Entries for April, 2006
March 31st, 2006
Eclipse Makes "Ring of Fire" in Sky
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:11 PM on March 31, 2006 in Geographica.
Cool video of Annular Eclipse - moon doesn't quite cover sun - so you get ring of "fire"!
See it
Here
The morning of Monday, October 3, 2005, sky-watchers in Africa and Europe witnessed a seldom seen annular eclipse. In this kind of eclipse the moon crosses in front of the sun during the farthest point in its orbit, making the moon appear too small to fully cover the sun. The result is a blazing ring in the sky. See footage of an annular eclipse in this video, and explore the science behind the phenomenon.
Currently watching: Eclipse
Lifelike Robot Waves Away Skeptics
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:21 PM on March 31, 2006 in Tech.
0^o
Looks more human than some peeps I know! ^^ See "her"
Here
March 31, 2006—an eerily lifelike robot that debuted in Japan last year—might not have impressed you. But video of the android could just change your mind. Watch as the next robo-prototype, Repliee Q2, interacts with visitors, tells off assailants, and waves for the camera.
"Repliee Q2 can fool most people at three meters for a few seconds," says Karl MacDorman, who has been with the lab for the past two years, helping to develop Repliee's control software. "[But] what is really surprising is how [even] people who know full well that they are machines cannot help but treat them as if they were human. One visitor said he felt like asking Repliee if it was all right before turning off the light at the end of the day. A visiting professor asked the female professor who accompanied him, 'Is it all right if I touch her?' He didn't ask us, the robot developers -- he asked the woman, because he was responding socially to the robot and the situation. I'm sure he wouldn't have behaved that way if Repliee looked mechanical."
"Japan has an aging population and a very low birth rate," he says. "There's already a labor shortage in nursing and care for the elderly. Most elderly Japanese would rather be attended to by a robot than [foreign] nurse" -- largely because the cultural norms in Japan are more complex and exacting than in other countries. So are the social niceties: "Someone who's lost on the Tokyo subway would probably rather ask an android for directions than another passenger, because most Japanese don't like to trouble strangers." You don't have to be excessively polite to a robot or risk embarrassment by seeming ignorant or clumsy in front of it.
All of these things make human-seeming androids a perfect fit for many service roles in Japan's etiquette-driven society. And Japanese of all ages are eager for such robots to arrive. MacDorman recalls that when the Osaka University team introduced an earlier robot called Robovie to elementary schools, "children mobbed the poor robot. They were so excited by it, and seemed to have no sense of fear. Probably they should have, because the robot's joints and such were never designed for such close contact. [But] the idea that technology is menacing, not fascinating, is seldom found in Japan."
April 1st, 2006
Wildflower
Posted by MikeyMike at 12:04 PM on April 1, 2006 in Photography, Wild.
Pretty wildflower growing in the front yard. Looks like many blooms to come...
April 2nd, 2006
Flowers in the Desert
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:24 AM on April 2, 2006 in Geographica, Wild.
Thought you might like to see what's it's like in our desert - Anza Borrego - in the rain shadow of the coastal mountains. The winter storms came way late this year, so there will not be any massive profusion of blooms this time, because the summer heat will return very soon. But the desert has it's attractions all year long, especially if it's not
too hot! Nice to get some sun when the weather's cold and rainy on the other side of the mountains only 50 miles away...
Here's the best link to see about the
Wildflowers
See the bee??
Nana to Video April 13
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:37 PM on April 2, 2006 in Arts, Kawaii, Performers.
I got the
VCD English subtitled version coming from Yesasia! Make sure your DVD player can play VCDs too. So handy, and usually cheaper also. Many Asian videos are Region code 2 or 3. So, your American/Canadian Region 1 DVD player can't play 'em. VCDs play on anything, as long as they're not in PAL format(!) ^^ Since VCDs are compatable with PC CD players, it's easy to take a clip from them, like any video file. They are mpeg movie files, basically.
Nana staring Mika Nakashima to be released 4/13
Nana
The Movie Homepage
Nana
Trailers
A punk pouter and perky princess with the same monicker become bosom buddies in "Nana," a cute girl/girl pic from Japan. Based on a popular manga aimed at distaff Nipponese teenagers, film did boffo biz on home turf last year, capitalizing on the casting of real-life J-pop songster Mika Nakashima and airplay of soundtrack tunes. B.O. in Taiwan and Hong Kong was also solid. While the film but may be too sweet for success outside of Asia, remake potential looms large if placed in the "Coyote Ugly" mould.
Aboard a train to Tokyo to reunite with her b.f., naive Hokkaido girl Nana (Aoi Miyazaki) sits next to a leather clad punkette (Nakashima) with the same name. The independent punk is returning to Tokyo to take a second tilt at the musical bigtime. While the punk initially gives the naif instruction in the school of hard knocks, it transpires that the perky member of this duo also has lessons to teach. Yarn knowingly flirts with lesbo subtext but remains chaste. Perfs are stiff, but comfortable within the Japanese thesping tradition. Helming is tube safe. Other tech credits are pro.
Camera (color), Kazuhiro Suzuki; editor, Hidekazu Kakesu; music, Tadashi Ueda, with song "Glamorous Sky" by Ai Yazawa and Hyde ; art director, Norihiro Isoda. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (market), Feb. 11, 2006. Japanese, English dialogue. Running time: 113 MIN.
Currently listening to: Mika Nakashima
April 3rd, 2006
Duke and Tyree
Posted by MikeyMike at 10:19 PM on April 3, 2006 in Kawaii, Doggies.
Here's a picture of the new puppies at John's brothers house, held by some friends of his. We should get them next week. Tyree is the small one and Duke is the bigger one. I can see that photographing them is going to be a pain, since they're both so dark! ^^
Duke and Tyree
Random Pix
Posted by MikeyMike at 10:41 PM on April 3, 2006 in Kawaii, Photography, Wild.
Chapel of the Holy Cross - Sedona, Arizona
Pooh and Eeyore watch I got for Emma's mom...
Snow on the mountains behind San Diego, California
April 4th, 2006
Springtime for Pandas
Posted by MikeyMike at 06:09 PM on April 4, 2006 in Geographica, Kawaii, Wild.
It's Panda breeding season, but with Su Lin still nursing, no new babies being made this year at San Diego Zoo! ^^
Su Lin with fruitsicle
It’s springtime, and the season for panda breeding has arrived. In the wilds of China and in some captive facilities around the world, pandas are focused on finding one another and mating. One zoo in the U.S. has already had a female cycle through her estrus and performed multiple artificial inseminations on her. In San Diego we have no such plans this year, because our only sexually mature female, Bai Yun, is still raising her youngster born last year (Su Lin, pictured here with a fruitsicle).
Does that mean there are no signs of breeding-related changes here? No! We have seen some shifts in behavior from our male, Gao Gao, which indicate that he would be ready to mate if called upon this season. His rates of olfactory investigation and scent marking have gone up a bit. This means he is actively searching for scent and is advertising his presence in the facility. Should Bai Yun go into estrus, he would know about it! But Bai Yun will not go into estrus. Past experience with Bai Yun’s other two cubs has shown us that so long as she is lactating she will not have a behavioral or hormonal estrus in the spring following a birth. From an evolutionary perspective this makes good sense, since her cub is not yet sustaining itself on bamboo. If Bai Yun were to get pregnant, she would need to wean Su Lin before she denned up again in the summer… and Su Lin is decidedly not ready to be on her own. If she were abandoned by her mother in the next few months in the wild, she would most likely starve to death. More
April 8th, 2006
iWalk Dublin
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:54 AM on April 8, 2006 in Tech, Geographica.
Next time you are visiting with Bono in Dublin, be sure to check this out ^^ or even if you aren't doing either... isn't this a cool idea?
An audio tour of different aspects of Dublin via podcast on your iPod. I'm going to DL some just to hear about the city of Dublin, one of the more lively cities in Europe.
Just go to the iTunes Store and pick podcasts, then search for "iWalk Dublin". The rest is automatic!
All you need then is your plane ticket...
Find more info
Here
Currently listening to: iWalk Dublin
The Promise
Posted by MikeyMike at 12:10 PM on April 8, 2006 in Arts.
This looks good. US release is May 5 for San Diego. I got it from BT, but it had no English subtitles!
Beautiful to look at!!
Look at the trailer
Here
A romantic tale of love, loyalty, ambition and destiny, The Promise marks acclaimed director Chen Kaige’s foray into the martial arts fantasy genre. Richly imagined and breathtakingly realized, the film follows the intertwined fates of a beautiful princess and the three men who fall in love with her: a general, his slave, and a rival Duke.
Foreign, Action and Adventure
Rating: PG-13
In Theatres: May 5th, 2006
Chen Kaige (dir.)
Hiroyuki Sanada
Jang Dong-Gun
Cecilia Cheung
Nicholas Tse
Liu Ye
Birthday Party
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:31 PM on April 8, 2006 in Congrats!, Kawaii.
Little birthday party across the street. Vietnamese family and friends have giant inflatable that kiddies can play in...
April 9th, 2006
A Dog Has Died
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:58 PM on April 9, 2006 in Arts, Kawaii, Doggies.
Looking for something else - see what I found...
Bones in Dog Heaven
A Dog Has Died
My dog has died.
I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.
Some day I'll join him right there,
but now he's gone with his shaggy coat,
his bad manners and his cold nose,
and I, the materialist, who never believed
in any promised heaven in the sky
for any human being,
I believe in a heaven I'll never enter.
Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom
where my dog waits for my arrival
waving his fan-like tail in friendship.
(Read More)
April 10th, 2006
Hikaru Utada Releases New Album!
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:16 PM on April 10, 2006 in Arts, Performers.
This is her first completely new Japanese album in years! I saw it on YesAsia a minute ago... They're taking
pre-orders for the expected June 14 release... Plus, there is a tour planned this summer in Japan...
Is this the CD cover??
Utada Hikaru Releases New Album!
4th ALBUM
ULTRA BLUE
2006.6.14 release
TOCT-26067
3,059yen(tax in)
13 tracks including the singles "COLORS", "Darekano Negaiga Kanau Koro", "Be My Last", "Passion" and "Keep Tryin'".
[2006/04/04]Special Webpage Launched for Nationwide Tour of 2006!!!
Hikaru Utada's Traveling from DEEP RIVER CD
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:25 PM on April 10, 2006 in Arts, Performers.
I always liked this song! Got the lyrics from
http://www.utadanet.com a great place to check out!!
Hikaru Utada /DEEP RIVER
Traveling
-=Romaji=-
traveling
Utada Hikaru
shigoto ni mo sei ga deru
kinyou no gogo
takushii mo sugu tsukamaru (tobinoru)
mezasu wa kimi
"dochira made ikaremasu?"
chotto soko made
"fukeiki de komarimasu (shimemasu)
doa ni chui"
(Read More)
Currently listening to: Traveling
April 12th, 2006
Puppies Arrive!
Posted by MikeyMike at 04:20 PM on April 12, 2006 in Kawaii, Doggies.
John brought the new puppies home last night. The puppy is named Tyree and the bigger one is called Duke... They are getting along with Quincannon just fine - he seems glad to have doggie company! ^^ Here's some pix:
More to follow...
April 16th, 2006
HanziSmatter
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:34 PM on April 16, 2006 in Rants, Geographica, Arts, Kawaii.
Guess how many people have tattoos with Chinese or Japanese characters that actually say something (often radicaly) different than their owners think they do?! Lots, apparently. Mostly western peeps, of course. This web site tells them what they
really say!!
See it
Here
And go
Here to read more, plus an amazing article and photos about the blossom season in Japan, as well as the "Fertility Festival"!
Currently reading: your weird tattoo
April 17th, 2006
BOOKS ABOUT MURAKAMI
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:48 PM on April 17, 2006 in Arts.
Wow! I didn't know that there was a book *about* Murakami! And it's by a translator and fan (and Harvard Professor) Jay Rubin. Sounds like something Murakami fans have to own! Amazon has used copies cheap... Read all about it
Here
Just bought my copy... ^^
Currently reading: Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words
The Snow Walker
Posted by MikeyMike at 09:07 PM on April 17, 2006 in Geographica, Arts, Performers, Wild.
I've heard raves about this one from several people I know... A Canadian production, it is extremely well acted from all I've heard.
Check it out...
All too often, people write off movies that come from countries that don't have the Hollywood budgets. The Snow Walker is a Canadian production and every bit as good as anything produced in Hollywood. This is NOT a "Hollywood" film, however, and that's what makes it so great. The movie is made by veterans of the industry (directed by Charles Martin Smith (American Graphiti) and stars Barry Pepper with James Cromwell. It takes place in northern Canada and tells the story of a pilot who crashes is a desolate area of the north along with a young sick Inuit girl who he is trying to get to a hospital to save. Much of the story is about the survival of these two people in the desolate north.
The scenery is amazing and very genuine as the movie was shot in Nunivut, northern Manitoba and B.C. It is based on a story by one of Canada's great authors, Farley Mowat.
This is a definite must to go and see or rent. If you like a great story, this story is for you. If you love movies that are true to the culture they are portraying, this definitely is for you. The Inuit woman (Annabella Piugattuk) who stars in this film is from Nunivut and in real life really does live in a traditional Inuit fashion. This movie is very real to the Inuit way of life.
A very touching movie and one that everyone will enjoy. I completely recommend it for everyone.
April 18th, 2006
BruwynPOD
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:02 PM on April 18, 2006 in iPod, Geographica, Kawaii, Photography.
BruwynPOD. This is Bruwyn Bear in his favorite tree listening to "Call of The Wild" from audible.com. Wild Oak, California USA
From iPod Lounges
Photo Gallery
April 24th, 2006
More Cacti Blooms
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:00 PM on April 24, 2006 in Photography, Wild.
The flowers are blooming like crazy because of the extended rains this year...
April 25th, 2006
International Museum of Women - Imagining Ourselves
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:35 PM on April 25, 2006 in Arts, Performers.
This looks interesting!
Throughout March, April, May, and June, notable women around the world will explore the themes of love, money, culture, and the future as they pertain to women in their twenties and thirties. Meet the fabulous line-up of distinguished bloggers.
There's an example:
March -- Love: Love and Relationships in a Changing World
LISA LING (USA)
Lisa Ling is the host of Explorer on the National Geographic Channel and a regular contributor to the Oprah Winfrey Show...
AYU UTAMI (Indonesia)
Ayu Utami is one of the most prominent representatives of a new generation of Indonesian writers...
NIKKI GEMMELL (Australia)
Nikki Gemmell has written four novels: Shiver, Cleave, Lovesong and The Bride Stripped Bare...
HAFSAT ABIOLA (Nigeria)
Hafsat Abiola is the founder and director of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), which seeks to strengthen democracy in Nigeria...
LIYA KEBEDE (Ethiopia)
American Vogue has touted Liya Kebede, as a member of the "New Establishment". Models.com proclaimed "All Hail Liya!". Since being featured in...
April -- Money: Young Women in Today's Economy
CARRIE SCHWAB POMERANTZ (USA)
Carrie is a leading advocate for individual investors. In her role as vice president at Charles Schwab and Co., Inc...
JULIE DELPY (France)
Known for her great talent and ethereal beauty, Julie Delpy is a true artist in every sense of the word...
LORENA OCHOA (Mexico)
Named best golfer in Mexico from 1997 to 2000, Lorena Ochoa is Mexico's most popular female athlete...
KARENNA GORE SCHIFF (USA)
Karenna Gore Schiff works on behalf of children's rights and well-being in New York City...
May -- Culture and Conflict: Uniting Women Across Boundaries
SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY (Pakistan)
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is the first non-American journalist to be awarded the prestigious Livingston Award...
REBECCA WALKER (USA)
Rebecca Walker is the author of the international bestseller Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self...
LAUREN BUSH (USA)
Lauren Bush was born in 1984 in Texas and is the niece of President George W. Bush. Lauren has devoted her time to public service...
CHRISTINE NORDHAGEN (Canada)
Christine Nordhagen is an Olympian, a wrestling champion and the most decorated female athlete in the history of the sport...
June -- The Future: Taking Action and Charting a Path for Young Women
NURUL IZZAH ANWAR (Malaysia)
Nurul Izzah Anwar, born in Malaysia in 1980, is the daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim...
MARGARET CHO (USA)
Comedian and writer Margaret Cho has been performing for audiences since she was sixteen...
MAYERLY S�NCHEZ (Colombia)
Mayerly Sánchez is a peace activist and volunteer from Colombia. At the young age of twelve, inspired by the violent death of her close friend Milton...
ANGELIQUE KIDJO (Benin)
Four time Grammy nominee Angélique Kidjo is not only one of the spunkiest, most electrifying performers in the pop world today, but she's also one of its...
Learn more about the Imagining Ourselves project and the International Museum of Women.
Lisa Ling is the host of Explorer on the National Geographic Channel and a regular contributor to the "Oprah Winfrey Show." At age sixteen, the Northern California native auditioned for and was chosen to be one of four hosts of "Scratch," a nationally syndicated teen magazine show out of Sacramento, California. By the time she was eighteen, Lisa had moved on to become one of the youngest reporters for Channel One News, a news channel for middle schools and high schools. While working more than forty hours a week for the news station, she attended the University of Southern California. Before the age of twenty-five, Lisa became Channel One News's senior war correspondent.
To hear more about Lisa's thoughts on love and relationships visit the Imagining Ourselves online exhibit.
Spun.com
Posted by MikeyMike at 10:44 PM on April 25, 2006 in iPod.
Wanna' sell those CDs that you've ripped to your compter (plus all the ones you never wanted anyway)? You can also sell DVDs and games too. They sell these things too, but the point is that you can get money, iTunes Gift Cards or actual iPods for your efforts. Pretty cool idea, huh??
Spun.com has launched a new service that allows customers to trade in their CDs, DVDs and video games for iPods or iTunes Music Store gift cards. “The transaction is fast and easy,” says Spun. “Simply log on to Spun.com, enter the ‘old media’ titles you want to exchange, and get instant credit toward digital gift cards and players. In a few days, you’ll receive your new digital entertainment gear, and a postage-paid box to ship your old CDs, DVDs and games back to Spun.”
Currently listening to: spinning CD
April 27th, 2006
La Camisa Negra - Juanes
Posted by MikeyMike at 12:01 AM on April 27, 2006 in Arts, Performers, Lyrics.
Love the dark rythym od this song! Found the translation
Here
Juanes is awsome!
Sounds like he is well rid of her! Have the song on my RadioBlog ASAP.
Translation:
Tengo la camisa negra (I have a black shirt)
hoy mi amor esta de luto (Today my love is in mourning)
Hoy tengo en el alma una pena (Today I have a pain in my soul)
y es por culpa de tu embrujo (And it is because of your spell/witchcraft)
Hoy sé que tú ya no me quieres (Today I know that you don�t love me)
y eso es lo que más me hiere (And that�s what hurts me most)
que tengo la camisa negra (That�s whay I have the black shirt)
y una pena que me duele (And a pain that hurts me)
mal parece que solo me quedé (And even worse, it seems that I am left alone)
y fue pura todita tu mentira (And your lie was so pure)
que maldita mala suerte la mÃa (Damn luck for me)
que aquel dÃa te encontré (That day that you found me)
voy a beber del veneno malevo de tu amor (I drank from the malevolent poison that was your love)
yo quedé moribundo y lleno de dolor (I remain a dying man and full of pain)
(Read More)
Currently listening to: Juanes' La Camisa Negra
April 30th, 2006
1st Panda Released
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:05 AM on April 30, 2006 in Congrats!, Geographica, Kawaii, Wild.
James Owen
for National Geographic News
April 28, 2006
With two barks and a charge at a film crew, Xiang Xiang the panda today became the first captive-born giant panda to be released into the wild.
The four-year-old male panda was set free in the bamboo-covered mountains of Sichuan Province in southwest China—more than 40 years after the first captive-bred giant panda was born.
Xiang Xiang, whose name means lucky or auspicious, has been fitted with a collar carrying a satellite tracking device so researchers can keep tabs on his whereabouts.
On his release this morning the panda barked twice like an angry dog and ran at a National Geographic Society film crew before quickly vanishing into the forest, according to eyewitness reports.
Conservationists hope this pioneer panda will mark the start of a program to reintroduce one of the world's best loved endangered animals into its native habitat.
The program could eventually double China's wild panda population, researchers say.
The 176-pound (80-kilogram) male was hand-picked for the mission, being trained for a new life as a wild panda from the age of two.
Xiang Xiang was raised at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, or Panda Center, in the Wolong Nature Reserve.
The Panda Center houses more than a hundred pandas—more than half the total number of captive pandas worldwide. Only about 1,600 giant pandas are still left in the wild, conservationists say.
Zhang Hemin, who is head of the breeding facility, says Xiang Xiang's habitat training began in a five-acre (two-hectare) open enclosure.
The giant panda was later transferred to an area ten times bigger that simulated the animal's natural habitat—including plenty of bamboo as a food source. More
