Friday, July 07, 2006
Shimajiro Toilet Training
This is a toilet training scene from one of the Shimajiro videos, a series of educational videos put out by the Japanese company Benesse.
There's a translation here.
There's a translation here.
Wizmark
From now on, when nature calls you just might find you have somebody to listen to. The usual "Pit Stop" will now include a lot more in the way of sights and sounds than what most men have become accustomed to with our new innovative, interactive patented design.
Discover Wizmark, the interactive urinal communicator, its advertising you can't help but look at. An idea so original, it has everyone talking. Wizmark is based on one unwritten rule of men's room etiquette; when using a urinal, never stare at the person next to you. Every male knows that when he is using a urinal, he can look anyway he wants, except left or right. Realizing this unwritten code, the appeal of this marketing concept to you as an advertiser is that it effectively assures your ad will attract the attention of, and be read by, the ever elusive targeted male audience you are constantly aiming for. Wizmark's interactive capabilities will get results, providing the perfect guerilla marketing medium for men of all ages.
As a one-of-a-kind, fully functional interactive device, Wizmark can talk, sing, or flash a string of lights around a promotional message when greeting a "visitor". The large anti-glare, water-proof viewing screen is strategically located just above the drain to ensure guaranteed viewing without interruptions. Using the elements of surprise and humour in a truly unique location will allow Wizmark, in combination with your ad, to make a lasting impression on every male that sees it.
Discover Wizmark, the interactive urinal communicator, its advertising you can't help but look at. An idea so original, it has everyone talking. Wizmark is based on one unwritten rule of men's room etiquette; when using a urinal, never stare at the person next to you. Every male knows that when he is using a urinal, he can look anyway he wants, except left or right. Realizing this unwritten code, the appeal of this marketing concept to you as an advertiser is that it effectively assures your ad will attract the attention of, and be read by, the ever elusive targeted male audience you are constantly aiming for. Wizmark's interactive capabilities will get results, providing the perfect guerilla marketing medium for men of all ages.
As a one-of-a-kind, fully functional interactive device, Wizmark can talk, sing, or flash a string of lights around a promotional message when greeting a "visitor". The large anti-glare, water-proof viewing screen is strategically located just above the drain to ensure guaranteed viewing without interruptions. Using the elements of surprise and humour in a truly unique location will allow Wizmark, in combination with your ad, to make a lasting impression on every male that sees it.
A trip to North Korea
The author is Artemii Lebedev, one of the leading web-designers in Russia. He recently went on a trip to North Korea and took some photos.
With interesting translation.
With interesting translation.
Tin foil hats for the discriminating lunatic
It's common knowledge that aliens or the government or something is beaming harmful signals throughout the universe nonstop, 24/7. This is what makes almost everyone mindless hypnoslaves, forced to conform to society's norms. But not you, for you are wisely covering your head with dynamic space-age metal, the only substance known to repel those hypnowaves: tin foil. With your homemade tin foil hat, your brain is safe.
Hold on for dear life . . . the tuk-tuk has arrived
Like many backpackers who have whizzed around gridlocked Asian cities in tuk-tuks, Dominic Ponniah wondered whether the motorised rickshaws could be the solution for Britain’s congested streets.
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The three-wheeled mopeds, named after the sound of the stuttering two-stroke engines used in early versions, are notorious for weaving at death-defying speeds through narrow gaps in the traffic. With the wind in your face and the accompanying sense of vulnerability, the top speed of 35mph feels like twice that.
Despite their poor reputation for safety, Mr Ponniah, 26, became convinced that tuk-tuks would catch on in Britain, especially if he added a few reassuring features such as roll bars, side-impact protection and seatbelts.
He has imported 12 from Pune in India and yesterday began Britain’s first tuk-tuk service in Brighton. A service for Central London is planned for next year, followed by others in Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
Company website.
The three-wheeled mopeds, named after the sound of the stuttering two-stroke engines used in early versions, are notorious for weaving at death-defying speeds through narrow gaps in the traffic. With the wind in your face and the accompanying sense of vulnerability, the top speed of 35mph feels like twice that.
Despite their poor reputation for safety, Mr Ponniah, 26, became convinced that tuk-tuks would catch on in Britain, especially if he added a few reassuring features such as roll bars, side-impact protection and seatbelts.
He has imported 12 from Pune in India and yesterday began Britain’s first tuk-tuk service in Brighton. A service for Central London is planned for next year, followed by others in Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
Company website.
5-Week-Old Kitten Survives Going Through Wood Chipper
They say curiosity killed the cat, but that's not the case for a South Florida kitten that survived a trip through a wood chipper.
A woman noticed this five week old kitten, appropriately named Chipper, after it went though the large machine. She rushed him to a West Palm Beach animal hospital.
Chipper had a fractured neck and shattered his two front legs. But three major surgeries later, he is rapidly recovering.
With video, though there is a bigger version here.
A woman noticed this five week old kitten, appropriately named Chipper, after it went though the large machine. She rushed him to a West Palm Beach animal hospital.
Chipper had a fractured neck and shattered his two front legs. But three major surgeries later, he is rapidly recovering.
With video, though there is a bigger version here.
Family sues over 'ugly' bride
Arranged marriages are an ancient tradition in India, but when a Belchertown family went there to meet a bride-to-be and judged her too ugly for the groom, they chose a 21st-century solution. They called the wedding off, and the groom's father is now suing for damages.
Vijai B. Pandey, 60, filed a lawsuit in Hampden Superior Court last month against friends who tried to arrange a marriage between his son Pranjul K. and their niece. The Pandeys, after spending money on long-distance calls and airfare, found her much too homely.
When the Pandeys saw the bride in New Delhi last August, they were "extremely shocked to find ... she was ugly ... with protruded bad teeth and couldn't speak English to hold a conversation," Vijai Pandey stated in the lawsuit. The woman's complexion was also cited for the broken engagement.
Pandey's civil complaint against Lallan and wife Kanti Giri of Boyds, Md., seeks $200,000 in damages, and charges them with fraud, conspiracy and violation of civil rights, among other claims resulting in emotional distress.
Smoking Gun report.
Vijai B. Pandey, 60, filed a lawsuit in Hampden Superior Court last month against friends who tried to arrange a marriage between his son Pranjul K. and their niece. The Pandeys, after spending money on long-distance calls and airfare, found her much too homely.
When the Pandeys saw the bride in New Delhi last August, they were "extremely shocked to find ... she was ugly ... with protruded bad teeth and couldn't speak English to hold a conversation," Vijai Pandey stated in the lawsuit. The woman's complexion was also cited for the broken engagement.
Pandey's civil complaint against Lallan and wife Kanti Giri of Boyds, Md., seeks $200,000 in damages, and charges them with fraud, conspiracy and violation of civil rights, among other claims resulting in emotional distress.
Smoking Gun report.
The teenager who went joyriding ... on a 48-ton train
A teenage engineering apprentice took a 48-ton locomotive on a 40-minute joyride round a marshalling yard.
Daniel Matthews, 19, who admitted taking a locomotive without consent, is fascinated by anything mechanical.
Matthews and a friend drove the shunting engine around the yard, stopping from time to time to change the points.
And the teenager was so good at manoeuvring the vehicle that he was discovered only when a security guard who spotted him realised he was not wearing a railway driver's regulation clothing.
Matthews, from Rawmarsh, South Yorkshire, was ordered to do 200 hours community service.
Daniel Matthews, 19, who admitted taking a locomotive without consent, is fascinated by anything mechanical.
Matthews and a friend drove the shunting engine around the yard, stopping from time to time to change the points.
And the teenager was so good at manoeuvring the vehicle that he was discovered only when a security guard who spotted him realised he was not wearing a railway driver's regulation clothing.
Matthews, from Rawmarsh, South Yorkshire, was ordered to do 200 hours community service.
Putin says kissing boy's stomach was like stroking a cat
Russians finally got an answer to the question thousands of people wanted to ask President Vladimir Putin - why did he kiss a small boy on the stomach?
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During a live webcast yesterday Mr Putin explained that the incident in the Kremlin on June 28, when he encountered the boy, called Nikita, lifted his shirt and kissed his stomach, was a spontaneous gesture similar to stroking a cat.
He said: "It was an unplanned meeting -- people just came up and started talking to me. He seemed very independent and serious. At the same time a child is always defenceless and nice. I wanted to stroke him like a cat and it came out in this gesture. There was nothing behind it."
During a live webcast yesterday Mr Putin explained that the incident in the Kremlin on June 28, when he encountered the boy, called Nikita, lifted his shirt and kissed his stomach, was a spontaneous gesture similar to stroking a cat.
He said: "It was an unplanned meeting -- people just came up and started talking to me. He seemed very independent and serious. At the same time a child is always defenceless and nice. I wanted to stroke him like a cat and it came out in this gesture. There was nothing behind it."
Brothel was late-night bar
A former Napier brothel owner has been fined $1000 for liquor offences involving clients drinking instead of having sex.
Former Fallen Angels massage parlour owner Vaughan Peter Bowkett was fined $1000 in Napier District Court yesterday for 10 liquor law breaches. Bowkett, who has left the brothel industry, apologised to police and the court.
Judge Tony Adeane fined him $1000 "across the board" for the law breach, along with $130 court costs.
The former brothel manager ended up in court after police found the massage parlour's clients drinking instead of having sex. Police said the Napier premises had become a late-night drinking spot.
Former Fallen Angels massage parlour owner Vaughan Peter Bowkett was fined $1000 in Napier District Court yesterday for 10 liquor law breaches. Bowkett, who has left the brothel industry, apologised to police and the court.
Judge Tony Adeane fined him $1000 "across the board" for the law breach, along with $130 court costs.
The former brothel manager ended up in court after police found the massage parlour's clients drinking instead of having sex. Police said the Napier premises had become a late-night drinking spot.
Feathers fly as moody macaw gives pet shop thief the bird
British police traced a man suspected of stealing an exotic bird from a pet shop after it bit a chunk out of his hand and left a pool of blood at the scene.
Micky, described as a moody macaw with a vicious temper, was taken from Frome Pet and Acquatic Centre in Somerset, western England, during a break-in on June 13 and has not been seen since.
But because the blue and gold bird, who is thought to be as old as 50 or 60, got his beak into the thief and drew blood, police were able to get a DNA sample and later arrested a 23-year-old man.
Angus Hart, 45, who has owned Micky for the last 10 years, said the bird's reaction was typical.
"He's a miserable old git to be honest with you."
Micky, described as a moody macaw with a vicious temper, was taken from Frome Pet and Acquatic Centre in Somerset, western England, during a break-in on June 13 and has not been seen since.
But because the blue and gold bird, who is thought to be as old as 50 or 60, got his beak into the thief and drew blood, police were able to get a DNA sample and later arrested a 23-year-old man.
Angus Hart, 45, who has owned Micky for the last 10 years, said the bird's reaction was typical.
"He's a miserable old git to be honest with you."
Judge withdraws jail term for tearful prisoner
A judge, impressed by the "fear, regret and remorse" he saw in a man he had just jailed for six months, yesterday called the prisoner back into the dock and suspended his sentence for two years.
Daniel Hardman, 21, broke down in tears at Liverpool crown court when he learned of the time he would have to serve after admitting recklessly throwing a glass in a pub.
He was led down to the cells but then Judge Denis Clark ordered him to be brought back. "I am prepared to reconsider my original sentence," he said. "The court is not in the business of destroying people."
More here.
Daniel Hardman, 21, broke down in tears at Liverpool crown court when he learned of the time he would have to serve after admitting recklessly throwing a glass in a pub.
He was led down to the cells but then Judge Denis Clark ordered him to be brought back. "I am prepared to reconsider my original sentence," he said. "The court is not in the business of destroying people."
More here.
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