A dog that was apparently washed out to sea by the tsunami that followed last month’s earthquake off the coast of Japan was rescued today by the Japanese Coast Guard after 3 weeks at sea. The dog had survived by floating atop wreckage, and though shaken, was somewhat miraculously not otherwise injured:
The dog believed to be at sea since March 11th, was reportedly picked up by the Japanese coast guard on Friday (April 1). The rescued dog, which appeared to be well-fed despite its plight, is believed to have survived the massive tsunami of March 11 and also three weeks at sea. It appeared in good condition. The dog was reportedly found on the floating roof of a house that had been washed out to sea, 1.1 miles from the coast of Kesennuma in northern Japan. It evaded capture for several hours as it scrambled over the large floating rubble raft and disappeared under the roof of a home in the raft.
All I’m saying is this better not be some sort of weird April Fools Day joke because that shit would be fucked up. If it is true, however, this dog officially wins at dogs.
Obey mastermind Shepard Fairey announced today that he is releasing 600 signed and numbered variations of his “Dark Wave” print to benefit the victims of the recent Japan earthquake and subsequent Tsunami. The 18″ x 24″ screenprints are $60 and will be available on March 24th at an unspecified time on Obeygiant.com. Get me one and I’ll pay you back. It just so happens, too, that we got some more amazing Obey for Spring 2011 online today, including the Legion Antique t-shirt (below) so while you’re waiting to hit refresh a bajillion times on Thursday, cop some Obey gear at TruckerDeluxe.com.
Japanese people like their cute super-cute, and their creepy SUUUUUPER creepy. In regard to the latter, I present you with The Telenoid R1, aka Caspar the creepy talking ghost alien sperm robot. I made that last part up, but seriously, this thing is creepy. However, robot inventor Hiroshi Ishiguro (who himself looks a little creepy and alien-like) thinks his robot will change the world:
Ishiguro designed the Telenoid R1 to be a robot that could appear like many different ages and that is easily transportable.It is intended to be used as a communication device so that people can ‘chat’ from long distances: the robot is supposed to be able toe transmit the presence’ of a person from a distant place. To operate, the user must sit at a computer with a webcam that tracks the user’s movements and captures their voice. Actuators in the robot’s body help it to move in a realistic way.These movements are then mimicked by the Telenoid which is sitting with the message’s recipient.Ishiguro says: “The unique appearance may be eerie when we first see it. However, once we communicate with others by using the telenoid, we can adapt to it.”‘If a friend speaks from the telenoid, we can imagine the friend’s face on the telenoid’s face. “If we embrace it, we have the feeling, that we embrace the friend.”
Check out the video of the Telenoid R1 in action. The future is now. And it’s hella creepy.
I’m proud of myself for going almost a whole week without posting any Japanese YouTube videos. But this Pygmy Jerboa was too good to pass on. I mean its got all the hallmarks of what makes Japanese shit cool: it’s little, it’s weird, its almost unbelievably cute, it seems fake but it’s actually real. It may seem like a harsh, cruel world out there, but a world with Pygmy Jerboa’s in it can’t really be all that bad, can it?
You may have thought you knew about owls, but the Northern White-Faced Owl (hereby known forever more as Transformer Owl) found across Africa (and now the internet) is on the next level of owls. As you’ll see in the video, like many birds, Transformer Owl puffs up when confronted by a similarly sized foe in a futile attempt to seem bigger and more pissed off looking. However, it’s only when faced with a far larger enemy that Transformer Owl activates his secret superpower: the ability to turn into a nightmarish cat-like alien vampire demon owl. No wonder Japanese people love that shit!
Zangief may have been one of the worst characters in Street Fighter II (I mean really, what kind of a stupid ass special move is spinning around in circles with your arms out?) but he will soon find a second life as a fashion icon (after all, in the original Japanese version of the game, Zangief was modeled after the Japanese ideal of the prototypical gay guy). You see, dudes who spent all winter growing their uber-fashionable Zach Galifianakis beards aren’t gonna want to chop that shit off, so instead they’re gonna chop off their hair. But completely shaving your head is about as boring as missionary sex. So the next best thing is of course, the doggy style of haircuts, The Mohawk. The Mohawk is like party on the sides, business in the middle. And it is this combination, of beard, and mohawk, which creates the Zangief (as modeled below by the American ideal of the prototypical badass: me.) The best part of it is, you don’t even need to fuck with a stylist. Just get your buddy to bust out the clippers and you’re golden. Bums will no longer bother you for change. Your old lady will no longer give you lip. Bartenders will serve you first. Your friends will leave reverential comments on your photo on Facebook. 100% guaranteed!*
