Archive for category News

Japanese man falls in love with pillowcase

In a weird case of love, a Japanese man has fallen head over heal for a 2D character from one of the Japanese popular anime series. They met at a comic book convention, and as they said, the rest is history. Although I wonder how thy converse? This guy deserves to be in the mental institution, not outside in real life.

Read the rest of the story from the New York Times. The article goes into details about what they did as a couple such as road trips, pictures under a cherry tree, merry-go-around, and slurped noodles on street corners. The idiot writer of New York Times must have a lot of time too if he was taking now these notes and then putting a story together a guy and his fictional girlfriend. But maybe that why this article is being passed around like wild fire – the weirder something is, the more likely it’s going to be viral.

Train Workers Check for Smile against computer

smileyface2

Between a score of 0-100, how would you grade the smiley face on the left?

In an attempt to improve customer service at its train stations, Japan has began implementing a computer system that would allow workers to check out their facial expression prior to interacting with the customers. It’s the smiling computer system which allows the workers to stare into a computer and smile. In seconds the computer responds with a score. A low score indicates that the smile isn’t wide enough and the worker is encourage to try again to get a bigger smile before going out to greet the customers. According to the AP, there are up to 250,000 riders who pass through the station every day, customer satisfaction is highly required so that the system keeps on humming along.

Using the application is total optional at this point. According to officials, it gives “it gives employees a chance to examine themselves before they go to work.” The software and computer system is being used at 15 of the 72 stations. No words yet on when this would be a required exercise that workers and employees would have to go through every day as part of their work process.

Japan has been known to do very strange things so it should come as no surprise that they would be engaging in this exercise. It is the country that brought us the Nintendo Wii and its quirky controllers that allow for interaction with the characters onscreen. So it’s no wonder that they want to use computer system to allow workers to be able to perform better in an envirnoment where everyone is rushing through the system.

Japan Smile Meter

I wonder if such a system would work in the New York City Subway system? The customer service score can’t be too high because I always hear people complaining about how terrible it is. If they were to implement this system to all the workers, including the train conductors, at least you would be able to appreciate them a little bit hopefully through their voices even if you have no idea what they’re announcing through the speakers.

Thinking through the last two sentences, this system would never work in the United States. Just thinking about setting it up, the City would already get 10 complaints and 20 lawsuits against it for prejudice and racial discrimination. Lawsuit would probably read, “City demands workers to be happy. Workers have right to be mad and bitchy all day!” I guess it’s their lives and they deserve to be angry all day long if that is what will make them “happy”.

Here are some additional smiley faces for you to make sure that you smile before leaving this page.

smiley-facesmiley

Tags: , , ,

China’s 50 Most Beautiful People

The Beijing News has released its 4th annual 50 most beautiful people in China list.

The judging criteria:
1. Focused on public figures in entertainment, culture, sports, fashion and arts.
2. Being “beautiful” is the only standard for this. It also considers what comes from the reader’s recommendations and it maintains the expert’s judgment.
3. The rank is from reader’s votes, the experts’ decisions. This year’s theme is “The beauty of accomplishing a dream”.

1. Zhang Zi Yi
2. Tony Leung
3. Zhou Xun
4. Zhang Han Yu
5. Guo Jing Jing
6. Li Bing Bing
7. Zhang Guo Li
8. Zhao Wei
9. Sun Hong Lei
10. Zhang Yu Qi
11. Tong Da Wei
12. Fan Bing Bing
13. Jiang Wen Li
14. Jackie Chan
15. Jet Li
16. Gui Lun Mei
17. Chen Qi Zhen
18. Donnie Yen
19. Tang Wei
20. Eason Chen
21. Chiling Lin
22. Gao Yuan Yuan
23. Andy Lau
24. Zhao Pu
25. Ge You
26. Maggie Cheung
27. Big S (Barbie)
28. Chen Kun
29. Liu Ye
30. Lu Yi
31. Shen Bing
32. Liu Yi Fei
33. Han Geng
34. Duan Yi Hong
35. Wang Luo Dan
36. Takeshi Kaneshiro
37. Nicholas Tse
38. Cai Guo Qiang
39. Ma Wei Du
40. Zhang Xuan
41. Sun Li
42. Wang Bao Qiang
43. Yuan Quan
44. Chen Guo Kun
45. Shu Qi
46. Li Chen
47. Wu Qing Feng
48. Li Yu Chun
49. Peng Lei
50. Muo Xiao Q

Building in Shanghai Tipped Over

On Saturday June 27th, a 13-stories residual building under Construction in Shanghai just collapsed. It just tipped over like lego pieces. Granted there wasn’t anybody living in the building at the time and there is one reported death of a construction worker, but that is just weird. Imagine yourself sitting at home in your apartment watching TV and the next thing you know, you’re under the rubbles somewhere, waiting to be rescued.

The building was located on the outskirt of town, and the incident was blamed on poor flood prevention wall walls at the Dianpu River, but there is no evidence of why the huge building just fell over. However, shoddy construction and use of sub-standard materials is a concern in China and the rest of Asia as they try to catch up with the rest of the western countries in the pursuit of economic growth.

Check out these pictures for yourself.

building1building2building3building4

Size does matter

Two armed robbers in Malaysia had to leave behind most of their ill-gotten gains because their getaway car was too small, reports The Associated Press. The thieves held up guards in a security van containing $1.3 million at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur but had to leave $786,000 behind because they were unable to fit the bundles of cash in their car. “The bags are quite big. I consider them quite stupid. Their planning was very shortsighted,” said district police chief Shakaruddin Che Mood.

Baby Buddha’s Bulging Basket Bothers Believers

A rare and beautiful type of algae called marimo grows in some lakes in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Marimo forms soft green globes that sit in clusters on the lake bottom.

marimoball Baby Buddha’s Bulging Basket Bothers Believers picture

Combine the word marimo with the name of a phenomenon that’s not quite so rare—mokkori, meaning an erection—and you might picture a guy who looks as if he’s carrying a large ball of algae in the front of his pants.

That guy is Marimokkori, a funny green doll often found on key chains. The image originated in Hokkaido, and though the details may vary from one doll to the next, all Marimokkori have at least these two things in common: a big smile and a big bulge in their trousers.

marimodoll Baby Buddha’s Bulging Basket Bothers Believers picture

One particular version of the character recently got its manufacturer in hot water. This adorable little fellow is in a seated position, and like all his counterparts, he sports the trademark big grin and big bump. Something sets him apart, however: In his gold headdress and ancient robe, he bears a distinct resemblance to common statues of the Buddha.

buddha balls Baby Buddha’s Bulging Basket Bothers Believers picture

That, it seems, was a little too much for the monks of the famous eighth-century Todaiji temple in Nara. The irreverent figurine was being sold in the region, and the monks asked HN and Associates, its manufacturer, to take it off the market.

The company apparently didn’t put up much of a fight, promptly granting the monks’ wish. They must have figured it wasn’t a good idea to offend people with friends in high places.

(links 1 2)