-
-phagy
One of the most interesting things I’ve read in a while: Eat Me: The Soviet method for attacking infection that we can learn from Favorites passages: – “You send your bacterial sample to the lab, and it’s either matched up with an existing phage or a phage is cultured just for you.” – “Phages are also sold over-the-counter in Georgia. People take the popular mixture piobacteriophage, for example, to fight off common infections including staph and strep. These phage mixtures are updated regularly so they can attack newly emerging bacterial strains.” – “One company recently tried to open a phage center in Tijuana but was deterred by the Mexican government.…
-
Love letter to Senior Vice Justice Minister Taro Kono
Right back at you, asshole! (Update 2006/07/05: That link is hosed. I’m pasting a copy of the article below.) A Justice Ministry panel studying an overhaul of Japan’s immigration administration is set to propose that the proportion of foreign residents to the nation’s population should be kept at 3 pct or below, Senior Vice Justice Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday. The proposal will be included in a draft package of immigration policy reform measures to be drawn up shortly, Kono, who heads the panel, told a press conference. According to the ministry, foreign residents accounted for 1.2 pct of Japan’s population at the end of 2005. By contrast, the proportion…
-
Feverish Meat Dreams
I’ve been down with a completely unprovoked itchy throat/summer head cold the past week (damn you, yahweh!), which I think is more than evident in my writing. Not that I care. I have a cold, you see. It makes me want to glom a big phlegmy sound like “mweh” at the world. So: mweh! But what is a puny cold to a man in the land of samurai ninja kamikaze? Pshaw. I have been down, but not completely out of action (and as such, I may have unwittingly figured out why so many feudal lords suddenly died of pneumonia – “What’s that? Rest, you say? Ridiculous! It’s just a little…
-
Scary
“Hey Justin, can you call back in ten? Nam’s driving right now.”
-
“The devil is beating his wife”
Someone at work asked me what this phrase meant the other day. I just got around to looking it up. It refers to the weather condition when it is sunny but raining. I never knew there was a term for it. I always just thought of it as “Hawaii weather.” Apparently, the following phrases also mean the same thing: “foxes are on a marriage parade” “witches are doing their wash” “a tailor is going to hell” (source) To these, I would add another: “The Big Monkey in the Sky Is Peeing on Us, Violently” Mine makes a hell of a lot more sense than that foxes’ marriage parade bullshit. Fucking…
-
Ye olde win/mac debate
This guy makes me feel much better about not buying a sleek new MacBook Pro. I want a pretty, shiny new toy, but I just cannot justify it. Sidenote: Why are decent graphic cards for Mac still so goddamn expensive?
-
Don’t bread on me
I’m starting a war in the office. Let me explain. Today, I intentionally broke the Tamanegi Convention. This convention simply states that no one shall consume raw onions right before coming to work. The reasons that this convention is necessary are: A. This island is most famous for its onions B. They are in season right now, and are delicious when sliced thin and eaten raw C. They make your breath smell like ass However, I would like to point out that the framers of this convention never took into account the fact that I would be returning back to a bachelor’s lifestyle this week, coinciding with coming down with…
-
mizuwari
This is a huge joke, because 99.9% of Asians do not know how to drink whiskey. I have no doubt that 1,000,000 yen buys you a damn smooth mixer for your glass of ice water, but it’s still an awfully sissy way to drink (although Americans aren’t much better pouring expensive single malts over ice). If it tastes too strong just stick to vodka tonics, you pansies.
-
In a world of white Toyotas…
I have to admit, Mitsuoka makes some real works of art; they stand out from everything else on the street. Take a look at their lineup. My favorite, of course is the Le-Seyde, which is built on the body of a 180SX (the sister model of my beloved Silvia S-13). I used to see these driving around once a year or so (they were always white), but I haven’t seen one for quite a while. In some cities in Japan, they use the TX-II or the viewt as actual taxi cabs – and riding around in one is a welcome break from the ubiquitous old Crown cabs.
You May Also Like
Mooban Hacking Part 1 (Pimp My Ride, Thailand)
Fiat and Fowl
The Toyota Collection
-
ring size
Measuring my wedding ring. I already forgot what size it is; ring sizes are the same as shoe sizes – there’s a bunch of different systems. They really should standardize that shit.
