Well, the Danjiri lived up to its reputation and was, in a word, exhilarating. In my free time, I’m looking through the hundreds of photos I took and will post the best ones here. I might have gotten five really killer pics, only half of what I set out for, but more than I expected. The main difference between my new D50 and the digital cameras I have used in the past is simply that I like a lot more of my own photos than I used to – and that’s a remarkable thing, really.
While I’m getting my best ten or so photos ready to publish on this blog, you can get a sneak peek of about 200 or so I posted in my Flickr photostream:
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri 2005
Author: Justin
Day Before Danjiri
Tomorrow morning, Nam and I will ride the hydrofoil from Sumoto to Kansai Airport. From there we will ride the train a couple stops and step into the semi-controlled chaos of the Danjiri Matsuri. This is one of the few things I promised myself that I would do before leaving Japan (some of the other things include watching someone disembowel themself with a short, sharp sword, and just once not being told “but you look Japanese” after introducing myself as American).
I am taking a cumulative 2.5 GB storage space in memory cards, as well as my trusty micronote to transfer data to should this be insufficient.
I want to take at least ten really killer photos. That’s a lot, I know, but I will set my sights high since the weather should be nice and since I am, after all, ditching work to drink beers and watch gigantic wooden floats collide together in unrehearsed and seriously dangerous ways.
Wish me luck!
Jak the Bee Dog
My dad’s Shitzu, Jak. He is SO getting submitted to that Bee Dogs site.
Random Clicking @Wikipedia
Here’s a list I never expect Japan to make: List of places with fewer than ten people
For a Change
Go and read a heartwarming story about the Katrina relief efforts: Herc Driver’s Report on Katrina Rescue Ops
A short note to Cosmic Buddha’s guitarist
Taro, you need this.
I Can Hear What You’re Typing
Neal Stephenson fans, start your engines: Acoustic Snooping on Typed Information
Oh. My. Shaka.
I don’t know what’s more disturbing, the fact that this site exists, or the fact that my family’s Shitzu has a bee costume, too. Or the fact that I bought him an Eeyore costume at a dog clothing store in Kobe last year. Oh my god, I’m practically an eight year old girl! I’ve been in the land of Hello Kitty and Totoro way too long!
(Mom, please send a photo of Jak in his bee suit for me to post)
(via)
New Quark Logo Issues
In a brave struggle to become less irrelevant and direct attention away from the fact that they lost the Desktop Publishing Wars a long time ago, Quark Inc. has adopted a new logo.
Oh wait, did I say “new?” Let the games begin:
The new Quark logo resembles the Scottish Arts Council’s logo.
But wait! The new Quark logo also resembles the Designer’s Network Logo.
Who will sue first? To find out, tune into next week’s show of When WingDings Attack!
UPDATE:
Look familiar?: Artworkers
ANOTHER UPDATE:
Quark has responded; issue is not yet resolved.
Compulsory Commentary on the Japanese Elections
Summary: Koizumi is the FUCKING MAN! ALL HAIL KOIZUMI! BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!!
It must be nice winning an election and watching the stock market rise like this. Plus, let’s face it, the Richard Gere look-alike thing was a fucking masterstroke. Interesting fact: Did you know that before the plastic surgery, Koizumi was a dead ringer for Pat Morita?
Daniel-san, you must concentrate!
Unfortunately, Japanese politics are a prime example of “the more things change the more they stay the same.” For instance: Post office privatization. If you’re waiting to see how this is going to directly affect your life in Japan, tell me how it turns out a couple decades from now, okay? Seriously… People who are predicting the change in interest rates for savings accounts at this point in time ARE FUCKING DELUSIONAL OR HAVE A SERIOUSLY KICK-ASS CRYSTAL BALL +7 CHARISMA. Okay?
(Note from Editor: Compulsory “Japanese erection” joke deleted.)