Archive for April, 2009

Chidejika 2.0: Improved digital TV mascot

A few improved versions of Chidejika, the cartoon deer that replaced Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as the official spokesman for the Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting:

First, we have a Chidejika/Kusanagi hybrid monster!

Next, we have some otaku-friendly anime girl versions of Chidejika created by a 2-channelers [via Itai News]:

Some pics of Chidejika wearing a leotard bearing Kusanagi’s famous phrase “What’s wrong with being naked?!” [submitted by LB]

Of course, some Japanese internet users made images alluding to Kusanagi’s arrest for public nudity:

Alex went a little further and added some beer cans next to his nude Chidejika:

A scary Chidejika breaking into a house:

And last, but not least, Pedobear:

A huge awesome gallery of Chidejika fan art can be found at Pixiv.

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Can masks save us from the swine flu?

It’s pretty common for people in Japan to wear surgical masks when they are sick or trying to protect themselves from illness, and the government has included the wearing of masks as a measure to be used by the general public if the swine flu comes to Japan.

An advisor to the British government does not agree about the usefulness of normal folks wearing masks:

Rosemary Leonard, a doctor who sits on the board of Britain’s Health Protection Agency — an independent organization which advises on preventing infectious diseases — said she doubted their use by the general public.

She told the Daily Express newspaper on Tuesday that after several hours of use the masks become damp through respiration and start to become porous, thereby potentially letting any virus in or out.

If they are used, they need to be changed every few hours in order to be effective and also disposed of efficiently in order to prevent the virus spreading, she advised.

“Everyone would need a new one twice a day so we would need a phenomenal amount. There is no scientific basis that they work and it is false reassurance,” she said. “Money could be better spent on anti- viral medication.”

Sounds like good advice, but masks would still probably be useful during commutes on packed rush hour trains and during long flights full of possible swine flu carriers.

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Japanese foreign minister complains about lame scene from Indiana Jones movie

Yes, Mr. Nakasone, I think we can agree that the above scene from “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was pretty stupid:

“There was a scene in a hit movie last year in which the famous hero, facing a blast from a nuclear test, hid in a refrigerator,” Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said in a speech against nuclear weapons.

“I was surprised by the movie’s lack of awareness of a nuclear bomb blast. A nuclear explosion destroys everything in an instant. I felt concern that this kind of easy-going image might spread around the world.”

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Broken Robot Nozomi

Street performer Broken Robot Nozomi puts on a sad show about war:

And has a sad experience with a dog:

And finally, a performance about the environment:

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