July 2006 Archives

I was going to post a video of the DS trying out all those instant messaging suggestions I've been getting or of the new Rockman ZX game I picked up, but then my hard drive failed on my Powerbook. Its currently making sounds like a chain-saw and refuses to show up or boot up. Luckily I backed everything up a week ago, or else I'd be in a ball on the floor crying with an empty bottle of gin next to me. Thankfully thats not the case. So long story short a box from Apple will show up on Saturday and my little Powerbook will be back in working order within a week. (Go extended Apple Care!)

Until then I'll be using the local internet cafe..... and my Nintendo DS Browser for internet fun.... At least this will give me a chance to try out the 20 different messaging services that have been sent my way. Thanks everyone, and hopefully I'll have a video for you in a week.

In my last post I gave a quick review of the new Nintendo DS Browser. Today lets look a bit more in depth. The Nintendo DS Browser came out yesterday here in Japan at a price of 4,000¥. From what I've read online it will hit Europe at the beginning of October. Currently there is no US release date. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.

The game come in two parts. A regular DS game cartridge and a GBA game cartridge. Because of the size difference between the DS and the DS Lite, Nintendo has put out two separate boxes for this game with two separate sized GBA packs. As you can see my DS Lite GBA pack is clear and funky looking. I guess your meant to keep the GBA pack in at all times. Whatever Nintendo.

The Opera browser asks you a bunch of question the first time you put it in, most of which I didn't understand because I suck at Japanese. If you already have configured wireless spots on your DS the game will see these settings and try to connect to one of these spots. If not, configuration is quite easy.

Browser usage is quite easy. Easy enough that I just started messing with it without reading the directions. The simple row of tool items are rather strait forward. You have your Forward, Back, Refresh, History, URL Entry, Bookmarks, Find, Settings, Help, Screen Mode, Picture On/Off, Zoom, and Screen Switch. To go to a webpage just go to the URL Entry button, click it, and either use the on screen keyboard or the handwriting recognition.

Webpage viewing is done in two modes. Full Screen mode and Dual Screen Mode. Full Screen takes the webpage and squishes it down so you get all the info displayed running down the two screens. Scroll down to read more. The downside is that this completely destroys any webpage formatting. The other mode is the dual screen mode where the bottom screen shows the entire webpage scaled down (or as much as it can) and you move a box around which then displays an enlargement of that box on the top screen. To select a link, button, or entry field you just click on the Screen Switch button and the two screens switch places. You can then click on whatever you want via the touch pad. If you don't want to do this you can click the L or R button on the DS and select things in the scaled down version.

Handwriting recognition works very well. English, punctuation, and even the Japanese I tested out worked fine. Though I did find that using the on screen keyboard worked a heck of a lot faster.

Bookmarks are done via folders. You can edit them, move them around. Nothing new.

The browser lacks flash, video, and audio playback. So no youtube for you.

I was able to post messages on webforums, read my blog, check my gmail, send some gmail, and look at webpages I probably shouldn't. Not too bad.

What is bad is the fact that the DS has a slow processor and spends a very long time rendering webpages. For example it takes a full three minutes to load CNN.com. Yeah. Minutes. I tried this on my home fiber optic internet connection and Airport Express and also at the internet cafe down the street. Gizmodo and Kotaku take two minutes each. Slashdot takes a full minute. Even my webpage takes a good 30-45 seconds to come up. You also can't use any messenger client. AIM Express, ebuddy.com, and Meebo.com all fail at working on the DS BRowser.

If you'd like to see it in action I posted two videos for you. You can either view them through youtube, or click here and see them via a quicktime file on my webpage. The first is a general overview of the system and how it renders pages.

The second hows its buttons, sound effects, and handwriting recognition in action.

So overall the browser works. You can view webpage and do e-mail, though the lack of flash, sounds, and Messager services combined with its horrible slowness makes the browser a real disapointment. For 4,000¥ its not really worth it unless you're going to be around a lot of wi-fi spots and don't have a computer near you.

I tried to do some fun flea market shopping on Friday but the rain caused way too many issues in Kyoto. The flea market is usually packed with venders and people, but the rain caused a lack of both. Plus I ended up feeling kind of ill on Friday which didn't help. Though the upside was that we did manage to have a super nice Italian dinner. Sooo goood. Saturday I bought a small camping backpack at a camping store for my upcoming Vietnam trip. I also bought some easy manga (not the porn kind) for some light summer reading.

Several of us went up to Fuchu for a small leavers party, and I ended the evening watching the new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. Which was much better than I thought. Though it was missing something... hmm... oh yeah. The second half of the film. Undead monkeys are funny though. (But you all know how I loath the undead!)

So I ended up staying home on Monday and feeling sick. But it did give me a prime opportunity to play about with my Nintendo DS Browser that showed up in the mail today. Here is a fun and quick review I wrote up:

Quick startup time. Interface is easy to use. Bookmarks and URL entering very easy. Keyboard mode is nice as well as handwriting recognition (both for Japanese and English). Two view modes make for easy viewing. DS reformats pages for single screen mode. Dual screen mode shows a scaled down version of the page on the bottom and the top screen shows an enlarged version of what you point to. You can also switch the two screens, and have the scaled version be on top while using your pointer to drag the screen on the bottom. You can also select links, buttons, and fields this way if you wish. To speed things up there is a "No Images" option which helps load times as well as scroll times. Some test of load times in minutes (yes, I said minutes):

Slashdot: 1
Digg: 1.4
Gizmodo: 2
Kotaku:2
CNN: 3

Gmail, .Mac, and Yahoo mail work fine on it. Was not able to use AIM Express or Meebo.com for IMing because both don't support the Opera browser. It also seemed to have issues rendering a couple of webpages I viewed. For shame Browser. For shame. If you'd like to see it in action you can watch this video I made.

Speaking of DS fun... Starfox Command comes out next month in Japan. Oh my god! It looks great. Classic Starfox fun that we haven't seen since the N64 version. It even seems as if you can play vs other people via the internet. Mmm.... I know what I'll be buying next month. I am super addicted to my DS now.

Speaking of fun filled toys from Japan, I think I need one of these little robots. If I had one I would program it to dance to the song Mr. Roboto to entertain my sick needs. That and I would have him make "swing" motions when women were around. Clearly this is a new age in time killing geekdom. (Plus he would totally be able to kick the ass of that damn robot dog)

Dale and I agree, youtube is the devil at work on the internet. So I guess this is what you would call me "loving the sin hating the sinner." Anyways enough with the trow away jokes. The first fun Japan video is the 'anti piracy' clip that I am forced to watch at the start of every Japanese movie I pay $15 to go see. It puts to shame all the ads we have back in the US. If anyone has a high res version of this, I want it. I'll stick it on the front of every film I make!

If you thought the Japanese Prime Minister Koyazumi was an Elvis fan, check out these Yakuza guys going crazy to the Elvis tunes. The things I miss by not being in Tokyo. (Also I couldn't stick this video in my page due to youtube being dumb)

So thats the deal with me as of late. I now can look forward to a week of mind numbing fun at the office. I need a break from summer break.

I'm heading out to Kyoto in about an hour to do some serious flea market shopping. I'm going to try and find a yukata that fits me, as well as some fun filled WWII propaganda. Hopefully both won't be too expensive for my poor teacher salary. But to help you fill the time without I have included two crazy Japan videos to pass the days away.

Who said video games don't have good music.

Japan wouldn't be Japan without some Godzilla. Honestly. Good times for all will be had. Though I am a Mothra fan....

Found out today that one of our three new ALTs decided to not do JET at the last minute. Usually this means that someone else would be called up and be brought over, but my BOE doesn't know if they're going to do that or not.... grrr....

After a thrilling weekend of BBQs, dinners, lunches, and more dinners it feels nice to have a regular week. Though this week is the last week for me at several schools (which I don't know), it also means that I can have some nice down time at city hall for a while. Get some rest at home. Clean up. Study. Be extra super lazy. At least for a while.

Now that I know the wonders of CODs in Japan I have been on a spending spree. Ok, a minor spree consisting of three things which I was going to buy anyways. Today I preordered myself a copy of the Nintendo DS Web Browser that comes out next Monday. Now I can spend my days surfing the internet wirelessly from my Nintendo DS. It was only $30 and if its not worth the money I'll just eBay it. (Its not out in the US for quite a while) If nothing else I'll post a video of it.

Anyways not much happening this week. Saying a few goodbyes. Having some fun. Avoiding the rain. That kind of thing.

Today it was up to 36 C in and around Fukuyama. Which really sucks when I found out my rear tire was flat and I had to walk quite a ways, in dress clothing, to get it fixed mid-afternoon. Plus it cost me 4,000¥. I think today is the day that my bike finally has cost more in fixes than it originally cost me to buy it. Argg.... plus my spare bike is kind of mostly shot as well.

I did like explaining to my JTE why North Korea is so funny these days. Mainly the name they picked for their new missile. The "Taepodong" name thing. Which if you haven't noticed sounds exactly like "Type o dong." Yeah. That was a can of worms I should have never opened today.

I wondered around my country side school today snapping pictures of various frogs, insects, and flowers that amused me. I did find out that Japanese children, both boys and girls, are deathly afraid of even the smallest green frog. Though on the upside one boy did show me a little baby mantis he found. It was soooo cute, and soooo small. I'm sticking up a new photo album in my photoblog tonight that contains nothing but creatures, insects, and flowers.

So if this TV clip doesn't clue you in on why I don't watch Japanese TV, well, I guess nothing will. Ever. Whats with these darn cats?

I guess this does answer all those cat/ fish weight issues that have been keeping you up at night.

I can't take the heat. Neither can my kids. It was only up to 32 C today, but with a friendly 90% humidity. The best part is that my school didn't feel the urge to turn on its AC in the teacher's room. They are not even allowed to turn it on until it hits 30 C. Grrrrr.... I feel for my kids who have to put up with it all day long in their classrooms.

Nothing like a little English miscommunication in the classroom. A fellow JET friend of mine showed me this worksheet that her teacher gave her today. She had to list off each of the verbs using "I like ...ing." So you have to ask yourself, how many times could you say these without laughing your ass off? If you've not looked at the picture yet, do so now. (Also, why is the guy crying in the pictures?)

So the gecko next to my door is here to stay, but I only have one question. In the winter, where do the geckos go? I mean its snows here and its really damn cold. So where do they go?

In case anyone is wondering it seems that the official old school Japanese retro Super Mario Brothers stamps have shipped. I want to actually see someone use these to send letters. Do it. Do it now. And send one to me. Pleeeeease.

My photoblog continues to grow. Its a slow process, so please wait. But also please comment to your hearts desire. Really. Don't let Jared be the only who comments, or it will go to his head. I mean seriously. This guy's ego doubles whenever he puts on sun glasses.

If anyone is worried over my well being (I know, who would have thought) now that North Korea is acting all insane again and seems hell bent on shooting missiles over Japan, don't be. Japan has got it covered. That and I doubt my prefecture is going to get nuked. Unless North Korea has a bad sense of irony.

Even chimps need time to play video games. Poor little chimp, Ms. Pacman is such a nag. (This is why I don't watch Japanese TV)

I think the title of this blog kind of explains itself. The first typhoon of the season has come and gone. Not a very strong one in my area, mostly just an evening of rain. Soon enough Japan will be pounded by a steady stream of unforgiving South Asian typhoons which will make my bike ridding a living hell. This would be the only reason I wish I had a car in Japan. Typhoon season. That and air conditioning.... ok, so two things.

My JET school year schedule is ending and with it comes the uncertainty of my post-summer vacation scheduling. As it looks right now most of my schools will be shuffled to different JETs and I'll end up getting a complete set of 5 new schools. Plus I'll probably end up having half my schools be elementary. No problem for me (though I love all my schools), but not knowing what to tell my JTEs and my students. I've just been giving "maybes" all week long. At my school on Friday my second year students sang me the school song. Well, I think my JTE forced it out of them, but it was a nice gesture.

Continuing my fascination of taking pictures of insects here in Japan I now present you with this nice large dragonfly. Not quite as big as some I've seen dive bombing people in my classes, but big enough. One of my students caught this guy and I took some picture before he flew off. Speaking of random creatures a gecko is now living on my apartment wall eating insects being drawn towards my door light. Quick little guy too...

As it stands now I'll be heading to Vietnam on August 19th through the 26th. A fun week traveling around the country on our way across the entire country. The real question is, will it be Theresa, Bill, or me who dies from over eating Vietnamese food?

My photoblog is moving along nicely. Even Jared is commenting on it, though mostly his comments about how good he looks. Changing titles and uploading is taking a long time, but the payoff seems to be worth it. I'll keep adding stuff this week. Hopefully I can get through it all by the end of the month. Then move on to a new blog layout. I probably should also update or add some more tutorials....

If you're in need some some cheap video thrills, check out these really funny Ewan McGregor Japanese commercials. The man knows how to advertise English lessons.

I've been working on getting some these photoblog templates, care of the people at stopdesign, working on my webpage. If anyone (besides me) remembers I once had a photoblog but gave it up for the iPhoto plugin BetterHTML Export. I've grown bored with BetterHTML Export figured it was time I got around to installing this template. Several hours of upload, installing, setting up, and configuring and its actually working. Now comes the fun part, uploading all the photos. Of which I'm about 700 photos behind in labeling within iPhoto. Sigh.... Things I guess I can do this summer when I'm at city hall. I've got a few old photo albums up right now if you'd like to see it in working order. (A special thanks to Doug over at stopdesign for taking time out of his day to responding to my e-mails and annoying questions)

Speaking of makeovers... now that I have the photoblog software up and running and about 99% of the way I want it, I guess I can start the search for a new blog template. If anyone has some ideas... let me know.

My father has been bugging me lately. Seems I've not been putting up enough pictures of my students. So, by request, here are some fun filled pictures of my students making vests in home economics class and eating a horrible Japanese lunch. I would know. I also ate it

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So people keep talking about how electronics in Japan are cheaper than in the US, and I would like to counter this claim with some personal experience. First off Japan has a lot of tech. More random tech, gadgets, and variations on things than any place else in the world (do you need a USB ramen cooker? No. Go away). A lot of these are pure crap. Sure you can buy a digital camera for under $100 USD, but it won't be good. Name brand items that you can pick up in the US are about the same price here as they are there. Sometimes you get lucky and the exchange rate is in your favor (like when I bought my camera a few months ago). Sometimes not. iPods and other foreign products cost more here thanks to the exchange rate. DVDs cost a heck of a lot more here. Video games are cheaper, but only because of the massive second hand market where you'll probably pick them up at. Probably the biggest factor in the price war issue is the internet. It doesn't matter how cheap I find something in Japan, it's probably cheaper to buy online. Even after shipping. So as a rule, things are not cheaper here. Though occasionally if you look around you can find a good deal.