15042736
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Not sure what you're thirty for? New vending machines in Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, Japan will tell you based on your age and gender. The machines, controlled by a centralized server, come equipped with sensors that recognize basic costumer information, and then provide recommendations along side the list of available drinks. A massive 47-inch touch panel display is used in place of the typical button system, allowing for an automatic digital advertising mode when no people are directly in front of the machine. (Hey look, the vending machine has eyes and is saying it is thirsty, I'm thirsty now too!) Customers can pay with either cash, or via a number of automatic credit systems used in Japan, such as JR East's SUICA. The company that produced the machines, JR East Water Business Co., has put two into use as of August 10th, and hopes to have 500 deployed within the next two years.
14523218
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Move over Blu-ray. Japanese researchers from Sony and Tohoku University announced the development of a "blue-violet ultrafast pulsed semiconductor laser," which Sony is aiming to use for disk. The new technology, with "a laser wavelength of 405 nanometers in the blue-violet region" and a power out put "more than a hundred times the world'(TM)s highest output value for conventional blue-violet pulse semiconductor lasers," is believe to be capable of holding more than 20 times the information of current Blu-ray technology, while retaining a practical size. Japanese news reports have speculated that one blue-violet disk could be capable of holding more than 50 high-quality movie titles, easily fitting entire seasons of popular TV shows like 24. When the technology may hit markets was not indicated.
13183798
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Those who have studied Japanese know how imposing kanji, or Chinese characters, can be in learning the language. There is an official list of 1,945 characters that one is expected to understand to graduate from a Japanese high school or be considered fluent. For the first time in 29 years, that list is set to change — increasing by nearly ten percent to 2,136 characters. 196 are being added, and 5 deleted. The added characters are ones believed to be found commonly in life use, but are considered to be harder to write by hand and therefore overlooked in previous editions of the official list. Japanese officials seem to have recognized that with the advent and spread of computers in daily life, writing in Japanese has simplified dramatically. Changing the phonetic spelling of a word to its correct kanji only requires a couple presses of a button, rather than memorizing an elaborate series of brush strokes. At the same time, the barrage of words that people see has increased, thereby increasing the necessity to understand them. Computers have simplified the task of writing in Japanese, but inadvertently now complicated the lives of Japanese language learners. (Oh, if you read Japanese and are interested in more details on specific changes, Slashdot.jp has some information!)
12374872
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Japan has gone life-size anime model crazy. Last year there was the robotic 1:1 Gundam model that guarded Tokyo for a few months in the summer to mark the series' 30th anniversary, and then there was the giant Gigantor moment that opened in Kobe in the fall in honor of the city's rejuvenation from the devastating 1995 earthquake. Now, an amusement park near Mt. Fuji named Fuji-Q Highland is building an Eva Unit 01 from the popular Neon Genesis Evangelion series, or at least a bust of it, in conjunction with the series' recent movies. The bust will sit in a replica hanger, and reportedly stand around 9 meters tall. Visitors will have the chance, for a little extra money, to have their photo taken in the unit's cockpit, where the series' protagonist-of-sorts Shinji Ikari normally sits. The attraction is set to a cost of over US$1.6 million to build, and open on July 23rd of this year. It will also undoubtedly be swamped by crazed fans looking the opportunity to bring their anime dreams to life.
11931424
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
A Japanese manufacturing cooperative named Astro-Technology SOHLA announced on April 27th that they are planning to create and send a two-legged humanoid robot to the moon, have it draw the Japanese flag on the surface, and hopefully then get it to return to the Earth, all by the year 2015. The group wants to inspire people, particularly in Japan, about space and generate confidence among SMEs to create low-cost space technology. While the idea may seem far-fetched to some, SOHLA had success in building a small low-cost satellite, named "Maido-1", which was launched into space aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket in early 2009. The group also commented that they want to have their future humanoid robot hitch a ride to the moon with a surveying rover that JAXA is building.
11771878
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
In a brief press released buried within Sony Japan's website, the company announced that they would be ending sales of the class 3.5 inch floppy disk in the country in March of 2011. Sony introduced the size to the world in 1981, which saw its heyday in the 1990s. Sony has been one of the last major manufactures to continue shipments of the disk type they helped develop, but had ended most worldwide sales in March of this year. The company's production of the 3.5 inch floppy ceased in 2009. Sony noted the demand, or a lack there of, as the reason. The company's withdrawal is one of the final marks in the slow death of the floppy era.
11286524
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Japanese scientists at the National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Fisheries Research Agency have reported that they successfully completed an artificial cultivation cycle for unagi, or eel, a world first. Unagi is a traditional delicacy in Japan, and can commonly be found in baked-form at sushi restaurants. The fish has long been caught either matured, or still young and then fattened on farms. Sadly as a result, natural stocks of unagi have plummeted in recent years. However, the research news has indicated a future method to completely farm breed the tasty creature in mass quantity. Good news for sushi-lovers, Japanese businesses, and wild eel alike.
10500590
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Four major Japanese car manufacturers and one power company (Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Tokyo Electric) have teamed up with over 150 business and government entities in Japan to form a group to promote standardization in electric vehicle chargers and charging stations. The group hopes to leverage current Japanese electric vehicle technology and spread standardization throughout the country, as well as aim towards worldwide acceptance of their standardized charger model. In a very Japanese manner, the group has decided to call themselves "CHAdeMO," a play on the English words "charge" and "move," as well as a Japanese pun that encourages tea-drinking while waiting the 15+ minutes it will take to charge one's vehicle battery.
10436696
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
In honor of Pi Day , March 14 (or 3.14 for those who may need a hint), readers may be interested in reading an interview with Professor Daisuke Takahashi, the Japanese researcher who found 2.5 trillion decimals of Pi back in the famous number back in last August, before being apparently edged out in December by a French computer programmer looking to prove his efficient coding abilities. Professor Takahashi's interview gives a brief unique incite into one man who truly marvels at the number that has drives people to ever greater lengths to find more digits for centuries. Among Professor Takahash's thoughts are that he believes Pi may in fact be a message from God. Also, on a random side note, he commented that he doesn't eat pie often.
10159788
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
A 42-year old man was arrested outside of Osaka, Japan in connection with a Youtube video of him going more than 130km/h (80mph) over the speed limit on his 1300cc motorcycle. The man reportedly borrowed his friend's camera and videotaped himself speeding at well over 180km/h in a 50km/h zone, illegally passing cars multiple times in the process. The man's friend then distributed the video online. Local police say they received an anonymous tip about the Youtube video and investigated. It then took them nearly half a year before making the arrest, but the motorcyclist, who apparently admitted guilt, is now likely facing both multiple fines and jail time. Japanese police say it is the first time they've used evidence from the internet to pursue such traffic violations. With a multitude of similar speed enthusiast home videos on Youtube and other sights, might more careless braggers start facing legal problems?
9144356
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Might we one day be able to use our cell phone cameras to pick out the best piece of meat on display at the market? Some Japanese seem to hope so. A team of scientists are using infrared camera technology to try and determine the tastiest slices of high-grade Japanese beef. The researchers believe that the levels of Oleic acid found within the beef strongly affect the beef's tenderness, smell, and overall taste. The camera's infrared rays can be tuned to pick out the Oleic acid levels through a whole slab, a process that would be impossible to do with the human eye. While the accuracy is still relatively low, a test tasting this month resulted in only 60% of participants preferring beef that was believed to have had a higher level of Oleic acid, the researchers hope to fine tune the process for market testing by next year.
7351622
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Japanese computer manufacture Kohjinsha has announced that it will begin selling what appears to be the world's first 10.1" dual screen laptop on Dec. 11th. While it is not the first "dual screen laptop", a title said to be claimed by the monstrous 17" Lenovo Thinkpad W700ds series, the Kohjinsha "DZ series" sure looks much more portable and stylish. The Levono Thinkpad's extra screen pulls out slightly from one side for about a 40% increase on its display, whereas the Kohjinsha DZ series' two full separate screens actually spread out symmetrically from the center for double the viewing pleasure. While specs are admittedly much lower than the Thinkpad, the DZ series certainly wins on cost. The starting price will be ¥79,800 (~$900 USD) in Japan, (although exporters will likely mark that price up slightly,) compared with the Thinkpad at well over $2000 USD. Kohjinsha says the laptop is great for working on large business documents (excessively wide excel files) or watching videos while surfing the web (which is likely what most users will be doing with it.) The timing and the price certainly make the Kohjinsha DZ series a tempting xmas toy idea to oneself, especially after seeing pictures and videos of it.
7287598
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
A Toshiba employee in western Japan has been arrested on charges of copyright violations for selling software online that breaks copying limits on certain Japanese digital TV recording and playback devices. The software specifically overrides limits on a program called "dubbing10" which is used in devices sold by companies such as Sony, Sharp, and Panasonic. It is believed that the man generated thousands of dollars worth of earnings for himself by selling to at least 712 people, including one teenager who then resold the software to another 240 people. This is the first disclosed cased in Japan of someone being arrested for selling such limit-removal software for digital TV recording. Since it sounds like he has already admitted to selling it, although denies creating it, and due to the generally high conviction rate of those arrested by Japanese police, his future does not look so bright at the moment.
6751118
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
The 10,000 km (6,200 mile) long Unity fiber optic cable, funded by Google and five East Asian communication companies, left Japanese shores on November 1st to be laid along the northern Pacific Ocean floor. The Japanese end of the cable is expected to be fused to the American end sometime around November 11th. The cable, which was announced in February of 2008 at a cost of around $300 million USD, has the theoretical capacity of 7.68 Tbps, but will be set at a capacity of about 4.8 Tbps (supposedly equivalent to about 75 million simultaneous phone calls) during its initial use. When Unity begins full operation sometime early next year, it is projected to increase internet traffic capacity between the two regions by over 20%, a wonderful boast to transpacific relations!
6484987
submission
JoshuaInNippon writes:
Sony announced via a Japanese press release that they will be showing off a prototype of a tabletop 360 degree 3d display that can be seen in any direction without special glasses at the Digital Content Expo 2009 in Tokyo, from October 22-25. The device is quite small, at just over 10 inches tall and 5 inches in diameter. The display, using LEDs, currently supports an image that is 96 pixels wide by 128 pixels tall, with 24-bit full color. Sony also says it could have a number of applications, such as a digital sign, a digital frame, a medical display, or a virtual pet. (Looking at the product image, who else wants to bet on the latter?)
