The Xbox 360 Doth Returneth Againeth Post Hasteth

So, after sending the Xbox out again due to that crazy noise, I got it back verily quickly - with another bonus free month of LIVE. This time, they replaced the fan free of charge and now, when a game isn't playing, it's quieter than a whisper in space. With a disk running, it's still noisy, though not as much as it once was. Excitement!

I complain much about this island nation, but not about it's customer service (especially compared with America's 'What the fuck do you want' attitude).

The Xbox Doth Returneth and is Senteth Backeth Againeth

So, the great thing about living in Japan is their slave-like customer service. If they don't satisfy the customer completely, the sales people get thirty lashes. The same goes for Microsoft Japan.

I hear complaint after complaint from Americans about when the Xboxes die, they have to call for M$ to send them a box, and it takes quite a while to get it back. Lately, I've been hearing that M$, in order to screw people out of their own time and money are refusing to send people a box - though Microsoft I've heard is denying it.

The Panasonic VDR-D50P/PC and Mac OS X

My parents gave me a video camera for Christmas this past year in order to record the growings-up of the munchkin, now 13 months of age. It's a Panasonic VDR-D50P/PC DVD Palmcorder and unfortunately the software is completely incompatible with my glory of glories Mac OS X 4.11.

Damn.



I've had it for quite some time, allowing it to collect dust. That is, until today!

With some pain-in-the-assed techniques, you too can download your video directly off of the camera for your editing pleasure - without having to finalize your disk or use an analog bridge. This is how I did it.

Gotcha, Mutha-Fuckah!

I don't like to kill. Anything, well, except for plants for food, I GU~~~ESS. Aside from that, I don't like to kill. Not even the insects I despise so much. However, last summer, I killed a mosquito. One of these tigers. I felt awful for weeks after.


Today, another reared it's ugly head and it pissed me off, and I vacuumed that son of a bitch right up - though, not before he tagged my wife, son and myself numerous times. Guess I've become a cold, hard killer. Damn. Though, bitch had it comin'.

iPod Crapfesta 2009

So, throughout the better part of this, and the last in fact, the headphone jack of my iPod's been dying. First, I couldn't hear anything out of the right earpiece, then more recently, the left has been on the fritz. It's not the headphones, and this seems to be quite a common problem. That, and my warranty has been up for a couple of years, now.

So I opened the bitch up, and I found that I could do nothing about it, save stick a business card inside to create enough pressure to allow the connections to reconnect - which seems to have been the trouble all along.

I learned how from this eHow page.

Now, the left ear piece is golden while the right is getting much more sound out of it now - though hardly perfect. I love Macs, but I's really starting to hate all their little peripherals!



Update: The business card has long since failed on me, and now I've bought another remote control, from a company other than Apple, which seems to be doing somewhat of the trick, but not well enough. I'm tired...

The Red Rings of Ridiculous

So, I was playing a few rounds of Crackdown while my family napped. All was going well, then it was break time. After a nice supper, I was thoroughly full, ready to chill out with the TV and family. My son, always very excited about my xbox 360 controllers, decided to turn on my machine. The TV was still set to the game input, yet no picture was to be found. I went around the side to check out the xbox, and to my surprise, not three hours later, it had sadly died, with the ring glowing as red as sin.



As much as I hate that this happened, however, I do feel it a partial blessing, as I've started to actually get some work done. Hooray! And Boo hoo!

Japanese Children Shows: Miitsuketa

Miitsuketa revolves around Suichan (スイちゃん) - the adorable little human, her rice-loving chair Koshi (コッシー), and creepy-uncle-like cactus Sabosan (サボさん). Koshi - in mini-puppet form has tons of furniture friends who get into all sorts of mini adventures. There's also the strange guy in a pink cow outfit, Ofurosuki (オフロスキ) - or bath-lover - who spends his time making strange noises.

The ending song, though is ridiculously addictive. It's sung by Ufuls lead Tortoise Matsumoto.

Japanese Children Shows: Pitagora Suicchi

Occasional animations, a strange song in round with matching actions and a few other tidbits make up this short kids program in the mornings here in Japan. But the main attraction is the Pitagora Suicchi (ピタゴラスイッチ) - aka Pythagoras Switches, aka A Rube Goldberg Machines - themselves that come between each short. It's an example of things that make even the smallest person think a bit.

Japanese Children Shows: Knyakki (Animation)

I'm pretty sure that this was a one off, as I've only seen it today.

Knyakki is a short animation mixed with clay and photos. It follows a little green worm, his little green lady-worm-friend and a stink bug as they traverse the wonderful world of the city. As it happens, Knyakki loves to whistle, and is amazing at it!

One day, while falling asleep in a flower in a flower shop, the flower is bought by an entertainer who accidently discovers this little worm and his talents while on stage performing. His whistling is an instant hit, leading to the entertainer kidnapping the little worm, shoving him into a tank where he's starved and beaten and forced to be on a TV show - The Whistle Worm Show.

Of course, being beaten and starved as he is, little Knyakki is soon unable to perform, reversing all of the public adulation they had been receiving while scores of other animal acts vie to take his place. Angered, the entertainer tosses Knyakki and his tank out the window allowing him to be rescued by his two buggy friends!

As a watched, I thought that, in it's way, was quite a bold story for Japanese mini-kids. I really liked it. If I can find it on YouTube in a while, I'll throw it up, though it just aired today, as I've said.

Quite Well Balanced

"Please enjoy it - a food with well-balanced nutritians. Its very convenient as a snack to children and for picnic." 

You know, I have been lacking in my caramel intake as of late...

Magic Cookware

"This frying pan is like the wizard. Because a terrible, delicious omelet can be made also for me well." Glad I'm vegan.

Fashion Family

Just before the picture was taken, they were smiling! I SWEAR it! Now it looks like they're in a Gap or Uniqlo ad.

On the Subject of Wheels

Nolan loves wheels. Wheels and bottles and balls and basically anything that rolls. He shoves his stroller around. He has to touch every tire on every car he sees.

Hey Sherry!

In Japanese, the name of the hotel with the pink neon lettering is either Sharon or Shalom. I'm leaning towards the Hebrew as the katakana seems to hold the shape of the written language. Either way, it's quite a fancy name for a love hotel.

Eagle Deterrent

I found this little gem on a Hankyu Line train the other day. Notice the knees. Apparently, knees feel joy when their owner is very, VERY polite. Though people on trains here rarely are.

On Real (Looking) Guns and Nostalgia

I remember a time when toy guns looked real in the United States. Those summer evenings shooting the crap out of my Dad. Too bad stupid people exist. Luckily, Japan exists and you can buy all the replica and real-looking cap guns you want!

Recycle Shops Ahoy!

Ever since people found that they can get a little money back from selling their trash instead of throwing it away, I've cried. I used to find great stuff lying around, especially since it seems that the Japanese as a whole don't really understand the value of something - hyper-consumerism and all that.

ANYWAY, we like to peruse the local recycle shops, of which there are many, to look for those rare pearls. The most recent being these two finds. A couple of sturdy chairs from Wonder Woman's invisible jet and a draping mannequin. Luckily for us, they weren't TOO over-priced. JOY!

The Butterfly in the Wind

One day, when coming home from some excursion, the wife and kid and I discovered this guy hanging out on our apartment's staircase. He really couldn't handle the wind very well. Tried to help him out a bit, but he seemed quite comfortable without any human help.

Pleasure is a Priority Too!

Too bad, though! Even though you may want to, all the seats will be taken by those who don't need them.

On the Subject of Tiny Teeth

Nolan's teeth are coming along pretty nicely. His four front teeth and his two are fully out and growing and looking good. Now, he enjoys himself some tearing through thick-skinned object with those chompers of his.

Joboob!

Joboob indeed!

Diznii DVD

There's a section in the Kyōgaku no Gaijin Hanzai Ura File (a magazine published explaining all the ways foreigners in Japan are evil creatures) that explains how foreigners - mainly other asians - come to Japan to steal the copyrights. This mainly extended to video games, cartoons and comics.

Then, right on cue, here are the cheap and very illegal Disney DVDs for sale at a supermarket or kiosk near you.



This isn't even to mention the incredible amount of fan fiction and porno comics based on a legitimate artist's work. Fan fiction, in my opinion, should never make money, unless they get the authors written permission. Laws! Go fig.

When One Eats, One Needs Wine

Playing Pig Flu, Teacher and Me

So as the Pandemic sweeps Japan, all the schools are closed for a week, including all kids classes here at ECC. Which means the staff had to spend hours upon hours calling all their students telling them not to bother coming.

When calling one of my former (and one of my favorite) students, her mother informed the staff member on the phone that her daughter was currently playing a game with her brand new baby sister. She was playing teacher and teaching her sister English. To be precise, she was playing me. A tiny little girl version of me.

I may never think I'm not doing a good job again.

Dieting? Use Jesus Body!

Want to look absolutely fabulous for your next night on the town with your closest 12 buddies?

Yamaha Understands Puberty

Throw a bunch of girls onto a poster and call your new product "P.M.S." and you'll have a guaranteed winner. That is, if you were selling anything other than Pop music lessons...

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