Archive for category Only in Japan
Saturday Afternoon Theater: BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE: The Art of Japanese Special Effects
Posted by mistergroonk in Documentary, Movies, One Sheets, Only in Japan on December 31, 2011
By chance we scanned a tweet from @wildgrounds sharing a link to the documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE: The Art of Japanese Special Effects(2008). This is a documentary interviewing the actors, special effects artists, directors and the like about the insane popularity of the Godzilla franchise and why, after all these years, the king of all monsters who still stomps about Tokyo the the 21st century remains a man in a rubber suit.
Watch the documentary below the cut.
In Aqua City Odaiba Shopping Mall in Tokyo, Japan: GODZILLA CHRISTMAS TREE!
Posted by mistergroonk in Holiday, Only in Japan on December 14, 2011
We want this in our back yard. All year long.
Once we get a back yard, that is.
via unusual life and buzz feed
Found: Ardnamurchan Viking Boat Burial, Fully Intact & Shipwreck of Kublai Khan’s Lost Feet, Possibly
Posted by mistergroonk in Only in Japan, People Who Died, Science on November 11, 2011
First, the viking:
The term “fully-intact”, used to describe the find, means the remains of the body along with objects buried with it and evidence of the boat used were found and recovered.
About 200 rivets – the remains of the boat he was laid in – were also found.
Previously, boat burials in such a condition have been excavated at sites on Orkney.
Now, the shipwreck:
In Japanese legend they are known as The Kamikaze — the divine winds — a reference to two mighty typhoons placed providentially seven years apart which, in the 13th century, destroyed two separate Mongol invasion fleets so large they were not eclipsed until the D-Day landings of World War II.
Marine archaeologists now say they have uncovered the remains of a ship from the second fleet in 1281 — believed to have comprised 4,400 vessels — a meter below the seabed, in 25 meters of water off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan.
The Future: Japanese Scientists Create Spherical Flying Hover Drone, 26 years After REAL GENIUS
Posted by mistergroonk in Only in Japan, Robots, Technology, The Future on November 8, 2011
A few weeks ago Japan’s Ministry of Defense revealed a helicopter hover drone that can fly up to 40 MPH. It can also roll on the ground or up a wall under full control of the operator. This new thing has obvious uses in defense and security. Hell, pick any high technology dystopian future, evil genius base or shady multinational corporate entity in fiction and you’ll see a fleet of these suckers.
But a Google+ user pointed out what should have been obvious from the get go. This hover drone could revolutionize certain aspects of filmmaking. We’re embarrassed the creative idea didn’t come to us before the hard practical uses.
Another thing that struck us about this machine is that the 1980s movie REAL GENIUS prophesied it about 26 years prior.
Our Strange Sky: Do You Remember When Lasers Cut the Night Sky?
Posted by mistergroonk in Only in Japan on June 13, 2011
Andrew Cooper, electrical engineer at Keck Observatory, captured this view from the location of another Mauna Kea telescope, the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) on the summit ridge. Cooper combined 23 photographs, each with 1 minute exposures, producing a photograph alive with star trails (as the Earth rotated for 23 minutes) and yellow lasers cutting through the sky.
“During the exposure, the Keck 2 laser [far right] is aimed right over the camera at the Milky Way’s galactic core,” Cooper told Discovery News. As the Earth rotated for those 23 minutes, the laser beam stayed focused on the center of our galaxy, making the laser appear “thicker” than the other two adaptive optics lasers on Subaru and Keck 1.
— by Ian O’Neill
Saturday Afternoon Moment of Who: Paul Johnson’s Anime Doctor Who is Finished!
Posted by mistergroonk in Animation, Art, Artist, Only in Japan, Television, Trailers on June 4, 2011
Otaking aka Paul Johnson has finished his anime Dr Who project. We followed this project for three years now. It’s been worth the wait.
Drop below the cut for the 13 minute trailer experience.
Read the rest of this entry »
Robot WTF: Geminoid Robots are Meeting, Having Conversation. (Talking About Us)
Posted by mistergroonk in Only in Japan, Robots, Science, Technology on April 8, 2011
There are only a handful of people in the world who can say they have a robotic clone of themselves, and most of them just got together in Japan. ATR’s facilities in Nara hosted a bizarre reunion at the end of March as three Geminoid robot replicants and their originals met for a press conference and photo shoot.
We feel the need to reiterate this each time robots get together or unlock some new achievement: THIS IS HOW THE CYLON WAR STARTED.
Focus: 2011 Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami
Posted by mistergroonk in Only in Japan, Photography, World on March 15, 2011
We’ve noted several articles, photographs and videos in the time since learning of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week. If you follow our Twitter(also noted to the right side of this Newsmine) you’ll get some of this information real-time.
Now here are the other links we’ve noted in the last few days.
Help Japan
Signalnoise created a Help Japan poster(which is now sold out) in order to raise money for disaster relief.
Canada: Text REDCROSS to 30333 to donate $10
USA: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10
Ireland: Text REDCROSS to 57500 to donate €5
There is a Reuters article that suggests if you want to help Japan that you should focus your efforts on the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders or Save the Children.
We leave it to you to decide how best to contribute aid.
More photos, videos and articles under the cut.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Sunday Punch: US Air Force’s The Bats of Okinawa, Japan
Posted by mistergroonk in Only in Japan on October 24, 2010
Anime Director, Satoshi Kon ( 1963 – 2010 )
Posted by mistergroonk in Animation, Anime, Movies, Only in Japan, People Who Died, Television on August 24, 2010
The universe remains an unfair ‘verse. We just learned of anime director Satoshi Kon‘s passing via Twitch.
Satoshi Kon worked on several anime classics under Katsuhiro Otomo and Mamoru Oshii, but is most well-known for his own films released by Madhouse: “Perfect Blue”, “Millennium Actress”, “Tokyo Godfathers” and of course “Paprika”. He also made the brilliant 13-episode series “Paranoia Agent”. Currently he was working on his new film “The Dreaming Machine” which was scheduled for release next year.
Kon’s genius will be sorely missed.
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