magazines.

Once these awesome devices are created, the Ministry will start by promoting them to local and regional governments, which are created by law to assist the hearing and vision impared. A total of 270,000 Japanese fit this category.

The robotic chick in the picture is Hitachi's animated sign language woman.

Full story here.

Gadgets : Ghost detector cell phone strap


Remember the high-tech ghost detector I posted that has sent manypeople on quests to find and map the dead? Well, now you can get a mini-cell phone strap version for less than 2000 yen.

This bad boy detects magnetic field alterations and body temperature fluctuations, then sends warning signals via different colored light patterns and eerie ghost noises.

Buys yours here.

Scientific : Sperm testing DIY


This ultra-thin, ultra-magnifying disposable loupe fits in your wallet with your credit cards and drivers license. The blue card magnifies by 500x and the pink by 1000x. Just place a tiny amount of whatever you're examining in the center hole, insert the enclosed prepalette in the slit, place a transparency on the lens card, and then prepare to stare.

The manufacturers surveyed 1000 people on favorite uses for this popular product, and the results were as follows:

1. To assess the health of sperm
2. To analyze the fluidity of red blood cells
3. To inspect hair follicles
4. To observe microorganisms

What is this woman so excited about, I wonder?




Get yours here.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Transports : Six Wheel Car






Gadgets : Bust your own ghosts


Holy shit. This product could put an entire industry of Ghostbusters out of business. Created by toy company Solid Alliance, this "Ghost Radar" uses sensory technology and an internal bioclock to measure signs of an otherworldly presence, like changes in magnetic fields and body temperature. A set of 16 LED lights and spooky whooooo!-ing sounds warn ghost hunters of nearby spirits. Varying light patterns tell you what kind of ghost you're encountering so you know what to expect. Who's that knocking on my door? Is it Casper making a friendly visit or the Shining twins just being freaky as usual?

The Ghost Radar comes in black and white and is quickly selling out. Hundreds of successful hunters are posting their findings and haunt sites on an online bulletin.

Transports : Acura


Toyota announced their plan to take over the world. They plan to sell 9.8 million cars in 2008, which would put them ahead of GM. Japan on top of the US! Unthinkable, unless you're talking about the number of professional perverts there are. (Maybe.)

The main reason for Toyota's recent success and global dominance ambitions is the Prius, which has kicked ass against high gas prices. But those of us who have seen the ominous South park episode--where the "smug" from Prius owners destroys San Francisco--might opt for this oh so good looking Lexus LS460, introduced two days ago.

Electronics : LED Jellyfish, your ideal pet

Are you sick of your goldfish? Is a dog too high maintenance for you? You should consider getting a LED jellyfish tank. These five-toned silicone squirmers will float in and out of your dreams and automatically turn off after 2 hours. Cool huh? 14,000 yen. Comes out end of November.

Reserve yours here.

Gadgets : LED Scanner Pen cell phone strap

Remember those awesome doodles you made on your homework notebook in the 5th grade that you kept in your little secret treasure box forever? You've never drawn anyone as precisely as when the 11-year old you drew that mean-ass French teacher who threw chalk at your face. Well, now you can show off that and other impromptu doodles (I ALWAYS draw on restaurant placemats) with this LED scanner pen cell phone strap.

All you have to do is take the thing, slowly scan your image while pressing the yellow button on the top, and--when you're done--swing the pen back and forth to see the image pop up in front of you. Awesome, right?

The image you're scanning can't be larger than 20cm x 7.5cm, and you have to use a black and white pen/pencil that's more than 5mm thick.

Get yours here.

Robotics : Robot joins temp agency at $450/hr


This is Ubiko. Ubiko signed up with the temping agency Ubiquitous Exchange recently, and will soon be dispatched to companies at a whopping 50,250 yen an hour. ($450) That's a lot more than I ever got temping--and I have a masters degree! WTF?

Now that I think about it, I don't understand why anyone would hire Ubiko over me. She's 44 inches tall. She's made of plastic. She speaks in a high-pitched robotic monotone. Sure, she come with a camera and IR sensors, but I could totally get that stuff installed in me if I knew it would get me paid at those rates. And all she does is show DVDs on her forehead and hand out balloons with her wireless remote-controlled arms. Tsk, that's nothing.

Read more here.

Toys : Dragon Ball Z Character Flashlight


Having a miniature flashlight on your keychain is a really good idea. Having a miniature flashlight that flashes images of Dragon Ball characters on your keychain is an even better idea. This LED flashlight comes in four colors--Piccolo Green, Son Goku Red, Son Gohan Yellow, and Vegeta Blue. Each one flashes an image of its namesake when you push the little silver button on the side.


Available as both a keychain and a cell phone strap for 600 yen each. Get yours here.

Handphone : The simplest cell phone in the world

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Tech blogs love to rave about the newest high-tech super-slim multifunctional Japanese cell phones, but when I go back to Tokyo, I just fish my good old Tu-ka S out of the closet. Marketed primarily to senior citizens for being as self-explanatory as those old-school rotary telephones, they have NO functions--NONE--besides on/off, talk/end, and the 12-digit keypad. Alright, gadget geeks, stop freaking the fuck out. The awesome thing about this phone is that you could throw it off the top of Tokyo Tower or forget to recharge it for an entire cycle of the moon, and it will still work. And it's still slim and silver, not like those bulky black things people used in America in the 80s.

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Toys : Cell phone-controlled RC dinosaurs


KDDI won the portability race and Softbank got Cameron Diaz, but only DoCoMo's i-mode can manipulate a dinosaur!

These new miniature dinosaurs are only 14cm long, but they look like the real thing and can be controlled via IR from the awesome fossil-shaped remote control buttons or your i-mode. The creators carefully studied the movie Jurassic Park to perfect the overconfident swagger of the T-Rex and the wobbly head-shake of the Triceratops.

If your friend has an i-mode, too, you can even make Scary Lizard fight Horn-Face. Of course, we all know who's gonna win...

Available starting mid-November here for 1,680 yen.

Gadgets : Elecom's disc data crusher


I can't decide if this machine is utterly useless or...just a waste of space and money? This new product from Elecom Japan claims it can make any CD/DVD-ROM disc unreadable by putting scratches on it within seconds. It's powered via USB and is being marketed as an indispensable security feature for your office.

I'll let you decide for yourself if you want to buy one for 3,150 yen at the end of the month. Me? I'm just gonna continue using spent discs for stress release by snapping them in half and writing profanity on them with a Sharpie.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Gadgets : Star Wars character USB flash drive


I don't watch movies that have Star or Space in the title (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Lost in Space, Space Odyssey), but I do know some people who would ditch their 6-gig Megadrive for this 256MB designer Star Wars flash memory stick in a heartbeat.

These stylish, metallic quarter-sized drives come with a full-body image of a Jedi, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, or Clone Trooper. Whoever the fuck those people are, I don't know, because I slept through Star Wars: Episode 1 and will never again waste $10 on that silly movie series again.



Get yours here.

Gadgets : Alien detector cell phone strap


We all know that aliens exist. We just never really figured out how to find them--especially not the ones that don't look like ET. That's why a Japanese alien specialist created this alien detector cell phone strap to carry around. Using this thing requires a little bit of extraterrestrial detection training. But here's the short version of what you have to do:


1. Go to a place known for suspected alien landings.
2. Lightly press the detector button. If there's a UFO nearby, the gadget will make a "Piko piko" noise.
3. You've found your alien! The rest is easy. Have the suspect put his/her/its finger on the button while pushing the metal piece on the reverse side. IF your new friend is really an extraterrestrial, the device will scream: "Hyun! Hyun!"

This way you don't have to do experiments on all your alien-like weird friends.

Most importantly, this device has the endorsement of Japan's number one alienophile, Junichi Yaoi.

Electronics: New transparent household electronics


Check out these cool new products from National Electronics' Invention Station, part of their new campaign hosted by these three hotties.


The dryer uses natural dry air instead of loads of energy to do its job, and the fridge has a special "low waist line" to facilitate the transport of heavy juice cartons and big pickle jars (if you're a pickle freak).


Just make sure you don't have your leopard thongs or moldy cheese or human body parts in there when you have your boss over for dinner.

Handphone : The Most Expensive Handphone

1.3 million dollar for this phone





Looks like created by Russian, it has a price tag of 1.3 million dollar for its diamond decoration.

Building : Olympic 2008 stadiums (Beijing - China)














The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be held in Beijing, China from August 8, 2008 through August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony to take place at 8 p.m. on August 8th. The number 8 is associated with prosperity in Chinese culture. Some events, like beach volleyball, sailing, and swimming's new marathon 10km events, will be held in the coastal city of Qingdao.

On July 8, 2005, the International Olympic Committee announced that Hong Kong will hold the equestrian events at the site of the Hong Kong Sports Institute in Fo Tan, Sha Tin. The facilities of the Sports Institute may be moved to Wu Kai Sha. This will be the second time the same edition of Olympic Games has been hosted by two National Olympic Committees. (A similar arrangement was in place between Melbourne, Australia, and Stockholm, Sweden, for the 1956 Summer Olympics.)