How people feel when we speak geek talk
Here's a good reminder for geeks of all trades not to sound too boring when talking about geeky subjects 
(in Japanese, quick explanation follows):
This commercial is for the Japan Registry Services, a group promoting the .jp domain among other activities. The video starts simply, with two men on a bus, one of which asks his buddy what his company (JPRS) does. The JPRS guy starts...
Read more »2011: My year in review
This might not be of interest to many, but thought I'd write down some highlights of my year 2011. Maybe for posterity, maybe because I feel a lot of stuff happened this year.
January
- Decided to spend Christmas and New Year's in Japan, which is the second time I have ever done so (for Christmas). Went to Senso-ji in Inage, Chiba, and had a much better New Years than last time I was there...
Thank you for your support: Zenbu sales to help Japan
As mentioned on EE Insider, Devot:ee and nicolasbottari.com, last week's sales of Zenbu all (100%) go to the Japanese Red Cross towards helping Japan get back on its feet after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11th. I was in Tokyo when the earthquake hit, and although it was the biggest earthquake I experienced in Japan (or anywhere else), damage was minimal compared to the...
Read more »Earthquake in Japan: my experience, and how you can help
You all know about the M9.0 earthquake that hit Japan, and I lived the experience first hand in Tokyo. I was returning to my place in Chiba City (map) after a store launch party (for which I'm building an EE-based site), when the earthquake hit after my train suddenly stopped at Ochanomizu station (center of Tokyo, map). After my train stopped violently shaking, I exited the station with the...
Read more »Next Cup Noodle ad: Queen
First of all, Happy New Year! Hope 2011 will be great for everyone.
Since I posted two of them, might as well keep going: here's another recent Nisshin Cup Noodle ad using Japanese lyrics praising the sodium-packed carbohydrates. This one features Freddie Mercury singing on what would be I was born to love you. As in the other ads, lips were CG'ed to fit the lyrics.
I remember this song...
Read more »Another Cup Noodle ad wonder: Bon Jovi
Remember when I mentioned the Cup noodle ad with Jamiroquai? Well, the Nisshin company is at it again, this time with Bon Jovi, with new lyrics for You give love a bad name.
Here's the video, although I bet the Japanese media will ask Youtube to pull this one down as they did with the video in my other post. I still don't get how an ad, that is shown on TV, is a no-go on youtube. Isn't more...
Read more »Cup noodle ads: funny lyrics of known music videos
I'm really digging the recent Cup Noodle commercial series in Japan. The commercial looks like a regular music video, but the lyrics are completely different and sung in Japanese. Check out this Jamiroquai gem:
Looks like the famous "Virtual Insanity" video, until Jamiroquai starts singing "I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry... Oh Cup Noodle, I could eat about five!"
I only...
Read more »Using twitter from a Japanese mobile phone
I remember a few months ago when I tried in vain to login on Twitter from my Japanese ketai, which most have only a simple WAP browser (meaning no Javascript or complex CSS, old school webpages only). I couldn't get past the login form, which wouldn't clear for some reason.
Looks like this has been solved now, with the whole Twitter interface translated in Japanese, little Japanese...
Read more »My latest gadget: the washlet
While everyone else is talking about the iPad, I would like to show off my latest gadget which I have purchased last week: the washlet.
I'm sure a lot of people know what a washlet is, but personally, I didn't know about the term until I came to Japan. So, what is a washlet?
A washlet is a device that replaces your standard toilet cover with a high-tech seat containing a number of...
Read more »Tokyo tower… in pink
Just had to share this. Walking back from work, I see a bunch of people with their cellphones out, pointing their cameras at something. I look behind me, and behold, what a view! Tokyo tower, a "me too!" copy of another famous European building, was illuminated in some kind of purple/pink color. I had just enough juice in my cellphone to take the picture, before my cell died. As you can also...
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