Sdtrk: ‘Rêve pour un Beatle’ by Paul Piot & Paul Guiot

So I’ve managed to find the new URL for the pages on the Osaka Labs site that deal with the development behind everyone’s my favourite Gynoid, Actroid-chan. Now, I think I’ve got this sussed..
Actroid is the Kokoro co. Ltd‘s marketing name for the Repliee series of Gynoids. There’s an updated version of Repliee Q1, named Repliee Q2, that made her debut at the recent Aichi World Expo, where she was given the name of Repliee Q1Expo. She’s the interviewer version also known as Ando-san, or, as one site had it, Anna-san. Then, there’s Kokoro’s Actroid DER, which is the standing version of.. Repliee Q2, I would assume. ARGH BRAIN BOILING OVER

So anyway, I’ve managed to find the new URL for the pages on the Osaka Labs site. They’ve got additional movies of Repliee Q2/Repliee Q1Expo/Ando-san/Anna-san/what the hell ever. I call her ‘Relentlessly Cute-san’.

Sigh. 🙂
O, where was I? Err, yeah! Also, anyone who can find me media files, or at least decent pics of Kobayashi Labs‘ SAYA, will have their name bestowed upon my first infant. SAYA-chan doesn’t get as much press as Actroid-chan because her technology isn’t as sophisticated, and, well.. she’s a wee bit less attractive.

But she’s doing her best, damnit, and we love her for it.

O, and Happy Pagan New Year!

Sdtrk: ‘Kenkäneekerien nenäkekkerit’ by Mats Swan

This is a really fab idea, but I think they’ll need to install some really tight security measures for it, otherwise it’ll be A FESTIVAL OF THEFT.

Mazda Ditches Cylinder Locks in Favor of USB Key

By Scott Clark on Tuesday 30 August 2005, 8:24 PM

I never thought it’d be possible, but Mazda of all companies has embraced the inner geek inside me to make me want to run out and test drive one of their cars. Thankfully this is only a concept car for now, and my Honda is still running strong.

Designed for “net-savvy youngsters”, the new concept hatchback, Mazda Sassou, ditches the traditional cylinder lock key system in favor of USB flash drives. In addition to starting the engine, the flash drives can be used to transfer driving directions for long trips along with the latest songs for the day to the Sassou’s internal hard drive.

Just be sure to vent the windows though, it looks like the extra large sunroof would literally cook any electronics you have in the car during your lunch break.

Mazda also has to refine the technology, so that people over the age of 35 can use it. You know.. all those individuals out there who aren’t exactly ‘tech savvy’. Which is probably half the US population. JOE SIX-PACK: ‘Why do they call it a key drive, if it ain’t look like a key??’
I can see this car doing well in Japan, of course, and maybe Europe, but unfortunately not so much in the U.S and A. Which is a shame, cos it’s a pretty ace-looking car..

More about the Mazda Sassou here

Sdtrk: ‘Very friendly’ by Throbbing gristle

First otaku in space? Yes. But it’s okay, cos he’s cosplaying as someone cool.

Space geek to orbit in cartoon outfit

AFP, October 13, 2005

TOKYO: A Japanese Internet whiz is tipped to become the world’s fourth space tourist — and he wants to orbit the earth dressed as an ace pilot from a hit Japanese animation series.

The candidate for the $US20 million trip is Japanese investor Daisuke Enomoto, a 34-year-old former board director of the Livedoor Internet firm headed by flamboyant entrepreneur Takafumi Horie, local media said.

Enomoto has already passed medical checks and started flight training for a trip in late 2006, Jiji Press news agency reported.

Enomoto said in January that he was likely to be the first Japanese to make a paid space trip.

“I’m planning to do something amusing,” he wrote then on his website.

If he gets Russian approval, Enomoto said he wanted to dress up on the trip as “Char Aznable”, a character in the popular “Gundam” hero robot series of animation whose name is inspired by French singer Charles Aznavour.

Enomoto describes himself as a “Gundam otaku” (geek).

The third civilian to pay for a space flight, US millionaire businessman Greg Olsen, returned to Earth this week in a Soyuz capsule.

The 60-year-old American paid Space Adventures US$20 million for a seat aboard the capsule and eight days of gazing down at the Earth from the International Space Station, 370km up.

He was preceded into space by two other millionaire tourists, American Dennis Tito in 2001 and South African Mark Shuttleworth the following year.

DON’T LET HIM DO IT!! HE’LL HIJACK THE SHUTTLE AND DROP A COLONY ON AUSTRALIA!! Heh heh, little Gundam joke there.
Actually, Enomoto-san, during the inevitable filming of you tumbling round the shuttle in your Char outfit, I’ll give you $50 if at any point you shout ‘Sieg Zeon!’

Sdtrk: ‘Bop scotch’ by Stereolab

AN OPEN LETTER TO MICRO$OFT

Dearest shitwicks,

I say this in all honesty, and without the slightest trace of insincerity: the lot of you need to choke down a cock, after which, you should crawl into ditches by the side of the road, and die. Tell me; if I’ve already bought a brand-new computer from a chain store that’s bundled with MS Windows, why in burning fuck does it not come with MS Office built into it? For free? I’m not talking about the ‘trial’ version, which is only good for 50 uses, I’m talking about full-usage Word, Access, Excel and PowerPoint being installed on the computer I just paid $1000 for. You know damn well people need Word at home, at the very least, and if you’re running any sort of business, I suppose the other three are useful as well. Once my classes are complete, I’ll probably never use Excel or Access ever in my life — much like algebra — but that’s irrelevant. Why are these not standard-issue programmes?