Archive for June, 2011

Aimi Eguchi – CG Idol

A Japanese TV show asks foreign tourists to comment on AKB48 member Aimi Eguchi:

Eguchi isn’t a real person. She is a “CG” idol that was created by combining the facial features of several of AKB48′s most popular members. She made her first appearance in a Glico commercial a few weeks ago, and it didn’t take long for fans to realize that she was probably fake (her weird eyes were a big clue). When she failed to make any real life appearances, TV shows joined in on the CG speculation. A few days ago, to the surprise of very few people, it was announced that she was indeed fake.

In the above video clip, foreign tourists are shown still images of the AKB48 members who appeared in the commercial and are asked to identify the computer-generated girl. Only 3 of the 19 people answered correctly. Many thought all of the girls looked real.

To demonstrate how difficult it is to create a cg idol by combining the facial features of real actresses, the show asks a photoshop pro Tokyo’s Digital Hollywood University to create a mixture of Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway, and January Jones:

The result is horrifyingly sloppy. It’s supposed to be a serious effort, but it looks even worse than some of Conan O’Brien’s silly “If They Mated” images. I really hope that that guy isn’t teaching a photoshop course at that school…

The report points out that Eguchi is hardly the first CG pop star in Asia. Back in 2001, a South Korean pop group apparently had a lead singer that was computer generated (Nazca).

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Video: Monkey Rides Pig

I’ve got some good news about Miwa, the boar-riding monkey at Fukuchiyama Zoo in Kyoto prefecture. It has previously been reported that the “rodeo” riding had to end because boar had grown too large and dangerous, but it seems that the zoo has found a substitute mount.

Miwa is now regularly riding around on a miniature pig named Hiromi:

The zoo is hoping that the new pig/monkey team will be cute enough to attract lots of visitors.

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Snapping Turtles in Japan

A Japanese news crew visits Sakura city in Chiba prefecture, where foreign snapping turtles are screwing up the local ecosystem:

Most snapping turtles that are caught in the wild in Japan were pets that escaped or were thrown away. Usually, it’s just one turtle. However, in Chiba Prefecture the turtles have been able to mate and breed in the wild.

Even though prefectural authorities have been catching hundreds of turtles, it has been difficult to stop the infestation. A single turtle can lay up to 40 eggs at a time. The big scary turtles have few natural enemies, so their population has been steadily increasing.

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T-Hawk UAV Fails at Fukushima

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle crash-landed on top of one of the reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant:

The vehicle, known as a T-Hawk, is about 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) in diameter and looks like a small jet pack. It is used primarily by the military for reconnaissance work in dangerous areas. It has been used at Fukushima since mid-April to assist in damage assessment.

The company said that there did not appear to be any damage from the impact of the vehicle, with no fire or smoke observed following the accident. It was not known if the vehicle was damaged.

TEPCO spokesman Junichi Matsumoto said that due to its small size and weight, the drone was “unlikely to crash through the rooftop and damage the reactor.”

The drone had made several successful trips of the reactor in the past. Some images it filmed back in April can be found on YouTube.

Extended footage of the crash can be found here.

And here is a video that explains how the drone works:

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Ken Tanaka Music Video

Japanese YouTube Ken Tanaka has a new music video. He has teamed up with his bandmates – Polo, Teruko Kataoka, and Takeo – to create “Doko Demo World” (どこでもワール):

Here are the lyrics:

どこでもドアがあったり　なかったりするからよー x4
ドラえもん　おー　ドラえもん
ドラえもん　よー　ドラえもん
どこでもドアがあったり　なかったりするからよーx2
のびたくん　のびた　のびたくん　のびたー
のびたくん　のびた　のびたくん　のびたー
どこでもドアがあったりなかったりするからよーx2
すねお　すねお　すねお　すねお
すねお　すねお　すねお　すねお
どこでもドアがあったり　なかったりするからよーx3
あ〜　あ〜　あ〜　あ〜　ああああ
どこでもドアがあったり　なかったりするからよー
おやすみなさい

You can’t always count on a “Dokodemo Door” x2
Doraemon oh Doraemon x4
You can’t always count on a “Dokodemo Door” x2
Nobita oh Nobita x4
You can’t always count on a “Dokodemo Door” x2
Suneo oh Suneo x4
You can’t always count on a “Dokodemo Door” x2
Good night

A “Dokodemo Door” is a teleportation device that appears in the Japanese anime Doraemon. You open the door and can go to any location you desire. Doraemon, Nobita and Suneo are some of the main characters in Doraemon.

You can get an mp3 of the song here.

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Japan’s Wild Boar Problem

A Japanese TV news report about dangerous wild boar entering cities and towns:

Apparently it is happening all over Japan. There have been reports of boars coming down from the mountains and forests and attacking people in residential neighborhoods. Recently, attacks have occurred in Kobe city and Hiroshima prefecture.

The boars also cause a lot of damage to farms. They chew or claw their way through protective nets and eat all the crops. They are not afraid of inflatable tigers.

Some areas have organized hunts to keep the boar population under control. About five and a half minutes into the video clip, we can observe a group of Japanese hunters venturing into the woods. Hunting dogs are used to drive the boar towards a human hunter, who blasts it with his rifle. The farmers in that area now have one less wild boar to worry about.

The program visits an agricultural research center to learn why regular hunts have not caused a big drop in reports of boar-related damage to crops. They are told that limitations on the natural food supply meant that weak boars used to starve during winter. Now, thanks to humans, the boars can feast on crops or garbage in winter. Boars do not starve to death, so the population keeps increasing.

In Kobe, the problem isn’t leftover crops or garbage. People are actually feeding the boars. Many of the animals no longer run at the sight of humans. They grow bolder and bolder, venturing into residential areas. This increases the likelihood of attacks on humans.

In January, an elderly Kobe woman was trying to give food to a boar. The boar attacked her and bit off one of her fingers. Apparently it was a case of a boar literally biting the hand that fed it.

Nine years ago, the Kobe city government passed an ordinance that bans the feeding of wild boars. It doesn’t look like much is being done to enforce it. When filming Kobe’s boars, the TV camera crew saw areas where food had been left for the animals. They even caught two women in the act of giving bread crusts to the boars. The first woman fled before they could chase her down. The second woman admits she is breaking the rule, but doesn’t seem to care.

People might be giving food to the wild boars because they don’t want to see the animals starve. This kind of behavior only makes the situation worse. If the animals know that they can easily get food from humans, they will never go back to their natural habitats.

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