Japundit has a nice post on Valentine’s day in Japan, the possible origin, and where it’s at today.
What I’ve heard but can’t confirm from any reliable source, is that the company who introduced Valentine’s Day in 1958 first tried to market it as it is in western countries, but apparently failed in their effort, as […]

Just when we thought global warming had permanently changed the climate in the NYC metropolitan area, a big storm hits. Even though this storm is being touted as the second biggest storm on record to hit the city, in my neighborhood, it’s not too bad. I picked up four cans of soup, a small […]

 
I read an email from PICA about an upcoming free lecture in a series hosted by Portland- based artist Harrell Fletcher. The lecture is being given by another Northwest artist, Dan Attoe. I was inspired after reading about Dan Attoe to create a list of artists I currently dig whose work I would buy if I […]

NPR’s Morning Edition (via kotaku) aired an interesting interview this past Friday. The topic was about how earnings within massively-multiplayer-online-games (World of WarCraft, Second Life) are commonly transferrable to real world currency, but these transactions are largely beneath the radar of the IRS.
While there’s nothing new about the gold-farming phenomemon around the world, the racism […]

Way back in elementary school, I went through a phase triggered by a mini-seminar on Rube Goldberg devices. In case you weren’t in my 4th grade class, Rube Goldberg devices are contraptions that generally take a circuitous route in accomplishing rather mundane tasks. Think of the board game Mousetrap

After I got home from school, […]

Busy news day…

Strangely enough, there’s a dispute in the Bronx tonight over a contractor who decided to build a house around a tree. This isn’t a case of an eco-friendly feel-good story where humans co-exist with trees. The contractor literally built the walls around the trees apparently so they wouldn’t have to cut them down. […]

Big up to the guys (is there more than one?) at productdose.com for digging up a strange gem of a product: The Laser Turntable. Multiple sharks with laser beams read the groove of the record, resulting in a completely frictionless, wear-free turntable. Sounds great for audiophiles right?

I was initially surprised that something like this slipped […]

Apparently the latest craze in the craze-lovin’ land of Japan is the Maid Cafe. Patrons come to these spots in Aki-ba to be waited on hand-and-foot by a bevy of maids.
“Welcome home, Master,” says the maid as she bows deeply, hands clasped in front of a starched pinafore worn over a short pink dress. […]

Seems I’ve been on a useless item kick lately, so let’s not lose steam today…
The Gadgeteer has a brief review of the Sega Toys iFish. You plug your iPod into this thing, and it shakes it like Timberlake while it’s head lights up.

If you check the Gadgeteer video, you’ll see her cat having a go […]