@ 11: Bingo.

Buddhist Art/Style whatever is soooo tacky. Gag me with a spoon.

But then again...it is in the middle of the desert where I don't have to see it. Very thoughtful of him.

If only IRL sudo existed...

Couldn't happen to a better guy. I found the Elric books at a rummage sale when I was about 12 or 13. As Mr. Gaiman said, his writing changed the way my mind worked on a fundamental level. A lot of people accuse him of writing fluff or pulp or whatever, but all I can say is that he opened me up to a world of possibility and his books are almost solely responsible for making me an avid reader. Hooray for Michael Moorcock!

If you think this is bad I once witnessed a mountain of rusting bicycles on the streets of Hiroshima. If I can find the pic in my cell phone I'll upload it.

Teresa has the right idea here (amongst others). For those of us who have actually commuted by bike in NYC Critical Mass is extremely important. On a daily basis NYC automobile drivers disregard traffic laws, drive dangerously and intimidate both bikers and pedestrians. The law in NYC states that cyclists have (nearly) the same exact rights as any automobile on the street, yet constantly we are harassed, injured and killed. I'm not talking maniac bike messengers here...I'm talking normal, law-abiding bike riders. We like to feel safe, to feel a sense of solidarity once in awhile. Critical Mass gives us that chance. Before the police began their insane Critical Mass crackdown it was always a relatively safe and fun event for everyone involved, and even those watching. It is in the unfortunate bad behavior of "New York's Finest" that we have Critical Mass turning into a controversy and a travesty. If they spent half as much time enforcing daily traffic violations and the like (by both cars and bikes) as they do harassing Critical Mass riders (and planning to harass them) then everyone would be a whole lot safer in the streets of New York.

Yeah, I'd like to see Cory's take on this. Fair use...or just plain old stealing other people's funny and passing it off like your own? I didn't look at too many of them (I've seen a lot of the images before)...but if he did pixel out information about where they came from on some of the images that's a pretty dick move on his part.

BUT as 7 said, he probably just d/led them all from 2chan and didn't know any better...lord knows the English chan boards steal tons of crap from their Japanese ancestor.

I didn't even notice.

But then again, I eat vegan in the home, so you know...I wouldn't have.

@20:

I knew it, I knew it! Was that damn gaijin!

"...when she fell off a cliff." ???

I was bracing for murder, fatal disease, etc...but cliff? Damn.

And the snippet above makes it sound like she was Wile E. Coyote or something, but in the article it does specify that some rocks gave way under her and she fell.

This is superior to the Tay Zonday version in all ways:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uZr3JWYdy8

Dead Vice Prez ftw. $ilver $pring to the bone.

I speak and read Japanese. My friend speaks and reads Japanese. We are both about 140 lbs soaking wet, so there's no way either of us looks like a "soldier." We were hanging out in Hiroshima one evening and we decided to go to a darts bar. A good idea to play some darts and meet some people we thought. There were no foreboding signs or anything like that, we simply walked into the bar and were immediately turned away on sight. The bar was about half full. At first we asked if we'd interrupted something (a private party, etc...because we didn't understand the abrupt treatment), but no, the guy just told us "no foreigners" and sent us back to the exit.

I mean whatever...I'm sure a private business is entitled to set the rules they want (I could regale you for hours on my theory about how Japanese business owners hate making money, or at least they seem to from their bizarre hours, treatment of customers, etc), but this blanket "no foreigner" policy reflects an inability to see any sense of scale or to compromise. Clearly my friend and I were no threat and spoke near perfect Japanese...but they still turned away two sources of income for the evening simply because of how we looked. Not cool.

What's with people always "zinging" BB for being late with shit. They can't possibly be on top of every single obscure internet fad out there. To counter it I just wanted to say that I nearly always find out about cool stuff from BB first...I can count on one hand the number of times I've truly thought "BB, you're slipping..."

Waiter...I'd like a side of your finest internets please.

Kudos Ben and Matt. You guys never cease to amaze me. Robot spite...and robot rights?

Aside from the carrots isn't this just the same as always?

@14: Well I guess the war on terror hasn't completely eroded our strength as an advertising brand after all. Good to know.

I rofled.

I love the old wooden Japanese toys. Almost every 100 yen store (think dollar store) has a little section for them. They're totally rad and keep me entertained for long periods of time. Kinda makes me want to start a new subculture: woodpunk...

Bricology: But the concept of "wa" is stupidly flawed. I've had ridiculous concoctions such as "omuraisu" fed to me and been told they're "western" food. I've lived many places in the "west" and NEVER encountered anything like that outside of Japan. Yet Japanese people won't accept it as their creation because they're not comfortable with that. If "wa" had the ability to accept small changes over time and grow maybe it would survive, but the mindset that there's one correct way to do everything is bound to fail. No questions asked.

Just look at my country, America. ;)

@22: Whoa, you found the other two...those are supposed to be secret...

Oh, and if you see Larry, let him know Darryl is looking for him.

@21: Agreed. I don't have huge criticisms of the guy anyway, just that one thing. Your explanation makes sense, but I can't help still reading a weird orientalism into people's fascination with him. Oh well.

@ Xeni: In my comment I specifically stated that a previous comment had made my mind veer off topic. I also stated that I wasn't discussing the Dalai Lama's merits (or those of Tibetan Buddhism) alongside Tibetan independence, simply on their own. Sorry if my post contributed to off-topic debate, or bad comparisons between the Dalai Lama and the whole of Tibet. I didn't intend that.

@Takuan: Why do people always miss the second "l" in my name? Oh the rage! (JK, but it does happen a lot on BB...maybe it's the font...)

But yeah, you posted a whole bunch of nice things he's said (I can post nice quotes from Popes, ministers, famous Islamic clerics, etc as well). As far as I can tell he still thinks gay sex is icky, which is a sad theme in many major religions and in the minds of many people. It's the "we respect you but we think you're a deviant" line and I don't buy that. I also just don't understand why otherwise progressive people take a lot of stake in what some guy like him has to say. I'm being very specific here, but I know people who love the Dalai Lama but hate the Pope. I for one just don't see the difference. Both are pushing positive things along with a whole lot of ignorance and outdated thinking.

I'm sure he's a stellar guy, it just chagrins me that he can precisely be such a stellar guy and still hold such an unfortunate view of another person's sexuality.

I'll wait on that new statement though. Nice job on demanding an update on that point.

While Kyle's comments are pretty much ignorant and EPIC trolling (great job on not feeding him) he did bring up an excellent point in my head. What is with the white middle-class love of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama? The Dalai Lama is a total waste as far as I can tell...just another religious bigot that westerners revere for his perceived "Eastern" spiritualism.

Someone want to clue me in on the appeal of this guy? It's one thing to support Tibet's right to self-government, but why do people like this religious whackjob again? (Granted he's no Pope, but he still hates gay people...)

@39:

Oh wow, you got that? Congratulations, welcome to the internet.

Wow...you can just smell the self-righteousness in here. How DARE someone disrespect what I consider to be beautiful?! HOW DARE THEY!

Guy was probably a dick, but all the people in here who are selling the "graffiti on railcars is one thing, but on rocks it's evil" line are guilty of a bit of dickery as well.

Wow, it hasn't happened yet so: In before "you don't understand Japan...wah wah wah."

This seems pretty lame, but how is it different from any other rent-a-cop on a power trip?

Smokers are just inconsiderate, I could care less about the health aspects. People aren't allowed to just walk into bars and restaurants and open up containers of rancid meat or start boiling broccoli (two things, which in addition to smoking I don't like the smell of), but for some reason smokers feel entitled to their disgusting habit, lacing the air with the stuff and getting it all over your clothes. And ef all this nonsense about "you know what you're getting into when you go to a bar." Forcing your smoking on other people is clearly the "wrong" end of this argument. What are you going to get at non-smokers about? They're NOT doing anything. Grow the fuck up and quit whining. This is the same shit theists pull with atheists...wah wah wah, you're trying to take our delusions away from us. NO. We just don't happen to believe it and we don't think you should be able to peddle your shit where people DON'T want it (or impose something you choose to do on people who choose not to do it). Smoking is a choice, and so are smoking bans. Quit crying.

That being said, holler at: http://www.xkcd.com/386/

lol, internets

@1: What would you call it? Respecting someone's privacy? X-Rays are about as invasive as you can get...

Yesterday's xkcd comic aside, let's go over this ONE MORE TIME.

Not every fucking person in every fucking country in Africa is starving to death or in dire need of medical attention. Shit-talking other people's charity efforts means nothing if you're not participating in one yourself. So you may choose to give to UNICEF...who the fuck cares? I want to give to OLPC because I believe that the people OLPC is reaching out to are in need of their particular service. AND I'm going to give to this skatepark in Uganda thing because I used to skate (until my knee gave out on me) and I actually took the time to go to their site and read their blog and I saw numerous pics of kids having fun skating! That's enough for me. Different charities exist precisely so they can meet different needs.

Yes, some people in some countries are sick and starving and dying, and yes, it's good to help them, but don't crap all over other people's attempts to do nice things for people who are a little better off.

(Aside: I do agree with the above poster who suggested bikes may be a better idea though. Bikes are much more useful as a mode of transportation. But, that being said, I'd be shocked if bikes weren't already ubiquitous in Uganda, as they are in many countries in Africa.)

@3:

Shows the extent to which the entertainment industry has brainwashed you. You think that wanting to actually own the things you pay for makes you a zealot. lol.

@20:

I say this is such a cowardly, unlawful act by the Julius Baer group that we googlebomb them.

I linked the Wikileaks main page, the page about the court order, and the page of the original allegations using "Julius Baer Bank" as the link text.

Feel free to follow suit if you want to stick it to these numbnuts.

dmacdoesjapan.blogspot.com

Yeah, some people are violent and carry diseases too. I should just shoot every person that comes within a certain perimeter of my home just to be sure. Can't be too careful.

This now makes me wonder if it's some sort of sketch comedy routine...although I guess the newspapers would have checked their facts before reporting on it if it was...right?

@16:

As any good theist will tell you, that was an angel whispering in your ear. Jeez, you didn't know that?

Yet again John K proves that he not only can't remain relevant, but he also can't seem to make any sense, ever. The guy is such a tired hack and curmudgeon.

The police have gang control of the streets, what else is new?

My family's pet ferret does this too, with anything small and round. Carries objects around and protects them. When it's Christmas she gets into a small plush nativity scene and nabs the baby Jesus. It's adorable to see her carrying him around.

@ 20:

Please re-read my post carefully because you just attributed words to me that I never used. I never called Anonymous "bad", "worse" or "the worst"... and I happen to agree that the people who perpetrate Scientology are a bunch of money-grubbing, lying, dangerous pieces of trash, but then so are the leaders of nearly every religion in the universe.

My point was, since when has "Anonymous" (whatever that means...because according to their own credo they can be anyone, anywhere, holding any ideals) become something newsworthy or something to be admired? They're just a bunch of kids and neckbeards with too much time on their hands who like to find irritating ways to amuse themselves. Or maybe that was the point of Project Chanology, to irritate me specifically, in which case they've done a bang-up job.

No, I don't think Anonymous is worse or better than Scientology. But that doesn't make them any less sheep-ish. They're all uniting under a cause. If they were the face of chaos like they claim, wouldn't they all be pursuing different, more chaotic activities than standing outside the offices of a joke religion and spouting internet memes?

@ 18:

Calm down. I don't like the Bible but that doesn't mean that people shouldn't be able to read it at the library. It's a print work, it belongs there. Libraries need more books, not less. Now there is the matter of space (I know, I worked in library processing for two years), but ideally I think all books, no matter how stupid, have a place on the shelf (or in the archive, etc). Printed works are cultural objects.

@15:

Thank goodness someone gets it. I thought the entire internet had been trolled by this Anonymous BS. Anonymous is just the morons from various chan websites, it's not a fucking movement. Next week they'll be spamming some kid's myspace page with gay porn or "raiding" the Habbo Hotel pool. They're just as much sheep as the Scientology followers, if not moreso.

In Japan they call him "Donald McDonald". That weirds me out.

Darn it, wouldn't you know Xeni beat me to the baby overlord line.

That being said, congratulations!

Grey goo?

(Also, first!)

I loled...heartily. The lil' skinhead is priceless.

@17: Yeah, but loosies are illegal. (technically)

Also, as someone above mentioned, Georgia is not at all a wacky name for coffee. My favorite brand of coffee here in Japan is GOD coffee. Nothing beats drinking God.

Also also, these promo pack things are EVERYWHERE in Japan. They'll package any two related or unrelated objects...if you stay here long enough you'll see two things you like bundled together. Right now there's a special where you buy a Diet Coke and get a free piece of chicken from McDonalds and last time I bought beer I got some tissues. w00t.

The Haruhi cosplay pic had me thinking...is there really not a (supported) market for YA fantasy and sci-fi in the English-speaking world? Here in Japan it's the rule, not the exception. There's no end to "light novels"...a genre of 200 or so paged stories that are aimed at junior high/high school kids and immature adults. They're not necessarily landmarks of literary achievement in all cases, but books like the "Haruhi Suzumiya" series have made a huge impact on the nation. Japan even imports/translates a huge amount of foreign YA F&SF material. I'm guessing the reverse hasn't been true in America...or has it? I haven't been to an American bookstore in 2 years, I know manga took off, but have Japanese novels been translated too? There's probably a place for translation of some of the better Japanese stuff, as well as homegrown YA lit.

Not sure I made sense there, but word.

Thank you so very much Mr. Greenwood.

And a big old raspberry @ #2.

The developing world doesn't need to be given handouts or "saved" by wealthier nations or people, it needs to be given the tools to sustain and further develop itself and meet it's own needs, and even then you have to look on a country by country basis instead of lumping the whole developing world into the "close to death" category. It's one thing to give a sandwich to someone, but it's another to give them the means to raise their own crops, grind their own grain, make their own bread, etc. And there are different charities for each end of that chain, saving people from death and saving them from the exploitation of globalization by giving them the tools they need to stay productive and competitive.

lol @ #33/#34

Internet lesson 2568: When you give someone a grammar-lashing always be sure you use proper grammar yourself...

I loled. Mostly at all the Warren Ellis hate. Clearly the internet is serious business. Clearly.

"Will the Cloverfield monster be as cool as these monsters?"

No.

I was speeding by this thing on the shinkansen the other day and I really wanted more info about it...only I went by too fast to read the sign and see who the company was! Thanks BoingBoing! Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

I heart the s'more baby Jesus.

Check it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVZczLuoJoU

Nativity scenes are just LARPing.

Bush Admin's science agenda: see "Flintstones"

@ Teapunk:

LOL, foot-in-mouth disease. Sorry. I see all anonymous people as male because I have a penis...forgive me. Won't happen again

Lauren:

Ah I see your point, you're speaking more about the fashion (Harajuku) aspect. I am in agreement in Teapunk who said he's only ever really seen the fetish (Akiba) aspect of this. And I admit would disagree with the article there. You definitely don't see A TON of girls doing this on the streets for fashion. You see it mostly as a fetish. However, even then I don't see myself criticizing the way anyone wants to dress. That's their choice. Is it demeaning for anyone to dress any way? It sounds like you're taking agency away from them, in the fashion case no one is making them do it. Like I said before, when I see it I'm always reminded of the silent strength of Rei from Evangelion, and maybe they are too. I personally see it as "cool." People with injuries in general intrigue me...how did they get them? Were they in a fight? Did they fall down stairs? I want to know.

Teapunk:
Yeah, the underage porn thing is totally crazy. And like I said, some girls in this book are at the 16 mark...thats a borderline for me...but since everyone in the book is covered up and doing nothing stranger than a Sports Illustrated or fashion magazine model would do. I think the girls know what's up, and I'm not deeply bothered by it. Plus, like I said, it's just so uniquely weird, to me it qualifies as art. However I am deeply bothered by the U15 and "Junior Idol" crap. There is no reason for a DVD of a 10 year old prancing around in a two piece swimsuit. There's only one type of person who buys that, and we know what they're gonna use it for. And believe me, I bring it up in conversation with Japanese people all the time. They'll say something Americans do is bad/odd and I'm like, "At least we don't have child porn in almost every bookstore!"

To #2 and Cory, I respectfully disagree. My personal take on this, as someone who lives in Japan, speaks Japanese, and has study way too much Japanese culture, is that what the quote says is the extact context it's intended for in Japan. This fetish, as best I can tell, dates back to (as poster #1 so eloquently put it) TEH REI, or Ayanami Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

In the first episode of that series we are introduced to the character Rei who is wheeled in on a hospital bed covered in bandages and recieving an IV drip. I know when I was 13 and I first saw her I fell in love with the character for her absolute strength as she tried to raise herself from the hospital bed to fight again. I thought she was the coolest girl I'd ever seen. And it seems a lot of nerds (both Japanese and foreign alike) agreed, as she's become an extremely popular character to this day.

With your particular bias you may read this book as anti-woman or whatever, but I'd definitely say within the context of Japanese culture it is aimed at men who respect women who are playing through their pain. There's a whole class of adult videos involving this fetish that involve no sex, just a helpful, nerdy boyfriend doing nice things for his injured girlfriend. It speaks to the Japanese concept of "gaman" or "endurance."

Again, I respect your opinions but I couldn't disagree more. And just to add to this discussion, I own the book (it's one of my favorite treasures from living in Japan)...and the thing that actually disturbed me the most about it upon opening it (almost all Japanese books are sealed in plastic in bookstores) was the young age of some of the models. This is another cultural thing that I can't really get over. But the photography is tasteful and it sits on the shelf with all my other "weird" books.

Thanks for your time.

Oh no! This post turned me, not into a terrorist, but a murderer! I live in rural Japan and I'd KILL for a good falafel. Hear that FBI?

Man, that one girl with the Chelsea, Fred Perry jacket and the beaded collar is so cute. I love skinheads and mods. They're the snappiest dressers of all subcultures.

@34:

Yeah, those are pretty much my thoughts about Japan in a nutshell. Except I think the police in my neck of the woods are still kinda dick-ish...but that could just be a local thing.

But I liked your last point the most. Japan is not a magical wonderland. Neither is the US. No place is perfect.

@Teapunk:
FrankieZ appears to be a disgusting comment troll. Do not feed him.

But yeah, I definitely sit better with your interpretation of "gaijin." I could care less if someone calls me a "gaijin" or a "gaikokujin." It's like saying "foreigner" or "foreign person" in English. One is slightly more rude, but neither is anywhere near a racial slur.

@25: First off, a big ONYD for comparing "gaijin" to "nigger"...they are in no way the same thing. At all. I'm a gaijin, you're a gaijin. Deal with it. You will never integrate into Japanese society. It doesn't work that way. You will always be the outsider. Embrace it and learn to live with it.

@24: I don't know where you live in Japan, but where I live the cops are even bigger a-holes than American cops. My friend parked his car in someone's private parking space (by accident) only to have the owner of said space essentially dismantling his car with a bat. He complained to the police and their answer was "What would you do if someone parked in your parking space?" And let's not even get started on what they tell women with rape accusations in Japan...

I have two things to say about this whole thing:

1. Yes, foreigners act like idiots sometimes in Japan. But remember, large groups of people often act like idiots in cities. This is soccer hooliganism in Europe, this is rioting after the Red Sox (win or) lose in Boston. This happens EVERYWHERE. It's too many stressed out drunk people blowing off steam. It's not just a symptom of foreigners in Japan.

2. Japanese people are overly xenophobic. All the bad stuff that happens in Japan isn't the fault of foreigners. I mean they sell child porn in most book stores in Japan (yes, I do consider the 9 year old bathing suit model magazines child porn...what do you think the person who's buying it is doing with it when they take it home?) And I can't count the number of times some drunken JAPANESE idiot has disturbed my peace and quiet (on a train, in a bar, in a convenience store, while out to dinner with the girlfriend, etc). So don't "poor mild-mannered Japan" me. They know how to cause a ruckus too.

The lesson is, this isn't about poorly behaved foreigners, it's about poorly behaved PEOPLE. And it's about both the Japanese and foreign people who can't see that distinction.

Finally something that actually merits the typical "LOL, Japan" response we see all to much on BoingBoing.

@4: You said it man. I don't know how many of my students have horrible excema that I'm pretty sure stems from lactose intollerance (or some sort of food allergy)...but it's more than I can count on both hands. Japan needs to slow down on the milk.

There are [definitely] more bloggers writing meaningless drivel than there are farmers.

there, fixed

I'm with ARI1413 on this. I do not buy it. And that "in olden times we had trouble picking up bacteria" crap is laughably incorrect. Seems like one of those situations where researchers are blowing something WAY out of proportion.

WE FOUND A USE FOR THE APPENDIX 1!one0!!1one

Five scientists agreeing with your brand new and (seemingly) poorly researched theory does not a paradigm shift in biological thinking make.

I guess I'll have to read the actual article in Theoretical Biology though. But for now, I call bullshit.

Is it just me or does seeing all those people in one room just make me think of 4chan's /b/?

It's been done.

It's called Bomb The Music Industry!

Also Harvey Danger did it.

Quit jerking off Radiohead's ego.

@ PHASOR3000:

Ask and ye shall receive:
http://kscakes.com/LolCats/Uploads/Saved/im-in-ur-bbbllleeaaarrrggghhh.jpg

The police have gang control. What else is new.

"Any time I want to [read about] a complete hack and failure, I read John K's blog."

There, fixed.

If you reveal the secrets to a magic trick doesn't Rollo come by and threaten to take your legs?

And for the record...they're not tricks...they're ILLUSIONS (Michael).

When I start hearing things like "constraints of western scientific materialism" I know I should just leave well enough alone. You're either dealing with a religious nutjob or just a plain old nutjob. Get over yourself. "Science" isn't systematically ignoring evidence to favor a certain worldview. Scientists LOVE evidence, and we LOVE weird stuff...I don't see how all you Forteans, Christians, IDists, wackjobs, etc, etc come to this conclusion that if there was evidence for something truly weird and cool that any scientist would try to cover it up or ignore it. Fort's book is ignorant and self-serving, and as a previous poster stated it simply preyed upon weaknesses in data of the day. Science is all about learning new things...when new data arises it is processed and assimilated...and when need be old paradigms and viewpoints are revised. There is no such thing as scientific "fundamentalism" or a religion of science. Believe me, if half the stuff Fort harps on about had any supporting evidence or was even reasonable in the least he'd have one more fan in me...but it's not, so he doesn't. It's SO easy to nitpick the people that actually do all the research and work if you haven't done any yourself. Quit crying about how people don't understand Fort. He was a crank and a charlatan.

I also have to agree that although I loooove BoingBoing, for such a tech-y, science-y site they love to promote BS.

I mean what did you expect me to do in this situation:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1182/1302644921_12118db17b_o.jpg

Yeah, while I wasn't a big fan of the above anon's tone, they do have a good point. There really is no concept of a completely taboo word in Japanese. I teach English in Japan and I'm always pleasantly surprised at the English "swear" words that both kids (and adults) over here are familiar with. They just look them up in the dictionary and don't really understand the connotations that go along with them. Older students of English often like to rattle them of for you like the names of merit badges.