Touchable Holography

I must admit--the Japanese seem to always think two steps ahead of everyone else. While most people are still innovating on current hologram technology, the Japs are putting it to the next level--by letting users feel the 3D images! And they're using Wii sensors and air to help them achieve it.

Don't believe me? Watch the video below:





Now I'm really wondering what's next from here...

Smile Though Your Day Is Crumbling...

Admittedly, it's not really easy to flash a smile when you're in the middle of a chaos, like working inside a train station. But for people in Japan, not smiling is almost a crime! And because of that (coupled with classic Japanese ingenuity), they created the Smile Scanner. I am betting it has the same principle/technology behind the Smile Shutter function of the newer Sony Ericsson mobile phones and Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras, wherein it actually looks for your smile. Only then will you be able to click.

So why is smiling a prerequisite in the Japanese train system?

The Freakonomics section of New York Times Online tells readers:

Japan’s Keihin Express Railway Co. has set up “smile scanners” at 15 of its stations, where railway employees have their smiles assessed by software in the hopes of perfecting a customer-friendly look.

However, BBC reports that it's not really a compulsory thing:

Some of the busiest train stations in the world have installed computerised 'smile scanners' to help employees deliver a better service.'

Well, forcing people to smile is really something. But if it's for the sake of achieving satisfactory customer feedback, then let's all hold a peace sign, smile, and say "kawaii!!!"

*Image aggregated from Destination360.

**Parts of news article courtesy of BBC and NYTimes.

Webcams for Music Video

Here's a very interesting music video from Sour. Sour is a Japanese post-rock band formed in spring 2002 by hoshijima (gut guitar/voice), Sohey (eub/bass), KENNNNN (drums/toys). The video for their single 'Hibi no Neiro' (Tone of everyday) from their first mini album 'Water Flavor EP' was made with the help of their own fans. The cast were selected from the actual Sour fan base, of which many are from outside of Japan. Dig this: each person and scene was filmed purely via webcam.

So how did low-res webcam videos made this particular music video very interesting? Well, watch and see:




If you can't view it here, try clicking on this link.

Video source from Youtube. Video copyright by Sour's music label. Please contact them for commercial use of the material.

Found at Adverblog.

Ultimate Gundam Replica

I may not know the whole deal about Gundam, but I do collect the toys. However they all fall short of expectations against this gigantic Gundam replica that Japan has just completed. Geekologie has some info to share:

"To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the mecha anime/manga/toy/video game franchise, this 18-meter-tall (59-foot-tall) RX-78 has been erected.

Fifty points on the Gundam statue will emit light, and mist will shoot out of 14 different points on the statue. The 1/1 scale Gundam boasts a moveable head and a continuous stream of oh-man-this-is-so-damn-cool."

Wow...just like how we used to see it on TV--Gundam standing as tall as the city's buildings, zapping in on bad bad nemesis. :) Too bad if you're a die hard Gundam fan, you just can't take the statue home to add to your collection. :D

Image and parts of the text aggregated from Geekologie. To read the rest of the stuff, click here. Please contact the authors for permission to use the images commercially.

A Thousand Cranes, 2.0

By now, you all probably know the story behind the 1000 cranes:

"An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy beasts (others include the dragon and tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years. In Asia, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person's wish come true. This makes them popular gifts for special friends and family.

The Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. Her story is told in the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Several temples, including some in Tokyo and Hiroshima, have eternal flames for World Peace. At these temples, school groups or individuals often donate Senbazuru to add to the prayer for peace. The cranes are left exposed to the elements, slowly dissolving and becoming tattered as the wish is released."

So there. A thousand paper cranes, a thousand wishes. It's a nice touch to a very rich culture. But here is a guy who has made a pact with the online world that he's going to create 3 paper cranes everyday, so that by December 31, 2009, Bobby Casumbal would have made a thousand of these little pieces. He puts it in different locations, which makes the project really interesting. The reasons for this endeavor may be hinted on his "links" section:

- Antidote to anger

- Campaign for peace

- Campaign for cancer

His FAQs are more comprehensive and is worth a peek.

Would he be able to make it? Your guess is as good as mine, but I am gonna cheer for this guy. It's a big feat, and he earns my accolade for doing something like this to remind everyone to appreciate each and every day. Good luck, Bobby! :)

To read the rest of his 1000 Cranes project, click here.

*Bobby also happens to be a fine artist--check out his works here.

1000 Cranes info taken from Wikipedia

Image aggregated from 1000cranes2009 Blog and is copyright by Bobby Casumbal. Please contact the blog author for use of the image.