David Does Japan: 15 October 2006

The Land Walker: The Future is Now

~Several months ago, I made a joke in this blog that the N-1 Pachinko parlor in Nagaoka is actually a hangar for a giant robot to protect Japan from a North Korean invasion. It was a joke, of course, because in real life, giant combat robots don't exist.

OR DO THEY?

^ [Click video to play] For only 36 million yen (~$345,000 ), you too can be the proud owner of a bipedal, 1-ton, 3.4 meter giant robot! The Land Walker is manufactured by Sakakibara-Kikai, a Japanese robotics company, and is intended for robotics exhibitions. I should point out that the guns mounted on the Land Walker fire rubber balls...for now.

Sure, it's slow (top speed 1.5 km/hr), but it's a REAL-LIFE MECHA! Give this technology 30 years (or less), and see what happens. Imagine a giant defense company pumping billions of dollars into R&D for Land Walkers, turning them from clunky, slow, bare-boned machines, into something like this:

^ [Yes, it's another video] More death and destruction...wonderful, just what we need. I get the feeling that it's going to be a lot less than 1000 years before BattleMechs are striding over the sands of Iraq...or the White House lawn.

Reminder: the Japanglish contest is still open. I've received a number of humorous responses so far, so keep them coming.
~Oyasumi!

Your Friendly Japanglish Notebook...plus a contest!

~At work today, I located some Japanglish on a notebook cover belonging to one of my co-workers. To the co-worker's vast amusement, I took a picture of the notebook:

Here are closeups of the text on the top and bottom of the cover:

^ On the top, misspellings and all:

It is our hope that this iteme will become your good friend
and help to make your life enjoy-able all the time.

What's an iteme? Seriously though, if you consider your notebook to be your friend, you need new friends...

^ On the lower cover:

The benefit of this notebook is up to
the sense that comes from your passion

Huh??? Okay, I'm announcing a translation contest, to see who can come up with the best "normal English" translation of the above Japanglish. Post your entries as comments to this post (click "comments" on the bottom right of this post, for those of you who read this blog but don't let me know it...). All are welcome to enter, and your translation can be as logical or as ridiculous as you want.

The contest winner receives (insert drumroll here)...respect! I'll even throw in recognition in a future post!

[*One entry per person please, and the deadline for submissions is November 1st*]

~Oyasumi!

Curse that Infernal Construction!

~Remember the Infernal Contraption? Thankfully, it's long-gone. In its place, however, is this:

^ This construction site recently went into full-speed mode, and the noise is if anything even more horrible than the Infernal Contraption. This one guy has a power saw that whines so loud it sets my teeth on edge! Now, instead of being awakened by continual pounding, I'm awakened by sporadic pounding and assorted mechanical screeching.

Speaking of construction, I think if the Boys With Toys focused more on toys that build things, rather than toys that destroy things, the world would be a better place. Don't you agree?

~Oyasumi!