Archive for November, 2010

Dog Speaks Japanese

Here’s a dog that seems to be capable of saying the Japanese word for “mother” (okaa-san):

Since the dog only ever says it when she’s touched by somebody other than her mommy, her owners think that she’s calling out for help from mom. ATV consulted some dog behavior experts and were told that this was true – sort of.

The dog thinks of her human family as a pack, with the mother as the leader and the dog as the second-ranking pack member. When lower-ranking pack members touch her, she gets angry and growls. The fact that her growl sounds remarkably like “okaa-san” is apparently just a coincidence.

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Urine-aspiration Robot

Diginfo introduces Unicharm’s Humany, a robot that sucks urine out of wet diapers:

“Some people need a diaper change 6-7 times a day, but with the Humany, one change a day is enough. We’ve received positive feedback from users, like: “I feel very comfortable in the morning,” and “It’s great not having to change diapers at night. To use the Humany, you connect it to this sensor. Next, you insert the urine tube into this inlet. Then, this part is attached to the person’s body, facing the abdomen. If urination occurs, it’s detected by this sensor, and the pump starts up, transferring the urine to this tank. “

The device is aimed at the nursing care market, but YouTube comments have pointed out that computer gamers may also see the benefits of not having to use a toilet or change diapers.

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Blindfolded Samurai Swordsman

You can view more of his videos on his official YouTube Channel.

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Yakuza Boss Arrested

Takayama has been arrested for blackmail/extortion. Apparently he was forcing a construction company in Kyoto to pay 40,000,000 yen in “protection money” to his gang.

People who follow the activities of the Yamaguchi-gumi may remember that Takayama was one of the bosses who funded the handing out of holiday gifts to children in Kobe last year. Whatever good will that events like that may have achieved between the Yamaguchi-gumi and the public was shattered a couple weeks ago when the piece of a neighborhood was disturbed by the bombing of one of the gang’s offices.

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Chinese Woman Sent to Labor Camp for Anti-Japanese Tweet

At least that’s what Global Voices Online and Deutsche Presse-Agentur are reporting:

Police transferred Cheng Jianping Tuesday night to the Shibalihe Women’s Re-Eduation Through Labour Centre in the central city of Zhengzhou in Henan province after a local judicial committee passed the sentence, Hua Chunhui said.

Cheng, who used her online name Wang Yi, was arrested after she added her comment to a message from Hua that she reposted on Twitter on October 17.

‘Angry youth! Charge!’ she wrote next to Hua’s message, in which he said the best way to enliven anti-Japanese protests would be to ‘fly immediately to Shanghai and smash the Japanese pavilion at the World Expo.’

‘It was kind of satirical,’ Hua said of Cheng’s comment, adding that she was sent to the labour camp ‘only because she put five characters before my Tweet.’

I guess the authorities do not appreciate satire, especially when it is satire that can be interpreted as a call for violent protests at an international event that the PRC was using to showcase its progress.

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Obama Amused by Japanese Robots

American President Barack Obama encounters some Japanese robots in Yokohama:

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” made a joke out of the encounter:

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